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On 3 December, Mawlana Hazar Imam granted a didar for the Jamats of Portugal and Spain.

The Mukhi of Darkhana submitted bayʿa to the Imam on behalf of the Jamat, and President of the Ismaili Council Yasmin Bhudarally delivered a loyalty address.

In his Farman, Mawlana Hazar Imam said that he was sorry to hear about the President of Portugal’s ill-health, and extended best wishes for a speedy recovery on behalf of his family and the Jamat.

Hazar Imam also informed the Jamat of his decision to reformat the merit-based undergraduate scholarship that is administered by Aga Khan Education Boards in selected countries by forgiving all outstanding loans and making the scholarship entirely grant based for current and future awardees. Hazar Imam explained that this is part of his desire to help remove the barriers to accessing quality higher education. The scholarship programme was established by Mawlana Shah Karim in the 1990s and has enabled thousands to access undergraduate degrees. Further details will be provided by the Education Boards in due course.

A gift was presented to Hazar Imam on behalf of the Jamat, consisting of two 19th century works on the Islamic architecture of Al-Andalus. The region of Al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula was home to diverse communities between the 8th and 13th centuries, and a place where different skills and ideas were seen as a source of strength.

The Islamic architectural heritage of al-Andalus includes iconic landmarks in the Spanish cities of Granada, Córdoba, and Seville, along with more recent discoveries in the Portuguese cities of Lisboa, Mértola, Silves, and Sintra.

Together, these texts—among the most significant publications documenting the historic architecture of the region—evoke a landscape that championed tolerance, creativity, and pluralism.

Later today, Hazar Imam will grant a youth mulaqat and meet with multi-faith family members.