Hadith of the Twelve Successors Hadith of the Twelve Successors The hadith of the twelve successors, or twelve caliphs () is an Islamic prophecy, attributed to Muhammad. It is most popular among Twelver Shiites, as they interpret the prophecy was fulfilled by The Twelve Imams. The hadith (classified as Sahih) is widely accepted by all Muslim groups but its interpretation varies heavily. According to the prophecy there will reign twelve caliphs—presumably the first being crowned upon the Prophet's death—and after which the caliphate would cease to exist and mark the beginning of the judgement day or armageddon. It is stated that all twelve caliphs will
Introduction to the Science of Hadith well known as of late as: "Muqaddimah Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ fi `Ulūm al-Ḥadīth", "Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ's Introduction to the Sciences of Hadith". Nūr al-Dīn `Itr, in the introduction to his edition of the "Introduction", concluded that its actual name is either "ʻUlūm al-Ḥadīth" ("The Sciences of Hadith") or "Ma`rifah Anwā`i `Ilm al-Ḥadīth" ("Familiarity with the Types of the Science of Hadith"). This is based upon the author's own usage in his own introduction in addition to the usage of other scholars in the centuries after the authoring of the book. Similar to Bint `Abd al-Raḥmān, he acknowledged that the book is most