Ismail bin Jafar

From Free net encyclopedia

Ismail bin Jafar (Arabic: إسماعيل بن جعفر) was the eldest son of the sixth Shia Imam, Jafar as-Sadiq. To protect him from persecution, his father sent him into hiding and publically declared him deceased. This caused a split among the Shia. Those who believe that Ismail was the rightful successor to Jafar are known as Ismailis (or Seveners), while other Shias are known as Twelvers, who followed Imam Jafar's other son, Musa Kazim, and went on to recognize 12 Imams. The Nizari Ismaili Shias follow a living Imam directly descended from Ismail ibn Jafar. Theirs is the only Shia Imami group which can claim to follow a hereditary Imam (or leader in the direct line of Ali ibn Abi Talib) who is still living Template:Islam-bio-stubde:Ismail ibn Dschafar fr:Ismaïl ben Jafar