Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Ismailis, make up the second largest branch of Shi‘i Islam after the Twelvers (Ithna ‘Ashariyyah). While all Muslims
recognize Prophet Muhammad as the last in a long line of Prophets and Messengers of God and the Qur'an as the
revelation of God's Word, there are differences of interpretation concerning the scope and locus of religious authority
after the death of Muhammad. Sunni Muslims vest religious authority in the Qur'an, the Hadith, and the interpretations
of these sources by the religious scholars (‘ulama) of the community; Shi‘i Muslims believe that the Prophet