Download EMERGING SHIA SECT OF 21ST CENTURY : ISMAILI MUSLIMS

RESURGENT (FATIMID) SHIA ISMAILI MUSLIMS OF TENTH CENTURY
After centuries of living in taqiya* (conceal faith when under threat) and
low profile in past Islamic world, Shia Ismaili Muslims are fast emerging as
one of the most visible and internationally recognized Shia Ismaili Muslim
communities of 21st century.
Within the Shia theological framework, the concept of taqiyah* refers to a
dispensation allowing believers to conceal their faith when under threat,
persecution or compulsion.Is this practice allowed in Islam? Yes. Allah has
allowed it in the Qur'an, and reason too shows the wisdom of the permission.
Taqiyah is in fact, allowed by sharia, by authority of the Qur'anic verses,
"except when you have to guard against them", and "except he who is
compelled while his heart remains steadfast with the faith."
Ismailism is a branch of the Islamic faith.The Ismaili get their name from
their acceptance of Ismail Ibn Jafar as the divinely appointed spiritual
successor (Imam).Ismailism at one point became the largest branch of
Shiism, climaxing as a political power with the Fatimid Empire in the tenth
through twelfth centuries. In common with other Muslims, Ismailis believe
in the oneness of God. The teachings of Ismailism has been transformed into
the belief system as its known today, with the explicit concentration on the
deeper, esoteric meaning (batin) of the Islamic religion.The term Ismailis in
today's vernacular generally refers to the Nizari path (tariqah), which
recognizes the Aga Khan IV as the 49th hereditary Imam and is the largest
group among several Ismaili path.
The Legend! The True Spritual Leader. Great personality
the Aga Khan. Photo: AKDN/Gary Otte His Highness the Aga Khan Photo:
AKDN/Gary Otte His Highness the Aga Khan became 49th Imam (spiritual leader)
of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding
his grandfather Sir Sultan Mohd. Shah, the Aga Khan lll
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Golden Jubilee
Archive
Fifty years after he became the Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, the global Jamat
commemorated Mawlana Imam’s Golden Jubilee with special events and activities around the world that
took place between 11 July 2007 – 13 December 2008.
more »
Inaugural Address
His Highness the Aga Khan marks his Golden Jubilee
Aga Khan III (1877-1957) was the 48th Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims.
Through his intimate knowledge of Eastern as well as Western cultures, he
was able to play a significant role in the international affairs of his time. His
long public career had many dimensions. He was a member of the Indian
Imperial Legislative Council (1902-1904), President of the All India Muslim
League (1906-1913), and the founder of the All India Muslim Conference
(1928-1929). He successfully campaigned for separate electorates for all
Muslims of India, leading a delegation in 1906 to the Viceroy for this
purpose. He was the leader of the muslim, and the entire Indian, delegation
to the Round Table Conference in London (1930-1932) which discussed
India's constitutional future. In 1934 he was appointed a member of the
British Privy Council. He served as India's representative at the Conference
for the Reduction of Armaments in Geneva in 1932 and as the chief delegate
of India at the League of Nations in the 1930s. In 1937 he was unanimously
elected President of the League. Aga Khan III was also a social reformer
whose concerns included the alleviation of rural poverty and the uplift of
women in society. An advocate of modern education, he became an ardent
supporter of male and female educational advancement in India and East
Africa and played a key role in the development of the Muslim University of
Aligarh. A keen connoisseur of culture, he advocated a truly multicultural
education blending the best and highest of Western and Eastern literary
classics. He was a champion of amity between nations and peoples. In India
he consistently supported the ideal of Hindu-Muslim unity, reminding both
that India was their common parent. On the international scene he strove
strenuously for the ideal of world peace. This book is a comprehensive
collection of his speeches and writings covering the years 1902 to 1955. The
topics include constitutional progress in India, education, rural development,
Hindu-Muslim unity, Indians in Africa, Turkey after World War I, the
renaissance of Islamic culture, Persian poetry, the fortunes of the League of
Nations, the importance of science and technology, the status of women,
Islam in the modern age and Pan-Islamism.
HISTORY BOOK
History of the Ismailis by Mumtaz Tajddin - Comprehensive book about Imams, People, Periods
and Events in Ismaili History.
EVENTS
A searchable list of the main events and periods in Ismaili History, with references to other
sources on the site.
In short fifty years of his Imamat during his secular and progressive
leadership as Imam (spiritual leader) of millions of Shia Ismaili Muslims
worldwide, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV changed the course of history and
uplifted his community, socially and economically by building various
institutions. Under his guidance based on ethical principles of Islam as a
faith that teaches compassion, tolerance and the dignity of all human
beings, Aga Khan IV has undertaken numerous development initiatives that
serve some of the world's poorest populations. These projects share a
common goal; helping to create an environment in which peaceful,
productive societies can flourish.
Aga Khan IV assumed the office of the Imamat in July 1957, and since then
he has worked on an international scale to improve living conditions and
foster social, cultural and economic opportunities not only for his
community but also non-Muslims in the developing world. Aga Khan also
introduced many theological and esoteric interpretation of the Qur'anic
concepts that attributes explicit divinity of Caliph Hazrat Ali to his Shia
Ismaili Muslim community.
Hazrat Ali was destined to be the only man aside from Muhammad himself
whom both Sunnis and Shia would acknowledge as a rightful leader of
Islam. According to Shia belief, Ali was and always has been the first
rightful successor to Muhammad, designated by him as the true spiritual
leader who would pass on his knowledge and insight to his sons, so that they
in turn would pass it on to their own sons. Ali, that is, was the first of the
twelve Imams who would join Muhammad and his daughter Fatima as the
true Ahl al-Bayt. As all lined up to pledge allegiance to Ali, nobody yet
thought in terms of Sunni versus Shia. As they pressed their forearms
against his and swore to God that his friend was their friend, his enemy their
enemy, they thought that divisiveness was at an end. Ali was the one who
would unite them. Their would be no more greed, no more selfaggrandizement, no more corruption. The stranglehold of the Umayyads has
been broken, a new era dawned. Under Ali, they would return to the true
path of the Prophet.
In science and knowledge Ali was the most learned of the companions of the
Prophet (sawas), and of Muslims in general. In his learned discourses he was
the first in Islam to open the door for logical demonstration and proof and to
discuss the "divine sciences" or metaphysics (ma'arif-i ilahlyah). He spoke
concerning the (esoteric) aspect of the Quran and devised Arabic grammar in
order to preserve the Quran's form of expression. He was the most eloquent
Arab in speech. Most famously, especially for mystical Sufis, for whom Ali
would become the patron saint of knowledge and insight: "I am the City of
Knowledge and Ali is its gateway", said Muhammad (pbuh).
The Aga Khan, heir to the family fortune and a society figure, is founder and
chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private
development networks in the world. AKDN continues to work with a variety
of African and Asian countries to improve living conditions and promote
education. For instance, in Afghanistan the AKDN has mobilised over $700
million in development projects.[4] In 1979, the Aga Khan also established
the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to promote the study of Islamic
art, architecture, urbanism, landscape design, and conservation - and the
application of that knowledge to contemporary design projects.[5] The
program engages in research at both institutions and students can graduate
with a Master of Science of Architectural Studies specializing in the Aga
Khan program from MIT's Department of Architecture.
The young Aga Khan's early forefathers ruled with great splendour over
Egypt and North Africa during the tenth and eleventh centuries. When they
were forced by plundering armies to move down to Persia (renamed Iran)
and joined the already established Ismaili community there, they left behind
lasting monuments of culture and enlightenment in the shape of institutions
of learning and works of great art. The most famous university of Islam, alAzhar, as well as the city of Cairo were founded by them in 970...........See Research The installment of the Isma'ili imam to the Fatimid caliphate ...
The Fatimid Isma'ilis soon succeeded in founding an Isma'ili
government ..........The Art of the Fatimid Period (909–1171) | Thematic
Essay ...
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, presents an online exhibition
of art and architecture from the Fatimids, whose opulence fuelled a
Renaissance in Cairo. The Fatimids were reputed to exercise a degree of
religious tolerance towards non-Ismaili sects of Islam as well as towards
Jews and Christians. The ruling elite of the state belonged to the Ismaili
branch of Shi'ism. The leaders of the dynasty were also Shia Ismaili Imams,
hence they had a religious significance to Ismaili Muslims. They were also
part of the chain of holders of the office of Caliph, as recognized by most
Muslims. Time and again, Muhammad (pbuh) had made it clear how close
he held Ali, the one man who had had faith in him when all others scoffed.
Nobody, Sunni or Shia, denies the extraordinary closeness between
Muhammad (pbuh) and Ali. In fact the two men were so close that at the
most dangerous point in the Prophet's life, Ali served as Muhammad's
double. Aga Khan, the forty ninth Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims follows in
path of Hazrat Ali, whom Ismaili Muslims consider him to be the
rashidun ( the rightly guided one ).Directly descended from Mohammad
(pbuh) through the prophet's daughter Fatima, the Aga Khan was the Imam
(the spiritual leader, or Pope) to over 15 million Ismaili Muslims.
Sir Sultan Md. Shah, the Aga Khan lll on Pluralism:
"In Islam there are two touchstones I have treasured and sought to apply.
The first affirms the unity of the human race, as expressed in the Holy Quran
where God, as revealed through the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) says the following: "O Mankind! Be careful of your duty to your
Lord, who created you from single soul and from it created its mate and
from the twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women. The
second passage is from Hazrat Ali: No belief is like modesty and patience,
no attainment is like humility, no honor is like knowledge, no power is like
forebearance,and no support is more reliable than consultation. Hazrat Ali's
regard for knowledge reinforces the compatibility of faith and the world.
And his respect for consultation is, a commitment to tolerant and openhearted democratic process."
Prince Karim Aga Khan on Pluralism :
“….we cannot make the world safe for democracy unless we also make
the world safe for diversity…”
Prince Karim Aga Khan on Knowledge:
Quote
The passage of a millennium has not diminished Nasir Khusraw’s
relevance nor dulled the lustre of his poetry. It continues to uplift and inspire, reminding
us that we are the authors of our own destiny. As he has said, we can be like a poplar tree
which chooses to remain barren, or we can let our path be lit by the candle of wisdom, for
only “with intellect, we can seek out all the hows and whys. Without it, we are but trees
without fruit.”
Another lesson that we learn from this great philosopher is that, in the ebb and flow of
history, “knowledge is a shield against the blows of time”. It dispels “the torment of
ignorance” and nourishes “peace to blossom forth in the soul”.
The Shia Ismaili Muslims are a community of ethnically and culturally
diverse peoples living in over 25 countries around the world, united in their
allegiance to His Highness the Aga Khan, the forty-ninth hereditary Imam of
the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He assumed the office of the Imamat in July 1957,
and since then he has worked tirelessly on international scale to improve
living conditions and foster social,cultural and economic opportunities for
men and women in the developing world : The Ismaili: Home
Ismaili faith in Islam is based on "exoteric" as well as "esoteric" interpretation of Qur'an :
topic
"Exoteric"
"Esoteric"
Preferred state of
consciousness
Normal waking consciousness
Expanded; meditative or
spiritual states
Transformation
of personality
No (ego-centred)
Yes (transpersonal)
Self-transcendence
Means of
knowledge
Reason (secular), Belief
(religious)
Higher Inspiration and
Intuition ("Gnosis")
Authority
External (Bible, Church,
Science, etc)
Internal (Inner feelings
and intuition)
Philosophy or
teachings
Narrow; only one authority
(Bible, Scientific method,etc),
everything outside that is
considered false
Broad; universal, is able to
draw from many different
teachings, both exoteric
and esoteric
Metaphysical
Position
Simplistic (Materialism,
Dualism, or Holism)
Sophisticated (complex
cosmology, psychology,
ontology,etc) Emanationism,
Dramaturgism
Concept of
Absolute Reality
External
God (Dualism): i.e. God is
mainly considered as a
separate, external being
or Space-Time-Energy
(Materialism) - the "unified
field theory" or Theory of
Everything or some such holy
grail of physics
Universal Consciousness
(Monism)The Divine is
within as well as without
The above table therefore presents things in a very simplistic way, as the
distinction between Exoteric and Esoteric is never so clear cut. The whole
idea of such a dichotomy comes about through the establishment of the
various Monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc) in
dogmatic form. Due to the impossibility of reconciling literal scriptural
theology with mystical insight, a very sharp demarcation naturally appears
between, say, conventional Judaism and Kabbalah, or conventional Islam
and Sufism. But in the East, especially India, no such distinction is
necessary, and one finds instead a smooth gradation from exoteric to
esoteric, with all positions being equally acceptable. In any case, especially
in traditional or established forms of esotericism (Buddhism, Sufism,
Kabbalah, etc), there is always some conceptual dogma, so we have esoteric
religion, a religion based on mystical experiences, but still interpreting
them according to an a prior analysis. Most mystical and esoteric streams
within religious traditions get around this problem by the use of
sophisticated Hermeneutics. In the Western world this problem was further
exacerbated by the rise of scientism, rationalism, and Protestantism. A good
example of the difficulty of separating esoteric from exoteric can be seen by
looking at the distinction between so called "rabinic" or Legalistic Judaism
and the occult movement of Kabbalah. One would think that there could be
no more distinct counterpoles, but a deeper study shows that the situation is
no-where near as clearly defined, even here.
Aga Khan believes “knowledge revolution” is not so much factories, land
and machinery that drive the world economy but the knowledge, skills and
resourcefulness of people. All societies, it has become clear, must invest in
higher education for their talented men and women or risk being relegated to
subordinate, vulnerable positions in the world.
Compiled and written
by
Hasni Essa