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Isma'ili

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Isma'ili
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Member of a sect of the Shi'ite branch of Islam. It came into existence after the death of the sixth imam, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, in 765. His son Isma'il was accepted as successor only by a minority, who became known as Isma'ilites. Their doctrine, formulated in the late 8th and early 9th century, made a distinction between ordinary Muslim believers and the elect, who shared a secret wisdom. The Qaramitah subsect was popular in Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain in the 9th – 11th centuries, and the Fatimid subsect conquered Egypt in 969 and established the Fatimid dynasty. A subgroup of the Fatimids was the Nizaris, who gained control of fortresses in Iran and Syria in the late 11th century and were known as Assassins. The major Nizari line survived into modern times under the leadership of the Aga Khan, moving from Iran to India in 1840. The Druze separated from the Isma'ilis early in the 11th century and formed a closed society of their own.

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