"To assign a special post for the Chief Missionary was a peuculiarity of the Fatimide Reign", says Al-Maqrizi, a great historian. He is absolutely right. The Ummeyads, the Abbasides and other religio-political parties had, like the Fatimides, their own respective Missionaries and propagandtists to enlist supporters and sympathiers. But all of them after having achieved their political object, abrogated the Missionary system which they took as a means to an end.

But the Fatimides on the other hand looked upon the Missionary system as a sacred insttitution and a pious duty which they prosecuted faithfully and actively. They sought power in order that they might be able to realize this ideal safely and smoothly. Their reign, therefore, was marked with great Missionary activities and intellectual agitation.

Circumstances changed and the wheel of fortune turned against the temporal power of the Fatimides, who were deprieved of their possessions and government; but the Missionary activities remained unaffected by this adverse change. On the contrary, with lapse of time it acquired more strength and greater force. Thus from its very inception - ever since the death of Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq - up today, Ismailism has been a Missionary sect and the spread of this faith over so vast a portion of the globe is due mostly to the unremitting labours of the Ismailia Missionaries.

Attempts were made by several writers and chronologists to draw a picture of the spiritual, intellectual, literary and political life in Egypt during the Fatimides' reign. But their success was not much. Because the sources which most of the writers and historians approach for information do not possess genuine and accurate reports about the Fatimides. The biggest the people rely upon for getting information about Ismailis are those of Al-Maqrizi, An-Nwairi, Al-Qalqashandi and others from the ancient authors, who wereeither opponents of the Fartimides and therefore misrepresented the facts or credulous people who took everything for granted.

But the original and valuable works that had been composed in the Fatimide period were mostly destroyed by the fanatic people who wresated power from the Fatimides in the year 567 and whatever little that survived the malicious act, remained in the possession of Bohra community, an Ismaili sub-sect, who keep these manuscript very carefully and give them sacramental character.

These manuscripts contain most genuine information about the Fatimides from every respect, particularly about the Missionary institution.

The Ismailis have constituted their Missionary system on the principles of Qur'anic teaching. In the Holy Qur'an the Prophets have been called by God as ‘Da'ees' and their function as ‘Da'waat'. The word Da'ee and Da'waat mean a Missionary and Missionary work respectively. God says in the Holy Qur'an: "O Prophet we have sent you as a witness, a giver of good tidings, a warner and as a Da'ee to the religion of God". On another occasion He says, "Invite to the way of God". Such verses are many in the Qur'an which indicate that all the Prophets were but Da'ees.

In short, Missionary work has been one of the fundamental principles of the Ismailia sect, and it is hitherto prosecuted regularly and systematically in Ismailia community. By going through the following pages that have been devoted to the biography of the Grand Missionary, the reader will be able to hvae larger views of the Missionaries and their function.

- Jawad Muscati

BISMIL-LAHIR-RAMANIR-RAHIM. In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

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