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

"Tradition has it that Imam Muhammad bin Ismail left Medina and went to southern Iraq, where he acquired the epithet of al-maktum (veiled one), and then at Nishapur in disguise, where he lodged for some times. Afterwards, the Imam proceeded towards Ray, about 15 miles from Tehran. Ishaq bin al-Abbas al-Farsi, the Abbasid governor of Ray professed Ismailism. Imam betrothed to Fatima, the daughter of Sarah, sister of Ishaq bin al-Abbas.

The Ismailis of Malaysia emigrated from India in 1920 under the guidance of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah and were settled in Federation of Malaya and State of Singapore, the country now is known as Malaysia. The Ismailis in Malaysia have good and cordial relations with other communities like the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians and the Europeans. There are about 500 Ismailis spread over in cities and towns like Singapore, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Seramban, Kotra Bahru and Kuala Trenganu.

The extant records reveal that a handful Ismailis of Bombay slowly moved towards Colombo, in which Wazir Saboor Chatoor (1899-1967) was a prominent figure. He came in Colombo in 1915, and started his labour work in a shop. Later, he ventured into the business field and helped the Indian Ismailis in their settlement in Colombo. He parted a big portion of his residence for the Jamatkhana in 1933. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah came in Colombo on March 20, 1934 and appointed him the Mukhi with Ibrahim Ismail Virji Madhani as the Kamadia.

The Ismailis slowly came to settle in Geneva, where they built the first Jamatkhana on March 21, 1966. The Imam sent following message to Mukhiani Mrs. Gulshan F. Hajee for the jamat:

2nd March, 1966

My dear Mukhiani,

I have received your letter of 28th February, and I send you and all beloved spiritual children of Swiss jamat my best paternal maternal loving blessings.

I was happy to know that you are decorating a new place for Jamatkhana at 22, Pierrefleur Lausanne, and you may certainly inaugurate it on the occasion of Navroz.

"Syria is an original homeland of the Ismailis. It is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean sea. Iraq bound it on the east on the north by Turkey, on the west by Lebanon and the Mediterranean sea and on the south by Jordan and Israel. The Ismailis mostly flourished in Salamia, where Imam Ismail resided secretly till death in 158/775. Imam Muhammad bin Ismail also came to live in Salamia, where he died in 197/813. The Abbasids intensified operations in search of the Imam, thus Imam Wafi Ahmad went to Syria and lived in the castle of Masiyaf for some time.

The small group of the Ismaili students started a small Jamatkhana in London in 1935. The number of the Jamatkhana also increased rapidly after 1972. In 1984, there were over 70 Jamatkhana in United Kingdom. Thus, the first Darkhana Jamatkhana opened in London on April 10, 1984. 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.

"The first Jamatkhana in United States was opened on December 13, 1967 at Chicago. The Imam had sent the following message on February 8, 1967:-

"I have received your letter of 20th January, and I give my best paternal maternal loving blessings to all beloved spiritual children mentioned in your letter for their devoted services on the occasion of the Majlas held on my birthday.

Imam Radi Abdullah had dispatched his da'is in all directions, the most acclaimed among them was Ibn Hawshab. When the Imam found that Ibn Hawshab was groomed enough for the responsibility of its promulgation, he jointly entrusted him and his colleague, Ibn Fazal, with the task of Ismaili mission in Yamen. They conquered Sana'a, the capital of Yamen, and exiled the ruling tribe of Banu Laydir, and established Ismaili authority in Yamen. The Ismaili mission reached the apex of its influence in Yamen, from where Ibn Hawshab dispatched many da'is to the farthest corners.

"The word isqat means abortion. Classical Muslim jurists applied a number of terms to abortion, including isqat, ijhadIt, tarh, ilqa and imlas. The Koran does not make reference to abortion as the term is commonly understood, although it upholds the sanctity of human life in general (5:32) and forbid the killing of children (17:31) and female infants (81:18-9) in particular.

(10C.) Author of "Al-Kitab al Muizzi", a culinary art book dedicated to Imam al-Muizz.

The verb istakhbara is used forty times in the Koran and its participle, mustakbir, six times. Pride (takabbur) is very often denounced by the Koran as a sin, because of its similarity to a form of partnership with God. Pride is the sin of all those who refuse to surrender to God. It was also Satan's first sin (2:34, 38:73-4).

"The death of Imam Jafar Sadik in 148/765 marked the beginning of the decentralization of Shi'ite religious authority. The Ithna Asharites or the Twelvers, the Shi'ite sect supported Musa Kazim as their next Imam after Imam Jafar Sadik. Musa Kazim was born in 128/745 on the road between Mecca and Medina. His mother was a Berbar slave, called Hamida. Throughout the whole of his life, Musa was faced with hostility from the Abbasids. The cause of his arrest and murder is said to have been the result of the plotting of caliph Harun ar-Rashid's vizir, Yahya bin Khalid.

"Jafar bin Mansur, the son of Ibn Hawshab was greatly distressed by the internal quarrels in which his brother, Abul Hasan Mansur played a conspiracy in killing Abdullah bin Abbas al-Shawiri in Yamen. Jafar bin Mansur was deadly against his brother and went to Maghrib at the Fatimid court. He reached Maghrib when Imam al-Mahdi had died in 322/934. He was however well received by Imam al-Qaim and his services were amply rewarded and was given the charge of mission. He was held in great esteem for his learning and ability. He also served whole heartedly to Imam al-Mansur and Imam al-Muizz.

(7th Century) Son of Imam Abu Talib and H. Ali's brother. Led the first Muslims to Abyssinia.

"Abu Abdullah Jafar bin Muhammad was born in 80/699 at Medina. Ibn Khallikan (1:327) and others determine his birth from the event of Amm al-Juhaf (the year of the flood) in Mecca, which according to Tabari (2:320) occurred in 80/699. According to the Arabic lexicon, jafar means stream. His father had referred to him "the best of all mankind" and "one in charge of the family of Muhammad" (qaim al-Muhammad).

(83AH/702-148AH/765.) Became Imam in 114 A.H. Sent Musa b. Abdullah Mahz* and Abdullah b. Moh'd b. Abdullah Mahz* to India. sv. Hulwani, Abu Sufian.

see:JAFFAR IBN MANSOOR AL YAMAN

(49-61AH) Nominated Pir by Imam Hussein. Was born in Medina and was martyred at Karbala.

(14/15e S.)Son of Pir Hassan Kabirdin. Is buried at Lahore.

The word jahannam is derived from jihinnam means a deep pit, and as it is said in Arabic: bir'un jahannam'un means a well whose depth is very great. The word jahannam occurs 77 times in the Koran. Another name for hell, which bears a similar significance, but occurs only once in the Koran, is hawiya (101:9) means an abyss or a pit having no bottom, the root being hawa which means falling down to a depth from a highest and hence according to Raghib, it refers to low desires.

(continued)

Remedial nature of hell

The word jahiliyya means ignorance, which is taken to refer to the pre-Islamic period. It was the age of tribalism and is reckoned to cover the period of about a century before the advent of Islam. In pre-Islamic literature, and to a considerable degree in the Koran, the word from the root j-h-l means not ignorance but something like barbarism. The term jahiliyya occurs four times in the Koran (33:33, 48:26, 5:50 and 3:154).

The Divine Qualities can be divided into two groups, jalal (majesty) and jamal (beauty). Majesty, the revelation of which burns and consumes the worlds, is in one aspect rigorous, severe. Beauty on other hand is the synthesis of mercy, generosity, compassion and all analogous qualities. God has a jalal side and jamal side, the aspects of Powerful Majesty and Wonderful Kindness, and that these two fall together in Him as kamal or perfection. Jalal is a masculine aspect, the Overpowering.

"Hasan, surnamed Jalaluddin was born in 583/1187. He is also called as Hasan III. During his childhood, his father had designated him as his successor. According to John Malcolm in History of Persia (London, 1815, 1:405), "He is celebrated in Persian history for the kindness and generosity of his disposition; and we are informed that this prince of the Ismailis was the handsomest man for his age".

One of the sons of Pir Sadardin.

"A'isha had long hated Ali, and wished that, when the aged Uthman died, her own kinsman, Zubayr, should become caliph. When Uthman was assassinated, she was not in Medina, having gone to Mecca a few weeks previously to perform the pilgrimage. The news of Uthman's murder reached her when she was on the way back. She returned immediately to Mecca and incited the citizens against Ali. The fiery address set a match to the smouldering fire of discontent. The first to respond to A'isha's call was Abdullah bin Amur, the Uthmanid governor of Mecca.

Battle of the Camel. Hazarat Ali fought against Aisha*who was riding a camel.

The word jamatkhana means communal house or communal gathering place. The Persian word khana means house or place, such as khana'i chaslm (the socket of the eyes), khana'i zumbur (a bee-hive) or khana'i murgh (a bird's nest). The Jamatkhana is a concrete expression of the response to the beliefs that are an integral part of Ismailism. It represents the physical space in which the community gathers together in a shared process of communication. The thrust of this shared communication is undertaken through collective participation.

(1002 AD.)The grand mosque whose construction had started during the time of Imam al-Muizz and finished during the time of Imam al-Hakim in393AH/1002.

India. sv. Multan. "Jampudip me umayo" Also the country of the Soul.

Paradise, the abode of the righteous in the hereafter, is called in the Koran, al-janna, meaning the garden. It occurs under this name over hundred times. In addition to this figure, the Koran uses the same word janna in the sense of an earthy garden for 26 times and six times for the original garden in which Adam and Eve lived before the fall.

See:JAWHAR AL SIQILI

"Jawhar as-Siqilli was born most probably between 298/911 and 300/913 in Sicily, the then island under occupation of the Byzantines. During the period of Imam al-Mansur, Jawhar was brought as a slave to Kairwan and was presented before the Imam. Realizing his potential, he was made as a personal attendant of Imam al-Mansur, and soon rose to prominence. In 341/932, Imam al-Muizz appointed him as his Katib and since then, he became known as Jawhar al-Katib. In 347/958, he was made the commander-in-chief of the Fatimid forces, and was assigned to subdue the remaining parts of the Maghrib.

The word jazia is explained as meaning the tax that is taken from the free non-Muslim subjects of a Muslim government, being derived from jaza, means he gave satisfaction or he compensated him for a certain thing, or for what he had done. In Koran, it is spoken of only once, and there in connection with war with the followers of the Book: "Fight those who do not believe in God

Island, climate, region. Adam was born on one of these 12 islands (in Ceylon).