Imams of Shia

These are the Twelve Imams from the pure progeny of the Prophet arranged chronologically as follows:  

* The first is the Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mo’menin) and the Imam of the pious, the leader of the elite, the master of Muslims and Allah's victorious lion, Ali ibn Abu Talib, salaam be upon him, the gate of knowledge who challenged the minds, dazzled the hearts, and enlightened the intellect, the man without whom the Messenger of Allah(SBUH&HP) could not have been able to set the foundations of the creed.  

* Second is Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali, Salaam be upon him, Master of the Youths of Paradise, the fragrant flower of the Prophet in this nation, the ascetic worshipper of Allah, the faithful adviser.  

* Third is Imam Abu Abdullah al-Husayn ibn Ali, Salaam be upon him, the Master of the Youths of Paradise and the fragrant flower of the Prophet in this nation, the master of martyrs and the one who was slaughtered on Karbala and who sacrificed his all seeking to reform the nation of his grandfather.  

* Fourth is Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn Zaynul-Abidin, Salaam be upon him, the master of all those who prostrated to their Lord.  

* Fifth is Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir,Salaam be upon him, who penetrated the knowledge of the early generations and the last.  

* Sixth is Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, Salaam be upon him, the like of whom no eyes had ever seen nor anyone had ever heard nor any mind had ever realized with regard to the knowledge of fiqh; none was more learned, or better in deeds, than him. 

* Seventh is Imam Musa ibn Ja`far al-Kazim, Salaam be upon him, the descendant of the prophet, the substance of knowledge.  

* Eighth is Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, Salaam be upon him, who was granted wisdom even as a child.  

* Ninth is Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, Salaam be upon him, the Imam of generosity and giving, the Imam of excellent conduct.  

* Tenth is Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, Salaam be upon him, the one who received Allah's favors, who was the lighthouse of guidance.  

* Eleventh is Imam al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari, Salaam be upon him, the Imam of asceticism and piety.  

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

from Dr. Tijani's book

just for a little ponder!(2)

The [Sunni] author of Yanabee` al-Mawaddah narrates the following incident in his book: 

A Jew named al-A`tal came to the Prophet and said, "Muhammad[Salaam Be Upon Him&His Progeny]! I wish to ask you about certain things which I have been keeping to myself; so, if you answer them, I shall declare my acceptance of Islam before you." The Prophet[Salam Be Upon Him & His Progeny] said, "Ask me, O father of Imarah!" So he asked him about many things till he was satisfied and admitted that the Prophet was right. Then he said,

"Tell me about your wasi (successor): who is he? No prophet can ever be without a wasi; our prophet Moses had appointed Yusha` [Joshua] son of Noon as his successor." 

He said,

"My wasi is Ali ibn Abu Talib followed by my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn followed by nine men from the solb of al-Husayn."

 He said, "Then name them for me, O Muhammad[Salaam Be Upon Him&His Progeny]!"The Prophet [Salaam be Upon Him & His Progeny]said,

"Once al-Husayn departs, he will be succeeded by his son Ali; when Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him. When Muhammad departs, his son Ja`far will succeed him. When Ja`far departs, he will be succeeded by his son Musa. When Musa departs, his son Ali will succeed him. When Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him. When Muhammad departs, his son Ali will succeed him. When Ali departs, his son al-Hasan will succeed him, and when al-Hasan departs, al-Hujjah ... al-Mahdi will succeed him. These are the twelve ones."

That Jew, therefore, embraced Islam and praised Allah for having guided him.   This is recorded on p. 440 of Yanabee` al-Mawaddah by the Hanafi author al-Qandoozi. It is also recorded by al-Hamawayni [another Sunni scholar] who quotes Mujahid quoting Ibn Abbas. 

narrated from Dr. Tijani's book