Editor's Choice -- Simerg -- 5 Photo essays: Ismaili life in Tajikistan and Central Asia In the past, explorers travelling by land and sea spent years, if not decades, on their journeys of discovery and adventure only to visit a few far off lands. Some never returned home to tell their tales. Today, Muslim Harji, a prolific global traveller, carries ...
We're pleased to share our exclusive interview with Dr. Daniel Beben. The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) recently published his fascinating book, co-authored with Dr. Daryoush Mohammad Poor, a translation of "The First Aga Khan, The Memoirs of Imam Hasan Ali Shah." Dr. Beben was born and raised in the USA as a Roman Catholic, but in 2009 Dr. Beben chose to become an Ismaili. In our interview, he shares his thoughts on ...
Ismaili Digest Exclusive for July 2020 -- Each month enjoy the most popular new articles and videos viewed by the Jamat from over 36 of the best Ismaili websites with just one click! 'Most popular' means most viewed post(s) on each website (excluding duplicate postings, Event Alerts and COVID-19 advice) without social media influence. NOTE: Posts are randomly ordered.
Nutrition Centre -- To mark World Vegetarian Day, The Ismaili Nutrition Centre shares 13 delicious meatless meals to power up your diet. A plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds offers a myriad of health benefits. In particular, it can reduce your risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers.
[ISMAILI DIGEST ED: This piece was written and emailed a month ago, at the end of June. However, during July the controversy over opening American schools exploded and has become stranger, rather than clearer, making the material even more relevant.] ARTICLE: As the Politco article, linked below, makes crystal clear, the USA the 2020-2021 academic year is in chaos, disarray and turmoil -- both at the school and university level. At the school level, surveys have revealed that: • up to 20% of teachers may not return; • states are anticipating a 20%-30% cut in aid; • schools have no clear ...
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III (r. 1885-1957) established a research institution, the Ismaili Society (Anjoman-e Esma'ili), on February 16, 1946 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. According to the Charter, its primary objective was "the promotion of independent and critical study of all matters connected with Ismailism with the stated policy of refraining from all religio-political missionary activities" (Daftary, Anjoman-e ...
If you've been meaning to learn about the main events of Ismaili history but keep putting it off because of time or laziness, we've got just what you need. A crash course of five short videos which cover four main periods of Ismaili history: early Shi'ism, the Fatimid period, the Alamut period, and the post-Alamut period. Each video is only around 10 minutes ...
Ismaili Digest Exclusive for June 2020 -- Each month enjoy the most popular new articles and videos viewed by the Jamat from over 36 of the best Ismaili websites with just one click! 'Most popular' means most viewed post(s) on each website (excluding duplicate postings, Event Alerts and COVID-19 advice) without social media influence. NOTE: Posts are randomly ordered.
Without doubt, leadership is one of the most important topics Mawlana Hazar Imam has spoken about because the negative consequences of poor decisions ripple across time and harm communities for years or decades. Moreover, those poor decisions make it harder for communities to recover and move forward and, in the meantime, he says "you damage a generation." Time and time ...
Did you know the Institute of Ismaili Studies offers a selection of its books free? Currently they have 18 titles available for download, in PDF format, at the link below. If you're looking for interesting, non-academic books but are unsure which to choose, we recommend the following 5 books to learn about our philosophies, traditions and history: - Justice and ...
We like to think education is the key to wisdom, judgement, foresight, objectivity, open mindedness and humility. But is this true? Research, assessing these intellectual virtues among educated, people suggests education actually undermines them. In fact, in 2006, Mawlana Hazar Imam remarked that "too often, education made our students less flexible -- confident to the point of arrogance that they ...
Ismaili Digest Exclusive for May 2020 -- Each month enjoy the most popular new articles and videos viewed by the Jamat from over 36 of the best Ismaili websites with just one click! 'Most popular' means most viewed post(s) on each website (excluding duplicate postings, Event Alerts and COVID-19 advice) without social media influence. NOTE: Posts are randomly ordered.
Sawm: The Esoterics (Bāṭin) of Fasting Shahru ramaḍāna alladhī unzila fīhi'l-qur'ānu hudan lilnasi wabayyinātin mina'l-hudā wa'l-furqāni fa-man shahida minkumu'l-shahra falyaṣumhu "The Month of Ramaḍān in which was sent down the Qur'ān a guidance for mankind, and manifest proofs of the guidance and the criterion (between truth and falsehood). So whomever among you witnesses the Month, let him fast it." (Holy Qur'ān 2:185) Fasting (ṣawm) is among the ...
Over 10 years ago Simerg launched it's intriguing (and as yet unmatched) "I wish I'd been there" series. In explaining the series they said "we ask you to be a fly on the wall and answer the question: What is the one scene, incident or event in Ismaili history you would like to have witnessed -- and why?" Eventually they ...
Chuqander are usually a deep red colour but there are varieties ranging from white, orange and even striped. Both the beets and their greens can be eaten as they are tasty and full of unique nutritious properties. One large chuqander (approximately 100 grams) contains only 43 Calories and 25 per ...
Ismaili Digest Exclusive for April 2020 -- Each month enjoy the most popular new articles and videos viewed by the Jamat from over 36 of the best Ismaili websites with just one click! 'Most popular' means most viewed post(s) on each website (excluding duplicate postings and Event Alerts) without social media influence. NOTE: Posts are randomly ordered.
When you hear the words "material" what comes to mind? Material vs spiritual? How about "materialism?" Being focused on material things like wealth and status? Well, connected to the heart of atheism is another critically important meaning to "material" and "materialism" that is vital to understand. In the scientific world, "material" means physical; specifically matter and energy. And "materialism" is ...
As you are aware, Ismaili Digest exposes all material published on the.ismaili -- which, pre-COVID-19, meant a dozen or so articles a week -- so, no matter which country you lived in, you are informed about what Ismailis in other countries were doing. However, since jamatkhanas were closed in March, the volume of material published on the.ismaili has dramatically increased. For example, it published 46 posts yesterday (as compared to 64 for whole of January) and over 450 posts for all of April. Virtually all of this material is COVID-19 related. Therefore, in order maintain relevance to our global Ismaili audience and provide it with intellectually stimulating material, Ismaili Digest will ...
Named after the sixth Imam, the Ismailis have had a long history of developing their theological and philosophical positions centred on the Imamat. In the Fatimid and Alamut eras, Ismailis possessed, and their Imams goverened, several Ismaili states. During these times, the Imams dispatched numerous da'is and pirs to spread the teachings far and wide and, in the processed, composed ...
The following videos share two significant events of Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah's life. In 1892, he built the Aga Khan Palace, in Pune, as an act of charity to help the poor in the neighbouring areas. It is also where Mahatma Gandhi was kept prisoner after he launched the Quit India movement. In 1930, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah led the ...
Despite COVID-19, most of us are able to keep in touch with each other and Ismailis around the world though the weekly, on-line Jamati programmes many countries have launched. However, with Jamatkhana closures, many seniors are now completely disconnected from the Jamat, with the exception of family phone calls, because they don't have tablets or smart-phones. We think this situation can be solved very easily if every family purchases and sets up a tablet for the few seniors in their family (the highly rated Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet is just US$80). It's also, of course, an ideal way for the young in your family to connect with their grandparents. Here's how you ...
In 1986, in his first CBC interview, Mawlana Hazar Imam said "The only miracle which you in Islam is the Qur'an." Since Hazrat Ali, the Imamat has interpreted the Qur'an for Ismailis, and theirs is the only authoritative interpretation Ismailis accept. Indeed Hazar Imam himself said, in 1975, "On the spiritual plane, the Imam's authority is absolute. Ismailis believe therefore ...
Ismaili Digest Exclusive for March 2020 -- Each month enjoy the most popular new articles and videos viewed by the Jamat from over 36 of the best Ismaili websites with just one click! 'Most popular' means most viewed post(s) on each website (excluding duplicate postings and Event Alerts) without social media influence. NOTE: Posts are randomly ordered.
Of all the Ismaili communities which have survived to our own times, those of the Iranian lands and Yemen have had the longest continuous histories. This study, presented respectfully to Professor C. Edmund Bosworth, who has so meticulously studied over several decades the history and cultures of the peoples of the Iranian lands, provides a historical overview of the mediaeval ...
Social media and smartphones. Although we wonder how we lived without them, if we knew the damage they do to our brains, especially children's brains, we might wonder why we use them so addictively (hint: it's because social media executives have admitted, on video, they deliberately designed it to be addictive). Last September (2019), Ismaili Digest made the decision to ...
Often, especially in the West, Ismailis in high-school and university question Mawlana Hazar Imam's wealth and life style. Where does it come from? How is it used? What role does dasond play? In today's skeptical, secular, materialistic world, Hazar Imam's wealth and lifestyle contradict the stereotype of religious or spiritual leaders as people who should lead an ascetic and spartan ...
Click here to view in your web browser if this email does not display properly Editor's Choice Parable: For Hodja, Pretending to be Foolish has its Rewards... Hodja: A Fool or Intelligent? The Hodja had already become a sort of attraction at the main market in the town. Whenever he went there to beg, people would show him a large ...
Ismaili Digest Exclusive for February 2020 -- Each month enjoy the most popular new articles and videos viewed by the Jamat from over 36 of the best Ismaili websites with just one click! 'Most popular' means most viewed post(s) on each website (excluding duplicate postings and Event Alerts) without social media influence. NOTE: Posts are randomly ordered.
In 1992, in Vancouver, Mawlana Hazar Imam said "You cannot articulate the Tariqah without articulating the concept of Imamat." And so, for almost 1,400 years, Nizari Ismailis have sought to confirm the authenticity and legitimacy of the Ismaili Imamat in various ways. However, these traditional arguments are often not intellectually satisfying in today's sceptical, secular, 21st Century world. Some are ...
To mark the commencement of Mawlana Hazar Imam's Diamond Jubilee on 11th July 2017, TheIsmaili Nutrition Centre is pleased to launch "Taste of Culture" - a celebration of our cultural diversity through the joy of food. Travel around the world with us, as we dish out food secrets from the locals themselves. From Dar-es-Salaam to Dallas, discover some ...
In a 2003, Hazar Imam wrote "The true test [of education] is the ability of students and graduates to engage with what they do not know and to work out a solution." Notice he addressed his remark to everyone, since everyone is either a student or a graduate. You may be wondering what this has to do with experts, or ...
Around the 11th century the Imams, then residing in Persia, sent Pirs to the Indian subcontinent to teach the Ismaili interpretation of Islam to non-Arabic speaking people. From the Sanskrit word jnana, meaning 'contemplative knowledge,' Ginans are a vast corpus of poetic compositions, authored by those Pirs to fulfill the Imams' wishes. At the time, devotional poetry was flourishing in ...
In 1967, Mawlana Hazar Imam said "Western Europe and North America ... face social and moral conflicts which are far more daunting than known in Asia or Africa." In 1976, he said "I have observed in the Western world a deeply changing pattern of human relations. The anchors of moral behaviour appear to have dragged to such depths that they ...
To help the Jamat better understand why Ismaili Digest is so different from every other Ismaili website, we've prepared this short video to highlight some of our main features. Even if you've visited us before, we're sure you'll discover something you didn't know!
Due to the nature of major technical changes to Ismaili Digest we're making this week, the website, our e-mail services and isma.li links will be up and down while we iron out any issues. We're sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience during this time. Although our subscribers and visitors won't see or notice any differences due to the changes, under the hood critical components are being replaced with alternative technologies that will give is more resilience and independence going forward.
Salgirah Mubarak! To celebrate this happy occasion, we bring you our popular collection of 50 jokes by Mawlana Hazar Imam -- many with video or audio. During the Golden Jubilee, Hazar Imam said in Vancouver, "from time to time I have joked with my Jamat, and it has come to them in a rather unexpected way! And I said to ...
In today's skeptical, secular world, many Ismailis wonder how complete and accurate is the historical record that documents and traces the Ismaili Imamat back to Prophet Muhammad and the first Shia Imam, Hazart Ali. Like all hereditary offices, at times there was disagreement over who was the legitimate successor to a previous Imam. Indeed, in his 1986 Man Alive interview, ...
Parable: Learning from Tragedy, the Story of the Imprisoned Parrot Parrot in a cage There was once a merchant who owned a beautiful parrot. The parrot's ability to sing kept the merchant very happy for years. The merchant looked after the parrot very ...
"It was very satisfying to hear Hazar Imam and President Talib have such confidence, respect, and trust in the private Ismaili media publishers, and value our work that President Talib wished to set up relationships with us and Hazar Imam gave him guidance on how to structure the relationships.... I think the institutions and the Jamat are really not aware of the thousands of hours of passionate work reliable private Ismaili web publishers put, voluntarily, into their websites each year with no other motive than a deep and sincere desire to help the Jamat, which these websites do in countless ways that may not be always appreciated."
A fundamental aspect of our faith is the idea of "personal search." However what does this actually mean? Does "personal search" mean there are "no black and white answers" to faith related questions we have? That every interpretation is automatically correct? This is also known as relativism. Relativism claims there is no absolute truth, no single correct interpretation, but Hazar ...
