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This is a list of theImams as recognized by the different sub-sects of theIsmai'li sect ofShia Islam. Imams are considered members of theBayt (Household) ofMuhammad through his daughterFatima.
All Isma'ili sectsroughly share the first four Imams with theZaydi Shia, and the first six Imams with theTwelver Shia. TheNizari andMusta'li are collectively also known as Fatimid Isma'ili, in contrast to theSevener Isma'ili.
AfterAli ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, the Zaydis considerZayd ibn Ali to be their next Imam rather than his older brotherMuhammad al-Baqir who is considered the next Imam by the Isma'ili and Twelvers. AfterJa'far al-Sadiq, the Twelvers considerMusa ibn Ja'far to be their next Imam, whereas Fatimid Isma'ilis consider his older brotherIsma'il ibn Ja'far to be their next Imam, followed next by his sonMuhammad ibn Isma'il. The Sevener Isma'ilis consider either Isma'il ibn Ja'far or his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il to be their final Imam and occulted Mahdi.
| Sevener | Fatimid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waqifi | Qarmatian | Musta'li | Nizari | Personage | Period |
| 1 | 1 | Asās | 1 | Ali | (632–661) |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | Mustawda | Hasan ibn Ali | (661–669) Mustaali |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Husayn ibn Ali | (669–680) (Mustaali) (661–680) (Nizari) |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin | (680–713) |
| 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Muhammad al-Baqir | (713–733) |
| 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | Ja'far al-Sadiq | (733–765) |
| 7 (Mahdi) | — | 6 | 6 | Isma'il ibn Ja'far | (765–775) |
| — | 7 (Mahdi) | 7 | 7 | Muhammad ibn Isma'il | (775–813) |
The Seveners propagated their faith from their bases in Syria throughDa'iyyun. In 899,Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah announced that he was the "Imam of the Time" being also the fourth direct descendant of Muhammad ibn Isma'il in the very same dynasty, and proclaimed his previous three descendantDa'is to have been "hidden Imams". This caused a split between his Sevener followers accepting his claim and theQarmatian who continued to dispute his claim and considered Muhammad ibn Isma'il as the Imam in occultation. Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah eventually became the first Fatimid Caliph with his empire spanning Egypt and the eastern Maghreb. Sevener communities continued to exist in Eastern Arabia and Syria, and for a while in northern Iran but where it was gradually replaced by Fatimid Isma'ilis and other Shiʿi communities.
In theFatimid and its successor Isma'ili traditions, the Imamate was held by the following. Each Imam listed is considered the son of the preceding Imam by mainstream accounts.
After his death, the succession was disputed. The regentMalik al-Afdal placed Mustansir's younger sonAl-Musta'li Billah on the throne. This was contested by the elder sonNizar al-Mustafa li-Din Allah, who was defeated and died in prison. This dispute resulted in the split into two branches, lasting to this day, theNizari and theMusta'li.
TheMusta'li recognized Imams:
Hafizi Ismaili Muslims claimed that al-Amir died without an heir and was succeeded asCaliph and Imam by his cousin al-Hafiz. The Musta'li split into the Hafizi, who accepted him and his successors as anImam, and theTayyibi, who believed that al-Amir's purported son At-Tayyib was the rightful Imam and had gone into occultation.
TheTayyibi recognized Imam:
TheTayyibi branch continues to this day, headed by aDa'i al-Mutlaq as vice-regent in the imam's occultation. The Tayibbi have broken into several branches over disputes as to which Da'i is the true vice-regent. The largest branch are theDawoodi Bohra, and there are also theSulaymani Bohra andAlavi Bohra.
TheHafizi recognized Imams:
The Hafizi Ismaili sect lived on until the 14th century in Egypt and Syria but had died out by the end of the 14th century.
| Nizari | Imams | Period | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mu'mini | Qasimi | Qasimi | Mu'mini | Qasimi | Mu'mini |
| 19 | 19 | Nizar al-Mustafa li-Din Allah ibn al-Mustansir Billah | 1095–1097 | ||
| 20 | 20 | Ali al-Hadi ibn Nizar al-Mustafa li-Din Allah("hidden") | 1097–1136 | ||
| 21 | 21 | Muhammad al-Muhtadi ibn Ali al-Hadi("hidden") | Muhammad al-Muhtadi (Rashid ad-Din Sinan) | 1136–1158 | 1136–1193 |
| 22 | Hasan al-Qahir ibn Muhammad al-Muhtadi("hidden") | 1158–1162 | |||
| 23 | Hasan Ala Zikrihis-Salam ibn Hasan al-Qahir | 1162–1166 | |||
| 24 | Nur al-Din Muhammad ibn Hasan Ala Zikrihis-Salam | 1166–1210 | |||
| 22 | 25 | Jalal al-Din Hasan ibn Nur al-Din Muhammad | 1210–1221 | 1193–1221 | |
| 23 | 26 | Ala al-Din Muhammad ibn Jalal al-Din Hasan | 1221–1255 | ||
| 24 | 27 | Rukn al-Din Hasan Khurshah ibn Ala al-Din Muhammad | 1255–1256 | ||
| 25 | 28 | Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Rukn al-Din Hasan Khurshah | 1257–1310 | ||
Following the death of Shams al-Din Muhammad, the Nizari Isma'ili split into two groups: the Mu'mini Nizari (or, Muhammad-Shahi Nizari) who considered his elder son Ala al-Din Mu'min Shah to be the next Imam followed by his son Muhammad Shah, and the Qasimi Nizari (or, Qasim-Shahi Nizari) who consider his younger son Qasim Shah to be the next Imam
Following the dissapearence of Amir Muhammad al-Baqir, some of the Mu'mini Ismaili believed he had gone into occultation. In any case, the Mu'mini Ismaili sect died out by the start of the 20th century.
The Qasimi Nizari Ismaili Imams have used theAga Khan title since 1817.
