Occultation of Imam al-Mahdi (a): Difference between revisions

Minor Occultation is the period of time when Imam al-Mahdi (a) was in occultation after his father's martyrdom, in 260/864, to 329/941. The Imam (a) helped his followers spiritually, and guided them through his deputies, who are called the [[Four Deputies]].

{{Main|Major Occultation}}

The Major Occultation is the period when [[Imam al-Mahdi (a)]] went into the second phase of his occultation after the death of [['Ali b. Muhammad al-Samuri|his fourth deputy]]. There is no interval between [[Minor Occultation]] and Major Occultation, and the only difference is that contrary to the period of Minor Occultation, in this period, Imam (a) has no specific deputy, and Shi'a people should refer to the scholars for their religious affairs. The [[Occultation]] is devided into two periods to show the lack of connection with Imam al-Mahdi (a) in the second period.