True Label: Bab or Safeer?

 The period of al-Ghayba (Occultation) of the Twelfth Imam (ajf) put the Shi'a in novel, though not uncompletely unfamiliar, circumstances.

The popular understanding is that when Imam al-Mahdi entered occultation, he chose only a handful of Shi'a to be entrusted with meeting him and directly benefitting from his teachings. 


The majority of Shi'a were not blessed with such a position.


This is a continuation of the hierarchial dynamic set up by previous Imams (as), wherein the elite receive the Imam's true teachings while the commoners are taught taqiyya.


The only difference in the period of Ghayba, is that commoners received nothing at all - not even taqiyya - from the Imam while the elite received all the knowledge from him.


Allama Majlisi describes the status of Shi'a elite vis-a-vis commoner Shi'a, in the following way:


(Bihar al-Anwar, vol 64, page 160)


“It is evident that the quality of complete believer - one who is deserving of being entrusted with their (Ahlulbayt)’s secrets and preserving them. Only a few people possessed such attributes.


And that they (Imams) were performing taqiyya from the majority of Shi’a”


ويدل على أن المؤمن الكامل الذي يستحق أن يكون صاحب أسرارهم وحافظها قليل، وأنهم كانوا يتقون من أكثر الشيعة


If the Imam is hiding from the Shi'a (due to fears of taqiyya, or due to ghayba - in the case of the Mahdi),


The elite are deputized with a teaching position over the Shi'a laity.


Their position is secured by a commandment from the Imam to never doubt what the elite narrate from him (as).


(Wasa’il al-Shi’a, vol 2, page 579)


Imam al-Mahdi says:


“There is no excuse for our followers to doubt what our thiqat (i.e, trusted elite) narrate. 


They have known that we share our secrets with them and carry it over to them.”


وعن علي بن محمد بن قتيبة ، عن أحمد بن إبراهيم المراغي ، قال : ورد على القاسم بن العلاء ـ وذكر توقيعا شريفاً ، يقول فيه ـ : فانه لا عذرلأحد من موالينا في التشكيك فيما يرويه عنا ثقاتنا ، قد عرفوا بأنا نفاوضهم سرنا ، ونحملهم إياه إليهم 


For the purpose of this article, 


We will attempt to discern what exactly was the title of said elite? How does it differ from the labeling of them today?


So without further adue

Let us begin! 


-- 


A) THE TRUE LABEL


Shi'i custom offers us six epithets in describing the elite of the Imam.


They are:


  • Thiqa ثقة
  • Wakeel وكيل
  • Na'ib نائب
  • Rasul رسول
  • Safeer سفير
  • Bab باب


  • Thiqa


The first title we will analyze is "Thiqa", a description used by Imams al-Hadi and al-Askari in describing their their elite, who were ultimately chosen to be the elite deputies of Imam al-Mahdi.


"Thiqa" (trustworthy) a word used by the Imams to describe their trusted elite.


When the elite are chosen to deputize the Imam in front of the Shi'a,


The title is extended to "al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun" - meaning "the Imam's trustworthy man, entrusted with representing him in front of the Shi'a".


These titles are the descriptions used in the hadith most commonly utilized used by Twelver clergy to defend the idea that Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Amri and his son Muhammad were deputized by the Imams to transmit their teachings to the lay Shi'a & lead them spiritually:


(Al-Kafi, vol 1, page 330)


“I asked him (Imam al-Hadi): 


‘Whom do I emulate or from whom do I take? and whose words do I accept? ‘


So (Imam) he said: 


Al-Amri is my Thiqa (trustworthy man).


So what he gives you on my behalf then his giving is truly on my behalf, and what he says to you on my behalf then his saying is truly on my behalf.


So listen to him and obey him, for he is al-Thiqa al-Mamun (the trustworthy trustee).


And Abu Ali also informed me that he had asked Aba Muhammad (al-Askari) عليه السلام about the same matter, so he said to him: al-Amri and his son are both Thiqa (trustworthy men of mine), so what they give to you on my behalf then their giving is truly on my behalf, and what they say to you on my behalf then their saying is truly on my behalf, so listen to them and obey them, for they are both Thiqatan Ma’munan (Two entrusted thiqas).”


عن أحمد بن إسحاق عن أبي الحسن عليه السلام قال: سألته وقلت: من أعامل؟ وعمن آخذ؟ وقول من أقبل؟ فقال: العمري ثقتي فما أدىإليك عنى فعني يؤدى، وما قال لك عنى فعني يقول، فاسمع له وأطع فإنه الثقة المأمون، قال: وسألت أبا محمد عليه السلام عن مثل ذلك فقال: العمري وابنه ثقتان فما أديا إليك عنى فعني يؤديان، وما قالا لك فعني يقولان، فاسمع لهما وأطعهما فإنهما الثقتان المأمونان


The problem with using the above hadith to prove that Uthman ibn Sa'id & his son were appointed to lead the Shi'a lies in the ambiguity of the phrase "Thiqa" and "al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun".


The following hadith reveals that the designation of Uthman as "al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun", does not refer to the Imam trusting him with knowledge.


Rather, it is the Imam trusting Uthman with collecting money from the Shi'a - "Al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun over the wealth of God". 


If Uthman tells the Shi'a "the Imam orders you to give me 1000 gold coins", the Shi'a must believe his words and hand him the money. 


(Al-Ghayba of al-Tusi)


ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥasanīyayn, who said:

“We entered upon Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him) in Sāmarrā’, and before him was a group of his followers and Shīʿa, until his servant Badr entered. Badr said: ‘My master, at the door there are some people who are disheveled and dusty.’


He (the Imam) said to them: ‘These are a group of our Shīʿa from Yemen.’


(They narrate the long report until it reaches the point) where al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him) said to Badr:
‘Go and bring us ʿUthmān b. Saʿīd al-ʿAmrī.’

It was only a short while before ʿUthmān entered. Our master Abū Muḥammad (peace be upon him) said to him:
‘Go, O ʿUthmān, for you are the agent (wakīl), al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun over the wealth of God. Take from these Yemeni men what they have brought of money.’

Then the narration continues until they (the narrators) say:
‘Then we all said: O our master, by God, ʿUthmān is indeed among the best of your Shīʿa. You have increased our knowledge of his standing in your service, and that he is your wakeel and al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun over wealth of God, the Exalted.’”


الشيخ الطوسي بسنده عن محمد بن إسماعيل وعلي بن عبدالله الحسنيين قالا : دخلنا على أبي محمد الحسن (عليه السلام)بسر من رأىوبين يديه جماعة من أوليائه وشيعته حتّى دخل عليه بدر خادمه، فقال: يا مولاي بالباب قوم شعثٌ غُبْر، فقال لهم: هؤلاء نفر من شيعتنا باليمن(في حديث طويل يسوقانه إلى أن ينتهي) إلى أن قال الحسن (عليه السلام) لبدر : فامض فائتنا بعثمان بن سعيد العمريّ، فما لبثنا إلاّيسيراً حتّى دخل عثمان، فقال له سيّدنا أبو محمد (عليه السلام): امض يا عثمان، فإنك الوكيل والثقة المأمون على مال الله، واقبض من هؤلاءالنفر اليمنيين ما حملوه من المال.  ثم ساق الحديث إلى أن قالا: ثم قلنا بأجمعنا: ياسيّدنا، والله إنّ عثمان لمن خيار شيعتك، ولقد زدتنا علماًبموضعه من خدمتك، وإنّه وكيلك وثقتك على مال الله تعالى


Similarly, with the word "Thiqat", we find the following hadith by Imam al-Mahdi using it within the context of pure money collection:


Ṣāliḥ ibn Abī Ṣāliḥ said:


“In the year 290 AH, some people asked me to collect (receive) something. I refused to do so and wrote — meaning to the Imam al-Mahdī (peace be upon him) — seeking guidance. Then the reply came to me:

‘In Rayy, Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-ʿArabī — let him be given (the money), for he is among our Thiqa.’”


صالح بن أبي صالح، قال: سألني بعض الناس في سنة تسعين ومائتين قبض شيء، فامتنعت من ذلك وكتبت _ يعني إلى الإمام المهديعليه السلام _ أستطلع الرأي, فأتاني الجواب: (بالري محمّد بن جعفر العربي فليدفع إليه فإنَّه من ثقاتنا


Thus,


The ambiguity of the titles "Thiqa" and "al-Thiqa al-Ma'mun" - the fact they are used for both money collecting and deputyship of knowledge - makes them unlikely contendors for the distinguished elite of the Imam.


We do not deny that Uthman ibn Sa'id and his son Muhammad were distinguished elite, deputized to lead by the Twelfth Imam to lead the Shi'a -


However, evidence points us to believe that it is not the two aforementioned titles that were used to distinguish their specific status.


  • Wakeel


The second title we will analyze is "wakeel", meaning "deputy of the Imam".


(Al-Ghayba of al-Tusi)


Imam al-Askari addresses his Shi'a in a letter saying:


"Bear witness that ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd al-ʿAmrī is my wakeel, and that his son Muḥammad is the wakeel of my son, your Mahdī."


Using this hadith to prove spiritual deputyship of Uthman ibn Sa'id and his son is problematic.


Going back to the example of Muhammad ibn Ja'far, the money-collecting thiqa:


‘In Rayy, Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-ʿArabī — let him be given (the money), for he is among our Thiqa.’”


Allama Hilli informs us that Muhammad ibn Ja'far was a wakeel of Imam al-Mahdi, and even saw him and witnessed his miracles!


“Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAwn al-Asadī, Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Kūfī, who lived in Rayy, and he is called: Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿAbd Allāh.”


Al-Ṣadūq (may God have mercy on him) counted him among the wukala' (pl. of wakeel) of the Nāḥiyah (the Imam’s representative office). He said:
“From Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿAbd Allāh al-Kūfī: he mentioned a number of those to whom reports had reached—those who witnessed the miracles of the Ṣāḥib al-Zamān (peace be upon him) and saw him—among the wukala'.”


Muhammad ibn Ja'far being a wakeel, who witnessed the Mahdi during his ghayba, does not make him one of the highly trusted elite who are entrusted with leading the Shi'a.


With regards to appointing people to wikala (deputyship) of the Imam’s money, such as the case of Muhammad ibn Ja'far -


During al-Ghayba al-Sughra, such appointments were made by the elite entrusted by the Imam to lead the Shi'a, not Imam al-Mahdi face to face.


Muhammad's meeting with Imam Mahdi was a one-off miraculous event, not a continuous series of direct communication with the Hidden Imam like the leading elite.


He was also purely a money collector, not an elite entrusted with transmitting the Imam's teachings to the Shi'a.


Thus, Muhammad's assumption of the position of "wakeel" proves that the title is again ambiguous and makes it an unlikely contendor for the distinguished elite of the Imam.


  • Na'ib


It is common to refer to the four distinguished elite of the Twelfth Imam as "al-Nuwwab al-Arba'a" النوابالاربعة.


There is, however, zero hadith evidence mentioning it.


It, is then, evidently a post-Ghayba al-Kubra clerical designation - instead of a title used by our Imams.


Hence, it is not relevant to our investigation.


  • Rasul


During the time of Imam al-Sadiq, the epicenter of Shi’ism was the central Iraqi city of Kufa.


Meanwhile, Imam al-Sadiq resided in Medina and often, was not allowed by the caliph to leave the city due to fears of the Imam using his popular Shi’i base to overthrow the state.


The ability of the Imam to organize his movement and convey his instructions to the Shi’a, thus, necessarily relied on an intricate network of emissaries:


The rusul (messengers of the Imam, sing. rasul)


The rasul of the Imam was not an administrative position - and due to security reasons, the role often did not involve the transmission of actual, physical letters.


Rather, the rasul of the Imam was a normal companion who was to be entrusted with a singular dutythat involved either:


  • Orally transmitting the Imam’s words to Shi’a of distant lands


Or


  • Executing an order of an Imam (eg, such as ordering a companion not to debate Sunnis on behalf of the Imam)


The following hadith further demonstrates to us the role of the rasul:


(Rijal al-Kashi)


Narrated Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿUmar, who said:

I entered upon Abū ʿAbd Allāh (peace be upon him — meaning Imām al-Ṣādiq), and he said: “How did you leave Zurārah?”
I said: “I left him not praying the ʿAṣr (afternoon) prayer until the sun had set.”


He said: “Then you are my messenger to him. Tell him to pray at the same times as my companions, for I have burned (turned away) [from that instruction].”


حدثني أبو عبد الله محمد بن إبراهيم الوراق، قال: حدثني علي بن محمد ابن يزيد العلقمي، قال: حدثني بنان بن محمد بن عيسى، عن ابنأبي عمير، عن هشام بن سالم، عن محمد بن أبي عمر، قال: دخلت على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فقال: كيف تركت زرارة؟ فقلت: تركته لايصلي العصر حتى تغيب الشمس. فقال: فأنت رسولي إليه فقل له فليصل في مواقيت أصحابي فاني قد حرقت (صرفت


When it was reported to Imam al-Sadiq that there were deficiencies in the manner the notable Kufan companion Zurara prayed,


Imam al-Sadiq sought to resolve this problem by having an emissary convey to Zurara the correct approach to prayer.


He said: “Then you are my messenger to him. Tell him to pray at the same times as my companions, for I have burned (turned away) [from that instruction].”


Thus,


The companion had a singular duty:


Conveying a message to the Shi’a.


The rasul was not entrusted with carrying the Shia’s religious queries to the Imam, nor carrying the Imam’s answers to such queries.


The rasul would be entrusted with conveying one message, for one specific mission.


The rusul would not even be chosen for their moral standing or religious station,


Rather - they are selected specifically because the Imam trusted them to convey a single message or order to the Shi’a. 


As a demonstration:


(Rijal al-Kashi)


Abū ʿAbd Allāh (peace be upon him) said:

“I sent ʿUmar, the brother of ʿAdhāfir, as my messenger - to request the return of an item belonging to Umm Farwah, my daughter, that was with you. 


Then he claimed that I entrusted him with spreading religious knowledge (whereas I sent him merely as a messenger to retrieve goods belonging to us)"


وقال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: اني أرسلت مع عمر أخي عذافر لام فروة بمتعة لها عندكم، فزعم أني استودعته علما


As a rasul - the task entrusted to Umar, brother of Adhafir, by the Imam was a very specific task: 


Collect belongings belonging to the Imam’s daughter Um Farwah.


However, Umar maliciously took advantage of the fact that the rasul transmits the Imam’s message orally to claim that something more than item retrieval:


Imam al-Sadiq had entrusted him with spreading religious knowledge!


It was, quite literally, this easy for malevolent characters to alter the Imam’s instructions to them for personal gain.


The oral nature of the order meant that, as long as the emissary was confirmed to have been sent by Imam al-Sadiq -


There would be no way to confirm that the content of the message was truly the Imam’s words.


Knowing this,


The Ghayba of Imam al-Mahdi (ajf) posed new challenges to this already precarious system of risala.


Since Imam al-Mahdi was in ghayba and unseen by the regular population,


Many malicious figures claimed to be his rusul and collected khums in the Imam’s name:


“A group informed me—from Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Mūsā ibn Bābawayh—that Ibn al-Ḥallāj came to Qum and wrote to the relatives of Abū al-Ḥasan [the father of al-Ṣadūq], summoning him and also summoning Abū al-Ḥasan himself, saying: ‘I am the Rasul of the Imam and his wakeel.’”


وأخبرني جماعة عن أبي عبدالله الحسين بن علي بن الحسين بن موسى بن بابويه أن ابن الحلاج صار إلى قم وكاتب قرابة أبي الحسن[والد الصدوق] يستدعيه ويستدعي أبا الحسن أيضا ويقول : أنا رسول الامام ووكيله


It was necessary for these figures to claim to be rusul. 


No one could verify these individuals were appointed to khums-collecting deputyship.


Hence,


The easiest solution was claiming to have met the Hidden Imam (ajf) and transmitting a message from him:


Pay khums to so-and so, I appoint him as my wakeel.


But before being the wakeel, you have to become a rasul (emissary) who transmits the message of appointing you as the khums-collecting deputy.


Despite the fact that the rasul was not an appointed position, nor did it guarantee a person’s righteous station - as we have demonstrated.


The worldly pursuit of wealth and power during al-Ghayba al-Sughra led to the same result as Umar, brother of Adhafir:


They sent letters saying the Imam entrusted them with spreading religious knowledge.

 

The rusul of Imam al-Mahdi are known by a much more prominent synonym today:


The sufara’ (The Messengers)


B) BAB OR SAFEER?


It may be shocking for the reader to know that the term safeer - with regards to the Imam’s deputies - has zero mention in the ahadith of our Imams, despite its popularity.


The closest mention is the following report of al-Husayn ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti (the 3rd safeer of Imam al-Mahdi).


Shaykh al-Nawbakhti mentions a salutatory prayer for the elite of the Imam who are entrusted with the Shi’a.


The prayer says:


(Tusi’s Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol 6, p 116)


“Peace be upon you, O Fulan son of Fulan. 


I bear witness you are Bab al-Mawla (Bab of the Imam). You represented him and acted for him faithfully. 


Never did you disobey him. You excercised your position dedicated only to him, and preceded others in your loyalty to him.


I come to you, aware of the truth of which you are upon - and that you did not betray (the Imam) in representing him and being his safeer.


Peace be upon you, for you are a Bab of wide knowledge. How trustworthy you are of a safeer.


How able you are of a thiqa. 


I bear witness that Allah chose you with his Light, until you viewed the person (Imam) - and represented him, and acted for him faithfully.


Then you return and begin with sending peace (salām) upon the Messenger of God until (you reach) the Master of the Age. 


Then you say:


‘I have come to you (O Bab) sincerely professing the oneness of God, showing loyalty to His guardians, and disavowal of His enemies and of those who opposed you, O Hujja (representative) of the Lord. 


Through you is my turning toward the Imams, and through them is my seeking nearness to God.’

Then you make your supplication and ask God for whatever you love; it will be answered, God Almighty willing.”


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا فُلانَ بْنَ فُلان وتذكر اسم صاحب القبر واسم أبيه وتقول:اَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ بابُ الْمَوْلى اَدَّيْتَ عَنْهُ وَاَدَّيْتَ اِلَيْهِ ما خالَفْتَهُ وَلا خالَفْتَ عَلَيْهِ،قُمْتَ خاصّاً وَانْصَرَفْتَ سابِقاً جِئْتُكَ عارِفاً بِالْحَقِّ الَّذي اَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ، واَنَّكَ ما خُنْتَ في التَّأدِيَةِ وَالسَّفارَةِ، اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ باب ما اَوْسَعَكَ وَمِنْسَفير ما آمَنَكَ وَمِنْ ثِقَة ما اَمْكَنَكَ، اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ اللهَ اخْتَصَّكَ بِنُورِهِ حَتّى عايَنْتَ الشَّخْصَ فَاَدَّيْتَ عَنْهُ وَاَدَّيْتَ اِلَيْهِ، ثمّ ترجع فتبتدئ بالسّلام علىرسول الله الى صاحب الزمان  ثمّ تقول: جِئْتُكَ مُخْلِصاً بِتَوْحيدِ اللهِ وَمُوالاةِ اَوْلِيائِهِ وَالْبَراءَةِ مِنْ اَعْدآئِهِمْ وَمِنَ الّذينَ خالَفُوكَ يا حُجَّةَ الْمَوْلى وَبِكَاِلَيْهِمْ تَوَجُّهي وَبِهِمْ اِلىَ اللهِ تَوَسُّلي. ثمّ تدعُووتسأل الله ما تُحِبّ تجب ان شاء الله تعالى


A number of points can be reasoned from the prayer:


Firstly, 


The elite of the Imam is known as “Bab al-Mawla”.


This is the title the Shi’a must call him, to distinguish him from other deputies.


Hence, Husayn ibn Ruh says:


“I bear witness you are Bab al-Mawla (Bab of the Imam)”


It is the only portion of the prayer, where the worshipper declares his belief in a title, through bearing witness that the elite is the Bab of the Imam.


Secondly, 


The elite - known as the Bab - cannot ever disobey the Imam.


“Never did you disobey him (the Imam).”


This means titles such as “safeer” cannot properly distinguish him, 


Since a safeer is merely a rasul of the Imam.


The Imam’s rusul, as discussed above, are not necessarily of upright moral character and have indeed deviated.


Moreover, the rusul are not appointed to an administrative position.


Whereas, the prayer is evidently describing an appointed position:


“You excercised your position dedicated only to him”


Thirdly,


Since the only declared title in the report is “Bab”


The qualities mentioned in the report:


  • Thiqa
  • Safeer
  • Hujja


Are all qualities that define the Bab’s position - but are not independent positions or titles themselves, as they are shared with non-Babs.


Even the quality of “Hujja” is not exclusive to Babs, as anyone who faithfully transmits the Imam’s ahadith is the Imam’s hujja:


Imam al-Mahdi says:


“As for the occurring events, refer in them to the narrators of our traditions, for they are my Hujja over you, and I am the Hujja of God over them.”


وأمّا الحوادث الواقعة فارجعوا فيها إلى رواة حديثنا فإنّهم حجّتي عليكم وأنا حجّة الله عليهم


There is only only title ever mentioned exclusively to distinguish the Imam’s elite - who relay the Shia queries and Imam answers back to each other -


And are entrusted with the Imam’s secrets.


That title being:


The Bab of the Imam.


Being so,


It is essential not take the matter of the Babs of the Imam lackadaisically.


As the ziyara of Husayn ibn Ruh (ra) states:


‘“I have come to you (O Bab) sincerely professing the oneness of God, showing loyalty to His guardians, and disavowal of His enemies and of those who opposed you, O Hujja (representative) of the Lord. 


Through you (O Bab) is my turning toward the Imams”


The Babs are our paths to the Imams.


The Imam makes it our responsibility as Shi’a to recognize who the true Babs are, recognize their station, and disavow their enemies.


Without doing so, we risk falling into kufr (disbelief) and losing the true teachings of the Imams.


As Imam al-Sadiq narrates that Imam Ali said:


(Rijal al-Kashi)


“Imam Ali said: "O Abu Dharr, indeed Salman is the Bab of Allah on Earth. 


Whoever recognizes him is a believer, and whoever denies him is an unbeliever. Indeed, Salman is one of us, Ahlulbayt”


فقال أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام): يا با ذر إن سلمان لو حدثك بما يعلم لقلت: رحم الله قاتل سلمان يا با ذر إن سلمان باب الله في الأرض،من عرفه كان مؤمنا، ومن أنكره كان كافرا، وإن سلمان منا أهل البيت


In conclusion,


My point of this article is to pinpoint the correct labeling of elite companions who were deputized by the Imam to lead the Shi’a on his behalf, with regards to religious matters.


I posit that the correct, historical label for such elite is the word Bab (gate of the Imam).


Meanwhile, the popular post-Ghayba al-Kubra labeling is safeer (messenger of the Imam).


These terms are not synonymous, and do not have equal connotations. 


My personal hypothesis on the reason why safeer would have been favored post-Ghayba al-Kubra, is as follows:


 1 ) Historians have speculated on the reason why the Buyid rulers over Baghdad (who took over the Abbasid caliphate) disavowed Zaydism and became Twelver Shi’i.


It is believed they saw Twelverism as the most politically pragmatic option, for a range of reasons.


The most important one:


The Imam of the Time is hidden and in occultation.


Because the Imam is in hiding, they posited that there would be no one superseding religious figure to challenge their power and legitimacy. 


If they had remained Zaydi, there would be subordinate to the Zaydi Imams from the lineage of Fatima (sa) -


As Zaydis believed that Imamate is only in the progeny of prophet Muhammad.


If they had become Ismaili, they would be subordinate to the Fatimid Imam.


If they had become Twelver, they reasoned they would be not be subordinate to a present Imam.


Since Imam al-Mahdi (ajf) is in Ghayba and the last of his sufara died four years before the Buyid takeover of Baghdad -


Twelverism would seem like the best denomination to adopt.


The only problem is the Babs.


Since the Bab is a non-Imam who represents the Hidden Imam in word, action, and rules the Shi’a in the Imam’s name -


The the mere fact that such people existed remained a problem for the Buyids.


It would mean there are humans the Imam appointed, who were more worthy of leading than the Buyids. 


So what makes the Buyids worthy of following by the Shi’a, if they are not even appointed by the Imam?


The solution?


Relabel the Babs (gates of the Imam) into mere sufara’ (messengers).


This is to give an impression that the sufara’ did not have a leading role, 


They merely transmitted the Imam’s message to the Shi’a.


Although, as the reports are undoubtedly clear about, their role was very much more significant than mere emissaries.


2 ) The Hamdanids of Syria.


The Hamdanids posed one of the biggest threats to Buyid rule in Baghdad.


Similarily Twelver Shi’a, the Hamdanids eventually adopted the teachings of a Twelver sage by the name of al-Khasibi. 


Al-Khasibi disbelieved in the notion that the 4 sufara’ were Babs and believed instead, that the Bab of the Twelfth Imam was a man known as Muhammad ibn Nusayr al-Namri. 


In defending his thesis of Ibn Nusayr’s babhood to the Hamdanid rulers,


Al-Khasibi wrote a book by the name of al-Hidaya al-Kubra in attempt to show that Ibn Nusayr spiritually descended from a line of Babs stemming from prophet Muhammad. 


That prophet Muhammad and each of the 12 Imams had a Bab, ending with Ibn Nusayr.


The book - sponsored by the Hamdanid rulers - made the concept of Babhood became extremely popular and associated with Syrian Twelver Shi’a. 


To allay suspicion of Hamdanid collaborationism -


The only way Twelver clergy (proponents of the 4 sufara’) could convince the Buyids of converting to Shi’ism was through breaking away with Babhood.


And upholding the sufara, in lieu of the Babs.


I hope this was beneficial

Wasalaam

John Andaluso