The Nizari Ismailis of the Persianate World

Abstract

The Ismailis account for the second largest Shiʿi Muslim community, and the Nizaris represent the major branch of the Ismailis. The Nizari Ismailis are today scattered as religious minorities in some thirty countries of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America. The Nizari Ismailis take their name from Nizar (d. 488/1095), the heir-designate of the Ismaili Imam al-Mustansir who ruled as Fatimid caliph (427–487/1036–1094). Nizar was deprived of his succession rights in favor of his younger brother al-Mustaʿli, who was placed on the Fatimid throne by the all-powerful vizier al-Afdal. However, Hasan-i Sabbah (d. 518/1124), who was then leading the Persian Ismailis, championed the cause of Nizar and established the Nizari Ismaili daʿwa independently of the Fatimid regime. At the same time, he founded the Nizari state, centered at the fortress of Alamut in northern Persia. This state was eventually uprooted by the Mongols in 654/1256. However, the Nizari Ismailis survived the downfall of their state. After some initially obscure post-Alamut centuries, the Nizari Imams took charge of the affairs of the Nizari communities of various regions. The Nizari communities flourished especially in the Persianate world, notably Persia, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, as well as South Asia. This article covers the Nizaris of the Persianate world, notably Persia, Afghanistan, and Central Asia (especially the region of Badakhshan now divided between Afghanistan and Tajikistan). The Persian-speaking Nizaris of these regions have used Persian, rather than Arabic, in the literary traditions of their communities. Thus, their literary heritage is exclusively written in Persian. In addition, they have been greatly influenced, over the centuries, by aspects of Persian cultural heritage and literary traditions.