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الشيعة الاثنا عشرية
The largest Shia group, following twelve Imams from Ali ibn Abi Talib to Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth Imam who is believed to have entered occultation in 874 CE (260 AH) and will return at the End of Times. Predominant in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and parts of Pakistan. The mainstream Twelver doctrine — as found in the primary religious texts (al-Kafi) — includes beliefs that Ahl us-Sunnah scholars consider shirk, particularly invoking the Imams in du'a after their deaths.
The mainstream Twelver doctrinal positions — particularly invoking dead Imams in du'a and attributing knowledge of the unseen to them — are considered shirk by Athari and majority Ahl us-Sunnah scholars. This places the doctrinal Twelver position in serious territory. However, a distinction is drawn between (1) ordinary Shia laymen who follow family tradition, love Ahl al-Bayt, and do not knowingly invoke dead Imams in the shirk sense, and (2) those who knowingly hold the full doctrinal positions. Individual takfir of ordinary Shia laymen is not the Ahl us-Sunnah position — the doctrinal group positions are evaluated, not individual hearts. The Rafidah — those who explicitly curse companions and claim Quranic corruption — are a separate, more extreme category (see Rafidah entry).
260h (874 CE)