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The simplified description of the hierarchy (hudūd) of the organization of the Ismaili da'wah was as follows: [1] [2] [3]
See List of the Order of Assassins for examples of Nizari Ismaili Missionaries or du'āt and List of Dai of the Dawoodi Bohra or Da'i al-Mutlaq for examples of Tayyibi Isma'ilism Missionaries or du'āt.
Rank | Name | Active years | Sect | Area of influence | Base | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chief Da'i | Abu Abdallah al-Khadim | since 903-913 until 919 | Khurasan | Nishapur | [4] | |
Chief Da'i | Al-Qadi al-Nu'man | 909–974 | Fatimid doctrine | Ifriqiya | ||
Chief Da'i | Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani | ?–971 | Fatimid doctrine | Khurasan and Sijistan | ||
Chief Da'i | Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani | 996–1021 | Fatimid doctrine | |||
Chief Da'i | Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Naysaburi | 10th-11th century | Fatimid doctrine | Nishapur; Cairo | ||
Chief Da'i | Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi | 1048–1078 | Fatimid doctrine | Fatimid Caliphate | House of Knowledge, Cairo | |
Chief Da'i | Abd al-Malik ibn Attash | Fatimid doctrine | Persia and Iraq (Seljuk territories) | Isfahan | ||
Da'i | Ahmad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Attash | Fatimid doctrine | Isfahan | Shahdiz fortress, Isfahan | ||
Chief Da'i | Hassan-i Sabbah | 1090–1124 | Fatimid, later Nizari | Daylam, later Nizari Isma'ili state | Alamut Castle | |
Chief Da'i | Abu Hamza | Arrajan | [5] | |||
Chief Da'i | Kiya Buzurg-Ummid | 1124–1138 | Nizari | Nizari Isma'ili state | Alamut Castle | |
Chief Da'i | Muhammad Buzurg Ummid | 1138–1162 | Nizari | Nizari Isma'ili state | Lambasar Castle, Alamut Castle | |
Chief Da'i | Al-Hakim al-Munajjim | died in 1103 | Nizari | Syria | Aleppo | |
Chief Da'i | Abu Tahir al-Sa'igh | Nizari | Syria | Aleppo and Afamiyya | [6] | |
Chief Da'i | Bahram al-Da'i | Nizari | Syria | Damascus (civilian base) and Baniyas fortress (military base) | [7] | |
Chief Da'i | Isma'il al-Ajami | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Abu'l Fath of Sarmin | Nizari | part of Syria | |||
Chief Da'i | Abu Muhammad | Nizari | Syria | Al-Kahf Castle | ||
Da'i | Rashid ad-Din Sinan | ~1160–1163 | Nizari | Basra District | ||
Chief Da'i | Rashid ad-Din Sinan | from 1163-1164 to 1192-1193 [8] | Nizari | Syria | Al-Kahf Castle | |
Chief Da'i | Abu Mansur ibn Muhammad or Nasr al-'Ajami | since 1192 or 1193 | Nizari | Syria | [8] | |
Chief Da'i | Kamal al-Din al-Hasan ibn Masud | 1222-1223 | Nizari | Syria | [8] [9] | |
Chief Da'i | Majd al-Din | 1226–1227 | Nizari | Syria | [8] [9] | |
Chief Da'i | Siraj al-Din Muzaffar ibn al-Husayn | 1227, 1238 | Nizari | Syria | [8] [9] | |
Chief Da'i | Taj al-Din Abu al-Futuh ibn Muhammad | 1239–1240, 1249 | Nizari | Syria | [8] [9] | |
Chief Da'i | Radi al-Din Abu al-Ma'ali | 1258–1261 | Nizari | Syria | [8] [9] | |
Chief Da'i | Khwaja Qasim | Nizari | Quhistan | [6] | ||
Da'i | Abu Ishaq Quhistani | Qasim-Shahi Nizari | Quhistan | [6] | ||
Da'i | Abu Firas | until 1530 or 1540 | Nizari | Syria | Maynaqa Fortress | [6] |
Chief Da'i | Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen and North Africa | |||
Chief Da'i | Hamdan Qarmat | Lower Iraq | Salamiyah | |||
Chief Da'i | Abdallah ibn Maymūn Al-Qaddāḥ | |||||
Chief Da'i | Maymūn Al-Qaddāḥ | |||||
Da'i | Zakarawayh ibn Mihrawayh | Among the Banu Tamim | Saylahin | |||
Da'i | Abu Muhammad Abdan | |||||
Chief Da'i | Jawdhar | Fatimid Caliphate | North Africa | |||
Chief Da'i | Amir al-Zawahi | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Chief Da'i | Ali al-Sulayhi | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani | Fatimid Caliphate | ||||
Chief Da'i | Musa ibn Dawud | Fatimid Caliphate | Fars | |||
Da'i | Al-Mukarram Ahmad | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Da'i Anjudani | Nizari | Iran | |||
Chief Da'i | Abu Hatim Ahmad ibn Hamdan al-Razi | Fatimid Caliphate | Ray and Central Persia | Ray | ||
Chief Da'i | Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani | Fatimid Caliphate | Iraq and Iran | |||
Da'i (Hujjat-i Khurasan) | Nasir Khusraw | 1052–1088 | Fatimid doctrine | Khurasan | Yamgan District (1060–1088) | |
Da'i | Al-Mukarram Ahmad | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | Jibla, Yemen | ||
Chief Da'i | Dhu'ayb ibn Musa | Sulayhid dynasty | Yemen | Hooth | ||
Da'i | Abd al-Malik al-Kawkabi | Jibal | Gerdkuh | [5] | ||
Da'i | Lamak ibn Malik | Sulayhid dynasty | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Yahya ibn Lamak | Sulayhid dynasty | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Abdullah (Ismaili Mustaali Missionary) | Fatimid Caliphate | Gujarat | Khambhat | ||
Da'i | Syedi Hasan Feer | Taiyabi | Gujarat | Denmaal | ||
Da'i | Syedi Fakhruddin | Fatimid Caliphate | Rajasthan | Galiakot | ||
Da'i | Syedi Nuruddin | Fatimid Caliphate | Maharashtra | Don Gaon | ||
Da'i | Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin | Taiyabi | Madhya Pradesh | Burhanpur | ||
Pir | Prannath / Imam Mahdi | Nizari (Ismaili Missionary) | Madhya Pradesh | Panna | ||
Da'i | Syedi Bava Mulla Khan | Taiyabi | Madhya Pradesh | Rampura | ||
Pir | Pir Sadardin | Nizari | Sindh | |||
Da'i | Sulayman bin Hassan | Taiyabi | India | Ahmedabad | ||
Da'i | Abdul Hussain Jivaji | Taiyabi | India | Nagpur | ||
Da'i | Muhammad Amiruddin | Taiyabi | India | Nagpur | ||
Da'i | Taher Fakhruddin | Taiyabi | India | Thane | ||
Da'i | Al-Fakhri Abdullah | Taiyabi | Hijaz | Najran | ||
Da'i | Haatim Zakiyuddin | Taiyabi | Gujarat | Vadodara | ||
Da'i | Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Maymun | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran and Iraq | Salamiyah | ||
Da'i | Abu'l-Qasim al-Hasan ibn Faraj ibn Ḥawshab Mansur al-Yaman | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Ali ibn al-Fadl al-Jayshani | 883–915 | Fatimid doctrine (until 911) / Qarmatian doctrine (from 911) | Yemen | ||
Da'i | Khalaf al-Hallaj | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | |||
Da'i | Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmad an-Nasafi | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Ray | ||
Da'i | Ja'far ibn Mansur al-Yaman | Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Da'i | Qadi Abul Hussain Ali bin Noman | Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Pir | Shamsuddin Sabzwari | Nizari | Pakistan | Multan | ||
Da'i | Taj Mughal | Nizari | Pakistan | Gilgit and Hunza | ||
Pir | Pir Hasan Kabiruddin | Nizari | Pakistan | Uchh | ||
Pir | Pir Tajuddin | Nizari | Pakistan | Lahore | ||
Da'i | Sayed Imam Shah | Nizari | Pakistan | Uchh, see Satpanth for further information | ||
Da'i | Sayed Rehmatullah Shah | Nizari | Gujrat and Kutchh | |||
Da'i | Sayed Nurbaksh | Nizari | Jammu and Kashmir | |||
Da'i | Mir Shamsuddin II | Nizari | Jammu and Kashmir | |||
Da'i | Badiuddin Khwaja Kassim | Nizari | Iran | Anjudan | ||
Da'i | Syedi Lukman ji | Taiyabi | India | Udaipur | ||
Da'i | Khanji Pheer | Taiyabi | India | Udaipur | ||
Da'i | Zurayids | Hafizi | Yemen | Aden | ||
Da'i | Ibn Selim el-Aswani | Fatimid Caliphate | Sudan | |||
Da'i | Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai | Nizari | Pakistan | Hunza Valley | ||
Da'i | Nizari Quhistani | Nizari | Iran | Birjand | ||
Da'i | Ismail Gangji | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Malik Tayfur Anjudani | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Sayed Alam Shah | Nizari | India | Gujarat | ||
Da'i | Sayed Ali Shah | Nizari | India | Gujarat | ||
Da'i | Sayed Bakir Shah | Nizari | India | Gujarat | ||
Da'i | Sayed Nur Muhammad Shah | Nizari | India | Gujarat | ||
Da'i | Muhammad bin Sa'd bin Daud surnamed ar- Rafnah | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Nuruddin Ahmad | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Abul Ma'ali Hatim bin Imran, eminently known as Ibn Zahra | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Sayed Malang Shah | Nizari | Central Asia | Shagnan | ||
Da'i | Sayed Khamush Shah Shirazi | Nizari | Central Asia | Shagnan | ||
Da'i | Asma bint Shihab | Taiyabi | Yemen | Jibla, Yemen | ||
Da'i | Arwa al-Sulayhi | Taiyabi | Yemen | Jibla, Yemen | ||
Da'i | Amira Darrab | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Ray | ||
Da'i | Hussain Qaini | Nizari | Iran | Qaen | ||
Da'i | Abul Khattab Muhammad bin Abi Zaynab Maqlas al-Asadi al-Kufi | Ismaili | Iraq | Kufa | ||
Da'i | Hasan bin Muhammad bin Kiya Buzurg | Nizari | Iran | Alamut | ||
Da'i | Abu Jabala Ibrahim bin Ghassan | Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Da'i | Jabir al-Manufi | Fatimid Caliphate | Lebanon | Tyre | ||
Da'i | Abul Fawaris al-Hasan bin Muhammad al-Mimadhi | Fatimid Caliphate | Israel | Acre | ||
Da'i | Abul Hussain Ahmad bin Muhammad bin al-Kumayt | Fatimid Caliphate | Israel | Askelon | ||
Da'i | Abu Muhammad al-Tabari | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Tabaristan | ||
Da'i | Abul Hasan al-Halabi | Fatimid Caliphate | Syria | Aleppo | ||
Da'i | Abu Tamim Abul Kassim al-Bukhari | Fatimid Caliphate | Uzbekistan | Bukhara | ||
Da'i | Abul Wafa al-Daylami | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Daylam | ||
Da'i | Ibn Abi'l Dibs | Fatimid Caliphate | Syria | Damascus | ||
Da'i | Khuzayma bin Abi Khuzayma | Fatimid Caliphate | Iraq | Baghdad | ||
Da'i | Abu Abdullah bin al-Naman | Fatimid Caliphate | Iraq | Baghdad | ||
Da'i | Abu Abdullah al-Khadim | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Nishapur | ||
Da'i | Abul Abbas | Fatimid Caliphate | Tunisia | Mahdia | ||
Da'i | Abdullah bin Abbas al-Shawiri | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | Ahwaz | ||
Da'i | Al-Farazdaq | Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin | Kuwait | Kazma | ||
Chief Da'i | Badr al-Jamali | Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Da'i | Zayn bin Abi Faraj | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Ibrahim bin Abi'l Fawaris | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Ismail | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Nasir ad-Dawla Iftagin at-Turki | Nizari | Egypt | Alexandria | ||
Da'i | Jalal ad-Dawla bin Ammar | Nizari | Egypt | Alexandria | ||
Pir | Pir Satgur Noor/Sayyid Nooruddin Noor Muhammad | Nizari | India | Gujarat | ||
Da'i | Pir Sayed Muinuddin Hasan | Nizari | Iran | Sabzevar | ||
Da'i | Sayed Salauddin | Nizari | Iran | Sabzevar | ||
Da'i | Ad-Darazi | Druze | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Da'i | Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad | Druze | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Da'i | Al-Muqtana Baha'uddin | Druze | Syria | Beit Jann | ||
Da'i | Hasan al-Akhram al-Farghani | Druze | Egypt | Cairo | ||
Pir | Pir Nasiruddin | Nizari Satpanth | Punjab | Uchh | ||
Pir | Pir Sahib'adin | Nizari Satpanth | India | |||
Da'i | Sayed Ruknuddin | Nizari Satpanth | India | |||
Da'i | Sayed Badruddin | Nizari Satpanth | India | |||
Da'i | Sayed Shamsuddin II | Nizari Satpanth | India | |||
Da'i | Sayed Ghiasuddin | Nizari Satpanth | India | |||
Da'i | Khaki Khorasani | Nizari | Iran | Khorasan | ||
Da'i | Ali Quli Raqqami | Nizari | Iran | Khorasan | ||
Da'i | Khwajah Qasim Tushtari | Nizari | Iran | Alamut | ||
Da'i | Muhammad Abu al-Makarim | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Shihab al-Din Abu Firas | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Abul Haytham Gorgani | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Gorgan | ||
Da'i | Mohammed ibn Sork | Fatimid Caliphate | Iran | Nishapur | ||
Da'i | Sayyed Didarali | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Mustakali | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Nour Baksh | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Auliya Ali | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Amir Ahmed | Ismaili | Arabia | Medina | ||
Da'i | Sayyed Nooruddin | Ismaili | Arabia | Medina | ||
Da'i | Sayyed Nasser Mohammed | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Pir Qasim Shah | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Noor Mehdi | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Hyder Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Ibrahim Jusab Varteji | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Assad bin Kassim Al-Ajami | Fatimid Caliphate | Syria | Aleppo | ||
Da'i | Ibrahim bin Ismail Al Ajami | Fatimid Caliphate | Syria | Aleppo | ||
Da'i | Pir Sayyed Alauddin | Nizari | Afghanistan | Badakshan | ||
Da'i | Ahmad Hadi | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Zahiruddin | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Rodaki | Fatimid Caliphate | Central Asia | |||
Da'i | Sayyed Shah Qalandar | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Mahmud Shah | Nizari | Iran | Sabzevar | ||
Da'i | Pir Muhibuddin | Nizari | Iran | Sabzevar | ||
Da'i | Pir Muhammad Zaman | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Pir Baba Hashem Shah | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Pir Mirza Shah Qasimali | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Pir Abul Hassan Ali | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Pir Mehrab Beg | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Ali Asghar Beg | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Akbar Ali Beg | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Mirza Mohammed Baqir | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Mohammed bin Ali bin Hasan As-Souri | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Lal Shah Baz Qalandar | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Khaliquddin | Nizari | Iran | |||
Pir | Pir Ismailbhai Gangji | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Islamuddin | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Imamuddin Indra | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Hatem Bin Mahmoud bin Zahrah | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Hasan Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Ghalibuddin | Fatimid Caliphate | North Africa | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Gheb Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Firuz | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Anushtakin Al-Duzbari | Fatimid Caliphate | Syria | |||
Da'i | Abdul Majid | Fatimid Caliphate | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Adam Mehdi | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Aga Jehangir Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Bala Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Abdul Momin | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Salamuddin | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Khaliq Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Jalaluddin | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Seyyed Awal Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Aga Aziz | Nizari | Afghanistan | |||
Da'i | Khuzaima Qutbuddin | Taiyabi | India | |||
Da'i | Tayyebhai Razzak | Taiyabi | India | |||
Da'i | Ibn Hatim | Taiyabi | Yemen | |||
Da'i | Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn al-Aswad ibn al-Haytham | Fatimid Caliphate | Tunisia | Kairouan | ||
Da'i | Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi | Fatimid Caliphate | Tunisia | Kairouan | ||
Da'i | Fidai Khorasani | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Sayed Munir | Nizari | Afghanistan | Shagnan, Badakhshan | ||
Da'i | Abu Aly A. Aziz | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Kassim Ali | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Noormohomed Rahimtullah | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Noordin Amlani | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Alibhai Nanji | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Jaffer Ali A. Bhalwani | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Jaffer Ali Muhammad Somji Sufi | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Juma Bhagat Ismail | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Bandali Bhagat Ismail | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Nurullah Bhagat Ismail | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Karam Hussain | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Kara Ruda | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Kassim Ali Muhammad Jaffer | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Kassim Ali R. Paroo | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Khuda Baksh Talib | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Muhammad Murad Ali Juma | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Sultanali Nazarali Walji | Nizari | ||||
Da'i | Abul Kassim Muhammad Kuhpayai known as Amiri Shirazi or Kassim Amiri | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Sayed Dadu or Pir Dadu | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Sayed Abdul Nabi | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Pir Shihabuddin Shah | Nizari | India | |||
Da'i | Abu Al Fath | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Khalaf ibn Mula'ib | Musta'li | Syria | |||
Da'i | Abu'l Hasan Sinan bin Suleman bin Muhammad | Nizari | Iraq | |||
Da'i | Zahiri Faryabi | Nizari | Daylam | |||
Chief Da'i | Kamaluddin Kohistani | Nizari | Quhistan | |||
Da'i | Shamsuddin bin Daulatshah | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Shihabuddin bin Ibrahim al-Mainaqi | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Muhammad bin al-Jazirah | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Abu Mansur al-Yameni al-Shadili | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Muhammad Abul Makrim | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Muhammad bin al-Fazal bin Ali al-Baza'i | Nizari | Syria | |||
Da'i | Khayr Khwah Herati or Muhammad Reza bin Sultan Hussain Ghuriyan Herati | Nizari | Afghanistan | |||
Da'i | Sayed Suhrab Wali Badakhshani | Nizari | Afghanistan | |||
Da'i | Sayed Umar Yamghani | Nizari | Afghanistan | |||
Da'i | Zayn al-Abidin bin Hussain bin Khushnam Angawani | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Sayed Shah Zahur | Nizari | Yasin and Punial | |||
Da'i | Sayed Bakir Shah | Nizari | Yasin and Punial | |||
Da'i | Sayed Karim Hyder | Nizari | Yasin and Punial | |||
Da'i | Sayed Shah Ardbil | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Sayed Hussain Ardbil | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Sayed Yaqut Shah | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Sayed Shah Abdur Rahim | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Sayed Ghulam Ali Shah | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Khwaja Shah Talib | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Mirza Ismail | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Da'i | Khwaja Shahid | Nizari | Gilgit and Hunza | |||
Chief Da'i | Sheikh al-Hajj Khidr | Nizari | Syria | |||
Chief Da'i | Sheikh Muhammad al-Suwaydani | Nizari | Syria | |||
Chief Da'i | Mu'ayyad al-Din Muzaffar ibn Ahmad Mustawfi | Nizari | Iran | |||
Chief Da'i | Qadi Tajuddin Mardanshah | Nizari | Iran | |||
Da'i | Maulana Dakhli | Nizari | India | |||
Chief Da'i | Shawiri | 915-? | Fatimid doctrine | Yemen | ||
Chief Da'i | Abu Ibrahim Asadabadi | 12th Century | Nizari | Syria |
Isma'ilism is a branch or sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept Musa al-Kadhim, the younger brother of Isma'il, as the true Imām.
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 resides in India, with sizable congregations in Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa, and the Middle East. They also have a growing presence in Europe, North America, and Australia. The present leader is the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq, Mufaddal Saifuddin who assumed office in January 2014.
The Musta‘lī are a branch of Isma'ilism named for their acceptance of al-Musta'li as the legitimate nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah. In contrast, the Nizari—the other living branch of Ismailism, presently led by Aga Khan IV—believe the nineteenth caliph was al-Musta'li's elder brother, Nizar. Isma'ilism is a branch of Shia Islam.
The term Da'i al-Mutlaq literally meaning 'the absolute, or unrestricted, missionary', is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim, traditionally placed in 528 AH/1134 AD.
Tayyibi Isma'ilism is the only surviving sect of the Musta'li branch of Isma'ilism, the other being the extinct Hafizi branch. Followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism are found in various Bohra communities: Dawoodi, Sulaymani, and Alavi.
The Sulaymani branch of Tayyibi Isma'ilism is an Islamic community, of which around 70,000 members reside in Yemen, while a few thousand Sulaymani Bohras can be found in India. The Sulaymanis are sometimes headed by a Da'i al-Mutlaq from the Makrami family.
The Alavi Bohras are a Tayyibi Musta'lavi Isma'ili Shi'i Muslim community from Gujarat, India. In India, during the time of the 18th Fatimid Imam Al-Mustansir Billah around 1093 AD in Egypt, the designated learned people (wulaat) who were sent from Yemen by missionaries (du'aat) under the guidance of the imam established a da'wah in Khambhat.
Idris Imad al-Din was the 19th Tayyibi Isma'ili Da'i al-Mutlaq and a major religious and political leader in 15th-century Yemen, as well as a notable theologian and the most important medieval Isma'ili historian. His work is fundamental for the history of the Fatimid Caliphate and the Isma'ili communities in Yemen.
Syedna Mohammad Ezzuddin was the 23rd Da'i of the Dawoodi Bohra, a sub-sect of Isma'ili Shi'i Islam. The Dawoodi Bohra trace their belief system back to Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam and Zaydi Islam. Around 1567 CE, the Da'wat was relocated to Gujarat, India.
Syedna Ibrahim Wajihuddin Bin Syedi AbdulQadir Hakimuddin was the 39th Dā'ī of the Dawoodi Bohras. He succeeded the 38th Dā'ī Syedna Ismail Badruddin II to the religious post.
The Nizari state was a Nizari Isma'ili Shia state founded by Hassan-i Sabbah after he took control of the Alamut Castle in 1090 AD, which marked the beginning of an era of Ismailism known as the "Alamut period". Their people were also known as the Assassins or Hashashins.
Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad II or ʾAʿlā Muḥammad was the Nizari Isma'ili Imām of Alamūt who reigned the longest period out of any lord (Khudawand) of Alamut, forty-four years. He affirmed the policies of his father, Hassan Ala Dhikrihi's Salam, who had been stabbed to death a year after proclaiming Qiyāma, or Resurrection.
ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Muḥammad III, more commonly known as ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn (علاءالدین), son of Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥasan III, was the 26th Nizāri Isma'ilism Imām. He ruled the Nizari Ismaili state from 1221 to 1255. By some accounts, he was considered a respected scholar and the spiritual and worldly leader of the Nizari Ismailis. The intellectual life of Persia has been described as having flourished during his 34-year reign. Allegedly, he was known for his tolerance and pluralism. His reign witnessed the beginnings of the Mongol conquests of Persia and the eastern Muslim world. He was assassinated by an unknown perpetrator on 1 December 1255, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Rukn al-Din Khurshah, in 1255.
Syedi Hasan Pir was a Taiyabi Ismaili saint of the 14th century in India. Hasan Pir was fifth Wali-ul-Hind on behalf of the Ismaili Taiyabi Da'i al-Mutlaq of Yemen. He was famous in the court of the Sultan of Patan, during the time of the Delhi Sultan Nasir ud din Muhammad Shah III and from lineage of Moulai Bharmal. He was martyred on 23rd Moharram 795 AH/ 1392 AD, and his mausoleum is located at Denmaal/Delmal, Gujarat.
Syedna Jalal Shamshuddin bin Hasan was the 25th Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra branch of Musta‘lī Ismaili Islam. He was the first Ismaili Dai in India after the shift of Daawat office from Yemen to India. He succeeded the 24th Dai Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin ibn Sulaiman to the religious post.
Syedna Ismail Badruddin (I) Bin Maulaya Raj was the 34th Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. He succeeded the 33rd Da'i Feer Khan Shujauddin to the religious post. Syedna Ismail became Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1085AH/1657AD. His period of Dawat was 1065–1085 AH/1657–1676 AD. He is the first Da'i descendant of Moulaya Bharmal.
Syedna AbdulHusain Husamuddin bin Syedna Tayyeb Zainuddin was the 48th Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra. He was born on the day of Ashura in 1239 AH/1823 AD and died on 27th Zilhijjat al-Haram 1308 AH/1891 AD in Ahmedabad, India.
Ibrahim ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid was the eleventh Tayyibi Isma'ili Da'i al-Mutlaq in Yemen, from 1287 to his death in 1328.