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GCSE Religious Studies · key term
The hidden state of the twelfth Imam, whom Twelver Shi'a Muslims believe remains alive and will return.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 1
The belief that the twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, is alive but hidden from ordinary human view until Allah wills his return.
Revise: The imamate in Shi'a IslamThe twelfth is Muhammad al-Mahdi. They believe he remains alive but hidden, a state called the Occultation, and will return when Allah wills to establish justice.
Specification 3.4, 3.7 · Paper 1, Paper 2
An Imam’s hidden existence. Believers understand the Imam to remain alive even though he is not publicly accessible.
Revise: The Family of the ProphetIn the Musta’li tradition, represented by Sulaymani, Alavi and Daudi Bohra communities, the twenty-first Imam is believed to have entered occultation in 1132. Occultation means hidden existence, not death. During this period, Da’i Mutlaqs act as guardians of the Imams’ teaching and lead communities in following it while awaiting the reappearance of a descendant of the hidden Imam.
The concealment of an Imam; particularly the continuing concealment of the twelfth Imam in Twelver Shi’a belief.
Specification 1.2 · Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3
Revise: The Five Roots of 'Usul ad-Din in Shi'a IslamTwelvers recognised his son Musa al-Kazim and a line continuing to Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth Imam. They believe the twelfth Imam is in occultation: hidden rather than dead, and destined to return to establish justice. Today, religious scholars guide Twelver communities while they await his return.
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