Shāh Nizār II (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: شاه نزار الثاني) was the 40th

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

of the Qasim-Shahi branch of the

Nizari Isma'ili Nizari Isma'ilism () are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismailis, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasise independent reasoning or ''ijtihad''; Pluralism (philosophy), pluralism— ...

community. Shah Nizar II succeeded his father

Khalil Allah II Ali Khalīl Allāh II ʿAlī (Arabic: خليل الله الثاني علي) was the 39th imam of the Qasim-Shahi branch of the Nizari Isma'ili community. Khalil Allah II Ali succeeded his father Nur al-Dahr Ali when the latter died in 1671, until his ...

when the latter died in 1680. At some point during the early part of his imamate, Shah Nizar left the village of

Anjudan Anjudan (, also Romanized as Anjedān; also known as Andījān, Anjidān, and Injadān) is a village in Amanabad Rural District, in the Central District of Arak County, Markazi province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 446, in 154 ...

, where his predecessors had resided for over two centuries, and moved to the nearby village of Kahak, which became the new residence of the Nizari imams. On his initiative, many Nizari faithful who until then had lived as

nomads Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, Nomadic pastoralism, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and Merchant, trader nomads. In the twentieth century, ...

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

, came and settled in

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

. Shah Nizar had close relations with the

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Ni'matullah Order, and in his role as a Sufi master () adopted the name of Ata Allah, by which many of the Nizari followers in Kerman came to be known. Shah Nizar died in September 1722, and was succeeded by his son, Sayyid Ali. Shah Nizar's mausoleum still survives in Kahak, but was heavily restored in 1966 losing many of its original 18th-century fixtures.

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nizar 02 17th-century births 1722 deaths Year of birth unknown Nizari imams 17th-century Iranian people 18th-century Iranian people Iranian Ismailis 17th-century Ismailis 18th-century Ismailis 17th-century Islamic religious leaders 18th-century Islamic religious leaders People from Markazi province 17th-century people from Safavid Iran 18th-century people from Safavid Iran Sufis