Encyclopaedia Articles -- Ismaili literature ("literature" is used here in its wider sense to include all the written products of scholarly disciplines delineated by learning, religion, and science) refers to the literary production of more than a millennium, from the middle of the 3rd/9thcentury (i.e., before the advent of the Fatimids in 909 CE in North Africa) to recent times. It deals ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key words Islam, Muslim community, mediation, dispute resolution In this paper, the author highlights the fact that the concept of mediation exists in many cultures and traditions in the world and that, unfortunately, its centrality as a dispute resolution mechanism in Islam is obfuscated by a negative image of the faith shaped largely by media images internationally. Through ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words Reflective Learnings, cross-cultural training, Training Programmes, contemporary mediation principles, Islam, Ismaili, Muslim, Conciliation, Arbitration, Community sculpt, National Conciliation and Arbitration Boards (NCABs) Download PDF version of article (57 KB) Table of contentsHistorical BackgroundThe Training Programme Content and ObjectivesProgramme EvaluationSome Early Learning Discoveries for the Lead TrainerExamples of Reflective Learning for TrainersConclusion Historical Background The Shi'a Imami ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (154 KB)Key Words Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa', Epistles of the Brethren of Purity, Ikhwan al-Safa', encyclopaedia, science, philosophy, Basra, Shi'a Table of contentsIntroductionTwo Types of Classification of Sciences in Rasa'ilThe Science of LanguageReligious and Conventional SciencesPhilosophical and Real SciencesIkhwan's Division of PhilosophyA Comparison of the Two ClassificationsConclusionAppendixIntroductionThe work most commonly known as the Rasa'il ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of the article (41 KB)Key words: Legal realists, critical legal theorists, constitution, rule of law, al-Farabi, Ummah, din,dunya,Qur'an, slavery, ethics.At its most basic level, law represents a set of 'legal norms.' In contemporary discourse, the term 'legal norms' can mean simply legal rules, that is, the text found in statutes and judgements and, in the ...
Reading Lists -- Baillie, Neil B. E. A Digest of Moohammadan Law. Lahore: Premier Book House, 1963. Fyzee, Asaf A. A. An Introduction to the Study of Mahomedan Law. London: H. Milford, 1931. Gleave, Robert. Inevitable Doubt: Two Theories of Shii Jurisprudence. Leiden: Brill, 2000. Hallaq, Wael B. Law and Legal Theory in Classical and Medieval Islam. Aldershot: Variorum, UK; Brookfield, VT: ...
Academic Article -- Download the PDF version of this article Table of Contents:The Problem Of TimeThe Ismaili Definition of Time and EternityThe Womb of History The Problem Of Time One of the more serious and threatening, yet unsolved, problems in theology is uncertainty about the meaning of time. Clearly, the theologian of an omnipotent and absolute God must reconcile His transcendence with ...
Academic Article -- Key words:Knowledge, Epistemology, Religious philosophy (kalam), Islamic Hellenistic philosophy (falsafa), Mu'tazilis, Ash'aris, Neoplatonism, Mystical philosophy, Illuminationist philosophy, Metaphysics, Cosmology, ethics, Political Philosophy, Emanation, Active Intellect, Physical sciences, Astronomy, Astrology, Optics, Medicine, Mathematics, Observatory, Hospital, Translation, Dar al-'Ilm, Fatimids.Download PDF version of article (156 KB)Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Search for KnowledgePhilosophy Religious philosophyIslamic Hellenistic philosophyAl-KindiAl-FarabiAl-RaziIbn SinaAndalusian Islamic Hellenistic philosophersMystical philosophyThe Sciences ...
Academic Article -- Keywords Nationalism, Iran, Persia, Khurasan, Transoxania, Abbasid, Zoroastrian, Kharijis, Khurammis, Ismailis, Imamiyya, Khidash Download PDF version of article (250 KB) Table of contentsThe Kharijite movementCurrents of Shi'ism: the Kaysaniyya and the HashimiyyaHeterodox Muslim and neo-Mazdakite movements: al-Muqanna', Babak, and othersThe later development of Shi'ism: the Twelvers, the Zaydis and the IsmailisThe beginnings of the disinitgration of the 'Abbasid caliphate ...
Academic Article -- KeywordsSayyida Hurra, Sulayhid, Yemen, Fatimid, education of women, Sitt al-Mulk, Adris 'Imad al-Din, Uyun al-akhbar, Sulayman, Sulayhi, al-AfdalDownload PDF version of article (341 KB)Table of contentsIntroduction Education PoliciesWomen in the Fatimid Dynasty Sulayhid dynasty - early accounts YemenSulayman b. 'Abd Allah al-ZawahiAsma bint ShihabAl-Sayyida al-HurraThe re-establishment of the Ismaili da'waHurra's ascension in the Fatimid da'waResponsibilitiesNizari-Musta'li schismAl-AfdalCollapse of the Fatimid ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Al-Hakim's early career Abu 'Ali Mansur, the sixth Fatimidcaliph and 16th Ismaili imam (r. 386-411/996-1021). Born in 375/985, Abu 'Ali Mansur succeeded his father 'Aziz (r. 365-86/975-96) at the age of 11 on 28 Ramadan 386/14 October 996 with the caliphal title of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. The first Fatimid ruler to have been born in Egypt, Hakim had been ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Download PDF version of article (136 KB) The Use of the Term 'Da'i' (He who summons), a term used by several Muslim groups, especially the Ismailis, to designate their missionaries. It was adopted by the Seljuk 'Abbasid da'wa, or mission, in Khurasan and by the early Mu'tazila, but it soon became particularly identified with certain Shi'i groups, for example, ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Origins and Early History On the death of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq in 148 AH/765 CE, his followers from among the Imami Shi'i split into six groups of which two may be identified as proto-Ismailis or earliest Ismailis. Imam al-Sadiq had originally designated his second son Isma'il (the eponym of the Ismailiya) as his successor to the imamate. A majority ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Download PDF version of the article Abu 'Ali Ibn Sina (ca. 980-1037 CE), known in Latin as Avicenna, was a physician, natural philosopher, mathematician, poetic mystic, and princely minister. Of Persian descent, he was born in Afshana in the province of Bukhara. His chief philosophical work, Kitab al-shifa' (Book of Healing), which was known in Latin as Liber Sufficientia, ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of this article"No belief is like modesty and patience, no attainment is like humility, no honour is like knowledge, no power is like forbearance, and no support is more reliable than consultation." His Highness the Aga Khan has frequently quoted this saying of Imam Ali in his speeches. Modesty, patience, humility, knowledge, forbearance and consultation ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (68 KB) Key Words Nasir Khusraw, Divan, UNESCO, Badakhshan, Tajikistan, Fatimid, ibda', tanzil, ta'wil, zahir, batin, 'ilm, ma'rifa,ta'lim, body to soul (tan ba jon), world to religion (dunya ba din), Neoplatonism, philosophy, Dari, poetry Table of ContentsBackground and Rationale The forum and its objectives A Framework for Understanding Nasir Khusraw: Themes, Questions and ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- This is an adapted version of an article which originally appeared in the Ismaili Magazine USA (March 2003) as an essay review of Maria Rosa Menocal's, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain (Boston, New York, and London: Little Brown and Company, 2002).Key WordsAl-Andalus, 'Abbasid, Umayyad, Judaism, ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words Fatimid, Intellectual Tradition, Concept of Creation, 'Aql, 'ilm Download PDF version of article (202 KB) Table of contents'E' for 'Eagles'Nasir KhusrawA TransformationThe SafarnamaA Glimpse of the WriterPhilosophical WorksThe Concept of Creation in the QuranNeoplatonism and the Concept of CreationNasir's God-intellect-soul-nature modelAl-Kirmani's ten-intellect modelNasir's DivanIntellect and ActionA Rational and a Specified ShariaThe Soul and the Body In ...
Reading Lists -- 1. Secondary Literature: Encyclopaedias and Book Series Monographs and edited volumes on the Qur'an and its interpretation have thrived in the last decades. Two exceptionally important contributions in recent years are the Journal of Quranic Studies, and the Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe. Brill: 2001-2006. Three further reference works have been published, which are ...
Academic Article -- Download PDF version of article (158 KB) Key wordsIsmaili, Shi'a, taqiyya, Imamah, Imam 'Ali, Caliphate, Fatimid, Abbasid, Ahl al-Bayt, da'wa, shari'a, dawr al-satr,Alamut, Nizari, Musta'li, Zaydi,tawhid,ta'wil,hadith, batin,zahir, haqa'iq, 'ilm, al-Azhar,wazier,al-Qahira,mahdi,Ifriqiya,da'i, Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, Pir, Nasir-i Khusraw, ginan, Safavid, Aga Khan, nur, qiyamah, ta'lim, 'ulama.Table of ContentsIntroductory RemarksThe Formative Period of IsmailismThe Period of Fatimid RuleAspects of Fatimid Ismaili DoctrineThe ...
Academic Article -- Download PDF version of the article (113 KB)Key words Education, Islamic education, textbooks on Islam, teaching religions, SACRE, education and pluralism Table of ContentsIntroduction Realising RE's Potential: The Case of the Teaching of Islam Monolithic versus Pluralist Presentation Literalist versus Symbolic Understandings Historic/humanist versus Absolutist ApproachPoliticisation of RE Content RE's Emphasis on Pedagogy and Diversity Conclusion Introduction Think of ...
Academic Article -- Key Words: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), mediation, mediator, facilitation, family, divorce, Izzat, guru, domestic abuse, code of practice, controlled emotional involvement, psychico-social transiton, enunciator, arbiturator, humanising, understanding, listening, impartial, cultural sensivity.Download PDF version of article (78 KB) Table of contentsIntroductionMediation and MediatorsA Mediator's 'Terms of Reference'Mediation Today Introduction1 Mediation is at an important crossroads and like human beings, who, ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- This is an edited version of an article that was originally published in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XIV, Fasc. 6, pp. 603-605, 2008. Javadan-nama (also known as Javdan-nama-ye kabir or Javdan-nama-ye elahi), the major work of Fadhl-Allah Astarabadi (d. 1394; q.v.), the founder of the Hurufi movement [1]. The title, which can be translated from Persian either as the "Eternal ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Download PDF version of article (30 KB)Imam Husayn ibn 'Ali was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the son of Imam 'Ali and the Prophet's daughter Fatima. He is regarded as one of the early imams of the Shi'is, and his refusal to offer bayyah (allegiance) to the Umayyad Caliph Yazid, which led to his death and the ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Download PDF version of article (36 KB)Founded in 1977 by H.H. Prince Karim Aga Khan, the Institute functions today as a gathering point for the Ismaili community's interest in its own history and in its relationship with the larger world of Islamic scholarship and contemporary thought. Its stated mission is to promote the investigation of Muslim cultures and societies, ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Download the Article in PDF format (68 KB) Khaki Khurasani, Imamquli, Isma'ili poet and preacher of 17th-century Persia (b. Dizbad; d. Dizbad, after 1056 AH / 1646 CE). He was born in Dizbad, a village in the hills half way between Mashhad and Nishapur, which at the time was the largest dwelling place of the Isma'ilis of northern Khurasan. ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Download PDF version of article (112 KB) Location and Description A fortress on the summit of an isolated rocky hill in the Alburz mountains, situated some 18km west of Damgan in northern Persia. Thrust forward into a sloping plain, the hill of Gerdkuh rises about 300 metres above its base, and seen from the south, the access direction to ...
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Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (60 KB) Key words Pluralism, exclusivism, taqiyya,Shi'a, Sunni, Wahabi,inter-religious pluralism, intra-religious pluralism, diversity,hadith, Qur'an, Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, kafirs, apostate. Table of ContentsTolerance in Islam: Pluralism and its Engagement with DiversityInter-Religious Pluralism within IslamInter-Religious Diversity Diversity of Interpretation in Muslim History Theology of Intra-Islamic Pluralism O humankind We [God] have created you male and ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article By Professor Ali Asani Key Words Muslims, non-Muslims, Qur'an, exclusivist, imperialism, religious diversity, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Shi'a, Sunni, multi-religious, Wahhabi movement, Judaeo-Christian tradition, jihad, ahl al-kitab, zakat, dar al-harb, fundamentalist, dar al-islam Table of ContentsPluralism in Qur'anQur'anic view of Christianity and JudaismExclusivist Interpretations of the Qur'an Pluralism in Qur'an "Infuse your heart with ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words AKDN mandate, din, dunya, ethical ideals Download PDF version of article (34 KB) Table of contentsThe AKDN MandateDin and DunyaThe Guidance of the imamEthical Foundations of AKDN InstitutionsEthic of Inclusiveness Ethic of Education and Research The Prophet and Hazrat AliEarly Muslim ScholarsThe Spirit of InquiryEthic of Compassion and SharingEthic of Self-relianceEthic of Respect for Life and ...
Reading Lists -- a) Islamic Philosophy and Theology Ess, Josef van. The Flowering of Muslim Theology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006. Mutahhari, Murtada. Understanding Islamic Sciences, Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism. London: Islamic College for Advanced Studies Publications, 2002. Nasr, Sayyid Hussein. Knowledge and the Sacred. New York: State University of New York Press, 1989. ____ . Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin ...
Academic Article -- Key WordsHadith, Imam Ali, al-Nawawi, 'Abd al-Rahman Jalal al-Din al-SuyutiThe first paragraph of the article is reproduced below: There are a great many short hadith (traditions attributed to Prophet Muhammad) collections comprising forty ahadith (pl. of hadith). The most famous is the Forty Ahadith of Muhyi al-Din Abu Zakariyya Yahya b. Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 631/1233). The al-Nawawi collection, actually ...
Academic Article -- Download the article in PDF Table of Contents:The HistoriansPortrayal of the FatimidsTeleological view of historyKhaldunian approach to historyAl-Mu'izz: through the lens of the Itti'az and the 'UyunConcluding Remarks The Historians Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi was an erudite Sunni polymath who dedicated much of his considerable scholarship to the study of Egypt. Born, bred and buried in Cairo, al-Maqrizi had a ...
Academic Article -- Key wordsMadrasas,hadith,sira, usul al-din (principles of the faith), akhlaq, maktabs,fiqh (jurisprudence),kalam (theology), Islamisation,ribats (monastic colleges),Dar al-Ilm,adab,ulama, tafsir. Download PDF version of article (86.3 KB) Table of contentsIntroductionThe DilemmaThe Historical CaseThe Contemporary SituationThe Educational ArgumentConclusionIntroduction In recent years, Islam as school knowledge has been increasingly perceived as a problematic category in education, in both Muslim and non-Muslim contexts.[1] Terrorist incidents ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- This is an edited version of an article that was originally published in the Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XIV, Fasc. 4, p. 349, in December 2008. Ja'far b. Manusr al-Yaman was a high-ranking Ismaili author who flourished during the reigns of the first four Fatimid caliphs. His father, Ibn Hawshab (d. 302 AH / 914 CE), originated from a learned ...
Encyclopaedia Articles -- Derived from the Persian khwajah, a term of honour, the word Khoja referred to those converted to Nizari Ismaili Islam in the Indian sub-continent from about the thirteenth century onward. More particularly, it included certain groups, predominantly from Gujarat and Kutch, who retained strong Indian ethnic roots and caste customs while sustaining their Muslim religious identity under continual threats ...
