Other names Abu Muhammad Resting place Salamiyah, Syria | Name Ahmad al-Wafi | |
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Died 212 AH
(approximately 827/828) Children Taqi Muhammad (successor) Parents Muhammad ibn Ismail (father)
Fatima bint al-Hussain'l-Athram bin al-Hasan bin Ali (mother Title az-Azbab-i-Itlaq (Absolute lord), Al-Wafi | ||
Aḥmad al-Wafī (proper name: ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl, Arabic: عبد اللّه بن محمد بن إسماعيل; born 766-828 CE/149-212 AH in Salamiyah, Syria; Imamate 809-828 CE/193-212 AH) is the eighth Isma'ili Imam. He was the son and successor of the seventh Imam, Muhammad ibn Isma'il. He was called al-Wafi "true to his word".
As the Imam, he was the supreme spiritual leader of the Ismaili community from his appointment until his death. The Nizari and Mustaali trace their Imamate lines from him and his descendants who founded the Fatimid Caliphate. For protection against his real Imam position, he was known as "Attar" (due to his profession in drug and medicine). He was succeeded by his son, Muhammad at-Taqi (Ahmed ibn Abadullah). With the death of Ja'far al-Sadiq in 765 (148 AH), Isma'il in 775 (158 AH) and Muhammad in 813 (197 AH), the Isma'ili Imams were impelled to hide; this first occultation lasted from 813-882 (197-268 AH).
The eighth to tenth Ismaili Imams were hidden from the public because of threats from the Abbasid Caliphate and were known by their nicknames. However, the Dawoodi Bohra in their religious text, Taqqarub, claim to have the true names of all 21 imams in sequence including the "hidden" imams: the eighth Imam Abdullah ibn Mohammad (Ahmad al-Wafi), the ninth Imam Ahmed ibn Abadullah (Muhammad at-Taqi), and the tenth Imam Husain ibn Ahmed (Radi Abdullah).
Residence at Salamia, Syria
As per Ismaili.net residence history of Salamia is as follows:
"The Ismaili dais in search of a new residence for their Imam came to Salamia and inspected the town and approached the owner, Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Saleh, who had transformed the town into a flourishing commercial centre. They told him that there was a Hashimite merchant from Basra who was desirous of settling in the town. He readily accepted and pointed out to them a site along the main street in the market, where existed a house belonging to a certain Abu Farha. The Ismaili dais bought it for their Imam and informed him about it. Wafi Ahmad arrived to his new residence as an ordinary merchant. He soon pulled down the old building and had new ones built in its place; and also built a new wall around it. He also built a tunnel inside his house, leading to the desert, whose length was about 12 miles. Money and treasures were carried on camels to the door of that tunnel at night. The door opened and the camels entered with their loads inside the house."