Twelver Shi'ismTwelver Shīʿism (ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; DIN), also known as Imāmiyya (إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term Twelver refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lives in Occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi (المهدي المنتظر). Twelvers believe that the Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
MuharramMuḥarram (ٱلْمُحَرَّم) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after Ramadan. The tenth day of Muharram, known as the Day of Ashura, bears special significance for Muslims both of Shia and Sunni jurisprudence On this solemn occasion, Shia Muslims grieve the tragedy of Ḥusayn ibn Alī and his family.
AshuraAshura (عَاشُورَاء, ʿĀshūrāʾ, ʕaːʃuːˈraːʔ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the death of Husayn ibn Ali (a grandson of Muhammad), who was beheaded during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
AlevismAlevism, Anatolian Alevism or Qizilbashism (æˈlɛvɪzəm; Alevilik, Anadolu Aleviliği or Kızılbaşlık; Elewîtî, Rêya Heqî; Ələvilik, Qızılbaşlıq) is a heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who is supposed to have taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams. Differing from Sunni Islam and Usuli Twelver Shia Islam, Alevis have no binding religious dogmas, and teachings are passed on by a spiritual leader as with Sufi orders.
