<P> The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad for the Twelvers . According to the theology of Twelvers, the successor of Muhammad is an infallible human individual who not only rules over the community with justice but also is able to keep and interpret the divine law and its esoteric meaning . The words and deeds of Muhammad and the imams are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, and Imams must be chosen by divine decree, or nass, through Muhammad . Each imam was the son of the previous imam, with the exception of Hussein ibn Ali, who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali . The twelfth and final imam is Muhammad al - Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive and in occultation . </P> <P> The Twelver jurisprudence is called Ja'fari jurisprudence . In this jurisprudence Sunnah is considered to be the oral traditions of Muhammad and their implementation and interpretation by the twelve Imams . There are three schools of Ja'fari jurisprudence: Usuli, Akhbari, and Shaykhi . The Usuli school is by far the largest of the three . Twelver groups that do not follow Ja'fari jurisprudence include Alevi, Bektashi, and Qizilbash . </P> <P> In Ja'fari jurisprudence, there are ten ancillary pillars, known as Furu' ad - Din, which are as follows: </P> <Ol> <Li> Prayer </Li> <Li> Fasting </Li> <Li> Pilgrimage </Li> <Li> Alms giving </Li> <Li> Struggle </Li> <Li> Directing others towards good </Li> <Li> Directing others away from evil </Li> <Li> Alms giving (One Fifth) (20% tax on yearly earnings after deduction of household and commercial expenses .) </Li> <Li> Love those who are in God's path </Li> <Li> Disassociation with those who oppose God </Li> </Ol>

All of the following are part of the shiite doctrine except