Rachael Kohn: Hello, this is “The Ark”, and I am Rachael Kohn. A thousand years ago a Persian poet defied the conventions of the day. His name was Nasir Khusraw, an Ismaili Muslim, a branch of Shi’a Islam. Instead of lavishing praise on the sultan or his horse, he praised learning and spiritual purity…..Click to read the Australian broadcaster’s interview with Nasir Khusraw specialist Alice Hunsberger
A statue of the famous Ismaili dai Nasir Khusraw in Badakhshan. Please click on image for interview.
Author Archives: Malik Merchant, Editor
My 2014 World Cup Adventure in Brazil by Rahim Khoja
Missing out the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, devout football fan Rahim Khoja from Ottawa, Canada, was determined and made it to this year’s magnificent football World Cup hosted in Brazil. He watched the Spain-Holland and Brazil-Mexico matches in person, and had the thrill of his lifetime. See his story and a selection of photos by clicking on My 2014 World Cup Adventure in Brazil – A Dream Come True! or on the image below.
Rahim Khoja took a category 1 seat to watch the Spain-Holland Game. Please click on photo for his story.
The Intellectual Tradition of Shia Ismaili Islam by Nadim Pabani
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 level of literary output far beyond their relatively small size and minority status. According to Heinz Halm, the Fatimid period was “one of the most brilliant periods of Islamic history, both politically and in terms of its literary, economic, artistic, and scientific achievements.”
Please click on image to read article
For the Ismailis, knowledge was not merely ancillary to their tradition but at the very heart of it — to the extent that their entire religio-political mission (the da’wa) revolved around the idea of knowledge as the single most important factor in their journey towards the knowledge of God in his absolute oneness (Tawhid). This paper explores the Fatimid approach to knowledge and demonstrates the courageous approach which the Ismaili thinkers like Abu Yaʿqub al-Sijistani took towards the new knowledge which was being encountered from Greek and Hellenistic traditions….Read more
Simerg’s Jamatkhana Series and the new Ismaili Centre in Toronto
As part of one of our previous annual anniversary series, we had asked our readers to tell us how a particular Jamatkahana has impacted their lives. Links to some of the reflections that we published are provided below. Ismailis and Toronto residents alike eagerly await and are excited about the opening of the new Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre in Toronto, along with the Aga Khan Museum and the Park, all located at one site. Thousands walk or drive by the magnificent buildings, and Simerg welcomes your thoughts and reflections on these projects which, Inshallah, will be opening soon. In this regard, readers will also wish to read Jim Bowie’s superb piece of the photos he had been taking of the construction site since its inception. Please click In the Making: The Aga Khan Museum, the Ismaili Centre and their Park. Alternatively, to download a PDF file (5mb) please click on the image below.
A MYSTICAL HALO (AND A GLITTERING STAR) AT THE SITE OF
THE NEW TORONTO ISMAILI CENTRE AND JAMATKHANA
PDF Photo essay: Click on image
Flashback – a night scene at the Aga Khan Museum project site on November 29, 2010. Photo: Jim Bowie.
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SIMERG’S JAMATKHANA SERIES
Learning and Sharing Knowledge About Ismaili Jamatkhanas Through Imamat Day Greeting Cards
Please click for post
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Dubai’s Jewel: The Ismaili Community’s Congregational Space
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Bagamoyo’s Historic Ismaili Jamatkhana Through Pictures, Poetry and Prose
Fond Memories of Salamieh, 51 Kensington Court, and Yakymour
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1953-1957: Ismailia Social and Residential Club and Jamatkhana
at 51 Kensington Court, London W8
Please click for article and photos
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Please click for article and photos
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Memories of Nairobi’s Majestic ‘Town Jamatkhana’,
formerly the ‘Darkhana’ of Kenya
Please click for article and photos.
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5 Palace Gate when it was a privilege to be in England
Please click on image for article.
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The Darkhana, Canada: A Building of Graceful Architecture and Spiritual Nobility
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Remembering Kampala Jamatkhana: Special in so many ways
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A Jamatkhana in Tashkorgan, China
The Jamatkhana in Tashkorgan in Xinjiang Province, China. Please click for story and photographs.
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Serenity in Central London: The Ismaili Centre
The Prince of Wales is greeted by the Aga Khan during a visit to the Ismaili Centre to join a reception to help celebrate its 25th anniversary. Photo: Press Association, Nottingham, UK. Please click for article
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Date posted: Thursday, July 31, 2014.
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We welcome feedback/letters from our readers. Please click on Leave a comment.
Photos: Amid Suffering and Trauma, Islam’s Greatest Celebration, Eid Al-Fitr, Provides Hope and Strength to Muslim Children in Gaza
Photographer, Sarfraz Sadaruddin, Releases Two Unique 1957 Portraits of His Highness the Aga Khan Under a Creative Commons License — A First!
Editor’s note: Among the photos we recently published of His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to the Aga Khan Primary School, Nairobi (see link at bottom of this page), was a unique, previously unpublished portrait of the Aga Khan. We are pleased to inform readers that the photographer of that portrait, Sarfraz Sadaruddin of Vancouver, Canada, has approached us and generously provided us not only with permission to publish his photograph, but also a sister portrait taken at the same time (both of which are reproduced below). He has also provided special permission, under a Creative Commons License, for others to use these portraits, subject to the conditions and restrictions laid out below.
Ismaili readers of this website will be particularly happy to see these two unique portraits of their beloved 49th Imam as they prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Simerg takes this opportunity to offer congratulations to all Ismailis as well as the entire Muslim world on the most auspicious occasion of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadhan, and wishes everyone barakah (happiness) and success in all walks of life. We pray for peace and unity amongst Muslims everywhere to please Almighty God, and thus gain more from Allah’s continuous and endless wonderful blessings to mankind.
THE PORTRAITS OF HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN BY SARFRAZ SADARUDDIN
By Mohib Ebrahim
During His Highness the Aga Khan’s 1957 visit to East Africa — his first after becoming Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan hosted a private function at his residence for many dignitaries — including the late Tom Mboya — and Ismaili community leaders. Sarfraz Sadaruddin, then 19, was one of the photographers covering the event and, never one to be shy, requested the Aga Khan if he could take some portraits of him. The Aga Khan graciously agreed, asking Sarfraz to proceed to the rear garden where he could take the pictures he needed while the Aga Khan was engaged with his guests there and this was when and where these two portraits were taken.
Sarfraz Sadaruddin during Expo 1986.
Sarfraz Sadaruddin, son of the late Rai A.M. Sadaruddin (see Voices: Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III – Eloquent Persian Quatrain by 48th Ismaili Imam Graces a 1923 Invitation For Talk About Imamat), was born in Nairobi, Kenya where he developed a passion for photography in his mid-teens and apprenticed with Kodak Limited for five years before moving to Hamburg, Germany, in 1960 where, on scholarship, he attended Agfa’s training college. Later, he moved to London to continue his photography studies at Ealing Technical College and then worked as a professional, freelance photographer, in the U.K. and continent, for newspapers, advertising firms and Royalty. In 1980, he moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he now resides and continues covering events.
In Kenya, since the Aga Khan’s coronation in 1957 until he left in the 1960s, Sarfraz was a key, official photographer at the Aga Khan’s functions in Nairobi. He covered the 49th Ismaili Imam’s Nairobi Enthronement (Takhtnashini) Ceremony, the opening ceremony of the Platinum Jubilee Hospital, now the Aga Khan University Hospital, and the entire Kenya leg of the 1959 visit including opening ceremony of the Aga Khan High School. He was also invited to cover the Aga Khan’s visit to the Aga Khan Primary School and many other private events the Aga Khan attended or hosted.
In London, Sarfraz was invited to cover the Foundation Stone ceremony of the Ismaili Centre as well as the Aga Khan’s community visits and functions.
Sarfraz Sadaruddin taking pictures during His Highness the Aga Khan’s Vancouver Silver Jubilee visit in 1983.
In Vancouver, Sarfraz continued to cover the Ismaili Imam’s visits, including extensive coverage of the opening ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, which took place in the presence of then Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, then British Columbia Premier, Bill Bennett, and His Highness the Aga Khan.
Also in Vancouver, outside of the community, Sarfraz was an official press photographer for many visits of Royalty as well as the World Expo, 1986. Key Expo events he covered include the opening by His Royal Highness Prince of Wales and the late Princess Diana and twenty “National Days.” He was complimented by the then Lieutenant Governor of BC, The Hon. Robert G. Rogers, for his outstanding work.
Simerg welcomes feedback on this post. Please click on Comment.
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LIMITED PERMISSION TO REUSE THE PORTRAITS
In order that the Jamat may enjoy and use these two portraits, Sarfraz is releasing them under under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) — the first time, to my knowledge, photographs of Mawlana Hazar Imam, have been so generously shared for the Jamat to enjoy without fear of copyright infringement. Please note the images are still copyright and not in the public domain, but the license does allow them to be re-used non-commercially, without modification and with credit as embedded in the images and set out as below, including the web-link:
His Highness the Aga Khan portrait, Kenya, 1957 by Sarfraz Sadaruddin, © 1957 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
Sarfraz kindly requests that all those who have copied and republished his photograph from the original posting on Simerg and its sister photoblog Simergphotos, to please add the above credit and replace their images with the one published here.
Date posted: Saturday, July 26, 2014.
Copyright: Mohib Ebrahim. 2014.
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About the Author: Mohib Ebrahim is Sarfraz’s nephew, grandson of the late Rai A.M. Sadaruddin and founder of the NanoWisdoms Archive (http://www.nanowisdoms.org), a unique website dedicated solely to the Ismaili Imamat’s speeches, interviews and writings launched in 2011 upon receiving special permission from Aiglemont to publish the Aga Khan’s speeches. With over 500 readings and thousands of quotes it is the most comprehensive, public collection of Imamat knowledge available today.
Some of Mohib’s other articles on this website:
1. His Highness the Aga Khan and Canada: A Profound Affinity – But Why Canada?
2. Topan, Paroo and Visram – The Three Kings Without Crowns
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Link to photos taken at the Aga Khan Primary School:
My Late Mother, Jean Kirk, and Her Special Collection of Rare Photos of His Highness the Aga Khan’s Visits to the Aga Khan Primary School in Nairobi by Allison Wallace
Eid Mubarak: Send a Greeting Card
Simerg rejoices with its readers all over the world on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Fitr and invites you to send a festive card to your family members and friends through the official website of the Ismaili community by clicking on http://ecard.theismaili.org/Eid-ul-Fitr-2014 or the image below.
The Ismaili website contains varying themes for its eCards including a wonderful selection of images of Ismaili Jamatkhanas, including those of the high profile Ismaili centres.
The Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe was opened on 12 October 2009 by His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, and Mawlana Hazar Imam. It is the first such Centre in Central Asia — a region that has been home to Ismaili Muslims for more than a thousand years. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Dushanbe, Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloev, senior government officials, diplomats, scholars and leaders of faith communities. Representatives of the Ismaili community from around the world were also present.
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EID AL-FITR
The fast of Ramadan ends with the Festival of Breaking Fast, Eid al-Fir, on the first day of the following month of Shawwal. The festival is also known as Bairam or Eid Ramadan. It is an occasion for celebration and rejoicing for Allah’s Bounty upon mankind for His revelation of the Qur’an. It is also a time for individuals to express their gratitude to Allah for having given them the strength, courage and resilience to complete the fast, and thus fulfilling the duty enjoined upon them by Allah.
The Festival begins with a festive prayer (Salatul-Fitr) with all the believers congregating at their respective places of worship. It is also an occasion for socialising and meeting with other Muslims and for fostering a sense of brotherhood and unity amongst the community (ummah). After the communal prayer, families gather together at home with relatives and friends and participate in exchanging gifts and partaking a meal.
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Please also visit Letter from China: Eid al-Fitr at the Huasheing Mosque in Guangzhou by Zulfikar Mulji.
Date posted: Saturday, July 26, 2014
“Seven Summits” Goal Within Reach for Ismaili Mountaineers Samina Baig and Mirza Ali After Climbing North America’s Highest Peak, Mt. McKinley in Alaska
“….when it comes to being the first Pakistani woman and the first Ismaili woman to put the nation’s flag and the Ismaili Imamat red and green flag on top of the world, one cannot adequately express the feeling. It is indeed a BLESSING of a life time! We did bring the flag back, and with all love and respect, sent it to Sarcar Mawlana Hazar Imam.” — Samina Baig in exclusive interview with Simerg, see link below.
Please click on photos for enlargement
Mirza Ali and his sister Samina Baig hoist the Ismaili Imamat Flag after reaching the summit of North America’s highest mountain, Mt. McKinley, in Alaska, on June 28, 2014. Their goal is to reach all the “Seven Summits”, and with this latest conquest only one remains to be peaked. Photo: Mirza Ali/Samina Baig. Copyright.
In a recent exclusive Interview with Simerg, Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali Baig spoke about the challenges of mountaineering and their goal to scale the “Seven Summits”, that is to reach the top of the highest mountain in each continent over a period of several months. At the time of the interview, five of the seven mountains including Mt. Everest, the world’s highest, had been conquered since they began their quest in April 2013. Two remained to be climbed.
On June 28, 2014, at 7:20 pm, the brother and sister team made it to North America’s highest summit, Mt. McKinley (20,322ft/6,194m), also known by the native name Denali in the Koyukon and Athabaskan languages, meaning the “High One”. The weather condition was unpredictable and, incredibly, the gain from the base camp to the summit was higher than Mt. Everest!
Sunrise alpenglow on Mount McKinley, Alaska. Photo by: National Park Service /Tim Rains
The duration of the expedition was three weeks. Mirza Ali stated that it could have been done in 18 days, but they got struck at Camp IV at 17,200 ft for four days due to severe weather. It took them 15 hours for the return climb.
As with Mt. Everest and other mountains, Samina and Mirza hoisted the Ismaili Imamat Flag on the peak of Mt. McKinley.
MOUNT ELBRUS: NEXT AND LAST IN THE “SEVEN SUMMITS”
FOR SAMINA AND MIRZA ALI BAIG
While there are differing explanations on how the Caucasus Mountain Range is distributed between Europe and Asia, it is generally accepted that Mount Elbrus (18,510ft) is in Europe and is therefore the highest mountain in all of Europe. Samina and Mirza Ali Baig are now on their way to Russia for the climb. Photo: Wikipedia.
Simerg congratulates Samina and Mirza on their monumental feat and continuing success, and wishes them the very best as they depart the USA to conquer the last of the seven summits, Mount Elbrus (18,510ft/5,642m) in Russia, which is considered to be the highest mountain in Europe. They expect to reach their goal of “Seven Summits” by the end of this month or early next month, Inshallah.
Date posted: Saturday, July 19, 2014.
Date updated: Sunday, July 20, 2014 (Mt. Elbrus photo).
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OTTAWA: The New Jamatkhana is 1 Year Old; An Ottawa Architect’s Favourite Building; and Iconic Sussex Drive
1. THE OTTAWA JAMATKHANA
Hundreds of Ismailis come by the busloads and personal automobiles to visit Ottawa during the summer months – for many the primary destinations are the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building and the beautiful new Ottawa Jamatkhana which opened exactly a year ago, on July 19, 2013. The visitors marvel at the Ottawa Jamatkhana’s spacious facilities for spiritual practices as well as the space it offers for social interaction and cultural programmes, including religious education classes.
As the Ottawa Jamat marks its first anniversary in the new Jamatkhana we repost on this page a link to Farouk Noormohamed’s statement and photos of the lovely building.
Speaking of Ottawa, local architect Kristopher Benes names his favourite building in the city, and we provide a link to a piece about Ottawa’s iconic Sussex Drive which is home to the Delegation Building.
Check out all the readings below and enjoy your summer in Ottawa, Canada’s Capital!
Please click: Exclusive: Architect’s Statement and Photos of the Fabulous New Ottawa Jamatkhana
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2. MY FAVOURITE OTTAWA BUILDING
By Kristopher Benes
As an architect I often get asked to name my favourite Ottawa building! Being a fan of minimalism I was often hard pressed to find anything non-residential that came immediately to my mind –- until that is, when the Ismaili Imamat Delegation building was completed in 2008.
Modern architecture often draws criticism for being too stark, extreme in its simplicity. However, it is its ability to highlight the world around us that I find to be so beautiful in modernism.
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building.
The clarity with which the play of shadows for instance may fall upon a crystal white surface allows architecture to behave as an ever-changing canvas, a reflector if one prefers, of what is going on all around. When the sun moves across the sky, the shadows dance along the building’s surfaces and when the sky takes on a different shade, the building glows in a completely different light.
Light can be a wonderful paint brush for those blank walls; it does not need any more complexity than that. And obviously, Fumihiko Maki, the building’s design architect, understands light better than I ever could hope to (after all he has won a Pritzker Prize for his contributions and has enjoyed a career spanning some 50 years).
I think it is this understanding of light and an ability to shape it so beautifully which speaks to me most about the Ismaili Imamat Delegation Building.
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3. ICONIC SUSSEX DRIVE
Sussex Drive is denoted by the yellow line. Going East, you start at Rideau Street (blue line) where the 700 Sussex Condominium building is located. Between Rideau Street and #35 on the map, you pass the Connaught Building (550 Sussex) and the US Embassy (490 Sussex). The National Gallery of Art (380 Sussex) and the Basilica (385 Sussex) as well as Reconciliation Monument are located at or around #35. Then just a hundred metres east of #35 are located the Global Centre for Pluralism (330 Sussex), the Royal Canadian Mint (320 Sussex) and the Embassy of Kuwait (333 Sussex). The Saudi Embassy (201 Sussex) and the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building (199 Sussex) are at #36, with the Lester Pearson Building (125 Sussex) and the John G. Diefenbacker or the Old City Hall (111 Sussex) approximately 100-200 metres further east. At #37 you reach Rideau Falls Park (50 Sussex) and the French Embassy (42 Sussex). Finally, Sussex Drive winds down (or starts if you are travelling South!) at #38, the residences of the Prime Minister (24 Sussex) and the Governor General (1 Sussex) as well as the High Commission of South Africa (15 Sussex). Map credit: The National Capital Commission (with minor edits by Simergphotos to represent Sussex Drive more clearly).
Date posted: Saturday, July 19, 2014.
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Imamat Day Mubarak: The House of Imran and the Progeny of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s)
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“We search for a union with the family of the Chosen (Prophet Muhammad). We search for the truth of son after son. We are totally obedient to his offspring, one of the other. There is no other thing we can add to this but itself. We endeavour in our faith so that we do not turn out to be faithless.”
Ismaili poet NIZAR QUHISTANI
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Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III, is pictured above at his enthronement as 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Ismaili Muslims in Bombay at the age of seven. His reign lasted for 72 years. In his will, he proclaimed Prince Karim Aga Khan as the 49th Imam with the following words:
“Ever since the time of my first ancestor Ali, the first Imam, that is to say over a period of thirteen hundred years it has always been the tradition of our family that each Imam chooses his successor at his absolute and unfettered discretion from amongst any of his descendants whether they be sons or remoter male issue.
“In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world in very recent years due to the great changes which have taken place including the discoveries of atomic science I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Shia Moslem Ismailian Community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age and who brings a new outlook on life to his office as Imam.
“I appoint my grandson Karim, the son of my son Aly Salomone Khan to succeed to the title of Aga Khan and to be the Imam and Pir of all my Shia Ismailian followers.”
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Through the special designation (or the Nass) of the late Imam, Shah Karim al-Hussaini became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Nizari Ismailis at the age of twenty.
Shortly after, the newly enthroned Imam met Ismaili leaders and representatives from around the world, and also made the following statement:
“My grandfather dedicated his life to the Imamat and Islam, both of which came first, and above all other considerations. While I was prepared that one day I might be designated the Aga Khan I did not expect it so soon. I follow a great man in a great responsibility and he could have given me no more appreciated honour than to bequeath me this spiritual leadership. My life, as his, will be dedicated to the service of my followers.”
Date posted: July 10, 2014, 23:26 EDT.
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 