Editing Fatimid Caliphate (section)

==== Isma'ilis ====
{{Further|Isma'ilism}}
[[File:Al-Azhar 2019-11-02q.jpg|thumb|The original Fatimid-period [[mihrab]] inside the [[al-Azhar Mosque]]{{Sfn|O'Kane|2016|pp=11–14}}]]
It's unclear what number or percentage of the population inside the caliphate were actually Isma'ilis, but they always remained a minority.{{Sfn|Walker|1998|p=140}} Historical chronicles report large numbers of enthusiastic converts in Egypt during the reign of al-'Aziz, but this trend dropped significantly around the middle of al-Hakim's reign.{{Sfn|Walker|1998|p=140}} The Fatimid state promoted Isma'ili doctrine (the ''da'wa'') through a hierarchical organization. The Imam-Caliph, as successor to the Prophet Muhammad, was both the political and religious leader. Below the Imam-Caliph, the top of this hierarchy was headed by the ''da'i l-du'at'' or "supreme missionary".{{Sfn|Halm|2014}} Newcomers to the doctrine were initiated by attending the ''majalis al-hikma'' ("Sessions of Wisdom"), lectures and lessons that were delivered in a special hall inside the palaces of Cairo. The doctrine was kept secret from those who were not initiated.{{Sfn|Halm|2014}} Additionally, Isma'ili doctrines were disseminated through the lectures hosted at Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, which became an intellectual center hosting teachers and students.<ref name=":4532"/> Beyond the borders of the Fatimid Caliphate, recruitment to the ''da'wa'' continued to be performed in secret as it had been before the caliphate's establishment, though the many missionaries maintained contact with the leadership in Ifriqiya or Egypt.{{Sfn|Halm|2014}}{{Sfn|Walker|1998|p=141}} Some of the ''da'i''s (missionaries) abroad sometimes came to Cairo and became important figures in the state, as with the example of [[Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani|al-Kirmani]] during al-Hakim's reign.{{Sfn|Walker|1998|p=143}}

Isma'ili unity was weakened over time by several schisms after the establishment of the caliphate (in addition to the Qarmatian schism before its establishment). The Druze, who believed in the divinity of Caliph al-Hakim, were suppressed in Egypt and elsewhere, but eventually found a home in the region of [[Mount Lebanon]].{{Sfn|Walker|1998|p=143}} After the death of Caliph al-Mustansir, a succession crisis resulted in the breakaway of the Nizaris, who supported the claim of his oldest son Nizar, as opposed to the Musta'lis who supported the successful enthronement of al-Musta'li. The Nizaris were also suppressed inside the Caliphate's borders, but continued to be active outside it, mostly in Iran, Iraq, and parts of Syria.{{Sfn|Walker|1998|pp=148–49}} After the death of Caliph al-Amir, al-Hafiz, his cousin, successfully claimed the title of Imam-Caliph at the expense of al-Amir's infant son, al-Tayyib. Those who recognized al-Hafiz in Cairo were known as the al-Hafizi branch, but those who opposed this unusual succession and supported the succession of al-Tayyib were known as the al-Tayyibi branch. This particular schism resulted in the loss of Fatimid support in Yemen.{{Sfn|Walker|1998|pp=148–49}}