Isma'iliya

Is•ma•‘i•li•ya

(ˌɪs meɪ əˈli ə, -maɪ ə-)

n. 1. a Shi‘ite sect having an esoteric philosophy. 2. Ismailia. [< Arabic Īsmā‘īlīyah, derivative of Ismā‘īl (died 760), recognized by the Isma‘ilis as the 7th imam in the succession from Ali] Is•ma•‘il•i (-ˈɪl i) •an (-ˈɪl i ən) n., adj.