Number of imams in zaidism

A question that is always asked by some of Jafari friends is how I can follow people I don’t even know existed (referring to the Zaydi Imams)?

as salamu alaikum,

i have explained that the concept of imamah differs between zaydism and imamism thats why there is a misunderstanding, so if your friends try to understand our concept of imamah with a 12er understanding they will not get it thats why they ask a question like: "How to follow an imam you dont know?"

If they knew that the Imamah is a matter of general believe in the haqq of ahl al bayt alayhi salam and not a matter of certain individual names and numbers they wouldnt ask this question.

So you can say this to them: "You my friends follow an explicit stated imam, you need to know their names for following your madhab, we follow the imams of the ahl al bayt alayhi salam in general and thats why we dont need to know all imams who ever lived by names or numbers."

We are the followers of Ahl al Bayt all of them, you are the followers of the 12 Imams exclusively (in reality only 11, because the 12th was never borne, proven by witnesses of the ahl al bayt themselves).

wa salam

Shukran Jazeelan