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

"The word dawa (pl. du'at) is derived from du'a means to call, invite or summon, and thus the term da'i denotes one who summons. The word dawa is also used in the sense of prayers, such as dawat al-mazlum (prayer of the oppressed), or dawa bi'l shifa (prayer of the health). The word dawa virtually coined in the time of Imam Jafar Sadik and Abdullah bin Maymun founded the Ismaili dawa organization in Basra.

The term da'i al-duat means the summoner of the summoners, or the head of the da'is or chief da'i.

Syed Dadu, or Pir Dadu was a gifted vakil in Sind. He was born in 879/1474. He was an efficient scholar of Arabic and Persian and acquired high command in Indian languages. His lineage runs as Syed Daud bin Yasir bin Khair al-Din bin Mahr al-Din bin Gul Muhammad bin Hashim bin Moinuddin bin Aminuddin bin Buraqanuddin bin Shamsul wa Shak bin Quwwamuddin bin Syed Ali bin Muhammad bin Hussain bin Daud bin Zaid bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hamza bin Yousuf bin Hasan bin Sakhaudullah bin Abul Hasan bin Abdullah bin Ali Jawad bin Imam Zayn al-Abidin.

The Arabic word dajjal likely comes from the Syriac daggal means liar or lying. Hence, al-dajjal literally means one who conceals the truth with falsehood, the liar or a great deceiver. The word al-masih al-dajjal means to cover (a mangy camel) with tar, because the dajjal will in like manner cover the earth with his adherents. One another view suggests that dajjal is derived from dajala meaning to gild because he will deceive the people by covering up the truth.

(1004AD). "House of Knowledge", International university in Cairo founded by Imam Hakim. Holds 2 million books in its libraries.

"Amid the surging splendour, Imam al-Hakim emerges as an unusual personality judged by any standard. He founded Dar al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom), also known as Dar al-Ilm (House of Knowledge) in 395/1004, where the sciences including astronomy, logic, philosophy, mathematics, history, theology, languages and medicines were taught. Qadi Abul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Noman was its first supervisor. This academy was connected with the royal palace, enriched with a huge library, and distinct conference rooms and chambers.

(10/11th Century) School of Medicine founded in Sicily by Imam al-Hakim. Includes a huge medical library.

The Persian word darkhana, is composed of two syllables, dar and khana. The preposition dar means in, and khana means house. Thus, the darkhana means in the house. Any specific thing in the house is also called darkhana. Another view suggests that it is derived from darb-i khana means chief place of residence, or dari khana, a residence with big windows being used for the royal meetings. In Ismaili terminology, it represents specific abode of the Imam, or Imam's headquarters.

"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 culture of decima or tithe (old English teogothian) was common among the Babylon. The discovery of old clay tablets in 1966 however reveals that it was prevalent long before the civilization of the Babylon. Tithe or tenth part was a customary tax in ancient Egypt, Syria and Greece. Cyrus caused his soldiers to devote tenth of their booty to Zeus. Zoroaster imposed tithe on traders and market dealers for the welfare of the priests.

"The Persian word dastbos or dastbosi means the kissing of hands. It is an act of reverence. The Koran says, "Surely, those who swear allegiance to you do but swear allegiance to God, the hand of God is above their hand" (48:10). It clearly means that the hand of the Prophet was the hand of God. One can understand that the hand of the Prophet or the Imam is a blessed one for the believer, and kissing it is an act of reverence. The Koran says: "That you may believe in God and His apostle and may aid him and revere him" (48:9).

The period following the dawr-i satr (concealment period) is known as dawr-i kashf i.e., an unveiling period, which is also known as dawr-i zuhur (manifestation period) when the Imam publicly makes his appearance. The period between Imam Taqi Muhammad and Imam Razi Abdullah was the dawr-i satr, and then Imam al-Mahdi appeared in Maghrib publicly, making the period dawr-i zuhur.

"The word satr (pl. satur) is derived from astar, meaning hide, cover or shield. As it is said, masatra (he concealed enmity), or tastir (to hold within a curtain). According to Arabic-English Lexicon (New York, 1872, 4:1304) by Edward William Lane, the word satr means to veil, conceal or hide a thing.

Daint = demon, Kalingo = Kali, black. Damned Demon,represents the opposite of the Naklanki* Avtar.

"The generic term sharru or precentor in Assyria can be traced in the sha'ir or poet-soothsayer of the Arabs. The Assyrian hymn was the shire, and in it we recognize the Hebrew shir (song) and the Arabic shi'r (poetry). The Psalm of David in Assyrian was the zamaru, which equates with the Hebrew zimrah (song) and mizmor (psalm). Certainly the Assyrian shigu or penitential psalm is identical with the shiggaion of the Hebrew and the shajan of the Arabs in origin.

The word dhiram is derived from Greek drachme. It is a monetary unit. It is a silver coin, originally of 2.97 grams (or 50 grains of barley with cut ends), later of varying value. Ten dhirams equaled the value of one gold dinar.