The following poem is a composition by Shaykh Khudr of Syria. He was a contemporary of the fortieth Ismaili Imam, Nizar. In his adult life he visited Persia for an audience with the Imam, and was appointed to a senior position in the Syrian Ismaili community. Shaykh Khudr lived for seventy years.
The people of the house of Prophethood
are the manifestations of light;
They are that which exists forever
and in what has already elapsed;
They are the ships of salvation for those
who come running to them with hope;
They are the rain abundant in moisture
and their grace is the best of springs;
The essence of their souls is knowledge
from a world beyond the intellects;
Indeed, it is their invitation which
rescues souls from the pit of destruction.
Poem from: Shimmering Light: An Anthology of Ismaili Poems, ed. Faquir M. Hunzai and Kutub Kassam, pub. I. B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 1997.
Lovely photo of dhows on the Nile in Aswan…see the Mausoleum of Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah atop across the river.