Da'i
A da'i (Template:Lang-ar) is generally someone who engages in da'wah, the act of inviting people to Islam.[1] But is more specifically an important religious office amongst the Ismaili Shia Muslims, which has been held by important scholars through history.
In the Fatimid era Ismaili faith, the term dā'ī has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imams, and the Da'wa or "Mission" is a clerical-style organisation. Literally meaning "absolute missionary" or "unrestricted missionary", Da'i al-Mutlaq is nowadays the title of the head of the Dawoodi Bohra community.[2]
Some of the greatest Ismaili Dais are:
- Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi (1000-1078)
- Idriss Imad Din al-Qurashi (died c. 1460), one of the most important (sympathetic) sources on the Fatimids.
See also
References
- ^ "Oxford Islamic Studies Online". Oxfordislamicstudies.com. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ^ List of Dawoodi Bohra Da'is Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine