Da'i

A da'i (Arabic: داعي‎, romanized: dāʿī, lit. 'inviter, caller', [ˈdæːʕi(ː)]) 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 Isma'ili Shi'i Muslims, which has been held by important scholars through history.

This article is about Da'i as a general generic term. For the Shia Ismaili religious office, see Da'i al-Mutlaq.

In the Fatimid Caliphate era, the term dāʿī was used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imams, and the Da'wah 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 da'is are:

• al-Qadi al-Nu'man (d. 974)
• al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi (1000-1078)
• Idris Imad al-Din (died c. 1460), one of the most important sources on the Fatimids.

See also

• Dawah
• Da'i al-Mutlaq, "the absolute (unrestricted) missionary" (Arabic: الداعي المطلق‎)
• Hujja
• List of da'is

References

1. "Oxford Islamic Studies Online". Oxfordislamicstudies.com. 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
2. List of Dawoodi Bohra Da'is Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine