Ismailites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A community within Shia Islam known for its adherence to the teachings of Ismail, signifying a distinct interpretation of faith and leadership roles in religious practice
2. A sect that emphasizes the spiritual authority of the Imam and represents a lineage traced back to the son of the sixth Imam in Islamic history
3. Followers of an Islamic group that accepts a specific line of imams descending from Ismail, with unique religious interpretations and leadership

Etymology: The name comes from Ismail ibn Jafar, the eldest son of the sixth Shia imam, Jafar al-Sadiq, who died around 760 CE. Most Shia Muslims later followed Ismail's younger brother Musa al-Kazim as the seventh imam, but a branch recognized Ismail's line instead, and his supporters took their name from him. The Arabic adjective "Ismāʿīlī" means "of Ismail," and the English form arrived through European languages, where it was used mainly by outsiders describing the movement. The name's older meaning belongs to the Bible. In Hebrew, Ishmael (Yishmaʾel) was Abraham's son by Hagar, and "Ishmaelite" referred to his descendants, a sense recorded in English long before the religious group was known in Europe. Because the Arabic and Hebrew forms share the same root, the Islamic movement and the biblical ancestor are linked by one name, though the two usages developed separately.