Salman the Persian
The term emerged in the 9th century, designating a senior disciple of an Imam who functioned as his authorised representative. Given the belief that the Imams were divinely inspired, this disciple was the "gate" () to the Imam and the esoteric knowledge he possessed. The first such is held to have been Salman the Persian, one of the companions of Muhammad. This concept has Gnostic roots, and is commonly ascribed in later literature to the 8th-century extremist () proto-Isma'ili group of the Mukhammisa, but this is not borne out by actual 8th-century texts.