By Robert Pasnau Although Thomas Aquinas and later philosophers owed Averroës a major intellectual debt, they also fiercely criticized his writings.The depiction above of the Islamic philosopher is a detail from the Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas in Santa Maria Novella, Florence. In the fourteenth-century fresco, Andrea di Bonaiuto placed Averroës with the heretics Sabellius and Arius in the space beneath ...
By Elia Badrudin Salaam , al Salaam, O salaam to all of humanity, Peace al Salamiyeh , KNOW that Peace will be again. the heavens will smile on you again. all humanity which speaks for Peace has promised that the planet has your place al Salamiyeh, more than a thousand years before prayers were seeds of this ground a grassland lying ...
CORRECTION NOTICE In my piece below about Ismaili songs in Kiswahili archived at the SAMAP, I mistakenly attributed the songs to Mukhi Allidina Jamal of Upanga Jamatkhana in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. My attention has been drawn by the family of the actual composer and singer, Allidina Jamal Walji Luvungivalla, that the (late) Mukhi Allidina Jamal, who I attributed the songs to, and ...
SPEECHES, STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS OF THE 48TH AND 49TH ISMAILI IMAMS A. Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan, 48th Imam (1877 - 1957) I. HAZRAT ALI AND THE RASHIDUN CALIPHS It is more than ever necessary that the foundation of Imami-Ismailism should be understood by the new generation of Ismailis throughout the world. If those who believe that ...
I. THE OUTSTANDING MERITS OF THE PROPHETBy Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (702-765 ), 5th Ismaili Imam* Despite their great sins and their ugly acts our Lord -- out of His clemency, His tolerance, and His mercy -- chose for them the most lovable one of His prophets and the most honourable one of them, Muhammad bin Abd Allah, may Allah bless him ...
PROPHET MUHAMMAD IN ISMAILI GINANIC LITERATURE While the Holy Qur'an describes the Nabi as 'Bright Lamp', the Ginans use the symbol of 'Chandni' (Moon Light) for the Prophet. Both in the Holy Qur'an and the Ginans, the Prophet is seen as a Rahemat (Mercy) to mankind. Please click: Prophet Muhammad is Symbol of Moon-Light, a Mercy to All Nations, and Intercessor ...
"I'm afraid I have some awful, awful news to share. Our dearest, most beloved Mo passed away today on New Year's Day, Tuesday, January 1, 2013, at approximately 2.30 a.m. in our home here in Chiang Mai, Thailand" -- Lisa S. Keary....Read More Mohezin Tejani - author and humanitarian Advertisements ...
here's to crystal magic, clink! and starlight. shimmering cool and clearest, p e a c e in the vacuum of purple night of unseen and unheard a magic so hidden you scarce believe in its reality.. for they say, it is the most real thing there is. look! light of all light shimmering .... impenetrable, but yes, conscionable. clinking glass and ...
Please click for links to 2012 pieces contributed by authors listed above.Advertisements ...
There is one writer Simerg would like to single out just before 2012 ends, and the person is Mohezin (Mo) Tejani for his thought-provoking contributions both in prose and poetry. Tejani, a global nomad who has lived and worked in humanitarian aid in five continents of our planet, writes with insight and brilliance on many themes and topics including nature, social ...
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO SIMERG READERS WORLDWIDE Editor's note: From over one hundred articles published in 2012, the following pieces were the most viewed by our readers, based on statistics derived from the WordPress platform. Excluded from the list are readings that appeared earlier this week in the postHoliday Reading: 9 Inspiring Ismaili Stories That You SHOULD Read and SHARE with ...
....AND A MESSAGE ON HOPE BY THE 48TH ISMAILI IMAM, HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN (1877-1957) "You must remember that life will have for you many disappointments. If one-fifth of one's hopes are realised, one is extremely lucky and fortunate, so do not be discouraged by disappointments. Failures should be forgotten and new efforts made. Despondency is a sin, and hope ...
By Barnaby Rogerson Special to Simerg* Muhammad was armed with the fortitude that came from his own direct experience of the divine. Though even he could at times be driven to fury by the petty savageness of the attacks. One neighbour in particular, whose wife used to bury thorns along the sandy paths that she knew the Prophet would walk along ...
Author's note: This trilogy of poems is based on Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man" and looks at the life of an Indian, African, and American in 2012 in contrast to Shakespeare's man of 1538. Shakespeare's poem begins the collection followed by the three poems. _____ The Seven Ages of Man 1538 by William Shakespeare All the world's a stage, And ...
BY NOORANI DATOO Dear Mowla, We never imagined the day would come so fast Seventy-six glorious years outclassed Together we celebrate your birthday! As one united, global jamat Dear Mowla, You pray for us You breathe for us You work for us You dream for us Your murids, we are. Dear Mowla, Your efforts unite us Your prayers ignite us We ...
By Gulnor Saratbekova Special to Simerg Ismaili girls in Central Asia proudly display a decorated frame holding a photo of their beloved 49th Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan. Photo: Matthieu Paley. Copyright. I can still remember how our usual summer vacation in 1990 became a complete nightmare in the blink of an eye. My oldest brother and I were sent ...
Mawlana Hazar Imam's Salgirah and the Depth of His Love for the Jamat The term Salgirah is of Persian origin. Sal means anniversary and girah means knot and hence Salgirah literally means 'an anniversary knot added on to a string kept for the purpose'. This article approaches the subject of Mawlana Hazar Imam's birthday in terms of the Imam's love for ...
INTRODUCTION: The piece below by Zayn Syed is an edited version of his original essay that was shortlisted for the 2011 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize. The Wellcome Trust is a UK based charity funding institution for research to improve human and animal health by supporting the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. In addition to funding biomedical ...
With more than 55 million items, the Manuscript Division of the US Library of Congress contains the papers of 23 presidents, from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge. In this article, originally published in The Library of Congress, Information Bulletin, May 2002, Manuscript Division Chief James Hutson draws upon the papers of Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other primary documents to discuss the ...
By Nadir Mackwani "Jigsaw puzzles help toddlers to develop their concentration, patience, sense of logic and observation. They allow their players to observe the picture in all its details, even the smallest...I hope the idea will receive a warm welcome from the Ismailis." The box set containing the 1000 Jigsaw Puzzle pieces for the Rock of Alamut, manufactured by Sindbad Puzzle. ...
Editor's note: This is the last in Simerg's 3-part series on Ismaili women in a remote village in Pakistan, adapted from Pam Henson's recent publication Women of Shimshal. Readers who are joining the series for the first time are invited to read the preceding parts by clicking:Remarkable Tales of Ismaili Women from Shimshal, a Remote Village in the Karakoram (I)Eid Festivities, ...
"I have come to America because your country is acknowledged to be the most progressive in the world and I have long wanted to see for myself its successful enterprises and great commercial centers" -- His Highness the Aga Khan III (1877-1957) A portrait of His Highness the Aga Khan which was produced in numerous American newspapers in the early 1900's. ...
"Hiring a camel from an Arab for the thirteen day journey to Lahsa, I bade farewell to God's House," writes Naser-e Khosraw after his pilgrimage to Mecca. But as he sets out for home, his choice of itineraries lead to disaster. Khosraw gives his first grim look at the merciless deserts of Arabia and the predatory ways of the Arab Bedouin. ...
In our classic series, I Wish I'd Been There, we had asked our readers to pick up one incident in Ismaili History which they would like to have witnessed. One of the thirty-one contributors for the series, Ismaili missionary (Alwaez), teacher and writer Jehangir Merchant, went back 1400 years to the beginnings of Islamic history and imaginatively constructed a picture of ...
In our previous instalment, the second in a four-part series, Naser-e Khosraw described the wonders of Cairo and the festival of opening of the canal in the presence of the Fatimid Imam al-Mustansir. He says that if he were to describe the festival in any greater detail, it would fill many pages. Khosraw, during his stay in Cairo, visited Mecca on ...
FROM MICHAEL WOLFE'S INTRODUCTION: "...By his own account, Naser-e Khosraw overindulged in the most un-Islamic vice of alcohol until in the fall of 1045 he had a dream. He had been traveling for about a month, and drinking steadily, when a figure appeared in his sleep one night and advised him to seek wisdom. When Khosraw asked where wisdom lay, his ...
EDITED AND INTRODUCED BY Michael Wolfe (Reproduced from ONE THOUSAND ROADS TO MECCA © by Michael Wolfe with the permission of the publisher Grove/Atlantic, Inc.) Naser-e Khosraw's Book of Travels is a classic text that has set the tone for a thousand years of Persian travel writing. In this offhand roadside diary, a seasoned traveler records great sights and endures hardship ...
Editor's note: Shouldn't girls be given a chance to reach their full potential before they are married? In the first of Simerg's 3-part instalment from Pam Henson's recent publication Women of Shimshal readers learnt about Ismaili women in a remote village in the Karakoram who get married before they reach the age of maturity, depriving them of adequate education that would ...
A stunning view of the Indian Ocean from the roof-top of the Bagamoyo Jamatkhana. Please click for home page of Simerg's Photo Blog. Photo: Shariffa Keshavjee, Nairobi, Kenya. Copyright. The following posts have been added to Simerg's new photo blog since September 21, 2012. They are revised versions of photo essays that appeared on this website previously. The Nairobi Aga Khan ...
The Daily Monitor of Uganda reports that President Museveni and His Highness the Aga Khan will formally commission the $860 million (Shs2.1 trillion) Bujagali Hydro Power Project in Jinja on Monday, October 8, 2012. "Construction has come to completion. The new chapter is exciting for us, we are thrilled..." Mr Bill Groth, the Bujagali Energy Ltd's resident construction manager, said ahead ...
I. The Stories of Guljon Bibi and Roshan Noma Map of Shimshal Valley, with inset showing its location in Pakistan. Please click to enlarge. Copyright. Pam Henson. Editor's note: Shimshal is a remote Ismaili village which lies at an altitude of 3,100 metres above sea level, and is the highest settlement in the Hunza Valley of Pakistan. It is surrounded by ...
The Castle of Alamut, nested on the top of the colossal mass of granite rock, became the centre of Nizari Ismaili activity after the fall of the Fatimid Empire. Photo: Muslim Harji, Montreal, PQ, Canada. © Copyright. Introduction: With the death of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph Mustansir Billah, the Ismaili world was plunged into a serious controversy over the succession to the ...
By Jocelyne Sambira Djinguereber mosque in Timbuktu, Mali, where members of of the Ansar Dine have destroyed some of the mosque's mausoleums, along with other holy shrines in the ancient northern city. They used hoes, pick-axes and chisels, hammering away at the earthen tombs until they were completely destroyed. Photo: Wikipedia. History dating as far back as the 5th century is ...
By Gulshan Chunara MEVLANA'S MAUSOLEUM IN KONYA The shrine in Konya, Turkey, of the great Muslim mystic and saint Jalaledin Rumi. His tomb is situated directly under the green domed building. Photo: Gulshan Chunara. Whoever you may be, Come even though you may be an infidel, a pagan, or a fire-worshipper, Come our brotherhood is not one to despair even though ...
Photoblog Three gold quarter dinars of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Hakim were among the Fatimid objects found in a shipwreck in Turkey. Please visit Simerg's new photo blog. Click on image. Photo credit: Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Click Photoblog or on the links shown belowJourney of Discovery: The Mausoleums of the Famous Ismaili Pir Sadardin and His Son Pir Hasan KabirdinSome Illustrated ...
A Heart-Warming Story from Hazrat Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations By Sakerkhanu Gulamhusain Gulamali Special to Simerg At his residence in Bombay, Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah examines some of the diamonds before the day of the Diamond Jubilee Ceremony at Bombay's Brabourne Stadium. I was about 6 years old at the time of Hazrat Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah's Diamond ...
Simerg is pleased to announce the creation of a separate blog dedicated to photographs and photo essays. While many of the pieces may at first appear (or have appeared) on Simerg.com, an adapted version with a greater emphasis on the photo content will be created in the new sister blog . Click to visit the photoblog The new blog is being ...
An apricot, poplar and mountain stream at Garam Chasma in Northern Pakistan. Photo: © Ashden Awards Introduction: This photo essay is about two Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Agencies that have won the prestigious Ashden Awards for improving the quality of life in Northern Pakistan. The Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, Pakistan (AKPBS, P) and the Aga Khan Rural Support ...
A STORY FROM PYARA IMAM NI PYARI WATO By Sairab Abuturabi and Jaferali Bhalwani English rendition by Sakar H. Datoo Please remember the name, Farazdaq. It is a name well-worth remembering. You may ask, "why?" It is because he was the poet of the descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and the off-spring of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). The praise of the ...
By Shujaat Ali Some years back, the local Ismaili community of Shimshal constructed a small but only one of its kind building known as Farmon Khona for safekeeping of sacred religious books, essential documents and other valuable resources when there was no concept of library and resource centre. Today, we are witnessing the construction of new buildings in every village of ...
