as for the ismailis they are related to them until their leader is muhammad bin ismail bin jaafar and they claim that the imamate era ended with him as he was the seventh from muhammad may god bless him and grant him peace. the imamate eras are seven seven according to them and the eldest of them they affirm the position of prophethood for him and that this continues in his lineage and descendants. the people of knowledge of lineage have mentioned in the book alshajarah that he died and had no descendants. as for the seven they were given this title for two reasons one of which is their belief that the imamate eras are seven and that ending with the seventh is the last era which is what is meant by the resurrection. and that the succession of these cycles has no end at all. the second is their saying that the arrangements of the lower world i mean what is contained in the concave sphere of the moon are connected to the seven planets the highest of which is saturn then jupiter then mars then the sun then venus then mercury then the moon. this doctrine is stolen from the atheist astrologers and turns to the doctrine of dualism in that the light manages its parts mixed with darkness by these seven planets. this is the reason for this rotation.
وأما الاسماعيلية فهي نسبى لهم الى ان زعيمهم محمد بن إسماعيل ابن جعفر ويزعمون ان أدوار الإمامية انتهت به اذ كان هو السابع من محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وأدوار الإماميه سبعة سبعة عندهم فأكبرهم يثبتون له منصب النبوة وإن ذلك يستمر في نسبه وأعقابه وقد اورد أهل المعرفه بالنسب في كتاب الشجره أنه مات ولا عقب له وأما السبعيه فإنما لقبوا بها لأمرين أحدهما اعتقادهم أن أدوار الإمامة سبعة وأن الإنتهاء الى السابع هو أخر الدور وهو المراد بالقيامة وأن تعاقب هذه الادوار لا آخر لها قط والثاني قولهم إن تدابير العالم السفلي اعني ما يحويه مقعر فلك القمر منوطة بالكواكب السبعة التي اعلاها زحل ثم المشتري ثم المريخ ثم الشمس ثم الزهرة ثم عطارد ثم القمر وهذا المذهب مسترق من ملحدة المنجمين وملتفت الى مذهب الثنوية في ان النور يدبر اجزاؤه الممتزجة بالظلمة بهذه الكواكب السبعة فهذا سبب هذا التقليب