FATIMID APPROACHES TO KNOWLEDGE Within the Islamic tradition, the pursuit of knowledge, the patronage of learning, the promotion of education, and the desire to seek out the truth in all its multifaceted forms was prevalent from the very earliest times. Within this milieu, the Shia Ismaili community of the Fatimid times excelled and achieved a […]
The Common Word for a Common Humanity: The Underlying Essence of the Message as Rooted in the Holy Scriptures of Islam and Christianity ____________ A Note to Readers: Please scroll down or click Home page for other recent posts and click What’s New for links to all articles published on this blog since March 2009. […]
BY NADIM PABANI 1. INTRODUCTION “We ought not to be ashamed of appreciating the truth and of acquiring it wherever it comes from, even if it comes from races distant and nations different from us…” –- Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi (c. 800-866) 1.1. The Spirit of Free Inquiry in Islam These words, uttered […]
ESSENCE OF IMAM by Imam ‘Abd al-Salam, 15th Century There is an ode of the 33rd Ismaili Imam ‘Abd al-Salam in which he says that the talisman (anything that has magical powers) that can open the treasure trove of spiritual meaning of the Holy Qur’an is the Imam. This ode is lucidly explained by Dr. […]
By Nadim Pabani Special to Simerg Introduction “Say: O People of the Book! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God.” (The Holy Qur’an, 3:64) In […]
By Nadim Pabani Context As Shi’ism was still in its formative and defining period, it was constantly developing and no concrete ideas concerning notions of Imamate had yet been laid down prior to the arrival of the 5th (Muhammad al-Baqir) and 6th (Ja’far al-Sadiq) Shia Imams*. The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 CE) came to power by […]
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