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
“God chose Adam and Noah and the House of Abraham and the House of Imran above all beings, the seed of one another; God hears, and knows” — Qur’an, 3:33-34, translation by A. J. Arberry, see Corpus Quran for multiple translations
A calligraphy designed by Toronto’s Karim Ismail honouring the first Shia Imam Ali on the auspicious commemoration of Eid-e Ghadir.
On June 13, 2025, corresponding to the 16th day of the Muslim month Dhuʻl-Hijjah in the year 1446 A.H, Ismaili Muslims, united across Canada and the globe, will come together to observe and celebrate Eid-e Ghadir.
This momentous occasion, steeped in history, marks the pivotal gathering at Ghadir Khumm, where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) designated Hazrat Ali as his successor, the first in the continuing line of Hereditary Imams.
From the day our beloved Prophet Muhammad passed away on June 8, 632, and Hazrat Ali (A.S.) became the first Imam on the Divine Commandment that the Prophet had earlier received at Ghadir Khumm, there have been fifty Ismaili Imams, spanning an impressive 1393 years in human history.
The 50th Imam, His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan, holds a unique place in our history. He succeeded his father, Mawlana Shah Karim, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV, upon his death on February 4, 2025. Like all other Imams before him, Mawlana Shah Rahim Al Hussaini, who is now devotionally and respectfully addressed as Mawlana Hazar Imam, being the Imam-of-the-Time, will continue the vital role of guiding and developing the Ismaili community, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to shape the community’s identity and beliefs.
The historical event of Eid-e Ghadir, a pivotal moment in the Ismaili faith, holds profound significance. Today, the Ismaili community is led by the Hereditary position. Mawlana Shah Karim, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV, proudly affirmed that ‘the Ismailis are the only Shia community who, throughout history, have been guided by a living, hereditary Imam in direct descent from the Prophet’ — His Late Highness Aga Khan IV, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa, February 27, 2014.
History records that on the way back to Medina after performing the final pilgrimage to Mecca, the Prophet received a revelation:
“O Messenger, deliver [to the people] what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not do so, then you will not have delivered His message”… Quran, Surah al-Ma’ida (5:67).
Upon receiving this revelation, the Holy Prophet stopped at an oasis known as Ghadir Khumm. This oasis, located strategically along the route from Mecca to Medina, was a natural gathering point for travellers. Here, the Prophet addressed a large gathering of Muslims who had accompanied him. The Prophet proclaimed: ‘Man kuntu mawlahu fa aliyyun mawlahu,’ meaning: ‘He whose Mawla I am, Ali is his Mawla.’ The Prophet then prayed: ‘O Allah, be a friend of whoever is his friend and extend your support to those who support him.’
This event, occurring at a crucial point in Islamic history, marked the transition of leadership from the Prophet to Hazrat Ali, setting the stage for the leadership and future of the Muslim community. By declaring Hazrat Ali Mawla after him, the Prophet transferred the spiritual authority bestowed upon him by Allah to Hazrat Ali, making him — and all the Imams that follow — the Amirul Mu’minin, or Master of the Believers. This title signifies his role as a Muslim community’s leader, protector, and guide, which Hazrat Ali and all his successors have fulfilled with unwavering dedication and commitment, ensuring the community’s well-being and prosperity.
Article continues below following excerpts and photographs
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Excerpts from L. Veccia Vaglieri piece in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition
“Ghadir Khumm is famous in the history of Islam because of a sentence (or some sentences) in favour of ‘Ali which the Prophet uttered there during a discourse….Taking ‘Ali by the hand, he asked of his faithful followers whether he, Muhammad, was not closer to the Believers than they were to themselves; the crowd cried out: “It is so, O Apostle of God!”, he then declared. “He of whom I am the mawla, of him ‘Ali is also the mawla (man kuntu nawlahu fa-‘Ali mawlahu)
Photograph: Vysotsky – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia.
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“Most of those sources which form the basis of our knowledge of the life of the Prophet pass in silence over Muhammad’s stop at Ghadir Khumm….Consequently, the western biographers of Muhammad, whose work is based on these [Sunni] sources, make no reference to what happened at Ghadir Khumm. It is however certain that Muhammad did speak in this place and utter the famous sentence…the hadiths are so numerous and so well attested by the different isnads that it does not seem possible to reject them.” Vaglieri goes on to state that on instruction from Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali received baiyat (the oath of allegiance) from the Muslims assembled there, including Umar b. al-Khattab, Islam’s second Caliph.
(Note: special access is required to read articles in the on-line edition of EI2. Vaglieri’s piece was reproduced in full in the UK Ismaili Association’s publication Ilm, December 1976, pages 28-30, with the permission of E.J. Brill, publishers of EI2.)
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Excerpts from the Pream ble of the Ismaili Constitution ordained by the 49th Ismaili Imam
“In accordance with Shia doctrine, tradition, and interpretation of history, the Holy Prophet (s.a.s.) designated and appointed his cousin and son-in-law Hazrat Mawlana Ali Amiru-l-Mu’minin (a.s) to be the first Imam to continue the Ta’wīl and Ta’līm of Allah’s final message and to guide the murids, a term referring to the followers and disciples of the Imams. The proclamation also established the principle of the Imamat continuing by heredity through Hazrat Mawlana Ali (a.s) and his daughter Hazrat Bibi Fatimat-az-Zahra, Khātun-i-Jannat (a.s)”
Mawlana Shah Karim, His Late Highness the Aga Khan, is seen signing a new constitution for the worldwide Ismaili community on his 50th birthday, December 13, 1986.
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The 50th Imam, Mawlana Shah Rahim Al Hussaini Hazar Imam, signs the Ismaili Constitution under his name on February 11, 2025
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan, signs the Ismaili Constitution in his name at the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat, the Headquarters of the Imamat in Lisbon on the historic occasion of his Takht-nishini (ceremonial installation), February 11, 2025. Photograph: Akbar Hakim / The Ismaili.
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…. continued
On the instruction from Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali received baiyat (the oath of allegiance) from the Muslims assembled there. According to Shia traditions and sources, following the proclamation, the final verse of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet:
“On this day, I have perfected for you your religion, completed my favours upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”
Eid-e Ghadir is an anniversary of profound significance to all Shia Muslims. It is also associated with the following well-attested tradition that the Prophet is said to have proclaimed. This tradition, which is widely accepted and recognized by the Shia community, further underscores the importance of the event and its pivotal role in shaping the future of the Muslim community:
Credit: Infinity design povray.org
“I am leaving among you two matters of great weight (al-thaqalayn), the Book of Allah and my kindred (itrati), the People of my House (Ahl al-Bayt), and these two shall never be separated until they return to me at the Pool [of Kawthar in Paradise on the Day of Judgement]…”
The phrase ‘two matters of great weight’ refers to the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt. The Quran, as the holy book of Islam, and the Ahl al-Bayt, as the Prophet’s kindred, are inseparable and hold eternal significance in the Shia Islamic tradition.
As we commemorate Eid-e Ghadir, the Ismaili community stands united, celebrating the seminal event of Ghadir Khumm. This celebration is a historical marker and a powerful reminder of our allegiance to the Imam-of-the-Time, the direct lineal successor and inheritor of Hazrat Ali’s authority.
The community is not just inspired but united and driven by the following remark made during Mawlana Shah Karim’s speech in Canada’s Parliament on February 27, 2024:
“Today, the Ismailis are the only Shia community who, throughout history, have been led by a living, hereditary Imam in direct descent from the Prophet.”
The Aga Khan Museum is one of the few museums in Toronto that has been able to implement Covid-19 protocols and make the museum safe for its visitors. The visiting times were revised this past week, and it is now open from Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
In recent weeks, Simerg and its sister websites have produced a superb collection of photos of the Museum, the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Park, which divides the two magnificent buildings. Readers have been uplifted to see the photos of the 3 magnificent projects, built by Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, under the full moon, crescent moon, as well as at the peak of the autumn foliage season.
Aga Khan Museum Toronto Courtyard decorated with pumpkins. Photo: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
On a fine day, there is no better place in the museum than to be sitting in its open air courtyard, while enjoying a delicious cup of latte.
October 23, 2020 was one such day. It actually felt like summer, with blue skies and very warm temperatures. The magnificent courtyard was a perfect place for my morning coffee as well as a late breakfast — an egg salad croissant, slightly grilled. I was thrilled to enter the courtyard, and noticed pumpkin decorations in one corner of the courtyard. Of course, pumpkins are to be seen everywhere at this time of the year. It is one of the most popular desserts served during Thanksgiving holidays in Canada (October 12, 2020) and the USA (November 26, 2020), and I wondered how the food was viewed in Islam. My little bit of research led me to numerous traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.S.) on the pumpkin, and I am delighted to post adaptations of some that I read.
“I saw the Prophet being served with soup and containing gourd (pumpkin or squash) and cured meat, and I saw him picking and eating the pieces of gourd.” — Bukhari Volume 7, Book 65, Number 348.
It is related that a sailor once invited Prophet Muhammad to eat some food that he had prepared. Anas bin Malik who accompanied the Prophet, noted that the Prophet was served barley bread and a soup with pumpkin in it. The Prophet keenly ate the pumpkin around the dish, and from that day Anas made it his favourite food. Traditions also note that whenever a a dish of bread, meat and broth was presented to the Prophet and it contained pumpkin, the Prophet would pick up the pumpkin because he really liked it, and made the heart strong. Other Muslim traditions note that the pumpkin increases brain function and brain strength.
Ibn Ridwan, in a medical treatise written during the Fatimid period, recommended the pumpkin as a diet for healthy living along with several other fruits and vegetables such as celery, carrots, lentils and cucumbers.
Interestingly, there is also a general consensus among scholars about the Arabic word yaqteen that is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. They say that it refers to the pumpkin — a food that nourished and helped heal Prophet Yunus (A.S.), after he was cast into the wilderness while he was sick (see Qur’an, 37:144-146, at Corpus Quran English Translation).
The website healthline mentions that pumpkin is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and is incredibly healthy. Moreover its low calorie content makes it a weight-loss-friendly food. It goes on to add that “its nutrients and antioxidants may boost your immune system, protect your eyesight, lower your risk of certain cancers and promote heart and skin health.”
After about an hour at the museum’s courtyard, I could not return home without walking around the Aga Khan Park. As I looked up in the blue sky above the Ismaili Jamatkhana dome, I saw two birds beautifully gliding at the dome’s left. I was left wondering: Were they turkey vultures, eagles or hawks? Alas, I wasn’t carrying a powerful lens to get a better and sharper close-up.
Please click on photo for enlargement
Two birds seen gliding at left of the dome of the Toronto Headquarters Ismaili Jamatkhana, part of the Ismaili Centre. Click on image for enlargement. Photo: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
Returning to the museum’s courtyard on Sunday October 25, offered a much different kind of experience, as the temperature had dropped from Friday’s 22°C to only 8°C. But the museum had that in mind too! Blue lounge blue chairs had been placed in the courtyard, with portable fireplaces where visitors mingled with their family members over light refreshments.
Visitors keep warm at a portable fireplace at the Aga Khan Museum’s courtyard as temperatures take a dip on Sunday, October 25. 2020. Photo: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
The overall experience at the three Aga Khan projects during recent weeks has been overwhelming.
As we all seek good health, I dedicate this post to the humble pumpkin which supports heart and eye health, and boosts immunity, among other benefits.
And, without the pumpkin’s presence in the museum’s courtyard, it may have never occurred to me to search out the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.S.) that have showed that he really liked the pumpkin. For 2020, Muslims around the world will celebrate his birth anniversary — the Milad un Nabi — between October 28-30. It is an appropriate time to learn more about his inspiring life and leadership as well as his faith in God whom he served as the last messenger for 23 long and devoted years, bringing to Muslims the blessing of the Holy Qur’an.
Date posted: October 24, 2020. Last updated: October 25, 2020 (new photo/information added)
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