The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam (A Historical Background)

(with a Foreword by Dr. I.K.A Howard, Edinburg University) A study of the occultation of the Twelfth Imam using rarely consulted early Shi’ite sources, covering the time period from Ja'far al-Sadiq, the Sixth Imam, to the end of the lesser occultation of the Twelfth Imam.

• Dedication
• Preface
• Introduction
• Survey of the Sources
• The Role of Traditions in the Occultation of the Twelfth Imam
• The Role of the Imams in the Shiite Underground Activities and their Influence upon the Evolution of the Ghayba
• The Imamites’ Views concerning the Concealed Imam and His Birth
• The Underground Activities of the Twelth Imam as seen in the Actions of the Saf’irs
• The Underground Activities of the Second Saf’ir of the Twelfth Imam
• The Career of the Third Saf’ir, al-Nawabakhti
• The Fourth Saf’ir and the Complete Occultation of the Twelfth Imam
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• List of Abbreviations Employed in the Footnotes and in the Bibliography