The ship occupies a unique position in the Islamic tradition. The Qur’an counts it among the ayat (miracles) of God and devotes twenty-eight verses enumerating its benefits to mankind. For Shaykh Khudr, a contemporary of the Ismaili Imam Nizar, Imams are the Ships of Salvation

 

The following poem is a composition by Shaykh Khudr of Syria. He was a contemporary of the fortieth Ismaili Imam, Nizar. In his adult life he visited Persia for an audience with the Imam, and was appointed to a senior position in the Syrian Ismaili community. Shaykh Khudr lived for seventy years.

The people of the house of Prophethood
are the manifestations of light;

They are that which exists forever
and in what has already elapsed;

They are the ships of salvation for those
who come running to them with hope; 

They are the rain abundant in moisture
and their grace is the best of springs;

The essence of their souls is knowledge
from a world beyond the intellects;

Indeed, it is their invitation which
rescues souls from the pit of destruction.

Poem from: 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.