Articles, Updates and News on, for and from the Ismaili jamaat
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."
Salgirah, literally meaning 'birthday' in Urdu, is celebrated across the Ismaili world on 13th December. On that day, 1936, Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV was born to Princess Tajuddawlah Aly Khan in Geneva, Switzerland.
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
Held in Vancouver, the Odyssey Art Exhibition, organised by Taslim Samji, brought together the art of 16 different Ismaili artists from November 23rd to December 1st. Sandra Zimmerman, in The Source, writes that the goal of the exhibition was
"[c]reating art as a vehicle for communication to help transcend boundaries"
The further east you travel along the Wakhan Corridor, the more and more it feels like the end of the earth. So much so that you get the sense that driving any further East and you'd drop off the end.
The flute is often played in songs from the Ismaili Pamir regions. Some types of *nay* are played like a traditional western flute, from the side. The examples below are of end-blown flutes (much like a recorder). Often the *nay* is used for the traditional performance, *falaki*.
The Rubob/Rubab hails from central Afghanistan and derives its name from an Arabic word meaning 'played with a bow'. With slight variations from region to region, it is a 17 or 18 stringed mulberry wood instrument that shares similarities with the lute. It is a key part of many classical Persian compositions, and is even the national instrument of Afghanistan.
Here's a collection of Wakhi songs, both from Pakistan and Tajikistan. The Wakhi number about 100 000 and live across Badakhshan (Tajikistan and Afghanistan) as well as in north west Pakistan and far west China. Their language has not traditionally been written (although there are scripts in Cyrillic and Arabic) and so song and story-telling are two of the principle ways the language is kept alive.
Produced to commemorate the Aga Khan's 50th Jubilee in 2007, *An Islamic Conscience* positions Ismailism as the moderate voice of Islam in a 45 minute film that features some fascinating archival footage.
This is Daftary's masterpiece, a towering work that consolidates his position as a, if not the leading Ismaili academic. This is a book for the historian or religiously-curious alike, a tome that expertly weaves history and doctrine together. It traces the development of Ismaili philosophy and tradition through a historical narrative that brings a previously patchy and bias-laden history into the modern era of scholarship.
“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.
One day, the devil tempted woman to eat the food from the tree that was forbidden. The woman listened to the devil and ate the fruit. Then she gave it to her husband to eat. Both of them disobeyed God’s command. Disobeying God’s command is sin. God is righteous and holy. He must punish sin. God cast the man and the woman out of the garden, and their relationship with God was broken. Human beings and God were now separated forever.
Mr Andani, a PhD candidate at Harvard and unofficial spokesperson for the Ismaili community, gives us a look into the pillars of Ismailism and their differences from traditional Muslim orthopraxy.
Here are some highlights:
However, do you remember the angels God created? One of the angels was very smart and beautiful. This angel became very proud. He wanted to be like God and to have the other angels to worship him instead of God. Only God deserves all the worship and service. Therefore God cast the disobedient angel, the devil, and the other angels who listened to him out of heaven. These bad angels are known as demons.
Adam and Eve were our great, great, great ... grandparents. They are our first parents. Their name is our name. Their shame is our shame.
Imagine your father was a traitor to his community, or your mother was the village prostitute.
God placed the man and woman in a beautiful garden to live. They had a very good relationship with Him and with each other. He told them to take care of the garden and enjoy everything. He gave them a special command: they could eat from every tree in the garden except one. If they ate from that one tree, they would be punished and die. The man and woman listened to God and had a wonderful relationship with Him in the garden. God created us to have a wonderful relationship with Him forever!
Adam and Eve lived in perfect community. They were safe and honored in the eyes of each other and also in the eyes of Almighty God. It was bliss, but bliss that didn't last.
Adam and Eve did not honor Almighty God as obedient members of His community. Instead, they listened to Satan, God’s enemy.
