ABSTRACT
In Shi'ism the principal object of devotion is a small group of individuals which includes the Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, his son-in-law 'Ali and the imams who descend from these two. 'Ali is the first imam of the Shia and the fourth caliph of the Muslims. 'Ali's first wife, Fatima, is the most venerated of feminine Shi'i saints. Ali and Fatima's two sons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, the second and third imams, are first and foremost the subjects of delightful little anecdotes that illustrate the moving love brimming with tenderness which the Prophet, their grandfather, lavished upon them. Husayn soon became an archetype for all political and social activists, in particular those who believed it necessary to rise up against corrupt and unjust rulers. The fifth imam, Muhammad ibn Ali, called "al-Baqir", and his son Ja'far, the sixth imam, can be considered the true founders of Imami Shi'ism.
