A Tribute to His Highness the Aga Khan – Part I

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A Review of His Highness the Aga Khan’s “Where Hope Takes Root”

Please click for book review. Photo of His Highness signing the book: The Vancouver Sun. Copyright.

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Previous post: Muslim and non-Muslim Expressions on Imam Hussain

ANECDOTES FROM MUMBAI, INDIA, AND THE RITZ, LONDON

An Ismaili Youth’s Rare Moment With Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah

1906 photo of London's famous landmark hotel The Ritz. Wrote Prince Sadruddin in the London Times in a birth centenary tribute to his father "the older staff at the Ritz in London might recall the Aga Khan facing Mecca at prayer time on one of the balconies, completely oblivious to the stares of surprised bystanders." Photo: Archives of The Ritz, London. Copyright.

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Previous post: His Highness the Aga Khan: Three Readings for His 75th Birthday including the Ginan “Dhan Dhan Aajano”

Historical Reflections for the 75th Salgirah of Mawlana Hazar Imam

	Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Salgirah and the Depth of His Love for the Jamat The term Salgirah is of Persian origin. Sal means anniversary and girah means knot and hence Salgirah literally means ‘an anniversary knot added on to a string kept for the purpose’. This article approaches the subject of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s birthday in terms of the Imam’s love for his murids and the love and devotion of the murids for their Imam.
	In Metaphoric Ginan “Eji Dhan Dhan Aajano” Pir Sadr al-Din Asks Mu’mins to Act Righteously and Gain Spiritual Recognition of Imam-e-Zaman The Ginan has attained a very special status because it is primarily recited during the festivities marking the Salgirah of the Imam. The appropriateness of reciting Eji Dhan Dhan Aajano during the Salgirah will become apparent as we try to understand the ginan and its underlying spiritual teachings. ~~~~
	The Preamble Of “The Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims” The new Ismaili Constitution was ordained, signed and sealed by His Highness the Aga Khan on December 13th, 1986, his 50th birthday. His Highness did this with the belief that the Constitution would provide a strong institutional and organizational framework for his Ismaili community to contribute meaningfully to the societies among whom they live.

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Previous post: The Review Process and Presentation of Recommendations to Mawlana Hazar Imam for a New Ismaili Constitution in Africa

A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION

The Review Process and Presentation of Recommendations to Mawlana Hazar Imam for a New Ismaili Constitution in Africa

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Previous post: A Letter to Charles Darwin from Galapagos.

Essays and Letters: A Letter from Galapagos

Of all the places in the world, there’s no place like the Galapagos Islands. The 19 volcanic islands are relatively new in geologic time with new islands still sprouting. They sit along the equator, between 700 to 1,000 kilometers (435 to 621 miles) from the nearest land masses. The isolation has made the islands a natural laboratory for evolution that not only famously inspired Charles Darwin, but continues to fascinate scientists today. Please click for "A Letter to Charles Darwin from Galapagos" by Mohezin Tejani

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Previous post: The Annual Celebration in Fatimid Egypt During the Flooding of the Nile

The Annual Celebration in Fatimid Egypt During the Flooding of the Nile

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Previous post: Ghadir Khumm in Images and Quotations; Reflections by Jehangir Merchant, Aziz Kurwa and Barnaby Rogerson

A Piece of History in Images and Quotations

Images of some stamps and coins issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran between 1990 and 2010 commemorating the Idd-e-Ghadir. The inscriptions inlude the Shahada, Qur’anic ayats and the declaration made by Prophet Muhammad at Ghadir Khumm, “Mun Koontu Mawla, Fa Hada, Aliyun Mawla” meaning “He of whom I am the Mawla Ali is also the Mawla.”

I

“Muhammad said: ‘He of whom I am the Mawla, Ali is his Mawla. O God, be the friend of him who is his friend and be the enemy of his enemy.’

“This became the proof text for the Shia claim that Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, was the Prophet’s rightful successor after the Prophet’s death in 632. The meaning of Mawla here probably implies the role of patron, lord or protector.” – History in Quotations by M. J. Cohen and John Major.

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II

“…As you know, the Shi’a divided from the Sunni after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Hazrat Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, was, in Shi’a belief, named by the Prophet to be the Legitimate Authority for the interpretation of the faith. For the Shi’a today, all over the world, he is regarded as the first Imam.” – His Highness the Aga Khan, Tutzing Evangelical Academy, May 20, 2006. [1]

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III

His Highness the Aga Khan seen ordaining a new constitution for the Ismaili community worldwide. Clause (G) of the Preamble states: “Mawlana Hazar Imam Shah Karim al Hussaini, His Highness Prince Aga Khan, in direct lineal descent from the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.) through Hazrat Mawlana Ali (a.s.) and Hazrat Bibi Fatima (a.s), is the Forty-Ninth Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.”

“In accordance with Shia doctrine, tradition, and interpretation of history, the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.) designated and appointed his cousin and son-in-law Hazrat Mawlana Ali Amiru-l-Mu’minin (a.s), to be the first Imam to continue the Ta’wīl and Ta‘līm of Allah’s final message and to guide the murids, and proclaimed that the Imamat should continue by heredity through Hazrat Mawlana Ali (a.s) and his daughter Hazrat Bibi Fatimat-az-Zahra, Khātun-i-Jannat (a.s).” – The Preamble of The Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. [2]

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IV

“The Ismaili Imamat is a hereditary institution of Muslim leadership, linked to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) by direct lineal descent through Hazrat Ali, his cousin and son in law. The line of Ismaili Imams has continued uninterrupted by hereditary succession from Hazrat Ali through to the present, 49th Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan.” – The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) , Brazil and the Ismaili Imamat sign a Protocol. [3]

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V

“Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran above all people – offspring, one of the other, and Allah knows and hears all things.” (Sura 3, Ayats 33-34).

With regard to the above verse, the Ismaili poet Nizar Quhistani explained:

“We search for a union with the family of the Chosen (Prophet Muhammad). We search for the truth of son after son. We are totally obedient to his offspring, one of the other. There is no other thing we can add to this but itself. We endeavour in our faith so that we do not turn out to be faithless.” – Quoted in Ismailis in the Middle Ages by Shafique Virani.

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Reflections: “I Wish I’d Been There”

Jehangir Merchant, Aziz Kurwa and Barnaby Rogerson take a moment in Ismaili history and tell us why they wish they had been there.

Please click for Jehangir A. Merchant’s “Ghadir-Khumm and the Two Weighty Matters”

The last obligatory duty that Allah sent down was al-Walaya (adherence to the guardian designated by Allah). Then, He sent down the verse: “This day have I perfected your religion for you and have completed My favours upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (Holy Qur’an, 5:3)…Read Ghadir-Khumm and the Two Weighty Matters by Jehangir Merchant

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Please click for Aziz Kurwa’s “Volunteering at the Dawning of the Age of Imamat”

Rasul-illah mounted the pulpit and placed Ali on his right. He then delivered a sermon, thanking Allah for His bounty. Taking Hazrat Ali by the hand, he then declared: He of whom I am Mawla, of him Ali is also the Mawla. The volunteers cleared everything and then we sat around campfires in groups. In my group the conversations was buzzing over the historical and momentous events of the day…Read Volunteering at the Dawn of the Age of Imamat by Aziz Kurwa

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Please click for Barnaby Rogerson’s “A Christian Envoy at the Ghadir Khumm Campsite”

What an offer! To travel back in time and return as a true witness to the history that I have so often thought and dreamed about… (and) witness to the exact succession of events at the Ghadir Khumm campsite: the blessings, the sermon and the ritual actions of the Prophet ordaining Ali as his successor…Read A Christian Envoy at the Ghadir Khumm Campsite by Barnaby Rogerson

To download complete series, please click I Wish I’d Been There Series – PDF. To read individual pieces, please visit I Wish I’d Been There.

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[1] To read this and other published speeches at the AKDN Website, please click Tolerance Award from the Evangelical Academy of Tutzing and Speech Archives.

[2] To read background story and complete preamble, please click The Preamble Of “The Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims”.

[3] See The Ismaili Imamat note in AKDN–Brazil Protocol.

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Readers may find the following external sources useful for additional material on Ghadir-Khumm:

1. Ghadeer-e-Khumm: Where the Religion was Brought to Perfection – PDF book
2. http://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/

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Previous post: Five East African Serena Resorts in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

Five East African Serena Resorts in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards

The rooms at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge are decorated with cave paintings. Please click for article on awards for Serena in Kenya and Tanzania

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Previous post: Cairo in the Light of Nasir Khusraw’s Safarnama

THE COMMEMORATION OF EID AL-ADHA

Prophet Abraham’s (as) Act of Devotion and Submission to the Will of Allah

And when (his son) was old enough to walk with him, (Abraham)  said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice thee. So look, what thinkest thou? He said: O my father! Do that which thou art commanded. Allah willing, thou shalt find me of the steadfast. Then, when they had both surrendered (to Allah), and he had  flung him down upon his face, We called unto him: O Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision. Lo! thus do We reward  the good. Lo! that verily was a clear test. Then We ransomed him with a tremendous victim. And We left for him among the later folk (the salutation): Peace be unto Abraham! Thus do We reward the good. Lo! he is one of Our believing slaves – Holy Qur’an, chapter 37 (as-Saffat), verses 102-111.

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Meaning of Life

Struggle is the meaning of life; defeat or victory is in the hands of God. But struggle itself is man’s duty and should be his joy…..Life is a great and noble calling, not a mean and grovelling thing to be shuffled through as best as we can but a lofty and exalted destiny….Failures should be forgotten and new efforts made. Despondency is a sin, and hope, a necessary part of iman (faith) both for material wealth and, above all, for progress to spiritual enlightenment – Quotes of His Highness the Aga Khan III (1877 – 1957)

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Cairo in the Light of Nasir Khusraw’s Safarnama

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Post update: November 6, 2011

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