Simerg is an independent initiative dedicated to Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan — their Hereditary Imam — and the Ismaili Imamat, and Islam in general through literary readings, photo essays and artistic expressions
Author Archives: Malik Merchant, Editor
Founding publisher and editor of www.barakah.com, www.simerg.com and www.simergphotos.com.
[A similar version of this piece also appears on Simerg’s sister website Barakah that was inaugurated in 2017 to celebrate the Hereditary Leadership (or Imamat) of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan. The origins of the Divine Institution of Imamat that His Highness leads go back to the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) who designated and appointed his cousin and son-in-law, Hazrat Ali (a.s.), to continue to govern the Muslim community in spiritual and temporal matters. His Highness is the 49th Imam in this succession of Hereditary Imams — Ed.]
In the Talika Mubarak (holy written message) of December 10, 2021 that was sent to the world-wide Jamat on the auspicious occasion of his 85th birthday on December 13, Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, said: “I am most touched that on the occasion of my birthday, senior Jamati leaders have presented a beautiful gift on behalf of my global Jamat, which I accept with appreciation and gratitude.”
Porcelain vases presented to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, on his 85th birthday on December 13, 2021. Photo: The Ismaili.
The ‘beautiful gift’ referred to by the Imam was a pair of porcelain vases, and The Ismaili provided a brief description and photograph of the two vases in a post dated December 12, 2021.
However, the happiest moment was for the Jamats worldwide to see Mawlana Hazar Imam himself holding one of the two vases in a garden setting at his Lisbon residence, with what appears to be an orange or clementine tree in the background. What a beautiful photo Fernando Costa captured for all of us to see, and give us so much joy.
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, is seen holding one of the two 19th century porcelain vases that was presented to him by leading Ismaili leaders on behalf of the global Ismaili community on the occasion of his 85th auspicious birthday on December 13, 2021. Photo: Fernando Costa / IPL via The Ismaili.
This pair of porcelain lavender-ground vases were made in 1874 at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, which became the preeminent porcelain manufacturer in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the 19th century, the Sèvres factory’s output reflected an ongoing desire for technical innovation as well as a wide embrace of diverse decorative and historical styles. The shape and design of these vases is based on a Persian metal prototype and, as such, they are recorded in the Sèvres Archives as ‘Vase Bouteille Persane’. Eighteen similar vases were entered for sale in January 1874 and described as ‘fond sous couverte et décor en or’ (under cover and gold decoration) at a cost of 95 francs each. [1]
Detail of vase presented by the worldwide Ismaili community to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, on the auspicious occasion of his 85th birthday, December 13, 2021.
Of Islamic shape, the ovoid body of each vase continues in a long narrow elongated tapered neck, all made in three sections and each joined with two slender fillets of ormolu. The vases are decorated with elaborate Persian gold-powder motifs in the form of interlacing scrollwork and arabesques on the body and ornamented fillets on the neck in heightened relief against a pale lavender or ‘fond changeant’ ground. Designed by the important Parisian sculptor, Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887), the vases exist in several versions that differ according to their colour and decoration.
The lavender colour of the vases presented to Mawlana Hazar Imam is very unusual — it changes according to the light under which it is placed, from purple/grey in daylight to pale pink in artificial light. This change of colour according to its exposure to light is due to a mixture of vanadium oxide and cerium oxide. This use of the ‘chameleon’ paste was invented in 1848 by the Sèvres factory chemist Alphonse Louis Salvetat for the 1862 Universal Exhibition held in London to promote the savoir-faire (know how) of the world’s rapidly expanding industries.
Detail of vase presented by the worldwide Ismaili community to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, on the auspicious occasion of his 85th birthday, December 13, 2021.
While similar vases in blue and white are to be found in private and museum collections, vases in this pale lavender colour are exceptionally rare. The vases bear, on the underside, green printed lozenge and iron-red decore marks, as well as various incised potters inscriptions, of the Sèvres factory. The vases, each of which is 55 cm in height, are in extremely fine condition. Using the same techniques pioneered during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres continues to produce some of the most high quality works of porcelain art — vases, painted plaques, dinner services, figures — to this day, and it is therefore not surprising that Sèvres is such an integral part of the landscape of the decorative arts today.
Date posted: December 25, 2021.
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[1] Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres Archive, Registre Vr, 1 iere serie, vol.2, fol. 247.17.
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Winter winds whispering through the near naked trees, The Season is upon us, feel that crisp familiar breeze. With no two snowflakes alike, they settle on our faces, Melting on eyelashes and leaving no traces…
A white blanket of fresh snow falls all around, Like in a snow globe it always astounds; We run out to greet it throwing our hands in the air, So effortlessly it falls and with wonder we share
With loved ones we gather making snow angels and snowmen. Year after year, we never tire, we do it again and again. The fresh snow makes everything feel sacred and new, Our own Winter Wonderland is the spectacle we view.
So gather together as the New Year draws near, It is a time for resolutions and to make them sincere, Take note with GRATITUDE, God is blessing you with more time, Blessed is life’s journey, to waste even a day is a crime.
With this new snowfall, it’s time to clean all the slates, Forgiveness is Powerful, it can open any gate, Bear no grudges, this is of no use to you, It is just more baggage to carry, and it is truthfully undue.
We are granted just this one gift to live here and now, What you do with this gift is to God what you vow. Every day when your eyes open, before turning the coffee pot on, Look in your heart and thank God that you are not gone.
Every single day is a present to be opened with joy, And doing God’s WORK is a meaningful and righteous employ. Forget all the spending, the best present you can give, Is TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.
We welcome feedback from our readers. Please complete the LEAVE A REPLY form below or click Leave a comment. Your letter may be edited for length and brevity, and is subject to moderation.
Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
Hast thou not seen how that whatsoever is in the heavens and in the earth extols God, and the birds spreading their wings? Each — He knows its prayer and its extolling; and God knows the things they do — Holy Qur’an, 24:41, Sura An-Nur
Please click on image for more beautiful photos of the hawk’s visit to Aga Khan Park in August 2021.
December holds many significant historical memories for me. The month is of particular importance for Ismailis around the world. On December 13, 1936 Mawlana Shah Karim al Hussaini Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Muslims was born in Geneva, Switzerland. Ismailis celebrated their Imam’s 85th birthday (or Salgirah) last week and presented him with two beautiful porcelain vases. My dad Jehangir, who died in May 2018, was born on exactly the same day in 1928. Were he alive, he would have celebrated his 93rd birthday this year.
Also in December, in 1961 India annexed the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu, in what the Portuguese called an invasion, while the Indians called it a liberation. A consequence of this action by India was that all its citizens in Mozambique, a Portuguese colony, were interned for more than 5 months in a camp located a few miles outside Lourenço Marques (now Maputo). My parents, Jehangir and Malek Merchant, were the only Ismailis in Mozambique carrying Indian passports, and were severely affected by this measure. My dad was taken to the camp with 5,000 other Indian citizens. Being a teacher, he was able to conduct special classes for young children and other students during his stay. During the same month, my mother gave birth to my brother Alnoor (pictured below with our parents). She was thus spared from the camp, and was looked after at a hospital for the entire period that my dad was in internment. Then, following their release from internment, Indian nationals were asked to leave the country within 90 days. My parents left for Tanzania (then Tanganyika), where they continued their service to the Imamat and Jamati institutions as religious education teachers and honorary missionaries.
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Alnoor, centre, pictured with his parents Jehangir and Malek Merchant, during the Silver Jubilee visit of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, to London, England in July 1983. Photo: Jehangir Merchant Family Collection.
Going much further back in history, December 19, 1846 marked the inauguration of the telegraph in Canada, with a line from Toronto to Queenston carrying the first message. A plaque marking this historic day has been placed outside on the entrance wall of St Lawrence Market located in Toronto’s Front Street (see photo, below).
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Plaque commemorating the inauguration of the telegraph in Canada on December 19, 1846, on the front entrance wall of Toronto’s St Lawrence Market; December 18, 2021. Photo: Malik Merchant/Simerg.
It may be noted however, that the first telegraphic message was sent by its inventor, Samuel Morse, two years earlier in May 24, 1844 which simply read: “What God Wrought?” He credited the message to his friend’s daughter, Annie Ellsworth, who found it in the Bible. It is an expression of awe for God [for inspiring the invention].
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When decoded, this paper tape recording of the historic message transmitted on May 24, 1844 by Samuel F. B. Morse reads, “What hath God wrought?” Morse sent it from the Supreme Court room in the U.S. Capitol in Washington to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore. Photo: US Library of Congress.
Telegraph stations in the United States, the Canadas & Nova Scotia, 1853. This map reveals the status of the telegraph network as it existed in the U.S. in 1853, only nine years after the first message, shown in the previous image. By this time, only one state east of the Mississippi, Florida, was not connected by telegraph. The legend on the left offers the list of message rates from Pittsburgh. By 1861, telegraph lines crossed the American continent; by 1866, the transatlantic cable connected America and Europe. Credit: Chas. B. Barr, Pittsburgh, Pa. Wegner & Buechner lith., 1853. Col. map 59 x 85 cm. Scale ca. 1:4,200,000 Geography and Map Division, via US Library of Congress.
Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah was a frequent user of the telegraphic services. On December 29, 1948, he sent a telegram conferring Count Jindani with the title of Diwan for his great services. There are numerous other examples of telegraphic messages that the late Imam sent to Ismaili individuals and institutions. A few from Ismaili magazines appear on this website.
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A telegram from Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan conferring the title of Diwan on (Count) Gulamhussein Mohamed Naser Jindani. Photo: Mohamed Jindani Collection, London, UK.
In a brief historical overview on communications technology as they have evolved over the last few hundred years, a piece on the website of Elon University states:
“The printing press was the big innovation in communications until the telegraph was developed. Printing remained the key format for mass messages for years afterward, but the telegraph allowed instant communication over vast distances for the first time in human history. Telegraph usage faded as radio became easy to use and popularized; as radio was being developed, the telephone quickly became the fastest way to communicate person-to-person; after television was perfected and content for it was well developed, it became the dominant form of mass-communication technology; the internet came next, and newspapers, radio, telephones, and television are being rolled into this far-reaching information medium.”
In response to the invention of the telegraph, Charles F. Briggs and Augustus Maverick wrote in their 1858 book “The Story of the Telegraph”:
“Of all the marvelous achievements of modern science the electric telegraph is transcendentally the greatest and most serviceable to mankind … The whole earth will be belted with the electric current, palpitating with human thoughts and emotions … How potent a power, then, is the telegraphic destined to become in the civilization of the world! This binds together by a vital cord all the nations of the earth. It is impossible that old prejudices and hostilities should longer exist, while such an instrument has been created for an exchange of thought between all the nations of the earth.” (emphasis added)
Morse, however, had anticipated much earlier that a communications technology such as the one he had invented could be misused. In a letter to Francis O.J. Smith in 1838, Morse wrote:
“This mode of instantaneous communication must inevitably become an instrument of immense power, to be wielded for good or for evil, as it shall be properly or improperly directed.”
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Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, delivering Brown University’s Ogden lecture on March 10, 2014.
Looking at the power the internet holds today, how accurate was Morse! And let’s elaborate on this by studying what Mawlana Hazar Imam has said with regard to the innovation of technologies and different disruptive forces that are at play. In his March 10, 2014 Stephen Ogden Lecture at Brown University, he said:
“We often think about technological innovation as a great source of hope for the world. We hear about how the internet can reach out across boundaries, helping us all to stay in touch, and giving us access to information from every imaginable source.
“But it is worth remembering that the same affirmations have greeted new communication technologies for centuries, from the printing press to the telegraph to television and radio. Yet in each case, while many hopes were fulfilled, many were also disappointed. In the final analysis, the key to human cooperation and concord has not depended on advances in the technologies of communication, but rather on how human beings go about using – or abusing – their technological tools.
“Among the risks of our new communications world is its potential contribution to what I would call the growing “centrifugal forces” in our time – the forces of “fragmentation.” These forces, I believe, can threaten the coherence of democratic societies and the effectiveness of democratic institutions.
“Yes, the Information Revolution, for individuals and for communities, can be a great liberating influence. But it also carries some important risks.
“More information at our fingertips can mean more knowledge and understanding. But it can also mean more fleeting attention-spans, more impulsive judgments, and more dependence on superficial snapshots of events. Communicating more often and more easily can bring people closer together, but it can also tempt us to live more of our lives inside smaller information bubbles, in more intense but often more isolated groupings.
“We see more people everywhere these days, standing or sitting or walking alone, absorbed in their hand-held screens. But, I wonder whether, in some larger sense, they are really more “in touch?” Greater “connectivity” does not necessarily mean greater “connection.”
“Information travels more quickly, in greater quantities these days. But the incalculable multiplication of information can also mean more error, more exaggeration, more misinformation, more disinformation, more propaganda. The world may be right there on our laptops, but the truth about the world may be further and further away.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam then discusses some of the conflicts that are taking place in the world today, and asks, “How can we respond to such tendencies?” He says:
“The response, I would emphasise today is a thoughtful, renewed commitment to the concept of pluralism and to the closely related potential of civil society. A pluralist commitment is rooted in the essential unity of the human race. Does the Holy Qur’an not say that mankind is descended from “a single soul?” In an increasingly cosmopolitan world, it is essential that we live by a “cosmopolitan ethic,” one that addresses the age-old need to balance the particular and the universal, to honour both human rights and social duties, to advance personal freedom and to accept human responsibility.”
Please read Mawlana Hazar Imam’s complete speech by clicking HERE, in which he recommends ways to overcome the challenges of miscommunication and misinformation we are dealing with.
Date posted: December 18, 2021.
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Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
Dr. Farouk Topan was very well known to my parents Jehangir and Malek Merchant, and as a teenager it was always a privilege to meet him when he visited my dad at the Ismailia Association offices located on the ground floor of Dar es Salaam’s Darkhana Jamatkhana. His discussions with my dad and “Din” who was also from Dr. Topan’s home town, Zanzibar, were illuminating and thoughtful. Some years later when I embarked on my computer career in the UK, and travelled to Southampton twice a week for an assignment, Dr. Topan and his family hosted me for dinner each Tuesday or Wednesday for several months. That was truly heartwarming.
Late Jehangir and Late Maleksultan Merchant with Farouk Topan (left) and Late Gowar Bhatia (right). Photo: Jehangir Merchant Family Collection.
Who would have thought that an Ismaili would become a specialist in the language and literature of the Swahili people? Indeed, Dr. Topan was that outstanding Ismaili individual. He is a renowned expert on Swahili literature, religion, spirit possession, and identity in East Africa and has extensively published on these subjects. He pioneered the study and teaching of Swahili literature in Kiswahili at the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Nairobi. Dr. Topan also taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and was one of the founder editors of the departmental Journal of African Cultural Studies. Columnist Freddy Macha recently celebrated the life of Dr. Topan in an op ed piece for the Tanzanian daily, The Citizen. The piece was in response to an event organized by the Aga Khan University in London in October 2021 honouring Dr. Topan.
I have introduced a beloved friend of my family in this piece because I think no one would be more happier than Dr. Topan on the news that the United Nations has designated 7th July of each year as the World Kiswahili Day.
Tanzania’s Late President Julius K. Nyerere had once envisioned a Swahili-speaking utopia. While that didn’t work out, it is interesting to note that Swahili is becoming popular in many parts of the world, and becomes the first African language to be honoured by UNESCO. With regard to this announcement, Vivian Lisanza of Africa Renewal has written a fine report in the December issue of the monthly magazine. Please read Lisanza’s complete article here or listen to the audio version of the article below. The news will be welcomed by Kiswahili speakers around the world, and bring them immense pride and happiness.
Featured image at top of this post: Ohio University students write a welcoming message in Swahili. It is one of the universities in the United States that teaches Swahili. Photo: Ohio University.
Date posted: December 16, 2021.
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Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
One of the most well known and travelled missionaries of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community in the past century has to be Alwaez Rai Abualy Alibhai. He passed away in May 2008, before this website was inaugurated, and I have often thought of him several times over the past decade. A mentally and physically strong person all his life, he continued until his very last years to sit on the floor in Jamatkhana, without twitching. He was always fully focused in his prayers.
Clockwise from left: Ismaili missionaries Sadru Pradhan (deceased), Abualy Aziz (deceased), Amirali Amlani (deceased), Jehangir Merchant ( deceased), Sultanali Mohamed (deceased), Fateh Damji and Ali Rajabali. Photo: Jehangir Merchant Family Collection.
Alwaez Abualy delivers a short speech at the 50th wedding anniversary party for Alwaez Jehangir (right) and Alwaeza Maleksultan Merchant (not shown). Photo: Jehangir Merchant Family Collection.
I remember him fondly calling my late mum as “meri beti” (my daughter), especially after she had delivered a waez (sermon). My parents knew him from India, but I first met the beloved missionary in the late 1950’s when he made two visits to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo). Now, in Mozambique there was no guarantee about when a specific visitor would arrive in the country — as travel via South Africa was sometimes tricky, with possible delays — and I would remember my dad walking up to all the boys who were playing football in the Jamatkhana field and telling us that when we got back home we should tell our parents that a missionary had arrived in the city and that he would be delivering a waez that evening. This may not have been the case with missionary Abualy but it was definitely the case with missionary Salim Issa Moosa. I was in the group of footballers when my dad introduced Salim missionary to all of us, and asked us to attend Jamatkhana with our parents to listen to his waez. We not only spoke Portuguese but spoke and wrote in Gujarati quite well. My parents had taught us Dua meanings of all six parts in Gujarati by the time we were 8!
During his lifetime, Alwaez Abualy delivered thousands of waezes around the world, and one thing that he did which my parents never did was that he always carried a portable tape recorder to the stage to tape his own waez. Thus, the collection of waezes that have been gathered for the late missionary is phenomenal.
I propose to publish a longer piece about the missionary one day, but for today I am putting out this short piece because Toronto’s Kamru Rashid, an avid reader and also a contributor of articles on this website, sent me a forward of an excerpt from a talk that Alwaez Abualy had delivered a few years before he passed away. The video clip has been circulating on the social media recently.
In the video, the missionary gives a powerful message to all Ismailis. Speaking in Urdu, Alwaez mentions about the difficulties mankind will face in the 21st century, and then he makes a passionate plea to all Ismailis to keep the remembrance of Allah constantly in their hearts. He asks the Jamat to recite Ya Allah, Ya Muhammad, Ya Ali, or the names of the Imams including Mawlana Shah Karim for protection from difficulties and for strength in adversity.
Then, finally, as the clip nears the end, he asks each and everyone to attend Jamatkhana at least once a day to avail ourselves of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s bountiful grace and blessings.
I urge you to listen to missionary Abualy’s message in the video recording below, and explain it to non-Urdu listeners.
(Late) Alwaez Abualy A. Alibhai speaking at an Ismaili gathering.
Date posted: December 16, 2021.
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Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
I went to bed late last night and my eyes did not open for me to be able to attend this morning’s (December 13, 2021) Baitul Khayal Salgirah Majlis for Mawlana Hazar Imam’s 85th birthday. When I woke up at 5:45 am and looked out, the skies in Toronto were covered with clouds, except in the horizon where it was clear. The weather forecast had called for a clear sunny day, and trusting it I set forth in my car for the Port Union Waterfront Park. When I reached there, the sky situation was reversed. The horizon was cloudy but the skies above me were clear. Really, nothing can beat the twilight when there are some clouds in the horizon.
Shortly after sunrise, Lake Ontario, Port Union Waterfront Park, Toronto, 7:51 AM, December 13, 2021. Photo: Malik Merchant/Simerg.
I reached the Park 45 minutes before sunrise. The clear waters of Lake Ontario and strong waves added to my excitement and anticipation of the sunrise. When the sun rose at exactly 7:42 AM, 147 million kilometres from earth, it created a beautiful streak on the clouds that were in the horizon. Birds flew around joyfully.
Porcelain vases presented to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, on his 85th birthday on December 13, 2021. Photo: The Ismaili.
Before I had left home, I had read the Ismaili piece about the world wide Jamat presenting Mawlana Hazar Imam with the 85th birthday gift consisting of a pair of porcelain vases made in the nineteenth century in Paris. The article mentions that the vases “are decorated with elaborate Islamic Persian motifs of gilt scrollwork, arabesques, and stylised flowers in heightened relief against a pale lavender background.” It further says: “The lavender colour of the vases is extremely unusual — changing according to the light under which it is placed, from purple/grey in daylight to pale pink in artificial light.” I thought about this gift and wondered as I was taking photos of the twilight and the sunrise, how the vases might look if they were placed on a piece of rock near where I was standing, with the morning sunlight shining on them.
Ismaili Flag at Aga Khan Park. Play video and also listen to Nashid al Imamah. Video by Malik Merchant/Simerg, December 13, 2021. The Nashid played by the 116th Army Band during Mawlana Hazar Imam’s arrival in Atlanta, USA, 2018, for his Diamond Jubilee.
The crystalline dome of the Ismaili Headquarters Jamatkhana under blue skies, Toronto, December 13, 2021. Photo: Malik Merchant/Simerg.
Driving back home, the sun was now higher up, and the sky was blue everywhere without a cloud in sight. How could I not stop at the Aga Khan Park to see my favourite objects — the Ismaili Flag and the Ismaili Jamatkhana dome? The flag was shining under the sunlight, and the dome was particularly inspiring under blue skies. Seeing the flag, I felt particularly proud and recollected the recording of the Nashid al Imamah played by the USA 116th Army Band when Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Atlanta for his Diamond Jubilee visit in 2018. I took a video of the Ismaili flag and incorporated the recording of the Nashid into the video (watch video above).
Lourenço Marques, 1958: Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and current 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims is seen taking a keen interest as Alwaez Jehangir explains the Gujarati history texts that were used to impart religious education to Ismaili youth in Mozambique. Photo: Jehangir Merchant Family Collection.
Today, as Mawlana Hazar Imam celebrates his 85th birthday, my beloved late papa Jehangir would have turned 93. He died in May 2018 at the age of 89. And of course I remembered my late mum Malek (Mrs. Merchant), who would write loving cards for him on his birthday. Together, they had served the Imam of the Time, the Jamat and its institutions for more than 60 years. I did one thing at Port Union Waterfront Park. I walked an extra 174 steps, the sum of the two birthdays my family is celebrating today. Fortunately, I have good recollections of my childhood. When I was very little, aged less than 5 years and in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), I one day asked my dad very innocently, how come Mawlana Hazar Imam was much younger than him. And his reply was that the age of the Imam was immaterial because he is the bearer of the Noor of Imamat, and all the Imams are the same because they have the same Light. He also gave me a little history lesson that Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah was only 7 when he became the Imam in August 1885. That faith and belief have been with me ever since, and you can read more about the philosophical and historical perspective on the Noor of Imamat HERE.
Happy Salgirah Mubarak to Ismailis around the world.
Date posted: December 13, 2021.
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We welcome feedback from our readers. Please complete the LEAVE A REPLY form below or click Leave a comment . Your letter may be edited for length and brevity, and is subject to moderation.
Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
Simerg’s sister website Barakah which is dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat, is pleased to present a profound reading on the subject of Imamat along with a special piece of art by Karim Ismail on the auspicious occasion of Hazar Imam’s 85th Salgirah. The post includes the singing of the Ginan (Hymn) Dhan Dhan Aajno by the (Late) Alwaez Shamshu Bandali Haji, and also has links to its explanation as well as 25 other recitations of the same Ginan by Ismaili singers from around the world. Please click 85th Salgirah Mubarak or on the image below.
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, is in his 65th year of Imamat and celebrates his 85th birthday on December 13, 2021. Please click on image for Imamat reading.
Date posted: December 11, 2021.
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Featured image at top of post: In centre, a calligraphy by Toronto’s Karim Ismail and on either side of the art work two paintings of Mawlana Hazar Imam by Vancouver based artist Azeez Khanbhai, who was featured recently in Barakah.
We welcome feedback from our readers. Please complete the LEAVE A REPLY form below or click Leave a comment. Your letter may be edited for length and brevity, and is subject to moderation.
Simerg: What is behind the naming of the title of the book?
Shairoz Lakhani: “Shine Brighter” is the title of my book. We all originate from one source; we are born with a soul when we come into the physical world. It is important while we are in this physical world to learn the lessons life is giving us. As we learn these lessons — and with Allah’s blessings –we all “Shine Brighter.”
Simerg: Why would you want me or my family members to read the book, and what will we all learn from it?
Shairoz:Shine Brighter is a children’s book with 6 stories that teach children and adults the simple but important values we need in our life. For example some of the stories I have written relate to the importance of peace and joy in life, that sharing is fun, and that we should be positive in life.
Simerg: What inspired you to write the book?
Shairoz: I have been a volunteer teacher for over 10 years and I really enjoy teaching children. Thus, I have been inspired to write stories that will help the children grow with good values. I have noted in my life that many of my ideas come after I have meditated. So this spiritual aspect of my life has inspired me in my work. I would note that Mawlana Hazar Imam talks about good values and ethics, and I also draw my inspiration from him.
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Front cover of Shairoz Lakhani’s story book for children “Shine Brighter.” 40 pp., Balboa Press, May 2018. Click on image for enlarged version.
Simerg: How can I purchase the book and what are its available formats?
Shairoz: I have my own website where Shine Brighter’s price is reduced from £14.99 to £9.99 plus £1 postage. The book is available in bookstores and may also be ordered through Amazon websites; for example Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK etc. It is also available as a Kindle edition. I will be happy to sign the book when the book is purchased from me, or if it is brought to me if it was purchased somewhere else.
Simerg: How did you find a publisher for the book?
Shairoz: I did a lot of research and found there were some who were taking manuscripts and some were not.
Simerg: Did you hire an editor, an illustrator or did you do all the work by yourself?
Shairoz: Yes, I have an excellent animator artist. He has done many animations for the cartoon Mr Bean.
Simerg: How long did it take you to write Shine Brighter — from start to finish and to begin marketing it?
Shairoz: It took me about 6-10 months.
Simerg: Tell us something more about your book.
Shairoz: As I have already noted, Shine Brighter is a compilation of 6 stories. There are animal characters in the stories. Children can easily relate to the amazing characters. Each story has valuable lessons that children (and adults) can learn and relate to experiences in their lives.
Date posted: December 8, 2021.
[Parents may wish to buy Shairoz’s beautiful book as a gift for their children or their friends for the auspicious occasion of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s 85th birthday or for the coming holiday season. Please visit her website, www.shairozlakhani.com, to place an order. She will send you a signed copy — Ed.]
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Shairoz Lakhani
Shairoz has served as a Baitul Ilm (BUI) teacher with the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board for the UK (ITREB) for close to 15 years, and has taught across London, Leicester and France. Her ambition in religious education teaching started at the young age of 17 in Leicester, and she along with other teachers specifically taught nursery students on Friday evenings in Leicester.
On a day-to-day basis, Shairoz describes herself as “an author and a mum.” In 2019, she launched her first children’s book called “Shine Brighter.” She notes that the book can equally be a good read for the older age group and even parents who are working towards embedding and nurturing good values in their children.
“Shine Brighter” is all about life lessons — it is about trust, being true to yourself, nurturing friendship and brotherhood as well as helping each other and making the world a happy place for everyone. Shairoz believes these core values are incredibly important in today’s world.
Shairoz uses stories as a tool to invite a dialogue between children, parents and the wider community. She believes stories provide the best medium to share knowledge and wisdom with children. Her book is not just for Ismaili Muslim children. She wants to reach out to the children globally to collectively make the world prosperous for everyone.
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Calling all Ismaili Authors
We encourage Ismaili writers to introduce their books in a similar format as has been done in the post above. Please also see the series launch article and submit your responses to Malik at Simerg@aol.com. All submissions will be acknowledged. If a writer has published multiple books, each book will be highlighted in a separate article, and not combined with other books into one post. All writers should include a brief profile with a portrait photo.
The Ismaili Authors’ Series so far (in chronological sequence, oldest article first):
Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
Prince Hussain Aga Khan’s Diving Into Wildlife comprises a collection of extraordinary underwater sea animal photographs taken by the Prince over the past decade. A collection of seven of his sea animal photos were displayed in Lisbon in July 2018 during the Diamond Jubilee of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan.
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SIGNED COPIES ARE MUCH DESIRED
Signed copies are much desired by book lovers and collectors, and, in this particular instance, the signature of Prince Hussain Aga Khan makes his work “Diving Into Wildlife” a truly unique and treasured item for any book collector, or for anyone receiving the book as a gift. Viewers of this website will recall that some 12 years ago, we offered both signed and unsigned copies of Prince Hussain’s book of animal photos entitled Animal Voyage. Prince Hussain had dedicated Animal Voyage to Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (1933-2003), and the proceeds from the sale of the book went to the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Fund for the Environment.
Prince Hussain’s “Diving Into Wildlife” is published under the auspices of his organization called “Focused on Nature” (FON, www.focusedonnature.org), whose mission is to “assist in the conservation and protection of threatened and endangered species, as well as habitat conservation efforts when and where possible.”Simerg is thus delighted to support the work of FON by offering readers signed copies of “Diving Into Wildlife.”
As of the posting of this announcement on December 7, 2021, we have exactly 9 signed copies, and each is being offered at $US125.00 plus $US25.00 to cover expedited shipping and postage across Canada and the USA. The initiative to ask a premium for signed copies and to submit the premium to FON has not been requested by the author or the publisher, but is a Simerg’s. The signed copies are only available for shipping within North America. Each shipment will be trackable via the website of Canada Post.
HOW TO PURCHASE THE BOOK
Payment Methods:
Paypal: Simergbooks has been verified by Paypal. To purchase a copy, please send a request to Simergbooks@aol.com or simerg@aol.com, and an invoice will be generated from Paypal provided we have the book in stock. In view of the limited quantities payment should then be received within 24 hours after the invoice. Canadian orders will be invoiced in Canadian dollars based on an exchange rate of $US 1.00 = $C 1.30.
Email Transfer (for Canadian orders only): Once we have confirmed that a book is available, we will request you to submit a payment via email transfer. In view of the limited quantities payment should then be received within 24 hours after the invoice.
SIMERG’S EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
My son was delighted with the excellent photography by Prince Hussain. We as a family will cherish this volume (Animal Voyage) for a long time. Once again, thank you http://www.simerg.com for making this book available in North America and your outstanding customer service and support. Shamim Rajan, Richmond Hill, Ontario
his is a beautiful piece of work!! The service was excellent. Very quick, safe and efficient turnaround and follow up. I recommend everyone to have a copy. Nazir Alibhai, Markham, Ontario.
“Outstanding customer service, superfast delivery, and the book is great addition to any library.” Yaar, Toronto.
Date posted: December 7, 2021.
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Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Please also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah and Simergphotos.
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 