Da'i (Islam)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Da'i (Arabic: داعي or داع), also transliterated as Da'ee, Dā`ī, etc., is someone who invites or calls non-Muslims to become Muslims, and so is the Islamic equivalent of a Christian missionary; the activity of such a person is referred to as Dawah. The term is the active participle of a verb literally meaning "to call to" or "to invite" (derived from triconsonantal root د ع و / د ع ي). The plural of Da`ee in Arabic is du'aat (دعاة)
Da'i can also mean someone who helps Muslims to be better in the practice of their faith by clarifying and explaining different aspects of their religion.
[edit] Ismaili
Among Ismaili Muslims, the term Da'ee has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imams.
