Tayyibi Isma'ilism () is the only surviving sect of the Musta'li branch of

Isma'ilism Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the ...

, the other being the extinct Hafizi branch. Followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism are found in various Bohra communities: Dawoodi, Sulaymani, and Alavi. The Tayyibi originally split from the

Fatimid Caliphate The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa and West Asia, i ...

-supporting Hafizi branch by supporting the right of at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim to the

Imamate The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...

History

Upon the death of the twentieth Imam, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (d. ), his new born child at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim (b. ) was appointed the twenty-first Imam. As he was not in a position to run the

Dawah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Gramma ...

, the Queen

Arwa al-Sulayhi Arwa al-Sulayhi (), () was a long-reigning ruler of Yemen, firstly as the co-ruler of her first two husbands and then as sole ruler, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the last of the rulers of the Sulayhid dynasty, Sulayhid Dynasty and ...

, his Hujjah or proof, established the office of the

Da'i al-Mutlaq (; pl. , ) is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the occultation (Islam), seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imamate in Ismaili doctrine, Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Q ...

, who acted on his behalf. The Da'i al-Mutlaq had now been given absolute authority and made independent from political activity.

Da'i al-Mutlaq Dhu'ayb ibn Musa

Da'i al-Mutlaq Zoeb bin Moosa used to live in and died in Huth, Yemen. His ''ma'zoon'' ("associate") was Khattab bin Hasan. After the death of Abdullah, Zoeb bin Moosa appointed Yaqub as the

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

("representative" or "caretaker") of the Tayyibi organization ("dawah") in India. Yaqub was the first person of Indian origin to receive this honor. He was the son of Bharmal, minister of the

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

king Jayasimha Siddharaja. Fakhruddin, son of Tarmal also another minister, was sent to western

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. One Da'i al mutlaq after another continued until the twenty-fourth Da'i al mutlaq,

Yusuf Najmuddin ibn Sulaiman Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin bin Sulayman () (died on 23 June 1567 CE or 16 Dhu al-Hijjah 974 AH, Taibah, Yemen) was the 24th Da'i al-Mutlaq (Absolute Missionary) of the Taiyabi Ismailis. He succeeded Mohammad Ezzuddin to the religious post. Famil ...

, in Yemen. Due to persecution by the local Zaidi ruler, the dawah then shifted to India under the twenty-fifth Da'i al mutlaq, Syedna Jalal Shamsuddin bin Hasan in 1567.

Sulaymani-Dawoodi-Alavi split

In 1592, the Tayyibi broke into two factions in a dispute over who should become the twenty-seventh Da'i al mutlaq: Dawood Bin Qutubshah or Sulayman bin Hassan. The followers of the former, primarily in India, became the

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community re ...

, the latter the Sulaymani of Yemen. In 1621, the Alavi Bohra split from the Dawoodi Bohra community. There is also a community of

Sunni Bohra Sunni Vohras or Sunni Bohras, are a community from the state of Gujarat in India. Sharing the same name as the Dawoodi Bohras, they are often confused with that community. A few families use the slightly different spelling of "Vora" or "Vahora" ...

in India. In the fifteenth century, there was a schism in the Bohra community of Patan in Gujarat as a large number converted from Mustaali Ismaili Shia Islam to mainstream Hanafi Sunni Islam. The leader of this conversion movement to Sunni was Syed Jafar Ahmad Shirazi who also had the support of the governor of Gujarat. Thus this new group is known as Jafari Bohras, Patani Bohras or

. Syed Jafar Ahmad Shirazi convinced the Patani Bohras to cease social relations with Ismaili Bohras. The cumulative results of these pressures resulted in a large number of Bohras converting from Shia Ismaili fiqh to Sunni Hanafi fiqh. The Hebtiahs Bohra was a branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 39th Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1754. The Atba-e-Malak community are a branch of Mustaali Ismaili Shi'a Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 46th Da'i al-Mutlaq, under the leadership of Abdul Hussain Jivaji in 1840. They have further split into two more branches, the Atba-e-Malak Badar and Atba-e-Malak Vakil. The Progressive Dawoodi Bohra is a reformist sect within Mustaali Ismai'li Shi'a Islam that broke off circa 1977. They disagree with mainstream Dawoodi Bohra, as led by the Da'i al-Mutlaq, on doctrinal, economic and social issues. At present, the largest Tayyibi faction/sub-sect is the

, whose current leader is Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. Taher Fakhruddin is also a claimant to the title of Dai al Mutlaq since 2016, although it is widely accepted that Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is the leader of the Dawoodi Bohras, in all aspects and administration.

References

*''The Ismaili, their history and doctrine'' by

Farhad Daftary Farhad Daftary (; born 1938) is a Belgian-born Iranian-British Islamic scholar who is co-director and head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. He was born in Brussels. Daftary rec ...

*''Religion, learning and science'' by Lathan Young *''Medieval Islamic Civilisation'' by Joseph W. Meri, Bacharach *''Sayyida Hurra: The Isma‘ili Sulayhid Queen of Yemen'' by

*The ''Uyun al-akhbar'' is the most complete text written by an Ismaili/Tayyibi/Dawoodi 19th Dai Sayyedna Idris bin Hasan on the history of the Ismaili community from its origins up to the 12th century CE. period of the Fatimid caliphs al-Mustansir (d. 487 AH / 1094 AD), the time of Musta‘lian rulers including al-Musta‘li (d. 495 AH / 1102 AD) and al-Amir (d. 526 AH / 1132 AD), and then the Tayyibi Ismaili community in Yemen.

External links

The Hafizids and Tayyibids

* ttps://www.islamawareness.net/Deviant/Ismailis/ismailis.html History of Ismailis
A visual chart of different Shia communities

Doctrine of the Tayyibis
{{Authority control