Imaam Isma'il bin Imaam Ja'afar-us-Saadiq

The Shi'a faced persecution under the first two dynasties that rules over the Muslim community: the Ummayad caliphate and the Abbassid caliphate. It was in this climate of persecution during the early Abbasid period tha the Imamis ( the Imamis believed that their imams were appointed by hereditary designation (nass) from among each imam's male descendants, usually his eldest son) were divided flollowing Imam Jafar's al-Sadiq's death in 765. Most hisorical evidence suggests that Imam Jafar al-Sadiq had designated his son Ismail as the next imam. However, there was confusion as to Ismail's whereabout at the time of his father's death. Some believed that he had died before his father, while others claimed that he was alive but hiding from Abbasid persecution. Many Shi'a eventually rallied around Ismail's younger brother, Musa al-Kazim as their imam. These individuals, later known as the Ithna asharis (Twelvers) followed the descendants of Musa al-Kazim until their twelfth imam disappeared in what they believed to be a spiritual occultation (ghayba).
There were 2 groups that would form the earliest Ismailis. The first believed that \Ismail was alive and in hiding, thus acknowledging him as their imam. The second group accepted that Ismail had died , but argued that since he was given the nass from his father , the imamate should remain among his descendants. Ultimately both groups came to accept Ismail's son Muhammad as imam. ref. A short history of the Ismailis - Farhad Daftary

Twin brother of [http://www.geni.com/people/Abdullah-al-Aftah-bin-Imaam-Ja-afar-us-
Saadiq/6000000003796438051/ Sayyidi 'Abdullah al-Aftah bin Imaam Ja'afar us-Saadiq]

Progenitor of Ismaili Imamate (Ismailism).

6th Shia Ismai'li Imaam

• Date of Ascension: 15th Shawwal 148 AH (7th December 765 AD)
• Period of Imamate: 10 Years
• Wilaadat (Birth): Shawwal 100 or 103 AH (April 719 or March 722 AD)
• Wafaat (Death): c. 137 AH or 158 AH (c. 755 AD or 775 AD)

Source 1: Sahifa

Source 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isma%27il_ibn_Jafar

Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far (Arabic: إسماعيل بن جعفر‎; c. Born:Shawwal 100 AH/719 AD) was the eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, and he was the full-brother of Abdullah al-Aftah. Following Ja'far's death, the Shia community split between the element that would become the Twelver Shia, and those who believed the Imamate passed through to Ismail's son; the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam is accordingly named for Ismail.[1] According to both the Nizari and Mustaali Shia sects, he is the sixth Imam. He was buried in Jannat al-Baqi

NOTES BY MULLA SA'DULLAH HUSAMI -15th Shawwaal 1436 Hijri.

 ، الإمام جعفر بن محمد الصادق - ولد عام 80 في المدينة المنورة .و نال الإمامة بعد والدہ عام 114 ، بلغ عدد طلابه 4000 طالب منهم أبو حنيفة النعمان صاحب المذهب الحنفي الذي قال : لولا السنتان لهلك النعمان - يقصد بهما العامين التي درس فيهما على يد الإمام الصادق - له عليہ السلام العديد من المؤلفات التي نشرت عن طريق تلميذه وبابه المفضل بن عمرو الجعفي المنتقل عام 180 - منها مصباح الشريعة و المخصوص و الصراط المستقيم و الاشباح والاظلة و توحيد المفضل و الأبتداء والأنتهاء وقد يسمى البدأ والجزاء- كان الإمام عليہ السلام صاحب فكرة التقويم الفاطمي الذي قد مر منه منذ هجرة الرسول حتى يومنا هذا ست دورات قمرية كبرى كل دورة = 210 سنة حتى عام 1260 سنة ومن عام 1261 دخلت الدورة السابعة الكبرى ونحن فيها حتى عام 1470 وهي عبارة عن سبع دورات صغرى كل دورة = 30 سنة ومع عام 1441 ندخل الدورة الصغرى السابعة والأخيرة للدورة السابعة الكبرى والتي تستمر حتى عام 1470 ۔ وكانت نقله الإمام  الصادق عام 148 بالسم من ضده أبو جعفر المنصور الدوانيقي لعنه الله تعالى ➖

6th Fatimid Imaam

• Imaamate Period/ Reign: 34 years; 95-95 AH (714- AD)
• Wilaadat (Birth):
• Wafaat (Death): 95 AH (714 AD)

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Ismâil ben Jafar (arabe إسماعيل بن جعفر ismāīl ben jafar) est né à Médine entre 719 et 722. Fils aîné du sixième imam chiite (Jafar as-Sâdiq), il est probablement mort avant son père en laissant un héritier son fils Muhammad. Ses partisans créèrent la Dawa des ismaéliens contre son frère cadet Mûsa qui devint le septième imâm à la tête des imâmites.

Les califes abbassides considéraient les imâms chiites comme de dangereux concurrents sur le plan religieux et comme des adversaires politiques potentiels. Les imâms étaient donc étroitement surveillés. Le calife al-Mansûr essaya d’inviter Jafar et son fils Ismail à Bagdad dans le but de les surveiller plus étroitement. Ismâil étant le successeur désigné, son père le tenait à l’écart de ses autres enfants pour le protéger. Lors d’absences de Jafar à Médine c’était Ismâil qui tenait le rôle d’imâm.

Il circule de nombreuses versions de sa disparition. La plus simple dit qu’il serait mort en 762 trois ans avant son père. Une autre affirme que l’enterrement qui eut lieu en 762 n’était qu’une feinte pour échapper à la vindicte du calife. Dans cette hypothèse, Ismâil serait mort en 775 dix ans après son père. Il aurait terminé sa vie en restant caché et il aurait donné à son fils Muhammad al-Maktûm l’ordre d’administrer la communauté en son nom. Une autre c'est qu'il aurait disparu, qu'il n'est pas mort mais occulté.


From Muhammad's father, Isma'il, the sect receives its name of "Isma'ili".[1][4][5] Neither Isma'il's nor Muhammad's lives are well known, and ater Muhammad's death during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809, the history of the early Isma'ili movement becomes obscure.[..] re: Shi'isme in the 9th century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdallah_al-Mahdi_Billah