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Zaidiyya (Arabic: الزيدية az-Zaydiyya, Zaidi or sometimes Zaydi; occasionally called Fivers in the West). Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis however there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītī (see below).
Zaydism is a Shīˤa maðhab (sect, school) named after Imām Zayd ibn ˤAlī.
Zaidi Imāms
Followers of the Zaidi fiqh recognise the first four Ithnaˤasharī Imams but they accept Zayd ibn Ali as their "Fifth Imām" instead of his brother Muhammad al-Baqir.
| Muhammad | Last Prophet |
| Ali ibn Abu Talib | 1st Imam |
| Hasan ibn Ali | 2nd Imam |
| Husayn ibn Ali | 3rd Imam |
| Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al Abidin | 4th Imam |
| Zayd ibn Ali ash-Shahid | 5th Imam |
Law
In matters of law or fiqh, the Zaidis are actually closest to the Sunnī Hanafī maðhab with elements of the Sunnī Shafi'i and Shi'i Jafari fiqh schools.
Theology
In matters of theology, the Zaidis adhere to the Mu'tazili school (as the other Shi'i sects).
Unique Beliefs
The Zaidi sect was started by the Sahaba of Zaid bin 'Ali (as) companions Abu'l Jarud Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad, Sulayman ibn Jarir, Kathir an-Nawa Al-Abtar and Hasan ibn Salih.
The Zaidi sect then divided into three groups:
The earliest group called Jarudiyya (Abu'l Jarud Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad), was opposed to the approval of the companions of Muhammad. They held that there was sufficient description given by the Prophet (saw) so that all should recognised Imam 'Ali. They therefore consider the companions sinful in failing to recognise Imam 'Ali. They also denied legitamacy to Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman, they also denounce Talha, Zubair, and Aisha. This sect was active during the late Umayyad and earky 'Abbasid period. Its views although predominated among the later Zaidis, became extinct due to similarities with the Ithna 'Ashari sect.
The second group, Sulaimaniyya (Sulayman ibn Jarir), held that the Imamate should be a matter to be decided by consultation. They felt that the companions, including Abu Bakr and 'Umar, had been in error in failing to follow Imam 'Ali but did not amount to sin. Talha, Zubair, and Aisha became disbelievers.
The third group is Tabiriyya, Butriyya or Salihiyya (Kathir an-Nawa Al-Abtar and Hasan ibn Salih). They are identical with the Sulaimaniyya. The only difference is that this group do not revile 'Uthman.
Zaidi beliefs are moderate compared to other Shi'i sects. The Zaidis do not believe in the infallibility of the Imams, nor that they receive divine guidance. Zaidis also do not believe that the Imamate must pass from father to son, but believe it can be held by any Sayyid descended from both Hasan ibn Ali or Husayn ibn Ali .
Zaidis believe Zayd was the rightful successor to the Imāmate because he led a rebellion against the Umayyads, whom he believed were tyrannical and corrupt. Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action and the followers of Zayd believed that a true Imām must fight against corrupt rulers.
Zaidis also reject the notion of Occultation (ghayba) of the "Hidden Imām". Like the Ismā'īlīs, they believe in a living Imām (or Imāms).
Community
The first Zaidi state was established in Tabaristan (northern Iran) in 864 C.E.; it lasted until the death of its leader at the hand of the Samanids in 928 C.E. Forty years later the state was revived in Gilan (north-western Iran) and survived under Hasanid leaders until the 12th century.
Zaidis form the dominant religious group in Yemen, and the leader of the Zaidi community took the title of Caliph. As such, the ruler of Yemen was known as the Caliph, al-Hadi Yahya bin al-Hussain bin al-Qasim ar-Rassi (a scion of Imam al-Hasan (as), grandson of the Prophet) who, at Sa'da, in 893 C.E., founded the Zaidi Imamate and this system continued until the middle of the 20th century, until the revolution of 1962 C.E. that deposed the Zaidi Imam.
Zaidi Wasitis
Some Zaidis are known as Wasitis. Zayd ibn Ali was martyred in Kufa, Iraq, many of his descendents either returned to al-Hijaz or remained in Iraq. Some of those who stayed in Iraq settled in Wasit. Some descendants from Wasit then moved to the Indian subcontinent. These Zaidis believe in twelve Imams and are part of the Shia Ithna Asharia. Most of them settled in India and Pakistan. The biggest group of Zaidis believing in twelve Shia Imams is known as Saadat-e-Bara. Saadat means descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and Bara means twelve in Hindi and Urdu. Saadat-e-Bara's numbers are highest in Karachi (Pakistan) and Muzaffarnagar (India).
External links
"Zaidiyyah"