Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words Ismaili Studies, Islamic Studies, Ismailiyya, Ismailis, Heresiography, Assassins, Assassin Legends, Shi'i Studies, Historiography, History, Nizaris. Download PDF version of article (150 KB) The Beginning of Anti-Ismaili Sentiments As the most revolutionary wing of Shi'ism with a religio-political agenda that aimed to uproot the 'Abbasids and restore the caliphate to a line of 'Alid Imams, the Shi'i ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words Central Asia, Tajikistan, Badakhshan, Panj River, Pamir Mountains, Tajik Ismaili, Ismaili, spread of Islam, Ismaili da'wa, diversity, Imam, Samanids, Abu Ali ibn Sina, Al-Biruni, Firdousi, Fatimids, Al-Mustansir bi-Allah, Nasir Khusraw, Ali ibn Asad, Sufi Tariqahs, imam, pir, khalifa, jamat, Soviet Union, stability, Aga Khan Development Network Download PDF version of article (45 KB) Table of contents ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- The results illustrate a number of continuities and changes in teachers' practices across the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. At one level, Sino and Nigin's professional lives remain much the same as they were in the Soviet period. They retain their commitment to teach and serve in their long-held cultural values and ethical principles. Their practices remain predominantly teacher-centred ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words Intellect, religion, secularisation, philosophy, Enlightenment, religious studies, philosophy, symbolism, faith, science, intellectual history, history, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Meister Eckhart. Download PDF version of article (155 KB) This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Ismaili UK No. 45, pp. 52-54, 2002.The relationship between intellect and religion has been ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- This is an adapted and edited version of an article first published in The Ismaili USA in March, 2004 From its modest beginnings in the late 1970s, The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) has developed into a vibrant centre of learning, addressing not only the needs of the international Ismaili community, but also contributing to and participating in ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Keywords Ibn al-Haytham, Alhazen, optics, ophthalmology, phenomenology, beauty, science, philosophy, metaphysics. Download PDF version of article (210 KB) Table of contentsIntroduction - Azim NanjiIbn al-Haytham and his OpticsThe Influence of the Kitab al-ManazirObservable BeautyIbn al-Haytham's 'Phenomenology'Phenomenology and PerceptionIntroduction A Qatari stamp celebrating Ibn al-Haytham.What accounts for the complexity of our world, our environment and ourselves, and for our ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article By Professor Ali Asani Key Words Muslims, non-Muslims, Qur'an, exclusivist, imperialism, religious diversity, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Shi'a, Sunni, multi-religious, Wahhabi movement, Judaeo-Christian tradition, jihad, ahl al-kitab, zakat, dar al-harb, fundamentalist, dar al-islam Table of ContentsPluralism in Qur'anQur'anic view of Christianity and JudaismExclusivist Interpretations of the Qur'an Pluralism in Qur'an "Infuse your heart with ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- This is an adapted version of an article which originally appeared in the Ismaili Magazine USA (March 2003) as an essay review of Maria Rosa Menocal's, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain (Boston, New York, and London: Little Brown and Company, 2002).Key WordsAl-Andalus, 'Abbasid, Umayyad, Judaism, ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (154 KB)Key Words Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa', Epistles of the Brethren of Purity, Ikhwan al-Safa', encyclopaedia, science, philosophy, Basra, Shi'a Table of contentsIntroductionTwo Types of Classification of Sciences in Rasa'ilThe Science of LanguageReligious and Conventional SciencesPhilosophical and Real SciencesIkhwan's Division of PhilosophyA Comparison of the Two ClassificationsConclusionAppendixIntroductionThe work most commonly known as the Rasa'il ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (37 KB)IntroductionThe Fatimidcaliphate was established in 297/909 in North Africa, and soon extended into Sicily, Egypt, Palestine and Syria, reaching the peak of its power during the long reign of the eighth Fatimid imam-caliph al-Mustansir bi'llah (d. 487/1094).1 This period of almost two centuries is often referred to as a 'golden age' in ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key wordsCitizenship, citizen, Colonialism, diaspora, ummah.Download PDF version of article (107 KB) Present-day ideas about citizenship date from the 18th century, although political theorists have been writing about the concept for over two thousand years. The contemporary idea of the citizen developed in relationship with that of the modern state as it developed in Europe and was spread ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (156 KB) Madam President, Members of the Steering Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to place on record that I consider it a great honour to be present in Buenos Aires today as a guest of the World Mediation Forum, and for this I would like to express my warm gratitude to ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Abstract In order to understand the Qur'an, this scripture has to be looked at in the context in which it was revealed, as well as the purpose it serves and how it is interpreted by different sects of Muslims. This is what this article does; the author starts by looking briefly at the life of Prophet Muhammad to ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (36 KB)Key WordsReform, Reformist, Abduh, al-Afghani, EuropeanEnlightenment, Salafi, Fundamentalism, traditionalists, Soroush, Taha, Ijtihad, traditionTable of contentsIntroductionEarly ReformistsParadox of the Influence of Early ReformistsContemporary Reform MovementsConclusion Introduction The "clash of civilizations" supposedly underway between the West and the Muslim world, which many see as manifested in Iraq, as well as in Saudi Arabia's growing ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF of article (83 KB)Keywords: Culture, Education, Hayy ibn Yaqzan, Heritage, Illiteracy, Ibn Tufayl, Tradition, Socialisation. "And we are here as on a darkling plain swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight where ignorant armies clash by night" Mathew Arnold leaves us with these grim thoughts, in ending thus his poem 'Dover Beach'. When he penned ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (113 KB) Ladies and Gentlemen, Universities are great places for generating new ideas and today, I address you in that spirit, in response to the kind invitation that has been extended to me by Professor Tom Woodhouse. I would like to compliment the Bradford Department of Peace Studies for its innovative programme, which, ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- KeywordsShi'i, Nizari Ismaili, Ismailism, Ismaili Studies, Sunni, Assassin legends, Black legend, Old Man of the Mountain, Marco Polo, orientalist scholarship, manuscripts.Download PDF version of article (37 KB)Table of contentsThe Origins of the MythsThe Black LegendThe Assassin LegendsMisinformed Scholarship A New Era in Ismaili StudiesThe Role of the Institute of Ismaili StudiesThe Origins of the MythsIn the course of ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (46 KB)The Quran is a compilation of utterances by the Prophet Muhammad which all Muslims hold to be divinely inspired. The Quran is thus understood in Islam as a revelation from God (Allah). Muslim intellectuals spent a great deal of effort, in subsequent history, to understand and elucidate these ideas. The precise way ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (41 KB) Bismillahir rahmanir rahim Excellencies Ladies and Gentlemen I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about philanthropy in Islam, and introduce the Aga Khan Development Network. Islam is a perpetual endeavour towards an equitable order, premised on submission to One God of all-encompassing benevolence who has gifted the human person the ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (40 KB)The efforts of the IIS Library in the context of recent and mediaeval historyThe past two decades have brought about the looting and destruction of libraries, extending from Baghdad to Mazhar-e Sharif and Kabul to Sarajevo. But such events are not limited to the modern period. History is replete with them, and ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (30 KB) "Sometimes I read that Islam is in conflict with democracy. Yet I must tell you that as a Muslim, I am a democrat, not because of Greek or French thought, but primarily because of principles that go back 1400 years, directly after the death of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- KeywordsArt, Barbara Brend, British East India Company, George Marcais, Islamic, miniature, Mohamed Arkoun, Mughal, Muslim, Oleg Grabar, Ottomans, Qajar, Robert HillenbrandDownload PDF version of the article (32 KB)Table of ContentsIntroductionDoes Islamic Art Exist?A Way Out?The End of Islamic Art?What is Islamic?ConclusionIntroduction In the mid-1700s, a new artistic movement began in India. British East India Company officers brought their ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (60 KB) Key words Pluralism, exclusivism, taqiyya,Shi'a, Sunni, Wahabi,inter-religious pluralism, intra-religious pluralism, diversity,hadith, Qur'an, Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, kafirs, apostate. Table of ContentsTolerance in Islam: Pluralism and its Engagement with DiversityInter-Religious Pluralism within IslamInter-Religious Diversity Diversity of Interpretation in Muslim History Theology of Intra-Islamic Pluralism O humankind We [God] have created you male and ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (68 KB) Key Words Nasir Khusraw, Divan, UNESCO, Badakhshan, Tajikistan, Fatimid, ibda', tanzil, ta'wil, zahir, batin, 'ilm, ma'rifa,ta'lim, body to soul (tan ba jon), world to religion (dunya ba din), Neoplatonism, philosophy, Dari, poetry Table of ContentsBackground and Rationale The forum and its objectives A Framework for Understanding Nasir Khusraw: Themes, Questions and ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key Words Reflective Learnings, cross-cultural training, Training Programmes, contemporary mediation principles, Islam, Ismaili, Muslim, Conciliation, Arbitration, Community sculpt, National Conciliation and Arbitration Boards (NCABs) Download PDF version of article (57 KB) Table of contentsHistorical BackgroundThe Training Programme Content and ObjectivesProgramme EvaluationSome Early Learning Discoveries for the Lead TrainerExamples of Reflective Learning for TrainersConclusion Historical Background The Shi'a Imami ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- muslim_spaces_of_piety_and_worship-karim_jiwani_ed_zl_rh-_november_2017.pdf (182 KB) This is an edited version of an article published by in The Ismaili-UK in March 2006. "(This light is found) in houses which Allah has allowed to be raised so that His name is remembered there, where He is glorified in the mornings and in the evenings." (Qur'an, 24:36) Introduction Differentiating space and attributing it ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Key words Islamic arts, aesthetics, ethics, values, culture, revelation Abstract The arts rise above the limitations of language and texts to offer a window onto other cultures. Artistic beauty and aesthetics can travel across time and place, and transcend cultural and ethnic boundaries. But at the same time, the arts can reflect values and ideals of a particular ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (29 KB)Key words:Pancatantra, Sanskrit, Burzuya, Khusraw Anushirwan, Karirak ud Damanak, Shahnama, Ibn al-Mugaffa', Humayun-nama, Iyar-i Danish, Pahlavi, Samarkand.There once lived a lion who terrorized the animals of the jungle by hunting them,until one day they agreed to supply him daily with an animal as long as he stopped his cruelty. The animals continued ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article Table of contentsThe Ismaili MuslimsThe Concept of Negotiated Settlement in Islam - 'Sulh'Modern Infrastructure of the CommunityConciliation and Arbitration BoardsTraining Programmes in MediationLearnings from the Training ProgrammesThe Concept of RelationalityGreater Use of MEDARBThe Need for Institutionalisation and Sustainability of Training ProgrammesA Constant Work in ProgressThe Challenges That Lie Ahead: New DirectionsConclusion My topic ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (56 KB)KeywordsIslam, Renaissance, Sufism, Orientalist myths, misrepresentation, diversity, pluralism, Indonesia, congregational spaces, cultural expressions, cultural influence, cultural exchange, literature, readable gesture.Table of ContentsImagining IslamBeyond ArabiaDomes and Minarets Only?A Hundred Different NotesWorlds of WordsPluralism and DiversityConclusionImagining Islam Of late, particularly since 9/11, the Muslim world has attracted much attention in the West. While such ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download article in PDF format (130 KB) Introduction The last in the line of the Abrahamic family of revealed traditions, Islam emerged in the early decades of the seventh century. Its message, addressed in perpetuity, calls upon people to seek in their daily life, in the very diversity of humankind, signs that point to the Creator and Sustainer ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (72 KB)Key Words Pluralism, Tolerance, Constitution of Medina, People of the Book, Rasa'il Ikhwan al -Safa', Andalucia, multiculturalism, Attar, The Conference of the Birds. Table of ContentsIntroductionTolerance and Intolerance: Lessons from British HistoryTolerance and Intolerance: Lessons from Muslim History Prophet Muhammad at MedinaCulture of Learning: Contributions of Different FaithsPlurality and the Architectural HeritageMulticulturalism ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of article (86 KB) "A work of art is an expressive and communicative medium of feelings and thought." Pierre Francastel, 1950.[1] What is the role of art and architecture in society? How can one learn more about history through art and architecture? These apparently simple questions encapsulate a series of complex responses that could easily ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download full version of the article in PDF format (376 KB) ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- KeywordsCanada, immigrants, media, minorities, multi-culturalism, pluralism, private sphere, public sphere, religion, human rights, secularism.Download PDF version of article (51.5 KB) Table of ContentsChurch and StateDebates on AccommodationNeed for Careful ExaminationRights in the Public and Private Spheres Church and State Political developments over the last few centuries have favoured the separation of church and state. Whereas such leanings towards ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download the PDF version of this article.pdfThe Shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din Ishaq at Ardabil in Azarbaijan province was founded by the leader of a mystical, or Sufi, order who died in 1334 CE. Following his death, his tomb and his teachings attracted numerous followers. An ever-expanding complex of buildings was constructed to serve these devotees. In addition ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- KeywordsMediation, Family, Institutional Structures, Nass, Shahada, Imamat, Aga Khan III, Aga Khan IV, Ismaili Constitution, Global Ismaili Community, Conciliation and Arbitration Boards, Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR, Muslihun, Sulh, Amanat, Khianat, Sharia, Maqasid al-Sharia, EthicsDownload PDF version of the article (100 KB)Table of ContentsAlternative Dispute Resolution and Islam Sulh (negotiated settlement) in Muslim contextsSome best practices that have developedPracticeIslam, ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- It sparkles like a brilliant jewel, shining whiter than the fresh snow that blankets its wintry landscape. The Delegation of the IsmailiImamat, Ottawa's newest landmark, is a graceful marriage of East and West. Situated on a prime section of Sussex Drive with the Saudi embassy on one side and the Department of Foreign Affairs on the other, the ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- ...
Lifelong Learning Articles -- Download PDF version of this article"No belief is like modesty and patience, no attainment is like humility, no honour is like knowledge, no power is like forbearance, and no support is more reliable than consultation." His Highness the Aga Khan has frequently quoted this saying of Imam Ali in his speeches. Modesty, patience, humility, knowledge, forbearance and consultation ...
