Criticism of the Claim of Fawaz ibn Ahmad ibn Ali Rezwan about the Contradiction in Shiite Traditions on the Number of Imams (AS)

In the Shia hadith sources, in addition to many traditions that introduce the number of Shia Imams (AS) as twelve, there are other traditions that seem to conflict with them, citing the number of Imams other than twelve. Adducing these traditions, an Arabic article entitled "The conflict of the Rafezi narrated significations; a case study of Imamate" written by Fawaz ibn Ahmad ibn Ali Rezwan has claimed that the Shiite traditions regarding Imamate are contradictory and irreconcilable. Therefore, the principle of Imamate is a place of doubt. Using the descriptive-analytical method, the present research aims to answer the questions of the mentioned article about the number of imams. First, it quotes the claim and categorizes the traditions into seven groups: narrations of one imam, two imams, three imams, seven imams, twelve imams, thirteen imams, and twelve Mahdis after Qaem (Riser). Then, by examining the chain of transmission and the content of each tradition, it concludes that all of the traditions are weak in terms of their chain of transmission, and they conflict with the correct traditions in terms of their content, indicating the existence of twelve imams. In addition, some of them are incoherent. Assuming the acceptance of the chain of transmission and content of the traditions, the significations of some of them do not support the claim. On the contrary, they can be reconciled with the traditions indicating twelve imams.