Shaykhī

Islamic sect

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July 13, 2026

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The Shaykhī sect is a heterodox branch of Shīʿite Islam founded by Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī in Iran. This sect emphasizes the mystical doctrine of a hidden imam, believing there must always be direct human contact between the imam and the community. Al-Aḥsāʾī taught that he was the medium for this contact, which led to controversy and his eventual excommunication by orthodox Shīʿite theologians. The Shaykhī sect is distinct from the Shāfiʿī school of Islamic law.213

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al-Aḥsāʾī
…of the heterodox Shīʿite Muslim Shaykhī sect of Iran.
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…of the heterodox Shīʿite Muslim Shaykhī sect of Iran.
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the Bāb
…Moḥammad became familiar with the Shaykhī school of the Shīʿite branch of Islam and with its leader, Sayyid Kāẓim Rashtī, whom he had met on a pilgrimage to Karbalāʾ (in modern Iraq). ʿAlī Moḥammad borrowed heavily from the Shaykhīs’ teaching in formulating his own doctrine, and they, especially Sayyid Kāẓim’s…
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…Moḥammad became familiar with the Shaykhī school of the Shīʿite branch of Islam and with its leader, Sayyid Kāẓim Rashtī, whom he had met on a pilgrimage to Karbalāʾ (in modern Iraq). ʿAlī Moḥammad borrowed heavily from the Shaykhīs’ teaching in formulating his own doctrine, and they, especially Sayyid Kāẓim’s…
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