Who are the Ismailis, including the Aga Khan's followers and the Bohras?

The Ismailis are a branch of Shia Islam that split over the imamate after Ja'far al-Sadiq, following Isma'il rather than Musa al-Kazim; today the main branches are the Nizaris, led by the Aga Khan, and the Musta'li Bohras of India and Yemen. Their defining feature is batini ta'wil — an esoteric interpretation in which the outward rulings of the Shari'ah carry hidden meanings — and among the Nizaris in particular the five daily prayers in the well-known form and other obligations have largely been replaced by community practices, while the Bohras retain much more of the outward ritual. Ahl al-Sunnah hold that Islam's obligatory acts are fixed and publicly known — "Islam is built upon five" — and that the religion was completed in the Prophet's lifetime, so no living imam may abrogate what Allah legislated. Sunni scholars therefore consider Ismaili doctrine to be outside Ahl al-Sunnah, and where it involves attributing divine qualities to an imam or discarding the pillars, outside Islam — while still leaving judgement of specific individuals to Allah.

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