Editing Ismailism (section)

====Rise of the Fatimid Caliphate====
{{Main|Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah}}

The political asceticism practiced by the Imāms during the period after Muhammad ibn Ismail was to be short-lived and finally concluded with the Imāmate of Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, who was born in 873. After decades of Ismāʿīlīs believing that Muhammad ibn Ismail was in the Occultation and would return to bring an age of justice, al-Mahdi taught that the Imāms had not been literally secluded, but rather had remained hidden to protect themselves and had been organizing the Da'i, and even acted as Da'i themselves.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

After raising an army and successfully defeating the [[Aghlabids]] in North Africa and a number of other victories, al-Mahdi Billah successfully established a Shia political state ruled by the Imāmate in 910.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ismaili.net/histoire/history05/history501.html |title=Muhammad Al-Mahdi (386–411/996–1021) |access-date=2008-12-17}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=May 2022}} This was the only time in history where the Shia Imamate and Caliphate were united after the first Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

In parallel with the dynasty's claim of descent from ʻAlī and [[Fatimah|Fāṭimah]], the empire was named "Fatimid". However, this was not without controversy, and recognizing the extent that Ismāʿīlī doctrine had spread, the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] assigned [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Twelver]] scholars the task to disprove the lineage of the new dynasty. This became known as the [[Baghdad Manifesto]], which tries to trace the lineage of the Fatimids to an alleged [[Jews|Jewish]] [[blacksmith]].{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}