RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIESJanal).iyya expected him to return as the Mahdi from the mountains
of Isfahan.ll9
One way of transferring prophetic authority was by the designation
(Ar. na?~) of a successor. Bayan claimed that Abii Hashim had des-
ignated him as his successor, and after 762 some of the Mughiriyya
said that Mughira had been designated by Mul).ammad al-Baqir (d.
735). In fact, succession by designation was claimed by Mul).ammad
al-Baqir himself and was developed into a doctrine by his son Ja'far
a~-~adiq .120
Another way of transferring prophetic authority was through the
incarnation of the Divine spirit in these prophetic figures, with spiritual
succession occurring through its reincarnation (Ar. tanasukh) in sub-
sequent figures. Bayan claimed that the spirit of God had entered the
prophets and passed from 'An to Mul).ammad ibn al-I:Ianafiyya, to
Abii Hashim, and then to himself.l21 The Janal).iyya claimed that the
spirit of God had dwelt in Adam and then passed to the prophets,
'Ali:, Mul).ammad ibn al-I:Ianafiyya, Abii Hashim, and Ibn Mu'awiya.
They also declared that the spirits of Mul).ammad's Companions (Ar.
?ahaba) dwelt in themselves through transmigration, and used the
names of Companions for themselves, but said that the spirits of
sinners passed into lower forms of existence.^122 According to Naw-
bakhti, the I:Iarithiyya also believed in reincarnation, and Isl).aq al-
Al).mar claimed that 'An was God, and that He appeared in every
age. He was the one sent to Mul).ammad, He was al-I:Iasan, and He
was al-I:Iusayn.12^3
Some of them carried incarnation and continuing revelation to an-
tinomian conclusions. The rules and ritual requirements of former
revelations did not apply to those in whom the Divine spirit dwelt or
who had access to their own inspired prophet. The followers of Mugh-
Ira believed that they could behave as they liked if they were devoted
to and suffered for the cause of 'Ali's family. The JanaQ.iyya and
I:Iarithiyya claimed that those who knew the Imam could do as they
liked. The Janal).iyya were not required to perform religious rituals
and permitted themselves to do things prohibited by the Qur'an. The
119 Tucker, "Ibn Mu'awiya," p. 54.
120 Jafri, Shi'a Islam, pp. 248,290-91,309; Tucker, "Bayan," p. 245, "al-Mugira,"
p.38.
121 Tucker, "Bayan," p. 251.
122 Tucker, "Ibn Mu'awiya," pp. 52-53.
123 Baghdadi, Ta'rzkh, VI, 380; Nawbakhti, Firaq ash-Shta, pp. 22, 34.