Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman

Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman Al-Asadi (Arabic: أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن عُثْمَان ٱلْأَسَدِيّ, ʾAbū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿUthmān) was the second of the Four Deputies, who are believed by the Twelvers to have successively represented their twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, during his Minor Occultation (874–941 CE). Abu Ja'far in this role succeeded his father, Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi, the first deputy. After some forty years in office, Abu Ja'far died in 304 or 305 AH (917 or 918 CE) and was succeeded by Ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti, the third deputy. Abu Ja'far has been credited with the unification of the mainstream Shia.