ABSTRACT
The Arabic word hujja has been used in different technical senses by the Ismailis of medieval times. The term has indeed had a fascinating evolution in Ismaili thought, reflecting the nature of the Ismaili movement of different periods. The term hujja, which appears variously in the Qur'an, means both proof and argument or presentation of proof. The Prophet Muhammad was the hujja of God and after him the rightful imam of the time is such a hujja. The early Ismailis used the term hujja in yet a third sense, namely as the designated successor to a speaking-prophet or the imam, when they were both alive. The hujja was frequently selected from amongst the close relatives of the imam. The role of the hujja was further elaborated in the Nizari doctrinal works of the Anjudan period. In the pre-Fatimid period, as noted, the hujja was more specifically the full representative of the inaccessible imam in the Ismaili community.
