Ismailis dawa in Syria in Fatimid and post Fatimid times

Whatever happened during fatimid times
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Ismailis dawa in Syria in Fatimid and post Fatimid times

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AS RECEIVED from Khan

Ismailis, however, believe that Jafar appointed Ismail to be the Imam--hence Ismailis are often called "Seveners"....

Syrian Ismailis are divided into two major groups, the Mustafians and the Misaris.
The Ismailis of Syria, numbering about 200,000, are predominantly Misaris; this group gained prominence during the Crusades when a mystical society of Misaris, called "Assassins".. fought both the Crusaders and Saladin (Salah ad Din al Ayyubi).

The Misari Ismaili community has continued in Syria to the present day and recognizes the Aga Khan as its head.

The Mirzahs are the leading family in the Syrian community. [Shahgaldian, op. cit.]. ...and so within the Khojas...the majority are what they are....and the "inner cult" of the
"madis"...are the Khoja "Mirzahis"...to use an analogy...

When did the Khojas come into existence? Imam says know your own history !
The original Ismailis are Syrians !!! Imam has a very special relationship thus with Syria...

Originally clustered in Al Ladhiqiyah Province, most of the Syrian Ismailis have resettled south of Salamiyah on land granted to the Ismaili community by Abdul Hamid II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1876 to 1909.

A few thousand Ismailis live in the mountains west of Hamah, and about 5,000 are in Al Ladhiqiyah.


The western mountain group is poor and suffers from land hunger and overpopulation--resulting in a drift toward the wealthier eastern areas as well as seasonal migration to the Salamiyah area, where many of them find employment at harvest-time.


The wealthier Ismailis of Salamiyah have fertile and well-watered land and are regarded as clannish, proud, and tough.
Ismailis accept many Shia doctrines, such as the esoteric nature of truth and the inspiration of the Imams.


Although holding their Imams to be of divine origin, as the Shia do, Ismailis believe the succession of visible Imams to the present.


There are, however, the visible and the hidden, the speaker and the silent.
Syria is an original homeland of the Ismailis. The Ismailis mostly flourished in Salamia, where Imam Ismail resided secretly till death in 158/775.

Imam Muhammad bin Ismail also came to live in Salamia, where he died in 197/813. ..prior to this Imam Ismail...from whom you derive your identity was sent to Syria by Imam Jafar as Sadiq....to escape the extreme persecution of the Harami Abbassids....the kaffirs in Black Robes....whose colours most adorn even today and call themselves Muslims....Its a Joke !

The Abbasids intensified operations in search of the Imam, thus Imam Wafi Ahmad also went to Syria and lived in the castle of Masiyaf for some time.

The Ismaili da'is in search of a new residence for their Imam came to Salamia and inspected the town and approached the owner, Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Saleh, who had transformed the town into a flourishing commercial centre.

Soon afterwards, Salamia became the headquarters of Ismaili dawat.

Imam Wafi Ahmad retired into solitude and died in Salamia in 212/828. Imam Taqi Muhammad is reported to have died in 225/840 in Salamia after bequeathing the office of Imamate to his son, Imam Radi Abdullah.

Imam al-Mahdi lived in Salamia in a thick of insecure milieu in the cloak of a merchant and relinquished it in 286/899. ...from here he went to North Africa and proclaimed himself and established the Fatimid Caliphate....

Jawhar later on conquered Syria, and then he invited his master, Imam al-Muizz Imam al-Aziz was able to annex Damascus after defeating its Turkish commander, Iftagin.

Under Imam al-Hakim, Aleppo submitted to the rule of a Fatimid governor.

The Fatimid power in Syria was seriously impugned at the time of Imam az-Zahir's accession, but it was soon altered by the ability and enterprise of Anushtagin ad-Dizbiri.

During the later part of Imam az-Zahir's rule, the Fatimid influence had become supreme in Syria.

The Syrian Ismailis supported Imam al-Nizar during Alamut rule.

Al-Hakim al-Munajjim Asad bin Kassim al-Ajami, the physician astrologer was the first Nizari da'i to have come from Alamut to Aleppo.

He was able to generate his friendship with the Seljuq ruler Ridwan bin Tutus. Soon afterwards, Ridwan allowed the Nizari Ismaili da'is to use Aleppo as base for their operations, and also helped them to build a mission house (darul dawa).

The next da'i in succession was Abu Tahir al-Saigh, the goldsmith; who had been deputed from Alamut in the time of da'i al-Munajjim. He also cemented close ties with Ridwan, and helped him during the Crusades.

He captured the fort of Afamiya in south of Aleppo on 24th Jamada I, 499/February 3, 1106. Afamiya was the first Nizari Ismaili stronghold in Syria, Abu Sa'id Buri, the son and successor of Tughtigin, known as Taj al-Mulk and Majd ad-din was however the bitterest foe of the Ismailis, and ordered for their massacre on 17th Ramzan, 523/September 4, 1129.

The number of the Ismailis executed in this outbreak is put at 6,000 by Ibn Athir (d. 630/1234), 10,000 by Ibn Jawzi (d. 597/1200) and 20,000 by the author of Bustan al-Jami. Ismail

Buri became the victim of the two Ismaili fidais, who came from Alamut and secretly joined the team of his guards and struck him with a sword on 5th Jamada II, 525/May 7, 1131 at the gate of his palace in the citadel of Damascus. Wounded in neck and hip, Buri lingered on and died a year later in 526/1132.

Imam al-Mohtadi is said to have reorganized the Ismaili mission from his base in Lamasar.

In 530/1136, he deputed Zayn bin Abi Faraj in Syria with a sealed letter, in which the Imam addressed to his Syrian followers that:

"Verily, I am your Mawla Muhammad bin Ali bin Nizar. May God curse one who denies to believe the truth and covers it. We have charged Zayn ibn Abi Faraj ibn Abi'l Hasan ibn Ali with this pledge to make the truth cleared for you for the manifestation of the truth...."


Rashiduddin Sinan became the chief of the mission in Syria after the death of Abu Mansur bin Muhammad in 558/1163. Sinan was not only an outstanding personality but also an efficient administrator.

Once well established, his first task was to consolidate his realm. He made Masiyaf as his headquarters and rapidly swept off the internal dissensions of the community.

It was within the Ismaili territory that Sinan did his great work. In order to meet the dangers from outside, Sinan began reorganizing his men and choosing the most eligible, and devoted to form the corps of the fidais.

He had his fidais trained in various languages and in the art of collecting secret information from the courts of kings and princes. He organized an elaborate communication system, making use of carrier pigeons, or the pigeon post, and coded messages by which the commanders of the various Ismaili strongholds were kept informed about the news of brewing trouble, his plans or the possible threats to any of the widely scattered Ismaili fortresses.

These messenger birds proved beneficial, which could fly unscathed back to their lofts from distant lands.

It is related that Imam Alauddin Muhammad had sent his son and successor, Imam Ruknuddin Khurshah in Syria with sealed letter in 653/1255.

The Mamluk Baybars finally destroyed the power of the Syrian Ismailis in 671/1273, and after that the Ismailis played no prominent role in Syrian history. In fact, the Ismailis not only survived but also revived.

They deserted some of their smaller villages and built new in Kadmus and Masiyaf and in the fertile district inland from Khawabi; and also rebuilt the historical Salamia.

Until 1880, no Ottoman officials or troops had been stationed at Salamia, and the Ismaili amirs had been virtual rulers of the town and district.

In 1884, however, Salamia was made the headquarters of a new administrative district (kaza) within the Sanjak of Hamma. Officials, tax demands, gendarmes and troops followed. In 1880, however, a Mominshahi Shaikh Himadi Umar became locally prominent. He won people over by bestowing them bountifully all kinds of false promises.

He also cultivated the acquaintance of Ottoman officials in Salamia and Hamma, and at the end of 1880, he was appointed a member of the official administrative council of the district Salamia.

Quarrels arose between his supporters and the amir of the Ismailis.

The Nizari Ismailis of Syria had little contact with the outside world and knew nothing about their Imam.

Thus, an amir of Mominshahis visited India in 1881, and three others in 1883. The latter group learnt that an Imam was living at Bombay.

In 1887 or 1888, another delegation came in India and actually met Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah in Bombay.

On the return to Syria, a grand meeting was held of all leading Shaikhs of the Ismailis, and at which those who had been to Bombay announced that their quest had been successful and that the Imam of the age had been found, and amid upsurge of enthusiasm, these Ismailis declared their loyalty to the Imam.

In 1890, in what was his first letter to his Syrian followers, the Imam appointed Shaikh Suleman al-Hajj as the Mukhi (the Syrian Ismailis pronounced it as Mukki).

He also designated Amir Ismail bin Muhammad as his estate agent for the collection and transmission of the tithe in Salamia.

Amir Ismail was a grandson of the founder of Salamia, the leading figure in the town and the Ottoman-appointed director of the Municipality.

In his letter, the Imam called him Ismail Said ad-Dawla, a title evocative of the remote and glorious past of the Ismailis.

Shaikh Suleman died in 1895 in India, his companion there, Shaikh Ahmad al-Muhammad al-Hajj, was designated the new Mukhi.

He had learnt much about the Ismailism as well as the rituals and was instructed to introduce them in Syria.

The Present Imam visited Beirut on July 25, 1959 and went to Damascus on the following day. The Syrian government accorded him a warm welcome.

Salamia is the main Ismailis Center in Syria, which was 152 or 153 miles from Damascus.

The Imam arrived in Salamia on July 29, where he stayed for three days and gave didar to the followers.

There were seven jamatkhanas in Salamia in 1959.

Khawabi is 160 miles from Salamia, which was visited by the Imam on August 1, 1959 and returned to Beirut on August 2, 1959.

During his visit, Imam formed an Ismaili Council of eleven members, Educational Board of seven members and a Welfare Society of 40 members in Salamia.

The passage of 15 miles between Salamia and Khawabi was bad in condition, therefore, the Imam declared a grant of 16 lacs shillings for its repairs.

He also granted 2 lacs shillings for Damascus University, 1 lac and ten thousand shillings for Salamia Municipality, 20,000 shillings for Damascus Museum, 54,000 shillings for Police Department of Syria, 17,000 shillings for Police Department of Beirut and 12,500 shillings for T.B. Hospital in Beirut.

During his last visit to Syria on November 3, 2001, the Imam presided over the ceremony to mark the presentation of the 8th Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The Syria's President Bashar al-Assad warmly greeted Imam in Damascus.

The Imam also held a meeting with the Grand Mufti Ahmad Kuftaro in Damascus. The Imam also graced didar to the Syrian Ismailis in Salamia and Khwabi.
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