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Syria Ismailis
The Ismailis are an offshoot of Shia Islam, the split having
occurred over the recognition of the Seventh Imam. Shia Twelvers,
those who accept the first Twelve Imams, believe that Jafar, the
Sixth Imam, passed over his eldest son, Ismail, in favor of
Ismail's brother Musa al Kazim. Ismailis, however, believe that
Jafar appointed Ismail to be the Seventh Imam--hence Ismailis are
often called Seveners. Little is known of the early history of
the sect, but it was firmly established by the end of the ninth
century. From 969 to 1171, an Ismaili dynasty, the Fatimids,
ruled as caliphs in Egypt.
Ismailis are divided into two major groups, the Mustafians
and the Misaris. The Ismailis of Syria, numbering about 200,000,
are predominantly Misaris; this group gained prominence during
the Crusades when a mystical society of Misaris, called
Assassins, harassed both the Crusaders and Saladin (Salah ad Din
al Ayyubi). The Misari Ismaili community has continued in Syria
to the present day and recognizes the Aga Khan as its head. The
Mirzahs are the leading family in the community. [Shahgaldian,
op. cit.].
Originally clustered in Al Ladhiqiyah Province, most of the
Syrian Ismailis have resettled south of Salamiyah on land granted
to the Ismaili community by Abdul Hamid II, sultan of the Ottoman
Empire from 1876 to 1909. A few thousand Ismailis live in the
mountains west of Hamah, and about 5,000 are in Al Ladhiqiyah.
The western mountain group is poor and suffers from land hunger
and overpopulation--resulting in a drift toward the wealthier
eastern areas as well as seasonal migration to the Salamiyah
area, where many of them find employment at harvest-time. The
wealthier Ismailis of Salamiyah have fertile and well-watered
land and are regarded as clannish, proud, and tough.
Ismailis accept many Shia doctrines, such as the esoteric
nature of truth and the inspiration of the Imams. Although
holding their Imams to be of divine origin, as the Shia do,
Ismailis have a dual Imamate. They believe the succession of
visible Imams has continued to the present. There are, however,
two imams, the visible and the hidden, the speaker and the
silent. The identity of the hidden imam is not known to the
community but it is believed he will return to lead the faithful.
Ismailis generally follow the religious practice of the Shia
Twelvers in prayers, fasts, and Quranic prescriptions, but in
their conservatism they resemble Sunnis on some points. For
example, they do not observe the tenth of Muharram in the
impassioned way of the Shia.
Data as of April 1987
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