“I wish you all success, good health, happiness, everything you wish, everything you wish for, Best Blessings.” – Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan. Please see one minute video footage from October 19, 2016, below.

LETTER FROM PUBLISHER

By Abdulmalik Merchant

Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, pictured at the Olympia Hall, London, during his weeklong visit to the United Kingdom Jamat in September 1979. Seated next to him on the stage are Mukhi Noordin Jivraj and Kamadia Nizar Dhanani. Photo: Jehangir Merchant Collection.

Some 37 years ago, my dad (Alwaez Rai Jehangir Merchant) wrote a piece for Ilm magazine on Mawlana Hazar Imam’s memorable week long visit to the United Kingdom jamats held at the beginning of September 1979. He mentioned about the unbounded joy originating from the souls of the members of the UK Ismailis when the visit was announced with a talika read in Jamatkhanas on July 7th, 1979. Then, describing the last few moments of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s final day of his seven day memorable stay in England, my dad wrote:

“In his infinite mercy and grace, Mawlana Hazar Imam then blessed the jamat for happiness, good health, unity, success in spiritual happiness, success in worldly happiness and for remaining on the Straight Path. What more would the mu’mins wish? Their Imam, their beloved Mawla had blessed them munificently. Tears were streaming from their eyes in reverence and devotion for their beloved Mawla for the immense love he had shown towards them….Very slowly and graciously, Mawla walked all around the [Olympia] hall to be as near to his spiritual children as possible for the last time during this visit. When he arrived at the exit of the hall, he majestically turned towards his spiritual children, stood there in all his glory for one brief moment, showered his Noor on the whole assembly of souls and then moved away from the sight of his beloved spiritual children who had all made him so very very happy.”

I mention this anecdote because something remarkable and inspiring happened a few days ago on October 19, 2016 in Kyrgyzstan as Mawlana Hazar Imam visited the new Naryn campus of the University of Central Asia. An amateur video footage that we have received captures the excitement, uncontrollable joy, happiness and emotion from a group of Ismaili murids as Mawlana Hazar Imam most graciously walks over to them, and from a very close distance, with hands stretched out, graciously and lovingly blesses them with the following words:

“I wish you all success, good health, happiness, everything you wish, everything you wish for, Best Blessings.”

The voices that we hear in the footage as Mawlana Hazar Imam steps in the direction of his followers (“Ya Hazar Imam”), and when he leaves them after fulfilling their dreams and filling their hearts, minds and souls with peace and unbounded spiritual happiness is a testament to the faith and love that each and every Ismaili around the world holds for his or her beloved Imam.

WATCH FOOTAGE OF MAWLANA HAZAR IMAM BLESSING MURIDS IN KYRGYZSTAN ON OCTOBER 19, 2016

Inshallah, the jamats all over the world will be blessed with the Imam’s Holy Deedar during the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee Celebration as we commemorate 60 years of his glorious and magnificent reign as our 49th Imam on July 11, 2017.

It is not in vain that Ismaili Pirs and missionaries wrote how fortunate the Ismaili people are to attain the recognition of the Imam of the Time, who is the direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.). Pir Sadardin wrote:

Eji Anand anand kariyo rikhisaro,
Awwal Shah tamey paya

Rejoice! O you who are on the True Path, rejoice!
For you have the Supreme Master.

On that note, we convey our heartiest felicitations and mubaraki to everyone who was present in Naryn to gain the Imam’s blessings, and wish to express our heartful thanks to the individual who has shared this video with us for the benefit of all our readers.

Date posted: October 21, 2016.

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