The Initial Destination of the Fatimid caliphate: The Yemen or The Maghrib?
Keywords: Da‘wa in Yemen, Da‘wa in Maghrib, Fatimid caliphate, al-Mahdi
The writer argues that imam al-Mahdi intended Yemen to be the seat of the imamat, giving political as well as topographical reasons for this preference. But certain unforseen developments in Yemen at that time caused a change in plans, and instead of going to Yemen, al-Mahdi proceeded to the Maghrib. The factors behind this change and the effects of this change are discussed in the article as well as the key role of imam al-Mahdi, and his predecessors at Salamiyya, in Syria, in driving the Ismaili da'wa of the period.
Author
Dr Shainool Jiwa
Course Director
Dr Shainool Jiwa is the Head of Constituency Studies and a Senior Research Fellow at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. Prior to this, she was the Head of the Department of Community Relations from 2005 to 2012. She was also the founding coordinator of the Qur’anic Studies Project at the IIS (2002-2005).
