Imam Muhammad ibn Imam Ismāʿīl alias Maymūn Al-Qaddāḥ was the son of Isma'il ibn Jafar; he was an Ismāʿīlī Imam. The majority of Ismāʿīlī follow his descendants through his son Wafi Ahmad. His descendants further founded the Fatimid Caliphate, later called the Nizari and Mustaali. Imam Muhammad ibn Imam Ismail can be considered the first proper Ismaili Imam since Imam Isma'il ibn Ja'far predeceased his father Imam Jafar-as-Sadiq and thus he was able to act independently of previous Imams. From him came all other Ismaili Imams and subsequent sub-sects of Ismailism and it' offshoots.
Life
Imam Muhammad was born on 12th Rabi' al-Awwal 128 AH/740 AD. His early childhood was spent under the protection of his grandfather Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq in Medina. Throughout his time in Medina he wore a disguise to protect his identity, with only selected missionaries and loyal members knowing about his true identity. As per the 4th volume of Uyun'l-Akhbar, Imam Mohammad resided in Medina to spread Ismailism and to search for a place of hiding for himself. The Abbasid caliph of the time, Harun al-Rashid, was investigating Imam Muhammad's whereabouts and had forces deployed throughout Medina in search for him. On search of his place by Harun al Rashid, he concealed himself in underground passage constructed in his house and then left his place keeping his whereabouts a secret. Due to Harun al-Rashid's wife, Zubaida, and her loyalty to Imam Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl. Imam Muhammad was able to evade enemy forces and migrate to Kufa. He remained in Kufa for an extended period of time and completed his Imamate, which lasted 45 years. He died on 11 th Shawwal 193 AH/27 July 809 AD in the region of Farghana. A letter written in 354/965 by the Fatimid Imam Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah states that, "The da'is used their own names as nick-names for the Imams in order to protect them from persecution; some people were misled by this to such a degree that they said that the descendant of Imam Muhammad bin Ismail was Abdullah bin Maymun al-Qaddah." According to Arif Tamir in al-Qaramita, "When Muhammad bin Ismail fled from the east and established in Palmyra in Syria, the centers of his activities; he called himself Maymun al-Qaddah." His father Imam Ismāʿīl died during the lifetime of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq. Syedna Idris Imad al-Din, the 19thDai al Mutlaq of the Taiyabi, in his book, ‘Zahr al Ma’ani’, he says that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq appointed Musa al-Kadhim as his successor after appointing Imam Ismāʿīl al-Mubārak, but his goal in doing so was to protect the Imamate of Imam Muhammad Ibn Ismail. Mohammad was succeeded by his son Abdullah ibn Mohammad , who became the 8th Ismāʿīlī Imam. The 8th, 9th and 10th Ismāʿīlī Imams are believed to have gone into seclusion because of the constant threat of death from the Abbasid dynasty.
