Zaidiyyah

The Zaidiyyah (Arabic: الزَّيْدِيَّةُ) are a Shia Muslim sect are different from the usual Shia Islam because of the argument over the who is the fifth Imam, or religious leader. They believe the fifth Imam was Zaid ibn Ali, but most other Shia Muslims believe that it was his brother, Muhammad. Zaydi Muslims also follow a long list of other imams after Zayd Bin Ali and believe that the Imam is not appointed by God, unlike other Shia Muslims. Zaydis are different from other Shia Muslims also by prohibiting mut'ah (temporary marriage), not performing taqlid (conforming to the opinion and understanding of a teacher), and believing imams can make mistakes and then should be overthrown.

Today, they make up 40% of the population of Yemen, including the country's president. There are also Zaidis in Najran, Saudi Arabia.

Subsects

Zaydism has three major subsects:

Jarudiyya

Jarudiyya is a Zaydi sect that curses Abu Bakr and the rest of the companions for not giving the caliphate to Ali. It believes like Twelvers that Ali was the rightful caliph. Jarudiyya sect has special admiration for Amina, the Mother of the Prophet.^[1][2]

Sulaymaniyya

Sulaymaniyya is a Zaydi sect that believes that the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar were mistakes and that Ali was the rightful caliph. Its beliefs are rooted in both Twelvers and Sunnis.^[1][2]

Salihiyya

Salihiyya is a Zaydi sect that believes, similarly to Sulaymaniyya, that the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar were mistakes but also accepts the caliphates of the other companions of Muhammad. It has the closest beliefs to those of Sunnis.^[1][2]