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Ismaili

Ismaili

1 8.7
A person who follows a branch of Shia Islam with a living spiritual leader
  • noun
  • /ɪzˈmaɪli/
: islamita
  • The constitution reinforces this priority in a legal context, stating that its contents are "subject only to the overriding effect of any applicable laws of the land of abode of an Ismaili to the extent of any inconsistency."

This could be an issue in the high mountain areas of South Asia, for example, where so many Ismailis live and are concentrated.

Examples

  • We argue that the Ismaili constitution serves as the framework for a dual citizenship that coexists with and transcends the traditional boundaries of the nation-state.

    Academic text (1998)
  • This could be an issue in the high mountain areas of South Asia, for example, where so many Ismailis live and are concentrated.

  • Throughout the nineteenth century, the global Ismaili community developed a set of transnational, communal, and noncommunal institutions that served to regulate almost every facet of their religious and secular lives.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The Ismaili case demonstrates that traditional liberal notions of citizenship that are exclusively limited to the "nation-state" level are not sufficient to explain the relationship between the individual and his or her community, because many communities in sub-Saharan Africa are not coterminous with national boundaries.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Although the Ismaili constitution is a communal document written exclusively for Ismailis, it serves as a guideline for balancing the responsibilities of national legal citizenship with a parallel form of communal citizenship that is designed to affect virtually every religious and secular facet of Ismaili life.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The Ismaili community celebrated the birth of its new leader during a grand ceremony.

  • Many Ismailis around the world participate in charitable activities to support their local communities.

  • During Ramadan, Ismailis engage in special prayers and gatherings to strengthen their faith.

Synonyms

Muslim
vsIsmaili
167 1.1

A person who follows Islam

is limited to members of one specific subgroup within that religion
Shiite
vsIsmaili
130 7.9

A Muslim who follows the group that accepts Ali as Muhammad's successor

refers more narrowly to a particular subgroup within the broader branch
Shiite Muslim
vsIsmaili
6 4.9

A Muslim who believes Ali was the rightful leader after Muhammad

is a specific subgroup within the branch rather than the whole group
Shi'ite
vsIsmaili
6 7.2

A person who follows the branch of Islam that sees Ali as Muhammad's next leader

applies to a specific community inside that larger branch
Shia Muslim
vsIsmaili
2 4.1

A follower of Islam who believes Ali should have been leader after Muhammad and rejects the first three leaders

is a narrower name for a specific subgroup within that branch
Shi'ite Muslim
vsIsmaili
1 4.4

A Muslim who believes Ali was the rightful leader after Muhammad

is about one defined subgroup inside that wider branch
Ismailian
vsIsmaili
9.9

A person who follows a branch of Shia Islam led by the Aga Khan

is the same but uses a different form of the term

Surface Forms

Ismaili singular
Ismailis plural

Etymology

Ismaili comes from the name Ismail (the Arabic form of Ishmael). It originally meant a follower of Ismail, so an Ismaili is a member of that branch of Shi'a Islam.