The Occultation

Concealment or absence of faith is a concept that forms the basis of almost all Shiite beliefs, the key aspect of eschatology, each has their Hidden Imam. Even Jesus is alive after this performance in concealment.

The idea of ​​concealment appeared for the first time in the year 700 at the Kaisaniten on, a person living in Kufa group of Shiites, was responsible for the Muhammad ibn al - Hanafi, the son of Ali and one of his slaves, the Imam, he would not have died but have moved away from the world and live hidden.

Here, this idea of ​​concealment, however, differs in the various Shiite directions:

For the majority of Shiites, especially for the Twelvers, the last Imam is not dead, but he was overshadowed by concealment (Arabic غيبة ghayba, DMG ghayba ). He lives in an invisible world, and is referred to as the Hidden Imam, the Mahdi, who will come back at the end of time.

There are two levels of concealment: The Small concealment consists of, to hide and to escape persecution, and the Great concealment, where the imam has no more contact with the living, although he is considered to be more than alive. The Hidden Imam may be increased by representatives ( wakil ) to express what the speaking Imams ( ناطق, DMG Natiq ), also known as Ambassador (Arabic: Sufara ʾ, singular: SAFIR ) are referred to. According to Suhrawardi, the Mahdi is currently incognito, but he can not betray his presence, because he would immediately lose his spiritual power.

The Ismailis have a different concept of concealment: the line of the hidden Imams before the world stretches in secret from father to son. The Mahdi ( as is the case at the 11th Imam Abdallah al -Mahdi ) is therefore a descendant of the last known Imam. The Tayyibiten the representatives of the Hidden Imam al - Mutlaq are the da'i. The return of the Imam does not indicate the end of time.

Ismailis

The first Ismaili Imams remained hidden to escape the oppression of the Abbasids. The duration of the concealment begins with Ismail ibn Jafar, the seventh Shia Imam to 760 Abdallah al -Mahdi, the 11th Imam, which terminates the period of seclusion, and for most Ismailis as the Mahdi applies ( with the exception of Qarmatis and Saba ʾ iyya ). He was the first Fatimid caliph (see list of Fatimid Caliph / List of Fatimid Imams ).

Nizariten

For the Ismaili Nizariten were no new period of concealment. Aga Khan IV is the current Imam.

Tayyibiten

For the Ismaili Tayyibiten ( cf. Bohra and Dawoodi Bohra ) This period of seclusion begins a new period of seclusion after the assassination of the Fatimid caliph and 20th Imam of Cairo al -Amir, in the year 1130. ( Satr called ) is not yet completed. The last Imam is known as at- Tayyib Abi l -Qasim.

Twelvers

( :; Singular Sufara ʾ: Safir Arabic) remained in contact for the Twelvers, the twelfth Imam, Muhammad al -Mahdi disappeared in the year 874 in a Small concealment, where he and his followers by his ambassador. The era of the Great concealment began 940

For the Druze, the Ismaili Imam and Caliph of the Fatimid al -Hakim, the Mahdi, he even has the rank of an incarnate deity. The status of the Druze as Muslims is therefore controversial.