By Farouk M. Topan
Part One: Introduction
See also:
Literary Reading: Ethics in the Kalam-i Mawla of Hazrat Ali, Part Two
Literary Reading: Ethics in the Kalam-i Mawla of Hazrat Ali, Part Three
Literary Reading: Ethics in the Kalam-i Mawla of Hazrat Ali, Part Four
Literary Reading: Ethics in the Kalam-i Mawla of Hazrat Ali, Part Five
The relationship between man and God forms the focus of most religious literature. Of paramount importance to the relationship is the conduct, behaviour and action of man during his sojourn on earth. What he says and does is deemed to affect that relationship: good deeds strengthen it, bad deeds impair it. It is thus considered crucial that man be made aware of what he may and may not do, that he be made to understand the limitations of his actions beyond which he may not transgress without placing in jeopardy the health of that relationship. Such awareness is made explicit not only in scriptures and holy texts but also in books, epistles, treatises and poems composed by men of faith and learning. The Kalam-i Mawla falls under the latter category.
The Kalam-i Mawla (hence referred to as Kalam) is a poem of 327 verses, composed in Hindi, whose content draws inspiration from the sayings, speeches and sermons of Mawlana Ali(a.s.). The actual composer of the verse is not known. Unlike the practice followed in some compositions, – for example, in the Ginans – where the composer mentions his name within the body of the text, the composer of Kalam has refrained from doing so. His action may have been dictated by modesty, or even piety, in not wishing his personal attribution to impinge upon the considered authorship of the first Imam. Thus the authoritative status of the verses, as expressing the Kalami (speech/sayings) of the Lord, Mawla, has been preserved.
Pages from a Kalam-i Mawla manuscript in the collection of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London (MS KH21, pp. 30-31). Copied in Samvat 1880/1823 CE by Saju Pajuani in Surat, Gujarat. This text is entitled “Kalama: Hajarate: Shaha: Mowla: Muretaja: Aliajo:”.Versions are arranged differently; for example, this 1823 CE manuscript version has no chapters. While the later 1905 CE printed Devraj edition begins with verse 2, this 1823 CE version begins with verse 1. Translation of this first verse is as follows: ”Listen, o brother believers, to the account of the teaching of Mawla ‘Ali), who has said that you should recognise a man’s faith by his word, for he who is truthful in word has a true faith. One’s word is the token of the truth of one’s faith”.
The predominant message conveyed in Kalam is ethical. One could say that the text is a manual of ethics for a believer, stating the virtues to be cultivated and the vices to be shunned. The ethical emphasis is brought into an even sharper focus in the printed editions of Kalam-i Mawla. A comparison, for instance, between the earlier manuscript of the Kalam dated 1801, and the latest printed version published in Karachi in 1984 (by Ismailia Association for Pakistan - this institution is now known as The Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board) shows a re-arrangement of the verses in the latter to reflect an ethical direction of the message.
The Karachi edition, which is itself the latest in a long chain of printed versions dating from 1873, divides the text into 23 chapters, each with its own title. The first chapter is on truth, the second on brotherhood, the third on the virtues of good manners or discipline, the fourth on generosity, the fifth on miserliness, the sixth on greed and so on. Among the subjects included are the way of the heart (ch.7); the beauty and marvel of knowledge (ch.10); the path of injustice (ch.11) and of justice (ch.12); prayers (ch.14) patience and gratitude (ch.16); jealousy (ch. 22) and courage (ch.23).
The Kalam-i Mawla, however, does not confine itself simply to conveying the ethical message. If it did, it would have been incomplete in a fundamental way for ethical injunctions derive their meaning from the assumptions and pre-suppositions of belief. To state what man ought to do and not do, without placing these imperatives within the parameters of belief would be to deprive them of their rationale and justification. They would lack conviction. The composer of the Kalam has avoided such a pitfall and has created a vibrant text by focusing, not on one, but on three interlinked dimensions, each supporting the others. These dimensions are (1) the Doctrinal (2) the Esoteric and (3) the Ethical.
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Adapted from Ethics in the Kalam-i Mawla: A Brief Introduction, by Dr. Farouk M. Topan, published in Ilm, Vol 13, Number 1 (July 1990), Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board for the United Kingdom. Please note that images accompanying this reading are not part part of the original article.
