Ahmad al-Wafi
Abū Aḥmad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl (Arabic: أبو أحمد عبد الله بن محمد بن إسماعيل, born 766–828 CE/149–212 AH in Salamiyah, Syria; Imamate 813–828 CE/197–212 AH), known by Isma'ilis as Aḥmad al-Wāfī[1][2] and sometimes incorrectly identified with ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maymūn al-Qaddāḥ,[3][4] was the eighth Isma'ili Imam. He was the son and successor of the seventh Imam, Muhammad ibn Isma'il.[5] He was called al-Wafi (lit. 'the faithful one').
Ahmad al-Wafi | |
|---|---|
| 8th Isma'ili Imam | |
| In office 813–828 | |
| Preceded by | Muhammad ibn Isma'il |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad at-Taqi |
| Title | al-Azbab al-Itlaq(lit. 'the absolute lord') al-Wafi(lit. 'the faithful one') |
| Personal | |
| Born | Abd Allah 149 AH (approximately 765/766) |
| Died | 212 AH (approximately 827/828) Salamiyah |
| Resting place | Salamiyah, Syria |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Other names | Abd Allah ibn Muhammad |
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| Part of a series on Islam Isma'ilism |
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As the Imam, he was the supreme spiritual leader of the Isma'ili community from his appointment until his death. The Nizari and Musta'li trace their Imamate lines from him and his descendants who founded the Fatimid Caliphate. For protection against his real Imam position, he was known as "Attar" (due to his profession in drug and medicine). He was succeeded by his son, Ahmad ibn Abd Allah (Muhammad al-Taqi).[2] With the death of Ja'far al-Sadiq in 765 (148 AH), Isma'il in 775 (158 AH) and Muhammad in 813 (197 AH), the Isma'ili Imams were impelled to hide; this first occultation lasted from 813 to 882 (197–268 AH).[6]
The eighth to tenth Isma'ili Imams were hidden from the public because of threats from the Abbasid Caliphate and were known by their nicknames. However, the Dawoodi Bohra in their religious text, Taqqarub, claim to have the true names of all 21 imams in sequence including the "hidden" imams: the eighth Imam Abd Allah ibn Muhammad (Ahmad al-Wafi), the ninth Imam Ahmad ibn Abd Allah (Muhammad al-Taqi), and the tenth Imam Husayn ibn Ahmad (Abd Allah al-Radi).[1]
Gallery
Mosque of Imam Abd Allah, Salamiyah, Syria, renovated by Dawoodi Bohra
"Qabr Mubarak" Imam Abd Allah, Salamiyah
House and Mausoleum of Abd Allah, Salamiyah
References
- Makarem, Sami. "The Hidden Imams of the Ismailis". Quarterly Journal of the American University of Beirut. 21.
- WAFI AHMAD (197-212/813-828)
- Daftary, Farhad (1990). The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-521-42974-0.
- "Encyclopædia Iranica, ʿAbdallāh bin Maymūn Al-Qaddāḥ". Archived from the original on 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
- Tabari, 3rd vol., p. 2218
- Achilles des Souza, "Mediation in Islam - an Investigation" (Rome, 1975, p. 35)