Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un
“Surely we belong to God, and to Him we return” — Holy Qur’an, 2:156

“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.” — Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III (1877-1957), 48th Ismaili Imam.

A brief note by MALIK MERCHANT

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Sayyid Jalal Badakhshani on August 11, 2026, in London, England, at age 85. While Simerg plans to publish its own detailed tribute to Dr. Badakhshani shortly — one related to his academic work by Daryoush Mohammad Poor was published on August 12 by The Institute of Ismaili Studies — I, as a member of Ismailia Association UK’s Literature and Publication Department and co-editor of its prominent Ilm magazine from 1975 to 1979, fondly recall how honoured we all felt when he, along with Dr. Rafik Habib Keshavjee, submitted a scholarly piece titled “On the Imamate: A Treatise of the Khwajeh Nasir ad-din Tusi” for publication in the magazine. The nine-page article appeared in the July 1978 issue and, coincidentally, included a brief article about the Mashhad Jamatkhana along with a photo of its front piece on the cover. At that time, Jalal was attached to the Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, and Rafik was at Harvard. Simerg is pleased to share the complete nine-page article as a PDF file. Please click HERE or the image below to read it.

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We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and all current and former colleagues of Dr. Jalal Badkhshani at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. He has left behind an extraordinary legacy in Ismaili research and scholarship. We pray that his soul may rest in eternal peace. Ameen.

Featured photo at the top of the post: Mawlana Shah Karim, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV, with Dr. Jalal Badakhshani. Photograph: Jalal Badakhshani Family Collection via the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Date posted: August 13, 2026.

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Condolences and Tributes We invite readers to submit their condolences, memories and tributes to Dr. Jalal Badakhshani by clicking Leave a comment.

Correction notice: The comment link in the original post referred to someone who had passed away earlier. This issue has been corrected. We apologize for the oversight.