History of the Shī‘a Imāmī Ismā'īlī Ṭarīqah
Encyclopedia
The History of the Shī‘a Imāmī Ismā'īlī Ṭarīqah (Nizari
) from the founding of Islam covers a period of over 1400 years. It begins with the mission of the prophet Muhammad to restore to humanity the universality and knowledge of the oneness of the divine within the Abrahamic tradition, through the final message and what Shia believe was the appointment of Ali
Ibn Talib as successor and guardian of that message in both the spiritual and temporal authority of Muhammad
, through the institution of Imamate
.
A few months before his death, Muhammad who resided in the city of Medina
made his first and final pilgrimage (Al Hajj) to Mecca
, a journey referred to as The Farewell Pilgrimage
. There, atop Mount Arafat
, he addressed the Muslim masses in what came to be known as The Farewell Sermon
. After completion of the Hajj
pilgrimage, Muhammad journeyed back toward his home in Medina with other pilgrims.
During the journey, Muhammad stopped at the desert oasis of Khumm, and requested other pilgrims gather together, and there he addressed them with the famous words:
Following Muhammads death the Shiat al- Ali (Party of Ali) believed Ali had been designated not merely as the political successor to Muhammad (Caliph) but also his spiritual successor. And looked toward Ali and his most trusted supporters for both political and spiritual guidance. Ali's descendants were also the only descendants of Muhammad as Ali had married Muhammads only surviving progeny in the person of Fatima Az-Zahra. And through the generations the mantle of leadership of the Shi'at Al-Ali would pass through the progeny of Ali and Fatima known as the Ahl al-Bayt
the (Household of Muhammad
), embodied in the head of the family, the Imam. Among the Shia both the Ismāʿīli and Twelvers accept the same initial Imāms from the descendants of Muħammad
through his daughter Fāṭima az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history.
(Household of Muhammad
). A highly accomplished theologian Ja'far tutored Abu Hanifa who would go onto found the Hanafi
Madhab (school of jurisprudence), the largest Sunni legal school in practice today, Malik Ibn Anas
founder of the Maliki Sunni madhab (school of jurisprudence), and Wasil Ibn Ata
who foundered the Mutzillite school of thought which all major Sunni Jurisprudence schools follow.
During a period of rapid change, when Muslims no longer threatened were beginning to concern themselves with questions like "what does it mean to be a Muslim?". Most sought answers from the new learned classes which would eventually develop into Sunni Islam
, but for some the answers to such questions were always sought from Muhammad's family the Ahl al-Bayt as led by Imam Jaʿfar Saddiq; who saw the need for a systematic school of thought for those who sought guidance, and were loyal to Muhammad's family, as distinct from the new scholar schools which would synthesis into Sunni Islam. His answer was the Imāmi or Ja‘fāriyya Madhab (School of jurisprudence). This period marks the founding of the distinct religious views of both the Shia and Sunni.
Imām Ja'far as-Sadiq was married to Fāṭima, herself a member of the Ahl al-Bayt
. Together they had two sons, Ismā'īl al-Mubarak (the blessed) and his younger brother Abd-Allah
. Following Fatima's death Imām Ja'far as-Sadiq was said to be so devastated he refused to ever remarry.
The majority of available sources - both Ismā'īli and Twelver as well as Sunni - indicate that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq designated Ismā'īl as his successor and the next Imam after him by the rule of "nass" and there is no doubt concerning the authenticity of this designation. However, it is controversially believed that Ismā'īl predeceased his father. However, the same sources report Ismā'īl being seen three days after in Basra. His closest supporters believed Ismail had gone into hiding to protect his life. Therefore, upon as-Sadiq's death, a group of Jafar A'Sadiq's followers turned to the eldest surviving son of al-Sadiq, Abd-Allah, because he was the son of the daughter of the Khalifa, and because he was the oldest son of Jafar al-Sadiq after Ismā'īl's death. He claimed a second designation following Ismā'īl's disappearance. Later most of them went back to the doctrine of the Imamate of his brother, Musa, together with the evidence for the right of the latter and the clear proofs of his Immmate (i.e. his character) When Abd-Allah died within weeks without an heir, many more turned again to another son of as-Sadiq, Musa al-Kazim a son from a slave named Umm Hamida, who Ja'far had taken after his wife's death. While some had already accepted him as the Imam following the death of Jafar as-Sadiq, Abd-Allah's supporters now aligned themselves with him giving him the majority of the Shia.
Ismā'īlīs argue that since a defining quality of an Imām is his infallibility, Ja'far as-Sadiq could not have mistakenly passed his nass on to someone who would be either unfit or predecease him. Therefore, the Imam after Ismā'īl was his eldest son Muhammad b. Ismā'īl - known as al-Maktūm.
Imam Muhammad al-Maktūm, retained Ismā'īl s closest supporters, who were few in number but highly disciplined, consisting of philosophers, scientists, and theologians; like his father Imam Muhammad retained an interest in Greek philosophy
, political, and scientific thought. Muhmmad al-Maktūm was himself several years the senior of his half uncle Mūsā al-Kādhim
. Muhammad al-Maktūm reconciled with his uncle Mūsā l-Kādhim, and left Medina
with his father's most loyal supporters, effectively disappearing from historical records and instituting an era of Dar al-Satr (epoch of veiling) when the Imams would vanish from public view. There followed a period when mysterious intellectual writings of an Ismā'īlī character appeared, most famously the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-safa' (the epistles of Brethren of Purity
) an enormous compendium of 52 epistles dealing with a wide variety of subjects including mathematics, natural sciences, psychology (psychical sciences) and theology. Isma'ili leadership also produced an array of propaganda attacking the political and religious establishments with calls for popular revolution, through a Dāʻwa propagation machine called "Callers to Islām".
This distinctive characteristic of the Ismāʿīlī to challenge established social, economic, and intellectual norms with their vision of a just society was opposed directly opposed to Twelver quietism and political apathy and would be a hallmark of Ismāʿīlī history.
, correctly known as ʻAbdu l-Lāh al-Mahdī, had emigrated to North Africa and successfully established the new Fatimid
state in Tunisia. His successors subsequently succeeded in conquering all of North Africa (including highly-prized Egypt) and the Fertile Crescent
, and even holding Mecca
and Medina
in Arabia. The capital for the Fatimid state subsequently shifted to the newly-founded city of Cairo
(al-Qāhira), meaning "The Victorious," in honour of the Ismāʿīlī military victories, from which the Fatimid Caliph
-Imāms ruled for several generations, establishing their new city as a centre for culture and civilization. It boasted the world's first university, the Al-Azhar University, and the Dar Al-Hikma. where the study of mathematics, art, biology, and philosophy reached new heights in the known world.
A fundamental split amongst the Ismāʿīlī occurred as the result of a dispute over which son should succeed the 18th Imam and Fatmid Caliph Mustansir
. While Nizar
was originally designated Imam, his younger brother Musta'li
was promptly installed as Imam in Cairo with the help of the powerful Armenian Vizier
Badr al-Jamali, whose daughter he was married to. Badr al-Jamali claimed that Imam Mustansir
had changed his choice of successor upon his death bed, appointing his younger son Musta'li
(who was married to the daughter of Badr al-Jamali).
Although Nizar
contested this claim, he was defeated after a short military campaign and imprisoned; however, he did gain support from an Ismāʿīlī Dāʿī based in Iran, Hassan as-Sabbah. Hassan as-Sabbah is noted by Western writers to have been the leader of the legendary "Assassins
".
(909-934) founder of the Fatimid dynasty (934-946) (946-953) (953-975) Egypt is conquered during his reign (975-996) (996-1021) (1021–1036) (1036–1094) (1094–1101) Quarrels over his succession led to the Nizari split.
Hassan began converting local inhabitants and much of the military stationed at the fortress to the Ismā'īlī ideals of social justice and free thinking as he plotted to take over the fortress. During the final stages of his plan, he is believed to have lived within the fortress - possibly working as a chef - under the pseudonym "Dihkunda." He seized the fortress in 1090 AD from its then-ruler, a Zaidi Shia named Mahdi. This marks the founding of the Nizari Ismāʿīlī state. Mahdi's life was spared, and he later received 3,000 gold Dinars in compensation.
Hassan as-Sabbah termed his doctrine Al-Dawa al-Jadida ("The New Preaching") to contrast the Fatimid "Old Preaching". He was viewed as the Hujjah or "Proof" of the Imam, having direct secret contact with Imam Nizar and his rightful successors. Hassan as-Sabbah is also known as the first of the Seven Lords of Alamut, as he chose this secluded fortress as his base.
Under the leadership of Hassan as-Sabbah and the succeeding Lords of Alamut, the statergy of covert capture was successfully replicated at strategic fortresses across Iran, Iraq, and the Fertile Crescent. The Nizari Isma'ili created a state of unconnected fortresses, surrounded by huge swathes of hostile territory, and managed a unified power structure that proved more effective than either that in Fatimid Cairo, or Seljuq Bagdad, both of which suffered political instability, particularly during the transition between leaders. These periods of internal turmoil allowed the Ismāʿīlī state respite from attack, and even to have such sovereignty as to have minted their own coinage.
The Fortress of Alamut was thought impregnable to any military attack, and was fabled for its heavenly gardens, impressive libraries, and laboratories where philosophers, scientists, and theologians could debate all matters in intellectual freedom.
before being dispatched as agents although modern scholarship tends to dispute this theory as polemic fabricated to discredit the Isma'ili. Other theories suggest the term originates from them being followers of "Hassan". The term entered Western vocabulary through the returning Crusaders as "assassin".
The fortress was destroyed on December 15, 1256, by Hulagu Khan
as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic Southwest Asia. The Hashshashin made a critical mistake in the murder of Genghis Khan's son, Jagati, who ruled part of Persia. Jagati had offended the Ismali's and Hashshashin by forbidding certain rituals involved in prayer and slaughter of food animals.
In 1256, the Mongols took their revenge. Most of the Hashshashin were killed and their mountaintop fortresses destroyed. The Church Knights, already weakened by Mongol incursions and civil war, did not send assistance.
The Hashshashin leader, Rukn ad-Din Khurshah, sought to negotiate with Mongu Khan. He failed to obtain an audience, and he and his party were murdered while returning home. Later, his family was captured and subject to long and tortured deaths.
The last Lord, Rukn ad-Din Khurshah surrendered it as part of a deal with Hulagu. However, the Monguls slaughtered the inhabitants, burnt the libraries, and brought down the fortifications. Isma'ili survivors made several attempts to recapture, and restore Alamut, and several other Isma'ili forts, but were defeated. In subsequent years, the punishment for anyone suspected of being Ismā'īlī would be instant death, it was common for political or social enemies to claim their rivals as secret Isma'ili, and call for their deaths.
The Ismā'īlī Imāms, and their followers would wander Iran for several centuries in concealment, The Imāms would often take on the garb of a tailor, or mystic master, and their followers as Sufi Muslims. During this period Iranian Sufism, and Ismāʿīlīsm would form a close bond.
, near the Shi’i centres of Qumm and Kashan. The Anjudan period constituted a revival of Ismaili political stability, for the first time since the fall of Alamut. Owing to the village in which it occurred, this revival is commonly termed the "Anjudān period".
to the Imāmate in 1957, aged just 20, and still an undergraduate at Harvard University. He was referred to as "the Imam of the Atomic age". The period following his accession can be characterized as one of rapid political and economic change. Planning of programs and institutions became increasingly difficult due to the rapid changes in newly-emerging post colonial nations where many of his followers resided. Upon becoming Imām, Karim's immediate concern was the preparation of his followers, wherever they lived, for the changes that lay ahead. This rapidly evolving situation called for bold initiatives and new programs to reflect developing national aspirations, in the newly independent nations.
In Africa, Asia and the Middle East, a major objective of the Community's social welfare and economic programs, until the mid-fifties, had been to create a broad base of businessmen, agriculturists, and professionals. The educational facilities of the community tended to emphasize secondary-level education. With the coming of independence, each nation's economic aspirations took on new dimensions, focusing on industrialization and modernization of agriculture. The community's educational priorities had to be reassessed in the context of new national goals, and new institutions had to be created to respond to the growing complexity of the development process.
In 1972, under the regime of the then President Idi Amin
, Ismā'īlīs and other Asians were expelled despite being citizens of the country and having lived there for generations. Karim undertook urgent steps to facilitate the resettlement of Ismāʿīlīs displaced from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and also from Burma. Owing to his personal efforts most found homes, not only in Asia, but also in Europe and North America. Most of the basic resettlement problems were overcome remarkably rapidly. This was due to the adaptability of the Ismāʿīlīs themselves and in particular to their educational background and their linguistic abilities, as well as the efforts of the host countries and the moral and material support from Ismāʿīlī community programs.
In view of the importance that Islām places on maintaining a balance between the spiritual well-being of the individual and the quality of his life, the Imām's guidance deals with both aspects of the life of his followers. The Aga Khan has encouraged Ismā'īlī Muslims, settled in the industrialized world, to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programs. Indeed the Economist noted: that Isma'ili immigrant communities, integrated seamlessly as an immigrant community, and did better at attaining graduate and post graduate degrees, "far surpassing their native, Hindu, Sikh, fellow Muslims, and Chinese communities".
Notable Isma'ili include:
with its Faculty of Health Sciences and teaching hospital based in Karachi, the expansion of schools
for girls and medical centers
in the Hunza region, one of the remote parts of Northern Pakistan bordering on China and Afghanistan, to the establishment of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program in Gujarat, India, and the extension of existing urban hospitals
and primary health care centers in Tanzania and Kenya. These initiatives form part of an international network of institutions involved in fields that range from education, health and rural development, to architecture and the promotion of private sector enterprise and together make up the Aga Khan Development Network
.
It is this commitment to man's dignity and relief of humanity that inspires the Ismā'īlī Imāmat's philanthropic institutions. Giving of one's competence, sharing one's time, material or intellectual ability with those among whom one lives, for the relief of hardship, pain or ignorance is a deeply ingrained tradition which shapes the social conscience of the Ismā'īlī Muslim community.
winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki was commissioned to design a new kind of community structure resembling an embassy in Canada, The "Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
" opened in 8 December 2008, the building will be composed of two large interconnected spaces an atrium and a courtyard. The atrium is an interior space to be used all year round. It is protected by a unique glass dome made of multi-faceted, angular planes assembled to create the effect of rock crystal the Aga Khan asked Maki to consider the qualities of "rock crystal" in his design, which during the Fatimid Empire was valued by the Imams. Within the glass dome is an inner layer of woven glass-fibre fabric which will appear to float and hover over the atrium. The Delegation building sits along sussex drive near the Canadian parliament. Future Delegation buildings are planned for other capitals, beginning with Lisbon, Portugal.
In addition to primary and secondary schools, the Aga Khan Academies were set up to equip future leaders in the developing world with a leading standard education. The Aga Khan Museum, which will open in Toronto, Canada, will be the first museum dedicated to islamic civilization in the west, due for completion in 2011 it will be dedicated to the "acquisition, preservation and display of artefacts - from various periods and geographies - relating to the intellectual, cultural, artistic and religious heritage of Islamic communities". A series of new Isma'ili centre are underway, including Toronto, Canada; Paris, France; Houston, Texas; Dushabi and the Pamir; Tajikistan.
1. 'Alī ibn Abī Tālib
, died 661 CE
2. Husayn, son of Ali, died 680
3. 'Alī Zayn al-Ābidīn, son of Husain, died 713
4. Muḥammad al-Bāqir
, son of Ali Zayn, died 732
5. Ja'far aṣ-Ṣādiq, son of Muhammad, died 765
The Ismā'īlīya and Ithna' Ashariya split:
6. Ismā'īl
, Jafar's son and designated heir, 755 accepted as Imam by the Ismailis.
7. Muhammad ibn Ismā'īl, Ismail's son, died under the reign of Harun al-Rashid
(786-809)
A Period of Concealment:
The Ismā'īlī leave Mecca and propagate their faith in secret, and produce literature against the established state.
8. Wafī Ahmad
Also known as Abd'Allah.
9. Ahmed Taqī Muhammad
, son of Abd'Allah.
10. Radhī ad-dīn 'Abd Allah, son of Muhammad
The Fatimid Empire
The Ismā'īlī re-emerge and found the Fatimid Empire in north Africa, proclaiming themselves Caliphs of the Islamic world.
11. Ubaydullāh al-Mahdī billāh
, openly announced himself as Imam, 1st Fatimid Caliph, died 934
12. Muḥammad al-Qā'im bi-'Amrillāh 2nd Fatimid Caliph, died 946
13. Ismāʿīl al-Manṣūr
, 3rd Fatimid Caliph, died 953
14. Maʿād al-Muʿizz li-Dīnillāh, 4th Fatimid Caliph, died 975
15. Abū Manṣūr Nizār al-ʿAzīz billāh, 5th Fatimid Caliph, died 996
16. Al-Ḥakīm bi-Amri 'l-llāh
, 6th Fatimid Caliph, disappeared 1021.
The Druze
believe in the divinity of Al-Hakim's disappearance, believed by them to be the occultation of the Mahdi
.
17. ʿAlī az-Zāhir li-Iʿzāz Dīnillāh
, son of al-Hakim, 7th Fatimid Caliph, died 1036.
18. Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh, 8th Fatimid Caliph, died (1094)
The Lords of Alamut:
Imam Nizar is imprisoned and Hassan-i-Sabbah leads a rebellion in his cause, working toward establishing Alamut as the centre of a new state, later the crusaders would mark them out as the Order of the Hashshashin
(Assassins).
19. Nizār ibn al-Mustanṣir billāh
, son of al-Mustansir, died in prison 1094
20. Al-Hādī (escapes to Alamut with a Nizari Da'i Abul Hasan Saidi, remained concealed from public)
21. Al-Muhtadī (remained concealed from public)
22. Al-Qāhir (aka: Hasan I, remained concealed from public)
23. Hasan ala-dhikrihi as-Salaam (Hasan II) - son of Imam al-Qahir and the first Nizari Imam of Alamut to openly declare himself as such, died in 1166
24. Nūru-d-Dīn Muḥammad II, son of Hassan II, openly declared himself the Imam, died 1210
25. Jalālu-d-Dīn Ḥassan III, son of Muhammad II, died 1221
26. ʿAlāʾud-Dīn Muḥammad III, son of Hassan III, died 1255
27. Ruknud-Dīn Khurshāh, son of Muhammad III,
The Last Lord of Alamut Ruknud-Dīn Khurshah, surrendered to Hulagu Khan
in 1256. He travelled to the court of Khublai Khan, but was murdered on the journey back.
The Period of Concealment:
Nizari Ismā'īlī communities manage to survive the destruction of their state, and practice secretly to escape persecution, forming a close relationship with Sufism.
28. Shams Al-Din Muhammad
29. Qāsim Shāh
30. Islām Shāh
31. Muḥammad ibn Islām Shāh
32. Mustanṣir billāh II
33. Abd as-Salām Shāh
34. Gharīb Mirzā / Mustanṣir billāh III
the Anjudan Renaissance
By the 15th century, a mini renaissance begins to deveop in the village Anjudan near Mahallat
.
35. Abū Dharr ʿAlī Nūru-d-Dīn
36. Murād Mirzā
37. Dhu al-Fiqār ʿAlī Khalīlullāh I
38. Nūru ad-Dahr (Nūru-d-Dīn) ʿAlī
39. Khalīl Allāh II ʿAlī
40. Shāh Nizār II
41. Sayyid ʿAlī
42. Ḥassan ʿAlī
43. Qāsim ʿAlī (Sayyid Jaʿfar)
44. Abu al-Ḥassan ʿAlī (Bāqir Shāh)
45. Shāh Khalīlullāh III
The Aga Khans:
The age of the Agha Khans begins, and final steps toward unifying and reorganising the Ismāʿīlī community start in earnest.
46. Ḥassan Alī Shāh Āgā Khān I
, died 1881
47. Āqā Alī Shāh Āgā Khān II
, son of Aga Khan I, died 1885
48. Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh Āgā Khān III
, son of Aga Khan II, died 1957
The Current Ismā'īlī Imām:
49. Shāh Karīm-al-Ḥussaynī, His Highness Prince Karīm Āgā Khān IV
A list of the Ismāʿīlī Imāms can also be found here.
Nizari
'The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī , is a path of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority...
) from the founding of Islam covers a period of over 1400 years. It begins with the mission of the prophet Muhammad to restore to humanity the universality and knowledge of the oneness of the divine within the Abrahamic tradition, through the final message and what Shia believe was the appointment of Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
Ibn Talib as successor and guardian of that message in both the spiritual and temporal authority of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, through the institution of Imamate
Imamate
The word Imamate is an Arabic word with an English language suffix meaning leadership. Its use in theology is confined to Islam.-Theological usage:...
.
A few months before his death, Muhammad who resided in the city of Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") 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 Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
made his first and final pilgrimage (Al Hajj) to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, a journey referred to as The Farewell Pilgrimage
The Farewell Pilgrimage
The Farewell Pilgrimage was the last and only Hajj pilgrimage the Islamic prophet Muhammad participated in, in 632 CE .-Preparations:...
. There, atop Mount Arafat
Mount Arafat
Mount Arafat or Mount Arafah is a granite hill east of Mecca. It is also known as the Mount of Mercy . The hill is the place Muslims believe the Islamic prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life...
, he addressed the Muslim masses in what came to be known as The Farewell Sermon
The Farewell Sermon
The Farewell Sermon , also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or The Last Sermon, was delivered by Muhammad on the 9th Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH in the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat The Farewell Sermon , also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or The Last Sermon, was delivered by Muhammad on the 9th...
. After completion of the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage, Muhammad journeyed back toward his home in Medina with other pilgrims.
During the journey, Muhammad stopped at the desert oasis of Khumm, and requested other pilgrims gather together, and there he addressed them with the famous words:
“Whomsoever’s mawlaMawlaThe word Mawlā or patron has two meanings. Mawla is an Arabic word "مولی", prominently used in Islamic literature which means protector.“Call them by their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if you know not their father'sthey are your Brothers in faith and those entrusted to you...
(master) I am, this Ali is also his mawla. O Allah, befriend whosoever befriends him and be the enemy of whosoever is hostile to him.”
Following Muhammads death the Shiat al- Ali (Party of Ali) believed Ali had been designated not merely as the political successor to Muhammad (Caliph) but also his spiritual successor. And looked toward Ali and his most trusted supporters for both political and spiritual guidance. Ali's descendants were also the only descendants of Muhammad as Ali had married Muhammads only surviving progeny in the person of Fatima Az-Zahra. And through the generations the mantle of leadership of the Shi'at Al-Ali would pass through the progeny of Ali and Fatima known as the Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. 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. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
the (Household of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
), embodied in the head of the family, the Imam. Among the Shia both the Ismāʿīli and Twelvers accept the same initial Imāms from the descendants of Muħammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
through his daughter Fāṭima az-Zahra and therefore share much of their early history.
Imāmi Shia
Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq was acknowledged as leader of the Shi'at al-Ali, and head of the Ahl al-BaytAhl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. 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. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
(Household of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
). A highly accomplished theologian Ja'far tutored Abu Hanifa who would go onto found the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
Madhab (school of jurisprudence), the largest Sunni legal school in practice today, Malik Ibn Anas
Malik ibn Anas
Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik ibn Abī 'Āmir al-Asbahī is known as "Imam Malik," the "Sheikh of Islam", the "Proof of the Community," and "Imam of the Abode of Emigration." He was one of the most highly respected scholars of fiqh in Sunni Islam...
founder of the Maliki Sunni madhab (school of jurisprudence), and Wasil Ibn Ata
Wasil ibn Ata
Wasil ibn Ata was an important Muslim theologian and jurist of his time, and by many accounts is considered to be the founder of the Mutazilite school of Islamic thought....
who foundered the Mutzillite school of thought which all major Sunni Jurisprudence schools follow.
During a period of rapid change, when Muslims no longer threatened were beginning to concern themselves with questions like "what does it mean to be a Muslim?". Most sought answers from the new learned classes which would eventually develop into Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, but for some the answers to such questions were always sought from Muhammad's family the Ahl al-Bayt as led by Imam Jaʿfar Saddiq; who saw the need for a systematic school of thought for those who sought guidance, and were loyal to Muhammad's family, as distinct from the new scholar schools which would synthesis into Sunni Islam. His answer was the Imāmi or Ja‘fāriyya Madhab (School of jurisprudence). This period marks the founding of the distinct religious views of both the Shia and Sunni.
Imāmi Schism
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. 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. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
. Together they had two sons, Ismā'īl al-Mubarak (the blessed) and his younger brother Abd-Allah
Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq
Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq was the eldest surviving son of Ja'far al-Sadiq and the full-brother of Isma'il ibn Jafar...
. Following Fatima's death Imām Ja'far as-Sadiq was said to be so devastated he refused to ever remarry.
The majority of available sources - both Ismā'īli and Twelver as well as Sunni - indicate that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq designated Ismā'īl as his successor and the next Imam after him by the rule of "nass" and there is no doubt concerning the authenticity of this designation. However, it is controversially believed that Ismā'īl predeceased his father. However, the same sources report Ismā'īl being seen three days after in Basra. His closest supporters believed Ismail had gone into hiding to protect his life. Therefore, upon as-Sadiq's death, a group of Jafar A'Sadiq's followers turned to the eldest surviving son of al-Sadiq, Abd-Allah, because he was the son of the daughter of the Khalifa, and because he was the oldest son of Jafar al-Sadiq after Ismā'īl's death. He claimed a second designation following Ismā'īl's disappearance. Later most of them went back to the doctrine of the Imamate of his brother, Musa, together with the evidence for the right of the latter and the clear proofs of his Immmate (i.e. his character) When Abd-Allah died within weeks without an heir, many more turned again to another son of as-Sadiq, Musa al-Kazim a son from a slave named Umm Hamida, who Ja'far had taken after his wife's death. While some had already accepted him as the Imam following the death of Jafar as-Sadiq, Abd-Allah's supporters now aligned themselves with him giving him the majority of the Shia.
Ismā'īlīs argue that since a defining quality of an Imām is his infallibility, Ja'far as-Sadiq could not have mistakenly passed his nass on to someone who would be either unfit or predecease him. Therefore, the Imam after Ismā'īl was his eldest son Muhammad b. Ismā'īl - known as al-Maktūm.
The Early Imams
- Alī ibn Abī ṬālibAli' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
(599–661) - Husayn ibn AliHusayn ibn AliHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
(626–680) - Zayn al-Abidin (659–712)
- Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-BaqirMuhammad al-BaqirMuḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Bāqir was the Fifth Imām to the Twelver Shi‘a and Fourth Imām to the Ismā‘īlī Shī‘a. His father was the previous Imām, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, and his mother was Fatimah bint al-Hasan...
(676-743) - Ja'far al-SadiqJa'far al-SadiqJaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...
(702-765) - Ismail Al-Mubarak (721–755?)
Callers to Islam
Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BCE and continued through the Hellenistic period, at which point Ancient Greece was incorporated in the Roman Empire...
, political, and scientific thought. Muhmmad al-Maktūm was himself several years the senior of his half uncle Mūsā al-Kādhim
Musa al-Kadhim
' was the seventh of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'a Islam. He was the son of Imam and his mother was Hamidah Khātūn, a student and former Zanjiyyah slave...
. Muhammad al-Maktūm reconciled with his uncle Mūsā l-Kādhim, and left Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") 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 Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
with his father's most loyal supporters, effectively disappearing from historical records and instituting an era of Dar al-Satr (epoch of veiling) when the Imams would vanish from public view. There followed a period when mysterious intellectual writings of an Ismā'īlī character appeared, most famously the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-safa' (the epistles of Brethren of Purity
Brethren of Purity
The Brethren of Purity were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 10th century CE....
) an enormous compendium of 52 epistles dealing with a wide variety of subjects including mathematics, natural sciences, psychology (psychical sciences) and theology. Isma'ili leadership also produced an array of propaganda attacking the political and religious establishments with calls for popular revolution, through a Dāʻwa propagation machine called "Callers to Islām".
This distinctive characteristic of the Ismāʿīlī to challenge established social, economic, and intellectual norms with their vision of a just society was opposed directly opposed to Twelver quietism and political apathy and would be a hallmark of Ismāʿīlī history.
The Fatimid Empire
In the face of persecution, the bulk of the Ismāʿīlī continued to recognize Imāms who, as mentioned, secretly propagated their faith through Duʻāt (singular, dāʻī) "Callers to Islām" from their bases in Syria. However, by the 10th century, an Ismāʿīlī Imām, ʻUbaydu l-Lāh al-Mahdī bil-LāhUbayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah
Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah , often referred to as Ubayd Allah, is the founder of the Fatimid dynasty, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islam, and established Fatimid rule throughout much of North Africa.- History :...
, correctly known as ʻAbdu l-Lāh al-Mahdī, had emigrated to North Africa and successfully established the new Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
state in Tunisia. His successors subsequently succeeded in conquering all of North Africa (including highly-prized Egypt) and the Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent, nicknamed "The Cradle of Civilization" for the fact the first civilizations started there, is a crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia. The term was first used by University of Chicago...
, and even holding Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") 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 Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
in Arabia. The capital for the Fatimid state subsequently shifted to the newly-founded city of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
(al-Qāhira), meaning "The Victorious," in honour of the Ismāʿīlī military victories, from which the Fatimid Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
-Imāms ruled for several generations, establishing their new city as a centre for culture and civilization. It boasted the world's first university, the Al-Azhar University, and the Dar Al-Hikma. where the study of mathematics, art, biology, and philosophy reached new heights in the known world.
A fundamental split amongst the Ismāʿīlī occurred as the result of a dispute over which son should succeed the 18th Imam and Fatmid Caliph Mustansir
Mustansir
Mustansir may refer to:* Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah , the 8th Fatimid caliph, ruling from 1036 to 1094* Al-Mustansir , Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1226 to 1242...
. While Nizar
Nizar
Abū Manṣūr Nizār al-Muṣṭafá liDīnillāh was a Fatimid Caliph and a Nizāri Ismā‘ilī Imām. He was deposed by his brother, Aḥmad al-Musta‘lī but his son, al-Hādī ibn Nizār, escaped to Alamūt and took refuge with believers there, thereby continuing the Imāmate.The followers of Nizār's descendants...
was originally designated Imam, his younger brother Musta'li
Al-Musta'li
Aḥmad al-Musta‘lī was the ninth Fatimid Caliph, and believed by the Mustaali Ismaili sect to be the 19th imam. Al-Musta‘lī was made caliph by Regent al-Afdal Shahanshah as the successor to al-Mustansir...
was promptly installed as Imam in Cairo with the help of the powerful Armenian Vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
Badr al-Jamali, whose daughter he was married to. Badr al-Jamali claimed that Imam Mustansir
Mustansir
Mustansir may refer to:* Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah , the 8th Fatimid caliph, ruling from 1036 to 1094* Al-Mustansir , Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1226 to 1242...
had changed his choice of successor upon his death bed, appointing his younger son Musta'li
Al-Musta'li
Aḥmad al-Musta‘lī was the ninth Fatimid Caliph, and believed by the Mustaali Ismaili sect to be the 19th imam. Al-Musta‘lī was made caliph by Regent al-Afdal Shahanshah as the successor to al-Mustansir...
(who was married to the daughter of Badr al-Jamali).
Although Nizar
Nizar
Abū Manṣūr Nizār al-Muṣṭafá liDīnillāh was a Fatimid Caliph and a Nizāri Ismā‘ilī Imām. He was deposed by his brother, Aḥmad al-Musta‘lī but his son, al-Hādī ibn Nizār, escaped to Alamūt and took refuge with believers there, thereby continuing the Imāmate.The followers of Nizār's descendants...
contested this claim, he was defeated after a short military campaign and imprisoned; however, he did gain support from an Ismāʿīlī Dāʿī based in Iran, Hassan as-Sabbah. Hassan as-Sabbah is noted by Western writers to have been the leader of the legendary "Assassins
Hashshashin
The Assassins were an order of Nizari Ismailis, particularly those of Persia that existed from around 1092 to 1265...
".
Fatimid Caliphs
The Nizari Ism'aili recognize the first Nine Caliphs of the Fatimid Empire:(909-934) founder of the Fatimid dynasty (934-946) (946-953) (953-975) Egypt is conquered during his reign (975-996) (996-1021) (1021–1036) (1036–1094) (1094–1101) Quarrels over his succession led to the Nizari split.
Alamut
Most Ismāʿīlīs outside North Africa, mostly in Persia and the Levant, came to acknowledge Imam Nizar b. Mustansir Billahs claim to the Imamate as maintained by Hassan as-Sabbah, and this point marks the fundamental split. Within two generations, the Fatimid Empire would suffer several more splits and eventually implode.Hassan as-Sabbah termed his doctrine Al-Dawa al-Jadida ("The New Preaching") to contrast the Fatimid "Old Preaching". He was viewed as the Hujjah or "Proof" of the Imam, having direct secret contact with Imam Nizar and his rightful successors. Hassan as-Sabbah is also known as the first of the Seven Lords of Alamut, as he chose this secluded fortress as his base.
Under the leadership of Hassan as-Sabbah and the succeeding Lords of Alamut, the statergy of covert capture was successfully replicated at strategic fortresses across Iran, Iraq, and the Fertile Crescent. The Nizari Isma'ili created a state of unconnected fortresses, surrounded by huge swathes of hostile territory, and managed a unified power structure that proved more effective than either that in Fatimid Cairo, or Seljuq Bagdad, both of which suffered political instability, particularly during the transition between leaders. These periods of internal turmoil allowed the Ismāʿīlī state respite from attack, and even to have such sovereignty as to have minted their own coinage.
The Fortress of Alamut was thought impregnable to any military attack, and was fabled for its heavenly gardens, impressive libraries, and laboratories where philosophers, scientists, and theologians could debate all matters in intellectual freedom.
Assassination
Owing to the difficult situation in which the Ismailis were placed, their system of self-defence took a peculiar form. When their fortresses were attacked or besieged, they were isolated like small islands in a stormy sea. They prepared their garrisons for the fight, but were unable to mount a sizable army so trained military commandos (fidā'iyyūn) as a rear-guard action. Fidā'iyyūn were covertly dispatched into the very heart of the Abbasid Court and enemy military strongholds as sleeper agents. In order to remove key figures planning or responsible for attacks against Isma'ili populations, fidā'iyyūn would take reprisal action for an attack or the planning of one by placing a dagger or a note within the chambers of their opponent as a warning or even assassinating a key opponent when they deemed it necessary. Isma'ili were referred to as "Hashahshin" by their enemies, which as may of their political enemies believed them to consume the intoxicant hashishHashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
before being dispatched as agents although modern scholarship tends to dispute this theory as polemic fabricated to discredit the Isma'ili. Other theories suggest the term originates from them being followers of "Hassan". The term entered Western vocabulary through the returning Crusaders as "assassin".
The Seven Lords of Alamut
- Hassan-i Sabbah (1090–1124)
- Kiya Buzurg-Ummid (1124–1138)
- Muhammad I of Alamut (1138–1162)
- Hassan II of Alamut (1162–1166)
- Muhammad II of Alamut (1166–1210)
- Hassan III of Alamut (1210–1221)
- Muhammad III of Alamut (1221–1255)
- Rukn ad-Din Khurshah of Alamut(1255–1256)
The fortress was destroyed on December 15, 1256, by Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü, Hulegu , was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia...
as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic Southwest Asia. The Hashshashin made a critical mistake in the murder of Genghis Khan's son, Jagati, who ruled part of Persia. Jagati had offended the Ismali's and Hashshashin by forbidding certain rituals involved in prayer and slaughter of food animals.
In 1256, the Mongols took their revenge. Most of the Hashshashin were killed and their mountaintop fortresses destroyed. The Church Knights, already weakened by Mongol incursions and civil war, did not send assistance.
The Hashshashin leader, Rukn ad-Din Khurshah, sought to negotiate with Mongu Khan. He failed to obtain an audience, and he and his party were murdered while returning home. Later, his family was captured and subject to long and tortured deaths.
The last Lord, Rukn ad-Din Khurshah surrendered it as part of a deal with Hulagu. However, the Monguls slaughtered the inhabitants, burnt the libraries, and brought down the fortifications. Isma'ili survivors made several attempts to recapture, and restore Alamut, and several other Isma'ili forts, but were defeated. In subsequent years, the punishment for anyone suspected of being Ismā'īlī would be instant death, it was common for political or social enemies to claim their rivals as secret Isma'ili, and call for their deaths.
The Wandering Mystics
Anjudān Period
With the establishment of the Safawid Shi’i state, many Sufi orders declared themselves to be Shi’i. Approximately one hundred years before this however, the Ismaili imamate was being transferred to the village of AnjudanAnjudan
Anjudan is a village situated near the major Shi'i centres of Qumm and Kashan in Iran, to which the Nizari Ismaili Imamate was transferred during the late 14th century CE...
, near the Shi’i centres of Qumm and Kashan. The Anjudan period constituted a revival of Ismaili political stability, for the first time since the fall of Alamut. Owing to the village in which it occurred, this revival is commonly termed the "Anjudān period".
The Aga Khans
The period of the Aga Khans begins in 1817, when 45th Imām Shah Khalīl Allāh was murdered while giving refuge to his followers by a Twelver Shia mob led by local religious leaders. His wife took her young 13 year old son and new Imām, Hassan Ali Shah to the then Qajar Emperor Shah in Tehran to seek justice. Although there was no serious penalty brought against those involved; The Emperor Shah Fath' Ali Shah gave his daughter the Princess Sarv-I Jahan in marriage to the new Imām, and awarded him the title Agha Khan (Lord Chief).Contemporary Ismā'īlī
Almost all Nizārī Ismā'īlī today accept His Highness Prince Shah Karim Al-Husayni, the Aga Khan IV as their Imām-I-Zaman (Imam of the Time), but for about 15,000 in western Syria. In Persian he is referred to Religiously as Khudawand (Lord of the Time), in Arabic as Mawlana (Master), or Hādhar Imām (Present Imam). Karim acceded his grandfather Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan IIIAga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
to the Imāmate in 1957, aged just 20, and still an undergraduate at Harvard University. He was referred to as "the Imam of the Atomic age". The period following his accession can be characterized as one of rapid political and economic change. Planning of programs and institutions became increasingly difficult due to the rapid changes in newly-emerging post colonial nations where many of his followers resided. Upon becoming Imām, Karim's immediate concern was the preparation of his followers, wherever they lived, for the changes that lay ahead. This rapidly evolving situation called for bold initiatives and new programs to reflect developing national aspirations, in the newly independent nations.
In Africa, Asia and the Middle East, a major objective of the Community's social welfare and economic programs, until the mid-fifties, had been to create a broad base of businessmen, agriculturists, and professionals. The educational facilities of the community tended to emphasize secondary-level education. With the coming of independence, each nation's economic aspirations took on new dimensions, focusing on industrialization and modernization of agriculture. The community's educational priorities had to be reassessed in the context of new national goals, and new institutions had to be created to respond to the growing complexity of the development process.
In 1972, under the regime of the then President Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
, Ismā'īlīs and other Asians were expelled despite being citizens of the country and having lived there for generations. Karim undertook urgent steps to facilitate the resettlement of Ismāʿīlīs displaced from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and also from Burma. Owing to his personal efforts most found homes, not only in Asia, but also in Europe and North America. Most of the basic resettlement problems were overcome remarkably rapidly. This was due to the adaptability of the Ismāʿīlīs themselves and in particular to their educational background and their linguistic abilities, as well as the efforts of the host countries and the moral and material support from Ismāʿīlī community programs.
In view of the importance that Islām places on maintaining a balance between the spiritual well-being of the individual and the quality of his life, the Imām's guidance deals with both aspects of the life of his followers. The Aga Khan has encouraged Ismā'īlī Muslims, settled in the industrialized world, to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programs. Indeed the Economist noted: that Isma'ili immigrant communities, integrated seamlessly as an immigrant community, and did better at attaining graduate and post graduate degrees, "far surpassing their native, Hindu, Sikh, fellow Muslims, and Chinese communities".
Notable Ismā'īlī
In recent years, Ismā'īlī Muslims, who have come to the US, Canada and Europe, mostly as refugees from Asia and Africa, have readily settled into the social, educational and economic fabric of urban and rural centers across the two continents. As in the developing world, the Ismāʿīlī 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 pervasive spirit of philanthropy. Spiritual allegiance to the Imām and adherence to the Shī'a Imāmī Ismā'īlī ṭariqat (path/persuasion) of Islām according to the guidance of the Imām of the time, have engendered in the Ismāʿīlī community an ethos of self-reliance, unity, and a common identity notwithstanding centuries of being marginalized and persecuted by native and established societies.Notable Isma'ili include:
- Abu Ali Sina Balkh (commonly known in English by his Latinized name AvicennaAvicennaAbū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
) is one of the most influential scientists ever born and the author of The Canon of MedicineThe Canon of MedicineThe Canon of Medicine is an encyclopedia of Galenic medicine in five books compiled by Ibn Sīnā and completed in 1025. It presents a clear and organized summary of all the medical knowledge of the time...
. He is often referred to as the Father of Physics. Abu Ali Sina Balkh was a polymath and the foremost physician and philosopher of his time. He was also an astronomer, chemist, geologist, logician, paleontologist, mathematician, physicist, poet, psychologist, soldier, statesman, and teacher. - Indian Internet pioneer Azim PremjiAzim PremjiAzim Hashim Premji is an Indian business tycoon and philanthropist who is the chairman of Wipro Limited, guiding the company through four decades of diversification and growth to emerge as one of the Indian leader in the software industry...
, Forbes estimates his wealth at $14.5 Billion. He is famed for driving a Toyota Corolla, and flying economy, He has used his vast fortune to set up the philanthropic Azim Premji Foundation. Premji was ranked the wealthiest Indian until 2003, and remains India's wealthiest Muslim. - Nasir al-Din Nasir HunzaiNasir al-Din Nasir HunzaiDr. Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai is a Pakistani writer and poet, known for his work on Islam and the Burushaski language.Prof. Dr. Allama Nasir ud-Din Nasir Hunzai is a highly acclaimed writer on Burushaski language. He was born in 1917 in Hyderabad, a small village of Hunza...
, Dr. Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai (born 1917) is a Pakistani writer and poet, known for his work on Islam and the Burushaski language. The president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan conferred upon Prof. Dr. Nasir al-Din Hunzai the award of Sitarah-i-Imtiyaz on 23 March 2001 in recognition of his outstanding service in the fields of literature and scholarship. He was awarded an honorary PhD degree by Senior University in Canada where he has been associated for a long time as a visiting professor.His books have been translated into English, French, Swedish, Persian, Turkish, and Gujarati. - British actor and Oscar winner Sir Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, CBE. - Muhammad al-MaghutMuhammad al-MaghutMuhammed al-Maghut was a Syrian writer and poet. He was born in Salamiya, Syria in an Ismaili family.Muhammad Maghout was credited as the father of the Arabic free verse poetry, liberatng the Arabic poems from the traditional form and revolutionizing the structure of the poem.He wrote for...
(1934- April 3, 2006) (Arabic: محمد الماغوط) was a famous Syrian writer and poet. - Muhammad Ali JinnahMuhammad Ali JinnahMuhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....
, Founder of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. - Professor Azim Surani, CBE, Professor of Physiology and Reproduction at Cambridge University. The only British Muslim to be publicly honored for services to science.
- British journalist Yasmin Alibhai-BrownYasmin Alibhai-BrownYasmin Alibhai-Brown MBE is a Ugandan-born British journalist and author, who describes herself as a "leftie liberal, anti-racist, feminist, Muslim, part-Pakistani...a very responsible person"...
, ranked most influential British Muslim journalist by the Times. - Mustapha Ghaleb (1923–1979) a distinguished Syrian historian.
- Yasmin Rattansi, Canada's first female Muslim MP.
- Saddaruddin HashwaniSaddaruddin HashwaniSadruddin Hashwani is the Chairman of Hashoo Group . He is Ismaili Nizari Muslim by faith. Today, ‘Hashoo Group’ is one of the most diversified industrial groups in Pakistan with interests across tourism, travel, real-estate development, pharmaceuticals, IT, and oil and gas...
, business tycoon and 4th richest person of Pakistan. - New York film producer Shahnee Zaver, an Indian female pioneer in film in the west.
- Karim Khoja, CEO of Roshan Telecom, Afghanistan's largest privately owned company providing almost 10% of government revenue. Until 2001 Ismāʿīlī suffered systematic persecution under the War-Lords and the Taliban.
- Prince Saddrudin Aga Khan, the longest ever serving head of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), twice nominated for UN Secretary General.
- Rahim JafferRahim JafferRahim Nizar Jaffer is a former Canadian politician and a former Member of Parliament. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2008, representing the Alberta riding of Edmonton—Strathcona as a member of the Conservative Party. He was the first Muslim elected to the Canadian Parliament...
, first Muslim elected to Canada's Parliament. - Mobina JafferMobina JafferMobina S. B. Jaffer, QC is a Canadian Senator representing British Columbia. She is the first South Asian and the first Muslim woman appointed to the Upper House....
, first Muslim appointed as a Canadian Senator. - Lalak Jan Shaahed, Pakistan awarded him the Nishan-i-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military award, for extraordinary gallantry.
- Firoz Rasul, Past President, CEO Ballard Power SystemsBallard Power SystemsBallard Power Systems , located in Burnaby, British Columbia -- a suburb of Vancouver -- is a company that designs, develops, and manufactures zero emission proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells. This company has made a bus that uses only hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cells combine hydrogen and...
in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Current President of the Agakhan University. - Sada CumberSada CumberSada Cumber assumed his duties as Special Envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference on March 3, 2008, with his term ending January 20, 2009. As Special Envoy, Mr. Cumber serves as the U.S. representative to the OIC, and will seek to promote mutual understanding and dialogue between the...
, Entrepreneur and First Representative (Title of Special Envoy) to the OIC from the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Ali VelshiAli VelshiAli Velshi is a Canadian-American television journalist best known for his work on CNN. He is CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, Anchor of CNN's Wake Up Call and a co-host of CNN's weekday morning show American Morning.-Personal life:...
, a Canadian television journalist best known for his work on CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. He is CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, and co-host of CNN's weekly business show. - Zain VerjeeZain VerjeeZain Verjee is a Canadian journalist, who was born and raised in Kenya prior to immigrating to Canada. Verjee is co-anchor of CNN International's European daytime program World One. She also serves as the international correspondent for American Morning, the daily morning news program on CNN US...
, State Department correspondent with CNN, based in Washington, D.C. Previously, she worked as a newsreader for The Situation Room and a co-anchor of CNN International's Your World Today.[1] - Shehzad RoyShehzad RoyShehzad Roy is a singer and humanitarian from Karachi, Pakistan. With five hit albums under his belt, including the 2008 Qismat Apney Haath Mein , he is also the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-profit charitable organization, that seeks to educate the underprivileged children of...
(Urdu: شہزاد رائے), a pop singer and humanitarian from Karachi, Pakistan. - Saleem Jaffer, ex-Pakistani fast cricket bowler.
- Nazir SabirNazir SabirNazir Sabir Urdu: نذیر صابر is a Pakistani mountaineer. He was born in Ramanji a small hamlet in Chiporsun, upper Hunza known as Gojal...
, first Pakistani to climb world's highest peak Mount Everest. - Ashraf AmanAshraf AmanAshraf Aman is a Pakistani mountaineer, adventurer, and an electrical engineer. He was first Pakistan to reach the summit of K2, the second highest peak on Earth. Besides mountaineering, he has almost 35 years of experience in tourism. He operates the tourism company known as Adventure Tours...
, first Pakistani to climb world's second highest peak K-2. - Ismail GulgeeIsmail GulgeeIsmail Gulgee - The Gulgeez Pride of Performance, Sitara-e-Imtiaz , Hilal-e-Imtiaz, was an award-winning, globally famous Pakistani artist born in Peshawar. He was a qualified engineer in the U.S. and self-taught abstract painter and portrait painter. Before 1959, as portraitist, he painted the...
(October 25, 1926 – December 14, 2007), Pride of Performance, Sitara-e-Imtiaz (twice), Hilal-e-Imtiaz, was an award-winning, globally famous Pakistani artist.
Silver Jubilee
From July 1982 to July 1983, to celebrate the present Aga Khan's Silver Jubilee, marking the 25th anniversary of his accession to the Imāmat, many new social and economic development projects were launched. These range from the establishment of the US$300 million international Aga Khan UniversityAga Khan University
The Aga Khan University is a coeducational research university spread over three continents. It was granted its charter in 1983 as Pakistan's first private, autonomous university. AKU was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network...
with its Faculty of Health Sciences and teaching hospital based in Karachi, the expansion of schools
Aga Khan Education Services
Aga Khan Education Services is one of four agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network supporting activities in the field of education...
for girls and medical centers
Aga Khan Health Services
The Aga Khan Health Services is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network that supports activities in the health field, and manages more than 200 health facilities including a network of Aga Khan Hospitals....
in the Hunza region, one of the remote parts of Northern Pakistan bordering on China and Afghanistan, to the establishment of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program in Gujarat, India, and the extension of existing urban hospitals
Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam
Established in 1964, the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam is an 80-bed multispecialty hospital offering quality health care. The Hospital provides general medical services, specialist clinics and state of the art diagnostic services...
and primary health care centers in Tanzania and Kenya. These initiatives form part of an international network of institutions involved in fields that range from education, health and rural development, to architecture and the promotion of private sector enterprise and together make up the Aga Khan Development Network
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Development Network is a group of private, non-denominational development agencies that seek to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities, in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East...
.
It is this commitment to man's dignity and relief of humanity that inspires the Ismā'īlī Imāmat's philanthropic institutions. Giving of one's competence, sharing one's time, material or intellectual ability with those among whom one lives, for the relief of hardship, pain or ignorance is a deeply ingrained tradition which shapes the social conscience of the Ismā'īlī Muslim community.
Golden Jubilee
During his Golden Jubilee from 2007-2008 marking 50 years of Imamate the Aga Khan commissioned a number of projects, renowned Pritzker PrizePritzker Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honour "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built...
winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki was commissioned to design a new kind of community structure resembling an embassy in Canada, The "Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a building of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada located between the Saudi Arabian embassy and the Lester B. Pearson Building on Sussex Drive...
" opened in 8 December 2008, the building will be composed of two large interconnected spaces an atrium and a courtyard. The atrium is an interior space to be used all year round. It is protected by a unique glass dome made of multi-faceted, angular planes assembled to create the effect of rock crystal the Aga Khan asked Maki to consider the qualities of "rock crystal" in his design, which during the Fatimid Empire was valued by the Imams. Within the glass dome is an inner layer of woven glass-fibre fabric which will appear to float and hover over the atrium. The Delegation building sits along sussex drive near the Canadian parliament. Future Delegation buildings are planned for other capitals, beginning with Lisbon, Portugal.
In addition to primary and secondary schools, the Aga Khan Academies were set up to equip future leaders in the developing world with a leading standard education. The Aga Khan Museum, which will open in Toronto, Canada, will be the first museum dedicated to islamic civilization in the west, due for completion in 2011 it will be dedicated to the "acquisition, preservation and display of artefacts - from various periods and geographies - relating to the intellectual, cultural, artistic and religious heritage of Islamic communities". A series of new Isma'ili centre are underway, including Toronto, Canada; Paris, France; Houston, Texas; Dushabi and the Pamir; Tajikistan.
The Ismā'īlī Imāmate Timeline
Those Imams recognised by both Ismā'īlīyya and Twelver:1. 'Alī ibn Abī Tālib
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
, died 661 CE
- . HasanHasan ibn AliAl-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib is an important figure in Islam, the son of Fatimah the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hasan is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa...
, son of Ali, died 670 (viewed as temporary by Nizari)
2. Husayn, son of Ali, died 680
3. 'Alī Zayn al-Ābidīn, son of Husain, died 713
4. Muḥammad al-Bāqir
Muhammad al-Baqir
Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Bāqir was the Fifth Imām to the Twelver Shi‘a and Fourth Imām to the Ismā‘īlī Shī‘a. His father was the previous Imām, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, and his mother was Fatimah bint al-Hasan...
, son of Ali Zayn, died 732
5. Ja'far aṣ-Ṣādiq, son of Muhammad, died 765
The Ismā'īlīya and Ithna' Ashariya split:
6. Ismā'īl
Ismail bin Jafar
Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far was the eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and the full-brother of Abdullah al-Aftah. Following Ja'far's death, the Shia community split between the element that would become the Twelver Shia, and those who believed the imamate passed through to Ismail's son; the Ismaili branch...
, Jafar's son and designated heir, 755 accepted as Imam by the Ismailis.
7. Muhammad ibn Ismā'īl, Ismail's son, died under the reign of Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....
(786-809)
A Period of Concealment:
The Ismā'īlī leave Mecca and propagate their faith in secret, and produce literature against the established state.
8. Wafī Ahmad
Wafi Ahmad
Ahmad al- Wafi is the eighth Ismaili Imam . He was surnamed al-Wafi. As the Imam, he was the supreme spiritual leader of the Ismaili community from his appointment till his death...
Also known as Abd'Allah.
9. Ahmed Taqī Muhammad
Taqi Muhammad
Muhammad at-Taqi is the ninth Ismaili Imam . As the Imam, he was the supreme spiritual leader of the Ismaili community from his appointment until his death. The Nizari and Mustaali trace their Imamate lines from him and his descendants who founded the Fatimid Empire...
, son of Abd'Allah.
10. Radhī ad-dīn 'Abd Allah, son of Muhammad
The Fatimid Empire
The Ismā'īlī re-emerge and found the Fatimid Empire in north Africa, proclaiming themselves Caliphs of the Islamic world.
11. Ubaydullāh al-Mahdī billāh
Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah
Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah , often referred to as Ubayd Allah, is the founder of the Fatimid dynasty, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islam, and established Fatimid rule throughout much of North Africa.- History :...
, openly announced himself as Imam, 1st Fatimid Caliph, died 934
12. Muḥammad al-Qā'im bi-'Amrillāh 2nd Fatimid Caliph, died 946
13. Ismāʿīl al-Manṣūr
Ismail al-Mansur
Ismāʿīl al-Manṣūr was the third Caliph of the Fatimids in Ifriqiya .- History :Ismāʿīl was born in 913 in Raqqada near Kairouan and succeeded his father Abū l-Qāṣim al-Qā'im in 946. The Fatimid realm found itself deep in crisis due to the revolt of Abū Yazīd...
, 3rd Fatimid Caliph, died 953
14. Maʿād al-Muʿizz li-Dīnillāh, 4th Fatimid Caliph, died 975
15. Abū Manṣūr Nizār al-ʿAzīz billāh, 5th Fatimid Caliph, died 996
16. Al-Ḥakīm bi-Amri 'l-llāh
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Abu ‘Ali Mansur Tāriqu l-Ḥākim, called Al-Hakim bi Amr al-Lāh , was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili imam .- History :...
, 6th Fatimid Caliph, disappeared 1021.
The Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
believe in the divinity of Al-Hakim's disappearance, believed by them to be the occultation of the Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
.
17. ʿAlī az-Zāhir li-Iʿzāz Dīnillāh
Ali az-Zahir
ʻAlī az-Zāhir was the Seventh Caliph of the Fātimids . Az-Zāhir assumed the Caliphate after the disappearance of his father Tāriqu l-Ḥakīm bi Amr al-Lāh...
, son of al-Hakim, 7th Fatimid Caliph, died 1036.
18. Abū Tamīm Ma'add al-Mustanṣir bi-llāh, 8th Fatimid Caliph, died (1094)
The Lords of Alamut:
Imam Nizar is imprisoned and Hassan-i-Sabbah leads a rebellion in his cause, working toward establishing Alamut as the centre of a new state, later the crusaders would mark them out as the Order of the Hashshashin
Hashshashin
The Assassins were an order of Nizari Ismailis, particularly those of Persia that existed from around 1092 to 1265...
(Assassins).
19. Nizār ibn al-Mustanṣir billāh
Nizar
Abū Manṣūr Nizār al-Muṣṭafá liDīnillāh was a Fatimid Caliph and a Nizāri Ismā‘ilī Imām. He was deposed by his brother, Aḥmad al-Musta‘lī but his son, al-Hādī ibn Nizār, escaped to Alamūt and took refuge with believers there, thereby continuing the Imāmate.The followers of Nizār's descendants...
, son of al-Mustansir, died in prison 1094
20. Al-Hādī (escapes to Alamut with a Nizari Da'i Abul Hasan Saidi, remained concealed from public)
21. Al-Muhtadī (remained concealed from public)
22. Al-Qāhir (aka: Hasan I, remained concealed from public)
23. Hasan ala-dhikrihi as-Salaam (Hasan II) - son of Imam al-Qahir and the first Nizari Imam of Alamut to openly declare himself as such, died in 1166
24. Nūru-d-Dīn Muḥammad II, son of Hassan II, openly declared himself the Imam, died 1210
25. Jalālu-d-Dīn Ḥassan III, son of Muhammad II, died 1221
26. ʿAlāʾud-Dīn Muḥammad III, son of Hassan III, died 1255
27. Ruknud-Dīn Khurshāh, son of Muhammad III,
The Last Lord of Alamut Ruknud-Dīn Khurshah, surrendered to Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan
Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü, Hulegu , was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia...
in 1256. He travelled to the court of Khublai Khan, but was murdered on the journey back.
The Period of Concealment:
Nizari Ismā'īlī communities manage to survive the destruction of their state, and practice secretly to escape persecution, forming a close relationship with Sufism.
28. Shams Al-Din Muhammad
29. Qāsim Shāh
30. Islām Shāh
31. Muḥammad ibn Islām Shāh
32. Mustanṣir billāh II
33. Abd as-Salām Shāh
34. Gharīb Mirzā / Mustanṣir billāh III
the Anjudan Renaissance
By the 15th century, a mini renaissance begins to deveop in the village Anjudan near Mahallat
Mahallat
Mahallat is a city in and the capital of Mahallat County, Markazi Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 35,319, in 10,285 families....
.
35. Abū Dharr ʿAlī Nūru-d-Dīn
36. Murād Mirzā
37. Dhu al-Fiqār ʿAlī Khalīlullāh I
38. Nūru ad-Dahr (Nūru-d-Dīn) ʿAlī
39. Khalīl Allāh II ʿAlī
40. Shāh Nizār II
41. Sayyid ʿAlī
42. Ḥassan ʿAlī
43. Qāsim ʿAlī (Sayyid Jaʿfar)
44. Abu al-Ḥassan ʿAlī (Bāqir Shāh)
45. Shāh Khalīlullāh III
The Aga Khans:
The age of the Agha Khans begins, and final steps toward unifying and reorganising the Ismāʿīlī community start in earnest.
46. Ḥassan Alī Shāh Āgā Khān I
Aga Khan I
Aga Khan I The Imam Hasan Ali Shah was born in 1804 in Kahak, Iran to Shah Khalil Allah, the 45th Ismaili Imam, and Bibi Sarkara, the daughter of Muhammad Sadiq Mahallati , a poet and a Ni‘mat Allahi Sufi...
, died 1881
47. Āqā Alī Shāh Āgā Khān II
Aga Khan II
Aga Khan II , was the title of Aqa Ali Shah , the 47th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. A member of the Iranian royal family, he became the Imam in 1881. During his lifetime, he helped to better not only his own community, but also the larger Muslim community of India...
, son of Aga Khan I, died 1885
48. Sulṭān Muḥammad Shāh Āgā Khān III
Aga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
, son of Aga Khan II, died 1957
The Current Ismā'īlī Imām:
49. Shāh Karīm-al-Ḥussaynī, His Highness Prince Karīm Āgā Khān IV
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
A list of the Ismāʿīlī Imāms can also be found here.