Ismaili Community: History The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims,
generally known as the Ismailis, belong to the Shia branch of
Islam. The Shia form one of the two major branches of Islam, the
Sunni being the other. The Ismailis live in over 25 different
countries, mainly in Central and South Asia, Africa and the
Middle East, as well as in Europe, North America and Australia.
As Muslims, the Ismailis affirm the fundamental Islamic
testimony of truth, the Shahada, that there is no God but Allah
and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is His
Messenger. They believe that Muhammad was the last and final
Prophet of Allah, and that the Holy Quran, Allah's final message
to mankind, was revealed through him. Muslims hold this
revelation to be the culmination of the message that had been
revealed through other Prophets of the Abrahamic tradition
before Muhammad, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus, all of whom
Muslims revere as Prophets of Allah. In common with other Shia
Muslims, the Ismailis affirm that after t