“There are those …who enter the world in

such poverty that they are deprived of both

the means and the motivation to improve

their lot. Unless they can be touched with

the spark which ignites the spirit of

individual enterprise and determination,

they will only sink back into renewed

apathy, degradation and despair. It is for

us, who are more fortunate, to provide that
spark.”

(Aga Khan, India 1983)

Source blog

Founded in 1977 by H.H. Prince Karim Aga Khan, the Institute functions today as a gathering point for the Ismaili community’s interest in its own history and in its relationship with the larger world of Islamic scholarship and contemporary thought. Its stated mission is to promote the investigation of Muslim cultures and societies, both of the past and of the present, to explore the interaction of religious ideas within the broader aspects of modern life, but to do so with special attention to often neglected fields that contain the intellectual and literary expressions of esoteric Islam, including Shi‘ism in general and Ismailism in particular, in the full richness of their diversity.

Complete at the source

“In this context, would it not also be relevant to consider how, above all, it has been the Qur’anic notion of the universe as an expression of Allah’s will and creation that has inspired, in diverse Muslim communities, generations of artists, scientists and philosophers?  Scientific pursuits, philosophic inquiry and artistic endeavour are all seen as the response of the faithful to the recurring call of the Qur’an to ponder the creation as a way to understand Allah’s benevolent majesty.  As Sura al-Baqara proclaims: ‘Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah’.  The famous verse of ‘light’ in the Qur’an, the Ayat al-Nur, whose first line is rendered here in the mural behind me, inspires among Muslims a reflection on the sacred, the transcendent. It hints at a cosmos full of signs and symbols that evoke the perfection of Allah’s creation and mercy”

Aga Khan IV,

Speech, 2003, London, U.K.

From ArchNet.org

The Middle East Garden Tradition

The Gardens of the Mughal Empire

Two new web sites focusing on gardens of the Middle East are now online. The Middle East Garden Tradition includes an ongoing catalog of Ottoman, Al-Andalus, Mughal, Syrian, and Persian gardens, as well as a catalog of plants of Al-Andalus, a glossary, a historical dictionary of Ottoman Turkish terms for gardens and gardening, and a bibliography. The Gardens of the Mughal Empire is an interactive web site that provides information about 11 gardens and sites, which center on Lahore in modern Pakistan.

Source: Reza Shah-Kazemi (2006), Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam ‘Ali

‘No companion of the Prophet has had such fada’il ascribed to him as those which have been ascribed to ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.^‘

***

‘Truly, ‘Ali is from me and I am from him (inna ‘Ali minni wa ana minhu), and he is the wali (patron/spiritual master) of every believer after me.^‘

***

‘Ali is with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with ‘Ali. They will not separate from each other until they return to me at the [paradisal pool] (al-hawd).^‘

***

‘Three things were revealed to me regarding ‘Ali: he is the leader of the Muslims, the guide of the pious and chief of the radiantly devout (sayyidu’l-muslimin, imamu’l-muttaqin, wa qa’idu’l-ghurra’l- muhajjalin)’.

***

‘Gazing upon ‘Ali is an act of worship (al-nazar ila ‘Ali ‘ibada).^‘

***

‘May God have mercy on ‘Ali. O God, make the truth revolve around ‘Ali wherever he turns (adiri‘l-haqq ma‘ahu haythu dara).^‘

***

‘I am the city of knowledge and ‘Ali is its gate; so whoever desires knowledge, let him enter the gate.^‘

***

‘Truly, I am leaving behind amongst you the two weighty things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of God and my Ahl al-Bayt, they will not be parted from each other until they return to me at the [paradisal pool] al-hawd’.

***

‘O ‘Ali, you are a leader (sayyid) in the world and the Hereafter. Your beloved is my beloved, and my beloved is the beloved of God; your enemy is my enemy, and my enemy is the enemy of God. Woe be to those who hate you after me [after I have passed away].’

***

‘Whoever desires to live my life and to die my death and to take his rest in the eternal Garden my Lord has promised me, let him orient himself towards ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, for truly he will never cause you to depart from right guidance, nor cause you to enter into error.’

***

The Prophet said that ‘Ali was ‘as my own soul’ (ka-nafsi).

He said to ‘Ali, ‘You are from me and I am from you (anta minni wa ana minka).’

‘… whoever obeys ‘Ali obeys me, and whoever disobeys him disobeys me.’

‘You will clarify for my community that over which they will differ after me.’ (anta tubayyinu li-ummati ma’khtalafu fihi ba’di).

***

‘There is one amongst you who will fight for the ta’wil [spiritual interpretation] of the Qur’an as I have fought for its tanzil [literal revelation].’ Abu Bakr asked, ‘Is it I?’ The Prophet said, ‘No’. ‘Umar asked, ‘Is it I?’ The Prophet said, ‘No, it is the one who is mending the sandal.’ The Prophet had given ‘Ali his sandal to mend.

***

‘O ‘Ali, whoever separates himself from me separates himself from God, and whoever separates himself from you, O ‘Ali, separates himself from me.’

***

…The Prophet said to his wife ‘A‘isha, ‘Call unto me the leader (sayyid) of the Arabs.’ She asked, ‘O Prophet of God, are you not the leader of the Arabs?’ He said, ‘I am the leader of the children of Adam, and ‘Ali is the leader of the Arabs.’

***

When Fatima was asked by some women why the Prophet had married her to such a poor man as ‘Ali, she related this to the Prophet. He said: ‘Are you not pleased that God - exalted and glorified be He - conferred upon the people of the world [a benefit] and chose two men, one of them is your father, the other your husband?’

***

‘The first of you to enter the [paradisal] pool (al-hawd) is the first of you who entered Islam, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.’

***

‘Ali is from me and I am from him (‘Ali minni wa ana minhu), and nobody can fulfil my duty but myself and ‘Ali.’

***

‘Ali himself relates that the Prophet said to him that none but a believer will love him [‘Ali], and none but a hypocrite will hate him.

***

When the Prophet was about to depart for an expedition to Tabuk, he left ‘Ali as his deputy in Medina. ‘Ali was sad not to be joining him. The Prophet said, ‘Are you not happy that you should have in relation to me the rank of Aaron in relation to Moses, except that there is no prophet after me?’

***

The Prophet prayed to God to bring ‘the most beloved of thy creatures’ to partake with him in a meal of fowl. Only when ‘Ali came did the Prophet ask him to join him.’

***

Among the several verses of the Qur’an which were commented upon by the Prophet with reference to ‘Ali is 13: 7: ‘Verily thou art a warner, and for every people there is a guide.’ The Prophet said, ‘I am the warner …you are the guide, O ‘Ali. After me, the rightly-guided shall be guided by you.’

***

In regard to the revelation of verse 55 of Sura 5 (al-Ma’ida), ‘Verily your wali is only God and His Messenger and those who believe, establish the prayer and give alms while bowing in prayer,’ the commentators relate this to the incident when ‘Ali, whilst bowing in prayer, held out his ring for a beggar who had asked for alms. The Prophet recited this verse when told of the incident and added, in what are probably the most well known words of all in regard to ‘Ali:

‘For whomever I am the mawla [guardian, master, close friend], ‘Ali is his mawla (man kuntu mawlahu fa-’Ali mawlahu).’

***

Derived from the Persian khwajah, a term of honour, the word Khoja referred to those converted to Nizari Ismaili Islam in the Indian sub-continent from about the thirteenth century onward. More particularly, it included certain groups, predominantly from Gujarat and Kutch, who retained strong Indian ethnic roots and caste customs while sustaining their Muslim religious identity under continual threats of persecution. In the nineteen century, the Ismaili imamat (office of the imam) became established in India and a programme of consolidation and reorganisation of the community and its institutions began. These changes led to differences of opinion among Khojas. While the majority of Khojas remained Ismaili, one group became Ithna‘ ashari and a smaller group adopted Sunnism.

In the context of the overall policy of the Ismaili imam of the time, Aga Khan III, of consolidating the Shi‘a Ismaili identity of his followers, the ethnic connotation of being “Khoja” became diluted over time and a wider sense of self-identification as Ismaili Muslims began to emerge. With the increasing recognition of the diversity of the worldwide Ismaili community itself and the positive value of the pluralist heritage represented within each of the traditions, the Khojas now regard themselves as an integral part of the larger Nizari Ismaili community, to whose development they make a strong contribution.

The Khoja Ithna‘ asharis, while seeking to develop relationship with the larger Twelver Shi‘a community, retain their own organisational framework.

The Khojas live today in East Africa, the Indian sub-continent, Europe and North America, and show a strong commitment to values of Muslim philanthropy in their entrepreneurship and contribution to societies in which they live.

Source: Institute of Ismaili Studies

A beautiful and wisdom filled poem by Adil ‘Khayal Aly’ Dhanidina, a graduate of McGill University, Canada with an M.A in Islamic Studies. Khayal is an aspiring scholar of the Holy Qur’an.

Click above image to open in MS Word, or download here: The Day of All Days - Imamat Day Poem by Khayal Aly

Transcription of extract from: “One on One: Interview with Peter Mansbridge, CBC, Canada, 28 October 2006″

Peter Mansbridge: Next year is your Golden Jubilee, 50 years, … whats your dream for the world in that year? … Whats your realistic hope?

Mawlana Hazar Imam: Well clearly I would like to see the areas of the world which are living in horrible poverty, I’d like to see that, replaced by an environment where people can live in more hope than they have had. I would like to see governments that produce enabling environments where society can function and grow rather than live in the dogmatisms that we have all lived through and which, I think, have been very constraining. And I would like to see solid institutional building because when all is said and done, society needs institutional capacity.”

http://www.akdn.net/video/20061025_cbc/

“The second great historical lesson to be learnt is that the Muslim world has always been wide open to every aspect of human existence.  The sciences, society, art, the oceans, the environment and the cosmos have all contributed to the great moments in the history of Muslim civilisations. The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation”

Closing Address by His Highness Aga Khan IV at the “Musée-Musées” Round Table Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007

“It has always seemed to me that bridges are among the most powerful and important symbols in human society - symbols of connection, of cooperation and of harmony. When harmony breaks down and conflicts ensue, the destroying of bridges is usually among the most urgent targets. But when peace and healing come, then it is the construction and rehabilitation of bridges that marks our progress.”

Excerpt from remarks by His Highness the Aga Khan
at the Inauguration of the Ishkashim Bridge
Ishkashim, Tajikistan, 31 October 2006
http://www.akdn.org/speeches/2006Oct31.htm

“The shared destiny of the ethos of the Abrahamic tradition that unites Christians, Jews and Muslims is governed by the duty of loving care to help nurture each life that is born to its God-given potential. “

Excerpt from the Speech by
His Highness the Aga Khan
at the Banquet Hosted in Honour of Governor Perry,
Houston, June 23, 2002
http://www.akdn.org/speeches/texasb.html

“The great Muslim philosopher al-Kindi wrote eleven hundred years ago, “No one is diminished by the truth, rather does the truth ennobles all”. That is no less true today.

We have much to build with. A common Abrahamic, monotheistic tradition. Common ethical principles, founded on shared human values. Common problems of yesterday, resolved together. Common challenges of tomorrow, that we can best face together. These, and all that much more that I cannot enumerate, but are fact, are the materials with which to build a bridge. Enlightened by sound intellect, I see its structure strongly built from the realities of our world. But any structure requires bonding, and of all the bonds that can link societies, America epitomises the strongest. It is called hope. The right to hope is the most powerful human motivation I know. Its importance has been paramount in the history of this nation. It is a reasonable expectation that the next generation will be better equipped to address the challenges of life than the present one. How beautiful that bridge of hope would be between the West and the Islamic world.”

Excerpt from Baccalaureate Address
by His Highness the Aga Khan
Brown University, May 26, 1996
http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=101409

Everyone’s favorite, featured at Ismaili Mail blog earlier, a wonderful rendition of Ginan with Music, by Imtiaz Fazalbhoy (Faiz).

Translation taken from Christopher Shackle, Zawaahir Moir’s Ismaili Hymns from South Asia: An Introduction to the Ginans

Ginan with Music & Translations
Recited by Imtiaz Fazalbhoy (Faiz)

Music by Imtiaz Fazalbhoy (Faiz)

Download MP3 here

Earlier Post

Related

Shan-i Tajali, Shan-i Karimi

http://goldenjubilee2007.com/

To download, right click on the link and Save

Golden Jubilee - Introduction

Mere Mawla-i Karim

Aye_Rahem_Raheman (ginan)

More at the source

http://goldenjubilee2007.com/

Source

Timeline

Over a thousand years ago, Europe experienced one of its greatest periods of cultural enlightenment.

For more than three centuries in Medieval Spain, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together and prospered in a thriving multicultural civilization. Here, remarkable individuals of different faiths made lasting contributions in such areas as poetry, art, architecture, music, dining etiquette, science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, navigation, textiles, and even hydraulic technology.

Their rich, complex culture reached a high point in the Mediterranean Middle Ages. However, larger forces in conquest of land and power brought about puritanical judgments, absolutism and religious extremism. The conflict they triggered extinguished the shared learning that once flourished in this enlightened land.

http://www.islamicspain.tv/Islamic-Spain/index.html

“An Ayat in the Holy Quran says: “Verily, God does not change a people’s condition unless they change that which is in themselves.” In the end, it is the will and the resourcefulness of the individual human being that, with Allah’s blessings and guidance, will determine our future.”

Address by His Highness The Aga Khan At The Enabling Environment Conference Kabul, Afghanistan

June 4, 2007