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

"The Persian word didar is derived from didan means meeting, beholding or seeing. In Ismaili terminology, it denotes the beholding the Imam of the age. It is a means to strengthen the heart, cooling the eyes, refresh the faith and earn guidance and blessings of the Imam. When one is graced with the didar, he feels that he is newly born, and acts what the Imam imparted. The didar does not mean mere an act of looking the Imam. It needs the eyes of the knowledge and faith and without it the purpose does not solve.

According to the Arabic lexicons, the word din is one of the most controversial words in the whole Koranic vocabulary. Its etymology is also uncertain. Outwardly we have one simple monosyllabic word. The word din has two important meanings distinguishable in the Koran: religion and judgment.

The word dinar is derived from Greek denarius. It is a gold coin of the early Islamic period, weighing until the 10th century 4.25 grams. It was divided into 10 dhirams and later into twelve.

The enemies of the Muslims created a united front after the battle of Badr and Uhud. This culminated in a solemn pact of alliance among the five principal tribes. When the news of this tremendous mobilization reached the Muslims in Medina, it struck them all with panic. It was Monday, the 1st Shawal, 5/February 24, 627 when a gigantic army under the command of Abu Sufian besieged Medina. The number of this invading force is variously estimated at something between ten and twenty-four thousands, the largest single army ever mustered on Arabian soil.

The modern historians divided the history into following divisions: -

(1) Pre-historic (5500-4000 B.C.), Proto-historic (4000-3200 B.C.), Historic (3200-800 B.C.), and Colonization Age (8th century B.C.).

(2) Dark Age (410-1453 A.D.):- Early (410-1377 A.D.) and Later (1378-1453 A.D.)

(3) Modern Age (since 1454 A.D.):- Early (1494-1600 A.D.), Later (1600-1789 A.D.), and Present (since 1800 A.D.)

The English word donation is borrowed from the Latin, donaire means present. It is an action or faculty of giving or presenting. It includes presentation, grant, bestowal or gift. The tradition of donation goes back to the Islamic period. The Koranic message specifies to participate in the cause of God by giving money.

The word for dower generally used in the Koran is ajr (pl. ujur), meaning reward or the gift that is given to the bride. The word saduqat (pl. of saduqa) is also once used in the Koran to denote the nuptial gift (4:4), and the other words from the same root, signifying dower are sudaq and sidaq. The verbal root word sadaqa means he was truthful. Another word sometimes used in the Koran to indicate the nuptial gift is fariza means what has been made obligatory or an appointed portion.

"In 407/1016, an Iranian da'i, named Muhammad bin Ismail Nashtakin ad-Darazi came in Egypt, who professed the transmigration of souls. He also preached the divinity of Imam al-Hakim. He came from Bukhara to Cairo in 408/1017. Finding no response, he moved to Wadi al-Taymun, at the foot of Mount Hermon in Lebanon and Jabal as-Summaq in Syria. He was first in the public eyes being the founder of the Druze sect. In 410/1019, the Turks soldiers of the Fatimids gathered and moved towards the houses of ad-Darazi and his followers and surrounded them.

The word du'a is derived from da'wa or ad'iya means call, occurring 159 times in the Koran. It refers to the offering of supplication in general or in particular a single supplication, vide 2:186, 3:38,39 and 4:60. Another word su'al (asking) is also employed in this context (14:34, 11:47, 55:29).

The word dunya is derived from dhunuww, meaning the lower or the nearest world. This world as man actually experiences it and lives in it as a whole, called al-dunya. The Koran uses the phrase al-hayah al-dunya (the lower life) in place of the simple word al-dunya, occurring 115 times in the Koran.

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) carries out the Network's economic development activities. It consists of three groups of companies, especially active in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: Industrial Promotion Services (IPS), Tourism Promotion Services (TPS) and Financial Services Companies.

The word eid is derived from aud meaning to return. In Islam, it means a recurring happiness. The word adha, the plural of adhat means a sacrifice. On this occasion, all the Muslims who can afford, sacrifice an animal. In the case of a goat or a sheep, one animal is suffices for one household. In the case of a cow or a camel, seven men may be partners. It may be sacrificed on the day of Eid or during the two or three days that follows, called the tashriq days.

The word fitr means to begin, from which is also derived fitra meaning nature. The word iftar means the breaking of the fast, as if the faster had returned to a natural course or fulfilled the demand of nature, and it is from this that the name Eid al-Fitr seems to have been taken. "The feast that marks the end of Ramzan is a day when no fasting is allowed at all" (al-Muslim, 2:553), and it is customary for families to dress well in that day and visit each other and offer greetings.

According to the Shi'ite belief, at the spring (khum) of al-Ghadir, the Prophet as his successor declared Ali bin Abu Talib and the festival commemorated this occasion. The fusion of religion which was characteristic of all religious festivals in Fatimid Egypt, is best exemplified by the festival of Eid al-Ghadir.

The month of Rabi I has an immortal significance in the whole of human history. In this month that Blessed Being made his auspicious appearance from the person of Amina who diverted totally the very stream of the human history; who uplifted humanity from the lowest pit of degradation and rose it to the zenith of glory and grandeur; who heralded a new message of peace and prosperity for the suffering mankind. He emancipated the human race from those fetters in which it had been lying shackled for centuries. He relieved humanity of those heavy burdens under which it had been groaning for ages.

"The key verbal roots occur more than two dozen times each in the Koran with –k-l and sh-r-b appears together eight times. The most famous occurrence is in 7:31, where God says the children of Adam to dress properly when attending the mosque, and to “eat and drink, but avoid excess for He does not love the intemperate,” and “Eat of what your Lord has given you (kulu min rizqi rabbikum) and render thanks to Him” (34:15).

No limitations are placed upon the form or quality of clothing, either in the Koran or hadith. The Prophet is reported to have said, "Eat and drink and wear clothes and be charitable, not being extravagant or self-conceited" (Bukhari, 77:1). Ibn Abbas said: "Eat what you like and wear what you like, so long as you avoid two things, extravagance and vanity" (Ibid.) Thus, Islam requires no particular dress. A man may choose what he eats and what he wears. The only thing required is that the clothes should be clean and good (Abu Daud., 31:13)

The name of God should be uttered before drinking; and the Lord should be praised at the end (Daim al-Islam, p. 447). Imam Jafar Sadik used to drink standing as well as sitting (Ibid., p. 449). Ali bin Abu Talib drank water while standing, and added that people did not like it but he had seen the Prophet drinking water while standing (Bukhari, 74:15).

The host should offer water to wash the hands of his guests from the right to the left, washing his own last. When a man has guests with him, he should eat joyfully with them; he should be the last to begin to eat, and he should be the last to lave his hands before, and last to do so after, a meal (Kitab Majmu'at al-Hawashi, p. 59). When the host's relation are present at a meal, the host should wash his hands last, apart from the members of his own family (Daim al-Islam, p. 414)

Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had called a Conference in Evian, France known as the Evian Conference between July 4, 1952 and July 8, 1952 to discuss various economic and social problems confronting the African Ismailis and also to make necessary amendments in the Constitution of the African Councils.

The Koran does not mention the word fa'y, which became the technical term in Islamic law, but refers explicitly to the verb afa'a (from the same root as fa'y); vide 33:50 and 59: 6-7. There is indications that in 59: 6-7, referring to the surrender of the Banu Nadir, afa'a denotes booty acquired not by fighting but as a result of the surrender of the enemy. Fa'y literally means that which come back. The word fa'y is applied to the lands in the conquered territories which came under the direct ownership of the Muslim state.

"Fadak was a fertile tract in the vicinity of Khaibar under the Jewish occupation, just three miles from Medina, now the modern village of Howeyat. After the victory of Khaibar, the Prophet wiped out the Jewish influence in this area, who were threat to Islam, therefore, he sent his envoy, Muhit to Yusha bin Nun, the chief of the village Fadak. The chief of the Jews preferred peace and surrendered to fighting. A peace treaty was concluded between the Prophet and the local Jews on the terms that 50% yield of Fadak would be surrendered to the Prophet each year by the Jews.

It is derived from framana (Turkish, ferman), meaning royal decree, command, direction, edict or written edict. For the Ismailis, it refers to any pronouncement, order, advice or ruling made by the Imam.

"North Africa was the land of the lost causes of Islam. The land was mainly inhabited by the Berber tribe, which was practically independent of the Abbasids. The Ismaili dai Abu Abdullah arrived in the Katama land and chose Ikjan as his base, a mountain stronghold that dominated the pilgrimage route, where he began to preach the Ismaili doctrines. While he was preaching in North Africa and consolidating the secular power, Imam al-Mahdi was closely following his activities from his retreat in Salamia.

The word fatwa is derived from the root fata, which includes in its Semanic fields the meaning youth, newness, clarification, or explanation. These connotations have survived in its various definitions. Its development as a technical term originated from the Koran, where the word is used in two verbal forms meaning asking for a definitive answer and giving a definitive answer (4:127, 176). The concept of fatwa in early Islam developed in the framework of a question and answer process of communicating information about Islam.

ABIDA Adoress

AFROZA Enlightening

AFSAN Fascinating

AFSHEEN Spreading Widely

AINI Generous

ALMAS Diamond

AMINA Trustworthy

ANAR Pomegranate

AMBAR Ambergris

AMBREEN Ambergris

ANISA Affectionate

ARZOO Desire

ASMA Beautiful

ATIYA Gift

AZIZA Respected

"The Persian word fidai (or fidawi, pl. fidaiyan) means one who offers his life for a cause or sacrifices. Its synonymous Arabic word is fidaiyyun. It is a term for special Ismaili devotees of Iran and Syria, coined for the first time in Alamut period, who risked their lives. The term fidai is the symbol of loyalty and sacrifice - a highest form of virtue.

AKFED provides an institutional umbrella for a number of leading finance and insurance companies in Africa and Asia. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah founded most of these as small self-help companies in the first half of this century. During this period, colonial financial institutions had neither the interest nor the ability to provide banking services and insurance to the small traders and farmers of the community. At the outset, most of the self-help companies were financed by contributions from the Ismaili community to mark the successive jubilees i.e.

The word fiqh is used in the literal sense to mean understanding and in this sense; the words fiqh and fahm are synonymous. The word fiqh was originally used by the Arabs for a camel expert, who could distinguish the pregnant she-camels with others, and thus the expression fahal faqihi was current among them. It indicates deep knowledge and understanding. In addition, the Arabic idiom goes Fala’n la yafaqahu wala yanqahu (So-and-so neither understands nor comprehends). In pre-Islamic days, the term Faqih al-Arab was an appellation given to Harith bin Kaladah.

Among the indicative of divisions or distinctions, the words used in the Koran are hizb (pl. ahzab), ta'ifa, shi'a and the derivatives of f-q-r. All can be understood with the general meaning of party, group or faction. The word hizb in its singular, plural and dual forms appears 19 times and the word shi'a and shi'ya occurs 11 times in the Koran. The word ta'ifa and its dual forms appears 23 times, used more or less randomly to refer to groups or parties among the Ahl al-Kitab. Tusi (d.

The five elements (al-hawassul khamsa) alone form the constituents of all the mundane creation. The first is unsur-i azam (the great element), referring to the great throne (arsh-i akbar). Secondly, the wind; thirdly, the fire; fourthly, the water and fifthly, the dust. In the Indian language, these are called panch-bhut, namely akas, vayu, tej, jal and prthivi.

FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance is an international group of agencies established to compliment and facilitate the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance in specific regions of Africa and Asia. This global institution with an international mandate, seeks to enable the local jamats to prepare for hazards, respond to crisis situations, and where possible, to avert disaster or minimize its impact. FOCUS meets its challenging and growing mandate through the dedication, energy and intellect of hundreds of volunteers and professionals who form the backbone of FOCUS.

In recent times, with the rapid means of communication, the Muslims are increasingly coming into the contact with the western countries more than ever before. Owing to their special dietary laws, the Muslims are confronted with the question of the consumption of the meat of animals slaughtered by the Christians and Jews.

The Prophet left Medina for performing his farwell pilgrimage on Saturday, the 25th Zilkada, 10. He reached Mecca on Wednesday, the 7th Zilhaja, 10, and performed the pilgrimage. He left Mecca on 14th Zilhaja, 10. His caravan reached a little before noon to a pond (ghadir), known as Khum, on 18th Zilhaja, 10/March 16, 632. It is situated about 3 miles north-west of Mecca in the heart of the desert, called Sahara'i Huja, about 3 miles from the town, al-Jahfa.

The plural noun maghanim is used in the Koran (4:94, 48:15, 19:20) for the booty, and the verb ghanima (8:41,69). The Koran mentions the word ghunm or its derivatives on nine occasions as ghanamo, ghanomi, ghunm, ghanimtun, maghanimo and maghanima. The wars waged by the Prophet were purely for the purpose of security or defence. In the battles, the unbelievers left their means and materials in the field.

"Abbas Shah, surnamed Shah Gharib or Gharib Mirza, was also known as Gharibu'l-lah and Mustansir billah III, and assumed the Imamate in 899/1493. Imam Gharib Mirza seems to have left Shahr-i Babak few months after assuming Imamate. He seems to have repaired for about one year out of Shahr-i Babak, leaving behind his hujjat, called Badiuddin Khwaja Kassim, and at length settled down in Anjudan, most possibly in 900/1494. Pir Shihabuddin Shah (d. 1884) also writes in his Khitabat-i Aliyya (pp.

"The two connotations of the root are ghaba'an, meaning to be absent and ghaba fi, meaning to be hidden. In current usage, ghayb signifies absence. More frequently ghayb indicates what is hidden, inaccessible to the senses and reason, thus at the same time absent from human knowledge and hidden in divine wisdom. It is to this second meaning that al-ghayb refers, as a technical term of the religious vocabulary.

Ghibah is the verbal noun (masdar) of ghaba and also that of ightiyab means backbiting. Jawahari writes, "It is said ighatabahu ightiyaban when one falls into backbiting. The noun is al-ghibah, and it means saying such things about an absent person. If it is true it is called ghibah and if false, buhtan (slander)." The Koran specifies the varieties of evil speech, which violate the dignity of others and seek to expose their weakness.

The Koran speaks on one occasion, of the presence in paradise of ghilman (pl. of ghulam meaning a boy), and on two occasions of wildan (pl. of walad meaning a son or a child): "And round them shall go boys (ghulman) of theirs as if they were hidden pearls" (52:24); "And round about them shall go children (wildan) never altering in age" (56:17, 76:19).