Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Zaydis as Shi`ite Twelvers?

I read this phrase here:  "Zaydi [Shi`ite] twelvers".  Of course, they are not Shi`ite twelvers by definition.  My anonymous adviser on Shi`ite theology added this:  "if they count Zayd as an Imam, the Imams will no longer add up to twelve. If they do not count him, they cannot be called Zaydis.

Now there is one thing that is a bit too scholarly for media usage, but it is worth noting, at least to attend to your thirst for Islamic history. There has been a group within Zaydi Shīʿism, which came to dominate other Zaydi groups at the end of the 2nd/8th century, whose views are quite similar to Imāmī (later known as Twelver) views. These shared views concern the nature of the Imam’s knowledge, his method of designation, the position on Muhammad’s companions and other legal details. But they cannot, in any way, be considered Twelver Zaydis."