Imami

English Noun s Imamiyyah Imamiyah en see usage notes A Shia Muslim who believes in the infallibility of a line of hereditary imams. A follower of the school of religious jurisprudence associated with Twelver Shia Islam. Adjective - en see usage notes Of or pertaining to Imamis and their beliefs. Of or pertaining to the school of religious jurisprudence associated with Twelver Shia Islam. Usage notes Exactly which groups of Shia Muslims the term is used to pick out vary considerably. Often it encompasses both Twelver and Ismaili Muslims, these groups sharing the belief in the infallibility of the Imams (and recognizing the same first six Imams), though it is also used frequently as a synonym for "Twelver" to the exclusion of Ismailis. Only rarely is the term extended to include the Ghulat and other highly heterodox Shia groups accepting this belief. The term is also commonly used to designate (either inclusively or exclusively) the predecessor communities of some of the above-mentioned groups in order to avoid anachronistic language (e.g. designating proto-Twelvers prior to the disappearance of the twelfth Imam and the emergence of distinct Twelver identity). The term never includes the Zaydis, who, though Shia, reject the infallibility of the Imams.