Nizārī Ismailis: History, Geography, and Beliefs

Source: Illinois Geographer, Vol. 65 (Fall/Spring 2023, No. 1-2)

Abstract: This article examines the history, geographical distribution, and doctrinal evolution of the Nizārī Ismāʿīlī community, tracing their succession through Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and the establishment of the Fatimid Caliphate. The study explores key historical periods including the Alamūt era under Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ, the Mongol invasion, and the community’s subsequent dispersal and transformation.

Key Topics Covered

• Historical timeline: Fatimid Imam-Caliphs and Nizārī Imams of Alamūt
• The fortress period at Alamūt under Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ (1090-1256 CE)
• Doctrinal evolution: Taʿlīm, Tawḥīd, Qiyāmat proclamation
• Transition from Neo-Platonic cosmology to Sufi-influenced thought
• Global geographical distribution from Persia to South Asia
• Modern leadership under the Aga Khan

References

• Daftary, F. (2007). The Ismāʿīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Shahrastānī, M. (1984). Muslim Sects and Divisions (A.K. Kazi & J.G. Flynn, Trans.). Kegan Paul International.
• Ṭūsī, N. al-D. (1950). The Rawḍatu’t-Taslīm (W. Ivanow, Trans.). Ismaili Society.
• Walker, P. E. (1996). Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: Intellectual Missionary. I.B. Tauris.