Religion, Learning and Science in the `Abbasid Period pdf

A group of the ShiCah could not accept this and declared that eitherIsmأ¤fil had not died or that the imamate belonged to his son Muhammad.This group is known as the Ismأ¤filis. Although they emerge in strengthlater in Fatimid Egypt, their theological contribution does not belong tomainstream Shifi theology. It is the group who accepted the imamate ofJaffar’s son Mأ¼sأ¤ al-Kأ¤?im (d. 1 83/799) after Jaffar’s death in 148/765, whoare generally known as the ShiCah. However, the succession of Mأ¼sأ¤ wasnot completely smooth, as many of the ShiCah thought that JaCfar’ssuccessor was his eldest son CAbdullأ¤h, and it was only after Mأ¼sأ¤’s claimshad been endorsed by leading Shifi scholars that he became generallyaccepted as imam by the ShiCah.In view of the fact that the ShiCah was always an organization which, evenat its most quiescent, was in some way at variance with the authorities, itwas necessary at times to hide its beliefs from the authorities. This gave rise,from a very early time, to the doctrine of taqiyyah (precautionary dissimula-tion). It was permissible for the ShiCah to conceal their true beliefs. This