religion ibn nusayr
In Shiite literature The Minor Occultation ( 874  941 CE ) refers to early years of Imamate of Muhammad al - Mahdi who disappeared and would only contact his followers through the Four Deputies . This occultation is also called as the First Occultation . The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Twelver or " Athn  ashariyyah " branch of ___MASK59___ and in Alevi Islam . According to the theology of Twelvers , the Twelve Imams are exemplary human individuals who not only rule over the community with justice , but also are able to keep and interpret " sharia " and the esoteric meaning of the Quran . Muhammad and Imams ' words and deeds are a guide and model for the community to follow ; as a result , they must be free from error and sin , known as Ismah or infallibility and must be chosen by divine decree , or " nass ", through the Prophet . Twelver ( Athn ' ashariyyah or Ithn ' ashariyyah ) ___MASK59___ or Imamiyyah is the largest branch of ___MASK59___ . Twelver belief is based on the Quran and the message of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad attested in hadith , and on hadith taught by their Imams . The term " Twelver " refers to its adherents ' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders , known as the Twelve Imams , and their belief that the last Imam , Muhammad al - Mahdi , lives in occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi . According to Shia tradition , the Mahdi ' s tenure will coincide with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (" Isa "), who is to assist the " Mahdi " against the " Masih ad - Dajjal " ( literally , the " false Messiah " or Antichrist ). Shia (" Shah ", from " Shatu Al ", followers of Ali ) is a branch of ___MASK89___ which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor ( Imam ). ___MASK59___ primarily contrasts with Sunni ___MASK89___ , whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor . Instead they consider Abu Bakr ( who was appointed Caliph through a Shura , i . e . consensus ) to be the correct Caliph . In Islamic eschatology , the Mahdi ( ISO 233 : "" " guided one ") is the prophesied redeemer of ___MASK89___ who will rule for five , seven , nine , or nineteen years ( according to differing interpretations ) before the Day of Judgment (/ literally , " the Day of Resurrection ") and will rid the world of evil . Muhammad ( c . 570 CE  8 June 632 CE ) is the central figure of ___MASK89___ and widely regarded as its founder by non - Muslims . He is known as the " Holy Prophet " to Muslims , almost all of whom consider him to be the last prophet sent by God to mankind to restore ___MASK89___ , believed by Muslims to be the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and other prophets . Muhammad united Arabia into a single ___MASK23___ polity and ensured that his teachings , practices , and the Quran , formed the basis of Islamic religious belief . The word Imamate (" immah ") is a word derived from Imam meaning " leadership ". Its use in theology is confined to ___MASK89___ . Abu Shu ' ayb Muhammad ibn Nusayr , was a disciple of the tenth Twelver Shi ' a Imam , Ali al Hadi and of the eleventh Imam , Hasan al Askari ( d . 873 ) . Ibn Nusayr was known to his companions as a representative ( Bab ) of al - Askari and of the twelfth Imam , Muhammad al - Mahdi during the Minor Occultation . A rival of his in claiming to be the Bab ( door ) to the Imams was Abu Yaqub Ishaq , founder of the Ishaqiyya . Historian Matti Moosa claims he believed in the divinity of al - Askari and reincarnation The followers of Ibn Nusayr are known as , Nusairyoon / Nosayris / Nusayris ( Arabic :   ) or , since the 1920s , Alawi ( Arabic :   ) . One should note that the term Nusayri now has a negative connotation , as the Islamic State Group employs the term to promote the genocide of Alawites . He was of Persian origin , but was associated with the Arab al - Namir tribe . A hadith ( or plural : ahadith , ) is one of various reports describing the words , actions , or habits of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . The term comes from Arabic meaning a " report ", " account " or " narrative ". Hadith are second only to the Quran in developing Islamic jurisprudence , and regarded as important tools for understanding the Quran and commentaries (" tafsir ") written on it . Some important elements of traditional ___MASK89___ , such as the five salat prayers , are mentioned in hadith . The Quran (; ', literally meaning " the recitation "; also romanized Qur ' an or Koran "') is the central religious text of ___MASK89___ , which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God (" Allah "). It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature . The Quran is divided into chapters (" surah " in Arabic ), which are then divided into verses (" ayah "). ___MASK89___ (' ;) is a religion articulated by the Quran , a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God ('), and , for the vast majority of adherents , the teachings and normative example ( called the " sunnah ", composed of accounts called " hadith ") of Muhammad ( 570  8 June 632 CE ). It is the world ' s second - largest religion and the fastest - growing major religion in the world , with over 1 . 7 billion followers or 23 % of the global population , known as Muslims . ___MASK89___ is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion that upholds that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of existence is to worship God . Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last prophet of God . The Four Deputies or Gates ( Arabic : abwb , singular : bb ), in Twelver ___MASK59___ , were the four individuals who served as messengers between the community and the twelfth and final Imam , upon him going into the Minor Occultation . The deputies are also referred to with the Arabic terms " Safir " ( emissary ), " Na ' ib " ( deputy ) or " Wakil " ( advocate ).