Islamic Timeline of RevelationOpen in flowchart →Ismailiyyah (Ismaili Shia)
الإسماعيلية
The Shia branch that traced the Imamate through Isma'il, son of Ja'far al-Sadiq. It produced the Fatimid caliphate and later split into the Nizaris (Aga Khan) and Musta'li/Tayyibi Bohras.
Biography
After Ja'far al-Sadiq's death, those who held that the Imamate passed via Isma'il to his son Muhammad formed the Ismailis, known for esoteric (batini) interpretation alongside the outward law. They founded the Fatimid caliphate (909 CE).
The Nizari-Musta'li split (1094 CE) produced the Nizaris (the Alamut state, later the Aga Khans) and the Musta'lis (Tayyibi Dawoodi Bohras and others). The Qarmatians, who raided Makkah and carried off the Black Stone in 317 AH, were an offshoot hostile to the Fatimids.
Sources & explanation
۞ Qur'an
No specific verses cited for this node.
📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com
No verified hadith attached yet. Only references checked against sunnah.com are listed.
💬 Explanation Unverified
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective
Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Presented neutrally.
Empires in their lifetime
- Qarmatian state of Bahrayn 899 CE – 1077 CEThe Qarmatians emerged from the early Isma'ili movement.
- Fatimid Caliphate 909 CE – 1171 CEThe Fatimid caliphs were Ismaili imams.
- Sulayhid dynasty 1047 – 1138 CEAn Isma'ili dynasty.
Further references
- al-Shahrastani, al-Milal wa al-Nihal
- Historical consensus
Connections
Comes from
- Shi'at Ali (Origins of Shia Islam) offshoot — Followers of Isma'il ibn Ja'far
Leads to
- Fatimid Caliphate (Ismaili) offshoot — Ismaili state
Linked with
- Isma'il ibn Ja'far related — Claimed Imam