The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1110 page)

l came to be known as Ism
‘
l
s—and also as
Seveners
(
sab‘iyya
), partly for having chosen the Seventh Im
m in direct succession, but also because of their belief that prophets always come in cycles of seven. Out of the Ism
‘
l
ya there later arose many subsects e.g.
Qarmatians
, Niz
r
s (including
Assassins
), Musta‘l
s,
Druzes
, and Muqann‘ah. During the early 10th cent. CE, the Ism
‘
l
s established the powerful and prosperous F