The Seal of Aga Khan University is a visual representation of the principles which underlie the founding of the University. The circular form of the Seal, with its different levels of imagery contained in concentric circles, has its visual roots in the rosettes of early Islamic periods. The circle also symbolises the world and reflects the internationality of the University. At ...
Diagram of a lunar eclipse. Source: space.com A total lunar eclipse occurs when a full moon passes through the earth's shadow during its orbit. When the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly aligned, the Earth blocks the sun's light. But the most spectacular view of the night is the moon's eerie red and orange glow -- caused by the sun's indirect ...
The notion of the Imam of the time (Hazar Imam) as the source of human salvation was underscored by Nizar Quhistani, in the following verse: "Salvation is to be found in the Imam of the Time. I found the essence of faith in obedience to the command of his representative. I have given up everything except that contained in the Quranic ...
After al-Mu'ayyad-din Shirazi long and patient ordeal of not having access to see the Fatimid Imam-Caliph Imam Mustansir-bi Allah ended after several years, the Imam graciously granted him the position of the Chief Dai of the Fatimid Caliphate. He was also known as the Hujjat or "Proof the Imam". It may be noted that Shirazi was also the mentor of another ...
Nasir Khusraw lived a carefree life in his younger days without due regard to his religious obligations. But at the age of forty he had a vision that was to transform his life forever. The vision was as follows: "One night I was approached in a dream by someone who chided me, 'how long will you drink this brew that destroys ...
Composer of Ginan: Pir Sadardin Verse 1 Eji Shah Islamshah amne maliya Ane didha te din-na raaj-ji, Alakh rupe orakhiya, Tene sariya amara kaaj Explanation: Listen to me, 0 brother! I have recognised Imam Islamshah (as the Imam of the Age) who has blessed me with religious wisdom. I have recognised him as my Spiritual Master who bears the Noor (the ...
A Very Brief Introdution In their essay entitled "The Ismailis in History" scholars Aziz Esmail and Azim Nanji note that Ismaili Pirs (representatives sent by Ismaili Imams to propagate the faith) from Iran arrived in Northern India in the 13th/14th century, and started preaching on a substantial scale. The Pirs started their work in Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir and spread southwards. ...
In this heart warming and inspiring interview, Bilaal Rajan of Toronto, Canada, discusses his vision for change that he set out to accomplish when he was only four, and explains how he balances his activities to help humanity with his busy school schedule. He also shares his personal interest in sports, food, movies and books. In his trips abroad, he has ...
Prince Amir Tamim al-Fatimi was the eldest son of Imam al-Mu'izz. He was born in 948 CE in Mahdiyya, the first Fatimid capital in North Africa. He was amongst those who accompanied Imam al-Mu'izz on the historic journey to Egypt when the seat of the Fatimid government was transferred to Cairo. He was then twenty five years old. The Prince dedicated ...
Nasir-i Khushraw writes: "One day and eagle rose form the to of a hill, opened its wings with pride and soared into the sky. It looked at its straight feathers with admiration and said: Today the face if the earth lies under my wing. If I fly upwards, I can go beyond the sun; if I look downwards, I can spot ...
Zaynar wins Triumph Hurdle ahead of fellow AK-bred Mourad in third. ZAYNAR successfully defended his unbeaten record over timber on Friday to be crowned champion four-year-old hurdler in the famous Cheltenham arena. The blue-blooded ZAYNAR (Daylami) is out of 1998 Prix de Diane heroine Zainta (Kahyasi) and is a nephew of French champion hurdler Zaiyad (Sadler's Wells) so it is no ...
Abdulmalik Merchant of Simerg Introduction: I launched Simerg during the spring of 2009. Many of the earliest readings were produced from a literary night program that the Ottawa Library Committee organized in Ottawa at the beginning of 2008 to celebrate Mawlana Hazar Imam's Golden Jubilee. More than sixty children and youth of all ages participated in this event held over 2 ...
India -- Sixty-nine people participated in the 2008 FOCUS Challenge event, cycling some 550 kilometres from Mumbai to Goa along the Konkan Coast. This photo essay documents their journey. Sixty-nine cyclists aged 18 - 58 pushed themselves to their limits in late December 2008. Travelling from as far away as Canada, France, Holland, India, the United Kingdom and the United States, ...
The beatific vision is of two kinds: one a physical meeting with the Imam and the other a spiritual recognition of his essence, through which God is recognized. Speaking of the second of these, Pir Sadr al-Din, in his ginan "Sakhi māhā pad keri vāt koek jānere", writes: "Friend! None but a few know of the exalted station. Indeed, they alone ...
In 969 CE, Imam al-Mu'izz, "an excellent planner, an efficient organiser and a statesman amply talented in diplomacy," with the help of his general Jawhar Siqilli, acquired Egypt peacefully. During this time the building of the new city of Cairo began and in 970 CE the foundation for the al-Azhar mosque was laid. Around the same time the two holy cities ...
Pandiyat-i- Jawanmardi or Counsels of Chivalry is a compilation of the guidance of the 32nd Ismaili Imam, Mustansir bi'llah, who lived in the 15th century. This book contains exhortations to the faithful on the necessity of recognising and obeying the current Imam and on how to live a truly ethical life. The circumstances that led to the compilation of the work ...
Note: For a context to this reading, please first read Literary Reading: The "Light" that will keep on burningand Sideline: Work Portraying the Struggles of the Ismailis in the Middle Ages Receives International Honours Those Ismailis who escaped the Mongol onslaught, were able to keep and maintain the basic infrastructure of the religious organization (Dawa) of the Ismaili community (Jamat). Among ...
Ismaili Survival After the Mongol Conquest During the 13th century, the Persian speaking lands, extending from Central Asia to Iraq were devastated by a series of Mongol invasions. The massive movement of these nomadic warriors from the inner steppes of Asia resulted in the massacre and displacement of many communities, including the Ismailis. Genghis Khan, the Mongol Emperor, decreed that the ...
Canada -- In 1985, a small group of Ismaili women wanted to make a difference in the fight against global poverty. Their first steps gave birth to the World Partnership Walk, the largest and most successful event of its kind in Canada.. In 1985, a small group of Ismaili women in Vancouver wanted to make a difference in the fight against ...
In his Book of Assemblies and Travels, the tenth-century Fatimid jurist, al-Qadi al-Nu'man, recounts an illuminating episode from the life of the Fatimid Imam- al-Mu'izz. One day, the Imam was searching for a book in the palace library. In its time, this was possibly the largest trove of literature anywhere on earth. The Twelver Shi'i chronicler Ibn Abi Tayyi' had described ...
The Imam's Grace, Bounty and Mercy towards his Murids is recognized by a great Ismaili scholar and jurist, Qadi Numan, who served in the Fatimid Empire under the Imamate of Al-Muiz. He writes: "Let us make a short survey of their favours on us. We were ignorant of everything and were spiritually dead. They brought us back to life and showed ...
by Abdulmalik Merchant Editor and Publisher, Simerg.com I was born in Mumbai, India and moved with my parents to East Africa, first to Mozambique, and then to Tanzania. Subsequently, I spent a number of years in London, England and in Salt Lake City, United States. After that I lived in Edmonton, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Burlington and Vancouver. I currently reside in Ottawa. ...
When al-Mu'ayyad-din Shirazi had left Shiraz in Persia for Fatimid Egypt, he was very hopeful that he would get the opportunity to see the Imam-Caliph Mustansir-bi-Allah, but at the same time he had also feared the intrigues of the ministers who did not permit any man of learning to see the Imam personally, unless he complied with their dictates and acknowledged ...
In the Shia tradition, the teaching of the Imam (also referred to as the Ta'lim of the Imam) lights a Murid's (an individual who has pledged his allegiance to the Imam of the Time) path to spiritual enlightenment and vision. The spiritual enlightenment or the elevation of the soul gained by following the Imam's Ta'lim is described in many works by ...
News story -- The study analyses primary data, shedding light on young people's perceptions of the nature of their own society. It attempts to unpack the relations between different social sectors, identifying the limitations and opportunities faced by youth from the mountainous Northern Areas. Dr Abbas is seeking to establish what empowers youth in this challenging setting so as to suggest measures ...
Where is Mount Nasir Khushraw? Here is an anecdote that Alice Hunsberger gave at the start of a lecture on Nasir Khushraw to the Iranian Society on January 24th 2001: Last May (that is, May 2000), when I was in Tajikistan to give a paper on Nasir Khusraw, I came away with a story. Nasir Khusraw holds a special place in ...
Editor's note: Rachael Kohn, a broadcaster, author, and speaker on religion and spirituality, conducted an interview with Alice Hunsberger on her former program, "The Ark", on the occasion of the millennium birth anniversary of Nasir Khusraw. A shorter version of the interview was prepared and presented by Mashal Ali and Nurin Merchant at a literary night event hosted in Ottawa to ...
John Nuraney (October 31, 1937 - November 21, 2016) by the Centennial Flame at the Lawn of the Parliament Building in Ottawa. Photo: Facebook page. We are very sad to report that Mr. John Nuraney passed away on November 21, 2016 at the age of 79. We convey our deepest condolences to his family and pray for the eternal rest of ...
"I asked him (His Highness) how he kept his focus and energy. He replied that he surrounded himself with people who were very good at what they do and also many dedicated volunteers. He said he was inspired every day by their efforts and devotion to excellence." Maria Cook speaking to Simerg (see full interview below). Maria Cook has researched and ...
News story -- Though the notion of the knowledge society can be traced back to the 1960s, it is in the last decade that it has become a forceful idea in academic, business and political circles. The Baconian aphorism, 'Knowledge is Power', has in today's context acquired a new life, albeit with a significantly different meaning. Organised by the Aga Khan Education ...
HH Aga Khan's recently retired Grand Prix de Paris winner Montmartre has been sold to the French National Studs in a deal brokered by Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International. Offers for the stallion were forthcoming from leading studs around the world, and in choosing the proposition of the Haras Nationaux, which will keep the future sire in France, HH Aga Khan ...
United Arab Emirates -- According to the WHO, more than 90 per cent of visually impaired people live in developing countries. One Ismaili doctor is making eye health services accessible to some of them and improving the quality of their lives. Dr Soroya Janmohamed attends to a patient at the eye camp in Syria. Zahir Daya Dr Soroya Janmohamed never expected ...
Successes on the flat and over jumps on both sides of the Channel. Aga Khan graduates look set to be particularly well-represented at next month's Cheltenham Festival, with more leading hopes demonstrating their talents in England and Ireland last weekend. The three AK winners in England were headed by the highly-esteemed ASHKAZAR. The runner-up in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Hurdle ...
The Aga Khan Studs have announced that Montmartre, winner of the 2008 Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1), will not race again. 18th February 2009 - The Aga Khan Studs have announced that MONTMARTRE, winner of the 2008 Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1), will not race again, after a recurrence of his setback which prevented the colt from being trained ...
News story -- The Asian Chapter Group held a two day meeting from 8th - 10th May in Damascus, Syria. Over forty alumni from Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Syria, and Tajikistan attended the meeting. The weekend was made up of academic sessions, visits to historical sites as well as discussions on the future role of the alumni within and beyond the AKDN ...
Canada -- CIVIC, an initiative to engage Jamati youth, appealed to the social conscience of young Ismailis by inviting them to give back to their local communities through voluntary service. More than 1 100 participants contributed over 4 400 hours of service to projects that benefited communities across Canada. The commemoration of Mawlana Hazar Imam's Golden Jubilee was an opportunity for ...
Zaynar, Ebadiyan and Simarian feature among the leaders of their generation. No less than three of Timeform's ten top-rated juvenile hurdlers were raised by the Aga Khan Studs. In the latest standings recent eight-length Ascot scorer ZAYNAR, who is unbeaten in two outings over timber, is judged to be the second best four-year-old hurdler. He has a rating of 143 with ...
News story -- Imam-Caliph al-Mu'izz's rule was among the most eventful periods in Fatimid history and has left indelible imprints on subsequent centuries. While being an accomplished statesman and administrator, Imam-Caliph al-Mu'izz was also an avid scholar and a generous patron of learning. During his reign, the Fatimid Empire extended from present-day Morocco in the west to Syria and Yemen in the ...
Unbeaten Deem takes Gr 3 Cape Verdi Stakes Dalakhani has made an excellent start to the 2009 season as his daughter DEEM is the latest member of the sire's first crop to score at Group level. The grey four-year-old was making her debut on turf and a considerable step up in class when lining up in the Gr 3 Cape Verdi ...
Princess Zahra Aga Khan Stresses Importance of Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in the Prevention of Chronic Diseases Kampala, Uganda, 5-7 February 2009 - The Aga Khan University (AKU), in partnership with the Government of Uganda and with technical support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), hosted a two-day summit on "Preparing Communities: Chronic Diseases in the Developing Regions of Africa and ...
