Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

""... And God only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify you a thorough purifying (33:33)"

Beej is one of the most important rites in the Indian tradition of the Ismailis.The Hindi word beej means crescent. When the new moon falls on Friday, the Ismailis keep a fast

"Tabari (5:267) relates from Ibn Abbas that the Israelites in one of the town of Syria were afflicted by the epidemic of plague. They were 4000 people who left their town fleeing the plague. They said, "Let us go to a land which is free from death." They arrived at Dawardan near Wasit in Iraq. As they reached the place, God said to them, "Die!." They were so badly afflicted by a calamity that death struck them.

"The word darwish or darvesh (pl. darawish) is a Persian word, being composed of two syllables, dar and vish. Various meanings are assigned to the two syllables, taken together. Some say it means the sill of the door; others, those who beg from door to door; while there are many who assert that darwish signifies in thought or deep meditation, using the dar as a preposition in, and not as a substantive, and the vish as thought.

The word asas literally means base or foundation, referring to the successor of the Prophet. The institution of the Imamate is a cornerstone and paramount position in Ismaili tariqah, and according to their theory, the seven millennial periods (adwar'i azam) form a part of a great cycle of 360,000 years. At its end, during the last period of 7000 years, there were six natiqs (speakers, pronouncers or law-givers), viz. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, the last Prophet. They are the seven lawgivers.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) coordinates the Network's cultural activities, which focus upon building and spaces in societies in which Muslims have a significant presence. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, these are the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) and the Historic Cities Support Programme (HCSP). The Trust also supports the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States.

"The word ahl al-bayt occurs twice in the Koran: "The mercy of God and His blessing are on you, O people of the house, ..." (11:73). This verse refers to the people of the house of Abraham (Kashf al-Asrar wa Uddat al-Abrar, 4:416), and to the house of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "God desires only to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying (33:33)".

"The year 1324/1906 marks the cleavage and culmination of Muslim politics in the subcontinent, when Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah led the Muslim delegation and met Lord Minto (1845-1914), the Viceroy of India from 1905, at Simla to demand the political rights of the Muslims of India. The deputation to the Viceroy consisted of the most influential leaders, such as Mohsin al-Mulk, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Sir Ali Imam, Sir Muzammallah Khan, Sir Rafiquddin Ahmad, Sir Muhammad Shafi, Sir Abdul Rahim, Sir Salimullah, Justice Shah Din, etc.

The word sabab (pl. asbab) means reason or cause, and nuzul means revealed. The term marifah asbab al-nuzul is the knowledge about the reason of the revelation, i.e., knowledge about the particular event and circumstances that are related to the revelation of particular passage from the Koran. The Koran revealed piece by piece in the period of 22 years, 5 months and 24 days. The Muslim exegetes maintained that pieces of it were revealed in response to, or as reflections of, certain situations in the life of the Prophet.

It was the Imam's own involvement in construction in developing countries during the 1960s and 1970s that evoked his concern with the deteriorating architectural heritage and inappropriate building practices in many Muslim societies. To sensitize those who build in the developing world to the unique heritage of Muslim history and architecture, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) was founded in 1977. The goal of the Award is to recognize outstanding architectural achievements in all the different cultures and communities of the Muslim world.

"According to Islamic law, the non-Muslims inhabited in the Islamic state were called ahlu dh-dhimmati (people of protection) or simply al-dhimma or dhimmis. They included the Christian, Jewish, Magian, Samaritan and Sabian. Ahl al-dhimma were prohibited in the Muslim state from holding public religious ceremonies, from raising their voices loudly when praying and even from ringing their church bells aloud.

Allah is the proper or personal name (ism dhat) of the Divine Being, as distinguished from all other names which are called asma' al-sifat or names denoting attributes. The word Allah occurs 2702 times in the Koran, such as Allahu 980 times, Allaha 592 times, Allahi 1125 times and Allahumma 5 times. It is also known as the greatest name of God (ism a'zam).

In 1979, the Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) established the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) with grants of some $. 12 million from the Imam. It mandate is to educate architects, planners, teachers and researchers who can contribute to building and design, which meet the needs of Muslim societies today. The professorships, scholarships and projects of the Program are supported by its endowment fund and by grants from the Trust.

"The word ahl means those who occupy with one the same tent, the family or inmates, relative, folk, kin, kinfolk, family, people, members, followers, etc. Under these meanings, the word ahl occurs 31 times in the Koran. According to another view, it is derived from ahala, meaning to demonstrate (the family). The word kitab, comes from the root word kataba, meaning to write down. The word kitaba occurs in the Koran for the Divine Books revealed to various prophets.

In Sindhi and Kutchhi, Allah Tohar or Allah Toahar means with the help of God or reliance on God. It was a common phrase the scribes wrote in the beginning of the manuscripts of the ginans in Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.

Ashab al-Suffa or Ahl al-Suffa was a group of the Prophet's Companions. The suffa or zulla (bench or banquette) was a long, covered portico or vestibule, which formed part of the mosque at Medina. This was the sole home of these men, and they spent their time in study and worship. They are sometimes said to have been as many as four hundred.

The Trust's most recent initiative is the Historic Cities Support Programme (HCSP). It was established to promote the conservation and re-use of building and public spaces in historic cities in ways that can catalyze social, economic and cultural development. In HCSO's approach, the restoration and rehabilitation of buildings and public spaces cannot be conceived apart from broader processes of community development. Its project briefs go beyond technical restoration to address the questions of re-use and community revitalization.

The headquarters of the Present Ismaili Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni was Geneva, Switzerland between 1957 and 1976. Then, in 1976, the Imam moved his headquarters, the Secretariat de Son Altesse l'Aga Khan, from Geneva to Paris, building two replica 17th century chateaux on a large wooded estate at Aiglemont, Gouvieus, north of Paris