Nizari Isma'ilism in the context of "Salamiyah"

The Jaʿfarī school, also known as the Jafarite school, Jaʿfarī fiqh (Arabic: الفقه الجعفري) or Ja'fari jurisprudence, is a prominent school of jurisprudence (fiqh) within Twelver and Ismaili (including Nizari) Shia Islam, named after the sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq. In Iran, Jaʽfari jurisprudence is enshrined in the constitution, shaping various aspects of governance, legislation, and judiciary in the country. In Lebanon, this school of jurispudence is also accounted for in the legal system of the country and Shia Muslims can call upon it for their legal disputes.

It differs from the predominant madhhabs of Sunni jurisprudence in its reliance on ijtihad, as well as on matters of inheritance, religious taxes, commerce, personal status, and the allowing of temporary marriage or mutʿa. Since 1959, Jaʿfari jurisprudence has been afforded the status of "fifth school" along with the four Sunni schools by Azhar University. In addition, it is one of the eight recognized madhhabs listed in the Amman Message of 2004 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, and since endorsed by Sadiq al-Mahdi, former Prime Minister of Sudan.

The Nizari state (the Alamut state) was a Nizari Isma'ili Shia state founded by Hassan-i Sabbah after he took control of the Alamut Castle in 1090 AD, which marked the beginning of an era of Ismailism known as the "Alamut period". Their people were also known as the Assassins or Hashashins.

The state consisted of a nexus of strongholds throughout Persia and the Levant, with their territories being surrounded by huge swathes of hostile as well as crusader territory. It was formed as a result of a religious and political movement of the minority Nizari sect supported by the anti-Seljuk population. Being heavily outnumbered, the Nizaris resisted adversaries by employing strategic, self-sufficient fortresses and the use of unconventional tactics, notably assassination of important adversaries and psychological warfare. They also had a strong sense of community as well as total obedience to their leader.

Aga Khan (Persian: آقاخان; Arabic: آغا خان; also transliterated as Aqa Khan and Agha Khan) is the hereditary title of the spiritual leader and Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias, a branch of Islam with approximately 12–15 million followers worldwide. The Aga Khan serves as both the religious head and temporal leader of the Ismaili community, providing spiritual guidance and overseeing extensive development and humanitarian work across Asia, Africa, and other regions where Ismailis live.

The title, which means "Great Leader" or "Grand Commander," has been passed down through a hereditary line for over 150 years, with each Aga Khan believed by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and son-in-law Ali. Unlike many other Islamic leadership positions, the Aga Khan's authority combines religious interpretation with significant involvement in education, healthcare, cultural preservation, and economic development.

In Nizari Isma'ili doctrine, imamate (Arabic: إمامة) is a concept which defines the political, religious and spiritual dimensions of authority concerning Islamic leadership over the nation of believers. The primary function of the Imamate is to establish an institution between an Imam who is present and living in the world and his following whereby each are granted rights and responsibilities.

The Nizari Imamate follows a genealogy of male Imams originating from the prophethood of Muhammad by means of wedlock of his daughter Fatimah with his cousin Ali and in succession, through their son Hussein and his onward descendants up to the present day. Each ordained as successor Imam of this lineage is charged with serving the Nizari Ismailis community of his era; who are liable to pay the zakat (tithe) dues to him due to his being as ex-officio and the designated Nizari Imam. The Imam in return, imparts them the religious and spiritual guidance and also strives for their physical well-being to the best of his ability.

Salamiyah (Arabic: سلمية, romanized: Salamiyya; also transliterated Salamiyya, Salamieh or Salamya) is a city in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is located 33 kilometres (21 miles) southeast of Hama, 45 kilometres (28 miles) northeast of Homs. Its inhabitants are predominantly Ismaili.

The city is nicknamed the "mother of Cairo" because it was the birthplace of the second Fatimid caliph al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, whose dynasty would eventually establish the city of Cairo, and the early headquarters of his father Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah who founded the Fatimid Caliphate. The city is an important center of the Shi'ite Nizari Isma'ili and Taiyabi Isma'ili Islamic schools of Ismailism and also the birthplace of influential poet Muhammad al-Maghut. The population of the city is 66,724 (2004 census).

The Order of Assassins (Arabic: حَشّاشِین, romanized: Ḥaššāšīyīn; Persian: حشاشين, romanized: Ḥaššāšīn) was a Nizari Isma'ili religious order founded by Hasan-i Sabbah that existed between 1090 and 1275 AD and conducted high-profile assassinations in the Levant during the time of the crusader states.

During that time, the members lived in the mountain castles in Persia and the Levant, and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East, posing a substantial strategic threat to Fatimid, Abbasid, and Seljuk authority, and killing several Christian leaders. Over the course of nearly 200 years, they killed hundreds who were considered leading enemies of the Nizari Isma'ili state. The modern term "assassination" is believed to have stemmed from the tactics used by the Assassins.

Alamut (Persian: الموت, meaning "eagle's nest") is a ruined mountain fortress located in the Alamut region in the South Caspian, near the village of Gazor Khan in Qazvin Province in Iran, approximately 200 km (130 mi) from present-day Tehran.

In 1090 AD, the Alamut Castle, a mountain fortress in present-day Iran, came into the possession of Hassan-i Sabbah, a champion of the Nizari Ismaili cause. Until 1256, Alamut functioned as the headquarters of the Nizari Ismaili state, which included a series of strategic strongholds scattered throughout Persia and Syria, with each stronghold being surrounded by swathes of hostile territory.

The Daylamites or Dailamites (Middle Persian: Daylamīgān; Persian: دیلمیان Deylamiyān) were an Iranian people inhabiting the Daylam—the mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, now comprising the southeastern half of Gilan Province.

The Daylamites were a warlike people skilled in close combat. They were employed as soldiers by the Sasanian Empire and by the subsequent Muslim empires. Daylam and Gilan were the only regions to successfully resist the Muslim conquest of Persia, although many Daylamite soldiers outside Daylam accepted Islam. In the 9th century many Daylamites adopted Zaidi Islam. In the 10th century some adopted Isma'ilism, then in the 11th century Fatimid Isma'ilism and subsequently Nizari Isma'ilism. Both the Zaidis and the Nizaris maintained a strong presence in Iran up until the 16th century rise of the Safavids who espoused the Twelver sect of Shia Islam. In the 930s, the Daylamite Buyid dynasty emerged and managed to gain control over much of modern-day Iran, which it held until the coming of the Seljuk Turks in the mid-11th century.

ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad III (Persian: علاءالدین محمد; 1211–1255), more commonly known as ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn (Persian: علاءالدین), son of Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥasan III, was the 26th Nizāri Isma'ilism Imām. He ruled the Nizari Ismaili state from 1221 to 1255. By some accounts, he was considered a respected scholar and the spiritual and worldly leader of the Nisari Ismailis. The intellectual life of Persia has been described as having flourished during his 34-year reign. Allegedly, he was known for his tolerance and pluralism. His reign witnessed the beginnings of the Mongol conquests of Persia and the eastern Muslim world. He was assassinated by an unknown perpetrator on 1 December 1255, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Rukn al-Din Khurshah, in 1255.

The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a medieval Marathi Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established by Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I in 1490. He was the son of Malik Hasan Bahri and was originally part of the Kulkarnis of Pathri in Marathwada. After serving as governor of Beed and other districts, Malik Ahmad declared independence from the Bahmani Sultanate and established Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Initially the capital was in the town of Junnar with its fort, later renamed Shivneri. In 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital Ahmednagar. A land fort called Ahmednagar Qila was the headquarters of the Ahmednagar Sultanate.

After Malik Ahmad's death in 1510, his young son Burhan Nizam Shah I became ruler, converting to Nizari Isma'ili Shi'a Islam. The dynasty played a major role in the Deccan region, including forming an alliance of Muslim sultanates that defeated the Vijayanagara Empire at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, where Sultan Hussain Nizam Shah I personally beheaded Rama Raya, the Vijayanagara regent. Subsequent rulers included Murtaza Nizam Shah I, who expanded the kingdom to its largest size and repelled a Mughal invasion in 1586. Internal strife and assassinations marked later reigns, with regents like Chand Bibi and Malik Ambar defending the sultanate from Mughal attacks until Ahmadnagar was eventually conquered. In 1636 Aurangzeb, then Mughal viceroy of the Deccan, annexed the sultanate to the Mughal Empire. The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was notable for its cultural contributions, including the earliest Deccan school of painting and extensive architectural works such as palaces (Farah Bakhsh Bagh, Hasht Bihisht Bagh), forts (Junnar/Shivneri, Daulatabad), mosques, and tombs. The capital city Ahmadnagar was modeled after major Persianate cities and was considered highly impressive in its time. Malik Ambar is credited with building the Janjira Fort, which played a strategic role in regional defense.

Shah Rahim al-Hussaini (Persian: رحیم الحسینی;‎ born 12 October 1971), known as the Aga Khan V (Persian: آقاخان پنجم, romanized: Āqā Khān Panjum), is a religious leader, philanthropist (through the Aga Khan Development Network), and businessman. He is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Nizari Isma'ili Muslims, a branch of Islam. He is the descendant from Muhammad through his daughter, Fatima, and his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. The Qasimi Nizari Ismailis maintain that they are the only Shi‘i group today led by a living, present, hereditary Imam.

He is the second of four children of Shah Karim al-Husseini, who went by the title Aga Khan IV, and succeeded as the Nizari Imam following his father's death on 4 February 2025. He is the fifth person in the family to hold the title Aga Khan. Upon assuming the Imamate, he inherited his father's estate, which had been valued at over US$13.3 billion by Vanity Fair in 2013.

Musta'li Isma'ilism (Arabic: المستعلية, romanized: al-Mustaʿliyya) is a branch of Isma'ilism named for their acceptance of al-Musta'li as the legitimate ninth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah (r. 1036–1094/1095). The Nizari the other living branch of Ismailism, led by Aga Khan V believe the ninth caliph was al-Musta'li's elder brother, Nizar.

The Musta'li originated in Fatimid-ruled Egypt, later moved its religious center to Yemen, and gained a foothold in 11th-century Western India through missionaries.

The Khoja are a tribe or caste of Muslims mainly members of the Nizari Ismaʿiliyyah sect of Islam with a minority of followers of Shia Islam originating the western Indian subcontinent, and converted to Islam from Hinduism by the 14th century by the Persian pīr (religious leader or teacher) Saḍr-al-Dīn.

In India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the city of Hyderabad. In Pakistan, most Khoja live in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta in Sindh province, and in Gwadar in Balochistan province.