Abstract
During the minor occultation, several Shi‘ite scholars engaged in religious, political, and cultural activities. For example, Abu Sahl Nawbakhti wrote thirty seven books and treatises and had debates with opponents of Shi‘a Islam. Also, some of the Four Specifically Appointed Deputies (al-Nuwwab al-Khassah) of the Imam Mahdi (aj) were among the scholars and the narrators of hadiths.
