Simerg is an independent platform that focuses on the dissemination of knowledge about the faith, culture and news pertaining to the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims led by their Hereditary Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, through literary readings as well as artistic and textual expressions. It also brings to its readers news, events and programs that are of interest to all readers, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Simerg supports 2 more independent initiatives, Barakah.com and Simergphotos.com
Editor’s note: Rachael Kohn, a broadcaster, author, and speaker on religion and spirituality, conducted an interview with Alice Hunsberger on her former Australian program, “The Ark”, on the occasion of the millennium birth anniversary of Nasir Khusraw. A shorter version of the interview was prepared and presented by Mashal Ali (acting as Rachael) and Nurin Merchant (acting as Alice) at a literary night event hosted in Ottawa to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan. Their presentation is produced below with the kind consent of Ms. Kohn. It is followed by a brief History Pod video presentation on Nasir Khusraw and his travelogue Safarnama.
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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. For example he beautifully wrote:
The world is a deep ocean Its water is time. Your body is like a shell, Your soul the pearl. If you wish to have the value of a pearl, Raise up the pearl of your soul with learning.
Rachael Kohn: Unlike Rumi or Omar Khayyam, Nasir Khusraw isn’t well-known in the West. Yet! But New Yorker Alice Hunsberger may change that, with her book on his life and work. She was particularly interested in how different Khusraw’s poetry was at the time.
Alice, when one thinks about the period, the Persian poet that comes to mind is Omar Khayyam who was almost a contemporary of Khusraw, I guess he was about a generation later. Now he is much more well known in the West; how would you compare Omar Khayyam and Khusraw?
Alice Hunsberger:Yes, Omar Khayyam is best known because of the wonderful and inspired translation a century and a half ago by Edward Fitzgerald, and one of the tricks to becoming well-known, is finding a good translator.
Right now for example, Omar Khayyam is best known as a poet to the West but in the East he was primarily known as a brilliant mathematician and astronomer. Nasir Khusraw on the other hand is one of the best, highest ranking poets in the Persian speaking world.
Nasir Khusraw really is not a love poet, so you will not find mystical expressions of love. What he calls for is the use of intellect in religion in one’s life; and in contrast to Omar Khayyam, who was, we could say, cynical toward religious people.
Rachael Kohn: Well, Khusraw himself was something of a religious seeker. He seems to have even read about other religions as well as philosophy. What faction or what tradition of Islam did he align himself with?
Alice Hunsberger: He was very well educated and did look at lots of different religions. At some point in his life, he had a spiritual awakening, and in one place he tells it as a dream, and in another its a more journey-like kind of story.
He finally found the truth and the peace in faith that he was seeking in the Ismaili faith, that is a branch of the Shi’ites. He believes that what God sent down is the external, and that the internal meaning is what needs to be brought out and that needs an Imam, an interpreter.
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A statue of the famous Ismaili philosopher, poet and missionary Nasir Khusraw in Badakhshan.
Rachael Kohn: Well, Nasir Khushraw, I think was referred to as ‘the real wisdom of the East’; how did he earn that accolade?
Alice Hunsberger: Well I would think that would refer to this inner wisdom which beyond the scientific knowledge, beyond external religious practices, there’s an inner truth that underlies the teachings. This is what he was preaching. So we have to get to the inner truth.
Rachael Kohn: What sort of personality or character comes through in his writing?
Alice Hunsberger: When you read his works you feel right away, ‘Here’s a strong person, a strong, definite individual’. You feel him in many emotions; he opens up some of his poems with sadness, other ones he begins with beautiful springtime visions of trees and flowers so that you see a person in all his complexity.
Rachael Kohn: Is there a strong ethical sense that comes through in his poetry? Is he a critic, a sharp observer of the religious life around?
Alice Hunsberger:Absolutely. As a member, as a leading intellectual of the Ismaili faith, he came under the criticism and enmity of the other schools of the Sunnis and others, so he used his pen very forcefully to defend the faith and to defend his actions.
Rachael Kohn: Alice, are Nasir Khusraw’s poems used today as an inspiration for progressive thought in Islam?
Alice Hunsberger: I think so. I haven’t been back to Iran for a while but they’re having conferences about him now and, even though he is from another branch of Shi’ism, they certainly respect his ethics and his strong personality.
Rachael Kohn: Well Nasir Khusraw ended his days rather sadly, exiled. Why was he exiled?
Alice Hunsberger: After his journey which he undertook as a result of the spiritual awakening, he stayed in Cairo because it was a very powerful Ismaili seat; for about 200 years there was an Ismaili caliph in Cairo, and so he studied there. He left to become a preacher back in his homeland of Khurasan and converted many people.
His success brought enmity and danger to his life, so he fled into a region of Badakhshan where he lived out his life under the protection of a local prince and he wrote much of his sad poetry of his exile from there. Here is a short verse of one of these poems:
But it doesn’t matter where we are, Sometimes we’re in bad places; But no-one values a ruby less for coming out of dirty soil And no-one criticises roses for coming out of manure. So we all are like a ruby and like a rose. We need to blossom and shine wherever we are.
Rachael Kohn: Wise words a thousand years ago and today. That was Alice Hunsberger speaking about the poetry of Nasir Khusraw, who’s been the subject of celebrations by Ismaili communities around the world.
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YouTube Video
Date posted: March 5, 2023. Last updated: March 25, 2023.
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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. The editor may be reached via email at mmerchant@simerg.com.
PRELUDE:Thirty years ago, Mbeya Town, situated in the Southern Highland region of Tanzania lost Raibanu Sikina Kanji Lalji. She and her husband Rai Kanji Lalji were one of the pioneers of Mbeya. She was a dedicated person not only to her Lalji Bharmal family by marriage but to all communities of the town. Being her grand nephew, I am humbled to write about her so that she is not forgotten and thus will belong to the pages of history of the Indian contribution in the development of East African countries.
It is a misconception that the people of Indian origin in East Africa are descendants of the labourers who built Kenya-Uganda railway. Almost 32,000 workers from Kutch and Punjab were involved in laying a railway line from Mombasa to Kampala. Between 1896 and 1901, 2,493 workers died and 6,454 became invalid while laying the tracks. After the completions, only about 7,000 workers chose to stay back; the rest of them returned to India.
History indicates that there were trade links between Kutch, Gujarat and African coast for centuries. Modern day migration of Indians (or Asians as they were called in East Africa) to East Africa started in early and middle part 19th century. It was estimated that the number of Indians living in Zanzibar in 1859 was around 2,000.
Before, during and after the completion of laying of railway tracks in East African countries, Indian traders, mostly in the beginning from Kutch and then Kathiawar, had migrated to establish trading posts, called “dukas” along the railway routes. There were however others who were brave enough to venture out and establish trading posts in unexplored and dangerous regions of these countries. This was to provide the needs of indigenous populations and also of German and British administrators, living in the towns where they had established administration centers called “Bomas”. One such part was Southern Highland region of German East Africa (Tanganyika) and one such family was of my great grandfather Lalji Bharmal Rana’s children and grandchildren.
Initially, the Indian settlers in East African countries were male Indians. These men came alone without their spouses, as either they felt that the move to East Africa would be temporary and short lived or would send for their wives later on, when financial means permitted. The other group was young single men.
Women, following their migration to East Africa, either to join their husbands or after becoming brides of young single men who had gone back to get married, have played a very major and important role in the success of Indian settlement in Africa in general and East Africa in particular. They not only minded their homes and looked after the children but they were pillars of support for Indian men. They helped their husbands in the “dukas”, looked after the extended family and also helped other women in the community they were living in.
Mbeya and Tukuyu regions of the Southern Highland Province of Tanganyika was blessed with arrival in the early part of 1923 — after her marriage to Wadabapa Kanji Lalji Bharmal — of a lady, who would play a major role not only in the settlement of Lalji Bharmal family and Indian community of various backgrounds and religion but also the betterment of the general population of Mbeya.
Her name was Sikinabai Kanji Lalji — our Wadima, The Grandma of Mbeya.
Wadima Raibanu Sikina Kanji Lalji. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
Wadima Sikina was the daughter of Hirji Rajpar Kalyan from Nagalpur, Kutch. She was a sister of five brothers who all migrated to Tanganyika. The oldest brother, Jaffer, settled in Zanzibar and the rest, Mollo, Merali, Bandali and Suleman settled in Tukuyu. Wadabapa Kanji Lalji was the second son of Lalji Bharmal and being single, immigrated first in early second decade of 20th century. His older brother, Manji, was a family man and a breadwinner for the Lalji Bharmal family, farming on their small piece of land called “Kundhi Wadi”. Thus he was not able to go first to Tanganyika. Wadabapa Kanji Lalji after succeeding in his business, returned to Kutch in 1922 to get married.
Wadima’s parents, Mr & Mrs Hirji Rajpar Kalyan. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
The 48th Ismaili Imam, Mawlana Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan lll, had instructed the Kutch Kathiawar Ismaili Jamats to go to East Africa for economical betterment. So this newly married couple was given a big task to take some of Wadabapa’s brothers and nephews with them on their trip back to East Africa to settle them and help them to earn their living there. At a young age of seventeen and as a newly married bride, she took this responsibility with her husband and became the “mother” of the family.
The new home of Wadima, as Mrs Sikinabai Kanji Lalji, will be addressed from now on, was in New-Langenburg (presently known as Tukuyu), a small hillside town in the Southern Highland region of Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania).This was the place the German administration, before 1st World War, had established a center called “Boma”. Mr Kanji Lalji had moved to this place from a close by village of Masoko where he had initially settled in 1911.
Mr & Mrs Kanji Lalji. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
In those days, these small villages in East Africa did not have any hotels or restaurants. There were only few Indian families of different backgrounds, i.e. Hindus, Sunni Muslims and Khoja Muslims (mostly Ismailis).They thus had no choice but to look after each other in all ways of life. Any new arrival or visitor would just have to go to any “duka” of an Indian person and he and his family would be taken care of. They would be fed, housed and also would get help so to open their own “dukas” or find them employment, regardless of religious background. This was an old Sindhi, Kutchi and Khatiawadi tradition for generations, practised in India and outside India.
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Shaded relief map of Tanzania. Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas. This is an annotated version prepared by Simerg and locations mentioned in the article have been circled in red.
As very few of the Indian man-folk had wives, Wadimaa played major role in this aspect in Tukuyu, during that time. One such example was an arrival of a Sunni Muslim family of Haji Yusufmia in Tukuyu in late 1920’s or early 1930’s; they had arrived in Tukuyu after crossing Lake Nyassa (Malawi) in a small canoe from Nyasaland. They were on their way to Mbeya region to settle. They stayed with them and Haji Yusufmia made Wadimaa his blood sister. From then on that relationship between these two families continues to exist until the present day and has remained strong among their children and grandchildren. Haji Yusufmia became a prosperous businessman in Mbeya and a respected Muslim community leader in the Southern Highland region. He and his family were officially invited to attend the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan in 1946 in Dar es Salaam.
Wadima Sikinabai and Wadabapa Kanji Lalji were matriarch of the Lalji Bharmal family in the settlement of Wadabapa’s older brother Manji’s sons and daughters, his younger brothers Hussein and Karim Lalji. They helped them settle, marry and establish themselves in Tanganyika and some of them became quite successful economically.
In spite of being young, Wadima had an inborn mature quality and accepted a major role in the social aspect of the communities. She learned Swahili language and also local tribal language of Nyakyusa. As there were no doctors or official midwives, women helped each other during deliveries. She was one of the main women involved as a “midwife”. She was self-taught by observing and also from a midwifery medical book for women; she told me that she bought this book in Mumbai for 3 rupees during her first return visit to Kutch after her marriage. She also told me (being an MD myself) during our fireplace talks in her later years, while visiting Vancouver, that she still wanted to learn more. She wanted to know about new procedures involved during deliveries in the present modern day.
In 1935, Wadima and her family relocated to Mbeya. They became one of the pioneers of Mbeya. She continued her involvement in Mbeya community in the same way, and in some respect in more involved way. She was the main lady player in establishment of the Ismaili community of Mbeya. She, with her husband served as Mukhiani and Mukhi of Mbeya Ismaili Jamat in 1938. Their names are embedded on the plaque shown below. She also was instrumental in the establishment of other Ismaili majalis gatherings in Mbeya. In early 1950’s, as per Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah’s instructions, she was one of the first ladies in Mbeya, to adopt the simple western dress and gave up her Indian attire of “pacheri” and saris. She also was instrumental in getting other reluctant Ismaili ladies to do the same.
List of Mukhis and Kamadias of Mbeya Jamat Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
Wadima established the Ismaili Ladies Voluntary corps in Mbeya. The following pictures show her involvement over the decades. She also participated in preparing food during Ismaili functions as part of “Jaman” committee. In spite of her age, she also participated in one of the early Vancouver Partnership Walk during her visit to Vancouver, BC.
Mbeya Aga Khan Women’s Voluntary Corp early 1950s. Photograph: Dr Mohamed Manji collection.
Mbeya Aga Khan Women’s Voluntary Corp late 1950s. Photograph: Dr Mohamed Manji collection.
Mbeya Aga Khan Women’s Voluntary Corp late 1980s. Photograph: Dr Mohamed Manji collection.
Over the years, she earned the respect of all communities of Mbeya, whether they were of native African population or of Indian and European background and came to be known as WADIMA (Grandma). She had a persona of being confidant and in expressing authority. Families would get her involved in settlement of family, marital and financial issues of the community. After Tanganyika’s independence on December 9, 1961, local native political leader would come and greet her as she had known them since they were young. At any Indian wedding, she would be consulted and invited. I remember that my father did consult and inform her about weddings in our family.
In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, members of the Lalji family in Mbeya would visit Wadima’s place once or twice a week after Jamatkhana, for chit-chat. I was very young and my young cousins and young uncles would gather around a “sigree” (charcoal heating utensil), as Mbeya at an altitude of 1,758 metres (5,500 ft) was quite a cold place. The rooms were lit by lanterns; in that period there was no electricity in Mbeya. We would listen to the elders talking about local news, news from Kutch and other family news. Wadima was a very good storyteller. The young ones would sit with her and she would tell to us about our ancestry, about Kutch and their early hard days they went through when she came to Tanganyika and other interesting stories. This was kind of passing on to all of us, our history and informing us, who we were and where we came from.
Her legacy is being remembered and talked about, up to now, by all Lalji Bharmal youngsters, who were sitting around the “sigree” in those early days and also the new Lalji Bharmal generations in the latter days. When we get together here in Canada and talk about Mbeya, we remember her by saying to each other that “Wadima was saying so”.
Wadima during one of her visit to Vancouver in early 1990’s fell sick. Her wish always was to be buried in the African soil. She returned to Mbeya, Tanzania, her “home”. She passed away in Mbeya, surrounded by family, at the age of 88 years, on February 8th, 1994, and she is buried in Mbeya, Tanzania — the place she was a part of in building.
As I reflect on her magnificent life, I pray for the peace of her soul as well as the souls of all the departed members of my family.
Acknowledgements: I would like to first acknowledge my late Wadima Raibanu Sikina Kanji Lalji herself. She over the years provided me her history, which enabled me to pen down the above write up. I would also like to acknowledge my father’s first cousin and Wadimaa’s son Mr Badrudin Kanji Lalji, his daughter Al-Shamsh (Shamshi) Ladha and Wadimaa’s blood bother’s son Haji Satarmia Haji Yusufmia for providing information for this write up.
Date posted: March 16, 2023. Last updated: March 18, 2023 (names, typo corrections.)
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Dr. Mohamed Fazal Manji
Dr Mohamed Fazal Manji, a cancer special and recipient of the 2022 Royal College of Canada M. Andrew Padmos International Collaboration Award, is originally from Mbeya, Tanzania. He is a Consultant Radiation Oncologist at BC Cancer Agency of British Columbia, Canada, and Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia.He graduated in medicine from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and immigrated to Canada in 1972. Dr. Manji specialised in radiation cancer treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital (Cancer Center as it is called now) in Toronto. He obtained the Canadian Fellowship (FRCPC) and American Board Specialist Certification (DABRT) in Radiation Oncology. He also undertook special courses in Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School, Boston USA. He became the first Canadian trained Ismaili Radiation Oncologist in Canada and probably in North America.
A plaque from Aga Khan University in appreciation of Dr. Manji’s services and at right Dr. Manji received the 2022 Royal College of Canada M. Andrew Padmos International Collaboration Award
He has been working at BC Cancer agency since 1977. He spent time abroad, working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to help modernize the Radiation Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center. He spent 12 years at this tertiary hospital for cancer and other diseases. He was also involved in the planning and development of Radiation Oncology Departments at the Aga Khan University Hospitals in Karachi and Nairobi and spent some time working at both places. He has contributed to many peer review publications, abstracts, book chapters and also lecture presentations nationally and internationally. He is the son of Rai Fazal Manji of Mbeya Tanzania, who served as a member of Aga Khan Supreme Council of Tanganyika in 1950’s and Raibanu Rehmat Fazal Manji, daughter of Alijah Mohamed Hamir who, in early 1930’s, built an iconic Jamatkhana in Iringa, Tanzania, and donated it to Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah unconditionally. Dr Manji served as first Member for Health on the first Aga Khan Ismaili Regional Council of Ontario and Quebec in 1973. He has previously contributed an informative piece on Prince Amyn Aga Khan’s visit to Toronto in 1973 on Simerg’s sister website Barakah.
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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. The editor may be reached via email at mmerchant@simerg.com.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: As Simerg completes its 13 years of continuous publication, we launch a special series profiling Ismaili leaders of distinction over the past 125 years. The series will be dedicated to Ismaili institutional leaders as well as individuals who have achieved distinction and recognition working outside the Ismaili community, yet continuing to support the work of the Ismaili Imamat through its Jamati institutions and the Aga Khan Development Network and its agencies. We welcome articles from all over the world for this new initiative. Please write in confidence to the editor at mmerchant@barakah.com.
Map of Canada, world’s 2nd largest country (9,984,670 sq kms, 6.1% of world landmass) after Russia (17,098,242 sq kms, 11% of world landmass). The map represents Canada’s Political Divisions, and shows boundaries, capitals, selected place names, selected drainage and names, the Arctic Circle and adjacent foreign areas. Photo: Natural Resources Canada.
My first home in Canada was in Edmonton. I left London, England, in late December 1980, with the blessings of my mother, Malek (“Mrs. Merchant”), and arrived several hours later to my new home in the thick of winter. It was a clear day, and from the plane I only saw snow as it flew over Canada to my destination. My dad, who had arrived in the city a few days earlier from London to give talks on science and faith as well as other religious topics at the invitation of the local Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board or ITREB (then known as the Ismailia Association) was there to receive me.
The editor of Simerg, Barakah and Simergphotos, Malik Merchant, is pictured with his beloved late parents, Jehangir (d. May 2018) and Malek Merchant (d. January 2021), at the Gatineau Park in the Canada’s National Capital Region during their visit to Ottawa in 2007. Photo: Jehangir Merchant Family Collection.
That weeklong presence of my beloved dad was inspirational, and filled me with immense courage during my first phase of settling down in a new country. Earlier during the year, I had successfully completed an IT assignment in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Edmonton was my home for just under 3 years, before my consulting firm, Cognos, relocated me to Ottawa, Ontario, in late 1983, due to branch closure. I am happy to say that, as of January 2022, Alberta has once again become my home. It will give me an opportunity to reconnect with my boyhood friends, the Jamat as well as many friends with whom I played sports in the past. The Jamat has grown significantly, and the opportunity of seeing thousands of Ismaili faces from Afghanistan excites me.
During my time in Edmonton in the early 1980’s, Dr. Zaheer Lakhani, was the Chairman of the Aga Khan Edmonton Council (or the Administrative Committee, as it was then known, I think), and I came to know him as an open-minded leader who reached out to the Jamat seeking out their suggestions, opinions and ideas. I have not met Zaheer for almost 40 years now, but I was extremely pleased to learn about his wife Salma’s appointment as the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
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Dr. Zaheer Lakhani accompanies his wife Salma Lakhani at her installation ceremony as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on August 26, 2020. Photo: Via Al-Karim Walli’s Twitter page.
Salma’s appointment was announced on June 30, 2020 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She became the first-ever Muslim to hold the ceremonial position in Canadian history. In a written statement on her appointment the Prime Minister said: “Ms. Lakhani is devoted to supporting people in her community, from new immigrants and young people, to women and families. As Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, I know she will serve the people of her province and our country well, and continue to be a source of inspiration for all Canadians.”
Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani is seen touring the new Stanley A. Milner Downtown Branch of the Edmonton Public Library, September 13, 2021. Photo: The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
Salma Lakhani is a long-time resident of Edmonton, and a distinguished community advocate with a passion for education, health care, human rights, and support for new immigrants. A proud Ismaili Muslim, her longstanding service as a community leader and volunteer has been guided by her deep commitment to the values of pluralism and inclusion and her dedication to championing those who face barriers in life. Salma inherited her devotion to giving back from her parents, Abdul and Malek Rajabali, who were active members of the Ismaili community.
Salma was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda. A keen student with a deep seeded love of education, Salma attended the Aga Khan School in Kampala before pursuing post-secondary studies at the University of Manchester in England. Her life took an unforeseen and dramatic turn during a summer visit home to Kampala in 1972, when it was announced that the country’s entire Asian minority population was to be expelled. Salma’s parents pressed her to return immediately to England, travelling on her Ugandan passport. Within three months, her family would be stripped of virtually everything and she would be stranded in England with no funds to continue her education and no valid passport.
She had become a stateless person. Salma had two saving graces that sustained through this challenging time. First, she had the love and support of her fellow exile and future husband, Zaheer Lakhani. The couple also learned that their tuition would be covered by the British government, allowing Salma to complete her Honours degree in Clinical Biochemistry and Zaheer to graduate in Medicine from the University of Leeds. The couple married in Leeds in 1977. That year, the University of Alberta accepted Zaheer’s application to continue his postgraduate studies in Edmonton and the Lakhanis began writing a new chapter in Canada.
Dr. Lakhani went on to establish himself as a cardiologist while Salma helped to manage his practice and operated a business focused on early childhood education, which developed out of her innate affinity for teaching. She also began looking for opportunities to give back and to help those in need to thrive.
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Her Honour Salma Lakhani (centre of photo) toured the Aga Khan Garden at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden located near Devon, Alberta, on September 23, 2020. She was joined by Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women Leela Aheer and University of Alberta Chancellor Peggy Garritty. Photo: The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
Salma was one of the first mentors in NorQuest College’s Youth in Transition program, providing valuable guidance for students with English as a second language. She was a founding member of the College’s 1000Women: A Million Possibilities movement, and served on its advisory committee for ten years. In addition she also shared her skills, energy and passion for service with the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Kids Kottage, Sorrentino’s Compassion House, the Alberta Cancer Board, the Zebra Foundation and Aga Khan Foundation Canada. She received the NorQuest College Honorary Diploma in Community Services Leadership in 2019. In recognition of her services to the community and civil society, Ms. Lakhani was awarded the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
Upon her installation as Alberta’s vice-regal representative, she became a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence and Chancellor of the Order. Her Honour is Vice-Prior of the St. John Council for Alberta and a Dame of the Order of St. John. She received an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta in 2021. Their Honours Salama and Zaheer Lakhani make their home in Edmonton. Their family includes daughter Safia Lakhani, daughter Soraya Lakhani and son-in-law Zain Velji.
The Honourable Salama Lakhani’s Interview with Canadian Geographic
In August 2021, one year into her term as Lieutenant Governor, the Canadian Geographic magazine, which is dedicated to uncovering and communicating the stories about Canadian people, places, frontiers and issues (past and present) spoke with the Honourable Salma Lakhani. In the interview with Kate Helmore she reflected on her journey, and her hopes for her province and country. Please read the full interview on the Canadian Geographic website by clicking HERE or on the photo below.
“…after the discovery of the mass graves at Kamloops Indian Residential School, I had a meeting with a First Nations Elder, Roy Lewis. And he said to me that while this is extremely sad for all Indigenous people, and it’s sad for all Canadians, it is an amazing opportunity to learn and to understand. This is where I hope to be able to play a role” — Honourable Salma Lakhani in interview with Canadian Geographic magazine
Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Photo: The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Please click on photo for Canadian Geographic interview
Date posted: February 7, 2022.
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Before leaving this website please take a moment to visit 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 editor, Malik, may be reached at mmerchant@barakah.com.
For the first time in more than 19 months, I accepted an invitation to visit friends who were hosting a BBQ for their family. They regard me as one of their family members. I am fully vaccinated against Covid-19. I have known Salim and Nevin Kanji for decades. Salim’s older brother, Mohamed Amersi, was one of Tanzania’s top table tennis players, and he spent time with me and improved my game at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam in the late 1960’s. Mohamed passed away at the age of 51! It was shocking when I got the news some 20-25 years ago. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Salim’s grandfather was the well known Late Count Amersi Kanji of Zanzibar, who served the Ismaili Imamat for decades. A couple of stories that Sikandar, Salim’s younger brother, told everyone yesterday about their grandfather, deserve a special post. Hopefully, we can prepare a special piece about Count Amersi’s contribution to the Jamat and the Imamat, often in extremely dangerous circumstances. The photos of the late count that are featured in this post are in Salim and Nevin’s home.
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Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, with Salim Kanji’s grandfather Count Amersi Kanji. Photo: Salim Kanji Family Collection.
The BBQ was absolutely delicious and Nevin kindly filled up containers for me to take home. I left their place after about 4 hours, planning to return home and retire early. It was exactly 6:25 PM as I turned left onto Wynford Drive from Don Mills Road. The Ismaili Centre/Headquarters Jamatkhana was 300 metres away. On weekends, the Headquarters Jamatkhana Dua time is 6:30 PM. It was not my scheduled day to attend but deep down something told me to try my luck as a walk-in. I followed my instincts and luckily got a space. I saw the Ab-e-Shifa table set up, and wondered why. Was I wrong about the Milad-un-Nabi date? The mystery was solved when the President of the Aga Khan Council stood up and read the Talika from our beloved Mawlana Hazar Imam, which was followed by the recitation of the Talika Ginan. Everyone’s heart was touched, and there was unbounded joy and happiness on everyone’s face.
Article continues below…with Talika
Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan, with the family of (Late) Count Amersi Kanji (seated left with robe). Photo: Salim Kanji Family Collection.
Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude, and families get together for meals. It was a great afternoon being with a loving family, and I made new friends at Salim’s home with other members of his family that I had never met before. The invitation was a blessing indeed, and the kindness shown to me by Salim, Nevin, their son Hafez (a die-hard Liverpool fan, yes Salah is the best in the world) and all those who were present led me to the Jamatkhana. For me, this Thanksgiving was the happiest one in my 40 years in North America (the USA Thanksgiving comes later in November).
Barakah wishes Ismailis around the world Mubaraki on the auspicious occasion of the Talika. Let us earnestly continue to follow Mawlana Hazar Imam’s guidance, and always keep his blessings in our hearts.
Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Mubarak Talika
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan.
7th October 2021
My dear spiritual children,
On the occasion of a recent mulaqat with my senior Jamati leaders to review their reports on current Jamati work and activities, I send my warmest and most affectionate paternal maternal loving blessings to all my beloved spiritual children throughout the world.
I send my best loving blessings for the souls of all my ruhani spiritual children, and I pray that their souls may rest in eternal peace.
I am happy that, in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, my Jamat is continuing to undertake the measures recommended by the health authorities to mitigate the risks, particularly by accepting to be vaccinated as soon as the opportunity becomes available. I wish all my spiritual children to remain constantly mindful of the importance of maintaining good health in all aspects of human life.
At this time my Jamat in some parts of the world is witnessing political transformation. I remind my spiritual children of our tradition to contribute positively for the growth of a healthy civil society, which I believe will enable the improvement of the quality of life of all peoples and will therefore underpin the restoration of peace and stability.
I send my most affectionate loving blessings for your spiritual wellbeing, worldly success, good health, happiness and progress, with best blessings for my Jamat’s strength of faith and unity.
I send my special loving blessings for mushkil-asan, and for the safety and security of all my Jamat. You are all particularly in my heart, in my thoughts and in my prayers.
Please visit our sister website Barakah’s Talika page for links to all the Talikas that Mawlana Hazar Imam has sent to the Jamats since the beginning of Covid-19.
Simerg welcomes your feedback. 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.
The above post is also published in Barakah, a website dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat. Please visit www.barakah.com.
Alwaez Jehangir and Alwaeza Maleksultan Merchant pictured at Gatineau Park during their visit to Ottawa in 2007.
Thursday May 27, 2021, will be the 3rd anniversary of the passing of Jehangir Merchant (December 13, 1928 – May 27, 2018), father of Malik (publisher and editor of this website), Fahar and his wife Nina, Alnoor and his fiance Shellina; grandchildren Naim and Nurin; and sister Banu. Our mother and grandmother, Maleksultan (popularly known as Mrs. Merchant), who was our dad’s partner of 66 years, was then still alive; she passed earlier this year on January 21, 2021. This website was launched twelve years ago in the spring of 2009 with their encouragement, guidance and support. The first piece published in Simerg was entitled The Mystery of the Missing Mount Nasir Khushraw.
Among several articles by my dad that were published on Simerg, two original contributions that absolutely stand out and are a must read are (1) a letter of gratitude to his greatest hero in Ismaili history, the Fatimid missionary Muayyad din Shirazi and; (2) Ghadir Khumm and the Two Weighty Matters for the acclaimed series I Wish I’d Been There. Please read the two pieces by clicking on the hyperlinks I have provided in the preceding sentence or on the two images shown below.
Please click on image to read Jehangir A. Merchant’s thank you letter to Fatimid missionary Al-Mu’ayyad al-Shirazi
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Please click on image to read Jehangir A. Merchant’s “Ghadir-Khumm and the Two Weighty Matters”
We fondly remember our parents and grandparents, and pray for the eternal peace of their souls. Ameen.
[This special piece for Simerg is a revised version of the original article by the author that was published in Khojawiki in July 2020 — Ed.]
In 1933, in the midst of a global recession, a landmark building, a prayer house, arose in the center of a small provincial town in the interior highlands of Africa. The story of this remarkable building had its genesis in Kutch based family patriarch by the name of Hamir Pradhan, my great grandfather.
The Hamir family of Sinogra/ Nagarpur districts of Kutch was remembered as a reasonably prosperous and enterprising family in the latter half of 1800s. Hamir Pradhan had sired eight sons and one daughter. He was also a person of deep faith and community service. He had built and donated a small Jamatkhana in Sinogra. There is evidence that Hamir Pradhan had created a legacy of community service and sacrifice that left deep impression on his children and the community in Kutch.
During early part of 1900s, six of the Hamir male siblings had joined the large scale migration of peoples from Kutch, Kathiawaar and other parts of Gujarat plagued by large scale famine, to the colonized countries of eastern and southern Africa. One of the young men among these siblings to migrate was Mohamed Hamir Pradhan, my grandfather. He was married to Bachibai, my grandmother. She and their first born daughter Fatma, who was around 3 years at the time, were to join my grandfather in Africa several years later.
My grandfather, Mohamed Hamir (Pradhan) was born in Sinogra, Kutch in 1880. Following his siblings, in 1902, he arrived in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), a German colony at the time. After a short stint in Kilosa with one of his brothers, Haji Hamir, he followed another brother, Satchu Hamir, to Iringa, a quintessential German/British colonial outpost town in the Southern Highlands, where he went to work for him in his retail (duka) shop. He helped his brother expand his business to inland villages, often traveling for weeks with a caravan of porters carrying merchandise. In 1905, three years after his arrival in Tanganyika, he formed his own business.
Benefiting from his trading experience and extensive contacts with both the German and later British colonialist, he was able to capitalize and benefit from the war economy of the First World War (1914-1918). Over the next three decades he became a successful entrepreneur in retail and residential real estate development. Also over the next several years he and my grandmother Bachibai who had joined him from Kutch, expanded the family to include three more daughters and a son. This expanded, and eventually extended family through marriages, was to play a large role in my grandfather’s business successes, and more importantly in helping him achieve his ultimate legacy. Since his son, my father was only 12 or 13 years of age, his daughters played a key role in running his retail business and were deeply involved on his legacy project.
The names of my grandfather’s children and their marital families are (chronologically): daughters Fatma Mahamed Ladha, Sikina Bhimji Asser Sachedina, Jena Ramzan Parpia, and Rehmat Fazal Manji; and son and daughter-in law Akbar and Kulsum Mohamed Hamir.
In early 1930’s and in the midst of The Great Global Economic Depression, our grandfather embarked on a project that would become a matter of pride and an important legacy for our family and the Ismaili community of Iringa. Inspired by his father Hamir Pradhan’s generosity and community service, as well as his own deep faith, he proposed to the community that he wanted to build a Jamatkhana complex and donate it to the Imam for benefit of the Ismaili community in Iringa. My grandfather’s proposal called for a two story Jamatkhana building with a capacity for 600 people, four times the Jamat size at the time. The complex was to include primary school facilities, a social hall, a guest house (dharmshara) and a recreation compound. The building was to be located right in the middle of the main street, which later was named as Jamat Street, a tribute to the Ismaili community of Iringa for the Jamatkhana building that manifested prominently on the street.
With perseverance and after several design changes, he was able to get an agreement on his plan and approval for the project from the appropriate jurisdictional leadership as well as our Imam. The construction was commenced in 1931 and completed in 1933. Due to drastic economic conditions, my grandfather had to resort to borrow money to complete the project. Several prominent families had stepped up to lend him the money. Our family folklore describes his obsession with the project that was of legendary proportion. At times, things got so desperate that he personally and physically toiled on the projects along with our family members to help the project move along to completion.
Street scene with Iringa Ismaili Jamatkhana standing out prominently with its high tower and clock. The Jamatkhana was completed in 1933 with the support and initiative taken by Alijah Mohamed Hamir Pradhan. Photo: Courtesy Shafin Haji.
At the time of the completion of the Jamatkhana in 1933, it was reported to be one of the best in Tanganyika, and architecturally one of the most beautiful in the whole of East Africa. Over the next twenty-five years the Ismaili Jamat in Iringa grew five-fold, exceeding the original capacity of 600. The Jamatkhana complex was not only the anchor of the community, but also a major catalyst for the growth of the Ismaili community in Iringa. Later in the 1960s, my father, Alijah Akbar Mohamed Hamir, expanded the capacity of the Jamatkhana to accommodate the growing Khoja Ismaili community in Iringa.
At the Golden Jubilee of Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah in Nairobi 1936, our grandparents were scheduled for special audience with the Hazar Imam in order to formally present the gift of the Iringa Jamatkhana. However due to the last minute illness of my grandmother they were not able to make the long journey to Nairobi. Our Imam accepted their gift in their absence, and conveyed much appreciation and blessings to them and to their family. This was the happiest moment in our grandfather’s life! The Imam also bestowed on him an honorific title of Alijah.
A close up view of Iringa Ismaili Jamatkhana, completed in 1933 with the support and initiative taken by Alijah Mohamed Hamir Pradhan. Photo: Courtesy Shafin Haji.
An enlarged view of the prominent bell clock of the Iringa Jamatkhana. Photo: Courtesy Shafin Haji.
Since its manifestation almost 90 years ago, the Iringa Jamatkhana continues to stand as symbol of the town’s identity. Located in the heart of the town, the high and prominent clock tower, adoring the architecturally beautiful building, remains the emblem and inspiration to the local and diasporic community of Iringa. Its large bell clock and high visibility reminds people to the calling of the time, and the out-of-town visitors to their bearings.
It is a source of pride for our community and our family to have the Jamatkhana be such an iconic monument of the town. It is also a tribute to my grandfather’s foresight, faith, leadership and perseverance. His generosity and service to the community is a remarkable legacy and an inspiration for our family and for the future generations.
Date posted: August 2, 2020.
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Mohamed Hamir
About the author: Mohamed Hamir, originally from Tanzania, has lived in numerous locations throughout USA since 1969. He is a retired financial services executive including a 20 year career with Citibank in the USA. He has an undergraduate degree in science from London University, UK and an MBA in finance from Indiana University. His work experience and extensive travel included both USA domestic and international markets.
Since his retirement in 2001, he has been passionate about causes involving female infanticide and education of marginalized children. He is on the Advisory Board and member of the LEADers Circle of PRATHAM USA, a prominent global educational NGO. He is also the Executive Producer of “Petals in the Dust”, an award winning documentary exposing gender discrimination, girl killing and violence against women in India.
Among his numerous services to the Ismaili community, he has served as both Mukhi and Kamadia of the Jamats in the USA. From 1988 to 1991 he served as a member of the National Council for USA with a portfolio of fund raising for Jamatkhanas. In 1968, when he was a student in London, he co-founded and was the first president of the inaugural Aga Khan Sports Club of U.K. He currently resides with his family in Southern California.
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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.
(Note: The following recitation by Late Shamshu Bandali Haji includes a few verses at the end, which may not be part of the same Ginan. We will try and identify the source of the verses. When you start playing the recording, please scroll down to follow the transliteration and meaning of the Ginan. The recitation is from the superb and must visit Ginan Portal website at the University of Saskatchewan containing hundreds of recitations by Shamshu Bandali Haji and other members of the Ismaili community.
Ginan Sahebe Farman Lakhi Mokalea by Pir Hasan Kabirdin; recitation by Late Alwaez Shamshudin Bandali Haji
Transliteration and Translation of Ginan Eji Sahebe Farman Lakhi Mokalea
Transliteration source: PYARALI JIWA; English translation by ZARINA KAMALUDDIN and KAMALUDDIN ALI MUHAMMAD
Editor’s note: Ismaili Pirs, Dai’s and poets in their Ginans and Qasidas referred to the Imam of their era as Ali (a.s.), the first Imam who succeeded the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.S.), thus emphaszing the principle of the Unity of Imamat. For Shia Ismailis, each Imam is the same irrespective of his own age or the time he lives in, as he is the bearer of the same Noor (Light).
VERSE 1
Eji Saahebe faramaan lakhi mokaleaa suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali; sevak sa(m)bhaa aa vaale aajman maa(n)he mayaa dhari ya Ali
O brother! Listen, My Lord Ali has written and sent a Farman. The beloved Lord has remembered this servant today with kindness in his heart
VERSE 2
Eji Mananaa manorath purajo suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali deshe vaalo ati sukh raaj siri-a saara(n)g dhani yaa Ali
O my Lord Ali! Listen! Fulfill the hopes of my heart. The beloved Lord will grant much happiness and kingdom
VERSE 3
Eji Ame umaayo tere darage suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali mayaaa karo maahaaraaj vaiku(n)th naath dhani yaa Ali
O my Lord Ali! Listen! We beseech hopefully at your door. O Lord of paradise! O Ali the great king! Have mercy
VERSE 4
Eji Charan te aapanaa bhetaadajo suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali najar karo moraa shaam akhiyu(n) amia bhari yaa Ali
O my Lord Ali! Listen! Grant (me) the favor of expressing obeisance to you. O my Lord Ali! Look at me with eyes full of love
VERSE 5
Eji Dukh doyaalaa sarave taalajo suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali puri karo maahaaraaj aparam paar dhani yaa Ali
O my Lord Ali! Listen! Remove all my sorrows and troubles. O Lord Ali, the great king! O Lord of infinity! Fulfill all my wishes.
VERSE 6
Eji Bahu aparaadh kari jivaddo aavyo tere darage suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali mayaa karo mahaaraaj vaiku(n)th naath dhani yaa Ali
O my Lord Ali! Listen! After committing many sins this servant has come to your door. O Lord of paradise! O Ali the great king! Have mercy
VERSE 7
Eji Pir Hasan Kabirdin boleaa venati suno maaraa nar hari yaa Ali chade tu(n) tribhovar shaam parane visav ku(n) vaari yaa Ali.
O my Lord Ali! Listen! Pir Hasan Kabirdin (r.a.) has made this entreaty. O Ali! O king of the three worlds! Manifest yourself and marry the virgin earth
Date posted: April 1, 2020.
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.
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“The ethics of a Da’i are unimpeachable and he practices what he preaches. The Da’i constantly pursues a better comprehension of universal truth by engaging with knowledgeable people, sharing knowledge with them and also learning from them. In our time, this would mean engaging with contemporary scientific, cultural, and religious understandings produced around the world.”
By KARIM H. KARIM
Many people have heard the position of Da‘i but are unfamiliar with its unique character. Historically, a Da‘i was a member of the Da‘wa, which was a pivotal institution of the Imamat. The word Da‘wa has sometimes been translated as a preaching mission and Da‘i as missionary. However, the precise meaning of Da‘wa is a call or an invitation, and therefore a Da‘i is someone who issues a call or invitation.
What was the nature of the Da‘i’sinvitation? The answer is to be found in the full name of the institution to which he belonged: Da‘wat al-Haqq (Invitation to the Truth). The Holy Qur’an says that “His [God’s] is the Da‘wa of the Truth” (13:14). Da‘is referred to their disciples as People of the Truth (Ahl al-Haqq or Al-Muhiqqin). (It was only in the early 20th century, after the Aga Khan Case of 1866, that the name Ismaili came to be formally adopted in reference to the Imam’s followers.) Da‘is (Pirs and Sayyids) in India, used Indian terminology to call the community Satpanth (Path of Truth).
The Concept of Truth
Truth is the core of the faith and appears repeatedly in its discourses. Imam Mustansir bi’llah II’s book Pandiyat-i Javanmardi declares that “The (real) believer is one who always, permanently, thinks of the Truth, and always intends to act righteously.” One of God’s names is Al-Haqq (the Truth). The third part of the Ismaili Du‘a affirms:
La illaha illallahul malikul haqqul mubin (There is no deity except God, the Sovereign, the Truth, the Manifest)
La illaha illallahul malikul haqqul yaqin (There is no deity except God, the Sovereign, the Truth, the Certainty)
Tasbihs in Gujarati ask for “haqiqat-i samaj” (understanding of truth). When delivering sermons, Khoja preachers in the 20th century called their congregations “haqiqat-i momino” (believers of truth) and “haqiqati-dindaro” (followers of the religion of truth). Imam Mustansir bi’llah II and Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah referred to the progression of the believer from shari‘a (“law”) to tariqa (path) to haqiqa (truth) and to ma‘rifa (wisdom; gnosis), as does Bhamar Ghufaa Upar Dekhantaa, a ginan attributed to Sayyid Nur Muhammad Shah.
The truth to which a Da‘i issues his invitation is embedded in the knowledge that the Imam imparts to his followers through a particular mode of instruction (ta‘lim). A hadith (saying) of the Prophet declared: “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gateway; so let whoever wants knowledge enter through its gate.”
Hazrat Ali and his designated successors in the lineage of Imamat provide unique access to knowledge about truth. Imams conduct interpretations (ta’wil) of the inner meaning of the Qur’an which they impart to their adherents through ta‘lim. Only the rightfully appointed Imams have this unique ability: “None knoweth its [the Qur’an’s] esoteric interpretationsave Allah and those who are of sound instruction” (Holy Qur’an, 3:7); Shia Muslims believe that the phrase “those who are of sound instruction” refers to the lineage of Imamat.
The concept of truth here is not limited to the practice of truth-telling and being honest, which are important in themselves, but to the deeper truth that is the inner reality of existence. This reality lies behind the illusion that constantly misleads the mind. Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah wrote in his Memoirs that Islam’s “basic principle can only be defined as mono-realism.” The enlightened soul experiences the reality of fundamental truth on which rest all other aspects of faith (such as prayer, devotion, values, and ethics). It is to such ultimate and unique spiritual enlightenment (ma‘rifa, gnosis) that the Da ‘wa offers its invitation. The identity of a Da‘i is integrally related to the essence of eternal truth. He seeks to live the truth. Nasir-i Khusraw, Hujja of Khurasan, referred to the members of the Da‘wa as “Scholars of the Religion of Truth” (ulama-yi din-i haqq). This is a position of profound depth and significance that requires understanding of the process of spiritual advancement as well as knowledge of the material world.
The Da‘wa in History
The pre-Fatimid Da‘wa emerged in the first Period of Concealment (Dawr al-Satr) that began during Imam Ismail’s time. This was a period of great danger because the Abbasid Caliphate was determined to destroy the Imamat and its followers. Therefore, the Imams in this time were in hiding and their identities and locations were known only to their closest followers. Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi brought the Dawr al-Satr to a close when he established the Fatimid state in North Africa.
It was the Da‘wa that had laid the groundwork for the Imam’s rule. Da‘is functioned largely in secret due to widespread persecution. Their institution, which operated transregionally, had a hierarchical structural model. At the head was the Chief Da‘i (Da‘i al-Du‘at), who was in close touch with the Imam. Under him operated a number of Hujjas (Proofs), the leaders of the Da‘wa in specific regions. Each Hujja supervised several Da‘is, who in turn had assistants called Ma’dhuns. Ordinary members of the community whom Da‘is taught were Mustajibs. Whereas this was an ideal model of the organization, the actual operations were more fluid especially in places where Da‘is worked in relative isolation.
The da‘wa produced a unique body of writings, some of which are described below. Da‘i Ja‘far bin Mansur al-Yaman’s Book of the Master and the Disciple (Kitab al-‘Alim wa’l-Ghulam) addresses the search for truth and the meaning of life in a series of religious dialogues between a Da‘i and his disciple. This sophisticated composition creatively uses form and language to express a complex narrative. It is a rare and valuable artifact that provides insight into the Da‘wa’s erudition and refined pedagogy.
Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, the Hujja in Iraq, was a noted philosopher. His major work, Rahat al-‘Aql (Repose of the Intellect), presents contemporary science, philosophy, and theology in an integral manner. Its objective was to enable the believer to attain a paradisiacal state through reason. Kirmani’s book imaginatively maps out a journey in which the soul escapes the troubling state of the physical world and attains freedom in the City of God by gaining a comprehensive sense of God, angelic beings, and the realm of minerals, plants and animals.
Nasir-i Khusraw, who was Hujja of Khurasan, is acknowledged as the founder of Ismaili communities in the mountainous regions of the Pamirs in Tajikistan and Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush in Pakistan as well as Xinjiang in China. He was a foremost exponent of philosophical poetry and his poems are an essential part of Persian-speaking countries’ educational curriculum today. Khusraw’s poetry is also sung at religious gatherings in the Badakshan Jamat and its diasporic locations. Among his philosophical treatises is The Book of Two Wisdoms Reconciled (Kitab-i Jami’ al-Hikmatayn), which endeavours to bridge Aristotelian and haqa’iq philosophies.
The Satpanth branch of the Da‘wa in India produced a unique literary tradition of around one thousand ginans, many of which hold profound insight and wisdom. Like the Sufis in the subcontinent who used the region’s cultural heritage to preach their beliefs, Ismaili Pirs, notably Shams, Sadruddin, and Hasan Kabirdin, also drew from Indic mythology and symbolism to teach the message of universal truth. Major compositions like Brahm Prakash and Bhuj Nirinjan guide adherents in their spiritual journeys. The ginan tradition, which is attributed to a number of Pirs and Sayyids, speaks of sat (truth) in various South Asian languages including Gujarati, Khari Boli (proto Hindi-Urdu), Punjabi, Sindhi and Siraiki/Multani. South Asian Khoja Jamats and their diaspora find inspiration in the hymns, which are sung every day at religious gatherings.
The Da‘wa’s Pluralist Search for Truth
The quest for truth is a consistent theme that runs through the centuries-long history of Da‘wat al-Haqq and Satpanth. Da‘is drew on knowledge from a variety of Muslim and non-Muslim sources in a pluralist pursuit of universal truth. According to Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah, studying other religions is integral to spiritual search because God’s revelation has appeared among different peoples through history.
“All Islamic schools of thought accept it as a fundamental principle that, for centuries, for thousands of years before the advent of Mohammed, there arose from time to time messengers, illumined by Divine grace, for and amongst those races of the earth which had sufficiently advanced intellectually to comprehend such a message. Thus Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the Prophets of Israel are universally accepted by Islam. Muslims indeed know no limitation merely to the Prophets of Israel; they are ready to admit that there were similar Divinely-inspired messengers in other countries – Gautama Buddha, Shri Krishna, and Shri Ram in India, Socrates in Greece, the wise men of China, and many other sages and saints among peoples and civilizations of which we have now lost trace.“
This pluralist attitude was present in the earliest Ismaili writings such as the encyclopedia of Ikhwan al-Safa (Brethren of Purity), whose sources included Islamic, Greek, Babylonian, Hindu, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Manichean, Jewish, and Christian knowledge. Da‘is Al-Nasafi and Al-Sijistani adapted Neoplatonist thought to indicate the cosmological place of the Imam. As the Da‘wa moved into South Asia, Pirs and Sayyids drew from Indic mythology and cosmology for a similar purpose.
Such pluralist approaches to knowledge were not uncommon in the history of Islam. Prophet Muhammad is said to have told his followers in Arabia to seek knowledge even as far as China. The receptivity of Muslims to other cultures in the Hellenic intellectual environment of Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Iran provided for their own religion’s intellectual flowering. They came upon renowned academies like those of Jondishapur, where Persian, Greek, Indian, and Roman scholars trained in medicine, philosophy, theology, and science. A major translation movement rendered numerous manuscripts written in various languages into Arabic. Muslims scholars drew on the knowledge, philosophical reasoning and analytical tools produced by other civilizations for developing Islamic philosophy (falsafa), theology (kalam), and law (fiqh). Even the modes of Islamic preaching borrowed from indigenous practices; for example, Sufi teachers adopted the bhakti mode of devotion in India.
Whereas it was commonplace for Muslim intellectuals to learn from neighbouring civilizations, Ismaili thinkers embraced the most openly pluralist Islamic approach to other cultural and religious sources. They had a cosmopolitan outlook in studying others’ material and spiritual sciences in a sustained search for universal truth. Da‘is examined the ancient world’s wisdom including that of Greeks, Babylonians, and Sabaeans as well as writings of contemporaries such as Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Buddhists.
The Da‘wat al-Haqq’s cosmopolitan outlook in studying others’ material and spiritual sciences in a sustained search for universal truth enabled them to see spiritual value in their symbols and practices. Al-Sijistani interpreted the Christian cross’s four points as representing the roots of truth. Badakshan Jamats observe Chirag-i Rawshan (Luminous Lamp), a funerary rite that has Islamic features along with characteristics of pre-Zoroastrian Iranian religions. Oral tradition attributes the establishment of this ritual to Nasir-i Khusraw. The Zoroastrian spring festival of Navroz, which is commemorated by Shia and Sunni Muslims in Persianate regions, has been embraced by all Ismailis as a major celebration of spiritual renewal. Farsi-speaking Jamats have been drawn to some of the poems of the great Sunni mystics Attar and Rumi, which are recited in religious gatherings. The Garbi category of ginan compositions bear a Hindu communal dance’s rhythm. Da ‘is were generally less concerned about exoteric differences between religious perspectives than in pursuing the greater spiritual truth.
Conclusion
Whereas Da‘is have consistently been engaged in a search for truth, this endeavor has been fraught with physical, intellectual, as well as personal spiritual dangers. These hazards led some members of the Da‘wa to turn away from the Imamat’s guidance. For example, Da‘i Abu Abdullah al-Shii, who prepared the ground for Imam Al-Mahdi to establish the Fatimid state, later conspired against him. In the time of Imam Al-Hakim, a number of Da‘is broke from the Fatimid Da‘wa to establish what came to be known as the Druze movement. Another major division took place in the Da‘wa upon the death of Imam Al-Mustansir I, when most of the Da‘is in Cairo followed Al-Musta‘li and those in the east, like Hassan-i Sabbah and Rashid al-Din Sinan, adhered to Imam Nizar. Later in India, a grandson of Pir Hasan Kabirdin, Nar Muhammad, founded a break-way religious group called the Imamshahis.
The Da‘i Ahmad bin Ibrahim al-Naysaburi wrote a treatise on the comportment expected of the members of the Da‘wa. It laid out in some detail the qualifications and behavior that a Da‘i should have. Al-Naysaburi stated that the Da‘wa is built on knowledge, piety, and good governance. A Da’i maintains a noble character and upholds the truth to which he invites believers. His ethics are unimpeachable and he practices what he preaches. He constantly pursues a better comprehension of universal truth by engaging with knowledgeable people, sharing knowledge with them and also learning from them. In our time, this would mean engaging with contemporary scientific, cultural, and religious understandings produced around the world.
Life may appear more complex than in previous periods but the struggle to remain faithful to eternal truth, which has been a constant religious quest since the dawn of time, remains relevant to this day. This endeavour was represented in previous centuries by the institution of Da‘wat al-Haqq, Invitation to the Truth. As in the past, a Da‘i’s life today would be difficult as it would involve dealing with intricate material, intellectual and spiritual challenges. The person who responds to the Call to the Truth accepts the undertaking of a demanding but ultimately rewarding enterprise. He/she can be seriously misled in this journey by others and even by the illusions of his/her own mind.
Adherence to Din al-Haqq demands a keen dedication to the Imamat and to the Truth. Followers of the Imam believe that he is the unique source of the knowledge that leads to comprehension of the Truth. However, history has shown that even the Imamat’s highly placed officials like the intelligent and heroic Da‘i Abu Abdullah al-Shii have wavered from such a conviction. Living the faith of Al-Haqq clearly requires an absolutely unrelenting commitment to and love for the Truth. Those who sincerely seek to maintain such personal steadfastness humbly ask in daily prayers for “haqiqat-i samaj” (understanding of truth) and “iman-ji salamati” (security of faith).
Date posted: July 7, 2019.
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Karim H. Karim
About the author: Professor Karim H. Karim is the Director of the Carleton Study for the Study of Islam. He has previously been Co-Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies and Director of Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. Dr. Karim has also been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. He is an award-winning author who has published extensively. Professor Karim has also delivered distinguished lectures at venues in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2017, he organized the international conference on Mapping a Pluralist Space in Ismaili Studies, which was the largest ever gathering of scholars working in this field. A forthcoming publication of his is titled “Ismailis: A Pluralist Search for Universal Truth.”
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He is always present a witness with his followers; but who has seen his beauty except the blessed?
He who is the cupbearer of the fount of paradise is aware altogether of the hearts of his followers
He is the Imam of the Time the guide and comforter the protector of his followers whether young or old
Like the sun in the sky he is manifest in the world but the blind bat cannot see his luminous face
Source: 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.
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Making Our Faith Complete
By IMAM MUSTANSIR BI’LLAH
Pandiyat-i- Jawanmardi or Counsels of Chivalry is a compilation of the guidance of the 32nd Ismaili Imam, Mustansir bi’llah, who lived in the 15th century. The book contains exhortations to the faithful on the necessity of recognising and obeying the Imam of the Time and on how to live a truly ethical life. The circumstances that led to the compilation of the work are intriguing, and are alluded to in many of the manuscripts copies as follows:
When Pir Taj al-Din passed away, a number of people from the Sindhi Ismaili Community went to the Imam. Upon arrival they pleaded: “Our Pir Taj al-Din has passed away. Now we are in need of a Pir.” The Imam then had the Counsels of Chivalry compiled and gave it to them saying: “This is your Pir. Act according to its dictates.”
In the following piece from one of the chapters, the Imam enumerates on how murids (those who have pledged their allegiance to the Imam) can make their faith complete. Says the Imam:
“O, believers, O, pious ones!
“Now is the time when you should strengthen religion (din), by helping each other, by trying to gain knowledge, by advancing the religious cause, and striving to make your faith complete.
“Gain safety by obeying the Imam of the time, and become completely obedient to his orders.
“Do unhesitatingly what you are told by the blessed word of the Imam, –- then you will attain (real) salvation.
“Follow the Imam of your time strictly, so that he may take you under his protection, helping you, granting you victory and relief.
“And obedience to the Imam, attention to his word, will bring about the healing of spiritual ailments and lead to soundness and clarity of the heart.”
Reading adapted from The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, a Search for Salvation by Shafique N. Virani, Hardcover – May 3, 2007
The recent CNN photo piece On the trail of Iran’s ‘Assassins’ in the Alborz Mountains has stirred an immense amount of interest on the subject of Alamut and the Ismaili community that for more than 150 years protected itself from its enemies by securing fortresses like Alamut in Iran and Syria.
In a high powered and moving poem penned originally for Simerg’s highly acclaimed series I Wish I’d Been There, Shariffa Keshavjee reminds all our readers about the tragedy that took place in Alamut nearly 800 years ago when the Mongol warlord Genghis Khan had declared his intention to destroy the Ismailis with the following chilling words, “None of that people should be spared, not even the babe in its cradle.”
The context of Shariffa’s poem can further be appreciated through the following 2 excerpts taken from recent non-Ismaili sources.
1. In his extraordinary historical fictional book Samarkand relating to the turbulent history of Iran from the 11th to the 20th century, which was partially inspired by Omar Khayyam’s Rubayat, the award winning French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf writes:
“He [the Mongol officer] was carrying a torch in his hand and to show [the historian – Juvayni] just how much in a hurry he was, he placed it next to a pile of dusty scrolls. The historian gave in and gathered into his hands and upto his armpits as many [manuscripts] as he could grab and when a manuscript entitled Eternal Secrets of Stars and Numbers fell to the ground, he did not bend over to pick it up again.
“Thus it was that the Assassins’ library burnt for seven days and seven nights causing the loss of innumerable works, of which there was no copy remaining, and which are supposed to contain the best guarded secrets of the universe.”
2. The online website Iran.com offers the following description:
“The Mongol leader [Hulagu, grandson of Genghis Khan] journeyed himself to the citadel in 1256 and ordered everything to be destroyed, including the famous library. Among the precious writings that disappeared were the works of Hasan himself and the complete history of the Assassins and their doctrines. But just before the burning he allowed his historian Juvainy (who was writing a biography of the Mongol prince) to enter the library and bring out a few of the books, enough as would fit into a small wheelbarrow. No time was allowed to consider the matter.
“Juvainy hurriedly saved a few Qurans, a chronicle of Alamut and a biography of Hasan Sabbah. Everything else perished in the flames. The vast library filled with….hundreds of thousands of manuscripts burned for seven days and seven nights bringing to an end the history of the Ismailis of Alamut. Over the years, knowledge of the Ismailis degenerated into misunderstandings, romances and other fanciful nonsenses such as those popularised by the explorer Marco Polo.”
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Inferno of Alamut
By SHARIFFA KESHAVJEE
I often go back in my mind To a time when giant forts dwarfed Our human form But great minds soared Soared about the forts of Alamut Where great minds thought The scribes told wonders Of the worlds of new continent New passages in the oceans Of search for truth.
I often go back in my mind To the pain of persecution The fear of the self Above all the anguish The anguish of lost knowledge Beautifully bound skillfully crafted Books of great knowledge Of mathematics and cartography Of mystical passion for the divine The deep yearning
I often go back in my mind to the Night the books were burnt The pages curled in fires of doom The ink evaporates Loving thoughts of seers up in smoke Parchments and tomes flung into Feeding the bonfire of lost knowledge What the mind perceived What the pen had scribed Was gone for ever
The smoke rises over Over the fort The charred air rises The effort to stop in vain The scream of anguish Stuck in the throat As the gaze falls upon The lost knowledge of Alamut The human form dwarfed Dwarfed
Gagged In its inability to act.
This however is renaissance Where time and knowledge Laid at the feet of the Master Not sepulchered in the fort But given birth by the vision No longer subjugated Free to search into cyberspace Following vision without boundaries Reaching over mountains across seas Reaching heights
Unthought of in the sojourn in Alamut.
Date posted: February 8, 2019.
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Shariffa Keshavjee is a philanthropist and an entrepreneur with an objective to help women empower themselves. Raised in Kisumu, she considers herself a “pakaa” Kenyan. She is now based in the nation’s capital, Nairobi. She is the founding member and director of the Hawkers Market School and the Kigera Girl Guides Centre which provide educational opportunities for destitute girls in the country’s slums. Her Hawkers Market Girls Centre has been the recipient of the World Bank Development Marketplace Award in 2004 in which the centre was given $85,000. In addition, she is also the founding member of FONA (Friends of the Nairobi Arboretum) which is dedicated to preserving Kenya’s forest and preserved arboreta. Her other interest is in visual arts where she delights in painting on wood, silk and porcelain using water colours, oils and acrylics. She also likes writing, especially for children, and bird watching.
Shariffa Keshavjee is a philanthropist and an entrepreneur with an objective to help women empower themselves. Raised in Kisumu, she considers herself a “pakaa” Kenyan. She is now based in the nation’s capital, Nairobi. She is the founding member and director of the Hawkers Market School and the Kigera Girl Guides Centre which provide educational opportunities for destitute girls in the country’s slums. Her Hawkers Market Girls Centre has been the recipient of the World Bank Development Marketplace Award in 2004 in which the centre was given $85,000. In addition, she is also the founding member of FONA (Friends of the Nairobi Arboretum) which is dedicated to preserving Kenya’s forest and preserved arboreta. Her other interest is in visual arts where she delights in painting on wood, silk and porcelain using water colours, oils and acrylics. She also likes writing, especially for children, and bird watching.
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