Musta'li Isma'ilism () is a 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 ...

named for their acceptance of al-Musta'li as the legitimate ninth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah (). The Nizari the other living branch of Ismailism, led by

Aga Khan V Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan (; born 12 October 1971), known as the Aga Khan V (), is a religious leader, businessman, and socialite best known as the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Nizari Isma'ili Muslims who claim descent from Muhamm ...

believe the ninth caliph was al-Musta'li's elder brother, Nizar. The Musta'li originated in Fatimid-ruled

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, later moved its religious center to

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

, and gained a foothold in 11th-century

Western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of India, Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative divisions of India, Adminis ...

through

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

The Tayyibi and the Hafizi

Historically, there was a distinction between the Tayyibi and the Hafizi Musta'lis, the former recognizing at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim as the legitimate heir of the Imamate after al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah and the latter following al-Hafiz, who was enthroned as caliph. The Hafizi view lost all support following the downfall of the Fatimid Caliphate: later Musta'lis are all Tayyibi. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was the 52nd

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 ...

of the Dawoodi Bohra community. After he died in 2014 Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin succeeded him, as the 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of The Dawoodi Bohra community.

History

According to Musta'lī tradition, after the death of al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah, his infant son, At-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim, about two years old, was protected by

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 ...

who died in 1138, wife of the chief Fatimid Da'i of Yemen. She had been promoted to the post of

Hujjat al-Islam Hujjat al-Islam (, ) is an Islamic honorific title which translates in English to "authority on Islam" or "proof of Islam". The title "Hujjat al-Islam" is given to scholars with a high level of Islamic expertise and Islamic theology. Essentiall ...

long before by al-Mustansir Billah when her husband died and ran the Fatimid dawah from Yemen in the name of

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

At-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim. During her leadership At-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim went into occultation so she instituted the office of

. Zoeb bin Moosa was first to be instituted to this office and the line of Tayyibi Da'is that began in 1132.

was the Hujjah in Yemen from the time of

Al-Mustansir Billah. She appointed the Da'i in Yemen to run religious affairs.

Isma'ili 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 ...

missionaries Ahmed and Abdullah (in about 1067 AD (460 AH))The Bohras
By: Asgharali Engineer, Vikas Pub. House, p.109,101 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 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 ...

, India.

Branches

*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 schism in the Bohra community of Patan in Gujarat as a large number converted from Musta'li Isma'ili

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

to mainstream Hanafi

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Islam. The leader of this conversion movement to Sunni was Syed Jafar Ahmad Shirazi who also had the support of the Mughal governor of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. *In 1592, a leadership struggle caused the Ṭayyibi Ismailis to split. Following the death of the 26th Dai in 1591 CE, Sulayman bin Hassan, the grandson of the 24th Dai, was ''wali'' in Yemen and claimed the succession, supported by a few Bohras from Yemen and India. However, most Bohras denied his claim of ''nass'', declaring that the supporting document evidence was forged. The two factions separated, with the followers of Suleman Bin Hasan becoming the Sulaymanis named after Sulayman ibn Hassan and mainly located in

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and the followers of Syedna Dawood Bin Qutubshah becoming the Dawoodi Bohra.

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 ...

, found mostly in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. * A split in 1637 from the Dawoodi Bohra resulted in the Alavi Bohra. * The Hebtiahs Bohra are a branch of Musta'li Isma'ili 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 Musta'ali Isma'ili 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: ** Atba-e-Malak Badar – The current leader is Maulana Muhammad Amiruddin Malak Saheb. ** Atba-e-Malak Vakil – Their current leader is Tayyebhai Razzak. * The Progressive Dawoodi Bohra is a reformist sect within Musta'li 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. * In 2014, following the desert of Mohammed Burhanuddin, there was a succession dispute. The Bohra Sultan Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin was established as the 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq by his father, His Holiness Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin. However, the Qutbi Bohra branch broke off from the original Dawoodi Bohra, falsely claiming the succession as theirs. This dispute was taken to the courts by the Qutbi Bohra, which denounced their claims as false, affirming Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin as the rightful 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq.

Musta'li Imams

Hasan ibn Ali Hasan ibn Ali (; 2 April 670) was an Alids, Alid political and religious leader. The eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Hasan briefly ruled as Rashidun caliphate, Rashidun caliph from January 661 unt ...

625–670 (imam 660–670) #

Husayn ibn Ali Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 Common Era, CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alids, Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abd a ...

626–680 (imam 670–680 ) #

Ali al-Sajjad Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (, – 712), also known as Zayn al-Abidin () was the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the fourth imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle, Hasan ibn Ali, and his gr ...

659–712 (imam 680–712) #

Muhammad al-Baqir Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (; ) was a descendant of the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and the fifth of the Twelve Imams, twelve Shia imams, succeeding his father, Ali al-Sajjad, and succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sad ...

676–743 (imam 712–743) #

Ja'far al-Sadiq Ja'far al-Sadiq (; –765) was a Muslim hadith transmitter and the last agreed-upon Shia Imam between the Twelvers and Isma'ilis. Known by the title al-Sadiq ("The Truthful"), Ja'far was the eponymous founder of the Ja'fari school of Isla ...

702–765 (imam 743–765) # Isma'il al-Mubarak 719/722–775 (imam 765–775) #

Muhammad ibn Isma'il Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Maktum (; ) was the eldest son of Isma'il al-Mubarak and the seventh imam in Isma'ilism. When Isma'il died, his son Muhammad continued to live in Medina under the care of his grandfather Ja'far al-Sadiq until the latter' ...

740–813 (imam 775–813) # Abadullah ibn Muhammad (Ahmad al-Wafi) 766–829 (imam 813–829) # Ahmad ibn Abadullah (Muhammad at-Taqi) 790–840 (imam 829–840) # Husayn ibn Ahmad (Radi Abdullah) (imam 840–909) # Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah (909–934) # al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah (934–946) # al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah (946–953) # al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (953–975) # al-Aziz Billah (975–996) # al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (996–1021) # al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah (1021–1036) # al-Mustansir Billah (1036–1094) # al-Musta'li Billah (1094–1101) # al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (1101–1130) # at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim (1130–1132) Imams 11–21 were caliphs who ruled 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 ...

. The imams from Muhammad ibn Isma'il onward were occulted by the Musta'li; their names as listed by Dawoodi Bohra religious books are listed above.http://www.ismaili.net/Source/0910.ht Quarterly Journal of the AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT Vol. XXI. Nos. 1 2 Edited by MAHMUD GHUL HIDDEN IMAMS OF THE ISMAILIS

Their ancestors and descendants according to Ismā'īlī-Mustā'lī Imāmah doctrine

Da'is

was the Hujjah from the time of Imam Mustansir. She appointed Dai in Yemen to run religious affair. Ismaili missionaries Ahmed and Abdullah (in about 1067 AD (460 AH)) were sent to India in that time. According to Fatimid tradition, after the death of Al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah, Arwa al-Sulayhi instituted the

in place of Dai to run the independent

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 ...

from Yemen in the name of Imam Taiyab. The Dais are appointed one after other in the same philosophy of '' nass'' (nomination by predecessor) as done by earlier imams. It is believed that God's representative cannot die before appointing his true successor. This is being followed from the time of 3rd Imam Ali al-Sajjad, the strong army of Yazid also could not think of killing him, although they did not spare even a child of six months, Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn. Under the fifteenth Imam, Al-Aziz Billah, the fifth Fatimid caliph, religious tolerance was given great importance. As a small Shi'i group ruling over a majority Sunni population with a Christian minority also, the Fatimid caliphs were careful to respect the sentiments of people. One of the viziers of Imam Aziz was Christian, and high offices were held by both Shia and Sunnis. Fatimid advancement in state offices was based more on merit than on heredity.''Mullahs on the mainframe: Islam and modernity among the Daudi Bohras'', page 29, By Jonah Blank Al-Aziz Billah rebuilt the Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo near Fustat and encouraged public theological debate between the chief Fatimid

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

and the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s of

Oriental Orthodoxy The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...

in the interest of

ecumenism Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

Profession of faith

As is the case with the majority of the Shia, Ismailis conclude the Shahada with ''ʿAliyun waliyu l-Lah'' ("Ali is the successor of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

"). Musta'lis recite the following shahada: The first part of this shahada is common to all Muslims and is the fundamental declaration of

tawhid ''Tawhid'' () is the concept of monotheism in Islam, it is the religion's central and single most important concept upon which a Muslim's entire religious adherence rests. It unequivocally holds that God is indivisibly one (''ahad'') and s ...

. The wording of the last phrase is specific to the Musta'li. The second phrase describes the principle of

Prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

in Shia Islam. The third phrase describes the Musta'li theological position of the role of Ali. File:kalema-tut-shahadat.jpg, Photo of the

qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...

of al-Mustansir Billah in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

showing the Shahada File:Kalema at Bab al Nasr, Fatimid Cairo.jpg, Photo of the Shahada at Bab al-Futuh Fatimid Cairo

References

External links

Dawoodi Bohras (operated by Mufaddal Saifuddin faction)

Official website of Alavi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohras (operated by Khuzaima Qutbuddin/Taher Fakhruddin faction)

{{Islamic Theology, state=uncollapsed, schools