نظام هاي فرهنگي، اجتماعي و سياسي شيعه در آستانه غيبت تا پايان قرن پنجم

Shiʹite Cultural, Social and Political Institutions from the Eve of the Occultation to the End of the Fifth Century Hijri

In order to prepare the Shiʹa for the occultation era and enable them to have a proper intellectual and social lile vis-a-vis their opponents, Shiʹite Imams organized the Shiʹite community from intellectual, social and political points of view, and made it self-reliable. Hence, the religious authority (the institution of marjaʹiyya) supported the Shiʹa intellectually; and the institutions of representation (wikalat) and deputyship (niyabat) respectively regulated their social and political affairs. Also, the institution of chieftainship (niqabat) provided the community with a type of autonomy.