Occultation (Islam)

The mainstream Shia identifies him as Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth imam,[2] who is believed to be responsible for the affairs of men and, in particular, their inward spiritual guidance during the occultation.

During his Minor Occultation (874-941), the twelfth Imam is believed to have remained in regular contact with four successive agents,[7] collectively known as the Four Deputies (al-nuwwab al-arba').

[8] During the Major Occultation (941-present), however, there is no agent of the Hidden Imam on earth,[7] though it is believed that he remains providentially living in his physical body until his reappearance in the end of time.

[9] The Twelver theory of occultation crystallized in the first half of the fourth (tenth) century based on rational and textual arguments.

[10] This theory, for instance, sets forth that the life of Muhammad al-Mahdi has been miraculously prolonged, arguing that the earth cannot be void of the imam as the highest proof (hujja) of God.

[12] Immediately after the death of Hasan al-Askari in 260 (873-874),[13] Uthman al-Amri (d. 874-875) claimed that the eleventh Imam had a young son, named Muhammad, who had entered a state of occultation due to the threat to his life from the Abbasids.

[23] The letter, ascribed to al-Mahdi, added that the complete occultation would continue until God granted him permission to manifest himself again in a time when the earth would be filled with tyranny.

[2][39] One exception is the extinct Husaynites in Yemen, who denied the death of al-Husayn ibn al-Qasim al-Iyani and awaited his return.

[40] For instance, long-standing Shia traditions were appropriated by the now-extinct Waqifites to argue that Musa al-Kazim, the seventh imam, had not died but was in occultation.

[2][42] The Qarmatians, an extinct branch of Isma'ili Shia, believed in the mahdiship of Muhammad ibn Isma'il and his imminent return.