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Dr. D.S. Merchant's Articles in Education

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  • Ismaili Volunteers Corps
    The English word volunteer means one who voluntarily offers or enrolls himself for military service, in contrast to those who are under obligation to do so, or who form part of a regular army. The original French word corps d'armee became short during 17th century, which was borrowed in English language in the form of corps means a unit, body, or group of army. The volunteer is a member of an organized military force, formed by voluntary enrolment and distinct from the regular army. In later use, the civilians forming a corps or body also called the volunteers to assist the regulation or law and order.
  • Ismaili Scouts
    The modern scouting movement was started in the world for the purpose of training the youths in the essentials of good citizenship and it arose in 1908 after the appearance of the book, Scouting for Boys written by the then inspector general of cavatry in the British army, Lieut. General R.S.S. Baden-Powell (1857-1941). Thus, the scouting movements spread in Britain and very quickly to other countries. Chile was the first to take up scouting after Britain, and Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were the first in the commonwealth, but by 1910, it had spread to Sweden, France, Norway, Mexico, Argentina and the United States. During the first world war (1914-1919), its movements almost spread in the major countries of the world. In 1920, the first international scout meeting, or the first world Jamboree was held in Olympia, London, which was attended by 8000 scouts from 34 countries. It was on this occasion that Sir Baden-Powell was acclaimed Chief Scout of the world by virtue of his unique position as the acknowledged founder of the movement. In the same year, the Girl Guides were also founded.
  • Ismaili Rule In Sind And Hind
    "The Abbasid caliph al-Mutamid (d. 279/892) had handed over the charge of Sind to the Saffarid chief, Yaqub bin Layth, in order to divert his intentions from attacking Iraq. As a result, Yaqub bin Layth acquired the power of Sind, Balkh and Tabaristan. He however recited the Abbasid khutba, and was simultaneously responsible to spread Shi'ism in the territories he governed. He died in 265/892, and with his departure, the Muslim territories in Sind had been divided into two main states, i.e., the State of Multan and Mansurah. In 279/892, the State of Multan passed into the hands of an Arab dynasty, called Banu Samah, founded by the clan of Asad.
  • Ismaili Mission Conference
    To promote religious education, to train the missionaries and teachers and to establish an independent Ismailia Association in Africa, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had called the first Ismailia Mission Conference on Friday, the 20th of July, 1945 at Dar-es-Salaam. About a hundred delegates and observers were invited, and the Imam inaugurated the conference in the auditorium of the Aga Khan's Boys High School, Kisutu Street, Dar-es-Salaam.
  • Ismaili Journalism
    "Journalism in the modern usage is one of the younger professions. The first prototype of the modern newspaper was the series of public announcements, known during the Roman empire as Acta Diurna published daily from 59 B.C., and later in Venice as the Gazette. Similar official reports were made in China, where the earliest newspaper, the Tehing-Pao appeared in Peking in the middle of 8th century. The invention of printing from movable type by Johann Gutenberg in Minz about 1450 revolutionized the spreading of news. Mercurius gallobelgicus (1594) was perhaps the earliest magazine issued from Cologne.
  • Ismaili Flag - Significant Features Of Both Colors
    "We have described above the features of green and red colours. We will briefly proceed to discuss significant characteristics of these two colours together.

    Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406) writes in Muqaddimah (1:186) that Khadija asked, what garment he liked best to wear during revelation, and the Prophet replied, "White and green ones", whereupon she said that it was an angel, meaning that green and white, are the colours of goodness and of the angels." Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (d. 855) writes that when the revelation came, the Prophet covered his head with almost green mantle, his face grew red, he snored as one asleep, or rattled like a young camel; after some time he recovered (Masnad, Cairo, 1949, 4:222).
  • Ismaili Flag - Red Color - Its Special Features
    "Red (ahmar) is the colour of fire and blood. It is linked with vital force. It is gushing colour, hot and male, unlike green. Adam signifies red in Hebrew. Red (ahmar) is used only once in the Koran (35:27-8) in the plural form humr. The red sulphur (kibrit ahmar) of Islamic esotericism denotes Universal Man. Abdullah Numair narrates on the authority of al-Bari; who said, "I have never seen anyone more attractive and elegant in a red cloak than the Prophet" (Tabaqat, 2:534). Jabir b. Abdullah also narrates, "The Prophet put on his red sheet on the Eids and Fridays" (Ibid). Abu Juhaifah Wahab bin Abdullah relates: "I saw the Prophet in Mecca at Batha. He was in a tent made of red leather. Bilal came out with water, which the Prophet had made his ablutions. Then he came out wearing a red mantle."
  • Varas Dayabhai Velji
    Period: (1870-1937)

    Veljibhai (d.1922) had two sons in Kathiawar, Dayabhai and Kassimbhai with two daughters from his first wife. He had also two other sons, Hussainbhai and Valibhai with one daughter from his second wife. Among these four sons and three daughters, the most famous was Varas Dayabhai Velji.

    Varas Dayabhai was born in Bhankh, Kathiawar most probably in 1870 and lost his mother in infancy. His father thus married second time. Varas Dayabhai was eager for education, but could not acquire it and learnt Gujrati to some extent from his sisters.
  • Ismaili Flag - Pre-Islamic Period
    Warfare in pre-Islamic Arabia was waged regularly for a certain part of each year as an ordinary part of the routine of tribal life, the ostensible motive being the desire for plunder or revenge. In the Meccan oligarchy the clan of Abdul Dar of Qoraish enjoyed the privilege of holding the tribal standard. Before the advent of Islam, the Qoraish waged a war on another tribe; they received from the hands of Qassi (d. 480) the liwa, a piece of white cloth, which Qassi himself had attached to a lance. In those days, the banner of war, offensive or defensive was hoisted in the dar al-nadwah (council chamber); this was the chief prerogative of Qassi. The dar al-nadwah was a kind of town hall on the north of Kaba in Mecca. The champions who offered themselves for single combat wore distinctive signs on their armour, but nothing more specific is known of these signs or emblems. The Arab poets enjoyed to compare the flowers of the garden with the flags of different tribes, and also composed couplets to dignify the banners.
  • Ismaili Flag - Post-Alamut Period
    The post-Alamut is the longest period in the Ismaili history, and so is most obscure and dark due to the dearth of the historical informations. It almost covers 580 years for 18 Imams, who lived in different villages and towns in Iran. They had no their own rule and as a result, no need was apparently felt for their banner.

    Hitherto, we have surveyed that the banner or flag had been used mostly in the battlefields on different occasions and periods. Now, the period ahead was of peace, therefore, the outstanding services of the heroes were symbolized in different manners. The Ismaili flag reflects same massage to the followers through the agency of green and red colours.
  • Mukhi Dr. Ramzan Ismail Datoo
    Period: (d. 1939)

    Mukhi Ramzan Ismail (d. 1910) was a prominent leader. Imam Aga Ali Shah appointed him the Mukhi with Kamadia Hashim for the Kharadhar Jamatkhana, Karachi in 1882. Mukhi Ramzan was also an elected member of Karachi Municipality in 1854. He served the ailing persons in the community with his means and materials during the outbreak of plague in 1897. Mukhi Ramzan Ismail had eight sons, and the best known among them were Mukhi Rehmatullah, Mukhi Teja, Sabzali, Mukhi Nazar Ali or Mukhi Nanda, Ghulam Hussain or Gulu and Dr. Datoo.
  • Ismaili Flag & New Ismaili Constitution Of 1986
    "The Present Imam ordained the new Ismaili Constitution on Saturday, December 13, 1986 at Merimont in Geneva. Leaders of the jamat who were mandated to work on the new Ismaili Constitution had come from various parts of the world. It was indeed a historic occasion where the family members of the Imam, members of the Constitution Review Committee and the staff of the Secretariat from Aiglemont were present. At 11.00 a.m., the Imam ordained, signed and sealed "The Constitution of the Shi'a Imami Ismaili Muslims"

    It is clearly seen in the photo of Hazar Imam when he was ordaining the New Ismaili Constitution that there was a small Ismaili flag on Imam's table, having an image of the Coat-of-Arms, i.e., the monogram of a crown (taj) on it.
  • Wazir Chunara Ali Muhammad Jan Muhammad
    Period: (1881-1966)

    Dhamu Chunara also known as Dharamsi Panjuani was an eminent trader in Bhuj, Kutchh. He visited Iran with his wife Mulibai to behold Imam Shah Khalilullah in Yazd in the beginning of 1817. The Imam granted him a sealed letter of patent in Khojki script and also bestowed upon him the title of Dharas. He had two sons, Sumar and Virji. The son of Virji was Rahimtullah, whose son was Ghulam Hussain. The son of Sumar was Premji, whose son was Jan Muhammad, the father of Ali Muhammad.

    Ali Muhammad, the son of Jan Muhammad, known as A.J. Chunara was born in Bhuj in 1881, where he acquired his formal education. He sprang from family well known for their piety, and himself had great enthusiasm, courage and zeal to serve the community. In 1892, he came to Bombay and worked in a shop of hats. Soon afterwards, he started his own shop, which became known as Karim Jamal Topiwala. He attended Jamatkhana regularly and heard waez attentively, inducing him to study Ismailism. His first debut in community service was when he joined the Kandi Mola Shukarvari Brotherhood in Bombay, and came into the contact of many eminent individuals.
  • Ismaili Flag - Islamic Period
    "The Islamic state of Medina continued the old Arab custom. In this context, the sources mention two synonyms, i.e., liwa (flag) and rayah (standard). It was liwa (pl alwiyah), which was ordinarily used in all expeditions; but ruyat (pl. of rayah) were used in all the battles. The Islamic armies under the Prophet was drawn from various tribes. Each unit consisted of a tribe, usually fighting under its own chief. Each tribe had its own tribal banner borne aloft by its bravest champion.

    This office or military post retained its tribal character through out the period of the Prophet. Nevertheless, the Prophet representing the central authority, had his own banner mostly green in colour. Reuben Levy writes in The Social Structure of Islam (Cambridge, 1962, pp. 434-5) that, "Flags had another significance in Muslim warfare. Each tribe had its own and regarded it as the ralling centre in battle, for near it was the commander." When the Prophet ordered an expedition in Medina, no call was made aloud or any trumpet was blown, but he planted his green banner in the mosque to rally the Muslims under it.
  • Varas Chhotubhai Ismail Mahomed Jaffer
    Period: (1904-1978)

    Ramzan Ali (d. 1886), son of Sabzali Hansraj, a dedicated social worker and businessman in Mundra, Kutchh, had six children: three sons: Mahomed Jaffer (1874-1918), Rahim (1880-1929) and Pir Sabzali (1884-1938); and three daughters: Fatimabai, Jainabai and Sonbai.

    Mahomed Jaffer, a successful businessman in Bombay and Europe, generously willed one lac rupees to build a sanatorium for sick and convalescent Ismailis. However, because he passed away before he could build it, it was left to his son, Ismail, to realize his father’s humane dream. In 1931, he actually built a large sanatorium in Panchgani, known as Bagh-e-Rahat, at a cost of approximately Rs. 130,000.

    Ismail was born to Mahomed Jaffer and his third wife, Shirin. Mahomed Jaffer’s daughter, Fatima, was born to his first wife, while both his second and fourth wives died giving birth (the latter, giving birth to twins). Mahomed Jaffer himself passed away on October 27, 1918, and only his daughter, Fatima, and his son, Ismail survived.
  • Wazir Chagla Vali Muhammad
    Period: (1885-1966)

    Chagla Vali Muhammad’s forefathers were originally from Mulla Katiar, Sind. They migrated to Lasbela and finally settled in Karachi. Amongst them, Vali Muhammad, known as Vali Bhagat came to live in Kharadhar, Karachi. He was a religious teacher, and a ginans reciter in Jamatkhana. The Imam paid a gracious visit to Karachi for 27 days on April 10, 1920. On that occasion, a large concourse of ten thousand Ismailis flocked in the city. The Council formed a Managing Committee to control its administration. Vali Muhammad extended his incredible services as a member, presided by Wazir Col. Ghulam Hussain Khalfan (1887-1967). He had three sons, Chagla, Jaffer and Kassim.
  • Kassim Mitha Budhwani
    Period: (1890-1939)

    Kassim Mitha Budhwani’s father Mithabhai Ratansi Budhwani was born in Dhoraji, India in 1844. He was the Kamadia of Dhoraji Jamatkhana till his last breath. Kamadia Mithabhai, who was also lovingly called as Ad or Bata, was the President of the Dhoraji Local Council and the Khoja Panjibhai Club. He was a devoted and dedicated social worker. Truth, love and honesty all the times sprouted in his speech. His oft-spoken words were, "One who works is a Kamadia." He prepared tea at daily at midnight in the Jamatkhana. He always felt proud when the known or unknown persons visited his house. He was the first to come forward in Dhoraji jamat to dig a grave by his own hands for the burial of a dead Ismaili.
  • Ismaili Band
    The word band is borrowed from the French bande meaning troop. The synonymous word in Spanish is banda adopted from Teutonic form. The term band was used in England to apply to the King's Band of 24 violins at the court of Charles II (1660-1685). The word band represents a broad term that describes a group of musicians performing on wind and percussion instruments. Thousands years ago, when a procession of the Egyptian marched towards the shrine of Serpis, the healing-god, the musicians in the group played reed-pipes, tambourines and drums. The Bible describes, "an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets." In Greece and Rome, trumpeters headed all triumphal processions. In 570 B.C., Servius Tullius introduced bronze trumpet into the Roman army. In the 12th century, the convention of musical notation was accepted; before then all music was played by ear.
  • Ismaili
    The word batin is derived from batan means hidden, concealed, covert, inward, inner or esoteric. Ibn Taymiyya quotes Hasan Basari as related that, "Verily, each Koranic verse has an outer meaning and the inner meaning" (Majmu Fatwa, Riyad, 1382 AH, 13:231). Abu Na'im related from Ibn Masud in his Kitab al-Huliya as quoted by Suyuti in al-Itaqan that, "The Koran indeed revealed in seven words, and there is not a single word which does not possess its outer and inner meanings. No doubt, Ali bin Abu Talib completely commanded the knowledge of both outer and inner meanings." Yusuf al-Bahrani (d. 1772) quotes the Prophet as saying in Kitab al-Burhan fi tafsir al-Koran (1:17) that, "Among you is one who will fight for the tawil of the Koran as I have fought for its tanzil. That one is Ali bin Abu Talib." In another tradition, the Prophet said, "I am the Lord of revelation (sahib al-tanzil) and Ali is the Lord of interpretation (shib al-tawil)." J.K. Birge writes in The Bektashi Order of Dervishes (London, 1937, p. 106) that, "This is understood to mean that Muhammad taught the external facts about what Muslims should believe and what they should do, but it is only through Ali that one can enter into an understanding of their deeper meaning." Abdullah bin Masud said, "The Koran was revealed in seven letters. There is not a single letter but it has an exterior and an interior meaning and with Ali is the knowledge of these." (Kitab al-Burhan fi tafsir al-Koran (1:21). The Ismailis are also called the Batiniyya (esotericists or interiorists) because of professing the inner aspects of Islam, and as such the Ismailism is the batini tariqah.
  • Varas Basaria Fadhu
    Period (1848-1918)

    Basaria I, the ancestor of the later Basaria family was a devoted person in Bhuj, Kutchh. His son was Fadhu, who travelled on foot to behold Imam Shah Khalilullah in Iran, where Fadhu died. Fadhu had three sons, Ghulam Ali, Basaria II and Jaffer. The most shinning figure among them was Basaria II, known as Basaria Fadhu.

    Basaria Fadhu was born in 1848. Nothing is known of his early life. He however was well educated and a man of great responsibility. When the Honeymoon Lodge came into the possession of Imam Hasan Ali Shah in 1870, Varas Basaria Fadhu renovated the whole premises at his own expenses.
  • Bandali Muhammad Ladha
    Period: (d. 1940)

    Aloobhai, the grandfather of Bandali Muhammad Ladha was a dedicated servant of the Imam in Kutchh. He visited Iran to see Imam Hasan Ali Shah. His son Muhammad Ladha migrated to Karachi with his family, and became the third Mukhi of Garden Jamatkhana in Karachi in 1905. In those days, the Ismailis from Kutchh flocked in Karachi, making the population of Garden area over 1500. The existing premises of the Jamatkhana became too small to accommodate the Ismailis; therefore, Mukhi Muhammad Ladha donated a piece of plot, adjoining the Jamatkhana, where a new Jamatkhana was built. He was also appointed President of the Supreme Council for Karachi on June 1, 1911 till November 30, 1911.
  • Islamic concept of History
    According to the Koran, "We tell you stories of the prophets, which will strengthen your heart, and thus bring you the truth, and exhortation and a memorial for the believers" (11:120) and "Say (O'Prophet) travel through the earth to find out surely the consequences of those who denied the truth" (3:42). Of particular significance is the repeated reference to asatir al-awwalin means stories of the ancients, a term occurs nine times in the Koran (6:25, 8:31, 16:24, 23:83, 25:5, 27:68, 46:17, 68:15, 83:13). The word asatir corresponds exactly to Latin historia. The word asatir is derived from satar meaning to write and therefore asatir also means record.
  • Islam, Image Of In Western Countries
    "Islam originated from monotheism, it conceived idolatry as its real enemy and acted with the purpose of subduing it first in the Arabian Peninsula. The Muslims marched northward into Syria, defeated the army of Heraclius at Yarmuk, and captured Jerusalem and Damascus. They went eastward into Iraq, defeated the Iranian at Seleucia. They further went westward and occupied Egypt away from the Byzantine empire. "In all this expansion" writes T.C. Young in Near Eastern Culture and Society (New Jersey, 1951, p. 100), "there was no forcible conversion of Jews or Christians to the Muslim religion. There was freedom for the people of the book to continue in their own beliefs and practices."
  • Influence of the New Moon
    Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravity speaks that every particle attracts every other particle with a force that depends on their masses and the distance between them. The moon constantly attracts the earth behaves like a loose garment that can be pulled out from the body to fall back again. It implies that every day, when the moon is directly overhead, the water of the earth flows out towards the moon, and causes high tide. Hence, during the full moon, the attraction is greater than the normal. Dr. Lyall Watson writes in Supernature (London, 1973, p. 49) that, "Every drop of water in the ocean responds to this force, and every living marinal animal and plant is made aware of the rhythm. The lives of those that inhabit the margins of the seas depend entirely on this awareness."
  • Ashad Ali Haji
    Period: (1885-1958)

    Virji Kamadia, known as Vira Bhagat was Mukhi of the Junagadh Panjibhai Club. His family’s profession was to cut the stones to be sold in the market. He sustained a close relationship with Wazir Ismail Gangji (1788-1883), from whom he acquired religious knowledge, and he gradually became a missionary. Jamal Megji, the son of Virji Kamadia was a brilliant orator. He delivered his first waez in Junagadh and won the hearts of the jamat, including Varas Ismaili Gangji, who said, “Your status will become too high.”
  • Immunity of the Imams
    "The Shi'ites believe in the infallibility of their Imams, for their Imams were the highest example of man's perfection. They explain it as protection from sin and is specific quality of the Imams, who are infallible or immune (immunity from error and sin). Once Ali bin Abu Talib said, "By God, if I was given the seven regions and what is under their orbits to disobey God through taking a grain of barley from the mouth of a locust, I would not do that."
  • Doctrine Of Imamate
    The rudiments of the concept of the Imamate had been introduced by Ali bin Abu Talib in his speeches and Imam Hussain in his correspondence with the Shi'ites of Kufa and Basra. Soon after the event of Karbala, the political situation was changed in Islamic states, therefore, Imam Zayn al-Abidin confined his religious activities to Medina. The adherents of the Imam however spread in all Islamic regions.

    The Imamate of Imam Muhammad al-Bakir and Imam Jafar Sadik coincided with turbulent period politically in the Islamic states. With the advent of the Greek philosophy in the Arabian territories, different thought of schools and sects emerged in Islam due to different interpretations. The Companions of the Prophet were also no longer alive, who had treasured in their memories the knowledge they had acquired from Ahl al-Bayt. It was a peak time to impart the followers the doctrine of the Imamate and the philosophical aspect of the tenets of Islam. Kashshshi writes in Marifat Akhbar al-Rijal (p. 28) that, "Before the Imamate of Muhammad al-Bakir, the Shi'ites knew nothing what was lawful and unlawful except what they learnt from the people; until Muhammad al-Bakir became the Imam. He taught and explained to them the knowledge and they began to impart other people from whom they were previously learning." Thus, the small nucleus established after the Karbala event by Imam Zayn al-Abidin began to develop rapidly under Imam Muhammad al-Bakir.
  • Ass’ad Shah Khalili
    Period: (1915-1966)

    He was known as Brigadier General Amir Ass’ad Shah Khalili, and was born in 1915. He took up a military career in Iran and became an officer in army of His Imperial Majesty the Shahanshah of Iran. He rose to his rank very soon and served as Adjutant in the Defence Ministry. As his services were required in the Police Force, he was seconded to the Police of the State and retired as a Chief Police. He had many medals and decorations to his credit.
  • Imam Shahis
    "The Ismaili mission in Gujrat suffered a setback due to the negative propaganda of Nur Muhammad Shah (d. 940/1534), the son of Syed Imam Shah. He however had renounced his allegiance with the Imams, but it is doubtful that he had ever claimed Imamate for himself. Among the Imam-Shahis, a theory had been cultivated, equating Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad with Pir Shams as one and the same person. The theory has it that Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad had abdicated the Imamate in favour of Imam Kassim Shah and himself took up the mantle of the Pir and started mission in India. This "abdication theory" is also sounded in the Satveni'ji Vel of Syed Nur Muhammad Shah, which seems to have inserted in later period. The modern scholars curiously speculate that this theory was the creation of Syed Nur Muhammad Shah to legitimate his alleged claim to the Imamate that would have served his self-interest to endorse a genealogy, tracing his father back to the Ismaili Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad. It should be however noted that the Satveni'ji Vel had been in private collection of the Imam-Shahis in Pirana, containing 200 stanzas with endless errors and interpolations, whose 150 stanzas were printed in 1906 at Bombay into Khojki script for the Ismailis. The view of the modern scholars about the so-called claim of Syed Nur Muhammad Shah is based on the printed text.
  • Amir Ismail Bin Muhammad
    Period: (1828- 1896)

    Soon after the Fatimid Khilafat in 1171, Saladin (d. 1193), the Ayyubid ruler massacred the Nizari Ismailis in and around Egypt. Most of the Ismailis migrated to Syria and settled in the surroundings of Khwabi and Kadmos. With them came the grandfathers of Amir Ismail bin Muhammad, who made Tanitah, a village near Kadmos as their abode.
  • Itmadi Amir Ali Muhammad Ormadawala
    Period: (1917-1967)

    Amir Ali Muhammad Ormadawala was born in 1917 in the house of Mohammad Hirji of Amerali. His father died in 1918 when he was hardly a year old. His mother, Sambai had a religious proclivity and rendered her services as the Mukhiani of the Ormada jamat.

    He was given adequate religious training since childhood. He entered the arena of community services when he became the Chairman of the Ormada School Board. He also served as a member of the Ormada Council, and became the Kamadia and then Mukhi of the Jamatkhana. In appreciation of his dedicated services, the Imam bestowed upon him the title of Alijah in 1946.
  • Imam Mustaqarr Wa Mustawda
    "The two terms, mustaqarr and mustawda Imams often used by the Ismailis to denotes the type of Imams. These are the Koranic terms (6:98): "It is He Who produced you from one living soul, and then there is (for you) a lodging-place (mustaqarr), and a repository (mustawda)". Baidawi agrees that the word mustaqarr in this verse means the loins (sulb, pl. aslab) of the father, the lodging-place of the sperm, whereas the word mustawda means the womb (rahim) of the mother, the repository of the sperm (Anwar, 1:303).
  • Imam
    The word Imam (pl. a'imma) is derived from amma, meaning to lead the way, precede, or to lead by example. Thus, the Imam means a model, an exemplar, a teacher, a guide or a path.

    With the Prophet, the Khatim al-anbiya (seal of the prophets), the cycle of prophecy (da'irat an-nubuwwa) was closed, but God did not thenceforth leave His people without guidance on the way to Himself. For the majority, the guide was the revealed Book. For the others, the exoteric laws, though accepted, was not enough. For these who became known as the Shi'ites, the guide through this world of divine wisdom (hikma ilahiyya) was the infallible Imam. The Imam is also Wali Allah and the closing of the prophetical cycle heralded the opening of another, i.e., the da'irat al-walaya.
  • Itmadi Alibhai Premji Tyrewala
    Period: (1898-1966)

    Alibhai Premji Tyrewala was born in Bombay in 1898. Nothing is known of his early life. He started a small shop of second-hand tires on Grant Road, Bombay. He gradually erected two big stores of tires and old cars.

    His career in jamati services began when he became a lifetime member of the Ismailia Students Library, Kandi Mola, Bombay in 1923 till his death. He was also the Treasurer of the Central Panjibhai Club, Bombay.
  • Wazir Ali Muhammad Jessa Bhaloo
    Period: (1917-1968)
    Ali Muhammad Jessa Bhaloo was born on July 21, 1917 in Zanzibar, where he got his early education. Later on, he proceeded to London for a higher education. He also qualified as F.I.C. (Fellow of the Institute of Commerce) and F.R.Econ. S. (Fellow of the Royal Economic Society) in England.

    He formed his business soon after he terminated his education, which flourished financially. He was a leading dealer of radio spare parts and some electronic items. He was also the manufacturer’s representative and insurance property, etc.
  • Iblis
    "The word Iblis is derived from balasa, meaning he despaired. It occurs 11 times in the Koran as a proper name. The general consensus is that the word is derived from the Greek diabolos. Arab tradition connects the word to the verbal sense of ublisa meaning he was rendered without hope, a reference to Iblis's fate of being cursed and sentenced to punishment by God. That sense of the verbal root is itself present in 30:12: "On the day when the hour will arrive the guilty will be in despair" and also 6:44, 23:77 and 43:75 with the same sense of the punishment of the evil doers; in 30:49, people are in despair over the difficulties of life. In none of those cases, however, does the figure of Iblis actually enter into picture.
  • Alarakhia Sumar
    Period: (d. 1880)
    Mukhi Alarakhia Sumar was originally of Mulla Katiar, Sind, but his family came to settle in Bombay. He was an eminent merchant of cloth and sugar. He became Mukhi of the Bombay Jamatkhana soon after the death of Mukhi Alibhai Padamsi in 1848.

    The Ismailis possessed a graveyard near Dongri, Bombay since 1790, measuring 12706 sq. yards. He and Kamadia Khaki Padamsi extended the site by purchasing an adjoining plot of 6978 sq. yards from Nilaji Lakshamji for Rs. 11500/- in September 1856.
  • I Am Like A Man Going In The Darkness, Whilst Behind Him Shines A Bright Moon
    (vide Diwan, Beirut, 1309 A.H., p. 972).

    Ibn Tiqtaqa also quoted the above poem in his al-Fakhri (comp. 699/1302). Abul Fida (2:309) writes, "Sharif ar-Radi had composed a poem in praise of the Fatimids in which he admitted the legitimate descent of the Fatimids from Ali bin Abu Talib."

    But in 402/1011, the Abbasid caliph Kadir billah (d. 422/1031) alarmed over the prosperity of the Fatimids and their success inside his empire, attempted to combat with Imam al-Hakim by another tool. He gathered a number of Shi'a and Sunni jurists to his court and ordered them to prepare a forged genealogy of the Fatimids and sign the document. Like other depending upon the Abbasids, Sharif ar-Radi and his brother al-Murtada also joined the campaign and signed the document. Ibn Taghri Birdi (d. 874/1470) writes in al-Nujum al-Zahira fi Muluk Misr wal Qahira (Cairo, 1929, 1:45-6) that, "The Abbasid caliph hired the theologians and paid them large sum of money to write books condemning the Fatimid cause and their doctrine." Ibn Athir (8:9) writes, "Sharif ar-Radi did not include these verses in his Diwan due to fear of the Abbasids, and also signed the document."
  • Haji Ahmed Devji
    Period: (1859-1925)
    He was born in 1859 it Porebandar and came to Bombay at the age of 15 years. He worked in a furniture store and gained sufficient experience to become one of the leading furniture merchants. He maintained the quality and standards of his furniture so well that he received large orders several times from the Indian rulers. The Amir of Afghanistan once ordered for new furniture on February 1907, for the decoration of his newly built palace in Kabul. His firm was known as M/S Ahmed Devji Bros.
  • Hijrat I Medina
    "It was the 13th year of the Prophet's mission when the clouds had gathered fast. The Meccan chiefs centered in their Council Hall (darun-nadwa), a chamber inside Kaba, to deliberate over what might be treated with the Prophet. Stormy was the meeting, for fear had entered their hearts. Imprisonment for life, expulsion from the city, each was debated in turn for the Prophet. They decided then on a final and desperate remedy, namely to kill the Prophet. Murder by one man would have exposed him and his family to the vengeance of blood. The difficulty was at last solved by Abu Jahl, who suggested that a number of courageous men, chosen from different families, should sheathe their swords simultaneously in the Prophet's bosom, in order that the responsibility of the deed might rest upon all, and the relations of the Prophet might consequently be unable to avenge it.
  • Abdullah Hashim Gangji, Count
    Hashim Gangji was a native of Bhuj, Kutchh but migrated to East Africa in 1871. His son Abdullah was however born in Zanzibar in 1906, where he did his early schooling and subsequently went into business. He was an eminent clove merchant.
  • Hijra
    The word for emigration, hijra is derived from h-j-r means cutting oneself off from friendly or sociable relation, ceasing to speak to others, forsaking, abandoning, deserting, shunning or avoiding (4:34, 25:30, 74:5). It also means departure from the desert to the town or villages and vice versa. Its most common meaning is to forsake one's own land and take up residence in another country. The Koran frequently uses the variations of the root kh-r-j to convey this sense (4:66, 8:30, 9:40, 60:1). It also has been interpreted to mean an emigration from the territory of unbelievers to the territory of believers for the sake of religion (4:97, 29:26). Technically, the term hijra has been used to designate the emigration of the Prophet and his early Companions from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. Its (hijra) various derivatives appear 31 times in the Koran, 16 of which refer to the emigration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina and the departure from home for the cause of God.
  • Pir Hasan Kabiruddin
    "Pir Hasan Kabiruddin, the son of Pir Sadruddin was generally known as Syed Hasan Shah, Pir Hasan Shah, Syed Sadat, Gur Pir Hasan al-Hussain, Makdum Syed Kabiruddin Shah etc. He is however known in Uchh Sharif as Hasan Dariya. He was born in Uchh Sharif in 742/1341 and was the first Indian pir to be born in India. He was endowed from birth with deep spiritual insight and strong common sense combined with sympathy and love for his fellow beings, and was also noted for his piety since childhood.
  • Hasan Bin Sabbah
    "He was born on 428/1034 at Qumm. His father, Ali bin Muhammad bin Jafar bin al-Hussain bin Muhammad bin al-Sabbah al-Himyari was of Yamenite origin. From early age he acquired the rudiments of formal education from his father at home. When he was still a child, his father moved to Ray and it was there that Hasan bin Sabbah pursued his religious education.

    Hasan bin Sabbah was an intelligent and proficient in geometry and astronomy. He learnt the Ismaili doctrines from a Fatimid da'i, Amir Dharrab. Convinced that Ismailism represented ultimate reality, he embraced Ismailism at the age of 35 years in 464/1071 and afterwards, he came into contact with a Fatimid da'i Abdul Malik bin Attash in Ispahan.
  • Hasan Bin Muhammad Kiya Buzrug
    "Hasan, the son of Muhammad bin Kiya belonged to the peasant family of Rudhbar. Historian Kamaluddin (d. 660/1262) writes in Bugyat al-talab fi tarih al-Halab that, "Muhammad bin Kiya had two sons, called Hasan and Hussain, whom he put in school with Rashiduddin Sinan, and gave these three an exact treatment that are needed for supporting the children.
  • Hasan Bin Ali Bin Abu Talib
    "Abu Muhammad Hasan, or Hasan, the elder brother of Imam Hussain was born in 3/625 in Medina. He was also brought up with Imam Hussain in the household of the Prophet until the latter's death when Hasan was about 7 years old. It emerges from the extant traditions that the Prophet had a great fondness for his two grand-children. Hasan and Hussain, whom he referred to as the "chief of the youths of paradise." Another tradition relates, "Both Hasan and Hussain are for me the fragrance in the world" (Masnad, 2:85).

    Hasan was 37 years old when his father fell at the hands of the assassin at Kufa. Qais bin Sa'd was the first to swear allegiance to Hasan on the day when Ali died, and then it was followed by 40,000 Kufans, acclaiming Hasan as the fifth caliph. Tabari (2:5) writes that the oath of allegiance taken by those present stipulated that, "They should make war on those who were at war with Hasan, and should live in peace with those who were at peace with Hasan." This clearly suggests that the oath sworn by the Kufans was political. Thus, the temporal power that had been with the Prophet, joined with the caliphate of Ali about 24 years, 8 months and 28 days after the death of the Prophet. When Ali died, the same powers, though remained with the Ahl al-Bayt, were separated once again. The temporal authority had gone to the hands of Hasan, and the spiritual authority was inherited by Hussain and in his Hussainid progeny.
  • Hamiduddin Kirmani
    "Hamiduddin Kirmani was born most probably in 352/933. His family hailed from Kirman as his name indicates, but it is not known where he was born. He first studied the esoteric science under Abu Yaqub al-Sijjistani (d. 360/971), and then went to Cairo for further studies.
  • Halal Wa Haram
    The words halal means lawful, allowed or permitted, and haram means unlawful, forbidden or prohibited, and cognate terms from the trilateral roots h-l-l and h-r-m respectively, most often designate these two categories and are of relatively frequent occurrence. The Koranic declaration of lawfulness or unlawfulness are limited to a relatively few areas of the law as later elaborated by the jurists. Apart from denoting lawfulness, the root h-l-l indicates an exit from the ritual state connected with the pilgrimage and re-entry into the profane state (idha halal-tun) (5:2). The most common means for indicating lawfulness in the Koran is to use the causative verb ahalla means to make lawful, usually with God as the subject: "He makes the good things lawful for them" (7:157), but it is sometimes passive (5:1) concerning certain livestock. In one instance it occurs in the first person plural, in an address to the Prophet (33:50).
  • Hajj
    "The word hajj literally means repairing to a thing for the sake of a visit (al-qasd li-l ziyara), and in the technicality of law of repairing to the House of God to observe the necessary devotions (iqamat an li-l-nusuk). The word hajj occurs nine times in the Koran in five different verse (2:189), three times in 2:196, three times; and once each in 2:197, 9:3 and 22:27.

    The hajj takes place in Zul Hijja, the last month of the Muslim year. On the 7th day of the month, the pilgrims start the rite of ihram (derived from haram meaning prevention or forbidding, or entering upon a state in which a particular dress is put on. The ihram dress consists of two seamless sheets, a sheet reaching from the navel to below the knees and a sheet, which covers the upper part of the body. Both these sheets must be, preferably, white) from the miqat (a place where a person intending hajj), then enter al-masjid al-haram, preferably through bab as-salam (the gate of peace) and listen to a sermon describing the rites, which they are about to perform. The rites themselves begin on the 8th. After the dawn prayer, the participants perform tawaf (tawaf al-qudum, the making circumambulation of arrival) and sa'y. They then proceed to Mina, which is about three miles from Mecca, where they offer the prayers. After sunrise on the 9th, they proceed to the plain of Arafat, which is nine miles further east, repeating talbiya on the way. The talbiya consists in saying aloud labbaika Allah-umma labbaika means "Here am I, O God! Here am I in Your August Presence." At Arafat, the guide pitches a tent, either on the plain or, if possible, on the adjacent mountain, Jabal Rahma (the Mount of Mercy), the khutba is delivered from the pulpit of Jabal al-Rahma.
  • Golden Jubilees
    "In August, 1935, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah completed 50 years of his spiritual leadership and the Ismailis decided to pay a memorable tribute to their Imam by weighing him against gold and making a present of it, as a mark of their love and gratitude. For this grand program, an All-India Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee had been formed, which was inaugurated by Lady Aly Shah on October 16, 1935 at Bombay. Sir Ibrahim Rehmatullah was elected its President and Ghulam Ali Merchant as the Vice-President. Its working committee assigned Pir Sabzali to generate necessary donations through out India. The funds raising campaign started on October 23, 1935 from Kathiawar. He succeeded to collect a sum of five lac rupees in India.
  • Hadith
    The word hadith (pl. ahadith), occurring 23 times in the Koran, is a noun formed from the verb hadatha means to be new. The Hebrew hadash carries the same meaning. From this followed the use of the term for a piece of news, tale, story or a report. The story tellers were also called hudath. The Muslims since the very lifetime of the Prophet called the report with regard to his sayings as the hadith.

    The Prophet of Islam was not only the transmitter of the Koran, but he also interpreted it. The only difference between the ordinary expressions of the Prophet and his revelations consists in the fact that the former are Divine in content alone, the latter are Divine in form as well. The ground for the view is afforded by the Koran: "And We have revealed you the exhortation (i.e., the Koran) in order that you may explain to men what has been revealed to them" (16:46).
  • Ghibah
    Ghibah is the verbal noun (masdar) of ghaba and also that of ightiyab means backbiting. Jawahari writes, "It is said ighatabahu ightiyaban when one falls into backbiting. The noun is al-ghibah, and it means saying such things about an absent person. If it is true it is called ghibah and if false, buhtan (slander)." The Koran specifies the varieties of evil speech, which violate the dignity of others and seek to expose their weakness. In the following text the believers are instructed on this theme: "O believers! Let not people ridicule other people, perchance the latter may be better than the former, not let women ridicule other women, perchance the latter may be better than the former. Neither find fault with each other, nor insult one another with derisive nicknames" (49:11). This is immediately followed by another passage, which singles out backbiting (ghibah) and depicts its enormity in particularly striking terms: "Spy not and defame not others behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? (Surely) you would abhor it" (49:12). Elsewhere in the Koran is the chapter bearing the title, "The Slanderer" (al-Humazah), begins with a clarion denunciation of every slandering defamer (104:1). The whole of this chapter is devoted to a rigorous condemnation of backbiting.
  • Fatwa
    The word fatwa is derived from the root fata, which includes in its Semanic fields the meaning youth, newness, clarification, or explanation. These connotations have survived in its various definitions. Its development as a technical term originated from the Koran, where the word is used in two verbal forms meaning asking for a definitive answer and giving a definitive answer (4:127, 176). The concept of fatwa in early Islam developed in the framework of a question and answer process of communicating information about Islam.
  • Fatimids
    "North Africa was the land of the lost causes of Islam. The land was mainly inhabited by the Berber tribe, which was practically independent of the Abbasids. The Ismaili dai Abu Abdullah arrived in the Katama land and chose Ikjan as his base, a mountain stronghold that dominated the pilgrimage route, where he began to preach the Ismaili doctrines. While he was preaching in North Africa and consolidating the secular power, Imam al-Mahdi was closely following his activities from his retreat in Salamia. The caravan of Imam al-Mahdi left Salamia and arrived in Raqada on 20th Rabi II, 297/January 6, 910, and laid the foundation of the Fatimid Caliphate. All the notables,
  • Evian Conference
    Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had called a Conference in Evian, France known as the Evian Conference between July 4, 1952 and July 8, 1952 to discuss various economic and social problems confronting the African Ismailis and also to make necessary amendments in the Constitution of the African Councils. It was attended by 40 members including the President and the Secretary of the Supreme Council, the Presidents of the Provincial Councils and of the Ismailia Association, educational administrators, the managing director of the Jubilee Insurance Company, and three members of the East African Legislative Council.
  • Etiquette of Eating, Drinking and Clothing
    The host should offer water to wash the hands of his guests from the right to the left, washing his own last. When a man has guests with him, he should eat joyfully with them; he should be the last to begin to eat, and he should be the last to lave his hands before, and last to do so after, a meal (Kitab Majmu'at al-Hawashi, p. 59). When the host's relation are present at a meal, the host should wash his hands last, apart from the members of his own family (Daim al-Islam, p. 414)
  • Eid Al-Ghadir
    According to the Shi'ite belief, at the spring (khum) of al-Ghadir, the Prophet as his successor declared Ali bin Abu Talib and the festival commemorated this occasion. The fusion of religion which was characteristic of all religious festivals in Fatimid Egypt, is best exemplified by the festival of Eid al-Ghadir. The festival of Ghadir was celebrated with official sanction in Egypt for the first time in 362/973, when a group of people from Cairo, together with the North African troops (al-maghriba), gathered for invocations (du'a) on the 18th Dhu'l-Hijja, proclaiming that the Prophet had made Ali as his successor on the day of Ghadir al-Khum. It delighted Imam al-Muizz.
  • Abu Aly Alibhai Aziz, Dr., Missionary
    Varas Amir Chand (1837-1911) sprang from a noble family of gupti Ismailis in Punjab. He was employed in a governmental department in Amritsar and retired in 1880. He inherited land from his forefathers, and became one of the most famous landlords in Punjab. In 1882, Imam Aga Ali Shah appointed him Kul Kamadia for Punjab, Frontiers and few regions near Afghanistan. He performed his duties with such marked distinction that during his first visit to Amritsar in 1897, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed him Mukhi on January 1, 1897 with a title of Varas for Punjab and Frontier province, including the regions lying on the borders of Afghanistan. He also travelled with the Imam in Sialkot between January 2, 1897 and January 11, 1897. Varas Amir Chand visited Bombay several times. His last visit took place in the middle of 1908 and gave valuable and informative statements twice in court during the Haji Bibi Case on July 28 and July 29, 1908. He is also credited to have converted a portion of the depressed class to Ismailism, as well as helping them financially to run their cottage industry.
  • Eid Al-Adha
    The word eid is derived from aud meaning to return. In Islam, it means a recurring happiness. The word adha, the plural of adhat means a sacrifice. On this occasion, all the Muslims who can afford, sacrifice an animal. In the case of a goat or a sheep, one animal is suffices for one household. In the case of a cow or a camel, seven men may be partners. It may be sacrificed on the day of Eid or during the two or three days that follows, called the tashriq days. The animal sacrificed must be free from apparent physical defects, and full-grown (musinna). The goat or sheep should be a year old, the cow two years and the camel five. The skin of the animal must, however, be disposed of in charity.
  • Provocative Silence
    Dark night with cold breeze was there, which is usually a concern for the residents of hilly station Abbottabad. The emotions and feelings of residents are directly proportional to the climatic changes. In fact it is true through out the year. People care very much about the weather and its fluctuations here, sunny day in winter season is usually welcomed and windy nights are sensational.
  • Druzes
    "In 407/1016, an Iranian da'i, named Muhammad bin Ismail Nashtakin ad-Darazi came in Egypt, who professed the transmigration of souls. He also preached the divinity of Imam al-Hakim. He came from Bukhara to Cairo in 408/1017. Finding no response, he moved to Wadi al-Taymun, at the foot of Mount Hermon in Lebanon and Jabal as-Summaq in Syria. He was first in the public eyes being the founder of the Druze sect. In 410/1019, the Turks soldiers of the Fatimids gathered and moved towards the houses of ad-Darazi and his followers and surrounded them. Ad-Darazi and those with him fortified themselves in a house, fighting the besiegers from the roof and the wall. The besiegers ravaged the house and killed about forty people with az-Darazi. About the same time, another Iranian from Farghana, named Hasan al-Akhram also appeared as using his influence to propagate the deity of Imam al-Hakim, and found a Druze sect about in 409/1018. He was also killed in his house just eight days following his declaration.
  • Du'A
    The word du'a is derived from da'wa or ad'iya means call, occurring 159 times in the Koran. It refers to the offering of supplication in general or in particular a single supplication, vide 2:186, 3:38,39 and 4:60. Another word su'al (asking) is also employed in this context (14:34, 11:47, 55:29).

    The word du'a is often associated with spreading hands, palms upwards, as though to receive blessing, an ancient and natural gesture used in Babylonia and Egypt and common to the Arab lands. The hands are wiped over the face at the end of the petition in token of the application to the worshipper of the blessing received. It is to address one's attention to God by voicing one's personal situation. It is basically personal or petitionary prayer, or asking God for what one wants. The Koran commands it in several verses, such as "Call upon Me, and I will answer you" (40:60). The Prophet called the du'a (supplication) "the marrow of worship" (mukhkh al-ibada). It can be asked personally or one can asks with the jamat.
  • Dower and Dowry
    The word for dower generally used in the Koran is ajr (pl. ujur), meaning reward or the gift that is given to the bride. The word saduqat (pl. of saduqa) is also once used in the Koran to denote the nuptial gift (4:4), and the other words from the same root, signifying dower are sudaq and sidaq. The verbal root word sadaqa means he was truthful. Another word sometimes used in the Koran to indicate the nuptial gift is fariza means what has been made obligatory or an appointed portion. The word mahr used in the hadith means dowry or nuptial gift. It is a free gift by the husband to the wife at the time of contracting the marriage: "And give women their dowries as a free gift" (4:4).
  • Pakistan’s Youth
    Evening has just set in. People were preparing to sum up their daily routine and preparing to set off for their homes. But in biggest institution of Abbottabad, there was different situation building up. Every body in Ayub Medical Complex was rushing towards the emergency of hospital. One of the teachers of Ayub Medical College was shot. With going in detail of conflict, it is important to know that an unrest start developing among students. All students passed through the chain of events of sorrow, irritation and revenge. They lost their temper, burst into sequential of violence. And finally, not only the citizen of hazara but the whole segments of Pakistan including civil society, politician, media and different forms of establishment witnessed and experienced the bitterness of student reaction. Most of us still remember the sequence of scenes portrayed and displayed and have an unpleasant taste in our minds.
  • Donation
    The English word donation is borrowed from the Latin, donaire means present. It is an action or faculty of giving or presenting. It includes presentation, grant, bestowal or gift. The tradition of donation goes back to the Islamic period. The Koranic message specifies to participate in the cause of God by giving money. The word infaq means to spending benevolently, occurring seven times in the Koran (2:195, 261, 262, 8:60, 9:34, 47:38, 57:10), such as: "The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is as the parable of a grain growing seven ears with a hundred grains in every ear; and God multiplies it for whom He pleases" (2:261), and "And the parable of those who spend their wealth to seek the pleasure of God and for the certainty of their souls is as the parable of a garden on an elevated ground" (2:265).
  • Didar
    "The Persian word didar is derived from didan means meeting, beholding or seeing. In Ismaili terminology, it denotes the beholding the Imam of the age. It is a means to strengthen the heart, cooling the eyes, refresh the faith and earn guidance and blessings of the Imam. When one is graced with the didar, he feels that he is newly born, and acts what the Imam imparted. The didar does not mean mere an act of looking the Imam. It needs the eyes of the knowledge and faith and without it the purpose does not solve. The Koran says, "And you see them looking towards you, yet they do not see" (7:198). It implies that there was much difference between the looking of the believers and unbelievers to the Prophet. Generally speaking, there are three types of didar: the exoteric (zahiri), esoteric (batini) and spiritual (noorani), but our discussion here covers only the exoteric didar.
  • Dawr-I Satr
    "The word satr (pl. satur) is derived from astar, meaning hide, cover or shield. As it is said, masatra (he concealed enmity), or tastir (to hold within a curtain). According to Arabic-English Lexicon (New York, 1872, 4:1304) by Edward William Lane, the word satr means to veil, conceal or hide a thing. The Ismailis had employed the term dawr-i satr (period of concealment) with regards to those periods in their history when the Imams were hidden from the eyes of their followers when the animosity of their enemies reached to its extreme. On that critical moment, the hujjats represented the Imams in the community. The hujjat was a living proof, acting as the custodian until the time of the Imam's reappearance. In contrast, the period following the concealment is known as dawr-i kashf (unveiling period) or the dawr-i zuhur (period of manifestation), when the Imams publicly made their appearance.
  • Dajjal
    The Arabic word dajjal likely comes from the Syriac daggal means liar or lying. Hence, al-dajjal literally means one who conceals the truth with falsehood, the liar or a great deceiver. The word al-masih al-dajjal means to cover (a mangy camel) with tar, because the dajjal will in like manner cover the earth with his adherents. One another view suggests that dajjal is derived from dajala meaning to gild because he will deceive the people by covering up the truth. In the Islamic tradition, dajjal is an evil figure who will lead people astray in the last days and whose advent will be one of the signs of the approaching dooms day. Dajjal or al-Masih al-Dajjal is not mentioned in the Koran, but he figures in numerous hadith.
  • Dar Al-Hikmah
    "Amid the surging splendour, Imam al-Hakim emerges as an unusual personality judged by any standard. He founded Dar al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom), also known as Dar al-Ilm (House of Knowledge) in 395/1004, where the sciences including astronomy, logic, philosophy, mathematics, history, theology, languages and medicines were taught. Qadi Abul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Noman was its first supervisor. This academy was connected with the royal palace, enriched with a huge library, and distinct conference rooms and chambers. The scientists, philosophers, professors, theologians, scholars etc conducted scholastic activities. Staff of clerks and servants was employed for the upkeep of the institution. Scientists, professors and learned men were employed as lecturers.
  • Baiyat
    The word baiyat, occurring 14 times in the Koran is derived from ba'ya meaning sale and purchase, bargain or transaction. In Arabic the word yabi'u means to sell, ba'a means he sold, al-bai'u means sale and al-baya means sale and purchase. In Islamic terminology, the term baya refers to an agreement or undertaking between the master and his followers. Other synonymous expressions appearing in the Koran are al-ahd (13:19-20) and al-mithaq (33:7, 5:14). Thus, baya or baiyat means an agreement or spiritual undertaking between the Lord and his followers. When one swears an oath of allegiance (baiyat), he gets guarantee from his Lord.
  • Bai Budhai
    Syed Ruknuddin, the son of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin had a daughter, called Bibi Jeval or Bibi Jivan Khatoon. She married to Pir Hasan Kabiruddin and had five sons and a daughter, called Bai Budhai. The biography of Bai Budhai is not found in early or later sources. We have very brief scrap of the traditions. She is referred simply as the daughter of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin or the sister of Syed Imam Shah (d. 926/1520) and nothing else. Syed Imam Shah was the younger son of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin through Bibi Hurmat Khatoon, and the meager detail of Bai Budhai makes little concern connected with him. She is brought on historical record after the death of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin in 853/1449. Whatever is known about her is derived from her dialogues with Syed Imam Shah in the treatise comprised of 71 ginans, entitled Syed Imam Shah tatha Bai Budhai'no Samvad, in which it infers that she complained to Syed Imam Shah their parents died during their small ages (47:5). The age of Syed Imam Shah was about 19 years during the death of his father in 853/1449. It suggests that Bai Budhai's age would have been 16 to 17 years, and as such she was born most possibly in 835/1432 or 836/1433. Summing up the fragments of the ginans, it appears that the name Budhai was her pen name. It is said that her marriage took place with a rich cotton merchant of Syed family. She led a prosperous life, but did not adhere to the path of her forefathers.
  • Ayat Al-Ulul Amr
    "The Koran (4:59) says: "O you who believe, obey God, and obey the Messenger and those of you who holds authority (ulul amr)"

    Some tend to interpret ulul amr as the rulers. This interpretation is irrational as it is solely based on the twists of history. The majority of the Muslims have remained as a vassal of the monarchs and rulers, interpreting and reinterpreting Islam and the Koran to strengthen their own kingdom. The history of Muslims is replete with the names of rulers whose injustice, debauchery and tyranny have tarnished the name of Islam. If God were to order us to obey such kings and rulers, an impossible situation would be created for Muslims. The wretched followers would be condemned to the displeasure of God, no matter what they do. If they obey these rulers, they have disobeyed the Command of God: "Do not obey a sinner" (76:24). And if they disobey such rulers, they have again disobeyed the Command of God: "Obey the Muslim rulers" (if it would mean so). Therefore if we accept this interpretation, Muslims are condemned to eternal disgrace whether they obey or disobey their fallible (sinful) rulers. Also, there are Muslim rulers of different schools and persuasions. There are Shafi'is, Hanbalis, Malikis, Hanafis, as well as the Shi'ites and Ibadis. Now, according to this interpretation the Sunnis residing under an Ibadi king (like in Jordan) should follow Ibadi tenets; and those residing under a Shi'ites ruler (like in Iran) should follow the Shi'ites beliefs. Do these people have the conviction of courage to follow their professed interpretation to its logical end?
  • Azhar Park
    "Her Excellency Madame Suzanne Mubarak inaugurated the 30-hectare (74-acre) al Azhar Park in the presence of the Present Imam in Cairo on March 25, 2005. The al-Azhar Park Project is a catalyst for social, economic and cultural renewal and improvement and will have far reaching consequences for the 200,000 residents of the neighbouring Darb al-Ahmar district.
  • Azhar University
    "Close by the palace rose the mosque, extending to the foot of Jabal al-Muqattam, named Jam-i Azhar, on 24th Jamada I, 359/April 4, 970, where a big library and school were erected. Since the title of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet and the wife of Ali, was Az-Zohra (the bright) and in her honour, it was named Al-Azhar, being the masculine form of Az-Zohra. Philip K. Hitti writes in Capital Cities of Arab Islam (London, 1973, p. 114) that, "It took two years (970-972) to build. Its name al-Azhar (the most resplendent) recalls Ali's wife and Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah al-Zahra." It was built with 76 pillars of marble, facing each other. The roof was made of strong wood. The first service was performed in the mosque on Saturday, the 7th Ramzan, 361/June 22, 971. Makrizi writes in al-Khitat (2:273) that the dome above the arches was decorated with the following inscriptions: "In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate; according to the command for its building, from the servant of Allah, His governor Abu Tamim Ma'ad, the Imam al-Muizz li din Allah, Amir al-Mominin, for whom, and his illustrious forefathers and his sons may there be the blessings of Allah: By the hand of his servant Jawhar, the Secretary, the Siqilli in the year 360."
  • Ayat Al-Mubahila
    "Sixty Christian priests of Najran, headed by Abu Harith bin Aqamah, the grand bishop of Najran, Abdu Massih and Ayham arrived in Medina on 9/631 to clarify their religious and political stance, which had spread over the Arab peninsula and to engage in discussions with the Prophet to realize the essence and truth of Islam.
  • Ayat Al-Mawaddat Al-Qurba
    According to the Koran: "God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all (His) creatures. Offspring, one from the other"(3:33-34). The word dhurriya means direct descendants, family or lineage. It occurs 32 times in the Koran in the context of the prophets, indicating that their mission was assigned to their direct descendants to carry on.
  • Ayat Al-Dhurriya
    According to the Koran: "God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all (His) creatures. Offspring, one from the other"(3:33-34). The word dhurriya means direct descendants, family or lineage. It occurs 32 times in the Koran in the context of the prophets, indicating that their mission was assigned to their direct descendants to carry on.
  • Asma Al-Sifat
    The word sifa'a (pl. sifat) is not found in the Koran, but the verbal noun wasf does appear once in 6:139, and the imperfect of the first form of the verb occurs 13 times in the sense of "to ascribe or uphold a description or to attribute."

    God has made Himself known to mankind by His Most Beautiful Names (asma al-husna), and it is through these that the believers seek knowledge of God. The Koran says: "And Allah's are the most excellent names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His names" (7:180), and "Say: call upon God or call upon al-Rahman, by whichever Name you call, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names" (17:110). Hence, calling on God by His excellent names merely means that only those high attributes should be ascribed to Him which befit His dignity. The particular attributes of God mentioned in the Koran are:
  • Arab
    The word arab or arabah is probably derived from a Semitic root related to nomadism. In the Arabic language, the word arab (derived from i'rab), means those who speak clearly as contrast with ajam (those who speak indistinctly). In Koran, the word arab has never used for the country of Arabia, but characterized the residence of Ismael, the son of Abraham as an "uncultivated land." In the time of Ismael his place of residence had no name, therefore, it was given the name of an "uncultivated land." In the Old Testament, the word midbar is used for Ismael's home, meaning a desert or a barren land, which closely corresponds to the Koranic description.
  • Aligarh University
    "Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah made his debut as an educational reformer, and visited The Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh (high fort), about 79 miles south-east of Delhi, on November 22, 1896 and had a productive meeting with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), who was a great educationist and socialist. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had founded the Aligarh College on November 1, 1875, and was the vice-President of the College Fund Committee as well as its Honorary Secretary. Willi Frischauer also writes in The Aga Khans (London, 1970, pp. 56-7) that, "How wonderful if Aligarh could become a full university to bring up a generation of young leaders and advance the cause of Islam. Here was a chance to follow in the footsteps of his ancestor who had founded al-Azhar, the first Muslim university, which greatly appealed to the young Aga Khan. He decided to put up money for the cause and persuaded wealthy friends to contribute. It was a long struggle but he missed no opportunity to plead for this cause and when Aligarh finally became a university two dozen years later, it was more to Muslims than a seat of learning. In retrospect it was recognized as the intellectual cradle of independent Pakistan and the Aga Khan's enthusiasm and support which made it possible earned him a place among Pakistan's founding fathers."
  • Ahl Al-Kitab
    "The word ahl means those who occupy with one the same tent, the family or inmates, relative, folk, kin, kinfolk, family, people, members, followers, etc. Under these meanings, the word ahl occurs 31 times in the Koran. According to another view, it is derived from ahala, meaning to demonstrate (the family). The word kitab, comes from the root word kataba, meaning to write down. The word kitaba occurs in the Koran for the Divine Books revealed to various prophets. Thus, the term ahl al-kitab means the possessors of the scriptures or the people of the Book. This term in Koran denotes the Jews and Christians, the repositories of the earlier books, al-Tawrat (the Torah), al-Zabur (the Psalms), and al-Injil (the Gospel).
  • Ahl Al-Dhimma
    "According to Islamic law, the non-Muslims inhabited in the Islamic state were called ahlu dh-dhimmati (people of protection) or simply al-dhimma or dhimmis. They included the Christian, Jewish, Magian, Samaritan and Sabian. Ahl al-dhimma were prohibited in the Muslim state from holding public religious ceremonies, from raising their voices loudly when praying and even from ringing their church bells aloud. All schools agree that it is not allowed to build new churches, synagogues, convent, hermitage or cell in towns or cities of Dar al-Islam (Muslim lands). When these injunctions were disobeyed, the Muslim leaders were authorized to treat the offenders as dwellers in Dar al-Harb (non-Muslim lands) and not as ahl al-dhimma in Dar al-Islam (Muslim lands), vide Subh al-A'asha fi Sina'at at al-Insha (Cairo, 1922, 13: 356) by Qalaqashandi (d. 821/1418).
  • Aga Khan Education Services (AKES)
    The Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) provides schooling and other educational services in over 300 facilities in the developing world, ranging from day care center to higher secondary schools. With roots in the Ismaili community's traditions of educational activity, national service companies in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh now manage these schools and centers.
  • Aga Khan Academy
    The first of a planned network of Aga Khan Academies dedicated to expanding access to education of an international standard of excellence in Asia and Africa was inaugurated in Mombasa, Kenya on December 20, 2003 in presence of the President of Kenya, Mr. Mwai Kibaki. The network of Academies will feature a curriculum based on the framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB). At the centre of this approach is a broad education in the humanities from pre-primary years through to higher secondary. The Academies will also feature a robust system of international student and teacher exchanges between Academies in different countries as well as with allied schools, including Phillips Academy in the United States and the Schule Schloss Salem in Germany. Proficiency in at least two languages, with English as the medium of instruction, and progressive mastery of information technologies will also be hallmarks of the programmes. To ensure access regardless of socio-economic status or other limiting factors, admission to the Academy is merit-based and means-blind. "An education must equip students with the tools that enable them to adapt, and thrive, in a world characterized by change," the Imam has said. "In such an environment, technical proficiency is not enough. Education that prepares children for life must go beyond fundamental skills to stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity and honest inquiry. Advancement and development, both personal and societal, are dependant on these elements. Innovation and progress arise from the ability to approach a challenge in a new way and offer a solution."
  • Pir Abul Hasan Shah
    Pir Shihabuddin Shah (d. 1301/1884) married to Bibi Arus Khanum, who gave birth of a son, Abul Hasan Shah and six daughters, viz. Talah, Nushi, Turan Malek, Khadija, Tuman Malik and Zarin Taj. Upon the death of Pir Shihabuddin Shah, Imam Aga Ali Shah declared his infant son, Abul Hasan Shah as a next Pir. In this context, the farman follows:
  • Abu Yaqub As-Sijistani
    "Abu Yaqub Ishaq bin Ahmad as-Sijistani, nicknamed "cotton-seed" (Iranian, panba-dana, Arabic khayshafuj) was born in 271/883 in Bandan, a district in north of Sijistan and was trained in Yamen. He was a great philosopher and scholar and considered to be one of the major Ismaili thinkers whose share in the development of the Ismaili system of thought is considerable. Paul E. Walker writes in Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary (London, 1996, p. 13) that, "Yet, from the prominence of his books and the profoundly impressive intellectual contribution they (Ismailis) represent, we discover a truly significant mind and voice - one that deserves recognition as an outstanding figure in the Ismaili past and as a major force in Islamic thought in general."
  • 101 Ismaili Heroes Volume 1
    This book represents the first known attempt to prepare a comprehensive and well-researched collection of biographies of one hundred and one eminent individuals who have helped to shape the Ismaili Community during the last two centuries. The table of contents, which lists the names of these individuals in alphabetical order, includes such giants as Alidina Visram, Laljibhai Devraj, Major Lakhpati, Fidai Khorassani. The author has also included many less well-known individuals, whose contributions have not been widely recognised, but are as important if not more so. These biographies are preceded by a foreword and preface.
  • Islam Is A Way of Life
    Islam is a religion that promotes thinking, spiritual faith. It is a religion that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds the dignity of man, Allah's noblest creation.

    One of the important characteristic of Islam is its openness that not only includes the concept regarding religious practices but it also includes the matters regarding daily life issues.
  • Brotherhood Key to Universal Peace
    These days His Highness prince karim Aga khan is also working die heartedly to promote peace; He is ambassador of peace and due to His efforts for enhancing good relations among East and West He received tolerance award in 2006. He always brings organizations from West to work with AKDN to promote quality of life of people of East, ultimately the relations among different kinds of people would increase and dislikes among people would diminish.
  • Purpose of Acquiring Knowledge in Islam
    In today’s world acquiring knowledge is of great importance and if an individual wishes to progress in this world he must struggle to acquire knowledge as much as possible.

    Importance of acquiring knowledge is also being emphasized by Islam because Islam is the religion of knowledge. The first ayah of the Qur’an to be revealed is the key to knowledge. Allah (SWT) says:
  • Origin Of The Word “Assassins”
    The Ismailis were not a band of terrorists, but their fighting against their oppressors was a struggle for survival. Mediaeval Europeans, who remained absolutely ignorant of Muslim beliefs and practices, had transmitted a number of tales, and produced a perverted image of the Ismailis. Rene Dussaud writes in Histoire et Religion des Nosaires (Paris, 1900) that, "One of the very few Europeans who have appreciated the good points of this remarkable sect and who is of opinion that the judgments pronounced by western scholars are marked by an excessive severity. It is certainly wrong to confound as do the Musulman doctors, in one common reprobation. And the Old Man of the Mountain himself was not so black as it is custom to paint him." In more recent times, too, many western scholars have continued to apply the ill-conceived term Assassins to the Nizari Ismailis without being aware of its etymology or dubious origin. Paul E. Walker makes his comments in his Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary (London, 1996, p. 1) that, "Until recently, however, the Ismailis were studied and judged almost exclusively on the basis of the evidence collected or fabricated by their enemies, including the bulk of the medieval Sunni heresiographers and polemicists who were hostile towards the Shi’is in general and the Ismailis among them in particular. These Sunni authors in fact treated Shi’ite interpretations of Islam as expressions of heterodoxy or even heresy. As a result, a ‘black legend’ was gradually developed and put into circulation in the Muslim world to discredit the Ismailis and their interpretations of Islam.
  • Sibak Al-Khayl (Horse Racing) In Islam
    Horse Racing (sibak al-khayl or ijra al-khayl) had been a major sport and a favorite pastime in pre-Islamic Arabia. It was a part of equitation (furusiyya), regarded as essential for military training and also as an object of entertainment for the people from all walks of life. During the Islamic period the breeding, maintenance and training of horses became one of the means of facilitating the prosecution of the holy war. The Prophet regarded horse-breeding as a meritorious calling, and assigned to it a share in the booty obtained on the battle field. This religious sanction fostered a competitive attitude amongst the breeders and encouraged the augmentation of the stock, which suffered considerable depletion in the course of the wars of that time. Cavalry was in fact to become an important factor in the military success of the Muslims.
  • Nursing Profession
    A minimum of two passes at GCE A Level, equivalent to 12 A Level points, and three further GCSE passes at grade C or above, normally including English and Mathematics; or equivalent profile. Other entry requirements are based on the course chosen.
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