Tayyibi Isma'ilism facts for kids

Tayyibi Isma'ilism is a special group of people who follow a branch of Isma'ilism. It's the only part of the Musta'li branch that still exists today. You can find followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism in different communities called Bohra, such as the Dawoodi, Sulaymani, and Alavi. This group started when they supported at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim to be their leader, called the Imam. This was different from another group, the Hafizi, who supported the Fatimid Caliphate.

The Story of Tayyibi Isma'ilism

When their twentieth leader, Imam al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah, passed away in 1132 CE (526 AH), his two-year-old son, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim, became the twenty-first Imam. Since he was too young to lead the community, his guardian, Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi, created a new role. This role was called the Da'i al-Mutlaq. The Da'i al-Mutlaq acted as the Imam's representative and had full authority to guide the community. This leader was also kept separate from political matters.

Early Leaders and Moving to India

The first Da'i al-Mutlaq was Zoeb bin Moosa. He lived and passed away in Hoos, Yemen. His helper was Khattab bin Hasan. After another leader named Abdullah passed away, Zoeb bin Moosa chose Yaqub to be the representative for the Tayyibi community in India. Yaqub was the first person from India to hold this important position. He was the son of Bharmal, a minister for King Jayasimha Siddharaja.

Leaders continued to guide the community one after another. The twenty-fourth Da'i, Yusuf Najmuddin ibn Sulaiman, was still in Yemen. But because of difficulties with local rulers, the community's main center moved to India. This happened under the twenty-fifth Da'i, Jalal bin Hasan.

How the Tayyibi Community Split

In 1592, the Tayyibi community faced a disagreement. They split into two main groups over who should be the twenty-seventh Da'i. Some supported Dawood Bin Qutubshah, mostly in India. They became known as the Dawoodi Bohra. Others supported Sulayman bin Hassan, mainly in Yemen. They became the Sulaymani community.

Later, in 1621, another group called the Alavi Bohra separated from the Dawoodi Bohra community.

There are also other Bohra communities in India. For example, some Bohras in Patan, Gujarat, changed from being Mustaali Ismaili Shia Muslims to mainstream Hanafi Sunni Muslims in the 1400s. This group is known as Jafari Bohras, Patani Bohras, or Sunni Bohra.

Other smaller groups also formed over time:

• The Hebtiahs Bohra group separated from the Dawoodi Bohra in 1754. This happened after the 39th Da'i al-Mutlaq passed away.
• The Atba-e-Malak community separated in 1840. This was after the 46th Da'i al-Mutlaq passed away, led by Abdul Hussain Jivaji. This group later split into two more parts: the Atba-e-Malak Badar and Atba-e-Malak Vakil.
• The Progressive Dawoodi Bohra is a group that started around 1977. They have different ideas about beliefs, money, and social rules compared to the main Dawoodi Bohra community.

Today, the largest Tayyibi group is the Dawoodi Bohra. Their current leader is Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. Another person, Taher Fakhruddin, has also claimed to be the Da'i al-Mutlaq since 2016. However, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is widely accepted as the leader of the Dawoodi Bohras.

Images for kids

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  This chart shows different branches of Shi'a Islam. Note: Kaysani's Imam Hanafiyyah is a descendant of Ali from Ali's wife Khawlah.