It is natural that as we reflect and interiorize the joys, sights, and emotions of mulaqats (encounters) with Mawlana Hazar Imam, including the most recent in Toronto and Montreal and earlier ones in London, Lisbon, Houston, Dallas, Kampala, Nairobi, and Paris, the post-mulaqat vacuum may create a sense of post-visit sadness, the familiar “post-mulaqat blues.” The chores of daily life, briefly set aside, once again claim our attention, and for some, the bliss of the Imam’s physical presence begins to fade.
This pining is not new; it is a sacred ache echoed throughout our history. Pir Sadardin opens one of his most tender Ginans with the voice of a devotee who cannot bear the distance from her Beloved. The longing is immediate, visceral, and unembellished. The murid speaks from the raw centre of separation, confessing that even a single day without the sight of her Master becomes unbearably heavy. This is the earliest articulation of what we today call the post-mulaqat ache, the spiritual disorientation that follows the withdrawal of physical presence. The Ginan does not quiet this ache; it reveals its holiness. It teaches that yearning itself is a form of devotion, a sign that the heart has recognized its axis.
Eji tamaku(n) sadhaare so din bohotaj huaare piaa,
me(n) dekhu(n) tumaari vaatare;
saheb mere dayaava(n)d mere,
meherebaan mere,
aasaa tuj binaa so din jaave(n)ge kaisaa piaaji
TRANSLATION:
O Beloved, with your departure my days becomes unbearably heavy.
I stand waiting on Your path, longing for Your sight.
My Master, my Compassionate One,
my Merciful One — how shall a day pass without You, O Beloved?
The murid pines for his return, experiencing those “post-mulaqat” pangs where the physical distance feels like an unbearable void.
Yet our tradition also gives us a counterweight and an anchor that transform longing into intimacy. In his Farman delivered in London at the youth mulaqats on February 2, 2026 (morning and afternoon) and to the Jamat the following day, repeated during visits to other Jamats, Mawlana Shah Rahim offered a statements of such depth that it leaves an indelible imprint on the active imagination:
“Remember that I am always connected to you, I am always with you, and I am always here” (February 2) and “Whether you are in this hall or outside of it, I have seen you. And I am taking with me the picture of everyone of you. I have seen you and you will stay in my heart. I have seen you all.” (Didar, February 3, 2026)
This is not metaphor. It is metaphysics. It is the Imam articulating the ontological truth of the Imam–murid bond: a presence that does not wane with geography, time, or circumstance.
To navigate the landscape of longing, we turn to the “Active Imagination,” a term Henry Corbin used in his commentary on Avicenna’s visionary recitals. Active Imagination is the faculty that allows us to configure the spiritual universe as a concrete reality. Without it, the “presence” that gives joy to the heart begins to fade.
This practice of keeping the Presence alive finds its roots in the Prophetic tradition. In Bukhari, Hadith #8 (narrated by Omar) states that one must worship as if one sees God; and if one sees Him not, know that He sees you. This Hadith is the quintessential reflection on Active Imagination — it calls us to keep a constant, living presence in the heart at all times, transforming “absence” into an “ever-present gaze.”
Mystical traditions like ours recognize two conditions of consciousness: al-Hal, a transient state like sadness or ecstasy, and al-Maqam, a permanent station achieved through effort and grace. Pir Sadardin’s Buj Niranjan describes the vacillating soul:
Kabuek hanse aur kabuek rove
Kabuek lag piya gal sove……(4)
TRANSLATION
Sometimes she cries, at others she laughs;
Sometimes she is as if in the embrace of the Beloved.
The aim of the seeker is to move from the transient Hal to the permanent Maqam: the encounter with Higher Reality. One Ginan that provides the elixir for this journey is “Eji Hete Sun Milore Mara Munivero” by Sayyid Imamshah. Its verses reveal spiritual secrets:
Do not see Him far, He is intimately mingled in your heart, Just as fragrance is intimate with the flower……(4)
Verse 5 reinforces this, demanding the engagement of Active Imagination:
The Lord is mingled with every atom of your body…
Perform your devotion with the knowledge that He is forever seated in your heart……(5)
In essence, the “presence” never left. Faith is the ultimate essence of Active Imagination. Just as the moon lights the night and the sun lights the day, faith lights the heart (Ghat ajvaro Iman sun). An additional essence is Love. In the Ginan “Patak Patra ne Parkine,” Sayyid Imam Shah, identifies this vital essence. What these traditions — and the Imam’s own words — indicate is that a combination of faith, love and Active Imagination provides continual reinforcement of the Presence.
The remedy for the “blues” is not to wait for the next physical meeting, but to practice the continual remembrance that He is ever-present, seated eternally within the heart.
And the Ginanic tradition brings this truth to its most intimate expression. Sayyid Imam Shah crystallizes the entire metaphysics of “Presence” in one luminous verse:
Eji Rome rome maaro Shah vase Ane antar nahi ek til,
Evo jaanine bhagtaai kijiye Shah partak betha dil……(5)
TRANSLATION
O momins! Within every hair of the body, my Imam resides,
He is not remote even by the distance of a single grain.
By regarding Him thus, perform your devotions;
the Imam is present and seated in the heart.
Here, the journey ends where it truly begins: in the heart, where the Imam has always been. And as mentioned earlier, Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Farman becomes the final seal on this truth:
“Remember that I am always connected to you, I am always with you, and I am always here.”
Date posted: May 9, 2026.
NOTE: A version of this piece also appears on Barakah, which is dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat.
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About the author: Shiraz Pradhan, a regular contributor to Barakah and its sister website, Simerg, is an international consulting engineer, author, and long‑time researcher of the Ginan tradition. He serves as Chairperson of the Association for the Study of Ginans, an international organisation dedicated to preserving and advancing Ginan scholarship. His interests span the Vedas, Judeo‑Christian history, and Sufism, reflecting his broad engagement with spiritual traditions. His forthcoming book, “Amrapuri: Exploring the Evolution of Nizari Ismaili Satpanth through the Prism of Ginan Literature,” brings together years of dedicated study.
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