This year, Navroz and Easter fall within a week of each other. Both are celebrations of new life and bear a remarkable similarity in symbolism.
Viewing entries tagged
Jesus
There was a time when Ismailis were known as the 'batini', those who followed the batin, the inner, esoteric truths. Today, that tradition of delving beneath the outward meaning persists. Ismailis, led by the Aga Khan in their pursuit of the secret, deeper truths, acknowledge outward acts of devotion but give precedence to both inner symbolism and inner purity.
Just recently, The Essential Ismaili released another of Mr Andani's talks (originally delivered at Harvard in March 2013) and we were asked by our friends at Ismaili Gnosis to review it. This is our response.
The general honour of our family has been restored. As individuals, though, something more is needed.
Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."
Knowing death was upon him, Jesus prayed,
"not my will, but yours be done"
That simple prayer secured for Jesus all honor and glory. He obeyed God to the point of death and in so doing, restored honor to the family of Adam whose shameful acts had brought death in the first place
“Over time, the number of people on earth multiplied. Yet God loved them very much and wanted them to have a relationship with Him. He gave them 10 commandments to follow. Remember God is perfect and holy, so we must be perfect and holy to live with him. The 10 commandments teach people how to relate to God and how to relate to people. Some of the commands were: do not worship other gods or make idols; honor your parents; do not lie, steal, murder or commit adultery. However, no one was able to obey all of these commands.”
Today, December 13th, in a one-roomed wooden house in the Tajik mountains, a small neighbourhood will crowd around a metal _pechka_ (stove), caring little for the numbness in their crossed legs, or the cold at their backs. The lights will be off, the sun having set behind the mountains that close in on all sides, and the only sound will be the exicited anticipation of young children.
God didn’t abandon Adam and Eve completely. When they had obeyed God they had been covered with His honour and felt no shame, even though they were naked. Now that they had lost God’s honour they saw their nakedness and knew their shame.
The more we listen to Khalil Andani, the more we appreciate his brilliance. He is a disciplined scholar and a fantastically clear communicator. In this video, recorded last month, Mr Andani gives us a wonderful summary of the Aga Khan's view of pluralism, its origins in Islam and in the global situation, and its application to today's world.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" - Genesis 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." - John 1:1
Eid al-Adha, (known elsewhere as Eidi Korbon and meaning the 'Festival of Sacrifice') commemorates the story of Abraham's test of faith and the substitution of a ram in place of Abraham's son as a sacrifice to God.
The Qur'an offers a summary of the story in Surah as-Saffat:
With Easter approaching, here's an interesting 20 minute video detailing the Ismaili interpretation of the life and death of Jesus.
There's a lot to unpack in this short lecture and it serves as an interesting introduction to Ismailism in its own right. For now, let's concentrate on just a few points: