Simerg is an independent initiative dedicated to Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan — their Hereditary Imam — and the Ismaili Imamat, and Islam in general through literary readings, photo essays and artistic expressions
On Monday. April 17, 2023, Simerg’s sister website Simergphotos will launch a special 4-week series on Cairo — a city founded more than a 1000 years ago by the Fatimids, ancestors of the present 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, His Highness the Aga Khan.
Lanterns in Islamic Cairo. Photograph: Muslim Harji.
Muslim Harji’s photographs will cover Islamic Cairo, the city’s popular foods including its street foods as well as the beautiful Al-Azhar Park that has captured the hearts of Cairo’s residents. He will conclude the series with photographs of his memorable visit to Aswan, the burial place of the 48th Ismaili Imam, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III (d. July 11, 1957.)
Fellucas on the Nile in Aswan. Photograph: Muslim Harji
As a forerunner to the Cairo series, we invite our readers to view a selection of Muslim’s highly acclaimed photo essays that have appeared in Simerg and its sister blogs over the last decade. Muslim’s dazzling pictures will capture your imagination and leave a permanent mark on your minds.
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TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH MUSLIM HARJI TO CANADA, SPAIN, THE MIDDLE EAST, CENTRAL ASIA, IRAN, INDIA AND MORE
Please click on the hyperlink or corresponding image for full story
“We have indeed sent it (the Qur’an) down in the Night of Power! And what will make you understand what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit (Ruh) descend therein with the permission of their Lord, to regulate all things. It is peace until the rising of the dawn” — Qur’an, 97:1-5 (Surah al-Qadr)
The Qur’an affirms in the final two verses of this very short Surah of Qadr — The Night of Power — that angels and luminous spirits descend to earth on the blessed night, expressing the Grace and Mercy of Allah.
What symbolic dimension and esoteric meaning should we give to this night of the angels in the blessed Islamic month of Ramadan?
Of course, during this crucial night, as Shia Imami Ismaili Mulsims, under the spiritual authority of the Imam-of-the-Time, we will devote our time in congregation as well as individually to spiritual exercises that will especially help us to enter into communion with our soul and succeed in opening our heart to the vision of God.
The recitation of verses and surahs of the Qur’an, Ginans and Qasidas, special Tasbihs (invocations), the Hadiths (the traditions of the Prophet), the Farmans (guidance) of Mawlana Hazar Imam, as well as the remembrance of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali and his (Hereditary) successors, as we commemorate this special event, will support our spiritual search.
On this Holy Night it is necessary to be in tune, by reason and with our hearts, with the angels and the luminous entities sent in mission as providential messengers.
Musicians know this phenomenon well. Here are two absolutely identical tuning forks: you touch one of them, it vibrates, and the other, which has not been touched, also vibrates. We say that there is a resonance.
Well, a similar phenomenon occurs with the human beings: if each one of us manages to tune our physical and psychic being to the most subtle vibrations of the universe, we can reach the celestial powers to make an exchange with them and thus receive help and comfort.
We also know that there is no true listening without the fundamental attitude of humility!
During this night of the angels, we can even touch certain currents of forces to make them come to us. As soon as we know this law (of tuning), we understand how important it is to surpass ourselves — to surpass ourselves to touch the most subtle chords of our being and to make them vibrate, because there will be forces that will respond by making us benefit from their knowledge.
Through Ibadat (worship), special Zikr prayers and Bandgi (meditation and contemplation), we can communicate and be heard! We have to make the sincere effort to enter the sacred silence of interiority and to understand the importance of the spiritual quest by going down to the bottom of our soul.
This Night of the Angels remains precious for introspection, awareness, offers moments of purification, forgiveness, enlightenment, contemplation, submission, renewing our act of allegiance to the Spiritual Authority of the Imam-of-the-Time.
Laylat al-Qadr is a night of the angels where Allah in His Great Mercy and Glory has concentrated His Blessings and entrusted the angels and the invisible light entities to make the night the centre of His Favours.
Laylat al-Qadr is a night that is conducive to our spiritual maturity because these hours of worship, allow us to see the treasures of knowledge and recognition.
We conclude by offering our prayers and sincere fraternal thoughts for a complete, serene and satisfying night of Laylat al-Qadr.
Date posted: April 12, 2023. Last updated: March 22, 2025.
Featured image shown at top of post: In his Khamsa, Shab-i Qadr (the Night of Power), the renowned Persian poet Amir Khusraw Dihlavi (d. 1325 CE) tells the story of a saint who made a failed attempt to stay awake until the Laylat al-Qadr. This image is taken from a folio in the Aga Khan Museum collection in Toronto, Canada.
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Born and raised in Madagascar, Mohez Nato went to France in the late 1960’s to pursue his university education. Political tensions in Madagascar prevented him from returning to his home country, where he had planned to teach and carry out research on medicinal plants. Instead, he remained in France and completed his PhD, following which he worked as a teacher-researcher in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Paris Sud XI from 1971 to 2011.
Now, in his retirement, Mohez does voluntary work giving courses in French-speaking Universities in countries like Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Benin, Algeria and Tunisia. He is also the president of a Humanitarian Association which has been active in Madagascar since 1993. Within the Ismaili community, Mohez was Secretary General of the Ismailia Association for France (with President Mohamad Peera) which organized Mawlana Hazar Imam His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to Paris in 1980. Thereafter, he devoted time for the opening of a Jamatkhana in Antony in southern suburb of Paris, where he also held the position of Kamadia from 1981 to 1983. After the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2007-08, Mohez was bestowed with the title of Alijah by Mawlana Hazar Imam. Mohez is married to Farida, with whom he has two daughters, Farahna and Rahima. We invite you to read his earlier piece Ode à l’Imam du Temps Présent / Ode to the Imam of the Present Time published in Barakah.
“From the first Costeau film I saw and the fish I started keeping at the age of five, the first octopus and cuttlefish that squirted ink at me….I knew I couldn’t, wouldn’t stop exploring the sea,” says Prince Hussain. Read more about his marine expeditions and exciting encounters in the underwater world as well as his contributions to the work of the Ismaili Imamat by clicking on photo shown above or APRIL 10: PRINCE HUSSAIN AGA KHAN.
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Prince Hussain’s nephew, Prince Irfan, is 41 years younger! His recent photo with his grandfather, His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him and his family), brought immense joy to Ismailis around the world. Our piece on the young Prince includes the meaning of his beautiful name Irfan. Please click on photo or APRIL 11: PRINCE IRFAN AGA KHAN.
On April 9, 2023, Christians around the world will observe Easter Sunday as mark of their faith that Jesus Christ — Prophet Issa (may peace be on him) as he is known in Islam — was resurrected three days after his death by crucifixion. Simerg presents a selection of photos related to Easter traditions and the Christian faith captured by Montreal’s Muslim Harji during his travels around the world. The photographs shown on this page are part of a broader presentation of Harji’s highly acclaimed and must-read photo essay SACRED SPACES in world faiths that appears on Simergphotos.
[The following piece was originally published on March 30, 2023, in The Ismaili Portugal, the Portuguese component of the official website of the Ismaili Muslim community. It has been adapted with minor changes; the photographs produced below are not part of The Ismaili Portugal piece. The sources of the photographs have been mentioned in their corresponding captions — Ed.]
Português/Portuguese (English follows)
Após o choque inicial do incidente no Centro Ismaili em Lisboa no início desta semana, os pensamentos da comunidade Ismaili voltaram-se para as duas mulheres que tragicamente perderam as suas vidas.
As vítimas do ataque — Farana Sadrudin, 49 anos, e Mariana Jadaugy, 24 anos — trabalhavam para a FOCUS Assistência Humanitária no Centro Ismaili com os refugiados recém-chegados para os ajudar a estabelecerem-se em Portugal.
A Farana era a Country Manager da FOCUS para Portugal. Engenheira de profissão, tinha anteriormente desempenhado uma série de funções voluntárias, servindo o Jamat há mais de 20 anos. Farana era também membro do National Council desde 2015.
“O seu sorriso era contagioso”, disse a sua prima Fara Nazim. “A dedicação da Farana, a paixão por ajudar os outros, e a generosidade são apenas algumas das qualidades dela que não vamos esquecer. Fomos abençoados por tê-la nas nossas vidas”.
A Mariana trabalhava como caseworker, tendo começado a trabalhar na FOCUS em 2022. Mariana era licenciada em Ciências Políticas e Relações Internacionais e tinha um mestrado em Ciências Sociais e Desenvolvimento.
“Ela não era apenas minha colega, mas também minha amiga”, disse a colega de trabalho Nalina Ali. “Ela sempre ajudou a tornar o nosso local de trabalho num ambiente acolhedor e reconfortante para todos. Aprendi muito com ela”.
“Os nossos pensamentos estão com as famílias da Farana e da Mariana. Eram ambas bem conhecidas entre o Jamat”, disse Rahim Firozali, Presidente do National Council para Portugal. “O trabalho de ambas foi de vital importância para ajudar os migrantes a estabelecerem-se e integrarem-se neste país, tendo muitas vezes ido além das suas funções para oferecer cuidados e atenção aos necessitados”.
Nos últimos dias, as famílias das vítimas receberam apoio e conforto dos membros da Jamat de todo o mundo. Também o National Council recebeu mensagens de condolências e apoio de parceiros e amigos da comunidade de todos os cantos do mundo. As cerimónias fúnebres da Farana realizaram-se na passada sexta-feira, 31 de março, e as da Mariana no sábado, 1 de abril.
“Iremos recordá-las pelo seu profissionalismo e empenho no seu trabalho e para com o Jamat”, acrescentou o Presidente Rahim. “Elas representaram o espírito de serviço e sentiremos muita falta delas”.
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English (Spanish follows)
“Farana’s smile was contagious… her dedication, passion for helping others, and generosity are just some of the things we won’t forget about her” — Fara Nazim
“Mariana was not only my colleague but also my friend. She helped to make our workplace a welcoming and comforting environment. I learned a lot from her” — Nalina Ali
The valorization and the empowerment of women is an important issue, especially for those who come from countries where the role of women is relegated to second place. In this sense, a session was held on July 20, 2022, at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon, under the motto: “All women have the power to become a success story”. In this session, topics such as hygiene care and make-up were also discussed in partnership with Dressforsuccess, with hygiene and make-up products being offered to the participants. In this photo, FOCUS Country Manager, Farana Sadrudin (d. March 28, 2023, aged 49) is seen 2nd from left with participants. Photograph: The Ismaili, September 10, 2022.
Following the initial shock of the incident at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon earlier this week, thoughts of the Ismaili community soon turned to the women who tragically lost their lives.
The victims of the attack — Farana Sadrudin, 49, and Mariana Jadaugy, 24 — were employed by FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance. Based at the Ismaili Centre, they worked with recent arrivals to help them settle in Portugal.
Farana was the FOCUS country manager for Portugal. An engineer by profession, she had previously performed a number of voluntary roles, serving the Jamat over a period of 20 years. Farana had also served as a National Council member since 2015.
“Her smile was contagious,” said her cousin Fara Nazim. “Farana’s dedication, passion for helping others, and generosity are just some of the things we won’t forget about her. We were blessed to have her as part of our lives.”
Mariana Jadaugy (d. March 28, 2023, aged 24), pictured on June 12, 2019 with her degree in Political Science and International Relations from Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, a unit of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. Photograph: NOVA/FCSH.
Mariana was a caseworker, having begun work at FOCUS only this year. Prior to this, at University she had studied Political Science and International Relations and held a Masters in Social Sciences and Development.
“She was not only my colleague but also my friend,” said co-worker Nalina Ali. “She helped to make our workplace a welcoming and comforting environment. I learned a lot from her.”
“Our thoughts are with the families of Farana and Mariana,” said Rahim Firozali, President of the Ismaili Council for Portugal. “Their work was vitally important to help migrants settle and integrate in this country, and they often went above and beyond their assigned duties to offer care and attention to those in need.”
In recent days, the grieving families have received an outpouring of support and comfort from members of the Jamat worldwide. The Ismaili Council for Portugal has also received messages of condolences and support from partners and friends of the community from all corners of the world. Funeral ceremonies were held on Friday 31 March and Saturday 1 April for Farana and Mariana respectively.
“We will remember them for their professionalism and commitment to their work and to the Jamat,” added President Rahim. “They embodied the spirit of service and will be greatly missed.”
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Español/Spanish
Tras la conmoción inicial por el incidente ocurrido en el Centro Ismailí de Lisboa a principios de esta semana, los pensamientos de la comunidad ismailí enseguida se volvieron hacia las mujeres que perdieron trágicamente la vida.
Las víctimas del atentado, Farana Sadrudin, de 49 años, y Mariana Jadaugy, de 24, trabajaban para FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance. Con base en el Centro Ismailí, trabajaban con los recién llegados para ayudarles a establecerse en Portugal.
Farana era la responsable de FOCUS en Portugal. Ingeniera de profesión, había desempeñado anteriormente diversas funciones de voluntariado al servicio de Jamat durante 20 años. Farana también había sido miembro del Consejo Nacional desde 2015.
“Su sonrisa era contagiosa”, dijo su prima Fara Nazim. “La dedicación, la pasión por ayudar a los demás y la generosidad de Farana son solo algunas de las cosas que no olvidaremos de ella. Tuvimos la suerte de que formara parte de nuestras vidas”.
Mariana era asistente social y había empezado a trabajar en FOCUS este mismo año. Antes, en la Universidad había estudiado Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales y tenía un máster en Ciencias Sociales y Desarrollo.
“No sólo era mi colega, sino también mi amiga”, afirma Nalina Ali, compañera de trabajo. “Ayudó a hacer de nuestro lugar de trabajo un entorno acogedor y reconfortante. Aprendí mucho de ella”.
“Nuestros pensamientos están con las familias de Farana y Mariana”, declaró Rahim Firozali, Presidente del Consejo Ismailí para Portugal. “Su trabajo era de vital importancia para ayudar a los inmigrantes a establecerse e integrarse en este país, y a menudo iban más allá de sus obligaciones asignadas para ofrecer cuidado y atención a los necesitados.”
En los últimos días, las familias en duelo han recibido una avalancha de apoyo y consuelo de miembros del Jamat de todo el mundo. El Consejo Ismailí para Portugal también ha recibido mensajes de condolencias y apoyo de socios y amigos de la comunidad de todos los rincones del mundo. El viernes 31 de marzo y el sábado 1 de abril se celebraron las ceremonias fúnebres de Farana y Mariana, respectivamente.
“Las recordaremos por su profesionalidad y compromiso con su trabajo y con el Jamat”, añadió el Presidente Rahim. “Encarnaban el espíritu de servicio y las echaremos mucho de menos.
Simerg invites readers to submit their thoughts, reflections and condolences to Farana Sadrudin and Mariana Jadaugy. We would especially like to hear from their friends, colleagues and family members whose lives they touched through their warmth, friendship, love as well as services that they rendered during their lifetime. Please pen your reflections by clicking on Leave a comment.
Editor’s note: In the aftermath of the knife attack at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon that killed Farana Sadrudin and Mariana Jadaugy, condolences have been expressed to the families of the victims privately, in public statements or through the media. One such expression was received by Simerg from Paris based Moez Nato in response to our report on the funeral of Farana Sadrudin that took place in Lisbon on Friday, March 31, 2023. We publish Nato’s expression of sympathy that we feel is representative of how hundreds of thousands of members of the Ismaili community in Portugal and around the world feel about the tragedy that has taken place. The image at top of this post features Mariana Jadaugy (left, photo credit: NOVA FCSH) and Farana Sadrudin (photo credit: Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal).
By MOEZ NATO
French (English follows)
Chers soeurs et frères de foi, Chers amis,
Cette horrible nouvelle de Lisbonne ne peut que nous fendre le coeur et nous attrister profondément. Nous sommes touchés dans notre chair. Quelle douloureuse nouvelle! Quels malheurs! Mais pourquoi ce geste fou, violent?
Nos prières et nos pensées pour les parents et les proches des innocentes victimes. Nos prières pour que Allah, dans toute Sa Miséricorde et Sa Clémence ouvrent à leurs âmes en paix le Royaume de Lumière.
Que les Bénédictions de Mowlana Hazar Imam soient pour les parents des victimes une source de réconfort spirituel.
Nos condoléances attristées à toute la communauté ismailie de Lisbonne . Nos pensées et notre soutien moral au Peuple Portugais et aux Autorités Politiques Institutionnelles qui ont toujours manifesté leur bienveillance à l’ Imamat Ismaili et soutenu l’ intégration loyale, harmonieuse de notre Jamat au sein de la société civile portugaise.
Avec nos affectueuses pensées et l’ expression de notre solidarité, de notre fraternité, à toutes les personnes qui ont acceuillie cette affreuse nouvelle de Lisbonne avec beaucoup de tristesse.
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English
Dear sisters and brothers of faith, Dear friends,
This horrible news from Lisbon can only break our hearts and sadden us deeply. We are touched in our flesh. What painful news! What misfortunes! But why this crazy, violent gesture?
Our prayers and thoughts for the parents and loved ones of the innocent victims. Our prayers that Allah, in all His Mercy will open the Kingdom of Light to their souls in peace.
May the Blessings of Mawlana Hazar Imam be a source of spiritual comfort to the relatives of the victims.
Our heartfelt condolences to the entire Ismaili community of Lisbon.
Our thoughts and our moral support to the Portuguese People and to the Institutional Political Authorities who have always shown their benevolence to the Ismaili Imamat and supported the loyal, harmonious integration of our Jamat within Portuguese civil society.
With our loving thoughts and the expression of our solidarity, our fraternity, to all the people who have received this dreadful news from Lisbon with great sadness.
Date posted: April 2, 2023.
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As a follow up to Moez Nato’s message of condolence posted above as well as others that we have received, Simerg invites its readers to submit their thoughts, reflections and condolences on the tragedy that took place on March 28, 2023, in Lisbon. Please submit your feedback by clicking Leave a comment. Also, please click HERE to read other messages of condolence.
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.
Farana Sadrudin, aged 49, who was killed in a knife attack that took place on March 28, 2023, at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon was buried on Friday, March 31, the 9th day of the Muslim month of Ramadhan, at the Cemitério do Lumiar following a funeral ceremony that was held at the Ismaili Centre and attended by more than 1,500 people.
The cemetery has burial zones for numerous faith groups including Muslims, Christians and Jews. The funeral for the 2nd victim, Mariana Jadaugy, aged 24, will be held Saturday, April 1, in Sintra, a resort town near Lisbon. The horrible crime, that also injured a 3rd person, was committed by Abdul Bashir, a refugee who had been living in Portugal for the past 12 months.
The traditional Ismaili Muslim post burial prayers of zyarat and samar for the soul of Farana were held at the Ismaili Centre Jamatkhana immediately after the completion of the burial rites.
Numerous Portuguese newspapers carried reports and photographs of the hearse’s arrival at the Ismaili Centre before the funeral ceremony as well as scenes of bereavement outside the Ismaili Centre as families, friends and members of the public gathered to mourn and pay respects to the deceased.
The largest Portuguese circulated newspaper Correio da Manhã (CM Journal) noted that the hearse to carry the body for burial at the cemetery arrived at the Ismaili Centre at 9:00 AM local time, two hours ahead of the funeral ceremonies at 11:00 AM. Please click HERE for CM’s report and photos of the hearse. The newspaper further reported that dozens of heavily armed police officers were at the Ismaili Center as funeral ceremonies took place for Farana. The newspaper also put out a short video Farana’s funeral marked by emotion and tears from family and friends in Portuguese.
A scene of bereavement at the funeral ceremony for Farana Sadrudin that took place at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon on Friday, March 31, 2023. Photograph: Jornal de Noticias. Please click on photo for numerous reports and more photographs.
The Jornal de Notícias, one of Portugal’s oldest newspapers, carried photographs of scenes of bereavement outside the Ismaili Centre Lisbon, as a vast crowd gathered to pay respects at the funeral ceremony for Farana. The newspaper has also grouped links to various reports related to the attack at the Ismaili Centre under one special section; please click HERE.
According to the Portuguese media, the funeral for the second victim, Mariana Jadaugy, will take place in Sintra, a town near Lisbon. Earlier, the Lisbon School of Economics and Management (ISEG) had issued the following In Memoriam statement for the 2 victims:
“ISEG deeply regrets the deaths that occurred yesterday at the Ismali Center in Lisbon, in particular that of student Mariana Jadaugy, ISEG student, master in Development and International Cooperation. Mariana finished her master’s degree in December 2021 with an average of 15 out of 20, where she defended her thesis on the theme “Women’s Participation in Non-Governmental Organizations: Contributions to Your Study”.
“ISEG vehemently repudiates any type of violence and discrimination, and associates itself with the pain of the Ismaili community in Portugal, also conveying its deepest feelings to the families, colleagues and friends of the victims.”
OTHER NOTES AND STORIES OF INTEREST FROM THE PORTUGUESE MEDIA
REPORT SUMMARY — “The Assembly of the Republic on Friday, March 31, 2023, approved a vote of condolence for the victims of the attack that took place on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon. The members of the assembly gave a a long standing applause to the families, those responsible for the center and the representative of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon who were present in the galleries.”
This post will continue to be updated with emerging stories, including Mariana Jadaugy’s funeral that is scheduled to take place later today, Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Date posted: March 31, 2023. Last updated: April 3, 2023 (CM Jornal link to video of funeral)
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Simerg invites readers to submit their thoughts, reflections and condolences on this tragedy that brutally took away the lives of two individuals at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon. Please submit your feedback by clicking Leave a comment.
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.
The official website of the Ismaili community in a brief report states that at around 11.30 AM (Lisbon time) on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, a man armed with a knife entered the premises of the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon and attacked three people, killing two Ismaili women and injuring the third. The police and security services immediately responded, and the attacker has been taken into custody.
Naming the two victims as Mariana Jadaugy, 24, and Farana Sadrudin, 49, CNN Portugal stated that the latter victim is the niece of Nazim Ahmad, the diplomatic representative of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal. The news of the attack has been reported by media around the world including Reuters and the BBC (please click on the links.) Click HERE to watch Reuters video report.
Farana’s funeral ceremony took place at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon at 11 AM local time on Friday, March 31, 2023. It is estimated that more than 1,500 people attended the ceremony.
The Lisbon School of Economics and Management (ISEG) issued the following In Memoriam statement on its website in honour of Mariana Jadaugy who was a student at the institution:
“ISEG deeply regrets the deaths that occurred yesterday at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon, in particular that of student Mariana Jadaugy, ISEG student, master in Development and International Cooperation. Mariana finished her master’s degree in December 2021 with an average of 15 out of 20, where she defended her thesis on the theme “Women’s Participation in Non-Governmental Organizations: Contributions to Your Study. ISEG vehemently repudiates any type of violence and discrimination, and associates itself with the pain of the Ismaili community in Portugal, also conveying its deepest feelings to the families, colleagues and friends of the victims.”
Mariana’s funeral ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 1, in Sintra, a town near Lisbon.
Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa conveyed his solidarity to the victims’ families and to the Ismaili community. He said: “Everything points to this being an isolated incident.” According to the BBC, the Portuguese home affairs Jose Luis Carneiro has said that the alleged attacker was a “relatively young man” with three young children whose wife had died earlier. The minister went on to say said the man often visited the centre to to study Portuguese, collect food donations and for childcare. He added that the victims worked at the centre’s refugee support programme.
Simerg will continue to follow and report on this unfolding tragic news that has brought immense shock to the Ismaili world. The news is unthinkable coming a week after the community celebrated Navroz, the Persian New Year, on March 21, 2023, and on the 6th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan, which commenced on Thursday, March 23.
We grieve with the families of the victims and convey our deepfelt condolences to them as well as members of the Ismaili Jamat in Portugal and around the world.
Featured photo at top of post: Security at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon following knife-attack.
Date posted: March 28, 2023. Last updated: April 1, 2023 (added link to Reuters video report.)
Simerg invites readers to submit their thoughts, reflections and condolences on this breaking story that has emerged from Lisbon, Portugal. Please submit your feedback by clicking Leave a comment.
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.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
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.
The publisher and editor of Simerg and its two sister websites, Simergphotos and Barakah, along with his family members, wishes all readers Navroz Mubarak with a prayer that the coming year bring with it joy and happiness in all our lives, that all our aspirations are fulfilled and that there may be peace and prosperity all around.
For our Ismaili readers, we quote the following timeless blessing in a Talika (written holy message) sent by Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, on March 21, 2021. He said:
“I send my most affectionate loving blessings for mushkil-asan, and for my Jamat’s wellbeing, good health, safety and security. I also give my best loving blessings for barakah in your spiritual and material lives, and for the fulfilment of all your wishes.”
For this most auspicious occasion falling on March 21, 2023, we present below two beautiful calligraphies in Eastern Kufi and Diwani script prepared by Toronto based Ismaili artist Karim Ismail. We also present a special new article on Navroz by Mohez Nato of France, who submitted the following lovely photograph of Crocus sativus or saffron crocus growing in his garden.
FLOWERS AND CALLIGRAPHY
Please click on images for enlargement
Crocus sativus or saffron crocus in Mohez Nato’s garden at his home in Paris. Read his Navroz article HERE. Photograph: Mohez Nato.
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Calligraphy Navroz and Navroz Mubarak in square and eastern Kufi by Toronto’s Karim Ismail.
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Calligraphy Navroz in Diwani script by Toronto’s Karim Ismail.
Date posted: March 21, 2023. Last updated: March 22, 2023 (link to full Talika added, typos.)
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Karim Ismail
Originally from Uganda, Karim Ismail lived in England before settling in Canada. By profession, he is a Pharmacist (retired). It was in England, in 1986, that he came across the artwork of a German Muslim, Karl Schlamminger (1935-2017), at the Ismaili Centre London. Karl’s artwork on calligraphy and geometrics, had a profound effect on Karim. He is frequently seen conducting calligraphy workshops for children at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Karim is also active on the literature counter at the Ismaili Centre Toronto.
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.
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