The Importance of Isotericism in Shiism

Shiism has had a large emphasis on what we could call a certain isotericism. Many Shiites in history have interpreted the Quran through a process known as tawil. Al-Mahdi is thus a kind of messianic figure in Shiism, who is thought to return at the end of time to reinstate true religion in the world. The Bahá'í faith grew out of 12 of her Shiism, which is a different branch of Shiism completely.