States
99-663: People Centers Other The doctrine of the Imamate in Isma'ilism differs from that of the Twelvers because the Isma'ilis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam went into concealment. They followed Isma'il ibn Ja'far , elder brother of Musa al-Kadhim , as the rightful Imam after his father, Ja'far al-Sadiq . The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on
198-802: A Dawr-e Satr (period of concealment) that continues to this day. In the absence of an imam they are led by a Da'i al-Mutlaq (absolute missionary) who manages the affairs of the Imam-in-Concealment until re-emergence of the Imam from concealment. The line of imams of the Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslims (also known as the Agha-khani Ismailis in South and Central Asia) continues to their present living 49th hereditary imam, Aga Khan IV (son of Prince Aly Khan ). They are
297-461: A curtain. Also, during the oppressive rule of the later Abbasid caliphs, the Shia Imams were heavily persecuted and held prisoners, thus their followers were forced to consult their Imams via messengers or secretly. Shia Tradition hold that four deputies acted in succession to one another: In 941 (329 AH), the fourth deputy announced an order by al-Mahdi, that the deputy would soon die and that
396-559: A narration: The religion will continue to be established till the hour comes as there are twelve Caliphs over them, everyone of them coming from the Quraish The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted as long as they are governed by twelve men, he then added from Quraish I will be followed by twelve Khalifas all will be Quraysh Isma%27ilism States People Centers Other Isma'ilism ( Arabic : الإسماعيلية , romanized : al-Ismāʿīliyya )
495-531: A political power with the Fatimid Caliphate in the 10th through 12th centuries. Ismailis believe in the oneness of God , 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 Isma'ili and the Twelvers both accept the same six initial Imams; the Isma'ili accept Isma'il ibn Jafar as the seventh Imam. Isma'ili thought
594-635: A population spread over many countries. According to the majority of Shī'a, namely the Twelvers ( Ithnā'ashariyya ), the following is a listing of the rightful successors to Muḥammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam except for Hussayn ibn 'Alī , who was the brother of Hassan ibn 'Alī .The belief in this succession to Muḥammad stems from various Quranic verses which include: 75:36, 13:7, 35:24, 2:30, 2:124, 36:26, 7:142, 42:23. They support their discussion by citing Genesis 17:19–20 and Sunni hadith:Sahih Muslim, Hadith number 4478, English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui. According to Twelvers, there
693-644: A rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate , who he believed were tyrannical and corrupt. Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action and the followers of Zayd believed that a true Imām must fight against corrupt rulers Archived 2019-12-28 at the Wayback Machine . The renowned Muslim jurist Abu Hanifa who is credited for the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, delivered a fatwā or legal statement in favour of Zayd in his rebellion against
792-524: A sign to clearly indicate the Divine Leader. That sign is his well-known ties of kinship with Muhammad and his clear appointment so that the people could distinguish him from others, and be clearly guided toward him. Otherwise others are nobler than Muhammad's offspring and they are to be followed and obeyed; and the offspring of Muhammad are obedient and subject to the offspring of Muhammad's enemies such as Abi Jahl or Ibn Abi Ma’eet.However, Muhammad
891-477: Is a branch or sect of Shia Islam . The Isma'ili ( / ˌ ɪ z m ɑː ˈ ɪ l iː / ) get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām ) to Ja'far al-Sadiq , wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia , who accept Musa al-Kazim , the younger brother of Isma'il, as the true Imām . After the death of Muhammad ibn Isma'il in the 8th century CE,
990-645: Is a must, and Earth cannot remain vacant, without presence of Imam. Zaidiyyah or Zaidi is a Shia madhhab (sect, school) named after the imam Zayd ibn Ali . Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or are occasionally called Fivers in the West). However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītī s who are Twelvers. In the context of the Shi'a Muslim belief in spiritual leadership or Imamate, Zaydis believe that
1089-445: Is accompanied by the word guidance, of course a guidance by God's Command. A kind of guidance which brings humanity to the goal. Regarding 17:71 , no age can be without an Imam. So, according to the upper verse, 1. Imamah is a position which is appointed by God and must be specified by Him; 2. Imam is protected by a divine protection and no one excels him in nobility; 3. No age can be without an Imam and finally Imam knows everything which
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#17327723703401188-520: Is always an Imam of the era, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community. Ali was the first of the Twelve Imams, and, in the Twelvers and Sufis' view, the rightful successor to Muhammad , followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah . Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Husayn ibn Ali , who
1287-582: Is harming a gift from God. After being set free by Yazid, Zaynab bint Ali , the daughter of Fatimah and Ali and the sister of Hasan and Husayn, started to spread the word of Karbala to the Muslim world, making speeches regarding the event. This was the first organized daʿwah of the Shia, which would later develop into an extremely spiritual institution for the Ismāʿīlīs. After the poisoning of Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in 713,
1386-778: Is heavily influenced by Neoplatonism . The larger sect of Ismaili are the Nizaris , who recognize Aga Khan IV as the 49th hereditary Imam, while other groups are known as the Tayyibi branch. The community with the highest percentage of Ismailis is Gorno-Badakhshan , but Isma'ilis can be found in Central Asia , Afghanistan , India , Pakistan , Yemen , Lebanon , Malaysia , Syria , Iran , Saudi Arabia , Jordan , Iraq , Kuwait , East Africa , Angola , Bangladesh , and South Africa , and have in recent years emigrated to Europe , Russia , Canada , Australia , New Zealand ,
1485-477: Is his Mawla." This hadith has been narrated in different ways by many different sources in no less than 45 hadith books of both Sunni and Shia collections. This hadith has also been narrated by the collector of hadiths, al-Tirmidhi, 3713; as well as Ibn Maajah, 121; etc. The major point of conflict between the Sunni and the Shia is in the interpretation of the word 'Mawla'. For the Shia the word means 'Master' and has
1584-415: Is much nobler than others to be in charge and to be obeyed. Moreover, once the prophethood of Muhammad is testified they would obey him, no one would hesitate to follow his offspring and this would not be hard for anyone. While to follow the offspring of the corrupted families is difficult. And that is maybe why the basic characteristic of Muhammad and other prophets was their nobility. For none of them, it
1683-536: Is needed for human being to get to the truth and goal. Sunnis reject the doctrine of Imamate on the basis of their interpretation of verse 33:40 of the Qur'an which says that Muhammad , as the seal of the Prophets , "is not the father of any of your men"; and that is why God let Muhammad's sons die in infancy. This is why Muhammad did not nominate a successor, as he wanted to leave the succession to be resolved "by
1782-523: Is of the Principles of Faith (Usul al-Din) . As the verse 4:165 of Quran expresses the necessity to the appointment of the prophets ; so after the demise of the prophet who will play the role of the prophet; until the people have not any plea against Allah . The same logic that necessitated the assignment of prophets also is applied for Imamah. That is Allah must assign someone similar to prophet in his attributes and Ismah as his successor to guide
1881-665: Is referred to as the Occultation . Qarmatians believed that Muhammad ibn Isma'il was Imām al-Qā'im al-Mahdi , and the last of the great messenger–prophets. On his reappearance, he would bring a new religious law by abrogating the one conveyed by the Islamic prophet Muhammad . Qarmatians recognized a series of Seven law-announcing prophets called ūlul’l-ʿazm, namely, Nūh , Ibrāhīm , Mūsā , ʿIsā , Muhammad bin ʿAbd Allāh , Ali ibn Abu Tālib , and Muhammad bin Ismā‘īl , who
1980-519: Is said, were originated from a disgraced family. It is believed that all Muhammad's ancestors up to Adam were true Muslims. Jesus was also from a pious family, as it is mentioned in Quran that after his birth, people said to Mary : "O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste." The doctrine of the Imamate in Isma'ilism differs from that of the Twelvers because
2079-537: Is your opinion and we are in the palm of your right hand." The early followers of Ali seem to have taken his guidance as "right guidance" deriving from Divine support. In other words, Ali's guidance was seen to be the expression of God's will and the Quranic message. This spiritual and absolute authority of Ali was known as walayah , and it was inherited by his successors, the Imams. In the 1st century after Muhammad,
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#17327723703402178-855: The Assassins . After the decay of the Fatimid political system in the 1160s, the Zengid ruler Nur ad-Din, atabeg of Aleppo had his general, Saladin , seize Egypt in 1169, forming the Sunni Ayyubid dynasty . This signaled the end of the Hafizi Mustaali branch of Ismailism as well as the Fatimid Caliphate. Very early in the empire's life, the Fatimids sought to spread the Isma'ili faith, which in turn would spread loyalty to
2277-812: The Black Stone from the Kaaba in Mecca in 930 under Abu Tahir al-Jannabi . Following the arrival of the Al-Isfahani, they changed their qibla from the Kaaba in Mecca to the Zoroastrian-influenced fire. After their return of the Black Stone in 951 and a defeat by the Abbasids in 976 the group slowly dwindled off and no longer has any adherents. The political asceticism practiced by
2376-565: The High Middle Ages . The Fatimids promoted ideas that were radical for that time. One was a promotion by merit rather than genealogy. Also during this period, the three contemporary branches of Isma'ilism formed. The first branch ( Druze ) occurred with the al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah . Born in 985, he ascended as ruler at the age of eleven. A religious group that began forming in his lifetime broke off from mainstream Ismailism and refused to acknowledge his successor. Later to be known as
2475-602: The Imamah ( Arabic : إمامة ) is a doctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad . Imamah further says that Imams possess divine knowledge and authority ( Ismah ) as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt , the family of Muhammad. These Imams have the role of providing commentary and interpretation of
2574-675: The Quran . He is the possessor of divine knowledge and therefore the “Prime Teacher”. According to the “Epistle of the Right Path”, a Persian Ismaili prose text from the post-Mongol period of Ismaili history , by an anonymous author, there has been a chain of Imams since the beginning of time, and there will continue to be an Imam present on the Earth until the end of time. The worlds would not exist in perfection without this uninterrupted chain of Imamate . The proof ( hujja ) and gate ( bāb ) of
2673-803: The Taiyabi and the Hafizi , the former claiming that the 21st Imam and son of al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah went into occultation and appointed a Da'i al-Mutlaq to guide the community, in a similar manner as the Isma'ili had lived after the death of Muhammad ibn Isma'il. The latter claimed that the ruling Fatimid caliph was the Imām. However, in the Mustaali branch, Dai came to have a similar but more important task. The term Da'i al-Mutlaq ( Arabic : الداعي المطلق , romanized : al-dāʿī al-muṭlaq ) literally means "the absolute or unrestricted missionary ". This da'i
2772-564: The United States , and Trinidad and Tobago . Ismailism shares its beginnings with other early Shia sects that emerged during the succession crisis that spread throughout the early Muslim community. From the beginning, the Shia asserted the right of Ali , cousin of Muhammad , 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 Fatima . The conflict remained relatively peaceful between
2871-496: The mystical path and nature of God , along with the "Imam of the Time" representing the manifestation of esoteric truth and intelligible divine reality, with the more literalistic Usuli and Akhbari groups focusing on divine law ( sharia ) and the deeds and sayings ( sunnah ) of Muhammad and the Twelve Imams who were guides and a light to God. Isma'ilism rose at one point to become the largest branch of Shia Islam, climaxing as
2970-639: The "Bohras", and there are further schisms within their Bohri tariqah. The Druze tariqah initially were part of the Fatimid Ismailis but separated from them after the death of the Fatimid Imam and Caliph Al Hakim Bi Amrillah. The Shia Sevener tariqah no longer exists. Another small tariqah is that of the Zaidi Shias, or the "Fivers;" they do not believe in the Occultation of their last Imam. Although all these different Shia tariqahs belong to
3069-511: The 2nd century does the Sunni jurist al-Shafi'i first argue that only the sunnah of Muhammad should be a source of law, and that this sunnah is embodied in hadith s. It would take another one hundred years after al-Shafi'i for Sunni Muslim jurists to fully base their methodologies on prophetic hadith s. Meanwhile, Imami Shia Muslims followed the Imams' interpretations of Islam as normative without any need for hadith s and other sources of Sunni law such as analogy and opinion. After
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3168-671: The 53rd, is Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, and he and his devout followers tread the same path, following the same tradition of the Aimmat Fatimiyyeen. The Sulaymani are mostly concentrated in Yemen and Saudi Arabia with some communities in the South Asia . The Dawoodi Bohra and Alavi Bohra are mostly exclusive to South Asia, after the migration of the da'wah from Yemen to India. Other groups include Atba-i-Malak and Hebtiahs Bohra . Mustaali beliefs and practices, unlike those of
3267-560: The Da'i al-Mutlaq. Zoeb bin Moosa was first to be instituted to this office. The office of da'i continued in Yemen up to 24th da'i Yusuf who shifted da'wat to India. . Before the shift of da'wat in India, the da'i's representative were known as Wali-ul-Hind. Syedi Hasan Feer was one of the prominent Isma'ili wali of 14th century. The line of Tayyib Da'is that began in 1132 is still continuing under
3366-646: The Da'i teachings, a group that mingled Persian nationalism and Zoroastrianism surfaced known as the Qarmatians. With their headquarters in Bahrain , they accepted a young Persian former prisoner by the name of Abu'l-Fadl al-Isfahani , who claimed to be the descendant of the Persian kings as their Mahdi, and rampaged across the Middle-East in the tenth century, climaxing their violent campaign by stealing
3465-628: The Da'i, and even acted as Da'i themselves. After raising an army and successfully defeating the Aghlabids in North Africa and a number of other victories, al-Mahdi Billah successfully established a Shia political state ruled by the Imāmate in 910. This was the only time in history where the Shia Imamate and Caliphate were united after the first Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib. In parallel with
3564-790: The Druze, they believe Al-Hakim to be the manifestation of God and the prophesied Mahdi, who would one day return and bring justice to the world. The faith further split from Ismailism as it developed unique doctrines which often class it separately from both Ismailism and Islam. Arwa al-Sulayhi was the Hujjah in Yemen from the time of Imam al Mustansir. She appointed Da'i in Yemen to run religious affairs. Ismaili missionaries Ahmed and Abadullah (in about 1067 CE (460 AH)) were also sent to India in that time. They sent Syedi Nuruddin to Dongaon to look after southern part and Syedi Fakhruddin to East Rajasthan , India. The second split occurred following
3663-715: The Imam are always aware of his presence and are witness to this uninterrupted chain. According to Nasir al-Din al-Tusi , a Nizari Ismaili intellectual of the Alamut period , the Imams are the Possessors of the Command, upon whom obedience is ordered by God in Sura an-Nisa , Ayah 59: "Obey God and obey the Messenger and the Possessors of the Command". An old command may be superseded by a newer one, and therefore those who hold to
3762-522: The Imamate in Egypt. One of their earliest attempts was taken by a missionary by the name of Hassan-i Sabbah . Hassan-i Sabbah was born into a Twelver family living in the scholarly Persian city of Qom in 1056 CE. 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 Ismāʿīlī thought; however, he did not choose to convert until he
3861-763: The Imamate in his Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah . The belief of the Twelver Imamah with the consideration of the sacred status of the four Rashidun Caliphs is shared in Sunni Islam , due to the following hadith of Muhammad: I heard the Prophet of Allah say 'Islam shall not cease to be glorious up to twelve Caliphs, every one of them being from the Quraish '". (And in a narration) "The affairs of men will not cease to decline so long as twelve men will rule over them, every one of them coming from Quraish. And in
3960-483: The Imāms during the period after Muhammad ibn Ismail was to be short-lived and finally concluded with the Imāmate of Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, who was born in 873. After decades of Ismāʿīlīs believing that Muhammad ibn Ismail was in the Occultation and would return to bring an age of justice, al-Mahdi taught that the Imāms had not been literally secluded, but rather had remained hidden to protect themselves and had been organizing
4059-566: 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 Caliphate , which had defeated and seized control from the Umayyads in 750 CE. At this point, some of the Isma'ili community believed that Muhammad ibn Isma'il had gone into the Occultation and that he would one day return. A small group traced the Imamate among Muhammad ibn Isma'il's lineal descendants. With
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4158-402: The Isma'ilis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi went into hiding . They followed Isma'il ibn Jafar, elder brother of Musa al-Kadhim , as the rightful Imam after his father, Ja'far al-Sadiq . The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il as
4257-427: The Ismāʿīlīs argue that either the death of Ismaʻil was staged in order to protect him from Abbasid persecution or that the Imamate passed to Muhammad ibn Ismaʻil in lineal descent. For some partisans of Isma'il, the Imamate ended with Isma'il ibn Ja'far. Most Ismailis recognized Muhammad ibn Ismaʻil as the next Imam and some saw him as the expected Mahdi that Ja'far al-Sadiq had preached about. However, at this point
4356-452: The Mawla for all Muslims at Ghadiri Khum Oasis just a few months before his death, the people that came to look upon Ali as Muhammad's immediate successor even before Muhammad's death came to be known as the Shia. However, for Sunnis the word simply means the 'beloved' or the 'revered' and has no other significance at all. Within Shia Islam (Shiism), the various sects came into being because they differed over their Imams' successions, just as
4455-411: The Muslim Community on the basis of the Qur’anic principle of consultation ( shura )". The question Madelung proposes here is why the family members of Muhammad should not inherit aspects of Muhammad's character, apart from prophethood, such as rule ( hukm ), wisdom ( hikma ), and leadership ( imama ). Since the Sunni concept of the "true caliphate" itself defines it as a "succession of
4554-416: The Nizari Isma'ili tradition, Hasan was "an Entrusted Imam" ( Arabic : الإمام المستودع , romanized : al-imām al-mustawdaʿ ) Husayn was the "Permanent Imam" ( Arabic : الإمام المستقر , romanized : al-imām al-mustaqar ). The Entrusted Imam is an Imam in the full sense except that the lineage of the Imamate must continue through the Permanent Imam. However, the political Caliphate
4653-413: The Nizari and Druze, are regarded as compatible with mainstream Islam, representing a continuation of Fatimid tradition and fiqh . In the 1040s, the Zirid dynasty (governors of the Maghreb under the Fatimids) declared their independence and their conversion to Sunni Islam , which led to the devastating Banu Hilal invasions. After about 1070, the Fatimid hold on the Levant coast and parts of Syria
4752-413: The Prophet in every respect except his prophethood", Madelung further asks, "If God really wanted to indicate that he should not be succeeded by any of his family, why did He not let his grandsons and other kin die like his sons?" It is narrated that it is forbidden for the Divine Leader not to be from the family of Muhammad. According to Ali al-Ridha , since it is obligatory to obey him, there should be
4851-421: The Quran as well as guidance. The word "Imām" denotes a person who stands or walks "in front". For Sunni Islam , the word is commonly used to mean a person who leads the course of prayer in the mosque . It also means the head of a madhhab ("school of thought"). However, from the Shia point of view this is merely the basic understanding of the word in the Arabic language and, for its proper religious usage,
4950-420: The Shia (as opposed to the Sunni) sect in Islam, there are major doctrinal differences between the main Shia tariqahs. After that there is the complete doctrinal break between all the different Shia tariqahs whose last Imams have gone into Occultation and the Shia Nizari Ismailis, who deny the concept of Occultation and so have to have a present and living Imam until the end of time. Shias believe that Imamah
5049-418: The Shia – Sunni separation within Islam itself came into being from the dispute that had arisen over the succession to Muhammad . Each succession dispute brought forth a different tariqah (literal meaning 'path'; extended meaning 'sect') within Shiism. Each Shia tariqah followed its own particular Imam's dynasty, resulting in different numbers of Imams for each particular Shia tariqah. When the dynastic line of
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#17327723703405148-407: The Sunni madhhabs . However, following al-Sadiq's poisoning in 765, a fundamental split occurred in the community. Ismaʻil ibn Jafar , who at one point was appointed by his father as the next Imam, appeared to have predeceased his father in 755. While Twelvers argue that either he was never heir apparent or he truly predeceased his father and hence Musa al-Kadhim was the true heir to the Imamate,
5247-590: The Umayyad ruler. He also urged people in secret to join the uprising and delivered funds to Zayd. Unlike Twelver Shi'ites, Zaydis do not believe in the infallibility of Imāms The Imamate can be passed down to anyone of the household of Muhammad. The period of occultation ( ghaybah ) is divided into two parts: During the Minor Occultation ( Ghaybah al-Sughrá ), it is believed that al-Mahdi maintained contact with his followers via deputies ( Arab. an-nuwāb al-arbaʻa or "the Four Leaders"). They represented him and acted as agents between him and his followers. Whenever
5346-440: The believers faced a problem, they would write their concerns and send them to his deputy. The deputy would ascertain his verdict, endorse it with his seal and signature and return it to the relevant parties. The deputies also collected zakat and khums on his behalf. For the Shia, the idea of consulting a hidden Imam was not something new because the two prior Twelver Imams had, on occasion, met with their followers from behind
5445-549: The body of the Shia" but "incognito". "Numerous stories" exist of the Hidden Imam "manifesting himself to prominent members of the ulama." States People Centers Other The Ismailis differ from Twelvers because they had living imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam went into concealment. They followed Isma'il ibn Jafar , elder brother of Musa al-Kadhim , as the rightful Imam after his father Ja'far al-Sadiq . The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on
5544-527: The cities, where they would be able to blend in with the rest of the population. While he was unable to do this, he nonetheless defeated their forces in subsequent battles. Regardless of these defeats, the Kharijites survived and became a violently problematic group in Islamic history. After plotting assassinations against Ali, Mu'awiya, and the arbitrator of their conflict, a Kharijite successfully assassinated Ali in 661 CE. The Imāmate then passed on to his son Hasan and then later his son Husayn . According to
5643-562: The citizens of the empire. However, he was stopped by Yazid's army in Karbala during the month of Muharram . His family was starved and deprived of water and supplies, until eventually the army came in on the tenth day and martyred 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 Shia psyche. The Twelvers as well as Musta'li Isma'ili still mourn this event during an occasion known as Ashura . The Nizari Isma'ili, however, do not mourn this in
5742-486: The command rather than the Commander, in the Ismaili view, may go astray. Through this framework, the Ismailis give primacy to the living Word, or the Imam of the Time, over the recorded word. The Nizari and Musta'li have several Imams in common; the Nizari consider Ali the first Imam and his son Hasan a pir while the Musta'li label him al-Asās or "the Foundation" and call Hasan the first Imam. Imamate in Shia doctrine Including: In Shia Islam ,
5841-418: The conversion of his student as well as the mental and spiritual well-being. The Da'i was a guide and light to the Imam. The teacher-student relationship of the Da'i and his student was much like the one that would develop in Sufism . The student desired God, and the Da'i could bring him to God by making him recognize the Imam, who possesses the knowledge of the Oneness of God. The Da'i and Imam were respectively
5940-456: The death of al-Mustansir Billah in 1094 CE. His rule was the longest of any caliph in both the Fatimid and other Islamic empires. After he died, his sons Nizar , the older, and al-Musta'li , the younger, fought for political and spiritual control of the dynasty. Nizar was defeated and jailed, but according to Nizari sources his son escaped to Alamut , where the Iranian Isma'ilis had accepted his claim. The Musta'li line split again between
6039-422: The death of Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn and his family were increasingly worried about the religious and political persecution that was becoming commonplace under the reign of Mu'awiya's son, Yazid . Amidst this turmoil in 680, Husayn along with the women and children of his family, upon receiving invitational letters and gestures of support by Kufis, wished to go to Kufa and confront Yazid as an intercessor on part of
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#17327723703406138-407: The death of the twentieth Imam , al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah (d. AH 526 (1131/1132)), his two-year-old child at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim (b. AH 524 (1129/1130)) was appointed twenty-first Imam. The supporters of Tayyeb became the Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī . As Tayyeb was not in position to run the dawah , Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi , the Da'i al-Mutlaq , acted as his regent . Imam Tayyeb was hidden, and
6237-408: The deputyship would end and the period of the Major Occultation would begin. The fourth deputy died six days later and the Shia Muslims continue to await the reappearance of the Mahdi. In the same year, many notable Shia scholars such as Ali ibn Babawayh Qummi and Muhammad ibn Ya'qub Kulayni , the learned compiler of Kitab al-Kafi , also died. One view is that the Hidden Imam is on earth "among
6336-489: The dynasty's claim of descent from ʻAlī and Fāṭimah , the empire was named "Fatimid". However, this was not without controversy, and recognizing the extent that Ismāʿīlī doctrine had spread, the Abbasid Caliphate assigned Sunni and Twelver scholars the task to disprove the lineage of the new dynasty. This became known as the Baghdad Manifesto , which tries to trace the lineage of the Fatimids to an alleged Jewish blacksmith . The Fatimid Caliphate expanded quickly under
6435-412: The earliest text of the Ismaili school of thought is said to be the Umm al-kitab (The Archetypal Book), a conversation between Muhammad al-Baqir and three of his disciples. This tradition would pass on to his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq , who inherited the Imāmate 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
6534-524: The exception of the last Imam, who according to Twelver and Alevi belief, is living in occultation. The Ismaili line of imams for both sects (the Nizari and Musta'li ) continues undivided until al-Mustansir Billah (d. 1094). After his death the line of the imamat separates into the Nizari and Musta'li dynasties. The line of imams of the Musta'li Muslims (also known as the Bohras/ Dawoodi Bohra ) continued up to Aamir ibn Mustali. After his death, they believe their 21st Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim went into
6633-672: The first succession crisis of the Shia arose with Zayd ibn ʻAlī 's companions and the Zaydīs who claimed Zayd ibn ʻAlī as the Imām, whilst the rest of the Shia upheld Muhammad al-Baqir as the Imām. The Zaidis argued that any sayyid or "descendant of Muhammad through Hasan or Husayn" who rebelled against tyranny and the injustice of his age could be the Imām. The Zaidis created the first Shia states in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. In contrast to his predecessors, Muhammad al-Baqir focused on academic Islamic scholarship in Medina , where he promulgated his teachings to many Muslims, both Shia and non-Shia, in an extremely organized form of Daʿwah. In fact,
6732-401: The inner esoteric ( batin ) meaning of the revelation. Each sāmit in turn was followed by Seven Imāms called atimmā', who guarded the true meaning of the scriptures and the laws. In the Ismaili interpretation, the Imam is the guide and the intercessor between humans and God, and the individual through whom God is recognized. He is also responsible for the interpretation ( ta’wil ) of
6831-419: The leader of the Ummah or Muslim community must be Fatimids : descendants of Muhammad through his only surviving daughter Fatimah , whose sons were Hasan ibn ʻAlī and Husayn ibn ʻAlī . These Shi'a called themselves Zaydi so they could differentiate themselves from other Shi'is who refused to take up arms with Zayd ibn Ali. Zaydis believe Zayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to the Imamate because he led
6930-465: The main sect known as Dawoodi Bohra (see list of Dai of Dawoodi Bohra ). The Musta'li split several times over disputes regarding who was the rightful Da'i al-Mutlaq, the leader of the community within The Occultation . After the 27th Da'i, Syedna Dawood bin Qutub Shah, there was another split; the ones following Syedna Dawood came to be called Dawoodi Bohra, and followers of Suleman were then called Sulaimani. Dawoodi Bohra's present Da'i al Mutlaq,
7029-433: The mantle of the imamate to his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il as the next imam. Including: According to some early Isma'ilis, the Seveners , as well as the Qarmatians , a splinter group, the number of imams was fixed, with seven Imams preordained by God. These groups consider Muhammad ibn Isma'il , the foundation Imam of the Isma'ili branch of Shia Islam , to be the Mahdi and to be preserved in hiding, which
7128-681: The mantle of the imamate to his son Muḥammad ibn Ismail as the next imam. Thus, their line of imams is as follows (the years of their individual imamats during the Common Era are given in brackets): The eighth Imam, Abd Allah al-Akbar of the Ismaili Shia remained hidden but continued the Ismaili movement in the 9th century in Salamiyah , Syria . The eighth to tenth Imams ( Abadullah , Ahmed and Husain ), remained hidden and worked for
7227-492: The movement against the period's time's rulers. First phase of seclusion ends with 10th Imam. The 11th Imam Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah , under the guise of being a merchant, and his son had made their way to Sijilmasa , fleeing persecution by the Abbasids . Imam Abdullah founded Fatimid Caliphate . The Fatimid Ismaili Imams continued until 20th Imam holding the post of caliph also, ruling a vast part of Arabian peninsula. Upon
7326-539: The next imam. According to Isma'ilism, God has sent seven great prophets known as Nātiq s "Speaker" in order to disseminate and improve his dīn of Islam . All of these great prophets has also one assistant known as Sāmad "Silent" Imām. At the end of each seven Sāmad silsilas , one great Nātiq has been sent in order to improve the faith. After Adam and his son Seth , and after six Nātiq–Sāmad silsila ( Noah – Shem ), ( Abraham – Ishmael ), ( Moses – Aaron ), ( Jesus – Simeon, son of Jacob ), ( Muhammad – Ali );
7425-475: The only Shia Muslim community today led by a present and living (Hazir wa Mawjud) imam. The Zaidi branch of Shi'ism established its own line of Imams starting in the year 897; the line continued without interruption until 1962 when the North Yemen Civil War brought the Imamate to an end and established a republic. Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH/1328 AD) composed a long refutation of the notion of
7524-485: The other hand, originally included Ali ibn Abu Tālib instead of Adam in their list of law-announcing prophets. Later substitution of Adam in place of Ali as one of the nātiqs, and the reduction of Ali's rank from a prophet level to that of Muhammad's successor indicate the renouncement of their extremist views. Furthermore, they believed that each of the first six nātiqs were succeeded by a spiritual legatee called wāsi or foundation asās or silent sāmit, who interpreted
7623-582: The partisans of Ali and those who asserted a semi-democratic system of electing caliphs, until the third of the Rashidun caliphs , Uthman was killed, and Ali, with popular support, ascended to the caliphate. Soon after his ascendancy, Aisha , the third of Muhammad's wives, claimed along with Uthman's tribe, the Umayyads , that Ali should take qisas (blood for blood) from the people responsible for Uthman's death. Ali voted against it, as he believed that
7722-423: The people without any deviation in religion. They refer to the verse ("...This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion...") 5:3 of Quran which was revealed to the prophet when he appointed Ali as his successor at the day of Ghadir Khumm . By the verse Quran, 2:124 , Shias believe that Imamah is a divine position always Imamah
7821-404: The post of hujjah long before by Imām Mustansir at the death of her husband. She ran the da'wat from Yemen in the name of Imaam Tayyib. She was instructed and prepared by Imam Mustansir and ran the dawat from Yemen in the name of Imaam Tayyib, 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
7920-489: The relationship of esoteric Shia with early Islamic mysticism. Likewise is the book an important source of information regarding the various movements within tenth-century Shīa leading to the spread of the Fatimid-Isma'ili da'wa throughout the medieval Islamicate world and the religious and philosophical history of post-Fatimid Musta'li branch of Isma'ilism in Yemen and India. While many of the Isma'ili were content with
8019-472: The same elevated significance as when the term had been used to address Muhammad himself during his lifetime. Thus, when Muhammad actually (by speech) and physically (by way of having his closest companions including Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman [the three future Caliphs who had preceded Ali as Caliph] publicly accept Ali as their Master by taking Ali's hand in both of theirs as token of their allegiance to Ali) transferred this title and manner of addressing Ali as
8118-555: The same way because of the belief that the light of the Imam never dies but rather passes on to the succeeding Imām, making mourning arbitrary. However, during commemoration they do not have any celebrations in Jama'at Khana during Muharram and may have announcements or sessions regarding the tragic events of Karbala . Also, individuals may observe Muharram in a wide variety of ways. This respect for Muharram does not include self-flagellation and beating because they feel that harming one's body
8217-515: The second phase of seclusion started. The Da'i had now been given absolute authority and made independent from political activity. With the period of time the Tayyibi divided further into several sects headed by different Dais. These Da'i al-Mutlaq continued acting on behalf of the hidden Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī Imams until date. Dawoodi Bohra is the biggest sub-sect amongst the Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī with
8316-593: The separating successor Imam ended with no heir to succeed him, then either he (the last Imam) or his unborn successor was believed to have gone into a concealment known as The Occultation . The Shia tariqah with a majority of adherents are the Twelvers who are commonly known as "Shia". After that come the Nizari Ismailis commonly known as the Ismailis , then the Mustalian Ismailis also called
8415-501: The side of Mu'awiya 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 that subjecting his legitimate authority to arbitration was tantamount to apostasy, and abandoned his forces. This group was known as the Khawarij and Ali wished to defeat their forces before they reached
8514-543: The silsila of Nātiq s and Sāmad s have been completed with Muhammad ibn Isma'il . Ismailis view Imams as the true representative of God. God has made all prophets his representative. Individual prophets era are distinct. After one prophets God created next prophet. Islam view that Mohammed is last prophet. Mohammed appointed his specific representative Ali. Ali made imams as his next representative and one imam appointed another until date. The Isma'ili view that these Imam are only from their hereditary chain and their appointment
8613-555: The silsila of “Nātıqs and Sāmads have been completed with ( Muhammad bin Ismā‘īl as-ṣaghīr ( Maymūn al-Qaddāh ) – ʿAbd Allāh Ibn-i Maymūn and his sons). Early Ismāʿīlis believed that hierarchical history of the mankind is created in Seven Eras of various durations each one inaugurated by "speaker- prophet " (known as nātiq ). In the first Six Eras of human history, nātiqs or ūlul’l-ʿazm had been Adam , Nūh , Ibrāhīm , Mūsā , ʿIsā , Muhammad bin ʿAbd Allāh . Qarmatians, on
8712-594: The situation at the time demanded a peaceful resolution of the matter. Though both parties could rightfully defend their claims, due to escalated misunderstandings, the Battle of the Camel was fought and Aisha was defeated, but was respectfully escorted to Medina by Ali. Following this battle, Mu'awiya I , the Umayyad governor of Syria, also staged a revolt under the same pretences. Ali led his forces against Mu'awiya until
8811-509: The spiritual mother and spiritual father of the Isma'ili believers. Ja'far bin Mansur al-Yaman's The Book of the Sage and Disciple is a classic of early Fatimid literature, documenting important aspects of the development of the Isma'ili da'wa in tenth-century Yemen. The book is also of considerable historical value for modern scholars of Arabic prose literature as well as those interested in
8910-630: The status and location of the Imams not known to the community, the concealed Isma'ili Imams began to propagate the faith through Da'iyyun from its base in Syria. This was the start of the spiritual beginnings of the Daʿwah that would later play important parts in the all Ismaili branches, especially the Nizaris and the Musta'lis. The Da'i was not a missionary in the typical sense, and he was responsible for both
9009-656: The subsequent Imams. Under the Fatimids, Egypt became the center of an empire that included at its peak North Africa , Sicily , Palestine , Syria , the Red Sea coast of Africa, Yemen , Hejaz and the Tihamah . Under the Fatimids, Egypt flourished and developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean , which eventually determined the economic course of Egypt during
9108-445: 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 ) of the Islamic religion. With the eventual development of Usulism and Akhbarism into the more literalistic ( zahir ) oriented, Shia Islam developed into two separate directions: the metaphorical Ismaili, Alevi , Bektashi , Alian , and Alawite groups focusing on
9207-456: The term 'sunnah' was not specifically defined as " Sunnah of the Prophet", but was used in connection to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and some Umayyad Caliphs. The idea of hadith , or traditions ascribed to Muhammad, was not mainstream, nor was hadith criticised. Even the earliest legal texts by Malik b. Anas and Abu Hanifa employ many methods including analogical reasoning and opinion and do not rely exclusively on hadith . Only in
9306-508: The word "Imam" is applicable only to those members of the house of Muhammad designated as infallible by the preceding Imam. The Shia further believe only these A'immah have the right to be Caliphs, meaning that all other caliphs, whether elected by consensus ( Ijma ) or not, are usurpers of the Caliphate as those were political positions not divine positions. All Muslims believe that Muhammad had said: "To whomsoever I am Mawla , Ali
9405-676: Was challenged by first Turkish invasions, then the First Crusade , so that Fatimid territory shrunk until it consisted only of Egypt. Damascus fell to the Seljuk Empire in 1076, leaving the Fatimids only in charge of Egypt and the Levantine coast up to Tyre and Sidon . Because of the vehement opposition to the Fatimids from the Seljuks, the Ismaili movement was only able to operate as a terrorist underground movement, much like
9504-423: Was soon taken over by Mu'awiya, the only leader in the empire at that time with an army large enough to seize control. Even some of Ali's early followers regarded him as "an absolute and divinely guided leader", whose demands of his followers were "the same kind of loyalty that would have been expected for the Prophet". For example, one of Ali's supporters who also was devoted to Muhammad said to him: "our opinion
9603-589: Was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali . The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi , who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and hidden in the Major Occultation until he returns to bring justice to the world. It is believed by Twelver and Alevi Muslims that the Twelve Imams have been foretold in the Hadith of the Twelve Successors . All of the Imams met unnatural deaths, with
9702-399: Was the only source of the Imam's knowledge after the occultation of al-Qasim in Musta'li thought. According to Taiyabi Ismaili tradition, after the death of Imam al-Amir, his infant son, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim , about 2 years old, was protected by the most important woman in Musta'li history after Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah. She was Arwa al-Sulayhi , a queen in Yemen. She was promoted to
9801-589: Was the seal of the series. According to the early Ismāʿīlis, God sent Seven great prophets , known as nātiq "speakers", in order to disseminate and improve Islam. All of these great prophets has an assistant, the Sāmad (Silent) Imam. After six silent imams, a nātiq was sent to reinvigorate Islam. After Adam and his son Seth , and after six “Nātiq” (Speaker) – “Sāmad” (Silent) silsila ( Noah – Shem ), ( Abraham – Ishmael ), ( Moses – Aaron or Joshua ), ( Jesus – Simeon ), ( Muhammad bin ʿAbd Allāh – Ali ibn Abu Tālib );
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