The course of the development of the doctrine of Mahdism in Ismailia until the end of the Caliphate of Moez

During the first four centuries of Hijri, the doctrine of Mahdism has gone through some developments in the Ismaili sect. For some pre-Fatimid Ismailis, Ismail was known as the promised Mahdi; Although the majority of Ismailis believed in the Mahdism of Muhammad bin Ismail. According to the early Ismailis, after the Mahdi, he is no longer an imam, and he will establish the Day of Resurrection after ending the physical world.With the rise of the Fatimids, Obaidullah Mahdi, the first Fatimid caliph, introduced his Mahdism with religious reforms and gave his son the title of Qaim. Moez, the fourth Fatimid caliph, with the aim of attracting the Qarmatians in the east of the Islamic world, proposed and pursued the idea of ​​a limited return to the Mahdism of Muhammad bin Ismail with some changes.In general, the doctrine of Mahdism during the first Ismailian period had stronger religious dimensions and was less politically abused, which can be explained in the light of their lack of significant political authority. But the Fatimids, like Kisaniyyah, used this religious doctrine from the very beginning of their rule to legitimize their movement and, if necessary, modified it according to their policies from both theoretical and practical aspects.