Origin from 1094
Nizari Ismailism is the largest living branch of Ismaili Shia Islam, descended from a succession dispute after the death of the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mustansir Billah in 1094. His elder son Nizar and a younger son, al-Mustali, both had supporters, and those who held Nizar's line to be the rightful Imam became the Nizari branch, while the Fatimid state itself backed al-Mustali. Deprived of the Fatimid state's backing, the early Nizari community found a different kind of security under Hasan-i Sabbah, who had already built a fortress-based network centered on Alamut in Persia and aligned it with the Nizari cause, giving the new branch its first stable base outside Fatimid Egypt. Nizari Ismailism today counts its Imams in unbroken succession down to the present Aga Khan line, and is one of the few living Muslim communities led by a hereditary Imam whom adherents hold to be a continuing source of religious authority rather than a scholar interpreting a closed revelation.
History & Origin
Arose from a succession dispute after the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mustansir Billah died in 1094, between his son Nizar and a younger son, al-Mustali, whom the Fatimid state itself backed; Nizar's supporters became the Nizari branch.
Facts
Giving
Standing Giving ExpectationSourced to the subject's own accountNizari Ismailis observe dasond, also spelled dasondh, a religious due of one tenth of net income, together with a further two and a half percent zakat, commonly cited together at twelve and a half percent, paid to the Imamat rather than kept or redistributed by the payer. Ismaili Gnosis, an independent Ismaili scholarly publication, describes dasond as a covenantal obligation of every murid grounded in a farman of the Imam, stating that without it other religious deeds lack spiritual validity; the funds go toward Imamat office expenses and community benefit, not a loan or a return. The Associated Press independently reports Ismailis as tithing up to twelve and a half percent of income to the Aga Khan as steward. No official Ismaili institutional page was found stating the rate directly, so this rests on independent scholarly and wire-service corroboration rather than the community own institutional publishing. 2 Standard Rate ExpectedSourced to the subject's own accountTen percent dasond plus two and a half percent zakat, commonly cited together as twelve and a half percent of net income. 2 How the Expectation Is EnforcedCodified Obligation With Consequences 2 Sourced to the subject's own accountRate corroborated by an independent Ismaili scholarly publication and an Associated Press wire report; not confirmed on an official Ismaili institutional page (the.ismaili, Institute of Ismaili Studies). Origins
Origin Period FounderNo single founder; the branch formed around supporters of the Imam Nizar's line after the 1094 succession dispute, and gained its first stable political base under Hasan-i Sabbah at Alamut. 1 Origin of the NameNamed for Nizar, the elder son of the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mustansir Billah, whose line his supporters held to be the rightful Imamate after 1094. 1 Trajectory
Membership Over TimeAn estimated 15 million Nizari Ismaili Muslims live across 35 countries worldwide, concentrated in Central and South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America. 3 Membership Figure As Of Basis of the Membership FigureScholarly or Demographic Estimate 3 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Nizari Ismailism directly: "that later specialist scholarship on Nizari Ismailism has refined some of its details, so a fine grained claim benefits from checking against more recent work as well."
Branch Of
Nizari Ismailism is the largest living branch of Ismailism, formed from the Nizari side of the 1094 Fatimid succession dispute.
Objects and Practices of This Tradition
Sources
1. The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines, 2nd edition
Farhad Daftary, Cambridge University Press, 2007The 1094 Nizari succession dispute and the branch's early history under Hasan-i SabbahView the Source 2. What Is Dasond? (Ismaili Gnosis)
Ismaili GnosisWhat Is Dasond? (web article)Quote, What Is Dasond? (web article)
a covenantal obligation of every murid ... without dasond, all other deeds lack spiritual validity
3. Who Are Ismaili Muslims and How Do Their Beliefs Relate to the Aga Khan's Work? (The Conversation, Siddiqui, 2025)
The Aga Khan, Spiritual Leader of Ismaili Muslims and a Philanthropist, Dies at 88 (Associated Press)
The Associated Press (republished by NPR/OPB)AP obituary, 2025-02-05Quote, AP obituary, 2025-02-05
They consider it a duty to tithe up to 12.5% of their income to the Aga Khan as steward.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.