The Imam Who Built One of Cairo’s Great Mosques
Sayyidna al-Hakim bi-Amrillah (الحَاكِمُ بِأَمرِ اللَّه — He Who Rules by Allah’s Command) was the 18th Imam in the Ismaili Tayyibi chain and the 6th Caliph of the Fatimid dynasty. He ruled for twenty-five years — from 386–411 AH / 996–1021 CE — a reign among the longest in Fatimid history.
He came to power as an eleven-year-old child, following the sudden death of his father Imam al-Aziz Billah (AS). His long reign — a quarter century — left a deep and complex legacy.
The Mosque of al-Hakim — A Monument to the Dawat
The most enduring physical monument of al-Hakim’s caliphate is the Jami’ al-Hakim (جَامِعُ الحَاكِم بِأَمرِ اللَّه) — the Mosque of al-Hakim — in Cairo.
The mosque was begun by his father, al-Aziz, but completed and inaugurated by al-Hakim in 393 AH / 1003 CE.
Architecture
- One of the largest mosques in Cairo, designed to be a congregational mosque for the entire city
- Two massive stone minarets flanking the northern entrance — among the most distinctive features of Fatimid religious architecture
- The mosque follows the hypostyle plan (rows of columns supporting the roof), with an open central courtyard
- Intricate stucco decoration and carved stone inscriptions from the Quran
The Bohra Restoration
The mosque fell into disrepair over the centuries after the fall of the Fatimid dynasty. By the 20th century it was being used as a school, a stable (during Napoleon’s occupation of Egypt), and finally as an Egyptian antiquities storage facility.
In 1980, Syedna Muhammad Burhanuddin (RA), the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq, undertook a comprehensive restoration of Masjid al-Hakim. The Dawoodi Bohra community funded and directed the restoration, returning the mosque to its original glory. The restored mosque was reopened in 1983.
This restoration is one of the most significant acts of Islamic heritage preservation of the 20th century — and a visible expression of the Bohra community’s sense of ownership over the Fatimid legacy.
His Reign — Complexity and Reform
Al-Hakim’s reign was marked by a remarkable series of regulatory decrees that distinguished him from other Fatimid rulers:
- He famously banned women from appearing in public or from having shoes made (a decree later reversed)
- He forbade the sale of wine and certain foods
- He required Christians and Jews to wear distinctive clothing
- He later reversed many of these restrictions
These contradictions in policy have made al-Hakim one of the most discussed rulers in medieval Islamic history. He is regarded differently by different communities:
- By the Druze — a community that emerged from a movement within his court — he is venerated as the manifestation of the divine on earth (a belief entirely outside Ismaili Tayyibi theology)
- In Ismaili Tayyibi tradition, he is the 18th Imam in the chain of legitimate succession — a human being holding the sacred trust of the Imamate, not a divine figure
The Bohra tradition does not follow the Druze interpretation. Al-Hakim is the Imam who transmitted the Imamate to his son; the theological claims made about him by certain of his contemporaries were rejected by the mainstream of the Ismaili Tayyibi dawat.
His Disappearance
Imam al-Hakim disappeared on the night of 28 Shawwal 411 AH / February 1021 CE. He had gone out for one of his habitual nocturnal rides into the Muqattam hills above Cairo and did not return. His donkey was found, but no body was ever discovered.
In the Ismaili Tayyibi tradition, the Imamate passed to his son Imam al-Zahir li-I’zaz Din Allah (AS), the 19th Imam. The dawat continued under the legitimate Imam.
His Place in the Imam Chain
| Position | Imam |
|---|---|
| 16th | Imam al-Mu’izz (AS) — Builder of Cairo |
| 17th | Imam al-Aziz (AS) — Expanded to Syria |
| 18th | Imam al-Hakim (AS) — Built Masjid al-Hakim |
| 19th | Imam al-Zahir (AS) |
| 20th | Imam al-Mustansir (AS) — Longest reign |
The chain continued through him to Imam al-Tayyib (AS) — the 21st Imam — who entered the Second Satr in 524 AH / 1130 CE.
The Restoration as Community Mission
When Syedna Burhanuddin (RA) restored Masjid al-Hakim in 1980, it was not merely an architectural project. It was a statement: that the Bohra community regards itself as the living heir of the Fatimid Imamate’s civilization, and that it carries the obligation to preserve and transmit what the Imams built.
The mosque stands today in the heart of Fatimid Cairo — its restored minarets rising over the Old City — as a gift from the Bohra community to the world.
See also: Imam Al Muizz, Imam Al Aziz Billah, Fatimid Caliphate, Egypt Cairo Mosque Hakim