The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2755 page)

 
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Zaid
y(y)a, al-
,
Zaidis, or Zaydis

(sometimes called ‘Fivers’ because they seceded over the fifth
Im
m
), a sect of
Sh
‘a
Muslims, in contrast to the
Ithna ‘Ashar
y(y)a
(Twelvers) and the
Seveners
(see also
ISM
‘
LIY(Y)A
). When the fourth Shi‘ite Im
m, ‘Ali Zayn al-‘
bid
n, died in 713 (AH 95), the Zaidis followed Zaid rather than his brother, Mu
ammad al-Baq
r, as Im
m. Zaid al-Shah
d rebelled against the
Umayyad
caliph in 737 (AH 121), but was killed in battle. Strict in their observance, they reject
mut‘a
and
S
f