Nizari

Nizari

The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as Nizari Ismailism (Arabic: النزاريون‎ an-Nizāriyyūn), is a path (tariqah) of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority of the Ismā‘īlī (Arabic: اسماعیلیه‎). There are an estimated 15 million Nizari Ismā‘īlīs residing in more than 25 countries and territories.

Nizari teachings affirm the Islamic tenet that "there is no god but the One God, and Muhammad is the prophet of God". Like all Shī‘a, Nizaris believe Muhammad's relative Ali was selected by divine decree to succeed the Prophet as Imam or spiritual leader of the Muslim community. This institution of the Imamate continues in an unbroken hereditary chain through Ali and Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter, to the present day, under the aegis of Prince Shah Karim al-Husayni, the Aga Khan IV, the 49th Nizari Imam.

The Nizāriyyah are the spiritual descendants of the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1094 CE) and the subsequent "Assassins" of Alamūt under Dā‘ī Hassan aṣ-Ṣabbaḥ (1094-1124 CE).