Bada'

In Twelver Shi'ism, bada’ (Arabic: البَدَاء, lit. 'appearance' or 'emergence') means change in a divine decree in response to new circumstances. A textbook example of bada' in Twelver sources is the death of Isma'il, the eldest son of the Shia imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (d. 765). Isma'il was probably the expected or even the designated successor but he predeceased his father, who is said to have used the occasion to teach his followers about bada’. Rather than an arbitrary change, bada’ refers to advancement or postponement in an act of creation without altering the overall divine design. More specifically, bada' often occurs when a divine decree on some matter is suspended until the autonomous decision of the creation occurs. For instance, believing in repentance (tawba) and praying for a better destiny are said to be impossible without believing in bada’. As another example, the reappearance of Muhammad al-Mahdi, the eschatological figure in Twelver Shi'ism, is said to have been postponed multiple times because of human acts. Not all divine decrees are subject to change, however, as some are thought to be definitely ordained, such as the eventual reappearance of al-Mahdi (but not its exact time). It is similarly said that some apocalyptic signs of his reappearance are inevitable but the rest may be canceled.