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

The term mushrik is derived from shirk, i.e., associating in the sense of ascribing partners to God, which is described in the Koran as the only sin for which no forgiveness is possible (4:48). Another common Koranic expression for this is "those who associate" (alladhina ashraku).

"The important task before the Prophet after migration was to determine and clarify the relations between the various tribes and the Muslims in Medina. The Jews were a considerable power in Medina. It appears that they were Arabs by descent, but formed a distinct unit by reason of their adoption of Judaism. They were subdivided into three clans, the Banu Qainuqa, Banu Nazir and Banu Quraiza. The other inhabitants of the town were the Aws and Khazraj, always at war with each other.

The word mizan (pl. mawazin) is derived from the root wazn meaning the knowing of the measure of a thing. It is true that the measure of material things is judged by a pair of scales or by some other implement, but the deeds of man need no scales for their measurement.

"Muhammad bin Ali, surnamed al-Mohtadi is reported to have born in 500/1106. He was the first Ismaili Nizari Imam to be born in Iran. He is also called Muhtab and Muhammad I.

"Al-Muayyad fid-din ash-Shirazi was born in 390/1000 in Shiraz. He was an outstanding da'i, orator, prolific writer, poet and politician. His father, tracing his link from a Daylami Ismaili family was also a da'i with some influence in the Buwahid orbits of Fars. In one of poems he narrates in his Diwan al-Muayyad (poem no. 4) that, "I wish I should get a chance to offer my life as a sacrifice for you, O my Lord.

"The name maghrib (the land of sunset) was given by the Arabs to that virgin part of Africa, which European have called Barbery or Africa Minor, (the French Afrique du Nord), and then North Africa. In north it is bordered by the Mediterranean, and in the south by the Sahara desert. In the west it is extended as far as the Atlantic Ocean, and in the east it extends as far as the borders of Egypt.

MASJID-I NABWI [ see MASJID ]

Meditation is a deep religious thought over a particular subject. It is a strenuous spiritual exercise requiring composure of mind, internal quietitude, abstraction from sense and persistent concentration of attention. It can also be defined briefly as devotion or contemplation in a particular pious direction. The term is invariably used in an esoteric sense and associated with human indulgence in establishing communion with the Divine.

The word khutba (pl. khutub) means public address, speech, lecture, discourse, oration or sermon. In past, the khatib (preacher) traditionally invoked the name of the recognized caliph after the Friday prayer at a congregational mosque (jam'ah masjid), and during pilgrimage and at the time of special festivities.

The word mahiz means menstruation or the menses, also called hayz – a monthly flow of blood from the uterus. The woman in this condition is called ha’iz or ha’izah. It is a natural monthly discharge of the lining of the uterus. The discharge consists of blood, degenerated cells of the lining, mucus and some bacteria. The menstruation flow normally lasts from four to six days with a variation of two to eight days. A period lasting more than eight days is abnormal. The amount of blood loss average 33 milliliters (ml) or about one ounce.

The word ma'sum is derived from the verb asama, means prevented, hindered, protected, defended, preserved, etc. Hence, ma'sum means one who is incapable of error and sin. In Islamic theology, the Arabic term isma both impeccability and closely related notion of infallibility, which is not an inherent quality, but rather a divine gift bestowed on the Prophets and Imams.

See Immunity of Prophets and Immunity of Imams

"The word mehmani means hospitality. When one makes a private audience with the Imam, it is called mehmani, and before that he presents a najwa (offering) to the Imam. There are different words in Persian for the hospitality, viz. mehman-dari, mehman-parwari and mehman nawazi. Thus the proper word mehmani means an entertainment, banquet, feast or hospitality.

"The word kiya means lord or ruler. Buzrug Ummid or Kiya Buzrug Ummid was the second hujjat and ruler after Hasan bin Sabbah in Alamut, who most probably was born in 455/1062 in the peasant family of Rudhbar. He passed most of his childhood in Rudhbar in cultivation of his father's land. Kiya Buzrug Ummid had been a handsome young page, whom Hasan bin Sabbah had converted before almost 480/1087. He played a leading role during the possession of Alamut in 483/1090. He was an outstanding organizer, talented da'i and an able administrator.

Maimundiz was the famous Ismaili stronghold, located to the north of presently village of Shams Kilaya and westward from Alamut. Because of the great altitude, the cold was so extreme as to make it impossible for beasts to find a home or live in that location from the beginning of autumn until the middle of spring. According to Jamiut Tawarikh (p. 122), the construction of the fortress of Maimundiz began in 490/1097, but Kashani (d. 738/1338) determines in 497/1103 in his Zubdat al-Tawarikh (p. 144).

"The very object of the raising up of the prophets and Imams makes it clear that they themselves must be free from the bondage of sin or error, and thus, the doctrine of the infallibility or immunity has therefore always been an admitted principle of Islam.

The First MicroFinance Bank Ltd (FMFBL) is the Pakistan's first private sector micro credit institution licensed by State Bank of Pakistan under the Microfinance Ordinance, 2001. The Ordinance defines that the FMFBL borrowers are those whose annual income is below the taxable limit. The Microfinance Institutions are allowed under this Ordinance to provide a whole range of services under one roof such as granting loans, generating deposits, providing remittance facilities and other related financial services.

"The word koran is derived from the Syriac, keryana, meaning scripture reading or lesson. The average authorities however hold that the term is simply the verbal noun from kara'a means he read or recited. Its other forms are yakra'o (he recites), akra'o (I recite), nakra'o (we recite), etc. The verb kara'a occurs 17 times, and koran 70 times in the Koran.

The Abbasids took notice of the rapid conversion of the Ismailis in Khorasan, notably Nasr bin Ahmad, and insinuated Nuh bin Nasr (331-343/943-954), the son of Nasr bin Ahmad; against his father and the Ismailis. Nuh bin Nasr dethroned his father and conducted a barbarous massacre of the Ismailis in 331/942, known in the Ismaili history as al-mainat al-uzama (great calamity) in Khorasan and Transoxania. An-Nasafi and his chief associates were also executed in the wild operations at Bukhara in 332/943. For this reason, Nasir Khusaro called him Khwaj-i Shahid and Shaikh al-Shahid.

"The Shi'ites believe in the infallibility of their Imams, for their Imams were the highest example of man's perfection. They explain it as protection from sin and is specific quality of the Imams, who are infallible or immune (immunity from error and sin). Once Ali bin Abu Talib said, "By God, if I was given the seven regions and what is under their orbits to disobey God through taking a grain of barley from the mouth of a locust, I would not do that."