Khalafiyya Shia

Beliefs

• They believed that the Imams after Zayd ibn Ali ibn Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib are as follows :
• *Abd al-Samad, then
• *Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad, then
• *Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad, then
• *Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad, then
• *The Khalafiyya Shia did not know the names of the Imams after Ahmad, but they believed that a descendant of Ahmad, still residing in the land of the Turks, would rise as the Mahdi.
• They believed the Imam’s knowledge comes to him by inspiration, not by acquisition.
• They believed the Imam understood all languages.
• They believed that Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad left behind a book which he composed in letters of an alphabet unknown to anyone other than his successor Imams and that these Imams alone would be able to explain his book.
• They believed in a doctrine of Tawhid which denies that a person can describe or characterize God in any way. For example:
• *a person cannot say that God is knowing, or that God is not knowing.
• *a person cannot say that God is powerful, or that God is not powerful.
• *a person cannot say that God is a thing, or that God is not a thing.
• They also believed in a devotion to fives. For example :
• *5 primary angels; Mikha’il, Jibra’il, Izra’il, Mika’il and Israfil
• *5 chosen creatures on Earth; Muhammad, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali
• *5 fingers
• *5 pillars of Islam; Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj
• *5 senses; hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste
• *5 prayer times; Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha'a
• *5 books of scripture; the Suhuf Ibrahim, the Tawrat, the Zabur, the Injil, and the Qur'an
• *5 things leading to salvation
• *5 special months of the year; Muharram, Rajab, Ramadan, Dhu al-Qi'dah and Dhu al-Hijjah