Dr. Daniel Beben on Why He Became an Ismaili and His New IIS Book, "The First Aga Khan - Memoirs of the 46th Ismaili Imam" | Ignition Interview

nonickname ⋅ January 5, 2019

An exclusive Ignition Interview with Dr. Daniel Beben, Professor of History at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan. IIS recently published his book, co-authored with Dr. Daryoush Mohammad Poor, a translation of The First Aga Khan, The Memoirs of Imam Hasan Ali Shah. Though born and raised in the USA as a Roman Catholic, in 2009 Dr. Beben chose to become an Ismaili. In our interview, he shares his thoughts on religious education, his insights and suggestions on how we can strengthen the Ismaili community, and his motivations behind becoming an Ismaili.

Interview

Interview Questions (listen to audio, above, for full interview)

Part 1: Dr. Beben on his new IIS book, The First Aga Khan: Memoirs of the 46th Ismaili Imam, translated and co-authored with Daryoush Mohammad Poor

Time index: 01:27
Congratulations on the release of your translation of the memoirs, or autobiography, of Imam Hasan Ali Shah. For those unaware, your book was completed in conjunction with Dr. Daryoush Mohammad Poor and published by the IIS. Imam Hasan Ali Shah, as we know, was the Imam who migrated from Persia to the Indian Subcontinent.
To start, could you give a couple of examples of what were, for you, the most surprising and unexpected, or even heart-warming, anecdotes you learned about the Imam or the community at that time?

Part 2: Dr. Beben on why he became an Ismaili

Time index: 11:50
I want talk, here, about the Ismaili community, and specifically that, in 2009, you became an Ismaili. Can you share a little bit about your story? Specifically how and why you choose to do this and what particularly motivated or inspired you.
Time index: 16:35
What is interesting, to me, about your situation is that while the world, especially the West, is becoming more secularized, you actually chose to follow a new religion.
It's one thing to study the Ismaili faith as a scholar or academic, but it's a completely different thing to immerse yourself in the faith and develop a conviction that leads to adopting that faith. For someone to profess a new faith, it generally requires them to be moved, I believe, emotionally and intellectually.
In our community, as in many others, we have a certain segment, across all age groups, that I would say might be ambivalent towards faith so I'm curious about the intellectual and emotional bases that led to you adopting the faith? Was one more important than the other?

Part 3: Academic and deep tariqah specific knowledge

Time index: 21:40
Given you're a scholar and somebody who chose the Ismaili faith, I feel you're in a position to give an insightful answer to the question: what does it mean to be a "knowledgeable Ismaili"?
What, I mean by this, is that there are, generally, two basic areas of knowledge related to our faith. One is the history of Ismailis and Islam -- something that could be taught, really, in any history or social studies classroom -- and the other is Tariqah or Ismaili specific knowledge. That is, our tenets, beliefs, practices, theology, etc..
In the past, just to give an example, such as in the Fatimid times, the Jamat would get deep Tariqah specific knowledge from the dais or later, in the Indian subcontinent, for example, from the pirs, Ginans, or other devotional music.
Today, because of the work of many scholars, such as at the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), we generally have solid academic knowledge of our history, which is obviously critical.
But, what I'm getting at, is that if the definition of a "knowledgeable Ismaili" also includes a deep understanding of Tariqah specific knowledge, how do you feel the Jamat's increasing reliance on academic knowledge, without a correspondingly deep Tariqah knowledge-base, would affect our emotional and spiritual attachment to our faith?
Time index: 29:38
You mentioned in your answer that there's sometimes a misunderstanding of both academic knowledge and then how that applies with Tariqah specific knowledge. How can the Jamat -- and in your case, you mentioned the youth -- find this appreciation for academic knowledge and then also tap into this deeper Tarqiah specific knowledge and find that balance? How can they tap into both, effectively?
Time index: 31:17
I want to talk about your specific case. I'm assuming you sought out and found that deep Tariqah specific knowledge, in some form, which led to your becoming an Ismaili because, otherwise, it would be surprising to learn you chose to become an Ismaili purely from our history. In that sense, and I'm going to be bold here, you are what I might call an example of a "knowledgeable Ismaili," having a good grounding of both historical and Tariqah knowledge.
In contrast, for those born into our faith, religious or spiritual knowledge is typically taken as a given, without any real depth, reflection or insight. In particular, I think, it seems to me that we need this deep Tariqah knowledge grounded in intellectual foundations -- which I think our youth crave -- and (here I think this is key) that resonate with today's skeptical, materialistic mindset. So just to give an example. Philosophical ideas such as the Universal Soul -- which were fashionable in the past, when Neo-Platonism was in vogue -- may not resonate with most of them today, especially in language, and while the ginans, and other devotional music, offer tariqah knowledge, they are generally, today, taken as an emotional expression of our faith.
So what do you think can be done about this?
Time index: 36:36
You mentioned your wife Zohra, but I want to talk to another side of resources, of things you found helpful when you were becoming an Ismaili, when you were in that process. I find that some of these resources would be really helpful for those in the community looking to enhance their own conviction and understanding of the faith.
Could you comment on what resources you found helpful? And now after many years as an Ismaili, almost a decade, would you suggest any additional resources? I'm thinking here of gaining knowledge and developing an emotional basis.

Part 4: Advice to parents about religious education

Time index: 40:32
I'd now like to approach the issue of Tariqah knowledge from a different perspective, one I think that will interest parents. You have a son, Sinan, who is 3 years old. As a parent and as someone who chose to become an Ismaili, what advice would you generally give to parents on materials and resources they could use to help educate their children in the faith?

Part 5: Dr. Beben's personal search and advice for others considering the Ismaili faith

Time index: 44:32
As Ismailis, we know our faith is one of continuous personal search. So if I may ask, now after being in the faith, for almost a decade, what are some areas you are still searching for satisfying answers to?
Time index: 46:17
Now not related to the administrative process, but generally speaking, what lessons do you feel you've learned that would help others considering the Ismaili faith?

Part 6: Dr. Beben's current research on Central Asians and teaching in the east, in Kazakhstan

Time index: 49:21
So now about your work. You're now working at Nazarbayev University, in Kazakhstan. Can you speak about your work there?
Time index: 52:34
One of your current research focuses are Ismailis in Central Asia (i.e. Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, etc.), specifically, I believe, you're looking into how they became Ismailis, back then, from 12-18th century. Could you speak about this? Because I think it might be surprising to some that there were conversions going on, during this period, in Central Asia.
Time index: 58:38
Going back to where Ismailis live. Today we know that there are some Ismailis in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Are there others elsewhere and have you had a chance to meet Ismailis nearby?

Part 7: Current community challenges and vision for the future

Time index: 1:01:18
In keeping with our larger vision to tap the broader Jamat and our experienced intellectuals for their insights, what in your opinion are the top two to three challenges, whether it be administrative, social, societal, intellectual, educational or any other areas where you feel the community faces challenges today?
Time index: 1:05:41
For the most important challenge you mentioned, can you offer any insights, suggestions and solutions as to how the Jamat can start to address them in, perhaps, ways we haven't tried before, or new ways?
Time index: 1:07:11
So finally, Hazar Imam often asks the Jamat and the leadership to think about their vision for the future -- vision for the community, specifically in 25 years -- but we normally talk about these in general terms. Could you name a specific objective, perhaps you can see the community achieve, let's say in 25 years, and what insights or even suggestions would you give to help them address and even achieve this vision?

About Dr. Daniel Beben

Born and raised in a Roman Catholic family, Daniel Beben chose to adopt, and was admitted into, the Ismaili Tariqa in 2009. He married his wife Zohra later that same year.

Daniel developed an interest in, and began learning about, Islam during high school, later focusing on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies in university. In 2015, Daniel completed his PhD in History from Indiana University with a dissertation examining the Ismaili philosopher and missionary Nasir-i Khusraw and his legacy among both Ismaili and non-Ismaili Muslims in Central Asia.

Presently Assistant Professor of History and Religious Studies at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, Daniel was previously a visiting fellow at the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University and at the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in London.

His publications include an edition and translation of the memoirs of Imam Hasan 'Ali Shah, published by the IIS under the title The First Aga Khan: Memoirs of the 46th Ismaili Imam and co-authored with Daryoush Mohammad Poor. His current research projects include a book on the history of Ismailism in Central Asia and a study of genealogical writings and practices among the Ismailis of Badakhshan from the 16th to the 20th century.

His research and teaching has received multiple awards, including the Foundation for Iranian Studies 2015 Best Dissertation award and the Overall Excellence in Teaching award from Nazarbayev University in 2016.

Daniel lives in Astana, Kazakhstan, with his wife Zohra and his son Sinan.

About The Interviewer

As host of the series Candid Insights, Sahil Badruddin conducts interviews of influencers, leaders, and intellectuals for their deeper insights and wisdom with thought provoking questions that hit at the heart of a matter. Some of his interview guests, among others, include Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Karen Armstrong, Hasan Minhaj, and Eboo Patel.

He is also the co-founder of Ismaili Ignition and host of its Ignition Interviews series and the Managing Editor at Ismaili Digest. Sahil's RoundUp Video Series assembles the most interesting and credible spirituality and religion-related content for general audiences. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Chemical Engineering, Religious Studies, and History.

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