field_of_work hasan al-askari
In Twelver Shia ___MASK75___ , Abul Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al - Samarri ( 939 AD ) was the fourth and last of The Four Deputies appointed by the twelfth and final Imam , Muhammad al - Mahdi , while he was in the Minor Occultation . Unlike his predecessors he had no appointed successor , and the Major Occultation began after his death . Twelver ( Athn ' ashariyyah or Ithn ' ashariyyah ) Shia ___MASK75___ or Imamiyyah is the largest branch of Shia ___MASK75___ . 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 ___MASK75___ which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor ( Imam ). Shia ___MASK75___ primarily contrasts with Sunni ___MASK75___ , 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 Shiite ___MASK72___ 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 . 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 ___MASK59___ meaning a " report ", " account " or " narrative ". Hadith are second only to the Quran in developing Islamic ___MASK98___ , and regarded as important tools for understanding the Quran and commentaries (" ___MASK47___ ") written on it . Some important elements of traditional Islam , such as the five salat prayers , are mentioned in hadith . Medina (', " the radiant city "; or , ', " the city "), also transliterated as Madnah , is a city in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia that is also the capital of the Al Madinah Region . The city contains al - Masjid an - Nabawi (" the Prophet ' s Mosque "), which is the burial place of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , and is the second - holiest city in ___MASK75___ after Mecca . The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia , the other being the Euphrates . The ___MASK9___ flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq and empties itself into the Persian Gulf . Smarr is a city in Iraq . It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate , north of Baghdad . In 2003 the city had an estimated population of 348 , 700 . Samarra was once in the " Sunni Triangle " of violence during the sectarian violence in Iraq ( 2006  07 ). Baghdad is the capital of the Republic of Iraq . The population of Baghdad , , is approximately 7 . 216 . 040 making it the largest city in Iraq , the second largest city in the Arab world ( after Cairo , ___MASK90___ ), and the second largest city in Western ___MASK70___ ( after Tehran , Iran ). In ___MASK4___ , the Mahdi ( ISO 233 : "" " guided one ") is the prophesied redeemer of Islam 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 . Iraq (, or ; '; '), officially known as the Republic of Iraq ('; ') is a country in Western ___MASK70___ , bordered by Turkey to the north , Iran to the east , Kuwait to the southeast , Saudi Arabia to the south , Jordan to the southwest , and Syria to the west . The capital , and largest city , is Baghdad . The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds ; others include Assyrians , Turkmen , Shabakis , Yazidis , Armenians , Mandeans , Circassians , and Kawliya . Around 95 % of the country ' s 36 million citizens are Muslims , with Christianity , Yarsan , Yezidism , and Mandeanism also present . The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish . A Muslim is someone who follows or practises ___MASK75___ , a monotheistic ___MASK73___ . Muslims consider the Quran ( Koran ), their holy book , to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Islamic prophet and messenger Muhammad . They also follow the teachings and practices of Muhammad (" sunnah ") as recorded in traditional accounts (" hadith "). " Muslim " is an Arabic word meaning " one who submits ( to God )". ___MASK38___ is a cultural system of behaviors and practices , world views , sacred texts , holy places , ethics , and societal organisation that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called " an order of existence ". Different religions may or may not contain various elements , ranging from the " divine ", " sacred things ", " faith ", a " supernatural being or supernatural beings " or " some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life ." Abu Ahmad Talha ibn Ja ' far ( 842  June 2 , 891 ), better known by his " laqab " as al - Muwaffaq bi - Allah (" Blessed of God "), was an Abbasid prince and ___MASK23___ leader , who acted as the virtual regent of the Abbasid Caliphate for most of the reign of his brother , Caliph al - Mu ' tamid . His stabilization of the internal political scene after the decade - long " Anarchy at Samarra ", his successful defence of Iraq against the Saffarids and the suppression of the Zanj Rebellion restored a measure of the Caliphate ' s former power and began a period of recovery , which culminated in the reign of al - Muwaffaq ' s own son , the Caliph al - Mu ' tadid . The Quran (; ', literally meaning " the recitation "; also romanized Qur ' an or Koran "') is the central religious text of ___MASK75___ , which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God (" Allah "). It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical ___MASK59___ ___MASK72___ . The Quran is divided into chapters (" surah " in ___MASK59___ ), which are then divided into verses (" ayah "). The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Twelver or " Athn  ashariyyah " branch of Shia ___MASK75___ and in Alevi ___MASK75___ . According to the ___MASK94___ , 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 . Ali ibn Abi Talib (; 13 Rajab , 21 BH  21 Ramadan , 40 AH ; 15 September 601  29 January 661 ) was the cousin and son - in - ___MASK49___ of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , ruling over the Islamic caliphate from 656 to 661 . Ahmad ibn Tulun ( ca . 20 September 835  10 May 884 ) was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled ___MASK90___ and Syria between 868 and 905 . Originally a Turkic slave - soldier , in 868 Ibn Tulun was sent to ___MASK90___ as governor by the Abbasid caliph . Within four years Ibn Tulun had established himself as a virtually independent ruler by evicting the caliphal fiscal agent , Ibn al - Mudabbir , taking over control of ___MASK90___ ' s finances , and establishing a large military force personally loyal to himself . This process was facilitated by the volatile political situation in the Abbasid court and the preoccupation of the Abbasid regent , al - Muwaffaq , with the wars against the Saffarids and the Zanj Rebellion . Ibn Tulun also took care to establish an efficient administration in ___MASK90___ . After reforms to the tax system , repairs to the irrigation system , and other measures , the annual tax yield grew markedly . As a symbol of his new regime , he built a new capital , al - Qata ' i , north of the old capital Fustat . Abu  l - Abbs Amad ibn Jafar ( ca . 842  died 15 October 892 ), better known by his regnal name al - Mutamid Al  llh (" Dependent on God "), was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 870 to 892 . His reign marks the end of the " Anarchy at Samarra " and the start of the Abbasid restoration , but he was a largely a ruler in name only . Power was held by his brother al - Muwaffaq , who held the loyalty of the ___MASK23___ . Al - Mu ' tamid ' s authority was circumscribed further after a failed attempt to flee to the domains controlled by Ahmad ibn Tulun in late 882 , and he was placed under house arrest by his brother . In 881 , when al - Muwaffaq died , loyalists attempted to restore power to the Caliph , but were quickly overcome by al - Muwaffaq ' s son al - Mu ' tadid , who assumed his father ' s powers . When al - Mu ' tamid died in 892 , al - Mu ' tadid succeeded him as caliph . Sunni ___MASK75___ ( or ) is the largest denomination of ___MASK75___ . Its name comes from the word Sunnah , referring to the exemplary behavior of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the choice of Muhammad ' s successor and subsequently acquired broader political significance , as well as theological and juridical dimensions . Muhammad ibn  Al ibn Ms ( ___MASK59___ :      ) ( circa April 12 , 811 - c . November 29 , 835 ) was the ninth of the Twelve Imams and a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad . He was also called Abu Ja ' far , Ibn al - Ridha (" the son of al - Ridha ); al - Jawd (" the generous ") and al - Taq (" the pious "). His role is celebrated by the largest branch of Shia Islam , the Twelver or " Athn  ashariyyah " branch . According to Shiite accounts , he was poisoned by his wife and died at age 25 , the shortest - lived of the Twelve . The Four Deputies or Gates ( ___MASK59___ : abwb , singular : bb ), in Twelver Shia Islam , 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 ___MASK59___ terms " Safir " ( emissary ), " Na ' ib " ( deputy ) or " Wakil " ( advocate ). Al ibn Muhammad ibn  Al ( 828 - 868 C . E . ) commonly called " Ali al - Hadi " and " Al an - Naq " was known as al - Hadi . He was the tenth of the Twelve Imams after his father Muhammad al - Jawad and before his son Hasan al - Askari . He remained in Medina ___MASK41___ until the age of 30 when he was summoned to Samarra by the Abbasid caliph Al - Mutawakkil . There he was treated roughly by the caliph and his successors until , according to Shiite accounts , he was poisoned through intrigue of Al - Mu ' tazz the Abbasid caliph , in 254 / 868 , and was buried in Samarra . ___MASK75___ (' ;) is a ___MASK38___ 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 ___MASK38___ and the fastest - growing major ___MASK38___ in the world , with over 1 . 7 billion followers or 23 % of the global population , known as Muslims . ___MASK75___ is an Abrahamic monotheistic ___MASK38___ 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 . Muhammad ( c . 570 CE  8 June 632 CE ) is the central figure of ___MASK75___ 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 ___MASK75___ , believed by Muslims to be the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and other prophets . Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim 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 ___MASK14___ is confined to Islam . Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ( c . 846 -- 874 ) was the 11th Imam of Twelver Shia ___MASK75___ . He was also called Abu Muhammad and Ibn al - Ridha , and is generally known as al - Askari ( Askar being the word for ___MASK23___ ) for the city ( Samarra ) he had to live in was a garrison town . He was the eleventh Shia Imam after his father Ali al - Hadi and lived under house arrest in Samarra , especially since it was known that the Shia were looking forward to his son , Muhammad al - Mahdi , the twelfth Imam , who was destined to remove injustice from the world . Al - Askari married Narjis Khatun and was kept in house arrest or prison most of his life until , according to some Shia sources , he was poisoned at the age of 28 at the instigation of the Abbasid caliph Al - Mu ' tamid and was buried in Samarra . The Major Occultation ( ___MASK59___ :  Al - Ghaybah al - Kubra ) according to Shia is Mahdi ' s second occultation after his first occultation . According to Twelvers the Major occultation which came around 329 / 941 is still in effect , and will not end until the End of Time when the Mahdi , is believed to come back to reestablish Justice on earth . Ab Bakr  Abdallh bin Ab Qufah a - iddq ( 573 CE22 August 634 CE ) popularly known as Abu Bakr , was a senior companion (" Sahabi ") and  through his daughter Aisha  the father - in - ___MASK49___ of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . Abu Bakr became the first openly declared Muslim outside Muhammad ' s family . Abu Bakr served as a trusted advisor to Muhammad . During Muhammad ' s lifetime , he was involved in several campaigns and treaties . Sunnah (, , plural ) is the verbally transmitted record of the teachings , deeds and sayings , silent permissions ( or disapprovals ) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , as well as various reports about Muhammad ' s companions . Along with the Quran ( the holy book of ___MASK75___ ), the Sunnah makes up the two primary sources of Islamic ___MASK14___ and law . The " Sunna " is also defined as " a path , a way , a manner of life "; " all the traditions and practices " of the Islamic prophet that " have become models to be followed " by Muslims . Abraham ( Avraham ), originally Abram , is the first of the three patriarchs of ___MASK21___ . His story features in the holy texts of all the Abrahamic religions and Abraham plays a prominent role as an example of faith in ___MASK21___ , ___MASK29___ , and Islam . An imam (', plural : ') is an Islamic leadership position . It is most commonly in the context of a worship leader of a mosque and Muslim community by Sunni Muslims . In this context , imams may lead Islamic worship services , serve as community leaders , and provide religious guidance . For Shi ' a Muslims , the imam has a more central meaning and role in ___MASK75___ through the concept of Imamah ; the term is only applicable to those members of the house of the prophet ahl al - Bayt , designated as infallibles . Muhammad ibn Hasan al - Mahd is believed by Twelver Sh  a Muslims to be the Mahd , an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imm of the Twelve Imams who will emerge with Isa ( Jesus Christ ) in order to fulfill their mission of bringing ___MASK99___ and justice to the world . Twelver Sh  a believe that al - Mahd was born in 869 ( 15 Sha  bn 255 AH ) and assumed Imamate at 5 years of age following the death of his father Hasan al - Askari . In the early years of his Imamate he would only contact his followers through The Four Deputies . After a 72 - year period , known as Minor Occultation , a few days before the death of his fourth deputy Abul Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al - Samarri in 941 , he is believed to have sent his followers a letter . In that letter that was transmitted by al - Samarri he declared the beginning of Major Occultation during which Mahdi is not in contact with his followers . Shura ( ___MASK59___ :  " shr ") is an ___MASK59___ word for " consultation ". The Quran and the Prophet Muhammad encourage Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with those who will be affected by that decision .