Introduction

Accoridng to the line of prophecy the family of Prophet Muhammad awaited the coming of Al Baqir min Ale Muhammad, who was the 5th Imam, fulfilling the prophecy based on a story of a famous Ansari sahabi refering Rasul Allah´s Salams to him.

After Imam Baqir Al Reza min Ahlulbayt was awaited, that constituted the split from the Ismailis, who did not believe in the Imamate of the 8th Imam Ali ibn Musa ibn Jafar al Reza and instead proclaimed that Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Jafar was the rightful 8th Imam. 

After him Al Mahdi was prophecied, a prophecy that was fulfilled with the coming of the 12th Imam, the Qaim Imam Muhammad al Mahdi. Non Twelvers believed in the Waqf of Imam Hasan Al Askari´s Imamate.

Instead of Twelver shia, Ishaani Sunni Muslims, who hold the opinion that after the 12th Imam there was a stop (Waqf) of the Imamate, Ishaani Sunnis believe in the continuation of the Imamate 12th Imam with his little brother and successor Imam Sayyid Ali Akbar al Muttaqi as 13th Imam. It was the will of the 12th Imam himself that the Imamate shall go on with his little brother.

After the grandson of the twelfth Imam Amir Mohyuddin bin Fatima bint Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Hasan al Mahdi the Imamte was then on the occasion of the prophecy of the Mohyuddin entrusted to Sayyid Abdullah Al Zahed a distant cousin of the 12th Imam until it reached Sheikh Abdul Qadir. Ishaani Sunnis do not belief in the stories of the occultation. The 12th Imam prophecied the coming of the Mohyuddin by the name of Abdul Qadir, who was no other than Abdul Qadir Gilani al Hasani wal Husseini, Ghawth ul Azam, who became the 23rd Imam. 

Sheikh Abdul Qadir prophecied the coming of th eawaited Bahauddin who became the 27th Imam, who in turn prophecied the coming of hazrat Ishaan who became the 38th Imam.

Hazrat Ishaan prophecied the coming of Hazrat Sayyid Mir Jan, who became the 46th Imam.

Now the Imamate is in the custodianship of the family of Hazrat Sayyid Mir Jan and it will go on through him until the last eschatological Imam, who will be the Mahdi, the redeemer of Islam.

The Imams are the supreme leaders of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order.