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Ismaili



 
 
For the Egyptian city, see Ismaïlia
Ismaïlia

Isma?lia is the Capital of Egypt's Al Isma'iliyah Governorate. It has a population of approximately 750,000. It is located on the west bank of the Suez Canal, approximately half way between Port Said to the north and Suez to the south....
.
Ismailism (Urdu
Urdu

Urdu is a Central_Indo-Aryan_languages#Central_Zone_.28Madhya_or_Hindi.29 Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-Iranian languages, belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages....
: ???????? Ismaili, Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
: ???????????? al-Ismailiyyun; Persian
Persian language

name=Persian|nativename=|pronunciation=[f??r'si]|image=|caption=Farsi in Perso-Arabic script |states= Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain....
: ?????????? Esmailiyan) is a branch of the Islamic faith
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
, and is the second largest part of the Shi‘ah community, after the mainstream Twelvers (Ithnaashariyya). The Ismaili get their name from their acceptance of Ismail ibn Jafar
Ismail bin Jafar

Isma'il ibn Jafar was the eldest son of the Shi'a Imam, Jafar as-Sadiq. Isma'il bin Ja'far is considered to be the seventh Imam of Shi'a Islam according to adherents of Ismailism....
 as the divinely appointed spiritual successor (Imam) to Jafar a-adiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Musà al-Kazim, younger brother of Ismail, as the true Imam
Imamah (Shi'a Ismaili doctrine)

The Ismaili view on the Imamah differs from the Imamah as well as Sunni views, in particular because the Imam in Ismailism is the Face of Allah....
.

Tracing its earliest theology
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 to the lifetime of Muammad, Isma?ilism rose at one point to become the largest branch of Shi‘ism, climaxing as a political power with the Fatimid Empire in the tenth through twelfth centuries.






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Encyclopedia


For the Egyptian city, see Ismaïlia
Ismaïlia

Isma?lia is the Capital of Egypt's Al Isma'iliyah Governorate. It has a population of approximately 750,000. It is located on the west bank of the Suez Canal, approximately half way between Port Said to the north and Suez to the south....
.
Ismailism (Urdu
Urdu

Urdu is a Central_Indo-Aryan_languages#Central_Zone_.28Madhya_or_Hindi.29 Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-Iranian languages, belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages....
: ???????? Ismaili, Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
: ???????????? al-Ismailiyyun; Persian
Persian language

name=Persian|nativename=|pronunciation=[f??r'si]|image=|caption=Farsi in Perso-Arabic script |states= Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain....
: ?????????? Esmailiyan) is a branch of the Islamic faith
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
, and is the second largest part of the Shi‘ah community, after the mainstream Twelvers (Ithnaashariyya). The Ismaili get their name from their acceptance of Ismail ibn Jafar
Ismail bin Jafar

Isma'il ibn Jafar was the eldest son of the Shi'a Imam, Jafar as-Sadiq. Isma'il bin Ja'far is considered to be the seventh Imam of Shi'a Islam according to adherents of Ismailism....
 as the divinely appointed spiritual successor (Imam) to Jafar a-adiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Musà al-Kazim, younger brother of Ismail, as the true Imam
Imamah (Shi'a Ismaili doctrine)

The Ismaili view on the Imamah differs from the Imamah as well as Sunni views, in particular because the Imam in Ismailism is the Face of Allah....
.

Tracing its earliest theology
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 to the lifetime of Muammad, Isma?ilism rose at one point to become the largest branch of Shi‘ism, climaxing as a political power with the Fatimid Empire in the tenth through twelfth centuries. In common with other Muslims, Ismailis believe in the oneness
Tawhid

Tawhid is the concept of monotheism in Islam. It holds God is one and unique .The Qur'an asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique and indivisible being, who is independent of the entire creation....
 of God
God

God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
, as well as the closing of divine revelation with Muhammad, whom they see as the final prophet and messenger of God to all humanity. The Ismaili and the Twelvers both accept the same initial A'immah from the descendants of Muammad
Muhammad

Muhammad Patronymic#Arabic Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib , is the founder of the Major religious groups of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a Rasul and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of prophets....
 through his daughter Faimah az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history. Both groups see the family of Muammad (Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt

Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe....
)
as divinely chosen, infallible (ismah
Ismah

?I?mah "Protection" is the concept of infallibility or "divinely bestowed freedom from error and sin" in Islam. Muslims believe that Muhammad and other prophets in Islam possessed ?i?mah....
)
, and guided by God to lead the Islamic community (Ummah
Ummah

Ummah is an Arabic language word meaning "community" or "nation". It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of Islamic state, or the whole Arab world....
)
.

After the death—or Occultation
The Occultation

The Occultation in Shi'a Islam refers to a belief that the messianic figure, Mahdi, who in Shi'a thought is an ismah male descendant of the founder of Islam, Muhammad, has been born but has disappeared and will one day return and fill the world with justice....
 according to Sevener
Sevener

Seveners are a branch of Ismaili Shi'a Islam. They became known as "Seveners" because they believe that Ismail bin Jafar was the seventh and the last Imam ....
s—of Muhammad ibn Ismail
Muhammad ibn Ismail

Muhammad ibn Ismail was the son of Ismail ibn Jafar and an Ismaili Imam. He is believed by Sevener Ismailis to be in the Occultation and will one day return as al-Mahdi and bring about an age of justice....
 in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known today, with an explicit concentration on the deeper, esoteric meaning (batin
Batin (Islam)

Batin is defined as the interior or hidden meaning of the Quran. This is in contrast to the Quran's exterior or apparent meaning, or the Zahir ....
)
of the Islamic religion. With the eventual development of Twelverism into the more literalistic (zahir
Zahir (Islam)

According to some Muslim groups, the Zahir is the external or apparent meaning of the Quran. In other words, this refers to interpretations of Quranic doctrine that are conducted by normal human beings....
)
oriented Akhbari
Akhbari

The Akhbaris "Traditionalists" are Twelver Shi`ism Shia Islam Muslims who reject the use of ijtihad or reasoning in the creation of new laws, and believe only the Qur'an and hadith should be used as sources of law....
 and later Usooli
Usooli

Usulis are the majority Twelver Shi'a Muslim group. They differ from their now much smaller rival Akhbari group in favoring the use of ijtihad i.e....
 schools of thought, Shi'ism developed into two separate directions: the metaphorical Isma?ili group focusing on the mystical path and nature of Allah
Allah

Allah is the standard Arabic language word for God. While the term is best known in the Western world for its use by Muslims as a reference to God, it is used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, in reference to "God"....
, with the "Imam of the Time" representing the manifestation of truth and reality, with the more literalistic Twelver group focusing on divine law (sharia
Sharia

Sharia is the body of Islamic religious law. The term means "way" or "path to the water source"; it is the legal framework within which the public and private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Fiqh and for Muslims living outside the domain....
)
and the deeds and sayings (sunnah
Sunnah

Sunnah literally means ?trodden path,? and therefore, the sunnah of the prophet means ?the way and the manners of the prophet?. The word ?Sunnah? in Sunni Islam means those religious achievements and manners that were instituted by the Islamic prophet Muhammad during the 23 years of his ministry, which Muslims initially obtained through cons...
)
of Muhammad and the Twelve Imams who were guides and a light to God.

Though there are several paths (tariqah
Tariqah

?ariqah means "way, path, method" and refers to an Islamic religious order; in Sufism, it is conceptually related to Haqiqa "truth", the ineffable ideal that is the pursuit of the tradition....
)
within the Isma?ilis, the term in today's vernacular generally refers to the Nizari
Nizari

The Nizari officially the "Shi?a Imami Isma?ili Tariqah" are a path of Shia Islam Islam, emphasizing social justice, pluralism , and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam....
 path, who are followers of the Aga Khan
Aga Khan

Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the Nizari Muslims, the largest branch of the Ismaili followers of the Shia Islam faith. The Ismaili branch of Shia Islam affirms the Imamah of the descendents of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the mainstream Twelver Shi`ism branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's you...
 and the largest group among the Isma?ilis. While some of the branches have extremely differing exterior practices, much of the spiritual theology has remained the same since the days of the faith's early Imams. In recent centuries Isma?ilis have largely been an Indo-Iranian community, but Isma?ili are found in India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
, Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
, Yemen
Yemen

Yemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. Yemen has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a Landlocked_country#Doubly_landlocked_country country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union....
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan

Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
, East Africa
East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
 and South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, and have in recent years emigrated to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, and North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
.

History


Succession crisis


Ismailism shares its beginnings with other early Shi‘ah sects that emerged during the succession crisis that spread throughout the early Muslim community.

From the beginning, the Shi‘ah asserted the right of ‘Ali, Muhammad's cousin, to have both political and spiritual control over the community. This also included his two sons, who were the grandsons of Muhammad through his daughter Fa?imatu z-Zahrah.

The conflict remained relatively peaceful between the partisans of ‘Ali and those who asserted a semi-democratic system of electing caliphs, until the third of the Rashidun
Rashidun

The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first four Caliphs who established the Rashidun Empire....
 caliphs, Uthman
Uthman

?Uthman ibn ?Affan was one of the sahaba . An early convert to Islam, he played a major role in early Muslim history, most notably as the third Caliph of the Rashidun Empire and in the compilation of the Qur'an....
 died, and ‘Ali with popular support of the people ascended into the caliphate.

Soon after his ascendancy, Aisha
Aisha

Aisha bint Abu Bakr was the third wife of Muhammad. In Islamic writings, she is thus often referred to by the title "Mother of the Believers" , per the description of Muhammad's wives as "Mothers of Believers" in the Qur'an , and later, as the "Mother of Believers", as in Qutb's Ma'alim fi al-Tariq ....
, the third of the Prophet's wives, claimed along with Uthman's tribe, the Ummayads, that Ali should take Qasas (stories) from the people responsible for Uthman's martyr
Martyr

The term martyr is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices his or her life in order to further a cause or belief for many....
. ‘Ali voted against it as he believed that situation at that time demanded a peaceful resolution of the matter. Both parties were right? at? their claims, but due to escalated misunderstandings, the Battle of the Camel was fought and both parties bore losses but soon reached an agreement.

Following this battle, Muawiya, the Umayyad governor of Syria, also staged a revolt under the same pretences. ‘Ali led his forces against Muawiya until the side of Muawiya held copies of the Quran against their spears and demanded that the issue be decided by Islam's holy book. ‘Ali accepted this, and an arbitration was done which ended in his favor.

A group among Ali's army believed subjecting his legitimate authority to arbitration was tantamount to apostasy, and abandoned his forces. This group was known as the Kharijites
Kharijites

Kharijites is a general term embracing various Muslims who, while initially supporting the caliphate of the fourth and final "Rightly Guided" caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, later rejected him....
, and ‘Ali wished to defeat their forces before they reached the cities where they would be able to blend in with the rest of the population. He was unable to do this, but nonetheless defeated their forces in the battles following afterward.

Regardless of these defeats, the Kharijites survived and became a violently problematic group in Islamic history. After plotting an assassination against ‘Ali, Muawiya, and the arbitrator of their conflict, only ‘Ali was successfully assassinated in 661 CE, and the Imamate passed on to his son Hasan
Hasan ibn Ali

Hasan ibn ?Ali ibn Abi Talib ? was the grandson of Muhammad, son of Ali and Fatimah . He is an important figure in Islam as he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa, as well as being a Shia Imamah , and one of The Fourteen Infallibles of Twelvers....
 and then later his son Husayn
Husayn ibn Ali

?usayn ibn ?Ali ibn Abi ?alib ? was the grandson of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and the son of Ali and Fatimah . Husayn is an important figure in Islam as he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa, as well as being a Imamah , and one of The Fourteen Infallibles of Twelvers....
, or according to the Nizari Isma?ili, straight to Husayn. However, the political caliphate was soon taken over by Muawiya who was the only leader in the empire at that time with an army large enough to seize control.

Karbala and afterward


The Battle of Karbala
After the passing away of Hassan, Husayn and his family were increasingly worried about the religious and political persecution that was becoming commonplace under the reign of Muawiya's son, Yazid
Yazid

Yazid may refer to:* Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan , brother of the early Umayyad leader Muawiyah I, and companion of Muhammad*Yazid I ? Yazid ibn Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan , second Umayyad Caliph upon succeeding his father Muawiyah...
. Amidst this turmoil in 680 CE, Husayn along with the women and children of his family, upon receiving invitational letters and gesture of support by Kufis, wished to go to Kufa
Kufa

Kufa is a city in Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
 and confront Yazid as an intercessor on part of the citizens of the empire. However, he was stopped by Yazid's army in Karbala
Karbala

Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad at 32.61?N, 44.08?E. In the time of Husayn ibn Ali's life, the place was also known as al-Ghadiriyah, Naynawa, and Shathi'ul-Furaat....
, during the month of Muharram
Muharram

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar....
. His family was starved and deprived of water and supplies, until eventually the army came in on the tenth day and killed Husayn and his companions, and enslaved the rest of the women and family, taking them to Kufa.

This battle would become extremely important to the Shi‘ah psyche. The Twelvers, as well as Mustaali Isma?ili still mourn this event during a holiday known as Ashura
Ashura

Ashura may refer to:*Ashura, meaning "tenth" in Arabic.*The Day of Ashura, , Islamic day of mourning.*King Ashura, character from the manga series Tsubasa:Reservoir Chronicle...
. The Nizari Isma?ili however do not mourn this event because of the belief that the light of the Imam never dies but rather passes on to the succeeding Imam, making mourning arbitrary.

The beginnings of Isma?ili Da?wah
After being set free by the caliph Yazid, Zainab, the daughter of Fa?imatu z-Zahrah and ‘Ali and the sister of Hassan and Husayn, started to spread the word of Karbala to the Muslim world, making speeches regarding the event. This was the first organized Da?wah
Dawah

Da?wah usually denotes preaching of Islam. Da?wah means literally "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon, to invite" ....
 of the Shi‘ah community, which would later develop into an extremely spiritual institution for the Isma?ilis.

After the poisoning of ‘Ali al-Sajjad by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik

Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik 10th Umayyad caliph who ruled from 723 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his mother named him after her father....
 in 713 CE, Shiism's first succession crisis rose with Zayd ibn ‘Ali
Zayd ibn Ali

Zayd ibn ?Ali He was given the title "Zayd the Martyr" by his sympathizers. He was the grandson of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. Zayd was born in Medina in 695....
's companions and the Zaydi Shi‘ah that claim Zayd ibn ‘Ali as the Imam, whilst the rest of the Shi‘ah maintained Muhammad al-Baqir
Muhammad al-Baqir

Mu?ammad ibn ?Ali al-Baqir was the Imamah to the Twelver Shi`ism Shia Islam and Imamah to the Isma'ili Shi?ah. His father was the previous Imam, Ali ibn Husayn, and his mother was Fa?imah bint Hassan ibn Ali....
 as the Imam. The Zaidis argued that any sayed, descendant of Muhammad through Hassan or Husayn, who rebelled against tyranny and the injustice of his age, can be the Imam. The Zaidis created the first Shi‘ah states in Iran, Iraq and Yemen.

In contrast to his predecessors, Muhammad al-Baqir focused on academic Islamic scholarship in Medina
Medina

Medina is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad....
, where he promulgated his teachings to many Muslims, both Shi‘ah and non-Shi‘ah, in an extremely organized form of Da?wah.

This tradition would pass on to his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq
Ja'far al-Sadiq

Ja?far al-Sadiq is believed by the Twelver and Ismaili Shi'a Islam Muslims to be the sixth infallible Imam , or spiritual leader and successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, who inherited the Imamate on his father's death in 743. Ja'far al-Sadiq excelled in the scholarship of the day and had many pupils, including three of the four founders of the Sunni madhabs.

However, following Jaffir's poisoning in 765, a fundamental split would occur in the community. Isma'il bin Jafar, who at one point seemed to be heir apparent, apparently predeceased his father in 755. While Twelvers either argue he was never heir apparent or that he truly predeceased his father hence Musa al-Kadhim
Musa al-Kadhim

Mus? ibn Ja?far ibn Muammad al-Kazim or Mus? ibn Ja?far ibn Muammad al-Kadhim was the seventh of the Twelve Imams. He was the son of the sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq and his mother was Hamidah Khatun, a student and former slave of African descent....
 was the true heir to the Imamate, Isma?ilis argue that either the death was staged in order to draw harm away from al-Sadiq's successor or that his early death does not mean he was not an Imam, and rightfully the Imamate would pass to his son, Muhammad ibn Ismail.

Ascension of the Dais

Shams Ud Din Tabriz 1502 1504 Bnf Paris
For the Sevener Isma?ili, the Imamate ended with Isma'il ibn Ja'far, whose son Muhammad ibn Ismail
Muhammad ibn Ismail

Muhammad ibn Ismail was the son of Ismail ibn Jafar and an Ismaili Imam. He is believed by Sevener Ismailis to be in the Occultation and will one day return as al-Mahdi and bring about an age of justice....
 was the expected Mahdi
Mahdi

According to the Shia and Sunni versions of the Islamic eschatology the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on earth seven, nine, or nineteen years before the coming of the day, Qiyamah ....
 that Ja'far al-Sadiq had preached about. However, at this point the Isma?ili Imams according to the Nizari and Mustaali found areas where they would be able to be safe from the recently founded Abbasid
Abbasid

The Abbasid Caliphate was the third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The Caliphate is one of the high points of Islam, and at the time Muslim civilization, together with that of Byzantium, China and India, was the most developed part of the world....
 Empire which had defeated and seized control from the Umayyads in 750 AD.

With the Imams safe from harm, they began to propagate their faith through Da?iyyun from their bases in Syria. This was the start of the spiritual beginnings of the Da?wah that would later blossom on the Mustaali branch of the faith, as well as play important parts in the other three branches.

The Dai was not a missionary in the typical sense, and he was responsible for both the conversion of his student as well as the mental and spiritual wellbeing. The Dai was a guide and light to the Imam, much like the present day Nizari position of the Pir
Pir

Pir may refer to:*Pir , a Sufi teacher, spiritual leader*Pir , a site in Persia, frequently one of the Zoroastrian faith*Pir of the Britons, legendary king of the Britons...
. The student and teacher relationship of the Dai and his student was much like the one that would develop in Sufism
Sufism

Sufi is generally understood to be the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a ufi , though some adherents of the tradition reserve this term only for those practitioners who have attained the goals of the Sufi tradition....
. The student desired God, and the Dai could bring him to God by making him recognize the stature and light of the Imam descended from the Imams, which in turn descended from God. The Dai was the path, and the Face of God which was a Qur'anic term the Isma?ili took to represent the Imam, was the destination.

Shams Tabrizi
Shams Tabrizi

Shams-e-Tabrizi or in full, Shams al-Din Mohammad died 1248) was an Iranian peoples Sufi mysticism born in the city of Tabriz in Azarbaijan ....
 and Rumi is a famous example of the importance between the guide and the guided, and Rumi dedicated much of his literature to Shams Tabrizi and his discovery of the truth.

The Qarmatians

While many of the Isma?ili were content with the Dai teachings, a group that mingled Persian nationalism and Zoroastrianism with Isma?ili teachings surfaced known as the Qarmatians. With their headquarters in Bahrain, they accepted a Persian prisoner,a young Persian prisoner by the name of Abu'l-Fadl al- Isfahani, from Isfahan who claimed to be the descendant of the Persian kings as their Mahdi, and violently rampaged across the Middle-East in the tenth century, climaxing their bloody campaign with the stealing of the Black Stone
Black Stone

The Black Stone is a Muslim object of reverence, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient sacred stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia....
 from the Kaaba
Kaaba

The Kaaba "Cube" is a cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the Most holy place#Islam in Islam. The building is more than two thousand years old, and according to Islamic tradition the first building at the site was built by Abraham ....
 in Mecca
Mecca

Mecca , also spelled Makkah , Makka is a city in Saudi Arabia. Home to the Masjid al-Haram, it is the holy city in Islam and plays an important role in the faith....
 in 930 under Abu Tahir Al-Jannabi
Abu Tahir Al-Jannabi

Abu-Tahir Sulayman Al-Jannabi was the ruler of the Qarmatian state in Bahrain and Eastern Arabia, who in 930 led the sacking of Mecca.The son of ?Abu Sa?id al-Jannabi, the founder of the Qarmatian state, Abu Tahir became leader of the state in 923....
. After the arrival of the Mahdi they changed their qiblah from the Kaaba to the Zoroastrian-influenced fire. After their return of the Black Stone in 951 and defeat by the Abbasids in 976 they slowly dwindled and no longer have any adherents.

The Fatimid Empire


Rise of the Fatimid Empire

The political asceticism practiced by the Imams during the period after Muhammad ibn Ismail was to be short lived and finally concluded with the Imamate of Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah, who was born in 873. After raising an army and successfully defeating the Alghabids in North Africa and a number of other victories, al-Mahdi Billah successfully established a Shi'ah political state ruled by the Imamate in 910 AD.

In parallel with the dynasty's claim of descent from ‘Ali and Fa?imatu z-Zahrah, the empire was named “Fatimid.” However, this was not without controversy and with the extent that the Isma?ili Da?wah had spread, the Abbasid caliphate assigned Sunni and Twelver scholars with the assignment to disprove the lineage of the new dynasty. This became known as the Baghdad Manifesto
Baghdad Manifesto

The manifesto of Baghdad was a testimony ordered by The Abbasid Caliph Al-Qadir in response to the growth of the Fatimid-supporting Nizari Ismaili sect of Islam within his borders....
, and it traces the lineage of the Fatimid dynasty to a Jew. Its authenticity has been both questioned and supported by many Islamic scholars.

The Middle-East under Fatimid rule
The Fatimid Empire expanded quickly under the subsequent Imams. Under the Fatimids, Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 became the center of an empire
Empire

Empire derives from the Latin word imperium, denoting ?military command? in Roman. Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
 that included at its peak North Africa
North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
, Sicily
Sicily

Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
, Palestine
Palestine

Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It is derived from a name used already much earlier for a narrower geographical region, mainly along the coastal region....
, Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, the Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
 coast of Africa, Yemen
Yemen

Yemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. Yemen has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east....
 and the Hejaz
Hejaz

al-Hejaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined mostly by the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan....
. Under the Fatimids, Egypt flourished and developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
, which eventually determined the economic course of Egypt during the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages

The High Middle Ages was the periodization of history of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
.

The Fatimids promoted two ideas that were radical for that time. The first was promotion by merit rather than genealogy. The second was religious toleration, under which both Jews and Copt
Copt

A Copt is a native Egyptian people Christianity. Copts form a major ethno-religious group that has ancient origins. Copts are Egyptians whose ancestors embraced Christianity in the first century....
ic Christians flourished.

Also during this period the three contemporary branches of Ismailism formed. The first branch (Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
) occurred with the Imam Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah

Abu ?Ali Mansur Tariqu l-?akim, called bi Amr al-Lah , was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili imam .Born in 985, Abu ?Ali ?Mansur? succeeded his father Al-Aziz at the age of eleven on 14 October, 996 with the caliphal title of al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah....
. Born in 985, he ascended as ruler at the age of eleven and was feared for his eccentricity and believed insanity. The typical religiously tolerant Fatimid Empire saw much persecution under his reign. When in 1021 his mule returned without him, soaked in blood, a religious group that was even forming in his lifetime broke off from mainstream Ismailism and refused to acknowledge his successor. Later to be known as the Druze, they believe Al-Hakim to be the manifestation of God and the prophecized Mahdi, who would one day return and bring justice to the world. The faith further split from Ismailism as it developed very unique doctrines which often classes it separately from both Ismailism and Islam.

The second split occurred following the death of Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah in 1094. His rule was the longest of any caliph in both the Fatimid and other Islamic empires. Upon his passing away his sons, the older Nizar
Nizar

Abu Man?ur an-Nizar al-Mustafa ad-Dini l-Lah was a Fatimid Caliph and a Nizari Ismaili Imamah . He was deposed by his brother, Al-Musta'li but his son, Al-Hadi ibn Nizar, escaped to Alamut and took refuge with the Hashshashin, thereby continuing the Imamate....
 and the younger Al-Musta'li
Al-Musta'li

A?mad al-Musta?li was the ninth Fatimid Caliph.Al-Musta?li was made caliph by Regent al-Afdal Shahanshah as the successor to Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah....
 fought for political and spiritual control of the dynasty. Nizar was defeated and jailed, but according to Nizari tradition his son escaped to Alamut where the Iranian
Iranian peoples

The Iranian peoples are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Iranian plateau and beyond in central-, southern-, and southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe....
 Isma?ili had accepted his claim.

The Mustaali line split again between the Taiyabi and the Hafizi, the former claiming that the 21st Imam and son of Al-Amir
Al-Amir

Al-Amir bi'A?kami l-Lah was the tenth Fatimid Caliph .Like his father al-Musta'li , al-Amir was controlled by the regent al-Afdal Shahanshah and had little influence in political matters....
 went into occultation and appointed a Da?i al-Mu?laq to guide the community, in a similar manner as the Isma?ili had lived after the death of Muhammad ibn Ismail. The latter claimed that the ruling Fatimid caliph was the Imam.

Decline of the empire
In the 1040s, the Zirids (governors of North Africa under the Fatimids) declared their independence from the Fatimids and their conversion to "orthodox" Sunni Islam, which led to the devastating Banu Hilal
Banu Hilal

The Banu Hilal were a confederation of Arab tribes that migrated from Arabia into North Africa in the 11th century, having been sent by the Fatimids to punish the Zirids for abandoning Shiism....
 invasions. After about 1070, the Fatimid hold on the Levant
Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
 coast and parts of Syria was challenged by first Turkish
Turkic peoples

The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern, central and western Eurasia, and who mostly speak languages belonging to the Turkic languages....
 invasions, then the Crusades
First Crusade

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. The Emperor requested that western volunteers come to their aid and repel the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, Modern day Turkey....
, so that Fatimid territory shrunk until it consisted only of Egypt.

After the decay of the Fatimid political system in the 1160s, the Zengid ruler Nur ad-Din
Nur ad-Din

al-Malik al-Adil Nur ad-Din Abu al-Qasim Mahmud Ibn 'Imad ad-Din Zangi , also known as Nur ed-Din, Nur al-Din, etc. was a member of the Zengid dynasty who ruled Syria from 1146 to 1174....
 had his general, Saladin
Saladin

ala ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub , better known as Saladin in medieval Europe, was the Sultan of Egypt and Greater Syria. He led the Islamic opposition to the Second Crusade and Third Crusade....
, seize Egypt in 1169, forming the Sunni Ayyubid Dynasty
Ayyubid dynasty

The Ayyubid or Ayyoubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurds origins which ruled Egypt, Syria, Yemen , Diyar Bakr, Mecca, Hejaz and northern Iraq in the 12th and 13th centuries....
. This signaled the end of the Hafizi Mustaali branch of Ismailism as well as the Fatimid Empire.

Alamut

200449

Hassan-i-Sabbah

Very early in the empire's life, the Fatimids sought to spread the Isma?ili faith which in turn would spread loyalties to the Imamate in Egypt. One of their earliest attempts would be taken by a Dai by the name of Hassan-i-Sabbah.

Hassan-i-Sabbah was born into a Twelver family living in the scholarly city of Qom in 1056 AD. His family later relocated to the city of Tehran which was an area with an extremely active Isma?ili Da?wah. He immersed himself in Isma?ili thought, however he did not choose to convert until he was overcome with an almost fatal illness, where he finally feared dying without knowing the Imam of his time.

Afterwards, Hassan-i-Sabbah became one of the most influential Dais in Isma?ili history, and would be important to the survival of the Nizari branch of Ismailism, which today is its largest branch.

Legend holds that he met with Imam Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah and asked him who his successor would be, to which he responded, his eldest son Nizar.

Hassan-i-Sabbah would continue his Dai activities and they would climax with his taking of Alamut. Taking two years, he first converted most of the surrounding villages to Ismailism. Afterwards, he converted most of the staff to Ismailism and then took over the fortress, and presented the current leader with payment for the fortress. With no choice, the leader abdicated and Hassan-i-Sabbah turned Alamut into an outpost of Fatimid rule within Abbasid territory.

The Hashashin

Surrounded by the Abbasids and other hostile powers, and low in numbers, Hassan-i-Sabbah derived a way to attack the Isma?ili enemies with a small loss and number. Using the method of assassination, from which the English word is derived from Hashashin, he ordered the killing of Sunni scholars and politicians that threatened the Isma?ilis. Knives and daggers were used. Sometimes, in warning, a knife would be put into the pillow of the enemy and often they understood the message.

However, when an assassination was actually made the Hashashin would not be allowed to run away, but rather to strike further fear in the enemy by showing no emotion, they would stand there. This further increased the reputation of the Hashashin in the Sunni world.

Amin Maalouf, in his novel Samarkand
Samarkand

Samarkand , is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province.The city is most noted for its central position on the Silk Road between China and the West, and for being an Islamic centre for scholarly study....
 disputes the origin of the word Assassin. According to him it is not derived from the name of the drug hashish
Hashish

Hashish is a preparation of cannabis composed of the compressed trichomes collected from the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than other parts of the plant such as the buds or the leaves....
 which Westerners used to believe the sect took, - he believes this story is fabricated by Orientalists to explain how faithfully the Isma?ilis would carry out these suicide-assassinations without fearing death. Maalouf suggests that the term is derived from the word Assaas (foundation), and Assassiyoon, which means "those faithful to the foundation."

Threshold of the Imamate
After the imprisonment of Nizar by his younger brother Mustaal, it is claimed Nizar's son al-Hadi survived and fled to Alamut. He was offered a safe place in Alamut where Hassan-i-Sabbah welcomed him. However, it is believed this was not announced to the public and the lineage was hidden until a few Imams later.

It was announced with the advent of Imam Hassan II, who some historians believe to be a descendant of the leaders of Alamut and not of Nizar. In a show of his Imamate and to emphasize the interior meaning (the batin
Batin

Batin may refer to:* Batin, Galati, a town in Galati County, Romania in the Covurlui area* Batin, Cluj, a village in Cluj County, Romania* Batin people, an ethnic group in Jambi Province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia...
) over the exterior meaning (the zahir
Zahir

Zahir may refer to:...
) he prayed with his back to Mecca, as did the rest of the congregation which prayed behind him, and ordered the community to break their Ramadan
Ramadan

Rama?an is an Islamic religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet of Islam Muhammad....
 fasting with a feast at noon. He made a speech saying he was in communication with the Imam, which many of the Isma?ilis understood to mean he was the Imam himself.

Afterwards his descendants would rule as the Imams at Alamut until its destruction by the Mongols.

Destruction by the Mongols

The stronghold at Alamut, though it had warded off the Sunni attempts to take it several times, including one by Saladin
Saladin

ala ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub , better known as Saladin in medieval Europe, was the Sultan of Egypt and Greater Syria. He led the Islamic opposition to the Second Crusade and Third Crusade....
, would soon meet with destruction. By 1206, Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan , born , was the founder, Khan and Khagan of the Mongol Empire, the World's largest empires contiguous empire in history....
 had managed to unite many of the once antagonistic Mongol tribes into a unified force. Using many new and unique military techniques, Genghis Khan led the Mongols across Central Asia into the Middle-East where they won a series of tactical military victories.

A grandson of Genghis Khan, Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan

Hulagu Khan, also known as Hulagu, H?leg? or Hulegu , was a Mongols ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia. Son of Tolui and the Kerait princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan, and the brother of Arik Boke, M?ngke Khan and Kublai Khan....
, led the devastating attack on Alamut in 1256, only a short time before he would sack the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad in 1258. As he would later do to the House of Wisdom
House of Wisdom

The House of Wisdom was a key institution in the Translation Movement - a library and translation institute in Abbassid-era Baghdad, Iraq. It is considered to have been a major intellectual center of the Islamic Golden Age....
 in Baghdad, he destroyed all Isma?ili religious texts. The Imamate that was located in Alamut along with its few followers were forced to flee and take refuge elsewhere.

Aftermath

After the fall of the Fatimid Empire and its bases in Iran and Syria, the three currently living branches of Isma?ili generally developed geographically isolated from each other, with the exception of Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 (which has both Druze and Nizari) and Pakistan and rest of South Asia (which had both Mustaali and Nizari).

The Nizari kept large populations in Syria, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and has smaller populations in China and Iran. This community is the only one with a living Imam, who is titled today as the Aga Khan
Aga Khan

Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the Nizari Muslims, the largest branch of the Ismaili followers of the Shia Islam faith. The Ismaili branch of Shia Islam affirms the Imamah of the descendents of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the mainstream Twelver Shi`ism branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's you...
.

The Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
 mainly settled in Syria and Lebanon, and developed a community based upon the principles of reincarnation through their own descendants. Their leadership is based through community scholars, who are the only individuals allowed to read their holy texts. It is controversial whether this group falls under the classification of Isma?ilism or Islam because of their unique beliefs.

The Mustaali split several times over disputes regarding who was the rightful Da?i al-Mu?laq, the leader of the community within The Occultation
The Occultation

The Occultation in Shi'a Islam refers to a belief that the messianic figure, Mahdi, who in Shi'a thought is an ismah male descendant of the founder of Islam, Muhammad, has been born but has disappeared and will one day return and fill the world with justice....
. The Sulaimani Bohra
Sulaimani Bohra

Sulaymanis are a Mustaali Ismaili community that predominantly reside in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan and India. They are also called Makramis....
 are mostly concentrated in Yemen and Saudi Arabia with some communities in the Indian Subcontinent
Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian Plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those on the continental crust , an Island#Continental islands country on the continental shelf , and an Island#Oceanic islands countr...
. The Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra

Dawoodi Bohras are the main branch of the Bohras, a Mustaali subsect of Ismaili Shia Islam. The subsect is based in India although the Dawoodi Bohra school of thought originates from Yemen....
 and Alavi Bohra
Alavi Bohra

Alavi Bohra are a subsect of Ismaili Mustaali. They are mostly concentrated in Pakistan and India. The Mustaali group of Ismaili Islam are so named because they accepted the legitimacy of the Fatimid caliph Al-Musta'li, after Al-Mustansir of Cairo, and not Nizar, whom the Nizaris consider as their Shi'a Imam....
 are mostly exclusive to the Indian Subcontinent. Other groups include Atba-i-Malak
Atba-i-Malak

The Abta-i Malak jamaat are a branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 46th Da'i al-Mutlaq, under the leadership of Abdul Hussain Jivaji....
 and Hebtiahs Bohra
Hebtiahs Bohra

The Hebtiahs Bohra are a branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 39th Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1754....
. Mustaali beliefs and practices, unlike those of the Nizari and Druze, are generally compatible with mainstream Islam, representing a continuation of Fatimid
Fatimid

The Fatimid Caliphate or al-Fatimiyyun was an Arab Shi'a dynasty that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Egypt, Sicily, Malta and the Levant from 5 January 909 to 1171....
 tradition and fiqh
Fiqh

Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law?based directly on the Quran and Sunnah?that complements Shariah with evolving Fatwa/interpretations of Ulema....
'.

Beliefs


View on the Qur'an
The Isma?ilis understand the Qur'an to have several layers of meaning, but generally divide those types of meanings into two: the apparent (zahir
Zahir

Zahir may refer to:...
) meaning and the hidden (batin
Batin

Batin may refer to:* Batin, Galati, a town in Galati County, Romania in the Covurlui area* Batin, Cluj, a village in Cluj County, Romania* Batin people, an ethnic group in Jambi Province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia...
) meaning. While a believer can understand the batin meaning to some extent, the ultimate interpretation lies in the office of the Imamate. The Imam's farmans (teachings) are binding upon the community. In this way, the Isma?ili community can adapt to new times and new places.

The Ginans
The Ginans are Nizari
Nizari

The Nizari officially the "Shi?a Imami Isma?ili Tariqah" are a path of Shia Islam Islam, emphasizing social justice, pluralism , and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam....
 Isma?ili religious texts. They are written in the form of poetry by Pir
Pir

Pir may refer to:*Pir , a Sufi teacher, spiritual leader*Pir , a site in Persia, frequently one of the Zoroastrian faith*Pir of the Britons, legendary king of the Britons...
s to interpret the meanings of Qur’anic ayat into the languages of the Indian subcontinent, especially Gujarati
Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan languages, and part of the greater Indo-European languages language family. It is native to the Indian state of Gujarat, and is its chief language, as well as of the adjacent union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli....
 and Urdu
Urdu

Urdu is a Central_Indo-Aryan_languages#Central_Zone_.28Madhya_or_Hindi.29 Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-Iranian languages, belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages....
. In comparison to Ginans, Isma?ilis of other origins, such as Persians, Arabs, and Central Asians have Qasidas written by Dai's ???? (??? ????)?.

Reincarnation
The belief in reincarnation in the Satpanth
Satpanth

'Satpanth' is a subgroup Nizari Ismailism, Ismaili Sufism with some elements of Hinduism, inspired by followers of Pir Imam Shah, one of the authors of the Ginans.There are villages in Gujarat which are totally 'Satpanthi' such as Pirana near Ahmedabad....
 tradition of Nizari
Nizari

The Nizari officially the "Shi?a Imami Isma?ili Tariqah" are a path of Shia Islam Islam, emphasizing social justice, pluralism , and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam....
 Ismailism is attested to in the Ginans
Ginans

The Ginans are a vast corpus of devotional literature in the form of lyrics and hymns and has been the living tradition of Nizari Ismailis particularly from the Indian subcontinent....
 and Isma?ilis perform
chantas monthly, which is done for the forgiveness of the sins committed in the last month but only those sins which are committed unintentionally; and strictly not for the forgiveness for sins committed in past lives. The system of the four Yugas viz. Sat, Treta, Dwapar and Kali is a Hindu belief. Descriptions of each yuga are codified in the various Puranas
Puranas

The Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography....
, a set of holy books of Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
. However, reincarnation in itself is not a component of Ismailism but is rather used the South Asian tradition as a recollection and reinforcement of the attempts of the Pir
Pir

Pir may refer to:*Pir , a Sufi teacher, spiritual leader*Pir , a site in Persia, frequently one of the Zoroastrian faith*Pir of the Britons, legendary king of the Britons...
s to teach the message of Ismailism to the people of India.

Reincarnation also exists in the Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
 branch of Ismailism. The Druze believe that members of their community can only be reincarnated within the community. It is also known that Druze believe in five cosmic principles, represented by the five colored Druze star: intelligence/reason (green), soul (red), word (yellow), precedent (blue), and immanence
Immanence

Immanence, derived from the Latin in manere "to remain within", refers to philosophical and metaphysical theories of the divine as existing and acting within the mind or the world....
 (white). These virtues take the shape of five different spirits which, until recently, have been continuously reincarnated on Earth as prophets and philosophers including Adam
Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve are the First man or woman created by God in the Hebrew creation story told in Genesis 1-2....
, the ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer Pythagoras
Pythagoras

Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionians Ancient Greeks mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mysticism and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy....
, and the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt Akhenaten
Akhenaten

Akhenaten , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, who died 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for attempting to compel the Egyptian population in the monotheism worship of Aten, although there are doubts as to how successful he was at this....
, and many others. The Druze believe that, in every time period, these five principles were personified in five different people who came down together to Earth to teach humans the true path to God and nirvana
Nirvana

In sramana thought, Nirvana is the state of being free from both dukkha and the cycle of rebirth. It is an important concept in Buddhism and Jainism....
, but that with them came five other individuals who would lead people away from the right path into "darkness".

Panentheism

With the exception of the Mustaali
Mustaali

The Musta?li Ismaili Islam are so named because they accept Al-Musta'li as the ninth Fatimid Caliph and legitimate successor to his father, Al-Mustansir of Cairo....
 Isma?ilis, most Isma?ili believe in panentheism
Panentheism

Panentheism is a belief system which posits that God exists and interpenetrates every part of nature, and timelessly extends beyond as well. Panentheism is distinguished from pantheism, which holds that God is synonymous with the material universe....
, meaning God is both reality
Reality

Reality, in everyday usage, means "the state of things as they actually exist". In a sense it is what is real. The term reality, in its widest sense, includes everything that being, whether or not it is observation or comprehension....
 and transcendent of it. While the figure of the Godhead
Godhead

Godhead may refer to:*God*any deity*divinity, the quality of being God*Conceptions of God**Godhead ? In Judaism, the term "Godhead" is sometimes used to refer to the unknowable aspect of God which lies beyond His actions or emanations ....
 is beyond this universe, the Godhead has created reality, which is God itself. All living beings exist in this reality; however, reality in its entirety is invested in the form of the Imam of the Time.

Numerology

Isma?ilis believe numbers have religious meanings. The number seven plays a general role in the theology of the Isma'iliyya, including mystical speculations that there are seven heavens, seven continents, seven orifices in the skull, seven days in a week, and so forth.

Imamate
In Nizari Ismailism, the Imam is seen through the Qur'anic phrase, “The Face of God.” The Imam is truth and reality itself, and hence he is their path of salvation to God.

Sevener Isma?ili doctrine holds that divine revelation had been given in six periods (daur) entrusted to six prophets, who they also call
Natiq (Speaker), who were commissioned to preach a religion of law to their respective communities.

Whereas the Natiq was concerned with the rites and outward shape of religion, the inner meaning is entrusted to a
Wasi (Representative). The Wasi would know the secret meaning of all rites and rules and would reveal them to a small circles of initiates.

The Natiq and the Wasi are in turn succeeded by a line of seven Imams, who would guard what they received. The seventh and last Imam in any period would in turn be the Natiq of the next period. The last Imam of the sixth period however would not bring about a new religion of law but supersede all previous religions, abrogate the law and introduce
din Adama al-awwal ("the original religion of Adam") practised by Adam and the Angel
Ángel

?ngel is the third single from Belinda Peregr?n's debut album: Belinda. It was a massive hit in Mexico and an international hit for Belinda....
s in paradise
Paradise

Paradise is an idealized place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness....
 before the fall, which would be without cult or law but consist merely in all creatures praising the creator and recognizing his unity. This final stage was called Qiyamah
Qiyamah

In Islam, Yawm al-Qiyamah "the Day of Resurrection" or Yawm ad-Din "the Day of Judgement" is God's final assessment of humanity. Al-Qiyama is also the name of the 75th surah of the Qur'an....
.

Pir and Dawah

Just as the Imam is seen as the Face of God, God's avatar within reality, the guide to the avatar is known as the Dai. During the period between the Imamates of Muhammad ibn Ismail and al-Madhi Billah, the relationship between the teacher and the student became a sacred one, and the Dai became a position much beyond a normal missionary. The Dai passed on the sacred and hidden knowledge of the Imam to the student who could then use that information to ascend to higher levels. First the student loved the Dai, and from the Dai he learned to love the Imam, who was but a manifestation of God. In Nizari Ismailism, the head Dai is called the Pir. .

However, in the Mustaali branch, the Dai came to have a similar but more important task. The term Da?i al-Mutlaq literally means "the absolute or unrestricted missionary". This dai was the only source of the Imam's knowledge after the occultation of al-Qasim in Mustaali thought.

According to Tayyabi Musta?li
Mustaali

The Musta?li Ismaili Islam are so named because they accept Al-Musta'li as the ninth Fatimid Caliph and legitimate successor to his father, Al-Mustansir of Cairo....
 Isma'ili tradition, after the death of Imam al-Amir, his infant son, AtTaiyab abi-l-Qasim, about 2 years old, was protected by the most important woman in Musta'li history after Prophet's daughter Fa?imatu z-Zahrah. She was al-Malika al-Sayyida (Hurratul-Malika), wife of Fatimid Dai of Yemen. She was promoted to the post of hujja long before by Imam Mustansir at the death of her husband and she now ran the dawat from Yemen in the name of Imaam Tayyib. She was instructed and prepared by Imam Mustansir and following Imams for the second period of Satr. It was going to be on her hands, that Imam Tayyib would go into seclusion, and she would institute the office of Da?i al-Mutlaq. Syedna Zueb-bin-Musa was first to be instituted to this office and the line of Tayyib Dais that began in 1132 have passed from one Dai to another and is continuing till date.

Zahir

In Ismailism, things have an exterior meaning, what is apparent. This is called zahir.

Batini

In Ismailism, things have an interior meaning that is reserved for a special few who are in tune with the Imam, or are the Imam himself. This is called batin.

Aql

As with other Shi‘ah, Isma?ilis believe that the understanding of God is derived from the first light in the universe, the light of Aql, which in Arabic roughly translates as knowledge. It is through this knowledge that all living and non-living entities know God, and all of humanity is dependent and united in this light. Contrastingly, in Twelver thought this includes the Prophets as well, especially Muhammad who is the greatest of all the incarnations of Aql.

Taqiyya

Isma?ilis believe in taqiyya, which means to hide one's true religious beliefs. This has been pivotal to the survival of Isma?ili groups since they have been small minorities in many countries and empires hostile to them.

Seven Pillars


Walayah

A pillar which translates from Arabic as “guardianship.” It denotes, “Love and devotion for God, the Prophets, the Imam, and the Dai.” In Isma?ili doctrine, God is the true desire of every soul, and he manifests himself in the forms of Prophets and Imams, and to be guided to his path, one requires a messenger or a guide: a Dai.

Taharah or Shahada

Taharah

A pillar which translates from Arabic as “purity.” The Druze do not believe in this pillar and instead substitute shahada in its place.

Shahada

In place of Taharah, the Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
 have the Shahada, or affirmation of faith.

Salah

A pillar which translates from Arabic as “prayer.” Unlike Sunni and Twelver Muslims, Nizari Ismai'lis do not necessarily follow the mainstream Ummah in regards to the number of daily prayers. Nizari Ismai'lis reason that it is up to the Imam of the time to designate the style and form of prayer, and for this reason current Nizari prayer resembles a dua (translated word of Salah from the Quran) and is done three times a day. These three times have been related with the three times that have been mentioned in the Holy Quran, i-e, Sunrise, before Sunset, and After Sunset. In this regard, Imam of the time has the right to amend the prayers according to the needs of the time. The Druze choose not to follow Islamic sharia hence have attributed a solely metaphorical meaning to salah. In contrast, the Mustaali (Bohra) branch of Ismailism has kept five prayers and their style is generally closely related to Twelver groups.

Zakah

A pillar which translates as “charity.” With the exception of the Druze branch, all Isma?ilis form of zakat resembles mainstream Muslims. The Twelvers, pay khums
Khums

Khums is the Arabic word for One Fifth . According to Shia Islamic legal terminology, it means "one-fifth of certain items which a person acquires as wealth, and which must be paid as an Islamic tax"...
 which is 1/8 of one's unspent money at the end of the year. Isma?ilies, on the other hand, pay a tithe of 12.5% .

Sawm

A pillar which translates as “fasting.” The Nizari and Mustaali believe in both a metaphorical and literal meaning of fasting. The literal meaning is that one must fast as an obligation, such as during the Holy Month of Ramadan
Ramadan

Rama?an is an Islamic religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet of Islam Muhammad....
, and the metaphorical meaning being that one is in attainment of the Divine Truth and must strive to avoid worldy activities which may detract from this goal. In particular, Isma?ilis believe that the esoteric meaning of fasting involves a the fasting of soul, whereby one attempts to purify the soul by avoiding sinful acts, and doing good deeds. etc. In addition, the Nizari also fast on "Shukravari Beej" which falls on a Friday that coincides with the New Moon
New moon

In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in Conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth....
.

Hajj

A pillar which translates from Arabic as “pilgrimage", it is the pilgrimage which is undertaken and required by all Muslims who are healthy and have sufficient means to do so. In Ismaili sects this has come to metaphorically mean visiting the Imam himself, and that this is the greatest and most spiritual of all pilgrimages. However, as the Druze do not follow shariah, they do not believe in a literal pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca like other Muslims do, while the Mustaali still hold on to the literal meaning as well.

Jihad

A pillar which translates from Arabic as “struggle.” The definition of jihad has complex characterizations within certain sects of the Muslim ummah (community), with it having two facets and dispute concerning what is an acceptable interpretation of both . One meaning is that of personal struggle, otherwise known as Jihad-e-Akbar, "the Greater Struggle," while the other, Jihad-e-Asghar, "The Lower Struggle" is that of struggle against the 'adversaries' of the faith.'

Jihad-e-Asghar
In general, in contrast to other Muslim groups, the Nizari group is primarily pacifist hence interpreting 'adversaries' of the faith as both personal and social vices (i.e. wrath, intolerance,poverty etc.) and those individuals who harm the peace of the faith. Thus Nizari Isma'ilism does not encourage the stereotypically misconstrued 'warfare' or 'crusade-like' interpretation of the Jihad-e-Asghar. The view of Jihad-e-Asghar as an exclusively defensive tool (with regards towards use of physical force) to maintain peace and plurality within a global context has received much criticism from radicalized and heavily refracted interpretations of Islamic religio-political ideologies such as Islamism. Polarized Islamists view this qualification of jihad (as a defensive mechanism) as an apologetic treatise which ignores the primary responsibility of a Muslim to proactively (whether with force or otherwise) engage in construction of what is according to Islamists an ideal religio-political society based off the mandates and social norms predicated by the Shari'a. Placing the general view of Isma'ilis towards shari'a aside, Isma?ilis are told to avoid provocation and use force only as a final resort only in self-defense (See Qu'ran 2:190). Nevertheless, by extension one may also observe that to eradicate social hardship on a macro-scale, volunteerism and service are key ethics in struggling against forces which cause many populations to endure the worst in trying to achieve a better quality of life. Thus a proactive interpretation of the Jihad-e-Asghar can even be observed as humanitarian service and volunteerism as it also is a means towards a peaceful and pluralistic process. What is interesting is that this form of institutionalized service [as observed from the Isma'ili context through the non-profit, non-denominational work of the Aga Khan Development Network] is also heavily implemented by non-Isma'ili sects of Islam. The Druze believe that the Jihad is the struggle to know God, while protecting the brothers in faith is one of the Druze's pillars and is similar to the concept of Jihad-e-Asghar.

Jihad-e-Akbar
In contrast to the Jihad-e-Asghar,the Jihad-e-Akbar is construed from the influential Sufi, gnostic, and Shi'i norms and ideologies of jihad's origin as primarily a personal spiritual practice. Such principle of jihad as a process towards inner enlightenment reflects back to the Qu'ran and Hadith of the Prophet formulating and informing the Isma'ili perspective (as ultimately interpreted by right of
ta'awiil (interpretation) and ta'liim(instruction) of the Imam of the Time). Jihad-e-Akbar as seen by many sects of the ummah is a highly personal journey to rid one's self of impurity and sin so as to obtain Allah's benevolence. The Isma'ili connect this further into spirituality by indicating that Jihad or more generally the struggle of life in its batini or esoteric form is the struggle of the individual to realize the intimate balance and connection between din (spirit) and dunya (matter). Such a realization of, as the Qur'an states, "signs that make things manifest" (24:46) ultimately leads to an elevated understanding of God and thus enables the receiving of perpetual closeness within Him. An important differentiation that Shi'i tradition states is the intercession of the Imam of the Time, articulated through the concept of wilayah or guardianship, to guide the believer to where and in which direction to turn so as to obtain spiritual and worldly sukuun or happiness.

Paths (Tariqah)


Nizari

Aga Khan Iii
The largest part of the Isma?ili community today accepts Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Aga Khan IV

Shah Karim al-Hussayni, The Aga Khan IV, Order of the British Empire, Order of Canada, Order of Christ, Order of Prince Henry is the 49th and current Imam of the Ismaili Muslims....
 as their 49th Imam, who is descended from Muammad
Muhammad

Muhammad Patronymic#Arabic Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib , is the founder of the Major religious groups of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a Rasul and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of prophets....
 through his daughter Faimah az-Zahra and 'Ali, Muammad
Muhammad

Muhammad Patronymic#Arabic Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib , is the founder of the Major religious groups of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a Rasul and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of prophets....
's cousin and son-in-law. The 46th Imam, Aga Hassan ‘Ali Shah, fled Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
 to South Asia in the 1840s after a failed coup against the Shah of the Qajar dynasty
Qajar dynasty

The Qajar dynasty is a common term to describe Iran under the ruling Qajar royal family that ruled Iran from 1794 to 1925. In 1794 the Qajar family took full control of Iran as they had eliminated all their rivals, including Lotf 'Ali Khan, the last of the Zand dynasty, and had reasserted Persian sovereignty over the former Iranian terr...
. Aga Hassan ‘Ali Shah settled in Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
 in 1848.

Like its predecessors, the present constitution is founded on each Isma?ili's spiritual allegiance to the Imam of the Time (
Imam az-Zaman), which is separate from the secular allegiance that all Isma?ilis owe as citizens to their national entities. The present Imam and his predecessor emphasized Isma?ilis' allegiance to their country as a fundamental obligation. These obligations discharged not by passive affirmation but through responsible engagement and active commitment to uphold national integrity and contribute to peaceful development.

The Nizari followers of the Aga Khan are found today in China, Syria, the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, East Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Canada and the United States. Notable cities with many Nizaris include: Salamiyah
Salamiyah

Salamieh is a city in western Syria, close to Hama. Fatamid Caliph Muhammad al-Qaim Bi-Amrillah was born here, as well as the great Syrian poet Muhammad al-Maghut....
, Karachi
Karachi

is the largest city, seaport and the International financial centre of Pakistan. It is List of metropolitan areas by population in terms of metropolitan population, and is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade....
, Chitral, Ghizer, Gilgit, Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
, and Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
. Salamiyah is one of the few areas in the world that is predominantly Ismaili, along with the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and Hunza Valley
Hunza Valley

Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in Gilgit Valley in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated at an elevation of 2,438 metres ....
.

In view of the importance that Islam places on maintaining a balance between the spiritual well-being of the individual and the quality of his life, the Imam's guidance deals with both aspects of the life of his followers. The Aga Khan has encouraged Isma?ili Muslims, settled in the industrialized world, to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programmes. In recent years, Nizari Isma?ili Muslims, who have come to the US, Canada and Europe, many as refugees from Asia and Africa, have readily settled into the social, educational and economic fabric of urban and rural centres across the two continents. As in the developing world, the Nizari Isma?ili Muslim community's settlement in the industrial world has involved the establishment of community institutions characterized by an ethos of self-reliance, an emphasis on education, and a spirit of philanthropy.

Mustaali


In time, the seat for one chain of the Dai was split between South Asia
South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east....
 and Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 as the community split several times, each recognizing a different Dai. Today, the Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra

Dawoodi Bohras are the main branch of the Bohras, a Mustaali subsect of Ismaili Shia Islam. The subsect is based in India although the Dawoodi Bohra school of thought originates from Yemen....
s, which constitute the majority of the Mustaali Isma?ili accept Mohammed Burhanuddin
Mohammed Burhanuddin

Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq "Unrestricted Missionary" of a minority group of Ismaili Shia Islam Muslims, the Dawoodi Bohras....
 as the 52nd Da?i al-Mu?laq. The Dawoodi Bohras are based in India, along with the Alawi Bohra. The Sulaimani Bohra however still are in primarily Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

There has been, in recent years, a rapprochement between the Sulaimani Mustaali and the Dawoodi Mustaali.

The Bohra are noted to be the more traditional of the three main groups of Isma?ili, maintaining rituals such as prayer and fasting more consistently with the practices of other Shi?a
Shi'a Islam

Shia Islam , is the second largest denomination of Islam, after Sunni Islam.Similiar to other branches of Islam, Shi'a Islam is based on the teachings of Islamic holy book, the Qur'an and message of the final prophet of Islam, Muhammad....
 sects. It is often said they resemble Sunni Islam even more than Twelvers do, though this would hold true for matters of the exterior (zahir) only, with little bearing on doctrinal differences.

Dawoodi Bohra
Bohrasdiv01
The Dawoodi Bohras are a very closely-knit community who seek advice from the Dai on spiritual and temporal matters.

Dawoodi Bohras is essentially and traditionally Fatimid
Fatimid

The Fatimid Caliphate or al-Fatimiyyun was an Arab Shi'a dynasty that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Egypt, Sicily, Malta and the Levant from 5 January 909 to 1171....
 and is headed by the Da?i al-Mutlaq, who is appointed by his predecessor in office. The Da?i al-Mutlaq appoints two others to the subsidiary ranks of mazun (Arabic Ma??un ?????) "licentiate" and Mukasir (Arabic ?????). These positions are followed by the rank of ra'sul hudood, bhaisaheb, miya-saheb, shaikh-saheb and mulla-saheb, which are held by several of Bohras. The 'Aamil or Saheb-e Raza who is granted the permission to perform the religious ceremonies of the believers by the Da?i al-Mutlaq and also leads the local congregation in religious, social and community affairs, is sent to each town where a sizable population of believers exists. Such towns normally have a mosque and an adjoining jamaa'at-khaana (assembly hall) where socio-religious functions are held. The local organizations which manage these properties and administer the social and religious activities of the local Bohras report directly to the central administration of the Da?i al-Mutlaq.

While the majority of Dawoodi Bohras have traditionally been traders, it is becoming increasingly common for them to become professionals. Within South Asia
South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east....
 many choose to become Doctors, and in the Far East
Far East

The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
 and the West
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
, a large number now work as consultants or analysts as well as a large contingent of medical professionals. Dawoodi Bohras are encouraged to educate themselves in both religious and secular knowledge, and as a result, the number of professionals in the community is rapidly increasing. Dawoodi Bohras believe that the education of women is equally important to that of men, and many Dawoodi Bohra women choose to enter the workforce. Al Jamea tus Saifiyah
Al Jamea tus Saifiyah

Al Jamea Tus Saifiyah is an Islamic Arabic Academy situated in the heart of Surat city, India which is a leading theological University for Dawoodi Bohras....
 (The Arabic Academy) in Surat
Surat

Surat is a seaport city in the Indian Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. As of 2007, Surat and its metropolitan area had a population about the same size as Singapore, approximately 4 million....
 and Karachi
Karachi

is the largest city, seaport and the International financial centre of Pakistan. It is List of metropolitan areas by population in terms of metropolitan population, and is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade....
 is a sign to the educational importance in the Dawoodi community. The Academy has an advanced curriculum which encompasses religious and secular education for both men and women.

Today there are approximately one million Dawoodi Bohras. The majority of these reside in India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 and Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
, but there is also a significant diaspora
Diaspora

The term diaspora refers to the movement of any population sharing common ethnicity identity who were either forced to leave or voluntarily left their Settler territory, and became residents in areas often far removed from the former....
 resident in the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, East Africa
East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and the Far East
Far East

The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
.

The ordinary Bohra is highly conscious of his identity and this is especially demonstrated at religious and traditional occasions by the appearance and attire of the participants. Dawoodi Bohra men wear a traditional white three piece outfit, plus a white and gold cap (called a
topi), and women wear the rida, a distinctive form of the commonly known burqa
Burqa

A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions for the purpose of cloaking the entire body. It is worn over the usual daily clothing and removed when the woman returns to the sanctuary of the household ....
 which is distinguished from other forms of the veil
Veil

A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. As a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space....
 due to it often being in color and decorated with patterns and lace.

Besides speaking the local languages, the Dawoodis have their own language called Lisanu l-Da?wat
Lisan al-Dawat

Lisan al-Dawat , also transcribed as Lisan ud-Dawat, is the language of the Dawoodi Bohras, an Ismaili Shia Muslim community. The name of the language itself is an Arabic term that means "the Language of the Dawah"....
 "Tongue of the Da?wat". This is written in Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
 script but is derived from Urdu
Urdu

Urdu is a Central_Indo-Aryan_languages#Central_Zone_.28Madhya_or_Hindi.29 Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-Iranian languages, belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages....
, Gujarati
Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan languages, and part of the greater Indo-European languages language family. It is native to the Indian state of Gujarat, and is its chief language, as well as of the adjacent union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli....
 and Arabic and Persian.

Sulaimani Bohra

Founded in 1592, they are mostly concentrated in Yemen
Yemen

Yemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. Yemen has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east....
, but are today also found in Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
 and India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
. The denomination is named after its 27th Da?i, (Sulayman ibn Hassan
Sulayman bin Hassan

The 27th Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Sulaimani Bohra. His coming to power led to a schism with a group who did not accept him primarily in India, known as the Dawoodi Bohra. Those who did follow him were called the Sulaimani Bohra....
).

The total number of Sulaimanis currently are around 300,000, mainly living in the eastern district of Haraz in the North west of Yemen
Yemen

Yemen , officially the Republic of Yemen is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. Yemen has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east....
 and in Najaran, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
, beside the Banu Yam
Banu Yam

Banu Yam are a large tribe native to Najran Province in Saudi Arabia, and are the principal tribe of that area. They belong to the Qahtanite branch of Arabian tribes, specifically the group known as Hamdan, and are therefore native to southwestern Arabia....
 of Najaran, the Sulaimanis are in Haraz, among the inhabitants of the Jabal Maghariba and in Hawzan, Lahab and Attara, as well as in the district of Hamdan and in the vicinity of Yarim.

In India there are between three to four thousand Sulaimanis living mainly in Baroda, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Surat. In Pakistan there is a well established Sulaimani community in Sind, some five to six thousand Sulaimanis live in rural areas of Sind, these Isma?ili Sulaimani communities are in Sind from the time of Fatimid Isma?ili Muizz li din Allah when he sent his Dais to Sind.

There are also some 900-1000 Sulaimanis mainly from Indian Sub-continent scattered around the World, in the Persian Gulf States, USA, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and UK.

Alavi Bohra

While lesser known and smallest in number, Alavi Bohra
Alavi Bohra

Alavi Bohra are a subsect of Ismaili Mustaali. They are mostly concentrated in Pakistan and India. The Mustaali group of Ismaili Islam are so named because they accepted the legitimacy of the Fatimid caliph Al-Musta'li, after Al-Mustansir of Cairo, and not Nizar, whom the Nizaris consider as their Shi'a Imam....
s accept as the 44th da?i al-mu?laq
Da'i al-Mutlaq

The term Da?i al-Mutlaq literally means "the absolute or unrestricted caller to Islam". In Ismaili Islam, the term da?i has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Shi'a Imams and the Dawah or "Mission" is a clerical-style organisation....
, Abu Haatim Taiyeb Ziyauddin Saheb. They are mostly concentrated in India.

The Alavi Bohra community has its headquarters at Baroda City, Gujarat, India. The 44th Da?i al-Mutlaq, Taiyeb Ziyauddin Saheb, is the head of the community. The religious hierarchy of the Alavi Bohras is essentially and traditionally Fatimid
Fatimid

The Fatimid Caliphate or al-Fatimiyyun was an Arab Shi'a dynasty that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Egypt, Sicily, Malta and the Levant from 5 January 909 to 1171....
 and is headed by the Da?i al-Mutlaq, who is appointed by his predecessor in office. The Da?i al-Mutlaq appoints two others to the subsidiary ranks of mazun (Arabic Ma'ðun ?????)"licentiate" and Mukasir (Arabic ?????). These positions are followed by the rank of ra'sul hudood, bhaisaheb, miya-saheb, shaikh-saheb and mulla-saheb, which are held by several of Bohras. The 'Aamil or Saheb-e Raza who is granted the permission to perform the religious ceremonies of the believers by the Da?i al-Mutlaq and also leads the local congregation in religious, social and community affairs, is sent to each town where a sizable population of believers exists. Such towns normally have a mosque and an adjoining jamaa'at-khaana (assembly hall) where socio-religious functions are held. The local organizations which manage these properties and administer the social and religious activities of the local Bohras report directly to the central administration of the Da?i al-Mutlaq.

Hebtiahs Bohra
The Hebtiahs Bohra are a branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 39th Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1754.

Atba-i-Malak
The Abta-i Malak jamaat (community) are a branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 46th Da'i al-Mutlaq
Da'i al-Mutlaq

The term Da?i al-Mutlaq literally means "the absolute or unrestricted caller to Islam". In Ismaili Islam, the term da?i has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Shi'a Imams and the Dawah or "Mission" is a clerical-style organisation....
, under the leadership of Abdul Hussain Jivaji
Abdul Hussain Jivaji

Abdul Hussayn Jivaji was the founder of the Atba-i-Malak branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam.References ...
. They have further split into two more branches, the Atba-i-Malak Badra
Atba-i-Malak Badra

The Atba-i-Malak Badra are a branch of Atba-i-Malak Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam. They follow Ghulam Hussain, who they believe to be the true successor to Abdul Hussain Jivaji....
 and Atba-i-Malak Vakil
Atba-i-Malak Vakil

The Atba-i-Malak Vakil are a branch of Atba-i-Malak Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam. They follow Abdul Qadir Ebrahimji, who they believe to be the true successor to Abdul Hussain Jivaji....
.

Druze

Druze Star
The movement's adherents went on to establish a stronghold in Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 where they developed their body of doctrine and sacred scriptures. Today, the Druze community lives mainly in Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
, Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
 and Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
.

Large communities of expatriate Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
 also live outside the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
, West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. They use the Arabic language
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
 and follow a social pattern very similar to the East Mediterraneans of the region.

There are thought to be as many as 1 million Druze worldwide, the vast majority in the Levant
Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
 or East Mediterranean. However, some estimates of the total Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
 population have been as low as 450,000.

Because of their beliefs contrasting greatly with both other Isma?ili groups and Islam in general, the classification of Druze as Isma?ili Muslims is controversial.

Hafizi

This branch held that whoever the political ruler of the Fatimid Empire was, was also the Imam of the faith. This branch died with the Fatimid Empire.

Seveners


A branch of the Isma?ili known as the
Saba?iyyin "Sevener
Sevener

Seveners are a branch of Ismaili Shi'a Islam. They became known as "Seveners" because they believe that Ismail bin Jafar was the seventh and the last Imam ....
s" hold that Isma?il's son, Muhammad, was the seventh and final Isma?ili, who is said to be in the Occultation
The Occultation

The Occultation in Shi'a Islam refers to a belief that the messianic figure, Mahdi, who in Shi'a thought is an ismah male descendant of the founder of Islam, Muhammad, has been born but has disappeared and will one day return and fill the world with justice....
. However, most scholars believe this group is either extremely small or totally non-existent today.

Statistics

Estimates on the total Ismai'li population range from 15–30 million. It is accepted that Ismai'lis constitute the second-largest Shi'a Muslim population. Within the Ismai'li sub-sect, the largest branch is Nizari. With its three branches added together, the Mustaali are the second largest at under 2 million, followed by the Druze at around 1 million.

See also

  • Nizari
    Nizari

    The Nizari officially the "Shi?a Imami Isma?ili Tariqah" are a path of Shia Islam Islam, emphasizing social justice, pluralism , and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam....
  • Ainsarii
    Ainsarii

    The Ainsarii were a sect of the Ismaili Hashshashin who survived the destruction of the stronghold of Alamut....
  • Batiniyya
    Batiniyya

    Batiniyya is a pejorative term to refer to those groups, such as Alevism, Ismailism, and often Sufism which distinguish between an inner, esoteric level of meaning Batini in the Qur'an, in addition to the outer, exoteric level of meaning Zahiri....
  • Khoja
    Khoja

    The Khwajahs or officially Khojas are an ethno-religious community that are mainly concentrated in South Asia, but due to migrations over the centuries have spread to many parts of the globe....
  • Banu Yam
    Banu Yam

    Banu Yam are a large tribe native to Najran Province in Saudi Arabia, and are the principal tribe of that area. They belong to the Qahtanite branch of Arabian tribes, specifically the group known as Hamdan, and are therefore native to southwestern Arabia....
  • Naser Khusraw


External links

  • Ismaili Dating
  • in the Encyclopædia Britannica
    Encyclopædia Britannica

    The Encyclop?dia Britannica is a general English language encyclopedia published by Encyclop?dia Britannica, Inc., a privately held company....
  • Golden Jubilee Celebration
  • in the Encyclopedia of the Orient