The first monthly journal, Al-Ghadir started from Beirut in 1953, edited by Mustapha Ghaleb.

To promote religious education, to train the missionaries and teachers and to establish an independent Ismailia Association in Africa, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had called the first Ismailia Mission Conference on Friday, the 20th of July, 1945 at Dar-es-Salaam. About a hundred delegates and observers were invited, and the Imam inaugurated the conference in the auditorium of the Aga Khan's Boys High School, Kisutu Street, Dar-es-Salaam.

"The Abbasid caliph al-Mutamid (d. 279/892) had handed over the charge of Sind to the Saffarid chief, Yaqub bin Layth, in order to divert his intentions from attacking Iraq. As a result, Yaqub bin Layth acquired the power of Sind, Balkh and Tabaristan. He however recited the Abbasid khutba, and was simultaneously responsible to spread Shi'ism in the territories he governed.

(continued..)

The Rise of the Sumra dynasty in Sind

The modern scouting movement was started in the world for the purpose of training the youths in the essentials of good citizenship and it arose in 1908 after the appearance of the book, Scouting for Boys written by the then inspector general of cavatry in the British army, Lieut. General R.S.S. Baden-Powell (1857-1941). Thus, the scouting movements spread in Britain and very quickly to other countries.

It was established on February 16, 1946 in place of the Islamic Research Association, Bombay, under the patronage of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. Its founder President was Ali Muhammad R. Macklai (1894-1971). The Russian scholar W. Ivanow (1886-1970) played a major role in its establishment. The aim of the Ismaili Society was the promotion of independent and critical study of all matters relating with Ismailism – their literature, history, philosophy and so forth.

The word tariqah (pl. turuq, tara'iq) is derived from tariq meaning a space between two rows of palm-trees. It is thus simply meant the way, path or road, as it is said in Arabic qatah atariq means he interpreted the road, and howalla tariqatah means he is following his own way. Salmon suggests in his Arabic Dictionary (p, 499) the derivation of tariqah from taraqa meaning a string of camels following a difficult tract to a well." The word tariq occurs nine times in the Koran.

The word tariqah (pl. turuq, tara’iq) is derived from tariq meaning a space between two rows of palm-trees. It is thus simply meant the way, path or road, as it is said in Arabic qatah atariq means he interpreted the road, and howalla tariqatah means he is following his own way. Salmon suggests in his Arabic Dictionary (p, 499) the derivation of tariqah from taraqa meaning a string of camels following a difficult tract to a well.” The word tariq occurs nine times in the Koran.

The Shi'a Imami Ismaili Tariqah & Religious Education Board evolved through a century after assuming names of the Recreation Club Institute and the Ismailia Association.

"In 1322/1904, an enthusiastic group of the young Ismailis had formed the Young Ismaili Vidhya Vinod Club (or V.V. Club) at Bombay for literary and other communal activities. The Vidhya Vinod Club was the center of the patrons of literature and they discussed burning topics of the day from different angles. They arranged lectures on varied subjects on every Saturday.

"In 1944, Imam Sultan Muhammad changed the name of Recreation Club Institute into the Ismailia Association for India. Ali Muhammad Macklai was appointed its President with Alijah Rajab Ali Muhammad Dandawala as Vice-President and Itmadi Rehmatuallah Virjee as Hon. Secretary. Thus, the Ismailia Recreation Club was the progenitor of the Ismailia Association.

Finally, the name of the Ismailia Association had been changed to The Sh'ia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board in accordance with the new Constitution effective from July 11, 1986, whose primary architect was the Recreation Club Institute. There are now 18 Tariqah Boards on national level in the world, viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, France, India, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Pakistan, Portugal, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom and United States.

The English word volunteer means one who voluntarily offers or enrolls himself for military service, in contrast to those who are under obligation to do so, or who form part of a regular army. The original French word corps d'armee became short during 17th century, which was borrowed in English language in the form of corps means a unit, body, or group of army. The volunteer is a member of an organized military force, formed by voluntary enrolment and distinct from the regular army.

"The First World Ismailia Socio-Economic Conference was held on Tuesday, December 15, 1964 on the ground of the Aga Khan Gymkhana, Karachi. Pakistan was fortunate to be the venue of this most important Conference.

The Shi'a Ismaili Muslims are now a global jamat and spread all over the world, ranging from Australia down south to the Arctic zone in Canada, up north. In all countries of their settlement, including the very new ones, Ismailis are seen to exist harmoniously within the broader framework of the country concerned, on the one hand progressing steadily under Present Imam's guidance on the other, contributing to the progress and well-being of that particular country.

"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.

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.

"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 word Afghanistan means the land of the Afghans and the word afghan (awghan or aoghan) means the mountaineers. The oldest Indian literature refers it as Balhekdes. The Persians called it as Zablistan and Kabalistan. To the Greeks, it was Bakhtar or Bactria. The Afghan territories also is included in the Central Asia.

He was born on 23rd Rabi I, 375/August 14, 985 in Cairo, and was the first Fatimid Imam born on Egyptian soil. His name was al-Mansur Abu Ali, surnamed al-Hakim bi-Amrillah (He who governs by the orders of God). He acceded the throne in 386/996 at the age of 11 years, 5 months and 6 days. Makrizi writes in Itti’az (p. 386) that, "On the following morning the dignitaries assembled in the Grand Hall to await the new Caliph.

The words halal means lawful, allowed or permitted, and haram means unlawful, forbidden or prohibited, and cognate terms from the trilateral roots h-l-l and h-r-m respectively, most often designate these two categories and are of relatively frequent occurrence. The Koranic declaration of lawfulness or unlawfulness are limited to a relatively few areas of the law as later elaborated by the jurists.

"Hamiduddin Kirmani was born most probably in 352/933. His family hailed from Kirman as his name indicates, but it is not known where he was born. He first studied the esoteric science under Abu Yaqub al-Sijjistani (d. 360/971), and then went to Cairo for further studies.

"The word hanif (pl. hunafa) is derived from hanf, meaning an inclination in the forepart of the foot or inversion of the foot. A person having this distortion of the foot is called ahnaf. The singular word hanif occurs 10 times in the Koran (2:135, 3:67, 95; 4:125, 6:79, 161; 10:105, 16:120,123, 30:30), and the plural hunafa two times (22:31, 98:5). It occurs once as a synonym of muslim (3:67) and also in juxtaposition with the verb aslama (4:125).

The word harb is derived from h-r-b means to fight, and harb al-fijar means a war of transgression. The Prophet took part in the battle at the age of twenty, between the Qoraish and the Qais, which goes under the name of harb al-fijar, so called because it was fought in the sacred months when warfare was forbidden. But his part in it was not that of actual fighting, but only of handing over arrows to his uncles.

The word hasad means envy or jealousy. It occurs four times in the Koran, denoting a human emotion that begrudges others and wishes them ill for what they possess.

"Hasan Ali, or Abu'l Hasan, surnamed Zikrihi's Salam (peace be on his mention) was born in Alamut. He is reported to have born in 539/1145, but according to another tradition, he was born in 536/1142. The historians call him Hasan II with a view to count Hasan bin Sabbah as Hasan I in the series of Alamut's rulers, while other make his father, Imam al-Kahir as Hasan I and Hasan II to him in the list of Alamut's Imams.

Hasan Ali I, also known as Bakir Shah was born in Kahek. He had also gone to the city of Kirman with his father, but returned to Kahek after assuming the Imamate. In 1085/1674, he betrothed to a Safavid lady, and soon afterwards, there is likelihood that the Imam had taken certain interest in the political arena. In 1105/1693, he was made the governor of Kirman.

"Imam Hasan Ali Shah, known as Muhammad Hussain al-Hussaini Mahallati was born in Mahallat in 1219/1804, and assumed the Imamate at the age of 13 years in 1233/1817. His most renowned title was Aga Khan. His name was documented with Bombay Government as His Highness Aga Khan Mahallati. His name however in the Bill of 1830 was written as Pirzada i.e., the son of a saint.

"Abu Muhammad Hasan, or Hasan, the elder brother of Imam Hussain was born in 3/625 in Medina. He was also brought up with Imam Hussain in the household of the Prophet until the latter's death when Hasan was about 7 years old. It emerges from the extant traditions that the Prophet had a great fondness for his two grand-children.

"Hasan, the son of Muhammad bin Kiya belonged to the peasant family of Rudhbar. Historian Kamaluddin (d. 660/1262) writes in Bugyat al-talab fi tarih al-Halab that, "Muhammad bin Kiya had two sons, called Hasan and Hussain, whom he put in school with Rashiduddin Sinan, and gave these three an exact treatment that are needed for supporting the children." Hasan was a learned orator and eminent da'i.

"He was born on 428/1034 at Qumm. His father, Ali bin Muhammad bin Jafar bin al-Hussain bin Muhammad bin al-Sabbah al-Himyari was of Yamenite origin. From early age he acquired the rudiments of formal education from his father at home. When he was still a child, his father moved to Ray and it was there that Hasan bin Sabbah pursued his religious education.

"Pir Hasan Kabiruddin, the son of Pir Sadruddin was generally known as Syed Hasan Shah, Pir Hasan Shah, Syed Sadat, Gur Pir Hasan al-Hussain, Makdum Syed Kabiruddin Shah etc. He is however known in Uchh Sharif as Hasan Dariya. He was born in Uchh Sharif in 742/1341 and was the first Indian pir to be born in India.

The term Hazar Imam means an Apparent Imam. It is the term specially refers to the Present Imam in the lineage of Ali bin Abu Talib. He is the legitimate Imam of the age according to the Ismaili tariqah. The word hazar means the present and apparent, which can be perceived physically in the world. Different terms are also used for the Hazar Imam, such as Imam-i Zaman, Imam ad-Dahr, Imam al-Asr, Imam-i Mubin, etc.

It means, Your honour or Your majesty

HELL [see JAHANNAM ]

Those who deviate only a little from orthodoxy are called ahl al-ahwa (people of desires), those who follow the devices and desires of their own hearts are called ahl al-bid'a (people of innovation) or mulhid (one who turns aside). Extremists of any sort are called ghulat (pl. of ghali), meaning boil or be expensive.

"The first veiled period (dawr-i satr) became benign climate for the enemies of the Ismailis to cultivate different wrong genealogies of the Imams. Thus, the ancestry of the Fatimids has confounded the students of history due to divergent accounts given by the historians, which had been developed round the persons of the "hidden Imams" (aima'i masturin) during concealment period.

The word for emigration, hijra is derived from h-j-r means cutting oneself off from friendly or sociable relation, ceasing to speak to others, forsaking, abandoning, deserting, shunning or avoiding (4:34, 25:30, 74:5). It also means departure from the desert to the town or villages and vice versa. Its most common meaning is to forsake one's own land and take up residence in another country.

"When the sufferings and tribulations of the Muslims at the hands of the Meccans reached to its extreme in 615 A.D., the Prophet directed that those of them who could afford it should migrate to Abyssinia across the Red Sea, whose kings were known as the Negus (Najashi). As-Hama, the then Negus was a Christian king. Under the direction of the Prophet, eleven men and four women from among the Muslims migrated to Abyssinia.

"It was the 13th year of the Prophet's mission when the clouds had gathered fast. The Meccan chiefs centered in their Council Hall (darun-nadwa), a chamber inside Kaba, to deliberate over what might be treated with the Prophet. Stormy was the meeting, for fear had entered their hearts. Imprisonment for life, expulsion from the city, each was debated in turn for the Prophet. They decided then on a final and desperate remedy, namely to kill the Prophet.

The Prophet participated in the alliance known as Hilf al-Fudzul, formed to vindicate the rights of the weak and the oppressed against tyranny. Each member of the alliance was bound in honour to defend the helpless against all manner of oppression. The credit of taking the lead in the formation of this humanitarian organization was due to the Prophet and his family, Banu Hashim.

Jabal al-Noor (Mount of Light) is situated near Mecca, with the cave of Hira where the Prophet received the first revelation. (96: 1-5). On the Sail Kabeer road to Taif, just three miles away from the downtown Mecca city in its north-east there stands the mountain of light (Jabal al-Noor). This is the mountain, which has the honour of having the cave, Hira, where the first revelation of the Koran was bestowed upon the Prophet. The mountain is prominently seen from everywhere in Mecca.

The word history is derived from the Latin historia meaning narrative of past event, account, tale or story. The synonymous word in German is geschichte means occurrence. The earliest known historical writing comes from the old kingdom of Egypt. One surviving fragment is the Palermo Stone (about 2600 B.C.) dealing with the annals of the early dynasties of Pharaohs.

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 Dark Age is widely known as the Middle Age, and was coined as media tempora (middle time) during the 16th century. The Middle Age is also known as Medieval Age. By the end of 17th century, it was also called medium aevum (middle period).

According to the Koran, "We tell you stories of the prophets, which will strengthen your heart, and thus bring you the truth, and exhortation and a memorial for the believers" (11:120) and "Say (O'Prophet) travel through the earth to find out surely the consequences of those who denied the truth" (3:42).

The term historiography means writing of history or written history. J. Sanford firstly coined this term in 1597, resembling the Arabic word ilm al-tarikh. The Koranic phrases asatir al-awwalin (writing of the ancient) also gives notion of historiography, vide 6:25, 8:31, 16:24-26, 23:83-85, 25:5-6, 27:68-70, 46:17, 68:15, 83:13, etc.

The later Muslim historians acquired their information from the following sources:- Sira (biography), Maghazi (expedition), Ansab (genealogies), Tabaqat (classical sketches), Akhbar (information) and Tarikh (annals).

Bernard Lewis writes in Historians of the Middle East (London, 1963, p. 3) that, "The first lesson of history

Keeping in view the dearth of trained teachers and considering the quality of text-books, it seems all very necessary that we should resort to the modern method o teaching history. The benefits of taking into account all the audio-visual aids are the following:- (a) The modern visual and auditory aids make the methodology easy and more meaningful. (b) History being a record of the dead past, the reviving of which could only be enacted only by appealing through visual or auditory aids.