Practical and Intellectual Confrontation of Shiite Imams with their Political Opponents

In confronting with the political opponents, Shiite Imams employed three ways: taqiyyah (God wariness), jihad (holy struggle), and occultation. For preserving the unity among Muslims, saving their lives, property, honor and creed, the Imams practiced taqiyyah, but it does not mean that they were idle; rather they concerned over the problems of Shiite communities and were active in the society in such a way that their political opponents did not be aware of their activities. The extensive network of their representatives, which worked actively from the ninth up to the eleventh Imam, is considered as an example of the Imams’ struggle for foiling the plots of their political opponents. Unlike taqiyyah, which was practiced during all of the eleven Imams’ lifetimes, the struggle against political opponents was occurred only during the lifetimes of two particular Imams: It was in such a way that Imam Ali (‘a) struggled against the nakithin (the perfidious), the qasitin (the deviators), and the mariqin (the apostates); and Imam Hossein (‘a) struggled against Yazid. Each of these struggles protected and secured the perpetuation of Islam. The occultation, a unique confrontation method during Imam al-Mahdi’s lifetime, was done according to the order of the Lord. The occultation continues until God Almighty orders the reappearance of the Imam and the killing of his enemies.