Re: Imam
hadith of 12 succesors was discussed to death in an earlier thread
if we read about the conflicts within the ranks of shias after imam baqir we know for a fact that this present lineup of 12 imams of ithna ashariyya was far from clear since the time of Prophet [even within the ranks of shias to say nothing of other communities].
At that time ithna ashariyya was a fringe sect of shias but it was only later did they emerge as the dominant sect within shias
regarding imam medhdi his hadith is not doubted amongst the sunnis either ...but question is this mehdi the son of the 11th imam who went into occulation ?
the 11th imam most likely never had such a son