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

The Islamic Research Association came into being on February 1, 1933 in Bombay. Its founder President was Ali Muhammad R. Macklai (1894-1971) with Asaf A.A. Fyzee (1899-1981), the Principal of Bombay Law College, as the Secretary. Its founder members were Jogesharini Ismail, M.B. Rahman, Dr. U.M. Daudpota, Saif F.B. Tayyib and W. Ivanow (1886-1970). Lui Messignon (Paris), D.H. Margoliuth (Oxford), R.A. Nicholson (Cambridge), K.S. Zotarstin (Apsila), A.Fisher (Lipzig), H.A.R. Gibb (London) and O.J. Vensik (Leiden) had accepted to become the fellows of the Associations.

(14/15.C) One of 19 sons of P. Hassan Kabirdin. Is buried in Lahore.

The word ism (pl. asma) is derived from wasim meaning dyeing or spotting. Another view suggests that its root is samu meaning elevation or prominence. The Koran says, “And He gave Adam the knowledge of asma” (2:31). In the New Testament, the Opening sentence of St. John reads: “In the beginning was the “word” and the “word” was with God, and the “word” was God.” Paul Brunton writes that, “The “word” represents the very first motion of the Creative Power.

"Abu Muhammad Ismail, surnamed al-Wafi was born in Medina between 100/719 and 103/722. Imam Ismail is also known as an absolute Lord (az-azbab-i itlaq). He was born by the first wife of Imam Jafar Sadik, named Fatima bint al-Hussain al-Athram bin al-Hasan bin Ali. Shahrastani (1076-1153) writes in Kitab al-milal wa'l nihal that during the lifetime of Fatima, Imam Jafar Sadik never got another marriage like Muhammad with Khadija and Ali with Fatima. Hatim bin Imran bin Zuhra (d.

sv.Gangji

The word tariqah (pl. turuq, tara’iq) is derived from tariq meaning a space between two rows of palm-trees. It is thus simply meant the way, path or road, as it is said in Arabic qatah atariq means he interpreted the road, and howalla tariqatah means he is following his own way. Salmon suggests in his Arabic Dictionary (p, 499) the derivation of tariqah from taraqa meaning a string of camels following a difficult tract to a well.” The word tariq occurs nine times in the Koran.

The word band is borrowed from the French bande meaning troop. The synonymous word in Spanish is banda adopted from Teutonic form. The term band was used in England to apply to the King's Band of 24 violins at the court of Charles II (1660-1685). The word band represents a broad term that describes a group of musicians performing on wind and percussion instruments. Thousands years ago, when a procession of the Egyptian marched towards the shrine of Serpis, the healing-god, the musicians in the group played reed-pipes, tambourines and drums.

The Ismaili Centre has great importance in Ismaili society. It serves as a multipurpose place for a faithful. An Ismaili does not enter the Centre for worship only but he also learns a lesson how to lead a life of chastity, contenment, tolerance, fraternity and balance. To promote economic and social development programs and cultural activities, the Ismaili Centre in different parts of the world have been built by the Present Imam, whose detail is given below:- (see other Ismaili centre entries)

The Burnaby Jamatkhana in Canada, a tree-lined suburb of Greater Vancouver, is the first Jamatkhana and Centre is a multi-purpose building. It cost over $. 10 million. In July 24, 1982, the Lieutenan-Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Henry Bell-Irving, in the presence of the Present Imam, the Begum Aga Khan, Mayor Lewarne of Burnaby and other distinguished guests, performed the foundation ceremony.

The Present Imam announced the first Ismaili Centre to be built in the Middle East. The Ismaili Centre, Dubai, when completed, will be comparable in scope and standing to existing major centres in London, Vancouver and Lisbon, one underway in Dushanbe and other in advanced planning stages in Toronto.

The foundation stone ceremony was performed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on August 30, 2003 in presence of the Imam, President Rahmonov of Tajikistan, the Mayor Ubaidulloev and other distinguished leaders. The Imam launched a landmark cultural center in Dushanbe, marking a milestone in the 1300-year history of the jamat in Central Asia. The landscaped complex that will initiate a revitalization of cultural, educational and contemplative space and urban regeneration in Dushanbe, will also be the first permanent place of gathering and organization for the jamat of Central Asia.

It was inaugurated in Houston, United State on June 23, 2003 in presence of the Imam, Governor Perry, Anita Perry, the First Lady of Texas, Mayor Wallace, leaders and representatives of the Congress of USA, the State of Texas and the city of Houston, Consuls General and distinguished guests. Its design architect was the ARCOP Group of Montreal, Canada, the General Contractor for the project, Durotech of Houston. Its senior design architect however was Mr. Ramesh Khosla of New Delhi.

It was opened a $. 30 million Ismaili Centre in Lisbon on July 11, 1998 in presence of the Present Imam and the Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio. An 18,000 square meter complex of building and courtyards is set amidst a landscaped park off busy thoroughfares on the edge of central Lisbon. The edifice, which combines Islamic and Iberian architecture styles and is decorated with hand-painted tiles, has a prayer hall , classrooms, conference rooms and exhibition spaces.

In 1951, a religious, cultural and social center was established by the Ismaili jamat at Kensington Court, and in 1957 was moved to Palace Gate in the Borough of Kensington. In order to meet the increased needs of a growing community, the majority of whom had settled in or around London, a site for a new center was identified in 1971 at Albany Street in the London Borough of Camden. Architects were commissioned to prepare a submission for presentation to the local authorities.

The word constitution is derived from the Latin constituere means an action of decreeing or ordaining. According to The Oxford English Dictionary (London, 1933, 2:876), "It is a decree, ordinance, law, regulation usually one made by a superior authority, civil or ecclesiastical." In the broad sense, a Constitution is a body of rules governing the affairs of an organized group.

The New Constitution of 1986
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The Arabic word for the flag is alam (pl. a'lam), meaning signpost or flag. The terms liwa and raya are also used for the flag, banner or standard. In Persian, the word band and dirafsh, and in Turkish, the bayrak is used for the banner. And as flags serve to delineate a ruler's territory, it is not surprising that one of the Turkish terms for a certain administrative unit is sancak, i.e., flag.

"Hasan bin Sabbah (1034-1124) took possession of the fort of Alamut in Iran in 1090. His immediate concerns were to refortify Alamut, provide for it food and water supply, irrigate the field in the valley, acquire adjacent castles, erect forts at strategic points, institute economic and social reforms and unite the Ismailis. Thus, he succeeded to establish the Nizarid Ismailis rule in Alamut.

"In its origin, and throughout its history until down to recent times, the banner, standard or flag executed primarily a religious purpose with an object to indicate something rather than to gather people together. The earliest known representation of Egyptian banners are those found on the votive tablet of Nar-Mer (4000-5000 B.C.) at Hierakonpolis; on this are represented four bearers, carrying poles with various emblems on the top of them. Artifacts indicate that as early as 4000 B.C., the Egyptian ships also utilized a standard.

"Imam Radi Abdullah (840-881) had sent his da'is in all directions from Syria to propagate Ismailism. The most acclaimed among them was Ibn Hawshab (d. 914), who was sent to Yamen in 880. He made a large conversion and established an Ismaili rule. He took possession of a stronghold on a hillock and made it his headquarters. He hoisted the green banner at his headquarters, bearing the Koranic verse on it. Meanwhile, Abu Abdullah al-Shi'i (d. 911) conquered almost whole Maghrib and routed the Aghlabid rule of 112 years.

"The Ismaili flag contains rich green colour with a red strip descending from left upper corner to the bottom of right side, making a cross mark in the flag. The nature of the characteristics, which the Ismaili flag, acquired green and red colours (lawn) from the historical context will be explored briefly in the following lines.

"The Islamic state of Medina continued the old Arab custom. In this context, the sources mention two synonyms, i.e., liwa (flag) and rayah (standard). It was liwa (pl alwiyah), which was ordinarily used in all expeditions; but ruyat (pl. of rayah) were used in all the battles. The Islamic armies under the Prophet was drawn from various tribes. Each unit consisted of a tribe, usually fighting under its own chief. Each tribe had its own tribal banner borne aloft by its bravest champion.

"The Present Imam ordained the new Ismaili Constitution on Saturday, December 13, 1986 at Merimont in Geneva. Leaders of the jamat who were mandated to work on the new Ismaili Constitution had come from various parts of the world. It was indeed a historic occasion where the family members of the Imam, members of the Constitution Review Committee and the staff of the Secretariat from Aiglemont were present. At 11.00 a.m., the Imam ordained, signed and sealed "The Constitution of the Shi'a Imami Ismaili Muslims"

"Imam Hasan Ali Shah (1817-1881) arrived in India in 1842. He died and buried in Hasanabad, Bombay in 1881. He was succeeded by his son Imam Aga Ali Shah (1881-1885), who also died in Poona on August 17, 1885. His body in a bier was brought to Bombay, where it was temporarily enshrined in Hasanabad, Bombay for 64 days, and shipped for interment in Najaf. Mukhi Kassim Musa (d. 1896), the then estate agent was entrusted to carry the Imam's bier from Bombay to Najaf. He left behind a very important narrative of the journey of 25 days.

The post-Alamut is the longest period in the Ismaili history, and so is most obscure and dark due to the dearth of the historical informations. It almost covers 580 years for 18 Imams, who lived in different villages and towns in Iran. They had no their own rule and as a result, no need was apparently felt for their banner.

Warfare in pre-Islamic Arabia was waged regularly for a certain part of each year as an ordinary part of the routine of tribal life, the ostensible motive being the desire for plunder or revenge. In the Meccan oligarchy the clan of Abdul Dar of Qoraish enjoyed the privilege of holding the tribal standard. Before the advent of Islam, the Qoraish waged a war on another tribe; they received from the hands of Qassi (d. 480) the liwa, a piece of white cloth, which Qassi himself had attached to a lance.

"Red (ahmar) is the colour of fire and blood. It is linked with vital force. It is gushing colour, hot and male, unlike green. Adam signifies red in Hebrew. Red (ahmar) is used only once in the Koran (35:27-8) in the plural form humr. The red sulphur (kibrit ahmar) of Islamic esotericism denotes Universal Man. Abdullah Numair narrates on the authority of al-Bari; who said, "I have never seen anyone more attractive and elegant in a red cloak than the Prophet" (Tabaqat, 2:534). Jabir b.

"We have described above the features of green and red colours. We will briefly proceed to discuss significant characteristics of these two colours together.

"Journalism in the modern usage is one of the younger professions. The first prototype of the modern newspaper was the series of public announcements, known during the Roman empire as Acta Diurna published daily from 59 B.C., and later in Venice as the Gazette. Similar official reports were made in China, where the earliest newspaper, the Tehing-Pao appeared in Peking in the middle of 8th century. The invention of printing from movable type by Johann Gutenberg in Minz about 1450 revolutionized the spreading of news.

To promote religious education, to train the missionaries and teachers and to establish an independent Ismailia Association in Africa, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had called the first Ismailia Mission Conference on Friday, the 20th of July, 1945 at Dar-es-Salaam. About a hundred delegates and observers were invited, and the Imam inaugurated the conference in the auditorium of the Aga Khan's Boys High School, Kisutu Street, Dar-es-Salaam.

"The Abbasid caliph al-Mutamid (d. 279/892) had handed over the charge of Sind to the Saffarid chief, Yaqub bin Layth, in order to divert his intentions from attacking Iraq. As a result, Yaqub bin Layth acquired the power of Sind, Balkh and Tabaristan. He however recited the Abbasid khutba, and was simultaneously responsible to spread Shi'ism in the territories he governed. He died in 265/892, and with his departure, the Muslim territories in Sind had been divided into two main states, i.e., the State of Multan and Mansurah.

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The Rise of the Sumra dynasty in Sind

"Ismailism remained a force in Sind and emerged stronger, for the Sumra tribe, who were the Ismailis, patronized it. Mehmud conquered Sind and annexed it to the Ghaznavid regime. It remained so during the time of his son, Masud (d. 432/1041), and latter's son Abdur Rashid (d. 444/1051). Henceforward, the Ghaznavid became weak in Sind. Delhi and its environs had been snatched from them by the rising power of the Ghorid, and Sind became an independent of them under the Sumra tribe.

The modern scouting movement was started in the world for the purpose of training the youths in the essentials of good citizenship and it arose in 1908 after the appearance of the book, Scouting for Boys written by the then inspector general of cavatry in the British army, Lieut. General R.S.S. Baden-Powell (1857-1941). Thus, the scouting movements spread in Britain and very quickly to other countries.

It was established on February 16, 1946 in place of the Islamic Research Association, Bombay, under the patronage of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. Its founder President was Ali Muhammad R. Macklai (1894-1971). The Russian scholar W. Ivanow (1886-1970) played a major role in its establishment. The aim of the Ismaili Society was the promotion of independent and critical study of all matters relating with Ismailism – their literature, history, philosophy and so forth.

The word tariqah (pl. turuq, tara'iq) is derived from tariq meaning a space between two rows of palm-trees. It is thus simply meant the way, path or road, as it is said in Arabic qatah atariq means he interpreted the road, and howalla tariqatah means he is following his own way. Salmon suggests in his Arabic Dictionary (p, 499) the derivation of tariqah from taraqa meaning a string of camels following a difficult tract to a well." The word tariq occurs nine times in the Koran.

The Shi'a Imami Ismaili Tariqah & Religious Education Board evolved through a century after assuming names of the Recreation Club Institute and the Ismailia Association.

Finally, the name of the Ismailia Association had been changed to The Sh'ia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board in accordance with the new Constitution effective from July 11, 1986, whose primary architect was the Recreation Club Institute. There are now 18 Tariqah Boards on national level in the world, viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, France, India, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Pakistan, Portugal, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom and United States.

The English word volunteer means one who voluntarily offers or enrolls himself for military service, in contrast to those who are under obligation to do so, or who form part of a regular army. The original French word corps d'armee became short during 17th century, which was borrowed in English language in the form of corps means a unit, body, or group of army. The volunteer is a member of an organized military force, formed by voluntary enrolment and distinct from the regular army.

sv. Sat Panth Mission Society. Was renamed ITREB in 1986 with the new constitution. Has full powers for research and publications.

"In 1944, Imam Sultan Muhammad changed the name of Recreation Club Institute into the Ismailia Association for India. Ali Muhammad Macklai was appointed its President with Alijah Rajab Ali Muhammad Dandawala as Vice-President and Itmadi Rehmatuallah Virjee as Hon. Secretary. Thus, the Ismailia Recreation Club was the progenitor of the Ismailia Association. In view of his long selfless services, the Imam granted the titles of Huzur Wazir (minister in attendance) and Commander in Chief to Ali Muhammad Macklai.

"The First World Ismailia Socio-Economic Conference was held on Tuesday, December 15, 1964 on the ground of the Aga Khan Gymkhana, Karachi. Pakistan was fortunate to be the venue of this most important Conference.

It was a sunny, bright and pleasant morning, when the Present Imam arrived at 10.30 a.m. and walked through the red carpet leading to the well decorated stage amidst the thundering applause of almost 6000 Ismailis, both delegates and observers from 13 countries. The inaugural session started with the recitations of the Koran and Ginan.

The Shi'a Ismaili Muslims are now a global jamat and spread all over the world, ranging from Australia down south to the Arctic zone in Canada, up north. In all countries of their settlement, including the very new ones, Ismailis are seen to exist harmoniously within the broader framework of the country concerned, on the one hand progressing steadily under Present Imam's guidance on the other, contributing to the progress and well-being of that particular country.

The word Afghanistan means the land of the Afghans and the word afghan (awghan or aoghan) means the mountaineers. The oldest Indian literature refers it as Balhekdes. The Persians called it as Zablistan and Kabalistan. To the Greeks, it was Bakhtar or Bactria. The Afghan territories also is included in the Central Asia.

The British occupied Burma in 1885 and annexed it with Indian empire as a province on January 1, 1886. In those days, there were a few Indian Ismailis in Rangoon, who started the first Jamatkhana in 1889 at Mughal Street. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah left Bombay for Rangoon on June 1, 1900 and graced didar to the Ismailis. The first Ismaili Council came into existence on January 8, 1910, whose first President was Mukhi Wazir Jivabhai Bhanji (1866-1938).

The majority of the Canadian Ismailis have their ethnic origin in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. Many first migrated to Canada after having lived in East Africa for two to three generations. General Edi Amin of Uganda issued his edict on August 9, 1972, and the Asians were to leave the country within 90 days. The decree of Edi Amin was a source of influx of immigrants. The Asian population of Uganda at that time was less than 100,000, of which perhaps 30,000 were Ismailis. Clearly, this was the most alarming crisis and a most serious challenge to the Imam.

The term "Central Asia" will include here the mountainous regions of China, Soviet Union, including Hindukush, Pamir, Yarkand, Wakhan, Oxus, Shagnan, Gilgit, Hunza and Chitral.

"The drought and water shortage had remained the buzzwords in Kutchh and Kathiawar and weather condition had taken a heavy toll onto the economy of the entire region. The people therefore moved elsewhere in search of subsistence. The Ismaili migrants left their Indian homeland and arrived in East Africa. The early reported arrivals took place in 1815 in Tanganyika. In fact, the Indian Ismailis came to Africa with entrepreneurial skills in their blood, mercantile nature in their brains and immense calibre to labour in their muscles, but with empty pockets.

"In 270/884, Ibn Hawshab had sent al-Haytham from Yamen to Sind for Ismaili propaganda. He originated there the Ismaili mission that remained continued considerably under the charge of different da'is. Another da'i called Jaylam bin Shayban was recommended by Imam al-Muizz to the headquarters of Yamen. He captured Multan after overthrowing the ruling dynasty, and finally founded a Fatimid vassal state in Upper Indus Valley in 349/960. The Fatimid foothold in Multan therefore seems to have existed between 340/951 and 358/968.