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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books History of Shi'ism: From the Advent of Islam up to the End of Minor Occultation Lesson 3: “Shi‘ah” in the Lexicon and the Qur’an The word “Shi‘ah” in the lexicon is derived from the root-word شيع { shaya‘a } which means escorting { mushayi‘ah }, victory and bravery { shuja‘ah }.[^1] It is equally applied to the followers and supporters as it is usually applied to the followers and supporters of ‘Ali ( ‘a ).[^2] As Azhari has said, “Shi‘ah refers to a group that loves the progeny { ‘itrah } and descendants of the Prophet (S).”[^3] Ibn al-Khaldun says: Be aware that ‘Shi‘ah’ in the lexicon means ‘followers’ and ‘supporters’, and in the parlance of the past and present jurists { fiqh } and scholastic theologians { mutakallimun }, it is applied to the followers of ‘Ali and his descendants.[^4] But Shahristani limits the definitional scope of the word ‘Shi‘ah’, saying: ‘Shi‘ah’ is referring to those who follow ‘Ali alone and believe in his Imamate { imamah } and caliphate { khilafah } to be based on revelation { nass }, and they say: ‘Imamate shall not bypass him except {that it is done} through injustice { zulm }’.[^5] There are also many cases in the Qur’an in which “Shi‘ah” connotes “followers” and “supporters” such as: ﴿ وَإِنَّ مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ لإبْرَاهِيمَ ﴾ “ Indeed Abraham was among his followers {shi‘ah} ” [^6] and the verse, ﴿ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ ﴾ “The one who was from his (Moses’) followers {shi‘ah} sought his help against him who was from his enemies.” [^7] The word “Shi‘ah” has also been mentioned in the Prophetic traditions to mean “followers and friends of ‘Ali ( ‘a )”.[^8] “Shi‘ah” in the Shi‘ah references does not have more than one meaning and conception and that is belief in the succession of ‘Ali ( ‘a ) and his eleven descendants in which no change has ever taken place since the demise of the Prophet (S) up to the minor occultation { ghaybah as-sughra }.