A very small town by the name of Amir Pir is the setting for a photo essay about the town’s Ismaili connection going back 170 years to the 46th Ismaili, Shah Hasan Ali Shah, Aga Khan I (a.s.). Gulshan Chunara and Salina Hasan respectively provide the text and photos for this intriguing historical piece…Click for Photos
Imam Ali Shah (a.s.), Aga Khan II, residence. Photo: Salina Hasan. Copyright. Please click on image for photo essay.
Introduction: The birthday anniversary of Hazrat Imam Ali (a.s.) is commemorated on the 13th Rajab. This festival is celebrated by the Shi’te communities and is observed as an occasion to reflect upon the life and teachings of their first Imam. According to the Shi’a doctrine and tradition, Hazrat Ali was the foundation (asas) of the institution of Imamah. His designation (nass) by the Prophet upon the Command of Allah (al-amr), to guide the believers after the termination of the institution of Nabuwah is central to the Shi’a theology. The Imam’s function is to continue the teaching (ta’lim) and interpretation (ta’wil) of Allah’s Final Message after the demise of the Prophet.
Today, the Shi’a Ismaili Muslims, in addition to the celebration of Yaum e-Ali, commemorate the birthday anniversary (Salgirah) of their present living Imam (Mawlana Hazar Imam), His Highness the Aga Khan, who is the direct lineal descendent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) through Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and Bibi Fatima (a.s.).
His Highness the Aga Khan seen giving his commencement lecture at the American University in Cairo on June 15, 2006. The excerpts on Hazrat Ali are from the lecture. Photo Credit: American University in Cairo.
~~~~~~
NADE ALI IN OTTOMAN CALLIGRAPHY
Transliteration
Nade Ali, Nade Ali, Nade Ali
Nade Aliyyan mazhar al-ajaib
Tajidahu awnan lakafin-nawaib
Kullu hammin wa ghammin
sayanj-i Ali Bi wilayatika,
Ya Ali! Ya Ali! Ya Ali!
Naad-e-Ali in Ottoman calligraphy. Photo Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum. Copyright.
Translation
Call Ali call Ali call Ali,
the manifestation of marvels
He will be your helper in difficulty
Every anxiety and sorrow will end
Through your friendship.
O Ali, O Ali, O Ali
~~~
LINKS TO TWELVE READINGS
The Love for Ali by Altaf Hajiyani
Hazrat Ali’s Example: What We Can Do Today by Pervis Rawji
The Naad-e-Ali, “Call Upon Ali….oh Ali, oh Ali, oh Ali” by Hussein Rashid
~~~
Blessed is one
who is humble regarding himself,
whose livelihood is good,
whose inner thoughts are virtuous,
whose character is good,
who spends the surplus from his wealth
and removes superfluity from his speech,
who keeps his evil away from people — Hazrat Ali
~~~
The Wisdom of Hazrat Ali: Selections from Nahj al-Balaghah for Young People (II) – Hazrat Ali
An Englishman Reflects on the Nature of Imam Ali by Barnaby Rogerson
Islam’s Great Striver: Hazrat Ali by Lt. Col ‘Abdullah Baines-Hewitt
~~~
One who perseveres patiently
will not be without success,
even if it takes a long time – Hazrat Ali
~~~
Surrender and Realisation: Imam Ali on the Conditions for True Religious Understanding by James W. Morris
Hazrat Ali’s Principles of Good Governance – Early Muslim Style
The Wisdom of Hazrat Ali: Selections from Nahj al-Balaghah for Young People (I) – Hazrat Ali
~~~
One who is headstrong and opinionated perishes,
while one who seeks the advice of others
becomes a partner in their understanding — Hazrat Ali~~~
Ethics in the Kalam-i Mawla of Hazrat Ali by Farouk M. Topan
Nasir-i-Khusraw on The Excellence of ‘Ali by Nasir Khusraw
Discourses of Hazrat Ali by Tajdin Dhala
~~~
A MESSAGE BY HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN
ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AGA KHAN FOUNDATION
“The closer you come, the more you will know him” by Akber Kanji, Toronto, Canada
“This is a time of new freedoms, but it is also one in which new choices must be made wisely. In exercising freedom and making choices, our institutions must be guided, as they have been in the past, by the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace of Allah be upon him), and the tradition of our tariqah, which is the tradition of Hazrat Ali: A thinking Islam and a spiritual Islam – an Islam that teaches compassion, tolerance and the dignity of man – Allah’s noblest creation.” — His Highness the Aga Khan, May 14, 1992.
Date Posted: May 22, 2013.
By Malik Merchant, Editor
Recently, I had the immense pleasure of meeting and having a delightful lunch at Vancouver’s well-known Jambo Grill with (Itmadi) Farouk B.K.S. Verjee who was the President of His Highness the Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada during the 1980’s. During his term of office, he witnessed the opening of two major Ismaili Centres in the Western World, including one in his own jurisdiction in Canada, the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre located in Burnaby, British Columbia. He was, as Canada’s President, very much involved in every phase of the planning, construction, completion and opening of the magnificent Burnaby icon which was designed by Canadian architect Bruno Freschi.
Presidents of National Ismaili Councils around the globe are often invited to major functions and projects related to the Ismailis and the Ismaili Imamat, as community representatives for their respective countries, and Farouk Verjee was present for the historic opening of the London Ismaili Centre from which the following anecdote, with photo, is published.
Farouk Verjee, left, with Baroness Margaret Thatcher (1925 – 2013) at the opening of the iconic Ismaili Centre in London, England, on April 24, 1985. Looking on in the centre is Anil Ishani, then President of the Ismaili Council for the UK. Photo: Farouk Verjee Collection, Vancouver, Canada.
After being introduced to the late Baroness Margaret Thatcher by His Highness the Aga Khan, Verjee told her that the Ismaili Centre in Burnaby was nearing completion and that it would be opening in the coming summer, and he hoped she would visit it on her next visit to British Columbia. She asked, “Which is the better building?” Farouk replied that one was a Cadillac and the other a Rolls! In a typical British fashion, the Baroness quickly responded, “I hope this one is the Rolls!.” Verjee found the Baroness to be a very amicable person.
The Ismaili Centre and Jamatkhana in Burnaby was opened a few months later in the same year on August 23 by the then Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in the presence of His Highness, Premier Bill Bennett of the Province of British Columbia and other dignitaries including members of the Aga Khan’s family. Mawlana Hazar Imam, as His Highness is addressed by members of his community, designated the new Ismaili Jamatkhana as the Darkhana of Canada at a gathering of some 20,000 Ismailis on the same day at BC Place.
It may be of interest to note that Itmadi Farouk Verjee’s father was Kamadia of the London Jamat with Janmohamed Verjee as Mukhi. They were appointed to their positions in a talika (a written message) from Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III (1877 – 1957), the 48th Imam of Ismaili Muslims, which is dated April 10, 1936. The newly appointed Mukhi and Kamadia were law students in the U.K. at that time. Janmohamed Verjee was the father of Amir Bhurio a well-known personality in the UK Ismaili community.
THE REWARD OF THE TWO MANGOES
….For a long time they had cherished a desire to carry some mangoes to Mawla at his bungalow….”But who would let us enter the bungalow?” Perturbed by these thoughts and yet ignoring them on this specific day, with hope and faith they set out early in the morning with the mangoes…. Both were clad in simple clothes…Holding their hands against their eyes to keep sway the burning sun from their faces, they were gazing intently toward the bungalow….Read Complete Story
Please click on image to read story
SIMERG INVITES YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THIS CONTINUING SERIES
“A very beautiful tribute to Prince Sadruddin”
“Thank you for sharing this wonderful insight into the life of Prince Amyn Aga Khan”
“Great piece with lots of invaluable historical information”
“MashaAllah, it really raised my emotion and my spirit”
These are a few of the many comments we have received for Simerg’s series Thanking Ismaili Historical Figures. We invite your contribution. The series so far:
Series details at Thanking Ismaili Historical Figures
“….More than perhaps any other murid’s example in our history, your life is one which clearly illustrates that while serving the Imam presents formidable challenges, it also offers bountiful rewards in the form of spiritual barakah. I will say from the depth of my heart that it is by your noble example that I have been inspired to serve the Jamat and the Imam of the Time with a strong will….” — an excerpt from Alwaez Jehangir’s letter.
Please click for letter
To read the complete (uplifting) letter, please click on above image or Jehangir Merchant’s Thank You Letter to the Fatimid Ismaili Icon, Da’i Al-Mu’ayyad al-Shirazi
BRIEF FACTS FROM ISMAILI HISTORY
Three gold quarter dinars of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Hakim were among the Fatimid objects found in a shipwreck in Turkey. Photo credit: Institute of Nautical Archaeology.
“In the twelfth century the gold dinars of the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt were so highly valued throughout the Middle East, especially by Syrian merchants, that the Christian kingdoms founded in Palestine by the Crusaders began to issue imitations of them. These imitations, the so-called “Saracenic besants”, were clumsily produced at first, but their design was gradually improved until they were such faithful copies of the dinar that the horrified papal legate who accompanied King Louis IX of France (Saint Louis) on the Crusades in 1250 threatened those responsible with excommunication for daring to issue coins to the glory of Allah for commercial profit. A compromise was reached. The Saracenic besant was replaced by another issue which was almost identical to its predecessor but bore a cross and Arabic inscriptions to the glory of the Holy Trinity and the Lord Jesus Christ” – Source: “Dinars Club” by Gerard Krebs, UNESCO Courier, January 1990, page 29.
_________________
For an excellent photo essay about the shipwreck in which thousands of pieces of Fatimid artifacts and objects including the gold dinars (shown above) were found please click Fatimid Shipwreck. For a detailed essay about the Fatimids, please click on Great Moments in Ismaili History: The Establishment of the Fatimid Caliphate.
Loving Tales of our Beloved Imams: (I) Farazdaq’s Praise and Support of Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.)
“…This tale belongs to ages past. It goes back to the era of Hazrat Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.), our third Imam, from whose veins was to ensue the Divine Line of the Imams. He was the Imam who, on the battlefield of Karbala, received the nass of Imamat from his father, Hazrat Imam Hussain (a.s.) with the blessing: “Through you the line of Imamat will continue till the Day of Judgment…”
Please click for story
