Simerg: An independent platform focusing on Islam and Muslims in general, with a particular reference to the Aga Khan and the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and related traditions through literary readings, photo essays and artistic expressions
At long last, literature counters in Jamatkhanas across Canada have received Dr. Farhad Daftary’s “The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History” in larger quantities than what was available in 2021-2022 at the height of COVID-19. That inventory sold out quickly, and the new inventory has reached several Jamatkhanas around the country. We request families to visit the literature counters at their respective Jamatkhanas before the book is sold out. Simerg has collaborated with the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board (ITREB) for Canada to facilitate the sale and distribution of the The Ismaili Imams by mail to Ismailis in Canada who live remotely or who do not have easy access to Jamatkhana literature counters. The book will be sold at the same price as at literature counters, but postage, packing and shipping costs will be added.
How to Purchase The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History from Simerg
Cover page of The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History by Farhad Daftary, Hardback, 260 pp., published October 2020, I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies.
Ismaili individuals and families who live remotely or who do not have access to the book at their own Jamatkhana literature counters are advised to order Ismaili Imams through Simerg’s offer before the book is completely sold out.
The book will be sold at the same price as at Ismaili Jamatkhana literature counters across Canada. However, postage, package and handling charges of C$25.00 will be added to the book’s COST PRICE of C$23.00, for a total price of C$48.00. Note that each shipment will be sent via Canada Post’s expedited parcel post. A tracking number will be provided to track the shipment.
To inquire if the book is still available, and to order/reserve the book, please write to Malik Merchant of Simerg, Barakah and Simergphotos at mmerchant@simerg.com. Please provide your full name, phone number and address where you can be reached. Simerg will contact you within 24 hours to verify your address and provide you with payment information. Please note that payments will only be accepted via Interac E-transfer or by cheque. The book will be shipped out within 24 hours upon receipt of the payment.
Each individual/family will be able to order a maximum of 2 copies, as Simerg’s stock is limited.
What arguably should have been among the first publications to be published by the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in London was ultimately published in October 2020, 43 years after its founding on December 13, 1977. The book, The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History, has now reached literature counters in Ismaili Jamatkhanas across Canada in larger quantities than the first stock that arrived in the midst of Covid-19, when the book quickly sold out. The long awaited book, in my humble opinion, should find a place in every Ismaili home and should be read by the youth and professionals in the Jamat.
Simerg is pleased to collaborate with the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board (ITREB) for Canada to facilitate the sale and distribution of the The Ismaili Imams by mail to Ismailis in Canada who live remotely or who do not have easy access to Jamatkhana literature counters. The book will be sold at the same price as at literature counters, but postage, packing and shipping costs will be added. See details below.
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Top left: Great Mosque of Mahdiyya; top right: Title page and opening page of a manuscipt of the Pandiyat-i javanmardi, a collection of the sermons of Imam Mustansir bi’llah; bottom left: Restored mausoleum of Imam Shah Nizar in Kahak; and Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, delivering a speech at the Global Centre for Pluralism Ottawa. All Illustrations: The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History.
The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History has been authored by Farhad Daftary, a pre-eminent authority on Ismaili Studies, and author and editor of dozens of books and articles on Ismaili history and literature. Dr Daftary, who joined the IIS in 1988, became the head of its Department of Academic Research and Publications, and went on to become its co-director upon the departure of Dr Azim Nanji. Daftary finally stepped down from his management roles in 2022, and was succeeded as IIS director by Professor Zayn Kassam in January 2023.
On January 18, 2023, Dr Daftary was honoured in the presence of Prince Rahim at a special reception held in London. During the event, Prince Rahim announced that Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, had decided to acknowledge Dr Daftary’s contributions to the Institute by attaching his name to PhD Scholarships awarded by IIS. Prince Rahim also recognized Dr Daftary’s central role not only as a leader, but as the IIS’s most respected and productive scholar and author.
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Cover page of The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History by Farhad Daftary, Hardback, 260 pp., published October 2020, I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies.
The Ismaili Imams is the first collection of biographies of all the Ismaili Imams, from the seminal Imams of early Shi’i Islam, through to those of the first ‘period of concealment’ when their public identities remained hidden, to the Imam-caliphs of the illustrious Fatimid dynasty, and those of the Alamut period, up to the Aga Khans of the modern period. The Ismaili Imams mines the rich scholarship of the developing field of Ismaili Studies, providing a simple and clear resource for both the Ismailis themselves and for general readers, as well as being a useful work of reference for scholars. This extensively illustrated book offers a snapshot of the lives, events, and legacies of all 49 Ismaili Imams, and through them, the Ismaili community’s storied past.
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The 260 page richly illustrated hardback volume features the 49 Ismaili Imams through the following nine sections: 1.The Ismaili Imamat in History; 2.The Early Imams (from Hazrat ‘Ali to Imam Muhammad b. Isma’il); 3.The Concealed Imams (Imam Wafi Ahmad to Imam Radi al-Din ‘Abd Allah); 4.The Early Fatimid Imam-Caliphs (from Imam al-Mahdi to Imam Nizar); 5.The Imams at Alamut (from Imam al-Hadi to Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah); 6.The Early Imams after Alamut (Imam Shams al-Din Muhammad to Imam Muhammad b. Islam Shah); 7.The Imam of the Anjudan Period (Imam Mustansir bi’llah to Imam Khalil Allah ‘Ali); 8.The Imams in the Eighteenth Century (Imam Shah Nizar to Imam Shah Khalil Allah); and 9.The Imams in the Modern Age (Imam Shah Hasan ‘Ali Shah, Aga Khan I, to Mawlana Shah Karim al-Husayni, Aga Khan IV). The book ends with a four page glossary, select bibliography, and an index. The full contents page is available on the IIS website HERE.
How to Purchase The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History from Simerg
Simerg is pleased to facilitate the distribution of The Ismaili Imams: A Biographical History in conjunction with ITREB Canada, to Ismaili addresses in Canada. Ismaili individuals and families who live remotely or who do not have access to the book at their own Jamatkhana literature counters, should take advantage of this offer before the book is completely sold out.
The book will be sold at the same cost price as at Ismaili Jamatkhana literature counters across Canada. However, postage, package and handling charges amounting to a total of C$25.00 will be added to the book’s COST PRICE of C$23.00, for a total payment price of C$48.00. Note that each shipment will be nicely packaged and sent via Canada Post’s expedited parcel post. A tracking number will be provided to track the shipment.
To order/reserve the book, please write to Malik Merchant of Simerg, Barakah and Simergphotos at mmerchant@simerg.com. Please provide your full name, phone number and address where you can be reached. Simerg will contact you within 48 hours to verify your address and provide you with payment details. Please note that payments will only be accepted via Interac E-transfer or by cheque. The book will be shipped out immediately upon receipt of the payment.
Each individual/family will be able to order a maximum of 2 copies.
Over the past 14 years, Simerg has had the privilege and honour to support Prince Hussain Aga Khan’s books such as Animal Voyage, Diving Into Wildlife and The Living Sea. We are happy to collaborate with ITREB Canada in this new endeavour and look forward to serving members of the Ismaili community in this joint initiative. Ismaili readers should note that the book is available for purchase through online booksellers like Amazon, albeit at a higher price.
Date posted: February 17, 2024.
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Have you read The Ismaili Imams? We want to hear from you. Please submit your feedback on the book by clicking on LEAVE A COMMENT.
Simerg’s series entitled “Books by Ismaili Authors” continues with Canadian writer Azmina Suleman’s book “In the Name of Justice – Portrait of a ‘Cowboy’ Judge.” We follow the same Q/A format as our recent presentations of books written by Alnasir Rajan, Shafeen Ali, Mansoor Ladha, Zeni Shariff and Shamas Nanji. We encourage Ismaili authors to participate in this series, regardless of when their books were published. See details of the series HERE and submit your responses to the editor of Simerg, Malik, at Simerg@aol.com.
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Simerg: What is behind the naming of the title of the book?
Azmina Suleman: A man of honor, principle and great personal integrity, James Valentine Hogarth Milvain’s name was often synonymous with ‘Justice’ in Alberta. He was appointed judge of the Alberta Supreme Court in 1959 and Chief Justice in 1968. Known for his ready wit, wisdom and innate ‘horse sense,’ Milvain was also popularly dubbed the ‘Cowboy Judge’ where his ranching background kept him close to people, and where ethics and morality guided him in everything he did.
Simerg: Why would you want me or my family members to read the book, and what will we all learn from it?
Azmina: The book reads like an ‘oral’ judgment. Its tone and text has been kept deliberately simple and free of ‘legal jargon’ so even the ordinary man on the street not necessarily well-versed in the law can appreciate Alberta’s law and its early history – the hardships, courage and tenacity of the early pioneers who helped open up the ‘old West’ in Canada.
Simerg: What inspired you to write the book?
Azmina: I actually had the privilege of knowing Milvain for a short period of time Yet, he managed to leave a lasting impression on my mind – more for his humility, compassion and ‘common touch’ than his formidable list of legal accomplishments. After graduating from journalism, I felt inspired to write about this outstanding human being whom I genuinely admired and respected, and simply called ‘Uncle Val.’ I may note that in 1987 Justice Milvain was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
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Cover of Azmina Suleman’s “In the Name of Justice — Portrait of a ‘Cowboy’ Judge,” pp. 316, available in Hardback.
Simerg: How can I purchase the book and what are its available formats?
Simerg: How did you find a publisher for the book?
Azmina: The book was published through LASA and printed in Canada.
Simerg: Did you hire an editor, an illustrator or did you do all the work by yourself?
Azmina: The book was professionally edited, but I created the cover myself and had some help formatting the manuscript itself.
Simerg: Which was your first book and how many have you written?
Azmina: I have written two books: My first book “In the Name of Justice – Portrait of a ‘Cowboy’ Judge,” that is being highlighted in this post, was published in 1998.My second book: “A Passage to Eternity – A Mystical Account of a Near-Death Experience and Poetic Journey into the Afterlife” was published in 2004.
Simerg: How long did it take you to write In the Name of Justice — from start to finish and to begin marketing it?
Azmina: Approximately 4 to 5 years from start to finish.
Simerg: Tell us something more about the book and its main character.
Azmina: Justice Milvain was born in 1904 on a ranch in Southern Alberta during the days of the pioneers, legendary cowboy, horse-buggy and itinerant country doctor. From his humble farm beginnings to his slow rise in the legal profession in Calgary, Milvain became known for his special no-nonsense brand of ‘western’ justice and practical landmark decisions, which went beyond the mere letter of the law to invoke its true spirit while administrating justice in the ‘wild and woolly West.’ Milvain’s passing away in 1993 served as a stark reminder of the fact that a material part of Alberta’s living history was slipping away. Consequently, this book now forms a part of the oral and written history of Alberta. To put it in Milvain’s own words: “Without the written or spoken word, it is not possible that wisdom and knowledge can be passed on to others.”
Date posted: April 28, 2021.
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Azmina Suleman
Azmina Suleman was born and educated in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to England to complete her post-secondary education, before immigrating to Canada in the early 1980’s. She has a Master’s degree in legal history and is a published author and journalist. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.
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CALLING ALL ISMAILI AUTHORS
We encourage Ismaili writers to introduce their books in a similar format as has been done in the post above. Please also see the series launch article and submit your responses to Malik at Simerg@aol.com. All submissions will be acknowledged. If a writer has published multiple books, each book will be highlighted in a separate article, and not combined with other books into one post. All writers should include a brief profile with a portrait photo.
The Ismaili Authors’ Series so far (in chronological sequence, oldest article first):
We welcome feedback from our readers. 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.
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