| The concealment of the Fatimid imam al-T&dotbelow;ayyib following the assassination of his father al-Amir in 524/1130 was a major turning point for the Yemeni Isma`ilis. They had to manage their lives and religion without the direct guidance of their infallible imam. This affected every aspect of their social and religious life and transformed them from a peripheral Fatimid community into a fully developed religious entity with distinct institutions, doctrines, and historical consciousness.;The period to be covered in this study extends from 532/1137 to 974/1566, that is, from the date of the death of the S&dotbelow;ulayh&dotbelow;id queen and the consequent fall of the S&dotbelow;ulayh&dotbelow;id state to the death of the last da`i residing in Yemen. This period, which is commonly referred to as the Yemeni da`wa---in contrast to the Indian da`wa that continues to the present day---is characterized by the rule of a line of Yemeni da`i mut&dotbelow;laqs who acted as deputies of the imam in his satr. They became the highest religious authorities following the death of the S&dotbelow;ulayh&dotbelow;id queen, the h&dotbelow;ujja of Yemen and India under the Fatimids.;The first part covers the politico-religious history of the T&dotbelow;ayyibi da`wa focusing mainly on its internal structure and its relations with the local tribes, the Zaydi imams, and the ruling Sunni dynasties. The second part explores the development of the T&dotbelow;ayyibi faith as an elaborate synthesis of the early Fatimid and Persian schools of Isma`ili thought. It will focus on the cosmology and the worldly hierarchy of the da`wa, starting with the upper ranks of the Prophet, was&dotbelow;i , and imams, followed by the lower ranks of the da`wa officers, and ending with the lay believers. |
