The hadeeth “There will appear among you twelve imams coming one after another, all of them from Quraysh.”
Question

                I would like an explanation of this hadeeth, because the Shi‘ah always quote it as evidence to support their arguments. In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam will continue until the beginning of the Hour, and there will appear among you twelve imams coming one after another, all of them from Quraysh.”
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: the 
    text of the hadeeth:

    It was narrated 
    that Jaabir ibn Samurah said: I entered upon the Prophet (blessings and 
    peace of Allah be upon him) with my father, and I heard him say: “This 
    matter will not end until there have been among them twelve caliphs.” Then 
    he said something that I could not hear, and I said to my father: What did 
    he say? He said: “All of them will be from Quraysh.” 

    Narrated by 
    al-Bukhaari (no. 7222); Muslim (no. 1821). 

    According to other 
    versions also narrated by Muslim:

    “Islam will 
    continue to prevail through twelve caliphs.”

    “This religion 
    will continue to prevail and be strong until there have been twelve 
    caliphs.”

    According to the 
    version narrated by al-Bukhaari, it says: “There will be twelve rulers.” 
    Then he said something I did not hear, and my father said that he said: “All 
    of them will be from Quraysh.” 

    Secondly:

    The scholars have 
    several approaches and interpretations as to the meaning of this hadeeth: 

    1.
    The first approach:

    They said that 
    what is meant is the fair and just caliphs; some of them have already 
    appeared and passed on, and the number will be completed before the Hour 
    begins. 

    An-Nawawi (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said, quoting from al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad: 

    It may be that 
    what is meant is those who are rightfully deserving of the caliphate; some 
    of them have already come and passed on, and are known, and this number will 
    inevitably be completed before the Hour begins. End quote. 

    Sharh Muslim, 
    12/202 

    This view was also 
    favoured by Imam al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him), who said: 

    They are the just 
    caliphs, such as the four (Rightly Guided) caliphs, and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd 
    al-‘Azeez. Others who are like them will inevitably appear and support truth 
    and justice, until this number is completed. This is the most correct of the 
    scholarly views in my opinion. End quote. 

    Al-Mufhim, 
    4/8 

    Al-Haafiz Ibn 
    Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    What this hadeeth 
    means is giving glad tidings of the coming of twelve righteous caliphs who 
    will support the truth and treat the people with justice. It does not 
    necessarily mean that they will come one after another; rather four of them 
    have already come one after another, namely the four caliphs: Abu Bakr, 
    ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). Another of them 
    is ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, according to the leading scholars, and others 
    are some of the Abbasids. 

    The Hour will not 
    begin until they have all come and the number is completed. What appears to 
    be the case is that one of them will be the Mahdi who is foretold in the 
    hadeeths that speak of him. End quote. 

    Tafseer 
    al-Qur’an al-‘Azeem, 
    3/65 

    2.
    The second approach:

    Another view is 
    that what is meant is that the twelve will all appear at the same time and 
    be contemporaries of one another. 

    An-Nawawi (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said, quoting from al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad: 

    It was said that 
    what is meant is that they will all appear at the same time, and each of 
    them will be followed by a group (among the Muslims). Al-Qaadi said: It is 
    not far-fetched to say that this has already happened, if you examine 
    history. In Andalusia alone at the same time, after 433 AH, there were some 
    of them, each of them claiming to be a caliph and taking that title. At that 
    time there was another one in Egypt, and the Abbasid caliph was in Baghdad. 
    This is in addition to others who also claimed to be caliphs at that time in 
    other regions. 

    He said: This 
    interpretation is supported by what is said in the book of Muslim after 
    that: “… there will be many caliphs.” They said: What do you command us to 
    do? He said: “Fulfil the oath of allegiance to the first one, then the 
    next.”  End quote. 

    Sharh Muslim, 
    12/202 

    Al-Haafiz Ibn 
    Hajar said: 

    He – i.e., 
    al-Muhallab – said: What appears most likely to be the case is that he (the 
    Prophet – blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) foretold strange things 
    and turmoil that would happen after he was gone, to the extent that the 
    people would be divided among twelve rulers at the same time. If he had 
    meant something other than that, he would have said, there will be twelve 
    leaders who will do such and such. Because he did not tell us about them, we 
    know that he meant that they would come at the same time. End quote from 
    al-Muhallab. 

    Al-Haafiz said: 
    This is the view of those who did not come across any of the other versions 
    of the hadeeth except the report that appears in al-Bukhaari, which is a 
    summarized version. It is known from the reports that I have quoted above, 
    from Muslim and elsewhere, that he mentioned some of the characteristics of 
    their rule, which is that Islam will be prevalent and strong during their 
    rule. According to another report, there is another characteristic, which is 
    that each of them will have the ummah united under his rulership, as it says 
    in the version narrated by Abu Dawood. He narrated this hadeeth via 
    Ismaa‘eel ibn Abi Khaalid, from his father, from Jaabir ibn Samurah, as 
    follows: “This religion will continue to prevail until there have been 
    twelve caliphs, behind each of whom the ummah will be united. It was also 
    narrated by at-Tabaraani via another isnaad from al-Aswad ibn Sa‘eed, from 
    Jaabir ibn Samurah, as follows: “They will not be harmed by the enmity of 
    those who oppose them.” End quote. 

    Fath al-Baari, 
    13/211 

    3.
    The third approach

    The third view is 
    that what is meant is caliphs during whose reign Islam will prevail and the 
    ummah will unite around them, whether they are just and rule equitably or 
    not. 

    An-Nawawi (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said, quoting from al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad: 

    It may be that 
    what is meant is the one at whose time Islam will prevail and the Muslims 
    will unite around him, as it says in Sunan Abi Dawood: “behind each 
    of whom the ummah will be united.” 

    This happened 
    before the decline of Banu Umayyah (the Umayyads), when their rule became 
    unstable and divisions appeared at the time of Yazeed ibn al-Waleed, when 
    Banu al-‘Abbaas (the Abbassds) rebelled against him. End quote. 

    Sharh Muslim, 
    12/202-203 

    Abu’l-‘Abbaas 
    al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, when listing scholarly 
    opinions concerning the hadeeth: 

    This is speaking 
    of the caliphs who would come after him and after his companions. It is as 
    if he was referring thereby to the rule of the Umayyads, and that what was 
    meant by “religion” (deen) was power and rulership; this was said in 
    reference to what would be the status quo at that time (i.e., they would be 
    stable and have a strong hold on power), and it was not said by way of 
    praise. 

    The word deen 
    (usually translated as “religion”) may be used to refer to power or 
    kingship, as it was sometimes used in poetry. 

    The word is also 
    used in this way in the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says 
    (interpretation of the meaning): “He 
    could not take his brother by the law [deen] 
    of the king (as a slave)” 
    [Yoosuf 12:76]. 

    Then he listed 
    their kings or rulers: 

    The first of them 
    was Yazeed ibn Mu‘aawiyah, then his son Mu‘aawiyah ibn Yazeed – and he did 
    not mention Ibn az-Zubayr because he was a Sahaabi, or Marwaan because he 
    usurped the position of Ibn az-Zubayr – then ‘Abd al-Malik, then al-Waleed, 
    then Sulaymaan, then ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, then Yazeed ibn ‘Abd 
    al-Malik, then Hishaam ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, then al-Waleed ibn Yazeed, then 
    Yazeed ibn al-Waleed, then Ibraaheem ibn al-Waleed, then Marwaan ibn 
    Muhammad. These were twelve in number. Then their caliphate ended and the 
    caliphate passed into the hands of Banu’l-‘Abbaas (the Abbasids). 

    Al-Mufhim, 
    4/8-9 

    This opinion was 
    mentioned by Ibn al-Jawzi in Kashf al-Mushkil min Hadeeth as-Saheehayn; 
    he also quoted it from al-Khattaabi in a lengthy discussion of which this is 
    a summary. Perhaps al-Qurtubi was narrating it from Ibn al-Jawzi. 

    Shaykh al-Islam 
    Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    This is how they 
    were; the caliphs were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and ‘Ali. 

    Then there came to 
    power whoever the people rallied behind and were able to hold the reins of 
    power: Mu‘aawiyah and his son Yazeed, then ‘Abd al-Malik and his four sons; 
    and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez. 

    After that, the 
    Islamic state was beset by the decline that has continued until the present. 
    The Umayyads ruled all the Muslim lands, and during their era the Islamic 
    state was powerful and the caliphs were called by their own names, ‘Abd 
    al-Malik and Sulaymaan; no such titles as ‘Adad ad-Dawlah, ‘Izz ad-Deen, 
    Baha’ ad-Deen (elaborate honorific titles given to the caliphs) were known.

    One of them would 
    be the one who led the people in offering the five daily prayers, handed out 
    banners in the mosque (to the armies setting out on expeditions), and 
    appoint commanders, but he would live in his own house; they did not live in 
    palaces or remain aloof from the common people. End quote. 

    Minhaaj 
    as-Sunnah, 
    8/170 

    Al-Haafiz Ibn 
    Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    The view that is 
    most likely to be correct is the third, because it is supported by the 
    Prophet’s words in other versions of the saheeh hadeeth, “the ummah will be 
    united behind all of them.” What happened was that the people united around 
    Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthmaan, then ‘Ali, until the incident of the 
    two arbitrators at Siffeen. At that time, Mu‘aawiyah was called a caliph. 
    Then the people united around Mu‘aawiyah after he made a peace deal with 
    al-Hasan. Then they united around his son Yazeed, and al-Husayn was not able 
    to hold power; rather he was killed before that. Then when Yazeed died, 
    there was some division, until they united around ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan 
    after the killing of Ibn az-Zubayr. Then they united around his four sons, 
    al-Waleed, then Sulaymaan, then Yazeed, then Hishaam; and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd 
    al-‘Azeez came between Sulaymaan and Yazeed. These were seven caliphs after 
    the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, and the twelfth was al-Waleed ibn Yazeed ibn 
    ‘Abd al-Malik. The people united around him when his paternal uncle Hishaam 
    died, and he reigned for approximately four years. Then they rebelled 
    against him and killed him, and turmoil spread far and wide, and things 
    changed from that day on. The people did not unite behind any caliph after 
    that, because Yazeed ibn al-Waleed, who rebelled against his cousin 
    al-Waleed ibn Yazeed, did not rule for long; rather the son of his father’s 
    cousin, Marwaan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwaan rebelled against him. When Yazeed 
    died, he was succeeded by his brother Ibraaheem, but Marwaan defeated him. 
    Then Banu’l-‘Abbaas (the Abbasids) rebelled against Marwaan, until he was 
    killed. Then the first of the Abbasid caliphs was Abu’l-‘Abbaas al-Saffaah, 
    whose reign did not last long because of the large numbers who rebelled 
    against him. He was succeeded by his brother al-Mansoor whose reign lasted 
    for a long time, but they lost the far Maghreb (Andalusia), when the 
    Marwaanis took over Andalusia; they remained in control of it and later on 
    began to call themselves caliphs. Then things started to decline in all 
    regions of the Muslim world, to the point that there was nothing left of the 
    caliphate except the name only, in some countries. Prior to that, during the 
    era of Banu ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan, the khateebs had delivered their 
    khutbahs in the name of the caliph in all regions, East and West, North and 
    South, in all lands under Muslim control, and no one could hold any position 
    of authority in any land except by appointment of the caliph. Whoever 
    studies history will realise that this is true. Based on that, what is meant 
    by the words “Then there will be harj (killing)” is the killing that 
    results from widespread turmoil, and continues to spread and increase as 
    time goes by, which is what happened. And Allah is the One Whose help we 
    seek. End quote. 

    Fath al-Baari, 
    13/214 

    4.
    The fourth approach

    The fourth view is 
    that these twelve caliphs will come after the appearance of the Mahdi at the 
    end of time. 

    Ibn al-Jawzi (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    With regard to the 
    other way of interpreting the hadeeth that was mentioned by Abu’l-Husayn ibn 
    al-Munaadi concerning this hadeeth, regarding the words “after me there will 
    be twelve caliphs” he said: This will only take place after the death of the 
    Mahdi who will emerge at the end of time. He said: We found in the Book of 
    Daniel: When the Mahdi dies, there will be five rulers, who are descended 
    from the older grandson – meaning the son of al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali – then after 
    them there will be another five from among the descendants of the younger 
    grandson, then the last of them will give instructions that the (next) 
    caliph should be a man from among the descendants of the older grandson, and 
    he will take power, then after him his son will become ruler, and that will 
    complete twelve rulers, each of whom will be a guided leader. 

    Ibn al-Munaadi 
    said: We found in the report of Abu Saalih from Ibn ‘Abbaas that he 
    mentioned the Mahdi and said: Then after him will come twelve men, for one 
    hundred and fifty years, six from among the descendants of al-Hasan, one 
    from among the descendants of ‘Aqeel ibn Abi Taalib, and five from among the 
    descendants of al-Husayn. Then he will die and mischief will become 
    widespread and evil will return. 

    Ka‘b al-Ahbaar 
    said: There will be twelve guided rulers, then the soul created by Allah 
    (i.e., ‘Eesa) will descend and will kill the Dajjaal. End quote. 

    Kashf 
    al-Mushkil min Hadeeth as-Saheehayn, 
    1/292-293. 

    Al-Haafiz Ibn 
    Hajar quoted these words of al-Munaadi and said: 

    With regard to 
    what he narrated from Abu Saalih, it is very weak, and the same applies to 
    what he narrated from Ka‘b. 

    End quote from 
    Fath al-Baari, 13/214 

    5.
    The fifth approach

    The fifth view is 
    that it is to be understood as describing the ruling elite, the caliph, the 
    viziers (advisers), governors, and so on. 

    Shaykh al-Islam 
    Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Ibn Hubayrah 
    interpreted the hadeeth as referring to the laws of the kingdom, based on 
    twelve, such as viziers, judges and so on. 

    But this is not 
    valid; rather the hadeeth is to be taken as it appears to be and there is no 
    need for such a far-fetched interpretation. End quote. 

    Minhaaj 
    as-Sunnah, 
    8/173 

    6.
    The sixth approach

    The sixth view is 
    to refrain from interpreting the hadeeth and leave knowledge thereof to 
    Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. 

    An-Nawawi (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said, quoting from al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad: 

    Allah knows best 
    what he (the Prophet – blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) meant. End 
    quote. 

    Sharh Muslim, 
    12/203 

    Ibn Battaal 
    narrated that al-Muhallab said: 

    I never met anyone 
    who was certain about the interpretation of this hadeeth. End quote. 

    Fath al-Baari, 
    13/211 

    Ibn Taymiyah (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Among them were 
    those who said that they did not understand what it meant, such as Abu Bakr 
    ibn al-‘Arabi. End quote. 

    Minhaaj 
    as-Sunnah, 
    8/173 

    Thirdly:

    With regard to the 
    Shi‘ah quoting this hadeeth as evidence for the belief in the imamate – 
    which means belief that their imams are infallible rulers, and even that 
    they have the power of issuing laws and are in control of the universe – of 
    twelve men from the family of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be 
    upon him), for whom they have a list of specific names, the last of whom is 
    the Mahdi, this is a far-fetched and distorted understanding of the hadeeth, 
    based on fanatical bias, ignorance, and whims and desires. 

    We will explain 
    why this view is weak from several angles: 

    1.

    What is mentioned 
    in the hadeeth is “twelve caliphs”, not “twelve imams.” There is a 
    difference between the two. In their view imamate is more than mere 
    caliphate and rule; according to their beliefs, imamate requires obedience, 
    and implies that the imams are infallible in word and deed, that they act on 
    behalf of Allah, may He be exalted, in controlling the universe, that they 
    have absolute knowledge of the unseen, and other exaggerated notions that 
    reached the point of kufr (disbelief that puts them beyond the pale of 
    Islam), Allah forbid. All the hadeeth is actually saying is that there will 
    be twelve caliphs or, according to another report, twelve ameers (rulers). 
    This indicates that twelve men of Quraysh will be in positions of 
    rulership. 

    2.

    These twelve men 
    were all described in the hadeeth as belonging to Quraysh. The Prophet 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “… all of them (will be) 
    from Quraysh.” If they were from the family of the Prophet (blessings and 
    peace of Allah be upon him), he would have said “… all of them from Banu 
    Haashim,” because identifying someone as a Haashimi is more specific than 
    identifying him as a Qurashi; the custom is to attribute a person to the 
    closest or most specific lineage. If all of them were to be from Banu 
    Haashim, he would not have said that they would be from Quraysh. [Banu 
    Haashim are a clan of Quraysh] 

    3.

    The text of the 
    hadeeth indicates that the era of these twelve would be an era of strength, 
    power and righteousness, in which Islam would be prevailing. This did not 
    happen during the era of the twelve imams in whom the Shi ‘ah believe. All 
    of them lived a life of weakness and persecution, hidden from view, so how 
    could they have been able to contribute to the glory and strength of Islam 
    in that situation? 

    Shaykh al-Islam 
    Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    “Whoever thinks 
    that these twelve are the ones who the Raafidis believe are their imams is 
    utterly ignorant, for none of them carried a sword except ‘Ali ibn Abi 
    Taalib. All the rest of the imams, apart from ‘Ali, never carried a sword, 
    especially the Awaited One (al-Muntazar – the last imam). Rather he, 
    according to those who believe in his imamate, is either scared and helpless 
    or on the run, hiding for more than four hundred years. 

    This hidden one 
    never guided anyone who had gone astray, he never enjoined any good, forbade 
    any evil or supported any oppressed person; he never gave a fatwa concerning 
    any issue, he never gave a ruling and it is not known that he even existed 
    at all! 

    What benefit did 
    he offer, even if he did exist, let alone Islam prevailing because of him? 

    Moreover, the 
    Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that Islam would 
    remain strong and this ummah would remain in good shape until there had been 
    twelve caliphs. If what is meant thereby is these twelve imams, the last of 
    whom is al-Muntazar, who supposedly exists now, until he appears to them, as 
    they believe, then Islam should still have been strong during the Umayyad 
    and ‘Abbasid periods, and it should have prevailed when the disbelievers 
    emerged in the East and the West (i.e., the Mongols and the Crusaders) and 
    did what they did to the Muslims, which would take too long to describe 
    here. Islam should have been still prevailing until today, and this is 
    something other than what the hadeeth indicates. 

    Moreover, Islam – 
    according to the Imami Shi‘ah – is what they are following, and they are the 
    most humiliated sect of the ummah. There are no followers of whims and 
    desires who are more lowly than the Raafidis; no group is more concealing of 
    their beliefs than them or more assidious in practicing taqiyyah 
    (dissimulation). They claim to be followers of the twelve imams, yet they 
    are the most humiliated. What support of Islam was achieved by these twelve, 
    as they claim? Many of the Jews, when they became Muslim, became Shi‘ah, 
    because they read in the Torah mention of twelve, so they think that these 
    are the ones. But that is not the case; rather these twelve (in the hadeeth) 
    are the men of Quraysh who took positions of leadership and caliphate in the 
    ummah; at their time Islam was strong, and this is well known. End quote. 

    Minhaaj 
    as-Sunnah, 
    8/173-174 

    Al-Haafiz Ibn 
    Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    This hadeeth 
    indicates the inevitability of there being twelve just caliphs, but they are 
    not the twelve imams of the Shi‘ah. Many of the latter had no power at all, 
    whereas these (caliphs mentioned in the hadeeth) will be of Quraysh, and 
    they will have power and will be just. End quote. 

    Tafseer 
    al-Qur’an al-‘Azeem, 
    6/78 

    Shaykh ‘Uthmaan 
    al-Khamees (may Allah preserve him) said: 

    One may wonder: is 
    it mere coincidence that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
    him) said that twelve would rule or be in charge of the Muslims, and the 
    number of the imams of the Shi‘ah is twelve? 

    Answer: 

    This is not a 
    coincidence. The early Shi‘ah never had this idea of twelve imams. Hence the 
    Shi‘ah divided into many sects. Some Shi‘ah believe that only ‘Ali was an 
    imam; they are the Saba’is, who stopped at that point. Another group said 
    that he was an imam, as were al-Hasan, al-Husayn and Muhammad ibn ‘Ali; they 
    are the Keesaanis, and they stopped at Muhammad. Another group said that the 
    imamate went up to Ja‘far then stopped. And another group said that 
    al-Muntazar (the awaited one) is also an imam; they are the Ithna ‘Asharis 
    (Twelvers). And there are other groups and many other divisions. Anyone who 
    wishes to know more may refer to an-Noobakhti’s book on the Shi‘ah sects. 

    So you can see 
    that the idea of twelve imams came very late, because this idea did not 
    exist among the early Shi‘ah; the hadeeths they quote were fabricated after 
    the death of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and even 
    after the death of most of the imams of the Shi‘ah. 

    Thus it will 
    become clear to you that the Shi‘ah are the ones who made this number match 
    the number in the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of 
    Allah be upon him). 

    Finally, I say 
    that the sound report is the one that says “all of them from Quraysh”. The 
    Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would not have mentioned 
    this general claim if he had meant something more specific; doing so is 
    contrary to eloquence, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
    him) was the most eloquent of people. 

    For example, I 
    would not say, “I am going to give a hundred dinars to every Arab,” then if 
    an Egyptian comes to me, I tell him that I meant every Syrian. Is he not 
    going to accuse me of being foolish and unable to express myself, and tell 
    me that in that case I should have said “every Syrian”? 

    If the Prophet 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had meant ‘Ali and his sons, he 
    would have said, “They are ‘Ali and his sons.” Even if he had said “All of 
    them from Banu Haashim,” that would have been eloquent. Banu Haashim were 
    many, and Quraysh were more numerous, but the report speaks of them 
    (Quraysh). If at-Tijaani [who wrote a book in support of Shi‘i ideas] and 
    others quote this hadeeth as evidence because it matches the number they 
    have, then what would they say about the hadeeth narrated by Imam Muslim in 
    his Saheeh (2779), according to which the Messenger of Allah 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Among my ummah there will 
    be twelve hypocrites; they will not enter Paradise or even smell its 
    fragrance, until the camel goes through the eye of the needle”? End quote. 

    Kashf al-Jaani 
    Muhammad at-Tijaani 
    (a refutation of at-Tijaani’s book), p. 75 ff 

    And Allah knows 
    best.