The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1111 page)

imid dynasty in N. Africa which extended its control, in the 11th cent., to Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Hij
z, Yemen, and Sind. The F
imids were patrons of the arts and sciences and commerce, and they founded the first Islamic universities of
al-Azhar
and D
r-al-Hikmah in Cairo. The feature which distinguishes Ism
‘
l
s from other Muslim sects is their belief in seven (not five) pillars of faith: belief, purification, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage, and struggle in All
h's way.
At present the major Ism
‘
l
sect is the Niz
r