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The Khalafiyya Shia (named for its founder Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad) were a subsect of the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam.

Contents

• Beliefs
• See also
• References
• Bibliography

Part of a series on Shia Islam
Beliefs and practices Monotheism Holy Books Prophethood Succession to Muhammad Imamate Ismaili Twelver Zaydi Angels Judgment Day Mourning of Muharram Intercession Clergy The Four Companions Arbaʽeen Pilgrimage
Days of remembrance Ashura Arba'een Mawlid Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Adha Eid al-Ghadir Mourning of Muharram Omar Koshan
History Verse of purification Two weighty things Mubahala Khumm Fatimah's house First Fitna Second Fitna Battle of Karbala Origin Persecution
Branches and sects Ja'fari Akhbari Usuli Shaykhi Zaydi Isma'ili Musta'li Tayyibi Dawoodi Bohra Progressive Hebtiahs Bohra Atba-i-Malak Bohra Sulaymani Bohra Alavi Bohra Qutbi Bohra Hafizi Nizari Khoja Satpanth Ghulat Alawi Alevi Bektashi Bektashism and folk religion Qizilbash Ishiki Extinct Shi'a sects
Ahl al-Kisa Muhammad Ali Fatima Hasan Husayn
Holy women Fatima Khadija bint Khuwaylid Umm Salama Zaynab bint Ali Umm Kulthum bint Ali Umm al-Banin Fatima bint Hasan Ruqayya bint Husayn Rubab Shahrbanu Fatima bint Musa Hakimah Khātūn Narjis Fatimah bint Asad Umm Farwah bint al-Qasim Ruqayya bint Ali Sayyida Nafisa
Shia Islamportal
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Beliefs

The Khalafiyya Shia had the following beliefs:

• They believed that the Imams after Zayd ibn Ali ibn Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib are as follows (in chronological order):
  • Abd al-Samad (a client of Zayd ibn Ali, although the Khalafiyya Shia claim he was a son of Zayd), then
  • Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad (who fled from the Umayyads to the land of the Turks), then
  • Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad, then
  • Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad, then
  • The Khalafiyya Shia did not know the names of the Imams after Ahmad, but they believed that a descendant of Ahmad, still residing in the land of the Turks (since the migration to that land of his ancestor Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad), would rise as the Mahdi.
• They believed the Imam’s knowledge comes to him by inspiration, not by acquisition.
• They believed the Imam understood all languages.
• They believed that Khalaf ibn Abd al-Samad left behind a book which he composed in letters of an alphabet unknown to anyone other than his successor Imams and that these Imams alone would be able to explain his book.
• They believed in a doctrine of Tawhid (Oneness of God) which denies that a person can describe or characterize God in any way. For example:
  • a person cannot say that God is knowing, or that God is not knowing.
  • a person cannot say that God is powerful, or that God is not powerful.
  • a person cannot say that God is a thing, or that God is not a thing.
• They also believed in a devotion to fives. For example (according to them):
  • 5 primary angels; Mikha’il (the chief angel of the Khalafiyya), Jibra’il, Izra’il, Mika’il and Israfil
  • 5 chosen creatures on Earth; Muhammad, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali
  • 5 fingers
  • 5 pillars of Islam; Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj
  • 5 senses; hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste
  • 5 prayer times; Fajr (Dawn prayer), Dhuhr (Mid-day prayer), Asr (Afternoon prayer), Maghrib (Sunset prayer) and Isha'a (Night prayer)
  • 5 books of scripture; the Suhuf Ibrahim (commonly the Scrolls of Abraham), the Tawrat (Torah), the Zabur (commonly the Psalms), the Injil (commonly the Gospel), and the Qur'an
  • 5 things leading to salvation
  • 5 special months of the year; Muharram, Rajab, Ramadan, Dhu al-Qi'dah and Dhu al-Hijjah

See also

• Islamic schools and branches
• List of extinct Shia sects

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations . Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations.(November 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this message )

Bibliography

• Mediaeval Isma'ili History and Thought, By Farhad Daftary, pg.173-74