A study and critique of the Orientalists' view on the issue of the succession of the Eleventh Shiite Imam (AS)

Orientalists' view on the issue of the succession of the Eleventh Shiite Imam can be divided into three approaches. Some of them believe that Imam Hassan Askari (AS) had no children and therefore believe that he has no successor. The main reliance of this approach is on the suspicion of infertility of the Eleventh Imam. The second approach refers to the succession of Ja'far ibn Ali known as Ja'far the liar. The third approach, however, deals with a wide-ranging debate in Shiite political thought that has received much attention from orientalists. This approach deals with the essence of the issue of Mahdaviat and has a mainly critical and incorrect view of it. This approach considers Mahdaviat as the principle of succession of the Eleventh Imam has mythical and political roots and is branched from other religions. In terms of method, the data processing method in this research is descriptive-analytical and content analysis.