Ismaili

views updated May 21 2018

Ismaili a member of a branch of Shiite Muslims that seceded from the main group in the 8th century because of their belief that Ismail, the son of the sixth Shiite imam, should have become the seventh imam. The Ismailis eventually split into many sects, of which the best known is the Nizari sect, headed by the Aga Khan.