By Andrew Kosorok (Special to Simerg) I will meditate on what this Name means to me, personally, and how I see the Name reflected in lives and events around me, and do more sketches. Praying that my hand is guided correctly, I will start to expand the sketches into drawings of a workable sculpture that, for lack of a better description, ...
by Ali Eteraz They [Sufis] retain a view of the world that is not merely hopeful, but outright cheerful, a smile stretched eternally onto the face of the faith. Ali Eteraz Were Islam a buffet, I'd be the guy that shows up in the morning and stays late, picking and tasting every item, simultaneously stuffed and starving, simultaneously gluttonous and bulimic. ...
INNER MEANING OF SURAH KAHF, VERSES 60-82 By Jehangir A. Merchant "It is He Who has sent down to you the Book: in it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical." Holy Qur'an, Sura Ali 'Imran, 3:7 The Holy Qur'an clearly defines the nature of its contents in the above ...
will you be mine on the journey to Mawla? will you be the tasbih bead next to my bead on the prayer to Mawla? will you be the rainbow stripe next to my stripe emanating from, rejoining the prism of Light that IS Mawla? will you be the arm of one shell hinged on the other shell surrounding the pearl of ...
Great Mosque of Mahdiyya Name of Monument: Great Mosque of Mahdiyya Location: Mahdiyya, Tunisia Date of the monument: Hegira 297/AD 910 Period/Dynasty: Fatimo-Zirid (Beginning of the dynasty) Patron(s): The Fatimid caliph/Imam al-Mahdi. Description: This mosque was built on a rectangular plan measuring 75 m x 55 m. It is flanked by two round towers which served to catch the water running ...
The inscription on the door alludes specifically to Al-Hakim bi-Amrillah which was the title assumed by the Fatimid Caliph, al-Mansur: "Our Lord, the Commander of the Faithful/the Imam, al-Hakim bi-Amrillah/May the Blessings of God be upon him and upon his ancestors, al-Tahireen, and his descendants" Name of Object: Door wings of al-Hakim bi-Amrillah, 6th Fatimid Caliph or 16th Ismaili Imam Holding ...
Transcendence - of physical to Spiritual Mawlana Hazar Imam being greeted by two young children as he arrives in Syria for his Golden Jubilee visit. By Navyn Naran can i be the little girl on tiptoe leaning up to kiss Your cheek? may i be the fragrant rose petals thrown under Your Noorani Feet? can i be the soft breeze that ...
October 19, 1957: His Highness the Aga Khan at the Takht Nashini in Dar-es-Salaam. Photo Credit: Ilm Magazine, July 1977. Saturday, October 19, 1957, will remain a memorable and an eventful day in the history of the Ismailis. Dar-es-Salaam, usually quiet and peaceful as its name suggests, suddenly found itself bubbling all over with life and excitement. The city was in ...
ISLAM: A BRIEF NOTE by Salim e-a Ebrahim Islam is NOT a political ideology, a political theology, a political system, a political venture, or a political empire. It is concerned only with the way Muslims practice their particular communal politics just as it is concerned with the way every Muslim practices his own particular politics in her own personal life. Islam is ...
By Fez Meghani I wish I was the pen in Rumi's hands To recognize his thirst; to feel his longing To comprehend his hunger; to sense his yearning To experience the flow of his blood Through the ink in my body So I could understand how the self Could be nobody and everybody I wish I was the pen in Rumi's ...
By James Winston Morris (Editor's Note:This essay will be published in the author's forthcoming volume, Openings: From the Qur'an to the Islamic Humanities. We are greatly indebted to Professor Morris for permission to reproduce the essay on this Web site. Copyright © James W. Morris). Do not seek to know the Truth (al-Haqq) according to other people. Rather first come to ...
By Jehangir A. Merchant "I WISH I'D BEEN THERE" A huge caravan of around 100,000 Muslim pilgrims, spread over many miles of the desert, is returning to Medina after completing the Hajj in Mecca. As it reaches Ghadir-Khumm, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) is commanded by Allah to deliver one of the last verses of the Holy Qur'an: "O Messenger of ...
I Wish I'd Been There By Altaf Hajiyani Altaf Hajiyani - student of Islamic history Hazrat Ali (a.s) the first cousin, son-in-law, first male convert and the champion of Islam is revered, loved, and respected by all communities in Islam. However, this affection is at different levels for different Tariqah's within Islam. For Shia Muslims he is at the center of their ...
I Wish I'd Been There By Raheel Lakhani Raheel Lakhani - studies advanced religious education and takes interest in comparative religion During the second and third centuries of Islam, an era of philosophy emerged in Muslim civilizations where both Mutazalites and Asharites held debates on issues of free will, God's attributes and the nature of scripture. The former adhered to rationality ...
I Wish I'd Been There A View of Cairo from the Al-Azhar Park By Zarina Al-Qahirah, the victorious one is now known as Cairo, the city of a thousand minarets. I am atop the hillside kiosk at the Al-Azhar Park. Today, Cairo is basking in the spring sunshine. It's May 2010. I see the outlines of the various Fatimid and other ...
I Wish I'd Been There An Azerbaijan stamp commemorating Tusi's 800th Aniversary superimposed over the solar system. The tribute on the stamp reads "Outstanding Scientist and Philosopher of Azebaijan 1201-2001" By Arif Babul Arif Babul - World Renowned Astrophysicist said in an interview with Simerg "Tusi was far ahead of his time" "Oh, how weary I am. My life is ebbing ...
I Wish I'd Been There The Mausoleum of Pir Satgur Nur in Navsari, Gujarat, India, and a thumbnail depicting a putla (idol). Images on the outer border depict scenes from Ismaili history. Art work: Nurin Merchant. Copyright: Simerg.com _____________________ By Karim Maherali Karim Maherali - the Ginan tradition is close to his heart This is indeed an interesting and reflective series ...
I Wish I'd Been There 1906: Ali Velji's penmanship of Ginan Buj Niranjan. The antique book is headed for the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) Library 1906: Ali Velji's penmanship of Farmans of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. The Farman book is also designated for the IIS library. Click images to enlarge By Zulfikarali M. Khoja Zul Khoja: Lifetime Educator My grandfather, ...
I Wish I'd Been There By Tajdin Dhala Tajdin Dhalla - keenly pursues his interest in Muslim history. Takes special Arabic classes From the very day of Hazrat Ali (a.s) being designated as the Mawla by the famous prophetic proclamation at Ghadir-Khumm - "He of whom I am Mawla of him Ali is also the Mawla" - till his demise, a ...
I Wish I'd Been There You are looking at the remnant of a stellar explosion that occurred more than 1,000 years ago. The red stripe, called the SN 1006 Supernova Remnant, is actually a ribbon of gas that floats in our galaxy as captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The brightest supernova ever recorded on Earth, this spectacular light show was ...
I Wish I'd Been There Light the candle of wisdom within your heart, And hurry, heart aglow, to the worlds of light. If you would light a lamp within your heart, Make knowledge and action your wick and oil. - Nasir Khusraw [1] By Nourmamadcho Nourmamadchoev Nourmamadcho Nourmamadchoev of Badakhshan now at SOAS in London Nasir Khusraw woke from a dream ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" Alamut and surrounding regions By Jalaledin Ebrahim Jalaledin Ebrahim: Researches and writes on Islamic Psychology A solemn ceremony on August 8, 1164 AC, was organized at the foot of the castle of Alamut, set deep in the Alborz mountains. It was the 17th day of Ramadan in the noon day sun. There was not a single ...
I Wish I'd Been There Two key Ismaili leaders in post Fatimid Nizari Ismaili history; Hassan-i Sabbah of Alamut, Iran, shown at left and Rashid al-Din Sinan of Syria. The obedience of the Ismaili fidai's to these and other leaders working under the authority of the Imam played a crucial role in safeguarding the lives of the Jamat for many decades. ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Mansoor Ladha Mansoor Ladha: Veteran award winning journalist, writer and author As a journalist, a writer and an author, what better time to be than reporting milestones and significant events during the Fatimid Period or the "Golden Age" of Ismailism, when Ismaili Imams ruled over a vast empire and when Ismaili literature, philosophy and law ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Shariffa Keshavjee I often go back in my mind To a time when giant forts dwarfed Our human form But great minds soared Soared about the forts of Alamut Where great minds thought The scribes told wonders Of the worlds of new continent New passages in the oceans Of search for truth. I often go ...
I Wish I'd Been There By Heena Jiwani Likes to travel and learn cultures The founders of Cairo and its economic, cultural, and academic progress, the Fatimids are considered to be the inclusive and pluralistic empire under which the lands under its dominion flourished. The economic transformation the Fatimids made from barter trading to monetary reliance shaped the trade system not ...
A Mo'min (believer) is like a garland to Hazar Imam when he or she acts according to his guidance and wishes. Photo by Bahadur Hirji. Credit: Ilm, December 1979. Editor's Note: Though aimed primarily at the younger reader, the article should be of benefit to the general reader as well. In the Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah, obedience to the Imam of ...
by Shellyza Moledina Shellyza Moledina: Fond of writing poetry and singing When I look at the Muslim Ummah today, I am always in awe and confusion at the immense pluralism at hand. At the basis of our religion, each Qur'anic ayat has not only a multitude of interpretations - but also multiple types of interpretations. For example, there are the literal ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" The ruins of the Fort of Alamut today, in the Alamut Valley By Khalil Andani It happened on August 8, 1164, CE (17 Ramadan 559 AH). This is the day I would have wanted to witness. On this day Isma'ilis from all over Persia gathered outside the fort of Alamut. A great pulpit was erected with ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" Pervis Rawji Pervis Rawji: Teacher, traveller, and skier This is a story I have been telling my children, nieces and nephews for the past several years. It is the story of Prophet Muhammad (sas). When he first received his calling from Allah via Angel Gabriel in the cave of Mount Hira, he came home shaking and ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Maleksultan J. Merchant Life of service to the Jamat During the course of my career, I have had the immense happiness of teaching and explaining Ginans to my students and members of the Jamat alike. With zeal, enthusiasm and conviction we acknowledged the profound ethical and spiritual truths contained in Ginans, which provide guidance and ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Mohib Ebrahim In his August 2007 speech at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of the Aga Khan Academy (Kampala, Uganda), His Highness the Aga Khan said today that what is required is an educational approach "that nurtures the spirit of anticipation and agility, adaptability and adventure." As entrepreneurs, three East African Ismailis of the 1850s, ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Alice C. Hunsberger Dr. Hunsberger is a renowned world authority on Ismaili Poet and philosopher, Nasir Khusraw. I wish I had been in Cairo, Egypt, in 1048, to witness the Sultan's "Opening of the Canal" ceremony, the annual breaking of the earthen dike holding back the Nile, letting the pent up river gush through the ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Navyn Naran wish i'd been there, weaving my web over the cave, Mount Thaur wherein The Great Witness takes refuge. Rasoullillah quiet, receiving; Abu Bakr, his companion resting, under crystal stars, night darkening. Angels. not a stir i sense, and i weaving my lace piece working my threads dense as Allah Commands. why, o pigeon, ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Aziz R. Kurwa Dr. Kurwa, a man of vision, dedicates this article to millions of Ismaili volunteers through the ages, since the dawn of Imamat I awoke, excited at the prospect of the day ahead. Yesterday a proclamation was made after the Namaz that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) would be leaving for his farewell pilgrimage today, ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" By Barnaby Rogerson What an offer! To travel back in time and return as a true witness to the history that I have so often thought and dreamed about. Perhaps I could travel in the habit of a Christian envoy from some Celtic island monastery off the west coast of the British Isles, sent east to ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" by Farzana Meru Writer is an astrophysicist I am struggling to narrow down all the moments in Ismaili history that I would love to have experienced. As I journey through the modern day trying to understand the past, I often ponder what it would be like to rewind time and experience a number of occasions in ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" Sijilmasa was a mediaeval trade entrepôt at the Western edge of the Maghreb in what is now Morocco By Aleem Karmali Seeking to counter negative stereotypes about Islam Standing out in the heat of the desert, a group of conquering Berber tribesmen waited anxiously for their Imam to emerge from the city of Sijilmasa in North ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" by Ali Mohammad Rajput Former Statistics lecturer, now 86, is devoting his life for service to the Jamat I want to be taken back in time when my late father, missionary Inayat Ali, played a crucial role in the early conversion of the Punjab Ismaili jamat, in the second decade of the last century. This was ...
"I Wish I'd Been There" Some of the recipients of the 1980 Cycle Awards held at Lahore's Shalimar Gardens, with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Logo shown in centre of the image. Images: akdn.org by Shamas Nanji The Aga Khan Awards In Shalimar Gardens Imagine you're there As it actually happens In timeless allure Courtesy of the Mughals The gardens ...
