Articles, Updates and News on, for and from the Ismaili jamaat
There is only one God, and He is the Most High God. He existed in the beginning before there was anything else. The Most High God is the Creator. He created everything on earth and in heaven and is all powerful over everything. When God began to create things, He just used His words. He spoke and everything came to being.
"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
This is a summary story of the Most High God’s relationship with the world. This story is from a book called the Bible. Men did not make up the Bible. It is the word of the Most High God. The Most High God is more powerful than any ancestor, person, government or god that people worship. This story is true and reliable because it is the word of the Most High God.
"In the beginning, God ..." Thus the Bible opens. The implication is that _before_ the beginning, God was, too.
Before the beginning, then, the Most High God, He who is above all else, existed as the most honourable and most respectable being. He still is.
As we, Christian and Ismaili, begin to study and attempt to understand the words of the wisest human of all time, King Suleyman, we should start with his own introduction. In the opening to his book of Proverbs, he gives us a statement of intent:
Ansary opens his book with a winning account of the earliest days of Islam, from Mohammad's conversion to the wrangling and tussle for leadership which precipitated the Sunni-Shia split.
News agencies are reporting almost 300 dead in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, with tremors felt in Tajikistan and India.
All of us at *Ismaili Friends* send our deepest condolences to the friends, families and communities who have lost those closest to them.
In 1975 Ismailis from across the world gathered to make some monumental decisions and changes to the way they understood and practiced their faith.
Minutes from this historic meeting detail resolutions on the following topics:
*Most words are transliterations of the original Arabic, Persian, Urdu or Gujarati and as such may have variant spellings.*
Any corrections or additions please email ismailifriends@gmail.com
Ab-i Shifa - the 'water of purity' infused with the blessing of the Imam through his touch or breath. The drink is taken during Ismaili meetings for the purification of heart and soul and to achieve symbolic union with the *Nur*
Unlike most Muslims, the Ismailis are not shy of expressing their theology and worship of God in song-form, with musical instruments and voice. This is not the Qur'anic recitation you'll hear from the *muezzin*. This is a body of 13-15th century Psalm-like compositions, differing from the works of David, Asaph and others in that the score, the melody, the music has survived through the years.
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:
The following is the story of Eid al-Adha, as told to the prophet Musa and recorded in the first book of the Tawrat, Genesis. You can also read an esoteric interpretation *here*
Genesis 22:1-19
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
At the time of writing [717 Muslim pilgrims had lost their lives](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34346449) in a tragic stampede whilst performing the Hajj.
On a day when the Muslim world remembers the mercy of God in sparing Ibrahim's son, it is simply horrific that we must also mourn the loss of so many children, parents, spouses, brothers, sisters and cousins.
"By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures"
Like Honey to My Lips
The Bible, the Holy Scriptures of the Christian faith, is replete with wisdom for the murid and non-murid alike.
Clash of Civilisations?
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV has, on a number of occasions, refuted Samuel P. Huntingdon's theory of a clash of civilisations, saying:
"I disagree with this assessment. In my view it is a clash of ignorance which is to blame"
Sultan Muhammad Shah al-Husayni, Aga Khan III, born in Karachi in November 1877 was 8 years old when he became Imam and was perhaps the most charismatic of the modern era.
The first 'modern' Imam rocketed Ismailis onto the world scene, largely through his extravagant lifestyle and high profile positions.
In the run up to Women's Equality Day last week, Ismaili Gnosis ran a mini-series on "strong Ismaili women" which included a short piece on Mata Salamat, 4th wife of Imam Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III.
In an intriguing excerpt from his memoirs, the Imam describes how his wife converted from Christianity to Islam, but that this was not necessary:
Discover where Ismailis are concentrated across the world and where jamatkhaanas are located.
Red Icon = Major concentration of Ismailis in that country
Green Icon = Ismailis present in that country
Blue Icon = Jamatkhaana location
Although the hierarchical connections are accurate, the relationship between each branch is not always clear. For example, the Constitution does not define whether the Darkhana, ITREB or Reconciliation Boards take precedence in Jamati (community) decisions.
To submit corrections, please email ismailifriends@gmail.com
