Ghayba (occultation)

The ghayba (occultation) in the Imamiyya belief is the conviction that the Imam may be hidden from sight without his existence ceasing. The occultation meant in this article is that of the Twelfth Imam, al-Mahdi. ²

Ahmad Amin, in Duha al-Islam, relates that the Twelfth Imam has an occultation, and that he is the Mahdi who will fill the earth with justice and equity. The khunnas in Surat al-Takwir were interpreted as an imam who withdraws in his time and then appears like a blazing meteor in the darkness of night. ²

On this belief were built the calls of the concealed Imams, who dispatched missionaries to the cities. ³

For the people of the Sunna, the belief in a hidden imam who was designated by explicit text is not established. For them the imamate is a matter of consultation, without a clear and fixed text. ⁴

The belief as transmitted by al-Kulayni: an imam who withdraws in his time and then appears like a blazing meteor. ²