* Twelfth is Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi...

* Twelfth is Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi, peace be upon him, who will fill the world with justice and equity after being filled with inequity and oppression, and the son of Maryam, peace be upon him, will pray behind him, and Allah will complete through him His Light, and through him will the believers be very pleased.

These are the Imams of the Shi`as, all twelve of them; so, if one says "Imamite Shi`as" or "Ithna-Asheri Shi`as" or "Ja`fari Shi`as," it is all the same, and they will be the ones identified as such. None among all Islamic groups accepted their Imamate besides the Shi`as.

If we study the Qur'anic verses revealed in their honor and which explain their merits, lofty status, goodness of substance, purity of the soul, and true greatness, we will come across verses such as the one enjoining us to be good to the Prophet's kin, or the one referring to Allah purifying them, or the verse of Mubahala (a challenge to make ibtihal__supplication__invoking the curse of Allah on the liars), or the verse identifying them as the ones obedient to their Lord, or the verse of blessing and praising them..., etc.

If we study the sacred hadith, we will find it enumerating their merits and elevating their status above all the rest among the nation, pointing out to their superiority of knowledge and infallibility. If we do all of that, we will most surely surrender to their Imamate and regard them as the nation's security against misguidance and its only means to guidance.

We will also find it quite clear that the Shi`as are the winners because they upheld the strong rope of Allah which is: loyalty to these Imams and upheld the niche which cannot be untied, which is loving them. They will have then boarded the ark of salvation. They achieved security against drowning, and safety from perdition. It is for these reasons that we decide, being fully convinced and aware, that Imamite Shi`as are the true followers of the Sunnah of Muhammad.

Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed your veil, so your sight today is sharp indeed. (Holy Qur'an, 50:22) Surely Allah, the Great, has said the truth. Previous…