Wikipedia's first sentence called it “his elder son nizar”. Today it says “largest segment of the ismailis”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Non-twelver branch of Shia Islam”. It now reads “Shia sect of Islam”.
Found by software in Wikipedia's own edit history. Not yet read by hand. The quoted words are Wikipedia's.
Compared with the live article on 2026-08-04.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
A sub-sect of the Sevener Shia Muslim Ismaili sect. Nizaris differ from Mustaalids in that they believe that the successor- Imam to the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir was his elder son Nizar, rather his younger son al-Mustaali . v t e1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16377116.
The opening as it stood in 2010 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Kaaba , Islam's holiest shrine.The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority of the Ismā‘īlī ( ).There are an estimated 12 to 15 million Nizari Ismā‘īlī residing in more than 25 countries and territories.Nizari teachings affirm the Islamic tenet that there is "No god but the One God, and Muhammad is the final Prophet of God".Along with other Shī‘a, Nizari believe that following the Prophet's death his relative Ali Ibn Talib was selected by divine decree to succeed the Prophet as Imam in the institution of Imamate (Imama) which continues in an unbroken hereditary chain through Ali Ibn Talib, and Fatimah Az Zahra (the Prophet Muhammad's daughter) to the present day, under the aegis of His Highness Prince Shah Karim Al-Husayni, the Aga Khan IV , their forty ninth Imam.Human society is believed to be in a state of continuous flux, the role of the Imam is to find permanent solutions to issues, and challenges raised by increasingly rapid changes in the world; to care for the spiritual and material well being of their followers as well as humanity at large, and to safeguard the rights of the individual to spiritual, social, and scientific enquiry.The Nizāriyyah are the spiritual descendants of the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1094 CE) and the subsequent " Assassins " of Alamūt under Dā‘ī Hassan aṣ-Ṣabbaḥ (1034-1124 CE).A Short History of the Ismailis .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371280199.
The opening as it stood in 2015 7 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The calligraphic representation of the names of the first two Nizārī Ismā'īlī Imāms in Arabic , " Ali ibn Abu Talib " at right and " Husayn ibn Ali " at left in Hagia Sophia , Istanbul , Turkey .The Nizari ( an-Nizāriyyūn ) are Ismaili Muslims who form the second largest branch of Shia Islam (the largest being the Twelver ).There are an estimated 15 million Nizari residing in more than 25 countries and territories.Nizari teachings emphasize human reasoning ( Ijtihad , the individual use of one's reason), pluralism (the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cultural and intra-religious differences) and social justice .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 665705927.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Non-twelver branch of Shia Islam ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) "Nizariyya" redirects here.The Nizaris ( ) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Shi'i Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelver .Nizari teachings emphasize human reasoning or ijtihad —using educated, independent reasoning in solving legal questions; pluralism—the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cultural and inter-religious differences and social justice .The Aga Khan , currently Aga Khan IV , is the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizaris.The global seat of the Ismaili Imamate is in Lisbon , Portugal .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965020837.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Non-Twelver branch of Shia Islam "Nizariyya" redirects here.( Learn how and when to remove this message ) The Nizaris ( ) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers .Nizari teachings emphasize independent reasoning or ijtihad ; pluralism—the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cultural and inter-religious differences; and social justice .Nizaris, along with Twelvers, adhere to the Jaʽfari school of jurisprudence . The Aga Khan , currently Aga Khan IV , is the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizaris. The global seat of the Ismaili Imamate is in Lisbon , Portugal . H. the Aga Khan" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1170700751.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Non-Twelver branch of Shia Islam "Nizariyya" redirects here. The Nizārī Ismā'īlī flag (1986) Nizari Isma'ilism ( Arabic : النزارية , romanized : al-Nizāriyya ) are the largest segment of the Ismailis , who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers . Nizari teachings emphasise independent reasoning or ijtihad ; pluralism —the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cultural and inter-religious differences; and social justice . Nizaris, along with Twelvers, adhere to the Jaʽfari school of jurisprudence . The Aga Khan , currently Aga Khan V , is the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizaris. The global seat of the Ismaili Imamate is in Lisbon , Portugal . H. the Aga Khan" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1292113134. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “his elder son nizar”. Today it says “largest segment of the ismailis”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Non-twelver branch of Shia Islam”. It now reads “Shia sect of Islam”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
his elder son nizar
Now
largest segment of the ismailis
Sections that no longer exist
This section existed on October 6, 2023. It is gone today. The current article has no similar heading in its place, and the article is shorter overall. So this is not a heading that got renamed, and it is not a topic that got folded into a bigger section. 9 sections of 400 characters or more gone since October 6 2023, with the article 20,596 characters shorter.
Succession
Silver Jubilee
Golden Jubilee
Pillars of Islam
World Constitution
Places of Worship
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.