The Ismā'īlī (Arabic: الإسماعيليون; Persian: اسماعیلیان Esma'iliyan) branch of Islam is the third largest Shīˤa community after the Twelvers (Ithnāˤashariyya), who are dominant in Iran, and the Zaydis. Though there are several sub-groupings within the Ismailis, the term in today's vernacular generally refers to the Nizārī, who are followers of the Aga Khan and are the only Shīˤa community with a continuing line of Imāma "Imamate". (Note that the concept of al-Imāma in the Shīˤa sense differs greatly from the Sunni understanding.)
The Ismā'īlī are found primarily in the South Asia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and East Africa, but have in recent years emigrated to Europe and North America. The Ismā'īliyya and the Twelvers both accept the same initial Imams from the descendants of Muħammad through his daughter Fātima az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history. However, a dispute arose on the succession of the Sixth Imam, Jaˤfar as-Sadiq. The Ismā'īlī became those who accepted Jaˤfar's eldest son Ismā'īl as the next Imam, whereas the Twelvers accepted a younger son, Mūsā l-Kāzim.
A branch of the Ismā'īlī known as the Sabaˤiyyīn "Seveners" hold that Ismā'īl's son, Muħammad, was the seventh Imām and, after Muħammad ibn Ismā'īl, the spiritual authority of Imāms continues until the present day. A small Sevener community remains in parts of Saudi Arabia.
In the face of persecution, the bulk of the Ismā'īlī continued to recognize Imāms who secretly propagated their faith through Dāˤiyyūn "Callers to Islām" from their bases in Syria. However, by the 10th century, an Ismā'īlī Imām, ˤUbaydu l-Lāhu l-Mahdī Billa, correctly known as ˤAbdullāhu l-Mahdi, had emigrated to North Africa and successfully established the new Fatimid state in Tunisia. His successors subsequently succeeded in conquering much of North Africa (including highly-prized Egypt) and parts of Arabia.
The capital for the Fatimid state hence shifted to the newly-founded city of Cairo, from which the Fatimid Caliph-Imāms ruled for several generations.
A group of followers of the 16th Imām, Ħakīm bi-ˤAmr-Allāh, broke away from the mainstream Ismā'īlī to form the Druze religion.
A more fundamental split amongst the Ismā'īlī occurred on the dispute of which son should succeed the 18th Imam, Mustansir. Aħmadu l-Mustaˤlī, his younger son, was installed as Imam in Cairo with the help of Vizier Badr al-Jamali. However, Imam Mustansir's elder son, Nizar, contested this claim and was imprisoned; he gained support from an Ismā'īlī dāˤī based in Iran, Hassan as-Sabba. As-Sabba is noted by Western writers to be the leader of the legendary "Assassins" (see Nizarī).
The Fatimid state eventually collapsed after Imām al-Mustaˤlī's successor Amīr was assassinated, but Imām al-Mustaˤlī held that Amīr had left a son named Tāyyib who had gone into seclusion and that the imamate continued in his progeny during this time. They also regarded a succeeding chain of Yemeni Dāˤiyyūn as representatives of the Imām.
In time, the seat for one chain of Dāˤiyyūn was transferred to South Asia as the community split several times, each recognizing a different Dāˤī. Today, the Dawoodi Bohras, which constitute the majority of the "Mustaˤliyya" Ismā'īliyya accept Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin as the 52nd Dāˤī. The Dawoodi Bohras are based in India. While lesser known and smallest in number, Alavi Bohras accept as the 44th Dāˤī al-Mutlaq, H.H. Saiyedna Abu Haatim Taiyeb Ziyauddin Saheb.
There has been, in recent years, a rapprochement between the Yemeni Mustaˤliyya and the followers of the Dāˤiyyūn based out of Mumbai. The Bohra are noted to be the more traditional of the two main groups of Ismā'īlī, maintaining rituals such as prayer and fasting more consistently with the practices of other Shīˤa sects, although a reformist movement led by Asghar Ali Engineer (Progressive Dawoodi Bohras) has emerged within the sect, challenging the authoritarian Dawoodi Bohra clergy in India.
The largest part of the Nizari Ismā'īlī community today accepts Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as their 49th Imam. The 46th Imam, Aga Hassan Ali Shah, fled Iran to South Asia in the 1840s after a failed coup against the Shah of the Qajar dynasty. Aga Hassan Ali Shah settled in Mumbai in 1848. The "Aga Khan" was recognized as the legitimate Imam over Shīˤa Ismā'īlī Muslims in Mumbai through a legal case at the Bombay high Court in 1866. The Judge in this case, Sir Joseph Arnold, ruled that the Khoja Muslim community was Ismā'īlī (and not Sunni), that the "Aga Khan" was its leader, he was due the traditional tithes of the community and that community property belonged to his Imamate.
Sub-sects
The Shia Ismaili are divided into two major sects:
Mustaˤliyya
Sulaimani Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra
Alavi Bohra
Druze
Nizarī
Nizarī are the largest Ismā'īlī group today. Aga Khan is the spiritual head. (See next few headings for information this group and its beliefs).
Qarmatians sect still exist in parts of Syria, Iraq etc
The Ismā'īlī are found primarily in the South Asia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and East Africa, but have in recent years emigrated to Europe and North America. The Ismā'īliyya and the Twelvers both accept the same initial Imams from the descendants of Muħammad through his daughter Fātima az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history. However, a dispute arose on the succession of the Sixth Imam, Jaˤfar as-Sadiq. The Ismā'īlī became those who accepted Jaˤfar's eldest son Ismā'īl as the next Imam, whereas the Twelvers accepted a younger son, Mūsā l-Kāzim.
A branch of the Ismā'īlī known as the Sabaˤiyyīn "Seveners" hold that Ismā'īl's son, Muħammad, was the seventh Imām and, after Muħammad ibn Ismā'īl, the spiritual authority of Imāms continues until the present day. A small Sevener community remains in parts of Saudi Arabia.
In the face of persecution, the bulk of the Ismā'īlī continued to recognize Imāms who secretly propagated their faith through Dāˤiyyūn "Callers to Islām" from their bases in Syria. However, by the 10th century, an Ismā'īlī Imām, ˤUbaydu l-Lāhu l-Mahdī Billa, correctly known as ˤAbdullāhu l-Mahdi, had emigrated to North Africa and successfully established the new Fatimid state in Tunisia. His successors subsequently succeeded in conquering much of North Africa (including highly-prized Egypt) and parts of Arabia.
The capital for the Fatimid state hence shifted to the newly-founded city of Cairo, from which the Fatimid Caliph-Imāms ruled for several generations.
A group of followers of the 16th Imām, Ħakīm bi-ˤAmr-Allāh, broke away from the mainstream Ismā'īlī to form the Druze religion.
A more fundamental split amongst the Ismā'īlī occurred on the dispute of which son should succeed the 18th Imam, Mustansir. Aħmadu l-Mustaˤlī, his younger son, was installed as Imam in Cairo with the help of Vizier Badr al-Jamali. However, Imam Mustansir's elder son, Nizar, contested this claim and was imprisoned; he gained support from an Ismā'īlī dāˤī based in Iran, Hassan as-Sabba. As-Sabba is noted by Western writers to be the leader of the legendary "Assassins" (see Nizarī).
The Fatimid state eventually collapsed after Imām al-Mustaˤlī's successor Amīr was assassinated, but Imām al-Mustaˤlī held that Amīr had left a son named Tāyyib who had gone into seclusion and that the imamate continued in his progeny during this time. They also regarded a succeeding chain of Yemeni Dāˤiyyūn as representatives of the Imām.
In time, the seat for one chain of Dāˤiyyūn was transferred to South Asia as the community split several times, each recognizing a different Dāˤī. Today, the Dawoodi Bohras, which constitute the majority of the "Mustaˤliyya" Ismā'īliyya accept Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin as the 52nd Dāˤī. The Dawoodi Bohras are based in India. While lesser known and smallest in number, Alavi Bohras accept as the 44th Dāˤī al-Mutlaq, H.H. Saiyedna Abu Haatim Taiyeb Ziyauddin Saheb.
There has been, in recent years, a rapprochement between the Yemeni Mustaˤliyya and the followers of the Dāˤiyyūn based out of Mumbai. The Bohra are noted to be the more traditional of the two main groups of Ismā'īlī, maintaining rituals such as prayer and fasting more consistently with the practices of other Shīˤa sects, although a reformist movement led by Asghar Ali Engineer (Progressive Dawoodi Bohras) has emerged within the sect, challenging the authoritarian Dawoodi Bohra clergy in India.
The largest part of the Nizari Ismā'īlī community today accepts Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as their 49th Imam. The 46th Imam, Aga Hassan Ali Shah, fled Iran to South Asia in the 1840s after a failed coup against the Shah of the Qajar dynasty. Aga Hassan Ali Shah settled in Mumbai in 1848. The "Aga Khan" was recognized as the legitimate Imam over Shīˤa Ismā'īlī Muslims in Mumbai through a legal case at the Bombay high Court in 1866. The Judge in this case, Sir Joseph Arnold, ruled that the Khoja Muslim community was Ismā'īlī (and not Sunni), that the "Aga Khan" was its leader, he was due the traditional tithes of the community and that community property belonged to his Imamate.
Sub-sects
The Shia Ismaili are divided into two major sects:
Mustaˤliyya
Sulaimani Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra
Alavi Bohra
Druze
Nizarī
Nizarī are the largest Ismā'īlī group today. Aga Khan is the spiritual head. (See next few headings for information this group and its beliefs).
Qarmatians sect still exist in parts of Syria, Iraq etc





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