Publication: Keys to the Arcana: Shahrastani's Esoteric Commentary on the Qur'anTranslator: Dr Toby MayerAvailable as MP3 format (24.6 MB, 26 minutes)Questions addressed in the interview:1. What is the significance to scholarship of presenting Shahrastani's Keys to the Arcana?2. Who was Shahrastani?3. What was the historical and intellectual context of his Qur'an commentary?4. Is Keys to the Arcana distinguished by any specific interpretative ...
PORTRAITS OF THE ISMAILIS View over the majestic Ghiza River in the Hindu Kush. Photo: Henry Dallal. Copyright. Taking a photograph while sitting astride a horse is no small feat. Taking one at full gallop is quite another matter. It is, however, a talent that has been perfected by world acclaimed photographer, Henry Dallal. A keen horseman, Dallal has been taking ...
United Arab Emirates -- The Jamat in Dubai includes a disproportionate number of bachelors and young families, who, with all the pressures of work and modern life, find it difficult to prepare traditional home cooked meals. Meanwhile, many older women in the Jamat possess exceptional cooking skills and an enterprising spirit. The opportunity to come together was obvious, and led to ...
News story -- Dr Cancian completed his PhD in anthropology from the University of Siena, with a work on the Shi'i theological colleges (hawza 'ilmiyyas) in Syria. Previously, he obtained an MA in History at Ca' Foscari University, Venice, concentrating on religious history and literature of Iran and Persianate Cultures, Shi'ism, Sufism and Zoroastrianism between Iran and South Asia. He also obtained ...
Islamabad, Pakistan, 12 August 2010 - Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) Pakistan, an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network, has launched a relief effort to assist the thousands of people displaced by the recent floods in the Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions of northern Pakistan. FOCUS, with its teams of trained personnel and hundreds of volunteers, supplied food items comprising flour, rice, ...
News story -- Burge's paper, entitled 'Angels and Sacred Space in Islam', looked at ways in which angels are used to create, denote and give authority to sacred spaces, as described in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad. The paper's main theme is that angels are used in Islamic tradition to blur the boundaries between heaven and earth, drawing the divine world into ...
By Dilshad Keshwani INTRODUCTION In studying the concept of Imamah, the question as to what is the basis of this fundamental concept that is perceived so differently by different branches of Islam becomes foremost and even enigmatic. If one examines the etymology of the term Imam, it comes from the Arabic root 'Amma' which has a number of shades of meaning, ...
News story -- Laila Kadiwal (GPISH Class of 2009) will study towards a PhD in Sociology in the Department of Sociology, University of Sussex. She will work on her thesis entitled International Teacher Education: An exploration of student's learning experiences in light of their diversity (Case study: Secondary Teacher Education Programme of The Institute of Ismaili Studies) under the supervision of Professor ...
News story -- In her presentation, Dr Hilali proposed a method for the study of Islamic religious texts focusing on their textual and contextual components. She used the San'a Qur'an palimpsest, dated between seventh and mid-ninth century CE, as the principal example. A palimpsest is a manuscript, often made of parchment, which has been scraped off, cleaned and used again. This usually ...
Islamabad, Pakistan, 9 August 2010 - To improve drinking water supply and sanitation conditions in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, Germany's KfW will provide a grant of Euro 3.12 million for the implementation of the second phase of the Water and Sanitation Extension Programme (WASEP) - a programme run by the Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan (AKPBS,P). The agreement for the ...
Fish This piece was hand built using earthenware clay. After it hardened, it was fired (in other words, baked) in a kiln (an oven like apparatus used to bake clay) and was painted using glaze. The piece was then reinserted into the kiln, which gave it its glossy finish. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anasazi Pot This pot was hand built using a complex technique ...
Matthieu Paley is an award winning photographer. His most recent exhibition was "An Ethereal World - Journeys to the edges of Asia." Matthieu Paley is an intrepid explorer and an award winning photographer. He says he has been working alongside Ismailis in Northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan for several years now, adding that these regions are his favorite places in the ...
Artist: Nurin Merchant Location: Ottawa, Ontario Profile: I am a student with a passion for art. At a young age, I took a keen interest in paper crafts, playdough, and finger painting. Today, that interest has evolved into more complex methods, my favourites being: working with clay and painting in watercolour, oil, as well as acrylic. Nature is one of my ...
Madagascar -- In April, 13 students from Madagascar travelled to Kenya for a week-long visit. It was an opportunity for them to experience a culture outside their own, meet Ismaili students from another country, and to immerse themselves in an environment where they could improve their spoken and written English. When Nadir Hassanaly and his friends stepped off the plane at ...
The video is an 40 minute lecture by Professor Farid Esack hosted by the Department of Community Relations, which took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 5th March 2010.AbstractThere are only two dominant paradigms in Muslim thinking in relation to political power. In the Meccan paradigm, we are the persecuted victims with others exercising power over us and in the ...
In June, Ismailis from Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur joined the Jamat in Penang, Malaysia for a sports day event that coincided with Father's Day. Numerous activities were organised, but badminton and table tennis were the centrepiece competitions. In June, Ismailis from centres across the Far East region gathered in Penang, Malaysia - known as the Pearl of the Orient - ...
News story -- Ms. Swanborough completed her Master of Science in Business Administration from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2000. Her Masters degree focused on service quality and project management. Ms. Swanborough has previously worked for an independent college affiliated with Swansea University where her role included working with international students enrolled in pre-Masters and Foundation Courses. As Senior Manager of Student ...
Healthy Hints This recipe makes 30 wadas. The traffic lights and Food Facts relate to one wada (which is one serving), so each wada will give you less than 100 Calories. That's not bad for such a tasty snack, but note that a larger portion size will mean more fat and calories - and if you're not careful, larger hips and ...
(Special to Simerg) [Editor's note: Before reading the following explanatory piece related to Mr. Kosorok's works, we recommend viewers to his preceding article Part I: 99 Most Beautiful Names - A sculptural presentation of the Names for God from the Qur'an - includes artist profile] It is difficult sometimes to say exactly why an image or a shape feels appropriate as ...
Nutrition Centre -- Summertime is when the warm weather draws many families outdoors to enjoy healthy activities. But unless we are careful, the heat can also lead to dehydration - a depletion of our body fluids. Here are some tips on how you can keep yourself and your family well-hydrated while enjoying the sunny season. Water and fruit juices are among ...
Afghanistan -- Earlier this year, the Afghan Jamat observed a week-long celebration of volunteerism, a tradition that has long been central to Ismaili culture. Volunteer Week was an opportunity to showcase the impact that volunteers have on the Jamat's wellbeing, and increase the unity and collaboration among them, as well as within the wider Jamat. Earlier this year, the Afghan Jamat ...
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, ...
Lightly-raced colt secures Gr 2 Prix Eugène Adam. SHIMRAAN joins Grand Prix de Paris winner Behkabad and Prix de Diane heroine Sarafina as possible members of the Aga Khan Studs Arc de Triomphe squad thanks to his stylish win in Sunday's Gr 2 Prix Eugene Adam. The colt only made his racing debut in May and has quickly made his name ...
Information on Under-Utilised Scholarships and Financial Assistance Schemes Delhi, India, 27 July 2010 - To make information on government scholarships more accessible to socially and economically marginalised communities and available in a user-friendly form, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has published a directory on financial support schemes for school education in India. "The directory has been published in response to the ...
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. ...
Tajikistan -- On 11 July, the Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe was the venue for an Imamat Day reception hosted by the Aga Khan Development Network in Tajikistan. The event, which also marked the 15th anniversary of the signing of an Agreement of Cooperation between the Government of Tajikistan and the AKDN, included a cultural show as well as a three-day exhibition of ...
Healthy Hints Although this is a sweet dish, it is often served as a starter. At over 350 Calories a go, you might want to consider serving a smaller portion, and choosing a lower fat main course. Or you could experiment with less jaggery, half the amount of butter, and use skimmed milk instead of evaporated milk. 175 g jaggery (gur) ...
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 ...
The video shows the entire 40 minute lecture, which took place at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 18 March 2010.Lecture AbstractFatimah al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, wife of the first Shi'i Imam 'Ali, and mother to two sons, Hasan and Husayn, is revered as one of the most holy of Muslim women - sinless, spiritually perfected, and most commonly ...
Luanda, Angola, 21 July 2010 - The Executive Secretary of the CPLP, Mr Domingos Simões Pereira, and the AKDN Representative for Portugal and Mozambique, Mr Nazim Ahmad, signed today a Protocol of Co-operation during the Eighth Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). The conference theme was Solidarity in Diversity. The conference was held ...
AKDN is of the view that investing in the institutions of civil society and in their capacity to deliver services deserves far greater priority, attention, support and resources than has hitherto been the case, even as investments in rebuilding the State's institutions continue. Civil society institutions are best able to take into consideration, to reflect, specific provincial or local political situations ...
Son of Cape Cross will now aim for Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. BEHKABAD won with style in Longchamp's feature Grand Prix de Paris on Bastille day and was immediately touted as a leading Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe contender. The son of Cape Cross had earlier left the impression that the distance of a mile and half would suit him ...
United Kingdom -- Firoz Rasul, President of the Aga Khan University addressed an audience at the Ismaili Centre, London on 8 July 2010, in which he looked ahead towards the University's next 25 years - a period during which AKU will take an important evolutionary step to become a comprehensive university. He discussed AKU's plans to offer new programmes in various ...
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 ...
Healthy Hints Make these healthier by keeping the skin on the potatoes, using oily fish like salmon or mackerel and wholemeal breadcrumbs for the crispy topping. You could even try cooking them in less oil in a non-stick pan. Note that if you eat more than one, this will affect the Food Facts below and may change the traffic light coding. ...
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 ...
India -- Over the past four weeks, millions of people have turned their attention to South Africa, host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup championship. It is the first time that the tournament is being hosted in an African country, and for a group of Ismaili musicians who performed at the Kick Off Concert, the occasion is particularly special.Following their performance ...
