The Babi and Baha'i Religion — Page 6
THE B Ā B Ī AND BAH Ā ’ Ī RELIGION 6 THE B Ā B Ī AND BAH Ā ’ Ī RELIGION Origin and Development Among variants of the Shia point of view there is a sect called the Ithn a ‘Asharia. The Shias regard Hadrat ‘Al i as invested with special sanctity, to an extent where it involves denial of the authority of the three Khal i fas who preceded Hadrat ‘Al i in this office, namely, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and Uthm a n. According to the belief of the Ithna ‘Asharia, there have been twelve rightful Imams after Hadrat ‘Al i , eleven of them having died after the normal span of their lives, but the twelfth having disappeared and gone into hiding in some cave, to reappear towards the end of the world as the expected Imam Mahdi to bring the mission of his Im a mat to completion. Shias of the Ithna ‘Asharia sect also hold that ever since the time the twelfth Imam went into hiding, he keeps one of his followers, the best and most devoted, in the position of a B a b, i. e. , a door through which the rest of his followers could maintain spiritual contact and communion with him. According to Alq a m i , a noted Shia writer and divine, "To this day there have always been among his followers people of special devotion who have held the position of a B a b (door)