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Peter Wilken needed a new other design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 28 designs submitted by 4 freelance designers.
The BioCube
The BioCube is a compact, community-sized biodiesel processor that can produce up to 250 litres /hour of high quality biodiesel from a wide variety of feedstock such as waste coconut, jatropha, pongamia and waste vegetable oil.
It's been designed and developed by the Biofuel Partnership, based in Molendinar, Australia.
It is designed primarily for communities in developing nations to be able to create sustainable wealth creation enterprises for them; it's like having their own green fuel station. The biodiesel they produce can be used directly in any modern diesel engine to power a generator, agricultural machinery or a diesel vehicle.
Other customers include large plantation owners who want to convert their crop into biodiesel (rather than pay someone else to have it refined), fleet owners, farming cooperatives, provincial and central governments, and aid agencies such as the Gates Foundation.
The BioCube is portable, easy to use and runs off the biodiesel it produces so is 'clean and green'.
Check out our website and the video of the BioCube prototype attached: http://www.biofuelpartnership.com
Our customers and business partners and associates around the world.
These range from University research departments in Australia to plantation owners in India, fuel distributors there too, industrialists in the Philippines, waste oil processors in Canada, governments in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, companies in Latin America and Africa, energy companies in China...just about everywhere in the developing world
We want a simple, fun Christmas card to send to our customers, prospects, distributor partners and shareholders please.
We want to be able to email this to customers and friends, and to post it on the website.
I suggest the card feature the BioCube (which as its name suggests is cube-shaped, approx 8 ft x 8ft x 8ft)...perhaps with Santa riding it instead of his sleigh...or with him filling up his sleigh with biodiesel from the BioCube...or some other idea
The BioCube branding should be on the image of the BioCube (logo attached)
The message should read: Seasons Greetings from the Biofuel Partnership


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According to MahaShivPuran, 9 Mukhi Rudraksha is considered to be the symbol of the 9 Powers of Ma Bhagwati. It is also considered to be filled with the grace of Kapilmuni and Bhairodev. Continue reading about 9 Mukhi Rudraksha.
हिंदी में पढने के लिए क्लिक करें नौ मुखी रुद्राक्ष |
The term Rudraksha (Rudra i.e. Shiva + aksha i.e. eye) stands for the eyes of Lord Shiva implying thereby that it was pleasant to the eyes of Lord Shiva, and hence named in His Honour.
How to wear 9 Mukhi Rudraksha ?
9 Mukhi Rudraksha must be worn after Siddhi (method of purification & charging with Mantra). Before sending the bead to you, we always perform Siddhi free of cost. It should be worn on Monday. Wash it with milk. The Mantra to wear 9 Mukhi Rudraksha is "OM HREEM HUM NAMAH".
Why Rudrakshas are oiled?
Rudrakshas are oiled to strengthen them and to save them from insects. Oiling doesn't change a low quality bead into fine quality. Oiling is done only to improve the skin and strength of the bead. ALWAYS keep the bead oiled. After regular cleaning, oil it and treat it with incense. This is of UTMOST importance, especially when not using the bead for sometime, or storing it for a while.
How to check quality of Rudrakshas?
Many get confused with the shape and size. One should not seriously worry about it. Just see that the Mukhs are well defined and corns & contours are natural.

subset: commoncrawl


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Remember that basket of fresh organic produce that landed on my doorstep on my birthday last year? Well, I have been getting regular baskets since then and have been enjoying the fruits (no pun intended) of supporting a small local organic farm. It's always lovely to receive a basket brimming with crackly-fresh veggies any day, but knowing that they were all raised without chemicals and artificial doodads, so you are getting nothing but their pure gorgeous veggie-ness…that's another pleasure all together. Added to the fact that, for me at least, any food tastes so much better, and is appreciated that much more, when you know its provenance…from whence it came!
There is more to this small farm than just sprightly vegetables though. They also have wild ducks and chickens and (from the hens) eggs. So after a while of ordering just veggies, I decided to try the other bounty, natural and free range, that the farm had to offer. The eggs are all different sizes and colors, from the lightest dusky pink to cafe con leche tan, and have deep yellow yolks that are deliciously rich. The wild duck is leaner that the fatty white ducks you buy in the grocery and specialty stores, with a deeper, gamier flavour.
I think a little more practice with duck is in order before I do a full blown duck dish – as I've never really cooked duck before (although a kind fellow-blogger friend has lent me an amazing duck cookbook so I'll soon be on my way!). For my first (and so far only) wild duck (let's call him Benicio) we boiled it with some orange rind, star anise, celery, leek, and soy. Then we made a glaze of soy, honey, Chinese cooking wine, brown sugar, and 5-spice and slathered this on the bird before roasting it (stuffed with more orange rind, a cinnamon stick, and another star anise).
We weren't planning to boil it first but some stubborn feather nibs (I have no clue what you call the end bits of the feather) made us decide on the hot bath (and a valiant last minute effort to remove the remove the stubborn bits) before roasting. Now I am glad we did. Because then I had duck stock. And now I have duck pho.
Duck Pho
(recipe adapted from Cherry Ripe's Duck Pho in The Accidental Foodie by Neale Whitaker)
- 1 quarter Peking duck
- 750 ml duck stock (I used the stock I got from boiling the duck above, but you can also make stock as I have done here with a Peking Duck)
- 1 star anise
- 150 grams rice vermicelli
- Small bunch of mint
- Small bunch of saw tooth coriander (culantro)
- Small bunch holy basil
- Small bunch cilantro
- 2 spring onions, slice thinly on the diagonal
- Lime wedges
- Vietnamese chilli sauce
- Fish sauce with fresh birds eye chilli, finely chopped lemongrass, sugar, and lime…shaken not stirred
– Bone the Peking duck quarter and separate the skin from the meat. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces large enough to be easily picked up with chopsticks. Set aside.
– Put the stock and the star anise in a pot and bring to the boil. Keep at a bare simmer until ready to serve. Keep covered to avoid evaporation.
– Prepare the noodles as per package instructions. Set aside.
– De-stalk the herbs. Set aside.
– Scrape off the fat from the duck skin (phooey, I know). Place the skin between two pieces of paper towel and microwave for a few seconds – watch it, you don't want to burn the skin! Press down on the paper towel to squeeze out oil. Change to fresh paper towel and repeat until skin is crispy. Slice and set aside.
– To serve: Place noodles in a bowl. Top with duck meat and herbs. Ladle hot broth over the top and garnish with duck skin. Serve with chopsticks and a spoon (extra points if you've got Chinese-style ones). Serve condiments alongside.
– Serves 2.
This is an excellent way to make use of duck stock and/or leftover Peking duck! Between the flavourful broth and the bright green assertiveness of the herbs, it makes for a satisfying meal with a lot of personality. And slurping noodles from a bowl with chopsticks always puts a smile on my face 🙂 Cherry Ripe (oh name envy!) also uses bean sprouts, Vietnamese mint, and butter lettuce in the pho…but I didn't have them. She also uses fried shallots and peanuts to top and adds prawn crackers among the condiments. I didn't have those either. No matter, this was a bowl full of unapologetic flavour and we enjoyed every single slurp! A bonus: prepping the duck skin as above is an easy and effective way of reviving it!
Happy weekend, and an advanced happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you all do something you love on the day that celebrates love 🙂 Yes, celebrating your love for bacon or your love for reading comic books in the can counts in my book – just light a candle and be celebratory about it 😉 We will be lazy and eat in – something we love doing (especially during Valentine's when restaurants are packed)! And we'll be using part of today's veggie basket while we are at it! 🙂


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Pimp C's Mother & Son On Stage To Remember Pimp C! + Fans Throw Money TO The Family! "Pimp C Aint Dead" [Long Live Pimp C]
They say its no more R.I.P Pimp C. Its Long Live Pimp C.
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Graduation Flowers
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jobs needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 371 designs submitted by 80 freelance designers.
I need a logo for a new recruitment firm. The business supplies a short listing service mainly to small and medium enterprise, as a more affordable alternative to traditional recruitment agencies. The logo needs to look tech savvy and modern with a professional edge. Our colours will be Red, Black, Grey and White.
Click Employment
I need a logo for a new recruitment firm.
We find the best staff, quickly at an affordable price. The business supplies services mainly to small and medium enterprise. The logo needs to look tech savvy and modern with a professional edge. Our colours will be Red, Black, Grey and White.
I am open to both 2D or 3D logos. The word 'click' may have a mouse curser arrow included in it and the word 'click' can be more prominent than the word 'employment' if need be.
Our other web pictures include 3D animated people that look like plasticine men. The main person is Red. (sorry wed site unavailable at moment)
I am looking forward to seeing your creativity, and am looking for someone who could potentially design business cards and marketing material in the near future.
Please produce the art in a vector format as well as JPG or TIFF
The design must contain the colour red. The red I am looking for is quite vibrant. A bright red. Other colours that can be used are grey or silver, white and black.
I want the word CLICK to stand out and can contain a curser arrow.
Please place on a white background.
Don't want it to look too childish or too 'stiff' corporate.
No clicking buttons...it's a bit out dated.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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The hashtag refers to the concept of Free Open Access Meducation (medical education), or FOAM, first promoted at the 2012 International Conference on Emergency Medicine in a lecture by Mike Cadogan, an emergency medicine physician, educator and digital media enthusiast from Australia. Frustrated by the resistance of many physicians and medical educators to the serious potential of social media, he decided to rebrand what he and others were doing online as a form of continuing education.
"I'd always seen blogging and podcasting as an amazing medium to use for medical education," Cadogan said in a Skype interview. He saw the rebranding as a way to "get people on board with something they felt was very beneath them."
The past year has seen proliferating use of the hashtag and specialty-specific variants on it (such as #FOAMcc for critical care doctors). While the Twitter feed itself, with its 140-character limit, doesn't lend itself to in deep exploration, it's acting as a carrier wave for broader conversations a click away in blogs, podcasts, videos and video chats. While this information has not gone through the same peer review filters as an article in a medical journal, enthusiasts say it is often more current and useful -- not necessarily for major research findings but as a way to share practical tips on techniques for the everyday practice of medicine.
[ Trend: Medical Practices Move Health IT To Cloud.]
"We've actively managed to engage a large group of researchers and significant academics who are moving away from writing textbooks and journal articles to doing more in the online arena," Cadogan said. "That's lending a sense of credence to what we're doing."
"The journals are still an essential part of the culture we work in," he allowed, but medical education is starting to be influenced by the open source and open content trends on the Internet, where "you take all the simple stuff, all the basic knowledge, and make it free." As an author of medical textbooks himself, Cadogan has decided it is more productive for him to spend his time blogging than to produce a new edition of one of those books.
Textbooks tend to be "outdated and expensive," whereas information gleaned from blogs and wikis can be better for fostering a "lifelong learning habit," said Michelle Lin, an associate professor of clinical emergency medicine at the University of California San Francisco and a contributor to the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine blog. Many FOAM enthusiasts will start a blog and use links posted to Twitter as "a means of directing people to their grander thoughts." Because of the growing number of clinical experts participating on Twitter, it can also be a powerful research tool, she said.
FOAM is distinct from the uses of social media for marketing or patient communication. Instead, the focus is on peer-to-peer networking of doctors.
Considered as education, FOAM mirrors what has been going on in other sectors of higher education with open educational resources (OERs) such as free digital textbooks and massive open online courses (MOOCs). At the undergraduate level, OER textbooks and other course materials are often promoted as a tool for lowering the cost of education, but also as a way of keeping instructional videos up to date by making them modular and digital. Although healthcare has some open textbook type projects of its own -- such as WikEM for emergency medicine -- most of the open education momentum is taking place outside of medical school.
While medical blogging and online activity is not new, it has a new focus.
"Really in the last year, it has just sort of exploded," said Haney Mallemat, an assistant professor and member of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. While medical blogging is not new, the hashtag is useful because doctors use it exclusively for subjects related to medical education, as "a sacred temple" where personal tweets or even discussions of healthcare politics should not intrude, he said. Longer term, he sees potential for the conversation to migrate to Google+, which supports longer posts and other useful features like video Hangouts.


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Seminar on History of Recent and Controversial Events
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History are cosoponsoring a seminar for history faculty (in CIC colleges) on the theme, "Interpreting the History of Recent and Controversial Events." The seminar, which will be conducted June 21–23, 2005, at Harvard University, will be led by Ernest R. May, the Charles Warren Professor of American History at Harvard University. Selection for participation in the seminar is based on nomination by chief academic officers of colleges, and not direct application by faculty members. Nomination deadline is April 17, 2005. Nomination forms and details about the seminar are available online at www.cic.edu/.
Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting.


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Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah, LLP is an established law firm with an international reach and reputation. Founded by alumni of large firms, SFMS began as a litigation boutique over ten years ago and has grown into a full-service firm with offices located strategically throughout the United States and strong international affiliations.
SFMS attributes its significant growth and consistent success to a singular focus on identifying and meeting our clients' needs and objectives. Our client base, like our practice, is diverse and varied. Those clients include small and midsize business entities, multinational corporations, institutional investors, broker-dealers, benefit funds and plan administrators, financial institutions, governmental entities, labor unions and individuals, including corporate executives, employees, consumers, retirees and whistleblowers. Our clients consistently tell us that our work compares quite favorably to that of larger firms in terms of quality, creativity, cost effectiveness and results.
Comprehensive And Sophisticated Legal Services
SFMS's team of lawyers and other professionals is well credentialed, having attended and excelled at some of the finest educational institutions in the world. Our team is experienced and capable of meeting virtually any client need or objective. In addition to an internationally recognized litigation practice, including experienced trial lawyers and true courtroom firepower that dwarfs that of many law firms of our size, we also provide full transactional and business counseling services nationwide and throughout the globe. That spectrum includes business formation, capital markets, corporate governance, initial public offering and merger and acquisition services, alternative dispute resolution services (including significant domestic and international arbitration and mediation experience), employee benefits and fiduciary compliance counseling, a full range of labor and employment services, and personal legal services for select clients.
SFMS maintains offices in California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as Howard Brown on behalf of HS Brown Limited, in England. In virtually every client engagement, we create a team and draw on the strengths of personnel from several locations. We also are proud and active member of Integrated Advisory Group (iaginternational.org), a highly respected network of attorneys, fiduciary trust and tax advisors that provide the firm's clients with access to high quality advice at reasonable costs in almost any jurisdiction around the world. Using cutting edge technology and a traditional (and we believe invaluable) focus on working together as one cohesive enterprise at all times while adhering to the highest standards of advocacy and ethics, we are able to consistently meet and exceed our clients' goals, while maintaining a challenging, dynamic and fulfilling work environment in which team members, including lawyers and non-lawyers, are encouraged to develop personally and professionally by pursuing matters that interest them, whether related to specific client needs, pro bono matters and otherwise.
Client-Focused And Results-Driven Representation
Our nationally recognized firm has been selected in dozens of cases as lead counsel in representative and collective litigation. Since SFMS was founded in 2002, we have recovered more than $1 billion for clients in securities arbitrations, class action litigation, qui tam lawsuits and other matters. Our consistent results reflect the caliber of our attorneys, professionals and support staff, as well as the firm's commitment to zealous advocacy, sound strategy and close communication with clients.
Contact SFMS to discover our winning attitude and receive personalized attention to your legal matters. Clients are provided with direct access to proven and accomplished counselors and litigation attorneys who will assist in identifying and achieving each client's objectives while offering candid, realistic and no-nonsense advice at all times.


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Advanced Search
Microsoft's exam retake promotion is coming to an end on May 31, which means just a sliver of time remains to take advantage of it.
Microsoft's "Second-Shot Offer" allows anyone taking and failing
an MCP exam from March 1 until May 31 to retake that exam. According to
the offer posted on the MCP site, candidates can retake an exam only once,
but the retake can be applied to as many exams as a candidate can take
until the offer ends.
With time running out, exam candidates have about one and a half weeks
left to study and to take exams. The retake must be completed by June
30, 2005.
To qualify for the promotion, registration is mandatory. To find out
more, go to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/offers/2ndshot/.
Microsoft has a similar offer for candidates who plan to take competency
exams. The MBS Second-Shot offer continues to run until July 30, 2005.
For more information on competency exams, see "Second-Shot for MBS
Exams " at http://mcpmag.com/news/article.asp?EditorialsID=784.
In related news: Also coming to a close is free access to Microsoft's
MCDST skills assessment tool, which contains 30 timed questions for assessing
fundamental Windows XP support competency. The tool requires registration
to use it.
To find out more and to sign up, go to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/offers/mcdst/
and see offer at bottom of page.
About the Author
Michael Domingo has held several positions at 1105 Media, and is currently the editor in chief of Visual Studio Magazine.
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Gov. Rick Scott is standing by two misleading campaign ads that falsely suggest 300,000 people in the state already lost their health insurance plans due to Obamacare.
"Clearly, the ad's accurate," Scott told reporters Wednesday in Miami, declining to elaborate.
The insurance company at the center of Scott's claim, Florida Blue, said in an email that the Affordable Care Act has not resulted in 300,000 of its customers being forced out of their plans.
"To date, most of the members in our pre-ACA plans have kept their plans," Florida Blue spokesman Paul Kluding said in a recent public statement.
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Kluding noted that some customers chose to leave their old plans because new Obamacare plans offered a better deal "either because of potential subsidies, or because they would benefit from the new coverages and/or better premiums."
"Technically, there were a couple of hundred members with unique plans that were not continued. We chose to migrate those plans to new ACA-complaint ones instead of making changes to their existing benefits," he said. "Other than those unique members, no one else lost coverage due to the ACA."
Based on the statements from Florida Blue, PolitiFact Florida, a joint fact-checking website by The Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald, rated Scott's campaign ad was "Mostly False" for saying "300,000 health plans canceled."
After PolitiFact's analysis, Scott's political committee released a new ad Monday that essentially repeats the misstatement with this line: "300,000 in Florida lost coverage."
Neither ad mentions Obama Administration figures that show more than 442,000 Floridians selected an Obamacare plan as of March 1. The administration says it plans to announce more figures for Florida soon.
Both ads attempt to use the unpopular Affordable Care Act as a vehicle to attack Scott's Democratic rival, Charlie Crist.
The issue of the potential cancellations arose last fall when Florida Blue — the state's largest individual health insurance company — said about 300,000 plans didn't comply with the robust coverage standards of the Affordable Care Act.
Those and other plans would have been canceled, but they were allowed to remain for all of 2014 due to a request from Obama. Those plans could be canceled in 2015.
"It is important to note that the "300,000" was a number that was being used when describing how many Florida Blue members could receive a notice that their policies would not be compliant with ACA requirements throughout all of 2014, if no extension was provided to these plans," Kluding's Florida Blue statement said.
"In actuality, only 40,000 letters were mailed to members with Jan. 1, 2014, effective dates. Subsequent notices were sent to these members notifying them that their existing plans would remain active and unchanged through 2014."
Still, the fact that these and other plans were going to be terminated under Obamacare earned the president PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" for 2013 because he had falsely and repeatedly said people could keep their health insurance plans if they liked them.
Scott had not been questioned about his ads by reporters until Wednesday, when he made a stop at the Armando Badia Senior Center in Miami, where he met with senior citizens who complained about rising costs associated with their Medicare Advantage plans.
Some of the staff also asked for more financial help at the center. Scott last year vetoed a $1 million item in the state budget that sought to pay for an expansion at the center. However, it did not affect seniors' meals or services.
Scott did not mention his veto, and focused exclusively on Medicare Advantage, a privately run alternative to traditional Medicare. Advantage plans were supposed to cost less than traditional Medicare but, on a per-recipient basis, they cost more.
Medicare Advantage faces federal cuts to help fund Obamacare. But Obama this week announced he was halting the cuts.
Scott, however, said the private companies that run the program are already cutting back as a result of Obamacare.
"As they cut these Medicare Advantage programs, what's going to happen is people are going to lose their doctors, they're going to pay more out of pocket for their [pharmaceuticals], their premiums are going to go up," Scott said.
Scott also falsely claimed the Congressional Budget Office said that "2.5 million people are going to lose their jobs" as a result of Obamacare. The head of the CBO, however, has specifically denied that characterization.
The CBO report instead said that, because of Obamacare, more Americans in the future will chose to work less so that the cumulative hours of work they don't do would be the equivalent of 2.5 million jobs.
Unlike his ads, Scott has been more careful when he speaks publicly about the cancellation issue.
"We were already told last fall that 300,000 Floridians were going to lose their insurance," Scott said.
When Scott was questioned about why his ads say 300,000 people had already lost their insurance when they really didn't, Scott demurred.
"If you look, around the state, Obamacare has had an impact on a lot of people's plans. They're losing their doctors. And they're losing their plans," Scott said, as an aide started to end the press availability.
"Have a great day," Scott said.


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Training >> Browse Articles >> DEPUTY'S OBSERVATIONS: By Frank Hinkle
DEPUTY'S OBSERVATIONS: Tactics and Attitude
The view from Cootes Hill looking towards Columbus and Fort Furlong: the scene of Poncho Villa's attack on March 9, 1916. Photographer unknown.
Frank Hinkle
I recently read a historical novel by David Morrell entitled Last Reveille (Warner Books, 1977.) It is the story of Poncho Villa's attack on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916 and of the resulting punitive expedition after Villa into Mexico led by General "Black Jack" Pershing. World War I was already waging in Europe and the United States was soon to enter it. Besides perusing Poncho Villa to punish him for attacking a town and Army post on U.S. soil, the expedition served to help train and prepare the Army for its coming involvement in the European conflict.
I found this book interesting for several reasons. I have visited Columbus and stood on Cootes Hill in Columbus, looking out across the desert towards Mexico. Interestingly, we were joined on that hilltop by a patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol who was watching for a suspect spotted sneaking into our country, just like Poncho Villa's army did.
But on another level I found the book interesting for its discussion of tactics. Not the tactics of large units of armies, but the tactics of individual warriors.
Last Reveille is the story of a young trooper who reports for his first assignment to the cavalry post Camp Furlong at Columbus the day before Villa's raid. During the attack his life is saved by an old Army scout, himself a veteran of every conflict and war that the U.S. has been involved in since the Civil War. The young trooper than asks the old scout, who is about to turn 65 and will be forced out of Army's employ, to teach him the old scout's "tricks." The trooper's baptism under fire has instilled in him the desire to learn the tricks that will help to keep him alive, both on this expedition and when the Army sends him to Europe. What the trooper and scout refer to as "tricks" are commonly referred by us in law enforcement today as "tactics" or "officer survival skills."
Update this story by 80 or 90-years and change the word "horse" to "patrol car" or even what is still called in Detroit, "scout car," and Mr. Morrell would have a best selling cop-novel to rival those of Joseph Wambaugh. Change the old veteran scout to the veteran patrol officer about to be forced into retirement, passing on a little of what he has learned to his rookie partner. Other than their company commander the old veteran has no friends or family left; they are all dead. Now he only has the rookie to listen to his sage advice and to take up where he is leaving off.
The first trick that the old veteran scout (training officer) demonstrates to the rookie trooper is by directing him to dismount from his horse. To do so the trooper must turn his back on the scout, and when he turns back to face the scout he is looking down the barrel of the scout's pistol. The scout than shows him how to dismount safely; the scout turns his horse around so that when he dismounts he continues to face the trooper. He than walks around from behind his horse (cover,) and again appears with his sidearm drawn. He instructs the younger trooper to use this trick whenever he must dismount and does not trust the people around him, which is every time he dismounts.
Later the scout discusses the (tactical) advantages of the Colt 1911 semiautomatic pistol, explaining the increased firepower over double action revolvers. He himself was serving in the Philippians fighting the Moro (Muslim extremists) when the new hard-hitting .45ACP pistol was introduced. But in the very same breath he draws his concealed hide-out weapon, an old .45 Colt Peacemaker. He coaches the rookie to always carry an extra pistol even though he will have to keep the unauthorized weapon hidden from his sergeant. But when the rookie thinks that he will need it he should retrieve it from his saddle bag and carry it on him, and to be ready for the unexpected.
Later the rookie trooper and his tricks are put to the test: while riding down an arroyo the column of cavalry is ambushed by Villa's soldiers. The old scout climbs up the arroyo wall and begins creeping along the top to outflank the ambushers. The old veteran never looks back but waves for the young rookie to follow him. Together they flank their enemy and save the column from the ambush. But the veteran warrior criticizes the rookie for not having his backup gun with him and shooting his semiautomatic pistol empty (out-of-battery reload) instead of reloading a fresh magazine before his pistol was empty. He cautions the rookie for not thinking during the battle; for not using his training and the tricks well enough. He was lucky this time but the next time the old vet might not be there to look after him.
The veteran, the training officer, points out that it not the tricks that will keep the rookie alive as much as him learning to use the tricks, and using them constantly. He points out that it is his attitude that will keep the younger man alive, not the tricks. He must use the tricks constantly and make them second nature for them to do any good. He emphasizes that the younger man must remain calm and never panic, that he must remain ever vigilant and think of the consequences before acting. The veteran tells him to figure on the worst and preplan what to do, and to know his equipment and understand how it was made to be used.
These were the same lessons taught to us in the academy and by our training officers. They are as applicable on our urban streets today as they were in the Mexican desert in 1916, the Philippians villages in 1911 and before. Vigilance, planning and tactics have kept cops and soldiers alive for centuries. Tactics and the proper attitude; in police work, as in life, your attitude is half of the battle. The attitude that you will survive and that you will make the most out of any situation, be it an arrest, a career setback or even a relationship.
As for the old grizzled veteran charging off without even a look to see if the rookie was following him… My old partner Deputy Marshal Phil Ford did the same thing to me once. He pushed past one subject and charged into an apartment when he spotted a fugitive that we were looking for. That had not been our plan and Phil had not signaled me with our code word what he was going to do. Our profession calls for aggressive action and self-confidence and Phil Ford pushed one subject aside and grabbed the man that we were hunting for. And when we got back to our unmarked car he turned and said, "I knew that you'd follow me and watch my back while I was hooking him up. I knew that you'd follow me inside."
I wasn't happy that he had made the arrest that way, but I was honored to know that he was confident in me; he knew that I would follow him, wherever that led us.
And our code word… that was one of "our tricks."
Stay safe, and stay alert.
Author's note: David Morrell is the author of First Blood (1972), Rambo (First Blood Part II) (1984), Rambo III (1988) and many more fiction and non-fictions books.


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Oxford Vision Recruiting / Melikşah University Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Oxford Vision Recruiting / Melikşah University Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Turkey View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message TomatisJoined: 20 Jun 2012Posts: 8 Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:40 pm Post subject: Oxford Vision Recruiting / Melikşah University Does anyone have anything to tell me - good, bad or indifferent - about the Oxford Vision recruiting agency? They are currently looking for people for Turkish universities. Speaking of which, does anyone have any experience of working at this university http://www.meliksah.edu.tr/?&language=EN Back to top DedicatedJoined: 18 May 2007Posts: 972Location: UK Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 8:50 am Post subject: I don't know anything about Oxford Vision recruiting agency, but just one look at the Meliksah University website says it all ! It is a private university set up by a bunch of businessmen/industrialists in Kayseri in 2008. That means the students would be rich kids who have failed the Turkish University Entrance Exam.....not the brightest. The English on the website is grammatically dreadful. This does not bode well. Back to top billy orrJoined: 15 Jul 2009Posts: 229 Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 11:30 am Post subject: I think you are right, Dedo, that the quality of English on the website is often a good barometer of how serious an institution is. I would not be quite as pessimistic as you about the place, after all, Kayseri is the home town of the president and the uni may enjoy some patronage from that direction. Back to top TomatisJoined: 20 Jun 2012Posts: 8 Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 12:22 pm Post subject: Thanks lads, more or less what I had thought wrt the Uni . Anyone with first hand experience of the agency? Back to top deessell2Joined: 11 Jun 2005Posts: 132Location: Under the sun Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:05 am Post subject: The agency recruits for Gulen Movement schools. If you had done a search, you would have seen this written previously. Back to top TomatisJoined: 20 Jun 2012Posts: 8 Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:22 pm Post subject: I don't mind about their ideological orientation, I was more interested in their reliability/professionalism. Any info on that would be gratefully received. Back to top Eagle EyesJoined: 26 Apr 2012Posts: 121Location: Istanbul Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:22 am Post subject: Oxford Vision in Turkey is an excellent company to work for...they provide EFL teachers with excellent prospective employment at universities with decent benefits at colleges and language schools. I would say from experience their reputation is excellent and they are a dependable recruiter. Good luck in your job search in Turkey! Back to top The SteakinatorJoined: 13 Apr 2012Posts: 71Location: Oman Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:37 am Post subject: They've given me some offers that sound really high for Turkey: $1,800-$2,400 US with accommodations. In the interview, the guy was really nice, very matter of fact (I didn't get a b.s. vibe from him at all like you do with some recruiters), answered my questions without hesitation, etc. But as for the salary, how do these compare to Turkish unis in general? Back to top TomatisJoined: 20 Jun 2012Posts: 8 Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:15 pm Post subject: The Oxford vision guy is indeed very pleasant to talk to. Just make sure that the university or whatever is actually offering what OV says it is, indeed that that the uni or whatever is actually itself sure what it's offering. Back to top dutchmanJoined: 10 Mar 2010Posts: 84 Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 12:29 am Post subject: Meliksah is a mediocre to decent place to work, depending largely on how well you can get along with your co-workers and the city itself. There are some problems, like the lack of motivation of some students. But all in all, I found Meliksah to be a dependable employer. I taught there for a year, and the salary was always paid on time. A BA holder with a TEFL cert. can expect to earn about 20k. There is also a furnished accommodation provided. About one third of the instructors are 'yabanci'. The university pays for the work permits, and deals with the paperwork. Feel free to PM me for any question. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Turkey All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. 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Instructions for downloading the Universalis program are here.
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text:
I think I have lost something in you, why, when we had so much closeness, things in common, and fun, why was it so easy for you to discard me?
I can't stop thinking it was something about me-maybe I said or did something that bothered you so much, you couldn't even be bothered with telling me what it was.
But, no, it's you. You only selected me because you could tell that I would be receptive to you. You selected me because I let you. And I let myself start to believe you, that you wanted me. But you don't. You de-selected me because you never get too close to anyone. You de-selected me because I meant nothing to you, just another option in a line of options. Not a woman, not a person with all the things I offer.
You de-selected me because it was easier for you.
So, why do I still hear your laugh, your voice. Why do I dream dreams about you? Why do I smile to myself when I think back on the many memories of you - even though I only knew you a few months?
It's because my heart is true, I love, and you don't. You don't allow for it. You call it romance, but it's such a tiny little lie. It's like choosing to eat week old pizza from the fridge instead of a five course feast in a mansion.
But that is you, I will never understand what, and why you choose something destructive over something good for you. But, that's your choice.
Even though my heart is sore, I will recover. In a few months it will be a memory that I think of every now and then. In a year I won't remember your name. Life goes on.
Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk
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text:
Dr. Shaun Matako, center, pastor at Orchards Baptist Church, 1825 W. 37th St., speaks during a service on Sunday, April 17, 2011.
Loveland resident Andrew Hannig, center, poses with his mother, Colleen Hannig, and fellow graduate Tim Ballard prior to the Center for Adult Learning in Loveland's graduation ceremony on Wednesday at Bill Reed Middle School.
Matt Kaufman, left, and Pat Coen remove tin ceiling tiles Friday inside the Quality Shoe building in the 200-block of East Fourth Street in downtown Loveland. The building will be demolished to make way for the Rialto Bridge project and some of the material inside is being recycled and reused.
Baile Folklorico de Mexico dancers Juan Guerrero, 14, left, a Conrad Ball Middle School eighth grader, and Mountain View High School sophomore Raquel Karlin, 15, perform a dance called "Cascabel" while entertaining attendees to the Cinco de Mayo Celebration on Saturday afternoon at Foote Lagoon.
Larimer Humane Society foster volunteer Susan Shattuck holds one of the kittens she's caring for at her Fort Collins home on May 1, 2011.
Loveland resident Samuel Woodward, 5, plays with a bubble machine Saturday, May 7, 2011 at Foote Lagoon during the Cinco de Mayo Celebration.
Seven-year-old Garrett Dulany gets some help with his helmet from Christy Doyon before he went skating Friday at the Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County, Wellington Unit.
Christy Doyon, left, assists Cora Cienfuegos-Baca, 10, and Larissa Otenberger, 10, as they check in at the Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County, Wellington Unit on Friday afternoon.
Fort Collins resident Lilliena Parry, 2, left, and Samuel Woodward, 5, of Loveland play with bubbles coming out of a bubble machine Saturday at Foote Lagoon during the Cinco de Mayo Celebration.
City of Loveland parks worker Paul Foreman spreads dirt along the bike trail before seeding the area Wednesday in north Loveland near the new underpass at U.S. 287 and 57th Street.
View through the new tunnel Wednesday where the bike trail continues underneath Highway 287 near 57th Street in north Loveland.
Angela Iozzia, left, and her husband Greg Ackerman, right, share a laugh with Loveland Historical Society secretary Sharon Perry and president Mike Perry while discussing the features of their Loveland home Wednesday evening. The home, located at 536 E. 5th St., will be one of the houses included in the Historic Homes Tour on Saturday.


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Don't let the look of the place fool you. Rosalynn Thai serves up authentic Thai cuisine for a song. I hear the duck is exceptional.
Dogtown Ink
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 03:03:21
Rosalynn Thai Restaurant on 2230 2008
Poom Thai Cuisine on 1615 2008
Fantastic Thai cuisine on lovely Lincoln Blvd, hotbed of good, affordable west side Thai restaurants. Eat in, take out, either way you'll be happy you did.
East Wind Thai Cuisine on 0210 2008
Maybe the oldest Thai restaurant in Venice, East Wind remains a favorite of many.
Siamese Garden on 0210 2008
Odd little place. Good food.
Wirin Thai on 0210 2008
My Thai friends order out from here. I'm just saying…
Pam's Thai on 028 2008
Tasty food — love the red curry. Delivery a bit on the slow side.


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Book Signing: Maryland Romance Authors
Greetings & Readings, Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 1pm
Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan provides sexual tension and a jaw-dropping plot. Immortal Craving by Kendra Leigh Castle is an exciting romance novel packed with treachery and drama. Last Chance: Book Club by Hope Ramsay is a heart-warming and sassy entry in the popular romance series. When She Was Wicked by Anne Barton is a seductive tale that's Project Runway meets Downtown Abbey. (GRatHVTC)


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|This article contains Arabic text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined Arabic letters written left-to-right instead of right-to-left or other symbols instead of Arabic script.
Part of a series on
|Beliefs and practices
|Succession of Ali
Imamate of the Family
Mourning of Muharram
Intercession · Ismah
The Occultation· Clergy
|The Qur'an · Sahaba
Mu'awiya I · Abu Bakr · Umar
|Holy days
|Ashura · Arba'een · Mawlid
Eid ul-Fitr · Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Ghadeer · Eid al-Mubahila
|Twelver · Ismāʿīlī · Zaidi
The verse of purification
Mubahala · Two things
Khumm · Fatimah's house
First Fitna · Second Fitna
The Battle of Karbala
|Ahl al-Kisa
|Muhammad · Ali · Fatimah
Hasan · Husayn
|Some companions
|Salman the Persian
Miqdad ibn Aswad
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari
Ammar ibn Yasir
Bilal ibn Ribah
|Shī'a terms
Shia Islam (Arabic: شيعة Shī'ah, sometimes spelled Shi'a), is the second largest denomination of Islam, after Sunni Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'as but are also known as Shiites or Shi'ites. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shī'atu 'Alī (شيعة علي), meaning "the followers of Ali" or "the faction of Ali".[1]
Similar to other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is based on the teachings of the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an and the message of the final prophet of Islam,[2] Muhammad.[3] In contrast to other schools of thought, Shia Islam holds that Muhammad's family, the Ahl al-Bayt ("the People of the House"), and certain individuals among his descendants, who are known as Imams, have special spiritual and political authority over the community.[2][4] Shia Muslims further believe that Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, was the first of these Imams and was the rightful successor to Muhammad[5] and thus reject the legitimacy of the first three Rashidun caliphs.[5][6] Shias have come to account for roughly one-tenth of the Muslim population worldwide.
Although there were several Shia branches through history, nowadays Shi'a Islam is divided into three main branches.[7] The largest Shia sect in the early 21st century is the Ithnā ʿAshariyyah[8], commonly referred to in English as the Twelvers. Twelvers constitute the majority of the population in Iran,[9] Azerbaijan,[10] Bahrain,[11], and Iraq. Countries with a significant minority of Shia are Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Oman and Yemen. Other smaller branches include the Ismaili and Zaidi, who dispute the Twelver lineage of Imams and beliefs.[12]
The Shia Islamic faith is vast and inclusive of many different groups.[1] There are various Shia theological beliefs, schools of jurisprudence, philosophical beliefs, and spiritual movements.[citation needed] Shi'a Islam embodies a completely independent system of religious interpretation and political authority in the Muslim world.[citation needed] The Shi'a identity emerged during the lifetime of Muhammad,[13] and Shia theology was formulated in the second century.[14] The first Shi'a governments and societies were established by the end of the third century (after Hijra).[citation needed]
Shī'ah, collectively, or Shī'ī, singularly,[10] means 'follower', 'associate' or 'faction'. It has been used in the Qur'an in singular or plural forms with both positive[Qur'an 37:83] and negative[Qur'an 54:51] connotations.
Shī'ah Muslims believe that just as a prophet is appointed by God alone, only God has the prerogative to appoint the successor to his prophet. They believe that God chose 'Alī to be the successor, infallible and divinely chosen. Thus they say that Muhammad, before his death, appointed Ali as his successor.
'Ali was Muhammad's first cousin and closest living male relative, as well as his son-in-law, having married his daughter Fatimah.[1][15][16] 'Ali would eventually become the fourth Muslim caliph.[17]
Shia Muslims believe that Muhammad had appointed 'Ali to be his successor.[15] However, others made arrangements that prevented 'Ali from being recognised as such for thirty-five years.
When Muhammad died, 'Ali and Muhammad's closest relatives made the funeral arrangements. While they were preparing his body, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and Abu 'Ubayda met with the leaders of Medina and elected Abu Bakr as khalifa ("caliph"). 'Ali and his family were dismayed, but accepted the appointment for the sake of unity in the early Muslim community.[15]
It was not until the murder of the third khalifa, 'Uthman, that the Muslims in Medina invited 'Ali to become the fourth khalifa.[15]
While 'Ali was caliph, his capital was in Kufah, Iraq.[18]
'Ali's rule over the early Muslim community was often contested. As a result, he had to struggle to maintain his power, waging "increasingly unsuccessful wars." After Ali's murder in 661 CE, his main rival Mu'awiya claimed the caliphate.[19] Some of the problems came from the very people who had initially supported 'Ali's claim to rule. While the rebels who accused 'Uthman of nepotism affirmed 'Ali's khilafa, they later turned against him and fought him.[15]
'Ali ruled from 656 CE to 661 CE,[15] when he was assassinated.[20] while prostrating (sujud) in prayer.
Most of the early Shia as well as Zaydis differed only marginally from mainstream Sunnis in their views on political leadership, but it is possible in this sect to see a refinement of Shīa doctrine. Early Sunnis traditionally held that the political leader must come from the tribe of Muhammad—namely, the Quraysh. The Zaydīs narrowed the political claims of the Ali's supporters, claiming that not just any descendant of 'Alī would be eligible to lead the Muslim community (ummah) but only those males directly descended from Muḥammad through the union of 'Alī and Fāṭimah. But during the Abbasid revolts, other Shīa, who came to be known as imāmiyyah (followers of the Imams), followed the theological school of Ja'far al-Sadiq. They asserted a more exalted religious role for Imams and insisted that, at any given time, whether in power or not, a single male descendant of 'Alī and Fāṭimah was the divinely appointed Imam and the sole authority, in his time, on all matters of faith and law. To those Shīʿites, love of the imams and of their persecuted cause became as important as belief in God's oneness and the mission of Muhammad.[21]
Later most of Shia, including Twelver and Ismaili, became Imami. Imamis Shia believe that Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad.[21] Imams are human individual who not only rule over the community with justice, but also are able to keep and interpret the Divine Law and its esoteric meaning. Muhammad and Imams' words and deeds are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, and must be chosen by divine decree, or nass, through Muhammad.[22][23]
According to this view, there is always an Imam of the Age, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community. 'Alī was the first Imam of this line, the rightful successor to Muhammad, followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah Zahra.[21]
This difference between following either the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's family and descendants) or the Caliph Abu Bakr has shaped Shia and non-Shia views on some of the Qur'an, the Hadith (narrations from Muhammad) and other areas of Islam. For instance, the collection of Hadith venerated by Shia Muslims is centered on narrations by members of the Ahl al-Bayt and their supporters, while some Hadith by narrators not belonging to or supporting the Ahl al-Bayt are not included (those of Abu Huraira, for example). According to the Sunnis, Ali was the fourth successor to Abu Bakr however, the Shia maintain that Ali was the first divinely sanctioned "Imam," or successor of Muhammad. The seminal event in Shia history is the martyrdom in 680 CE at the Battle of Karbala of Ali's son Hussein, who led an non-allegiance movement against the defiant caliph (71 of Hussein's followers were killed as well). Hussein came to symbolize resistance to tyranny.
It is believed in Twelver and Ismaili Shī'ah Islam that 'aql, divine wisdom, was the source of the souls of the prophets and imams and gave them esoteric knowledge called ḥikmah and that their sufferings were a means of divine grace to their devotees.[4][21][24] Although the imam was not the recipient of a divine revelation, he had a close relationship with God, through which God guides him, and the Imam in turn guides the people. Imamate, or belief in the divine guide is a fundamental belief in the Twelver and Ismaili Shī'ī branches and is based on the concept that God would not leave humanity without access to divine guidance.[25]
Ismah is the concept of infallibility or "divinely bestowed freedom from error and sin" in Islam.[26] Muslims believe that Muhammad and other prophets in Islam possessed 'iṣmah. Twelver and Ismaili Shī'ah Muslims also attribute the quality to Imāms as well as to Fatima Zahra, daughter of Muhammad, in contrast to the Zaidi, who do not attribute 'ismah to the Imāms.
According to Shī'ah theologians, infallibility is considered a rational necessary precondition for spiritual and religious guidance. They argue that since God has commanded absolute obedience from these figures they must only order that which is right. The state of infallibility is based on the Shī'ah interpretation of the verse of purification.[Qur'an 33:33][27] Thus they are, the most pure ones, the only immaculate ones preserved from, and immune to, all uncleanness.[28] It doesn't mean that supernatural powers prevent them from committing a sin, but it is due to the fact that they have an absolute belief in God so that they find themselves in presence of God.[29] They have also complete knowledge about God's will. They are in possession of all the knowledge brought by the angels to the prophets (nabi) and the messengers (Rasul). Their knowledge encompasses the totality of all times. Thus they act without fault in religious matters.[30]
Tawassul (Arabic: توسل) is an Islamic religious practice in which a Muslim seeks nearness to God. A rough translation would be: "To draw near to what one seeks after and to approach that which one desires." The exact definition and method of tawassul is a matter of some dispute within the Muslim community.
Muslims who practice tawassul point to the Qur'an, Islam's holy book, as the origin of the practice. Many Muslims believe it is a commandment upon them to "draw near" to God.[31] Amongst Sufi and Barelwi Muslims within Sunni Islam, as well as Twelver Shi'a Muslims, it refers to the act of supplicating to God through a prophet, imam or Sufi saint, whether dead or alive.[32]
The Occultation in Shi'a Islam refers to a belief that the messianic figure, the Mahdi, is an Imam who has disappeared and will one day return and fill the world with justice. Some Shi'a, such as the Zaidi and Nizari Ismaili, do not believe in the idea of the Occultation. The groups which do believe in it differ upon which lineage of imamate is correct, and therefore which individual has gone into the Occultation. They believe there are many signs that will indicate the time of his return.
There are three theories about the emergence of Shi'a Islam. One of them emphasizes the political struggle about the succession of Muhammad after his death and especially during the First Fitna.[33] According to this theory, early in the history of Islam, the Shīa were a political faction (party of 'Alī) that supported caliphate of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib and, later, of his descendants. Starting as a political faction, this group gradually developed into a religious movement.[21]
The other one emphasizes on different interpretation of Islam which led to different understanding about the role of caliphs and ulamas. Hossein Nasr has written:
Shi'ism was not brought into existence only by the question of the political succession to Muhammad as so many Western works claim (although this question was of course of great importance). The problem of political succession may be said to be the element that crystallized the Shi'ites into a distinct group, and political suppression in later periods, especially the martyrdom of Imam Husayn-upon whom be peace-only accentuated this tendency of the Shi'ites to see themselves as a separate community within the Islamic world. The principal cause of the coming into being of Shi'ism, however, lies in the fact that this possibility existed within the Islamic revelation itself and so had to be realized. Inasmuch as there were exoteric [Zaheri] and esoteric [Bateni] interpretations from the very beginning, from which developed the schools (madhhab) of the Sharia and Sufism in the Sunni world, there also had to be an interpretation of Islam, which would combine these elements in a single whole. This possibility was realized in Shi'ism, for which the Imam is the person in whom these two aspects of traditional authority are united and in whom the religious life is marked by a sense of tragedy and martyrdom... Hence the question which arose was not so much who should be the successor of Muhammad as what the function and qualifications of such a person would be.[34]
And the last one emphasizes Abdullah ibn Saba', a Jew who converted to Islam, who created Shia Islam when Ali ruled. This claim has been challenged by modern scholars, some of whom have disputed the existence of Abdullah ibn Saba, and have also suggested that this account is possibly an attempt to further de-legitimize Shi'ism. Meanwhile, other scholars suggested that Shia tried to blur the existence of Abdullah ibn Saba to erase their real origin. But until now, both of the opinion has no strong reference.[35][36]
A major turning point in Shia history was the Safavid dynasty in Persia.
With the fall of the Safavids, the state in Persia - including the state system of courts with government-appointed judges (qadis) - became much weaker, This gave the Sharia courts of mujtahids an opportunity to fill in the slack and enabled "the ulama to assert their judicial authority." The Usuli School also increased in strength at this time.[38]
The Akhbari movement "crystalized" as a "separate movement" with the writings of Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi (d. 1627 A.D.) It rejected the use of reasoning in deriving verdicts, and believed only the Qur'an, aḥadīth, (prophetic sayings and recorded opinions of the Imāms) and consensus should be used as sources to derive verdicts (fatwas). Unlike Usūlīs, Akhbārīs did and do not follow marja's who practice ijtihad.[39]
It achieved its greatest influence in the late Safavid and early post-Safavid era when it dominated Twelver Shi'a Islam.[40] However, shortly thereafter Muhammad Baqir Behbahani (d. 1792), along with other Usuli mujtahids, crushed the Akhbari movement.[41] and it remains now in the Shia Muslim world only as a small minority. One result of the resolution of this conflict was the rise in importance of the concept of ijtihad and the position of the mujtahid (as opposed to other ulema) in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It was from this time that the division of the Shia world into mujtahid (those who could follow their own independent judgment) and muqallid (those who had to follow the rulings of a mujtahid) took place. According to author Moojan Momen, "up to the middle of the 19th century there were very few mujtahids (three or four) anywhere at any one time," but "several hundred existed by the end of the 19th century." [42]
"One of the most powerful and influential Shi'i ulama of all time" also preached during this era. Working during the Safavid era, Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, worked diligently to rid Twelver Shi'ism of the influence of Sufiism (which had been closely linked to Shi'ism) and philosophy, and propagate strict adherence to obedience of Islamic law (sharia).[43] Majlisi promoted specifically Shi'i rituals such as mourning for Imam Husayn ibn Ali and visitation (ziyarat) of the tombs of the Imams and Imamzadas; and stressed "the concept of the Imams as mediators and intercessors for man with God."[44]
It is estimated that 10-13% of the world's Muslims are Shi'a, with 154 to 200 million Shi'a Muslims worldwide.[45] More than 67% of the world's Shi'as live in four nations: India, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.[45] Although a minority in the Muslim world, Shi'as constitute the majority of the populations in Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Iraq.[45]
Shi'a Muslims also constitute over 35% of the population in Lebanon,[46] over 45% of the population in Yemen,[47] over 20% of the population in Kuwait,[45] 10-15% of the population (primarily Alevi[48],[49]) in Turkey,[45] over 10% of the population in Pakistan,[45] and over 10% of population in Afghanistan.[45]
Nations with populations of more than one million Shi'as include (in descending order): Iran, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Turkey, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Tanzania.[45]
Significant Shi'a communities exist on the coastal regions of West Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia (see Tabuik). The Shi'a presence is negligible elsewhere in Southeast Asia, where Muslims are predominantly Shafi'i Sunnis.
A significant syncretic Shi'a minority is present in Nigeria, centered around the state of Kano (see Shia in Nigeria). East Africa holds several populations of Ismaili Shia, primarily descendants of immigrants from South Asia during the colonial period, such as the Khoja.
According to Shi'a Muslims, one of the lingering problems in estimating Shi'a population is that unless Shi'a form a significant minority in a Muslim country, the entire population is often listed as Sunni. The reverse, however, has not held true, which may contribute to imprecise estimates of the size of each sect. For example, the 1926 rise of the House of Saud in Arabia brought official discrimination against Shi'a.[50]
|Shi'a population
|Percent of Muslim population that is Shi'a
|Percent of global Shi'a population
|66,000,000 - 70,000,000
|90 - 95
|37 - 40
|17,000,000 - 26,000,000
|10 - 15
|10 - 15
|16,000,000 - 24,000,000
|10 - 15
|9 - 14
|19,000,000 - 22,000,000
|65 - 70
|11 - 12
|7,000,000 - 11,000,000
|10 - 15
|4 - 6
|8,000,000 - 10,000,000
|35 - 40
|5,000,000 - 7,000,000
|65 - 75
|3 - 4
|3,000,000 - 4,000,000
|10 - 15
|3,000,000 - 4,000,000
|15 - 20
|Saudi Arabia
|2,000,000 - 4,000,000
|10 - 15
|1 - 2
|1,000,000 - 2,000,000
|28 - 45
|500,000 - 700,000
|20 - 25
|400,000 - 600,000
|10 - 15
|400,000 - 500,000
|65 - 75
|United Arab Emirates
|300,000 - 400,000
|United States
|200,000 - 400,000
|10 - 15
|100,000 - 300,000
|5 - 10
|United Kingdom
|100,000 - 300,000
|10 - 15
[citation needed]
The dispute over the right successor to Muhammad resulted in the formation of two main sects, the Sunni, and the Shia. The Sunni, or followers of the way, followed the caliphate and maintained the premise that any devout Muslim could potentially become the successor to Muhammad if accepted by his peers. The Shia however, maintain that only the person selected by God and announced by the Prophet could become his successor, thus Ali became the religious authority for the Shia people. Militarily established and holding control over the Umayyad government, many Sunni rulers perceived the Shia as a threat – both to their political and religious authority.[51]
The Sunni rulers under the Umayyads sought to marginalize the Shia minority and later the Abbasids turned on their Shia allies and further imprisoned, persecuted, and killed Shias. The persecution of Shias throughout history by Sunni co-religionists has often been characterized by brutal and genocidal acts. Comprising only about 10-15% of the entire Muslim population, to this day, the Shia remain a marginalized community in many Sunni Arab dominant countries without the rights to practice their religion and organize.[52]
At various times many Shi'a groups have faced persecution.[53][54][55][56][57][58]
Sunni, and Twelver and Mustaali Shi'a, celebrate the following annual holidays:
The following holidays are observed by Twelver and Mustaali Shi'a only, unless otherwise noted:
[citation needed]
Both Shia and Sunni Muslims share a certain veneration and religious obligations towards certain shrines and holy sites, such as Mecca (Masjid al-Haram), Medina (Al-Masjid al-Nabawi), and Jerusalem (Al-Aqsa Mosque). For a list of some of the holiest uniquely Shia shrines see Shia holy sites.
The Shi'a faith throughout its history split over the issue of imamate, with each branch supporting different imams. The largest branch are the Twelvers, to which over 85% of Shi'a belong. The only other surviving branches are the Zaidi and Ismaili. All three groups follow a different line of Imamate.
Twelver Shi'a believe in the lineage of the Twelve Imams. The Twelver Shi'a faith is predominantly found in Iran (est. 90%) , Azerbaijan (est. 85%), Bahrain (est. 75%), Iraq (est. 65%), Lebanon (est. 28%),[60] Kuwait (est. 35%), Turkey (est. 25%), Albania (est. 20%), Pakistan (est. 20%) and Afghanistan (est. 20%).[61][62]. The Zaidi Shi'a are predominantly found in Yemen (est. 45%)
The Zaidi dispute the succession of the fifth Twelver Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir, because he did not stage a revolution against the corrupt government, unlike Zaid ibn Ali. They do not believe in a direct lineage, but rather that any descendant of Hasan ibn Ali or Husayn ibn Ali who stages a revolution against a corrupt government is an imam. The Zaidi are mainly found in Yemen.
The Ismaili dispute the succession of the seventh Twelver Imam, Musa al-Kadhim, believing his older brother Isma'il ibn Jafar actually succeeded their father Ja'far al-Sadiq Most Shī'ī traditions acknowledge Ja'far al-Ṣādiq thought his son, Ismā'īl ibn Ja'far "al-Mubārak", would be heir to the Imamate. However, Ismā'īl predeceased his father. Some of the Shī'ah claimed Ismā'īl had not died, but rather gone into occultation, but the proto-Ismā'īlī group accepted his death and therefore that his eldest son, Muḥammad ibn Ismā'īl, was now Imām. Muḥammad remained in contact with this "Mubārakiyyah" group, most of whom resided in Kūfah.[63] Ismaili form small communities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, India, Yemen, China and Saudi Arabia[64] and have several subbranches.
Part of a series on Shī'ah Islam
|The Fourteen Infallibles
Muhammad · Fatimah · Ali · Hasan · Husayn · al-Sajjad · al-Baqir · al-Sadiq · al-Kadhim · al-Rida · al-Taqi · al-Naqi · al-Askari · al-Mahdi
The Twelve Imams
Fourteen Infallibles
Prayer · Fasting · Pilgrimage
|Holy cities
Mecca · Medina · Jerusalem
Usuli · Akhbari · Shaykhi
Marja · Ayatollah · Allamah
|Hadith collections
Peak of Eloquence · The Psalms of Islam · Book of Fundamentals · The Book in Scholar's Lieu · Civilization of Laws · The Certainty · Book of Sulaym ibn Qays · Oceans of Light · Wasael ush-Shia · Reality of Certainty · Keys of Paradise
Twelver Imami Shi'ism or the Ithnā'ashariyyah' (الإثنى عشرية) is the largest branch of Shī'ī Islam. An adherent of Twelver Shī'ism is most commonly referred to as a Twelver, which is derived from their belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as The Twelve Imams. Approximately 85% of Shi'a are Twelvers, representing the largest branch of the Shī'ah, and the term Shi'a Muslim usually refers to Twelver Shi'a Muslims only.
The Twelvers are also known by other names, each connoting some aspect of the faith.
The Twelver faith is predominantly found in Iran (90%), Iraq (65%), Azerbaijan (85%), Lebanon (35%), Kuwait (35%), Turkey (25%), Saudi Arabia (10-15%),[64] Bahrain (80%) and forms a large minority in Pakistan (20%) and Afghanistan (18%).
Twelvers believe that the descendants of Muḥammad through his daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law 'Alī are the best source of knowledge about the Qur'an and Islam, the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muḥammad's traditions and the most worthy of emulation.
In particular, Twelvers recognize the succession of 'Alī, Muḥammad's cousin, son-in-law and the first man to accept Islam (second only to Muḥammad's wife Khadījah), the male head of the Ahl al-Bayt or "people of the [Muhammad's] house" (and the father of Muḥammad's only bloodline) as opposed to that of the caliphate recognized by Sunni Muslims. Twelvers also believe that 'Alī was appointed successor by Muḥammad's direct order on many occasions, and that he is therefore the rightful leader of the Muslim faith.
'Alī was the third successor to Abu Bakr and, for the Shī'ah, the first divinely sanctioned "Imām," or male descendant of Muḥammad. The seminal event in Shī'ah history is the martyrdom in 680 CE of 'Alī's son Husayn, who led an uprising against the "illegitimate" caliph. For the Shī'ah, Husayn came to symbolize resistance to tyranny.
Regardless of the dispute about the caliphate, Twelvers recognize the religious authority of the Twelve Imams, also called Khalīfah Ilāhi.
The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad for Twelvers.[21]
According to the theology of Twelvers, the successor of Muhammad is an infallible human individual who not only rules over the community with justice, but also is able to keep and interpret the Divine Law and its esoteric meaning. Muhammad and imams' words and deeds are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, and must be chosen by divine decree, or nass, through Muhammad.[23][65] Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Husayn ibn Ali, who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali.[21] The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and in occultation.[25]
In Twelver Shi'a Islam, the Principles of the Religion (Usūl al-Dīn) are the five main theological beliefs that Shi'a Muslims must possess. The Shi'a Roots of Religion are a set of theoretical theological beliefs, in contrast to the ten practices prescribed in the Shi'a Branches of Religion. It is from these articles that the Branches of Religion are derived.
All books of Resalah start with an explicit disclaimer stating that no proof shall be given for any of the points in the Roots of Religion. The Marja argue that it is permissible to imitate in matters of practical Islam, for example, how one is supposed to do Salat, without being familiar with evidence and arguments for the conclusions. However, they argue that the matters in the Roots of Religion are much too important to be merely imitated, and it is the responsibility of each individual to make themselves personally familiar with the arguments and evidence for each article of faith.
The five articles of faith in the Shi'a Roots of Religion are:
According to Twelver doctrine, what are referred to as pillars by Sunni Islam (which are five in number) are called the practices or secondary principles; there are three additional practices, for a total of eight. The first is jihad, which is also important to the Sunni, but not considered a pillar. The second is Commanding what is just (Arabic: امر بالمعروف), which calls for every Muslim to live a virtuous life and to encourage others to do the same. The third is Forbidding what is evil (Arabic: النهي عن المنكر), which tells Muslims to refrain from vice and from evil actions and to encourage others to do the same.[66][67][68] Twelvers have five Principles of the Religion which relates to Aqidah.[69]
Ja'fari jurisprudence or Ja'fari Fiqh is the name of the jurisprudence of the Twelver Muslims, derived from the name of Ja'far al-Sadiq, the 6th Shia Imam.
The Ja'fari Shia consider Sunnah to be the oral traditions of Muhammad and their implementation and interpretation by the Imams who were all scholars and descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband, the first Imam, Ali. There are three schools of Ja'fari jurispudence: Usuli, Akhbari, and Shaykhi. The Usuli school is by far the largest of the three. Twelver groups that do not follow Ja'fari jurisprudence include the Alawi, Alevi, Bektashi, and Ahl-e Haqq.
Usooli and Akhbari Shia Twelver Muslims believe that the study of Islamic literature is a continual process, and is necessary for identifying all of God's laws. Twelver Shia Muslims believe that the process of finding God's laws from the available Islamic literature will facilitate in dealing with any circumstance. They believe that they can interpret the Qur'an and the Twelver Shi'a traditions with the same authority as their predecessors. This process of ijtihad has provided a means to deal with current issues from an islamic perspective. Generally, the Twelver Shi'a clergy have exerted much more authority in the Twelver Shi'a community than have the Sunni ulema.
Marja (Arabic: مرجع), also appearing as Marja Taqlid (Arabic: مرجع تقليد) or Marja Dini (Arabic: مرجع ديني), literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference". It is the label provided to Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and less-credentialed clerics. After the Qur'an and the Prophets and Imams, marjas are the highest authority on religious laws in Usuli Twelver Shia Islam.
Currently, marjas are accorded the title Grand Ayatollah (Arabic: آية الله العظمی Ayatollah al-Uzma), however when referring to one, the use of Ayatollah is acceptable. Previously, the titles of Allamah[72] and Imam[73] have also been used.
Traditionally Twelver Shi'a Muslims consider 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and the subsequent further eleven Imams not only religious guides but political leaders, based on a crucial hadith where Muhammad passes on his power to command Muslims to Ali. Since the last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, went into "occultation" in 939 AD and is not expected back until end times, this left Shi'a without religiously sanctioned governance. In contrast, the Ismaili Imams did successfully gain political power with the shortly lived Fatimid Empire. After the fall of the Fatimid Empire Ismaili Shi'asm started to lean towards secular thought.
The first Shi'a regime, the Safavid dynasty in Iran, propagated the Twelver faith, made Twelver law the law of the land, and patronized Twelver scholarship. For this, Twelver ulama "crafted a new theory of government" which held that while "not truly legitimate", the Safavid monarchy would be "blessed as the most desirable form of government during the period of awaiting" for the twelfth imam.[74]
In general, the Shi'a adhere to one of three approaches towards the state: either full participation in government, i.e. attempting to influence policies by becoming active in politics, or passive cooperation with it, i.e. minimal participation, or else most commonly, mere toleration of it, i.e. remaining aloof from it.[75] Historically, Zaidi and Ismaili Shi'a imams functioned as both religious and political leaders, but later after the fall of the Fatimid Empire the Ismaili imamate became a secular institution. In general, Twelver Shi'a historically remained secular.
This changed with Iranian Revolution where the Twelver Ayatollah Khomeini and his supporters established a new theory of governance for the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is based on Khomeini's theory of guardianship of the Islamic jurist as rule of the Islamic jurist, and jurists as "legatees" of Muhammad.
While not all Twelver Shi'a accept this theory, it is uniquely Twelver and the basis of the constitution of Iran, the largest Shi'a Muslim country, where the Supreme Leader must be an Islamic jurist.
Part of a series on Shī'ah Islam
The Qur'ān · The Ginans
|Seven Pillars
Guardianship · Prayer · Charity
Shoaib · Nabi Shu'ayb
|Early Imams
Ali · Ḥassan · Ḥusain
|Groups & leaders
Nizārī - Aga Khan IV
The Ismā'īlī (Arabic: الإسماعيليون al-Ismāʿīliyyūn; Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Persian: إسماعیلیان Esmāʿiliyān) branch of Islam is the second largest part of the Shī'ah community after the Twelvers. The Ismā'īlī get their name from their acceptance of Ismā'īl ibn Ja'far as the divinely-appointed spiritual successor (Imām) to Ja'far aṣ-Ṣādiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Mūsà al-Kāzim, younger brother of Ismā'īl, as the true Imām. The Ismā'īlī and the Twelvers both accept the same initial A'immah from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fāṭimah az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history.
After the death or Occultation of Imām Muḥammad ibn Ismā'īl in the 8th century, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known today, with an explicit concentration on the deeper, esoteric meaning (bāṭin) of the faith. With the eventual development of Twelverism into the more literalistic (zahir) oriented Akhbari and later Uṣūlī schools of thought, Shī'ism developed in two separate directions: the metaphorical Ismā'īlī group focusing on the mystical path and nature of God and the divine manifestation in the personage of the "Imam of the Time" as the "Face of God", while the more literalistic Twelver group focusing on divine law (sharī'ah) and the deeds and sayings (sunnah) of Muḥammad and his successors (the Ahlu l-Bayt), who as A'immah were guides and a light to God.[76]
Though there are several sub-groupings within the Ismā'īlīs, the term in today's vernacular generally refers to the Nizārī community who are followers of the Aga Khan and the largest group among the Ismā'īliyyah. While many of the branches have extremely differing exterior practices, much of the spiritual theology has remained the same since the days of the faith's early Imāms. In recent centuries Ismā'īlīs have largely been an Indo-Iranian community,[77] but they are found in India, Pakistan, Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia,[78] Yemen, China,[79] Jordan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, East Africa and South Africa, and have in recent years emigrated to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.[80]
After the death of Ismā'īlī ibn Ja'far, many Ismā'īlī believed the line of Imāmate ended and that one day the messianic Mahdi, whom they believed to be Muḥammad ibn Ismā'īl, would return and establish an age of justice. One group included the violent Qarmatians, who had a stronghold in Bahrain. In contrast, some Ismā'īlīs believed the Imāmate did continue, and that the Imāms were in hiding and still communicated and taught their followers through a network of du'āt "Missionaries".
In 909, 'Ubaydallāh al-Mahdi bil-Lāh, a claimant to the Ismā'īlī Imāmate, established the Fatimid Empire, a political power where Ismā'īlī Imāms would rule for centuries. Egypt became the center of an empire that included at its peak North Africa, Sicily, Palestine, Syria, the Red Sea coast of Africa, Yemen and the Hejaz. Under the Fatimids, Egypt flourished and developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, which eventually determined the economic course of Egypt during the High Middle Ages.
During this period, three lineages of Imāms formed. The first branch, known today as the Druze, occurred with the Imām al-Hākim bi-Amrallāh. Born in 386 AH (985), he ascended as ruler at the age of eleven and was feared for his eccentricity and believed insanity. The typical religiously tolerant Fatimid Empire saw much persecution under his reign. When in 411 AH (1021) his mule returned without him, soaked in blood, a religious group that was even forming in his lifetime broke off from mainstream Ismā'īlism and refused to acknowledge his successor. Later to be known as the Druze, they believe al-Hākim to be the incarnation of God and the prophecized Mahdi, who would one day return and bring justice to the world.[81] The faith further split from Ismā'īlism as it developed very unique doctrines which often classes it separately from both Ismā'īliyyah and Islam.
The second split occurred following the death of Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah in 487 AH (1094). His rule was the longest of any Caliph in any Islamic empires. Upon his passing away his sons, the older Nizār and the younger al-Musta'lī fought for political and spiritual control of the dynasty. Nizār was defeated and jailed, but according to Nizāri tradition, his son to escaped to Alamut where the Iranian Ismā'īlī had accepted his claim.[82]
The Musta'lī line split again between the Ṭayyibī and the Ḥāfizī, the former claiming that the 21st Imām and son of al-Amīr went into Occultation and appointed a Dā'ī al-Muṭlaq to guide the community, in a similar manner as the Ismā'īlī had lived after the death of Muḥammad ibn Ismā'īl. The latter claimed that the ruling Fatimid Caliph was the Imām, and they died out with the fall of the Fatimid Empire.
The Ismā'īlī Seven Pillars of Islam, including the Nizārī, Druze and Bohra (Musta'lī) have two doctrines that are not included in the Five Pillars of Islam: Walayah and Jihad. This would raise the total to eight, but the Bohra do not include shahādah, lowering it to six. Including the belief in Tawhīd and witness of Muhammad's status as the last and final Prophet and Messenger of God, the term shahādah also initiates the pillar of Walayah through the concept of Imāmah . The shahādah is a prominent part of the Ismā'īlī traditions, with the added inclusion of 'Alīyun Amīru 'l-Mu'minīna walīyu 'l-Lāhi Arabic: علي ولي الله "'Alī, the Master of the Believers, is the walī of God", at the end of the standard shahādah as recited by the rest of the Shia Muslim Ummah.[83]
In Islam, the term 'aql was heavily elucidated by early Shī'ah thinkers; it came to replace and expand the pre-Islamic concept of ḥilm (Arabic: حلم) "serene justice and self-control, dignity" in opposition to the negative notions of savagery (jahl) and stupidity (safah).[84]
The "possessor of 'aql", or al-'āqīl (plural al-'uqqāl) realises a deep connection with God. Imam Ja'far aṣ-Ṣādiq described this connection as a realization that God loves some (over others), that God's is the Truth and that only 'ilm "knowledge of the Sacred" and its development can help humanity fulfill its potential.
His son, Imām Mūsá al-Kāżim (d. 799), expanded this exegesis by defining 'aql as the "faculty for apprehending the divine, a faculty of metaphysical perception, a light in the heart, through which one can discern and recognize signs from God."[84] He further noted that where the A'immah (Imāms) are the ḥujjatu ż-żāhirah "External proof [of God]", 'aql is the ḥujjatu l-bāṭinah "secret proof".[84]
While in early Islam, 'aql was opposed to jahl "savagery", the expansion of the concept meant it was now opposed to safah "[deliberate] stupidity" and junūn "lack of sense, indulgence". Under the influence of Mu'tazilī thought, 'aql came to mean "dialectical reasoning".[84]
For Nizārīs, there has been less of a scholarly institution because of the existence of a present Imām. The Imām of the Age defines the jurisprudence, and may differ with Imāms previous to him because of different times and circumstances.
However, divine leadership has continued in the Bohra branch through the institution of the "Unrestricted Missionary". According to Bohra tradition, before the last Imām, Ṭayyib Abi l-Qāṣim, went into seclusion, his father, the 20th Imām Mansur al-Amir Bi-Ahkamillah had instructed Queen Al-Hurra Al-Malika in Yemen to appoint a vicegerent after the seclusion - the Unrestricted Missionary, who as the Imām's vicegerent has full authority to govern the community in all matters both spiritual and temporal while he is in the Occultation. The three branches of the Musta'lī, the Alavi Bohra, Sulaimani Bohra and Dawoodi Bohra, differ on who the current Unrestricted Missionary is.
Zaidiyya, Zaidism or Zaydism (Arabic: الزيدية az-zaydiyya, adjective form Zaidi or Zaydi) is a Shī'a madhhab (sect, school) named after the Imām Zayd ibn ˤAlī. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or occasionally, Fivers by Sunnis). However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītīs who are Twelvers (see below).
Followers of the Zaidi fiqh recognize the first four Twelve Imams but they accept Zayd ibn Ali as their "Fifth Imām", instead of his brother Muhammad al-Baqir. After Zayd ibn Ali, the Zaidi recognize other descendants of Hasan ibn Ali or Husayn ibn Ali to be Imams. Other well known Zaidi imams in history were Yahya ibn Zayd, Muhammad al Nafs az-Zakiyah and Ibrahim ibn Abdullah.
|Prophet of Islam
|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
|5th Imam
In matters of law or fiqh, the Zaidis follow Zaid ibn Ali's teachings which are documented in his book Majmu Al Fiqh (in Arabic: مجموع الفِقه). The Zaidis are similar to the Hanafi madhhab with elements of the Jafari madhhab.
In matters of theology, the Zaidis are close to the Mu'tazili school, but they are not Mu'tazilite, since there are a few issues between both schools, most notably the Zaidi doctrine of the imamate imamah, that are rejected by Mu'tazilites.
Zaidi beliefs are moderate compared to other Shi'i sects. The Zaidis do not believe in the infallibility of the Imams, nor that the Imams 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 either 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.[citation needed]
Zaidis also reject the notion of Occultation (ghayba) of the "Hidden Imām". Like the Ismā'īlīs, they believe in a living Imām (or Imāms).[citation needed] Great Sunni Imam Abu Hanifa has given fatwa in favor of Imam Zaid in his rebellion against Ummayid ruler of his time.
The first Zaidi state was established in Daylaman and Tabaristan (northern Iran) in 864 C.E. by the Alavids[85]; it lasted until the death of its leader at the hand of the Samanids in 928 C.E. Roughly forty years later the state was revived in Gilan (north-western Iran) and survived under Hasanid leaders until 1126 C.E. After which from the 12th-13th centuries, the Zaidis of Daylaman, Gilan and Tabaristan then acknowledge the Zaidi Imams of Yemen or rival Zaidi Imams within Iran.[86]
The Buyids were Zaidi[87] as well as the Ukhaidhirite rulers of al-Yamama in the 9th and 10th centuries.[88]
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 Rassids (a descendant of Imam al-Hasan) who, at Sa'da, in 893-7 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. The founding Zaidism of Yemen was of the Jarudiyya group, however with the increasing interaction with Hanafi and Shafi'i Sunni Islam, there was a shift from the Jarudiyya group to the Sulaimaniyya, Tabiriyya, Butriyya or Salihiyya groups.[89]
Zaidis form the dominant religious group in Yemen. Currently, they constitute about 40-45% of the population in Yemen. Ja'faris and Isma'ilis are 2-5%.[4],[5] In Saudi Arabia, it is estimated that there are over 1 million Zaidis (primarily in the western provinces).[citation needed]
Currently the most prominent Zaidi movement is Hussein al-Houthi's Shabab Al Mu'mineen who have been the subject of an ongoing campaign against them by the Yemeni Government in which the Army has lost 743 men and thousands of innocent civilians have been killed or displaced by government forces causing a grave humanitarian crisis in north Yemen. Shia Population of the Middle East[90]
Ghali or Exaggerator is the adjectival form of Ghuluww means Exaggeration, a technical term mainstream Muslims use to describe the beliefs of minority Muslim groups who ascribe divine characteristics to a member of Muhammad's family, (especially Ali) or the early companions of Muhammad such as Salman al-Farisi. The assumption is that the groups thus described have gone too far and have come to associate them with God (shirk). Some groups are commonly alleged to be exaggerator by Twelver scholars are:
Most of these groups have some similarity with Shi'a such as belief that Ali is the rightful successor of Muhammad. In addition, most of them have accepted The Twelve Imams (hence falling under the Twelver category), but attribute some God-like attribution to them. Thus most of the Twelvers have negative view towards them and recognize them as heretics. Nowadays, they live in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey and Syria.
|Part of a series of articles on
|Beliefs and practices
Oneness of God
|Important people
|Texts & Laws
Qur'an • Sunnah • Hadith
|Types of Islam
|Muslim culture
Academics • History
|See also
Vocabulary of Islam • Islamophobia
Shi'a Islam, also Shi'ism (Arabic:شيعة, Persian:شیعه), It is short for Shī'at 'Ali ("the party of 'Ali"). Shi'a Muslims believe in the teachings of the prophet Muhammad's family, whom they call the Ahl al-Bayt. The Shi'as think that the first three ruling Sunni caliphs had no importance to the development of the faith. The singular/adjective form is Shī'ī (شيعي.) and means a follower of the Household of Muhammad and of Ali ibn Abi Talib (Imam Ali).
Shi'a Islam, like Sunni Islam, has at times been divided into many branches, however only three of these have a significant number of followers nowadays. The best known and the one with most adherents is Twelvers (Ithnāˤashariyya), the others are Ismaili and Zaidiyyah. Alawites and Druzes call themselves Shi'as, but mainstream Shi'as do not agree on this.
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