Ismaili Digest - Page 400

His Highness the Aga Khan's concern with the 'processes of change': the engines of appropriate, sustainable improvement

NanoWisdoms - Extend. Quotes

His Highness the Aga Khan's concern with the 'processes of change': the engines of appropriate, sustainable improvement

nothing much ⋅ March 3, 2013

"In the Occident what I have found challenging and interesting is the concept of change; and the acceptance that the world does evolve, society evolves, man himself evolves. The concept of the static individual in a static society, in a static civilisation is totally in conflict with Western philosophy.... "[The Ummah has] been faced with a historical question: how does government ...

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Simerg's Historical Thank You Series - Prince Sadruddin, Prince Amyn, Pir Sabzali, Hasan-i-Sabbah and Others

Simerg's Historical Thank You Series - Prince Sadruddin, Prince Amyn, Pir Sabzali, Hasan-i-Sabbah and Others

nothing much ⋅ March 2, 2013

SIMERG INVITES YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THIS CONTINUING SERIES "A very beautiful tribute to Prince Sadruddin" "Thank you for sharing this wonderful insight into the life of Prince Amyn Aga Khan" "Great piece with lots of invaluable historical information" "MashaAllah, it really raised my emotion and my spirit" These are a few of the many comments we have received for Simerg's series ...

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Chinese Female Imams - A Short 8-Minute Film

Chinese Female Imams - A Short 8-Minute Film

nothing much ⋅ March 2, 2013

China’s Hui Muslims are unique in many respects. The country’s second-largest ethnic minority share linguistic and cultural ties with the majority in China that have allowed them to practice their religion with less interference and fewer restrictions than others, like Uighur Muslims and Tibetans. Outside of China, the Hui practice of installing women as the head of female-only mosques has ...

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Watch Short Video on Chinese Female Imams - "Educating a Woman Means Educating a Whole Family"

Watch Short Video on Chinese Female Imams - "Educating a Woman Means Educating a Whole Family"

nothing much ⋅ March 2, 2013

"I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BECOME AN IMAM AFTER I FINISHED STUDYING" "Last Call to Prayer," an informative eight-minute video produced by the Asia Society, takes a look at the impact of China's Hui Muslim population on the spread of Islam, particularly through its all-female mosques and imams. Please clickLast Call To Prayer Please click on image for this short informative ...

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Their Highnesses the Aga Khans III and IV on the continuous, limitless nature of Creation and man's relationship to Creation

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Their Highnesses the Aga Khans III and IV on the continuous, limitless nature of Creation and man's relationship to Creation

nothing much ⋅ February 28, 2013

"There is no limit to the power of God. Even the successes of modern medicine are additional proofs of the unlimited power of Allah. It is He who wishes to give to mankind a chance to prolong their worldly life, in so far as it is not illusory. Landing on the moon shows less the power of man than the power ...

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Jehangir Merchant's Thank You Letter to the Fatimid Ismaili Icon, Da'i Al-Mu'ayyad al-Shirazi

Jehangir Merchant's Thank You Letter to the Fatimid Ismaili Icon, Da'i Al-Mu'ayyad al-Shirazi

nothing much ⋅ February 27, 2013

A folio from the manuscript of al-Shirazi's Sirat. Credit: The Institute of Ismaili Studies. Of the very few Ismaili historical figures who have left rich and fascinating details and imprints about their lives through their autobiographies, the personal account by Al-Mu'ayyad al-Shirazi, who served the 18th Ismaili Imam (or the 8th Fatimid Caliph), al-Mustansir Billah, has been described as a thrilling ...

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VIDEO: His Highness the Aga Khan's 1994 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Commencement Address

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VIDEO: His Highness the Aga Khan's 1994 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Commencement Address

nothing much ⋅ February 25, 2013

His Highness the Aga Khan is the first Muslim in MIT's history to deliver its commencement address. Transcript of this speech is available at the NanoWisdoms Archive of Imamat Speeches, Interviews and Writings: ABOUT THE NANOWISDOMS ARCHIVE OF IMAMAT SPEECHES, INTERVIEWS & WRITINGS Launched several years ago, in 2011, upon receiving special permission from Aiglemont to publish His Highness the Aga Khan's speeches, the NanoWisdoms ...

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Salat or Dua

Salat or Dua

nothing much ⋅ February 25, 2013

By Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali The word salat (plural salawat) is an Aramaic verbal noun s'lota (bowing or bending) had passed into several dialects with the meaning of prayer. This word was used by Armaic speaking Jews for the obligatory recital of the 18 benedictions. In Hebrew, the synagogue of the Jews was also termed as a salat, vide Koran, ...

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STEP Teacher Presents at the History of Education Society's Annual Conference

Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS)

STEP Teacher Presents at the History of Education Society's Annual Conference

nothing much ⋅ February 25, 2013

News story -- Faheem Hussain, a student from the class of 2012 of the IIS Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP), presented a paper, entitled Textbooks, Power and Society at the History of Education Society's Annual Conference on Rulers, Rebels & Reformers, hosted by the University of Winchester in Exeter, UK in December 2012. The themes presented at the conference included the teaching ...

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A century of stakes winners for Redoute's Choice

A century of stakes winners for Redoute's Choice

nofirstname ⋅ February 24, 2013

Champion sire Redoute's Choice has joined a small group of Australasian super sires with his 100th worldwide Stakes winner. His four year-old daughter She's Clean won the Listed ATC Triscay Stakes in Australia on Saturday; she was bred at Arrowfield Stud, where 16 year-old Redoute's Choice has stood throughout his stallion career. Her dam Feather Duster is a Stakes-placed half-sister to ...

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Nasir Khusraw Collection at Ismaili Web

Nasir Khusraw Collection at Ismaili Web

nothing much ⋅ February 23, 2013

No content.

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Preparing the Soul for Akhirat (Life Hereafter)

Preparing the Soul for Akhirat (Life Hereafter)

nothing much ⋅ February 23, 2013

By Ghulam Abbas Hunzai This life of the world is but a pastime and a game. Lo! the home of the Hereafter -- that is Life, if they but knew -- Holy Qur'an, 29:64 The belief in akhirat (life hereafter) is one of the fundamental principles of Islam and as such its importance can hardly be over emphasized. A discussion on ...

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Wisdom: Hazrat Ali on giving and generosity

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Wisdom: Hazrat Ali on giving and generosity

nothing much ⋅ February 22, 2013

"Most noble actions are bearing the debts of others, and entertaining one's guests." "Do not be ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to return the needy empty-handed is an act of greater shame." "A man without faith lacks generosity." "One who will give nothing, loses praise." "The better part of generosity is speedy giving." "Give to a poor ...

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VIDEO: Pacemakers: A Man of The World - The Aga Khan (full video)

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VIDEO: Pacemakers: A Man of The World - The Aga Khan (full video)

nothing much ⋅ February 21, 2013

Full transcript of this video available at the NanoWisdoms Archive of Imamat Speeches, Interviews and Writings: During the 1960s His Highness the Aga Khan, then a young man in his 20s, led a consortium of private investors in the transformation of some 35 miles of desolate, untouched Sardinian coast line at Costa Smeralda, into a world class tourist destination. At an estimated ...

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European Chapter Group Alumni Meet in Istanbul

Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS)

European Chapter Group Alumni Meet in Istanbul

nothing much ⋅ February 21, 2013

News story -- Alumni from across Europe met in Istanbul for their annual meeting on 7-10 December 2012. The meeting brought together 19 alumni to explore "Ethics in the Modern World". Speakers at the meeting included Dr Hadi Adanali (Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey), Prof Ihsan Fazlioglu (Istanbul Medeniyet University), Dr Laljuba Mirzohasanov (Khorog State University), and Mrs Zahide ...

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Google and Nasir al-Din Tusi

Google and Nasir al-Din Tusi

nothing much ⋅ February 19, 2013

By Malik Merchant, Editor One would think that Gerald Ferreira of3d Car Showswould only focus on cars. Only my love for cars and what Ferreira’s website represents would take me there, but yesterday I went to his blog for a totally different reason – a short but accurate literary piece about Nasir al-Din Tusi, the great Muslim scholar, and some ...

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The Tradition of Amulets and Talisman in the Muslim World

The Tradition of Amulets and Talisman in the Muslim World

nothing much ⋅ February 19, 2013

(Introduction adapted from The Metropolitan Museum of Art) An amulet [similar to a talisman] is any object that is imbued with protective powers, and all cultures and faiths have manifestations of such objects. In the world of Islam, they bear Qur’anic inscriptions, and religious narratives. Many Muslims believe that an object that is inscribed with the word of God will ...

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Group double for Redoute's Choice in Australia

Group double for Redoute's Choice in Australia

nofirstname ⋅ February 19, 2013

Progressive three year-olds Alzora and Sheer Talent both made impressive claims on further carnival success during the southern hemisphere autumn, last Saturday at Flemington. Alzora broke her maiden in the Listed MRC Ethereal S. before finishing 5th in the VRC Oaks Gr1. Trainer David Hayes hopes that she will develop into an Australasian Oaks filly. Alzora's granddam Bineyah (Sadlers Wells) was ...

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Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, asks and answers 'What need was there for a Divine revelation to Muhammad?'

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Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, asks and answers 'What need was there for a Divine revelation to Muhammad?'

nothing much ⋅ February 18, 2013

"[W]e must ask ourselves why this final and consummate appearance of the Divine Will was granted to mankind, and what were its causes. All Islamic schools of thought accept it as a fundamental principle that for centuries, for thousands of years before the advent of Muhammad, there arose from time to time messengers, illumined by Divine Grace, for and among those ...

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VIDEO: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi delivers 2013 Milad-un-Nabi lecture at the Ismaili Centre, London

VIDEO: Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi delivers 2013 Milad-un-Nabi lecture at the Ismaili Centre, London

nothing much ⋅ February 18, 2013

Global -- Milad-un-Nabi marks the anniversary of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him and his family). To commemorate this anniversary, The Ismaili Centre, London hosts an annual lecture on a particular aspect of the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet. ...

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International Baccalaureate teachers meet at Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad

International Baccalaureate teachers meet at Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad

nothing much ⋅ February 18, 2013

The International Baccalaureate's Middle Years Programme recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as an entry qualification to all Junior Colleges in India. Aga Khan Academy Hosts IB's Professional Development Programme for Teachers Hyderabad, 18 February 2013 -- Over a hundred teachers from across India gathered at the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad as part of an ongoing commitment by the Academy ...

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Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an, and Links to Translations on the Internet

Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an, and Links to Translations on the Internet

nothing much ⋅ February 14, 2013

Editor's note: Readers often ask us to recommend English translations of the Holy Qur'an. In this informative essay Dr. Khaleel Mohammed of San Diego University, California, assesses numerous popular as well as lesser known translations of the Qur'an which have appeared in print over the last several decades, upto 2005 when this essay first appeared. Many of the works noted by ...

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How to make small changes that last

The Ismaili - Nutrition Centre

How to make small changes that last

nothing much ⋅ February 13, 2013

Nutrition Centre -- Small lifestyle changes are easier to sustain and are more likely to last. Making a drastic change is difficult and less likely to be successful. Rather than focusing on immediate results, it is better to take things one step at a time and not to become discouraged. Shammy Ladha keeps track of her progress by weighing herself regularly. ...

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IIS awards first Mohammed Arkoun Doctoral Scholarship

Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS)

IIS awards first Mohammed Arkoun Doctoral Scholarship

nothing much ⋅ February 13, 2013

News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) is pleased to announce the award of the first Mohammed Arkoun Doctoral Scholarship to Yaser Mirdamadi, who will pursue his doctoral studies at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Edinburgh. He was selected from amongst 40 applicants from 11 countries. Mr Mirdamadi's research will focus on 'Revelation as Poetics'. He ...

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His Highness the Aga Khan on tradition and modernity in Islamic architecture - Of "bogus orientalism" & "alien models"

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His Highness the Aga Khan on tradition and modernity in Islamic architecture - Of "bogus orientalism" & "alien models"

nothing much ⋅ February 11, 2013

"I told our [hospital] architect ... that his idiom should reflect the spirit of Islam. How was this to be done? I did not want him to succumb, through nostalgia, to mimicry of the past, adding minarets and domes to his renderings -- the sort of bogus orientalism that has produced Alhambra hotels and Taj Mahal bars around the world. Surely, ...

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AKTC hosts Jashne Khusrau Festival in Delhi

AKTC hosts Jashne Khusrau Festival in Delhi

nothing much ⋅ February 11, 2013

Delhi, India, 11 February 2013 - As part of a major Urban Renewal project in the Humayun's Tomb-Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti area of Delhi, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is hosting the Jashne Khusrau festival with the support of the Ford Foundation from 15 February onwards.The urban renewal initiative links conservation of the built heritage with programmes to improve the ...

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AKDN Quality of Life Assessment Programme brochure

AKDN Quality of Life Assessment Programme brochure

nothing much ⋅ February 11, 2013

11 February 2013 - The AKDN Quality of Life Assessment Programme brochure encompasses the programme's core concepts, methodology, the assessment framework, domains and indicators and key principles. The overall goal of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is the improvement of Quality of Life (QoL) in the areas where its member institutions work. AKDN's vision and strategies encompass an improvement in ...

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Simergphotos - Where You Will Find A Collection of Stunning Images and Informative Photo Essays

Simergphotos - Where You Will Find A Collection of Stunning Images and Informative Photo Essays

nothing much ⋅ February 10, 2013

During the past six months, this (literary) website's companion blog, Simergphotos, has featured hundreds of beautiful images and stories coveringpeople(His Highness the Aga Khan, President Barack Obama, Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Ibn Sina, the Maasai, Thomas Jefferson), places(Alamut, Zanzibar, Jerusalem, Bagamoyo, Tashkorgan), arts of the book (the Fatimid Blue Qur'an, the American Declaration of Independence), and calligraphy (Naade Ali). The shrinking ...

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In Brief: Little Known Facts From Ismaili History - (I) The Imitation of Fatimid Gold Coins in Christian Kingdoms

In Brief: Little Known Facts From Ismaili History - (I) The Imitation of Fatimid Gold Coins in Christian Kingdoms

nothing much ⋅ February 10, 2013

BRIEF FACTS FROM ISMAILI HISTORY Three gold quarter dinars of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Hakim were among the Fatimid objects found in a shipwreck in Turkey. Photo credit: Institute of Nautical Archaeology. "In the twelfth century the gold dinars of the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt were so highly valued throughout the Middle East, especially by Syrian merchants, that the Christian kingdoms founded ...

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An Ismaili Interpretation of the Fall of Adam

An Ismaili Interpretation of the Fall of Adam

nothing much ⋅ February 9, 2013

By Bernard Lewis During a recent stay in Cairo, I found in the Taimuriya library a manuscript copy of an interesting Ismaili work entitled Kitabu'l-idah wa'l-Bayan, by the Yemenite da'i Husain ibn 'Ali.1 The manuscript is of 165 pages, 16 by 23 cms., in two hands-the first till p.70, at 22 lines per page, the second pp.71-165 at 19 lines per ...

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Their Highnesses the Aga Khans III and IV on tradition and modernity -- Part 4/4: Innovate; "Discover new knowledge"

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Their Highnesses the Aga Khans III and IV on tradition and modernity -- Part 4/4: Innovate; "Discover new knowledge"

nothing much ⋅ February 8, 2013

"The past cannot be repeated. By copying it, it proves that one cannot do better. By repeating the past, by designing the same thing is not the solution. Modernity cannot be denied. How do we merge the two? That is continuity. We can't ask people to live in mud houses. We have to come up with new solutions." His Highness the ...

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IIS Publishes a Catalogue of the Hamdani Collection

Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS)

IIS Publishes a Catalogue of the Hamdani Collection

nothing much ⋅ February 8, 2013

News story -- This publication follows on from other catalogues of manuscripts in the Institute's collection such as theCatalogue of Arabic Manuscripts Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Adam Gacek, Ismaili and Other Arabic Manuscripts and Arabic Ismaili Manuscripts: The Zahid 'Ali Collection, both by Delia Cortese. Professor de Blois, who publishes widely on Semitic and Persian languages as well as on ...

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His Highness the Aga Khan on tradition and modernity -- Part 3/4: "Progress does not mean occidentalisation"

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His Highness the Aga Khan on tradition and modernity -- Part 3/4: "Progress does not mean occidentalisation"

nothing much ⋅ February 6, 2013

Aga Khan: we're also trying to work with young people in various areas -- just tell to them 'Create according to your own value system.' You don't have to have to copy other people's value systems. Modernisation does not mean occidentalisation.... Reem Haddad: And just at the end, Your Highness, is there a message that you would like to leave the ...

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IIS Publishes fourth volume of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia

Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS)

IIS Publishes fourth volume of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia

nothing much ⋅ February 6, 2013

News story -- The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) is pleased to announce the publication of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Vol. 4: From the School of Illumination to Philosophical Mysticism. This book,edited by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasrand Dr Mehdi Aminrazavi, is the latest in this five-volume publication series and coversthe rich but one of the least-known periods of philosophical life ...

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"The Blue Manuscript" by Sabiha Al Khemir - An Intriguing Fiction About the Hunt for a Priceless Fatimid Qur'an

"The Blue Manuscript" by Sabiha Al Khemir - An Intriguing Fiction About the Hunt for a Priceless Fatimid Qur'an

nothing much ⋅ February 5, 2013

A Review by David Skinner Cover of the fictional work, "The Blue Manuscript" "Calligraphy is discipline to the soul" - Sabiha Al Khemir In an essay prefacing the catalog for the 2006 exhibition "From Cordoba to Samarqand" at the Louvre, Sabiha Al Khemir writes of the "new here": the shift in surroundings that occurs as objects become removed from their original ...

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Governor General of Canada presents architecture medal for the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat

Governor General of Canada presents architecture medal for the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat

nothing much ⋅ February 5, 2013

Canada -- Ottawa, 1 February 2013 - The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa was among twelve projects that had the honour of receiving the Governor General's Medals in Architecture. Presented at Rideau Hall by Governor General David Johnston, the prestigious award recognises outstanding achievement in projects built by Canadian architects. The prestigious award, which recognises outstanding achievement in projects ...

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Averroes - The Islamic Scholar Who Gave the West Modern Philosophy

Averroes - The Islamic Scholar Who Gave the West Modern Philosophy

nothing much ⋅ February 4, 2013

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 ...

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TH, Aga Khans III and IV on tradition and modernity -- Part 2/4: Towards "new understandings of essential principles"

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TH, Aga Khans III and IV on tradition and modernity -- Part 2/4: Towards "new understandings of essential principles"

nothing much ⋅ February 4, 2013

"[It] is not a simple matter for any human society with a concern and appreciation of its history to relate its heritage to its contemporary conditions. Traditions evolve in a context, and the context always changes, thus demanding a new understanding of essential principles. For us Muslims, this is one of the pressing challenges we face." His Highness the Aga Khan's ...

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IIS Publishes "The Vernacular Qur'an: Translation and the Rise of Persian Exegesis"

Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS)

IIS Publishes "The Vernacular Qur'an: Translation and the Rise of Persian Exegesis"

nothing much ⋅ February 3, 2013

News story -- The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of The Vernacular Qur'an: Translation and the Rise of Persian Exegesis, written by Travis Zadeh. This publication is the seventh volume in the Qur'anic Studies Series, and presents varied views held by early Muslim theologians and jurists on the translation of the Qur'an. TheVernacular Qur'an dispels the myth that early Muslims ...

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His Highness the Aga Khan on tradition and modernity -- Part 1/4: "Islam is for all places and all time"

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His Highness the Aga Khan on tradition and modernity -- Part 1/4: "Islam is for all places and all time"

nothing much ⋅ February 1, 2013

"In Islam right from the time of Prophet Muhammad, there has been a compatibility between the faith and the world in which the faith is practised at any given time. And I am not willing to make any compromise on that compatibility ... I would never accept that the concept of Islam, the practice of Islam, cannot be fulfilled in the ...

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