The Isma'ili works speak of a large cycle of aeons sometimes mentioned as of 360,000 yearswithin which there are seven cycles of prophecy. Each cycle is commenced by a prophet (nabi) who has his esoteric representa-tive or imam who dominates over that cycle, the seventh bringing the cycle to an end. The prophets and their imams for the present cycle of humanity are mentioned usually as: Adam Noah Abraham Moses Seth Shem Ishmael Aaron

Ideals and realities of Islam On page 175 Saturday, January 5, 2013 @ 4:45pm