Knowledge is as much a pillar of the Ismaili faith as any theological concept and perhaps second only to the adoration of the Aga Khan in the thoughts of our Ismaili friends.
Knowledge is key in every gnostic faith, and Ismailism is no exception. In fact, knowledge is central to salvation, the only way to remove the distance between man and God.
Of course, this knowledge has to be imparted by the messengers of God, the successive Imams, since knowledge has both an external and an internal/hidden aspect. It is the Imams, each of whom is endowed with a unique religious knowledge ('ilm), who must expound the hidden, batin knowledge.
As the pages of the Aga Khan's development network highlight,
"The intellect plays a central role in Shia tradition. Indeed, the principle of submission to the Imam's guidance, explicitly derived from the revelation, is considered essential for nurturing and developing the gift of intellect whose role in Shiism is elevated as an important facet of the faith."[^1]
Knowledge, however, extends beyond religious and spiritual insight. According to Farhad Daftary, the Aga Khan “has encouraged his followers ... to acquire specialized education,[to prepare] his community for the meritocratic world of the twenty-first century.”[^2]
In a 2005 speech to the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV said
"This is a core principle of my own faith – Islam – that learning is ennobling, regardless of the geographic or cultural origin of the knowledge we acquire."[^3]
No surprise then that Ismailis place such heavy emphasis on the intellectual and academic achievements of the Aga Khan and other prominent Ismailis, of whom there are many.
In official Ismaili mantra there is a clear dual purpose for knowledge:
- To draw one closer to God
- To better oneself and one's society
Here is the crux of it all:
"A man of faith who strives after truth, without forsaking his worldly obligations, is potentially capable of rising to the level of the company of the Prophet's family."[^4]
Knowledge, then, has the ability, in sufficient quantity, to elevate Ismailis to the level of the Aga Khan, a place of enlightenment and total comprehension of Haqiqat, the Ultimate Truth.
[^1] http://www.akdn.org/aboutimamat.asp#intellect
[^2] Farhad Daftary, The Ismailis - Their History and Doctrines (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007), 503
[^3] https://ismailimail.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/postereducation.pdf
[^4] http://www.akdn.org/about_imamat.asp
Originally published August 2015