EighthImam:Abu 'l-Hasan ath-Thani,`ALIar-Riza, sonof Musaal-
Kazim,wasborninMedinaon11thDhu'l-hijjah148/765;diedofpoison
on 17th Safar, 203/818 in Mashhad (Iran).
Ninth Imam:Abu Jafar ath-Thani MUHAMMAD at-Taqi al-Jawad, sonof‘Aliar-Riza,wasbornon10thRajab 195/ 811 inMedina;diedof poisoninBaghdadon30thDhu'l-qadah220/835;wasburiednearhis
grandfather at al-Kazimiyyah.
Tenth Imam:Abu 'l-Hasan ath-Thālith `ALIan-Naqi al-Hadi, sonof
Muhammadat-Taqi,wasbornon5thRajab 212/ 827 inMedina;diedof
poison in Samarra (Iraq) on 3rd Rajab, 254/868.
EleventhImam:AbuMuhammadAL-HASANal-Askari,sonof‘Ali
an-Naqi,wasborn on8thRabiu'th-Thani,232/ 846 inMedina;diedof poison in Samarra (Iraq) on 8th Rabiu 'l-Awwal 260/874.
Twelfth Imam:Abu 'l-Qāsim MUHAMMAD AL-MAHDI, sonof al-
Hasanal-Askari,wasbornon15thShaban255/ 869 in Samarra(Iraq).
He is our present Imam; he went into Lesser Occultation in 260/ 874
which continued until 329/844; then the Greater Occultation began,
whichstillcontinues.HewillreappearwhenAllahallowshim,toestab-
lish the Kingdomof Allah on earth, to fill the world with justice and
equality,asitwouldbe fullofinjustice andtyranny.Heisal-Qā'im(the
onewhoshallstandtoestablishtheruleofAllah);al-Hujjah(theProofof
Allah over His creatures);Sāhibu ’z-Zamān(the Lord of Our Time),
andSāhibu ’l-Amr(the one vested with Divine authority).
* * *Thislessonhasbeenadaptedfromchapters 16 & 17 ofImamat:theVice-
gerence of the Prophet(Tehran: WOFIS, 1985) by Syed S. Akhtar Rizvi.