Eight Questions: Q3. Jamat Khana and Non-Ismailis Tuesday, May 1 2012
Jamaat Khana and Uncategorized 10:16 pm
Spiritual Feelings of the Ismailis of Eastern Turkestan Tuesday, Apr 17 2012
Uncategorized 7:31 pm
1. I am the slave of Mawla `Ali, my Shah Sultan is `Ali;
My obedience, pilgrimage, prayer, religion and faith is `Ali.
2. By hearing “kuntu kanzan” when I searched for that treasure,
I did not find any other except `Ali, my hidden treasure is `Ali.
3. I do not weep for pain and grief, if I weep it is for the sake of didar,
For my comfort, my light, my healing, my refuge and remedy is `Ali.
4. By the grace of Mawla `Ali, thousands of objectives are achieved every day;
For, the refuge of my soul, my kind Lord and my mushkil-kusha is `Ali.
5. In this time Sultan Muhammad Shah is `Ali,
The same `Ali for me is the light of God and the essence of the Qur’an.
6. The lion who breaks the enemy ranks is `Ali, the conqueror of Khaybar is `Ali;
The Shah of the time is `Ali, the Shah-i mardan is `Ali.
7. There is no Ideal Man like `Ali, there is no sword like Dhu’l faqar;
O my protector `Ali, you are the protector from every calamity.
8. The allusion of “Rope of God” is `Ali and the firm handle is `Ali;
The owner of huris, palaces, Paradise and Ridwan is `Ali.
The Recognition of the Imam : The Qur’anic Wisdom – 2 Wednesday, May 5 2010
Quranic Wisdom and Uncategorized 11:37 pm
The Qur’anic Wisdom and the Semantic Extent of the Word ‘Imam’
Continued………
It should be known that the words with which Hazrat Ibrahim was tried were the Supreme Names of God in the form of physical and spiritual hudud (hierarchy). For instance, the first name contained the spirituality of Hazrat Adam; the second contained the spiritual examples of Hazrat Nuh; in the third light was shed on the past and future of Hazrat Ibrahim himself; in the fourth were shown all the spiritual events and experiences of Hazrat Musa; in the fifth was recorded the spiritual life of Hazrat ‘Isa; in the sixth were shown the spiritual achievements of the Holy Prophet and in the seventh Name or Word were hidden the spiritual miracles of Hazrat Qa’imu’l-Qiyamat (may the most excellent salutation and peace be upon him). Further, with each of these names there were the spiritual examples of the realities of how miraculously the Universal Intellect, Universal Soul, Jadd, Fath and Khayal convey the ta’yid (spiritual help) to the Prophets and the Imams.
It should be known that Hazrat Ibrahim was first conferred with the great office of Prophethood and Messengership and then with the exalted office of Imamat. Since the exalted Imamat has several levels, some of them precede Prophethood and some of them follow it so that, the Imam, according to the expedience of the time, may manifest in one of these levels and remain present in this world.
The Recognition of the Imam : The Qur’anic Wisdom – 1 Wednesday, May 5 2010
Quranic Wisdom and Uncategorized 11:35 pm
The Qur’anic Wisdom and the Semantic Extent of the Word ‘Imam’
The word “Imam”, both in its singular and plural forms is mentioned altogether twelve times in different places of the Wise Qur’an. If we study together all those holy verses in which the word “Imam” and its meaning and purport is mentioned, with intelligence and wisdom, we will certainly come to know how comprehensively God has mentioned the realities of the recognition of the Imam in His glorious Book, and what an unbounded semantic extensiveness He has kept in the subject of Imamat. In fact, it is within this subject of Imamat that the great universe of the Qur’anic wisdom lies. For the holy light of the Exalted Imam is the Reality of realities, hence under the exalted Reality of the Imam, are gathered the realities of all the existents. Thus, here we are going to give some explanation of these twelve verses respectively, in whose meanings and purports are hidden innumerable wisdoms of the name “Imam”.
In the verse (2:124) God says: “And when His Lord tried Ibrahim with certain Words (kalimat), he fulfilled them. He said: Lo! I am going to appoint you the Imam (leader) of (the entire) mankind”. Here it should be asked what kind of Words were those with which God had tried Hazrat Ibrahim? Further, it should also be asked whether Hazrat Ibrahim was a Prophet or an Imam? If it is answered that he held both these positions, then the question arises what was he at first, Prophet or Imam? If it is answered that first he was a Prophet and then he became an Imam, it requires explanation. Furthermore, it should be asked how Hazrat Ibrahim became the Imam of the entire mankind? That is to say, how did he convey (the Divine message) and invite the people to it, in all the continents of the planet earth, when the means of communication were limited at that time?
The Recognition of the Imam – Q17-18 Friday, Apr 30 2010
The Recognition of the Imam and Uncategorized 11:33 pm
Q17
What basic conditions are there to recognise the Imam?
A17
a) The basic condition of the recognition of the Imam is belief (‘aqidah), for the one who does not have the right belief cannot attain the recognition of the Imam and for the development of the correct belief, generally it is essential and necessary to have a proper religious environment during childhood.
b) The second condition of the recognition of the Imam is to have friendship and love (mahabbat) for him. Love is the developed form of belief and its development lies in the obedience of the Imam of the time.
c) The third condition of the recognition of the Imam of the time is ardent love (‘ishq) for him, which is the developed form of love. The development of this kind of love depends on knowing the external (physical) and internal (spiritual) beauties of the Imam of the time, for a person cannot love a thing until he sees or hears from a truthful person about its beauty and goodness.
d). If the heart of mu’min is inflamed with the love of the Imam of the time, he will say with the tongue of the state (zaban-i hal) and the tongue of speech (zaban-i qal) how he can progress on the path of the recognition of the Imam of the time.
Q18
Can you encapsulate the points in this introduction?
A18
It has already been said that a mu’min loves the Imam of the time only when he sees his incomparable beauties or hears about them from a truthful person. Thus the purpose of writing this book is that the true mu’mins may be aware of the knowledge, excellence, spirituality and luminosity of the exalted Imam of the time and thus may attain his sacred cishq or ardent love and through it, his recognition.
The Recognition of the Imam – Q15-16 Friday, Apr 30 2010
The Recognition of the Imam and Uncategorized 11:32 pm
Q15
Please expand on these entrances?
A15
As it is absolutely impossible for the vegetative soul and the animal soul to enter the human body without material food, in the same way it is also absolutely impossible for the rational soul and the Holy Spirit to enter the human mind and heart without spiritual food. And spiritual food is the discourse of knowledge and wisdom.
Q16
How can one create the Holy Spirit in oneself?
A16
The way to create the Holy Spirit in oneself, by attaining the grace and blessings from the holy light of the Imam of the time, is to follow his holy farmans related to both knowledge and practice and his pleasure must be given preference over everything.
The Recognition of the Imam – Q13-14 Friday, Apr 30 2010
The Recognition of the Imam and Uncategorized 11:31 pm
Q13
Please describe more on the Holy spirit?
A13
If someone asks: If ma’rifat means to see the Holy Spirit, namely, the light of the Imam, then why is it said: “He who recognizes his soul or self recognizes his Lord?” The answer is that the soul which belongs to the Imam in its actual form, also belongs to the mu’min in its potential form. That is to say that, the first soul of the mu’min is attained from the vegetables, the second from the animals, the third from the human beings and the fourth, namely the Holy Spirit, from the Imam. It is necessary for a true mu’min to attain this last soul and to recognise it duly.
Q14
If we accept the existence of the four souls, how do they enter the human body?
A14
If it is accepted that there are four souls for a human being, then it has also to be accepted that for these souls there are also four entrances through which they enter the human body. The vegetative soul and the animal soul first enter through the navel and later on (i.e. after birth) through the mouth, and the rational soul and the Holy Spirit enter first through the physical ears and then through the ears of understanding (gush-i hush).
The Recognition of the Imam – Q11-12 Saturday, Apr 24 2010
The Recognition of the Imam and Uncategorized 4:16 pm
Q11
Please elaborate further?
A11
Without the recognition of the Imam, the recognition of the light of the Prophet is impossible and without the light of the Prophet, that of God. For the gate of Prophethood is Imamat and that of Divinity is Prophethood.
Q12
Is the soul of the Imam the Holy spirit?
A12
The life of living existents has four stages: vegetative soul, animal soul, rational or human soul and the Holy Spirit. The recognition of God is in the Holy Spirit, which is the blessed soul of the Perfect Man, namely, the Imam of the time
The Recognition of the Imam – Q9-10 Saturday, Apr 24 2010
The Recognition of the Imam and Uncategorized 4:14 pm
Q9
What more can you explain about these four stages?
A9
It is said that the shari’at is like the night, tariqat like the light of the stars, haqiqat like the light of the moon and ma’rifat like the light of the sun. Thus it is the light of marifat, in which the reality of everything is duly observed.
Q10
Can the term ma’rifat be explained further?
A10
Ma’rifat is also called yaqin (certainty). Certainty has three degrees: certainty of knowledge, certainty of vision and certainty of truth. Thus the initial recognition is in the certainty of knowledge, the intermediary in the certainty of vision and the final in the certainty of truth. This means that the initial recognition of the manifest Imam is in a knowledge which is above any doubt and is absolutely certain; intermediary recognition is in a didar (vision) which is observed by the inner eye and the final recognition (of the manifest Imam) is in the miraculous spiritual experience in which the self of a true mu’min disappears in the light of the Imam, as the darkness and blackness of a piece of coal disappears amidst the cinders of the fire.
DII Music Saturday, Dec 13 2008
Uncategorized 11:04 pm
Here is a beautiful link. It covers the inaugural ceremony of “Delegation Center of Ismaili Imamat” in Ottawa- Canada on December 6, 2008. The background Geet is the same Geet recited in front of MHI at Vancouver Dinner and also at DII by National Isma’ili Music Ensemble (NIME) with Rubab.
Rubab or Robab (Persian: رُباب Rūbāb, Hindi: रुबाब) is a lute-like musical instrument from Afghanistan. The instrument is made from the trunk of a mulberry tree and the strings are made from the intestines of young goats, brought to the size of thread.
Our Support Team is working on getting the sound tracks (with Rubab), which were performed at DII, and as soon as we get them – Inshallah we will share them with our friends.
Also see this other link, of Canada Conservative Government, sending Khushali Video Greetings to MHI
Enjoy!
