The Ismā‛īlīs are a sect of the Shī‛ī branch of Islam. They are regarded by many in the west today as epitomizing Islamic 'gnosis', and there is no denying the similarities between their beliefs and those of the more esoteric versions of Judaism and Christianity. They are considered to be terrible heretics, however, by many orthodox Muslims, both Sunni and Shī‛ī, and have been subject to awful persecution at different times in their history. They are most well-known as the sect of the medieval 'Assassins', and their political clout and numbers were both quite high in the Middle Ages. Today, however, they are a small community, or rather, a number of scattered communities, located mostly in Iraq, Iran, and India.

The Ismā‛īlīs are a sect of the Shī‛ī branch of Islam. They are regarded by many in the west today as epitomizing Islamic 'gnosis', and there is no denying the similarities between their beliefs and those of the more esoteric versions of Judaism and Christianity. They are considered to be terrible heretics, however, by many orthodox Muslims, both Sunni and Shī‛ī, and have been subject to awful persecution at different times in their history. They are most well-known as the sect of the medieval 'Assassins', and their political clout and numbers were both quite high in the Middle Ages. Today, however, they are a small community, or rather, a number of scattered communities, located mostly in Iraq, Iran, and India.

The Ismā‛īlīs are a sect of the Shī‛ī branch of Islam. They are regarded by many in the west today as epitomizing Islamic 'gnosis', and there is no denying the similarities between their beliefs and those of the more esoteric versions of Judaism and Christianity. They are considered to be terrible heretics, however, by many orthodox Muslims, both Sunni and Shī‛ī, and have been subject to awful persecution at different times in their history. They are most well-known as the sect of the medieval 'Assassins', and their political clout and numbers were both quite high in the Middle Ages. Today, however, they are a small community, or rather, a number of scattered communities, located mostly in Iraq, Iran, and India.