In the Fatimid Period
Under the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171 CE), the Da’i al-Du’at was based in Cairo and supervised the entire network of da’is operating across the Islamic world — from Egypt and the Levant to Khorasan, India, and Sind.
The Da’i al-Du’at managed:
- Recruitment and training of new da’is
- The Dar al-Hikma (House of Wisdom / House of Knowledge) in Cairo — the world’s first university-style institution of its kind
- Communication between provincial da’is and the Imam
- Theological development and the production of Ismaili literature
Notable Da’i al-Du’ats: Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani (d. c. 1020 CE), who systematized Ismaili cosmology in Rahat al-‘Aql (Comfort of the Intellect) and debated with the philosopher Ibn Sina; al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi (d. 1078 CE), who wrote 800 majalis (teaching sessions) of philosophical-theological discourse.
After the Fatimid Period
After the end of the Fatimid Caliphate (1171 CE) and the Imam’s seclusion, the Yemeni line of da’is maintained the dawat from Yemen. The split between Dawoodi and Sulaimani branches occurred in 1591 CE over the succession of the 27th Da’i al-Mutlaq.
In the Dawoodi Bohra tradition, Syedna (Sayyidna — Our Master) is the title of the Da’i al-Mutlaq — the current head of the community. He holds the authority of the Da’i al-Du’at in its post-Fatimid form: administering the community, teaching the faith, and maintaining the chain of authority that traces back to the Imam.
See also: Ismaili Dawat Organization, Dai Al Mutlaq, Understanding Walayah, Imamah, Ismaili Barzakh