Nekbakht Ibrahimi is 43, and lives in the province of Bamyan in central Afghanistan. Mountains cover 90% of the province and the long, cold winters last for six months. Having stopped her studies after primary school, Nekbakht wondered what kind of vocation she could go into, to help support herself and her family of 11: "I always saw women working in ...
GOODREADS.COM -- "In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." (Galileo Galilei) -- "There's nothing quite as frightening as someone who knows they are right." (Michael Faraday) -- "Just because an idea is true doesn't mean it can be proved. And just because an idea can be proved doesn't mean it's true." (Jonah Lehrer) -- "The quest for absolute certainty is an immature, if not infantile, trait of thinking." (Herbert Feigl) -- "It is scientific only to say what is more likely and what less likely, and not to be proving all the time the possible and impossible." (Richard P. Feynman) ...
![[Feb 20]Today in history: the first Fatimid city was inaugurated](https://ismailidigest.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/19c0d21ba5.jpeg)
Imam al-Mahdi (r. 909-934) was proclaimed caliph in 909 in Raqqada, establishing Fatimid reign (909-1171), governing from Qayrawan, the capital city of Ifriqiyya, today's Tunisia and eastern Algeria. In order to have better access to the Mediterranean and eastern lands, Imam al-Mahdi founded the town of al-Mahdiyya, named after him, on the east coast of Tunisia. The town, which began to ...
[H/T MOHIB EBRAHIM] -- MEDIUM.COM -- We're filling our heads with soundbites, the mental equivalent of junk. Over months and years, we may find ourselves looking down at the pot-belly of ignorance.... Clickbait media is not a nutritious diet. Most people brush this off and say that it doesn't matter ... that it's just harmless entertainment. But it's not harmless at all. Worse, it's like cocaine. It causes our brains to light up and feel good. The more of it we consume, the more of it we want.... Try the two-pronged approach of: A) Time. B) Detail. Time meaning how relevant is this historically? If it's going to change soon, you can probably filter it out right here. ...
FS.BLOG -- Most people go through life not really getting any smarter. Why? They simply won't do the work required. How to Get Smarter: Read. A lot. Warren Buffett says, "I just sit in my office and read all day." What does that mean? He estimates that he spends 80% of his working day reading and thinking. "I don't know anyone who's wise who doesn't read a lot. But that's not enough: You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do sensible things. Most people don't grab the right ideas or don't know what to do with them." says Charlie Munger (Buffet's business partner) ...
It is unfortunate but for a large section of non-Muslims around the world, the defining perception of Islam and Islamic history has been influenced by what they see on news channels. ...
"With the support of President Yoweri Museveni, the Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, and other members of government, we are working hard on our largest project ever here; construction of a ...
DAILYSTOIC.COM -- Verity Smith is a blind international dressage rider, singer, songwriter and author. Smith gradually lost her vision from the age of eight.... "It was brilliant that I went blind at the age of 8, before the clutter of my life got a look in." Her courage and grace in the face of adversity has not relented since. She has represented Great Britain in the Paralympics, and is now training with the aim of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo games to fulfill her dream of competing on the Able Bodied Team. ...
The Indo-American Association's 2019 season, which unfolds from March through November, blends culture-bridging performances with music and dance programs that offer a more full-immersion Indian experience. With 10 shows that will ...
Karachi, Pakistan: Aga Khan University held its first visual art exhibition on Tuesday February 12, 2019. A new module lets medical students express their creative side. The module seeks to help ...
The wedding season is here and the hunt for the perfect scenic backdrop for the pre-wedding album has begun. City couples not only want to announce the big day to their ...
Kabul, Afghanistan, 17 February 2019 - In a signing ceremony held at Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health, the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) took over management of health care facilities in the Bamyan and Badakhshan provinces on a pay-for-performance basis as part of the "Sehatmandi project". Through the Project, AKHS - with support from the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) - will ...
Global -- Situated in the mountains of Northern Pakistan, two new Jamatkhanas were opened last month in the valleys of Ishkoman and Puniyal in Gilgit-Baltistan. The inauguration ceremonies were attended by over 5,000 members of the Jamat. The new spaces are located in areas of outstanding natural beauty. The Ishkoman valley runs north to south in the Northernmost part of Pakistan, ...
GOOGLE.COM -- Mawlana Hazar Imam, Madagascar, 2003: "Remember that Islam says: try to find compromise in your conflicts, so that each may retain their dignity. Islam does not say: there must be a winner and a loser. And if, in your differences, you seek absolute victory, and in these differences there are losers, these losers are marginalised, they lose their position in society, they have great difficulty in rebuilding a sound future. Thus, I ask the Jamat today, when you have differences between you, find solutions of compromise so that each may come out of the situation with their heads held high, that none can say of such and such family or of such and such individual that it is over, they have been destroyed. This is not Islam; destruction is not Islam." (Unofficial translation from French) ...
QUILLETTE.COM -- I was a self-righteous social justice crusader. My callouts were met with approval and admiration: "Thank you so much for speaking out!" "You're so brave!" I mobbed and shamed people. Then one day, suddenly, I was accused of some of the very transgressions I'd called out in others. I was guilty, of course: there's no such thing as due process in this world.... The constant vigilance on the part of my colleagues and friends did me in. That's why I'm delivering sushi and pizza. I was publicly shamed, mobbed, and ... cast out of my career and my professional community. ...
QUILLETTE.COM -- On April 12 1994, Justine and Yves Sergent were found dead in their garage sitting beside each other in the drivers and passenger seats of their car. This is the devastating power that an academic mobbing can have on its targets.... The deaths of Justine and Yves Sergent were not isolated extremes; punishment imposed on an individual by a group is almost always unethical because the group as a whole will never fully understand the punishment they have collectively administered. ...
Story & pictures by Mansoor Ladha Now I know how it feels to be rich. When I exchanged the U.S. dollar to local currency at the airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, one ...
The Republic of Burundi is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of East Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the ...
SR Media Group presents: "Mowla E Kainaat" Series of Episodes highlighting the life History of Hazrat Ali A.S. Episode 1 part 2 is dedicated to Abū Ṭālib ibn 'Abd al-Muṭṭalib uncle ...
FS.BLOG -- Just about anyone can measure the absence of candor in communications: start reading with a red pencil and underline clichés such as "employees are our greatest assets," "our future is bright," "advancing momentum," and "we aim to create shareholder value." This kind of meaningless jargon and platitudes diminishes our understanding of the business and our trust in the leadership. When you're done, look back. If there's a lot of red on the page, consider yourself warned. Rittenhouse coined an acronym for the absence of candor: "FOG." It stands for "fact-deficient, obfuscating generalities." ...
QUILLETTE.COM -- [ISMAILI DIGEST ED: Hazrat Ali: "The best speaking is that which does not offend the ear, and the understanding of which does not fatigue the intelligence."] ARTICLE: Most undergraduates admit to intentionally using complex vocabulary to give the impression of intelligence. Does this actually increase the perception of higher author intelligence among readers? According to research by Carnegie Mellon University professor Daniel M. Oppenheimer: No.... Someone who makes good points, but relies on complex words and jargon to do so, likely pays a price in terms of the perceived quality of their work and mind. ...
Album One: Garbis by Pir Shams recited by Shaheena Karim Album Two: Ginan-e-Sharif recited by 4 generations - Late Mussa Noormahomed, his daughter Yasmin Mussa, granddaughters Shaheena Karim and Celina Dhanani ...
GOOGLE.COM -- Let us then pay full attention to the words of the Imams when we listen to them. Let us be all ears when they talk and let us ponder over the matter when they finish their talk. ... If any one of us finds the words of the Imam's highly complicated and beyond his depth, if he does not understand the meaning or dislikes some part of it or finds it useless or meaningless then let him realise that the fault lies with him. He should admit his inefficiency ...
![[Feb 16]Today in history: Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah established a research institution](https://ismailidigest.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/a4e36190e6-1024x733.jpeg)
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 ...
Introduced by ABDULMALIK MERCHANT(Publisher/Editor Barakah, Simerg and Simergphotos; all .com) During a recent trip to Vancouver, I was very pleased to personally meet with Mr. Ahamed Ismail, with whom I had been communicating via email for a number of years. He graciously treated me to a wonderful buffet lunch at an Indian restaurant close to the Ismaili Centre on Canada Way. ...
Dairy - There are few foods as controversial as dairy. I mean, it used to be an entire food group, right? And there are definitely some people who say you need ...
Nancy Foster and Fauzia Lalani bring vast experience to the university The Government of Alberta has appointed two new public members to the University of Calgary's Board of Governors, effective Jan. ...
Nekbakht Ibrahimi is 43, and lives in the province of Bamyan in central Afghanistan. Mountains cover 90% of the province and the long, cold winters last for six months. Having stopped her studies after primary school, Nekbakht wondered what kind of vocation she could go into, to help support herself and her family of 11: "I always saw women working in ...
Before 2005, Farida Imitiaz and her husband were struggling to make ends meet for their family, due to extensive medical bills. That year, Farida took out what became the first in a series of loans from the First MicroFinance Bank (FMFB) Ltd Pakistan. Over time, these loans have enabled her to build a beekeeping and honey production business that has significantly ...
Composers Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner have been nominated for a 2019 Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Music, Fiction for the Northwood Production (CBC) ANNE WITH AN E. Now in ...
I think life is a constant process of receiving pieces of yourself to get closer to the revelation of a final masterpiece that you can only dare to imagine. I say ...
Before 2005, Farida Imitiaz and her husband were struggling to make ends meet for their family, due to extensive medical bills. That year, Farida took out what became the first in a series of loans from FMFB-Pakistan. ...
20 HR TRAINING, 2 WEEKENDS MARCH 9-10TH & 16-17TH CURIOUS ABOUT THE DEEPER DIMENSIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND HOW TO ACCESS IT? ARE YOU READY TO TAKE A CREATIVE APPROACH TO ...
By Sabrina Lakhani Ankit had been feeding this dog for a couple of weeks, but could not take her in because he was preparing for his move to Germany and already ...
Infrastructure that connects two parks has become a popular urban space. More information available at: ...
IIS.AC.UK -- INSTITUTE OF ISMAILI STUDIES -- [ISMAILI DIGEST ED: Most interesting is that not only did Ismaili da'is have their own opinions or perspectives about Tariqah issues, but they also voiced these opinions, and their disagreements with other da'is, in public critiques.] ARTICLE: This important philosophical work is by one of the most influential early Ismaili da'is and authors. The Hamdani manuscript is the oldest known copy of the work; it was copied in the year 765 AH, or 1364 CE. Daʿis did not always agree and in fact often debated ideas with one another. Kitab al-Riyad is Kirmani's critique of an earlier work by al-Sijistani, which was itself a critique of a treatise by Abu Hatim al-Razi, and Razi's work was in its turn a refutation of a still earlier author, probably al-Nakhsh ...
IIS.AC.UK -- INSTITUTE OF ISMAILI STUDIES -- This extensively illustrated manuscript contains Arabic versions of three ancient scientific treatises, Kitab al-Ukar by Theodosius, Kitab al-Kurra al-Mutaharriqa by Autolycus and Kitab Ikhtilaf al-Manazir by Euclid. These are older and rarer versions than those redacted by Nasir al-Din al-Tusi in his work, Tahrir al- Majisti. ...
IIS.AC.UK -- INSTITUTE OF ISMAILI STUDIES -- Al-Qadi Abu Hanifa al-Nuʿman, who served the first four Fatimid caliphs in different capacities, is the most important authority on Fatimid law. His most famous work, Daʿaʾim al- Islam was the principal book of law of the Fatimid state. This folio is from the first volume of the Daʿaʾim which deals with religious law in particular; the manuscript was copied in 1827. ...
An elderly Toronto couple dies within hours of each other but it's what happened within that time that their family says defies logic. By Farah Nasser, Anchor, Global News, Toronto An ...
