Muhammadi Tekri or Tekri (hill), a famous historical site, where Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was born, which is generally known as Honeymoon Lodge. It is situated on the eastern outskirts of the city of Karachi at plot no. F.T.N. 3/1. It is an old fashioned, but spacious house, perilously perched on the top of the hillock at Korangi Road in the Defence Housing Society area, Karachi. This building was built soon after the British occupation of Sind in 1840.

"In 6/628, the Prophet marched from Medina with 1400 Muslims for the purpose of performing pilgrimage in Mecca. They went unarmed, clad in the ritual dresses. When this peaceful caravan approached its destination, tidings came that the Meccans were bent on mischief, and might stop their entry into the town by force. So, the Prophet halted his followers at a place, called Hudaibia, and his men encamped round a well.

The penal law of Islam is called hudud in the hadith and fiqh books. This word is the plural of hadd, which means prevention, hindrance, restraint, prohibition, and hence a restrictive ordinance, or statute, of God, respecting things lawful and things unlawful. In Islamic fiqh, the word hudud is limited to punishments for crimes mentioned in the Koran or the hadith, while other punishments left to the discretion of the jurists are spoken of as ta'zir (chastisement).

The word hujjat means sign or proof. It was a high rank in the mission hierarchy of the Ismailis to denote the chief representative of the Imam. The hujjat of the Imam is like the moon, which reflects the light of the sun, i.e., the Imam, and the hujjat acts on his behalf when the Imam is concealed.

The term hujjat Allah means the sign of God. According to the Shi'ites, the Imam is the sign or proof of God (hujjat Allah) on earth. He is the bearer of Divine Light dressed in different bodies in every age to guide his followers. Imam Jafar Sadik said, "The Imams are the proofs (hujjat) of God on earth, their words are the words of God, and their commands are the commands of God. Obedience to them is obedience to God, and disobedience to them is disobedience to God.

"After the conquest of Mecca, the Muslims stayed in the city for two weeks when a news soon broke out that a big army had been mobilized in the valley of Hunain to attack Mecca and to undo the victory of the Muslims. This time the Prophet assembled a force of twelve thousand warriors, which included two thousand non-Muslim Meccans. The Prophet was forced to make necessary preparations for defence.

The word hur occurs four times in the Koran (44:54, 52:20, 55:72 and 56:22), three of which appear in connection with the adjective in (sing. Feminine ayna, masculine a'yan), meaning white-eyed with a deep black pupil. It is a plural of ahwar (applied to a man) and of haura (applied to a woman), signifying one having eyes characterizd by the quality termed hawar.

The word huruf means letters and muqattat is derived from qata'a, meaning to cut or abbreviated. Hence, Huruf-i Muqattat refers to the abbreviated letters of the Koran. It is also called fawatih al-suwar (the openers of the suras), or awa'il al-suwar (the beginnings of the suras).

It has been used in the Koran at the commencement of 29th sura and there is much controversy among the scholars in their interpretations. The huruf-i muqattat in all 14 in number as follows:

"Abu Abdullah Hussain bin Ali was born on the 3rd Shaban, 4/January, 626 in Medina. When the news of his birth reached to the Prophet, he came to his daughter's house, and took the child in his arms affectionately, and named him Hussain. He spent his early life in the lap of the Prophet, who loved him too much.

The word ibada is derived from the root bd means make or do in the sense of service. Thus ibada refers to the relationship of slave to God. Worship (ibada), according to Islam is a means for the purification of man's soul. The root bd gives us both the widest and the most fundamental word for the approach of man to God. The root bd, which has a primary meaning of "make" or "do," passing into the sense of service.

"The word Iblis is derived from balasa, meaning he despaired. It occurs 11 times in the Koran as a proper name. The general consensus is that the word is derived from the Greek diabolos. Arab tradition connects the word to the verbal sense of ublisa meaning he was rendered without hope, a reference to Iblis's fate of being cursed and sentenced to punishment by God.

Abul Qassim Hasan bin Farah bin Hawshab, generally was known by the epithet, Mansur al-Yamen (the victorious one of the Yamen). Ibn Hawshab was originally a Twelver, and is said to have spent most of time in a secluded spot on the bank of Euphrates. In such state, he is reported to have met Imam Radi Abdullah and discoursed with him on religion. Imam left him after promising to see him again. Ibn Hawshab was impressed by his chance meeting, and was eager to further meeting.

"The word idda is derived from the verb adda, meaning to count or enumerate. A woman whose marriage is annulled, or when she is divorced, a period of waiting, known as idda, is followed. The Koran says: "O Prophet! when you divorce women, divorce them for their prescribed time (idda), and calculate the number of the days prescribed, and be careful of (your duty to) God, your Lord.

The word ihsan is derived from husn, which designates the quality of being good and beautiful. According to the lexicons, it means every positive quality (goodness, goodliness, beauty, comeliness, pleasingness, harmony, symmetry, desirability). The Koran employs the word hasana (pl. hasanat), occurring 29 times, from the same root as husn, occurring six times, to mean a good or beautiful deed or thing.

"The Abbasid caliph Mamun (d. 218/833) patronized philosophy and professed Mutazalism. It was an interesting trend among the educated elite to drift towards Greek philosophy and ultimately a bulk of the contradictions raised among the Muslims in interpreting Islamic practices. It must be known that the intellect is an indispensable faculty in man, but despite this, its power of penetration has a definite limit.

The word Imam (pl. a'imma) is derived from amma, meaning to lead the way, precede, or to lead by example. Thus, the Imam means a model, an exemplar, a teacher, a guide or a path.

The word Imam al-Mubin occurred twice in the Koran (36:12 and 15:79). The word Imam (pl. a'imma) means a model, an exemplar, a teacher, a guide or a path. The word mubin means manifest, apparent, present, or visible. Besides, the word mubin has a special significance. In Arabic, mubin and the root b-y-n means readily apparent. Thus, Imam al-Mubin means manifest or apparent Imam.

"It is evident that the Sunni historians had no basic idea of the Shi'ite concept of Imamate and arrayed hostility with the Ismailis in the light of their own sense of propriety. They dressed the baseless stories in their notion, and then used it a tool to defile Ismailism in aggressive and hyperbolic words. Under such derogatory attitude, Imam Muhammad bin Ismail is accused of claiming the prophethood and abolishing the Shariah of the Prophet!?

Bibi Tahira, commonly known as Syeda Imam Begum was the last known member of the Kadiwal family and the composers of the ginans in India. She was born most probably on 1199/1785 in Kera, Kutchh. The tradition has it that she was the daughter of Syed Hashim bin Syed Buzrug Ali bin Syed Mashaikh II bin Syed Muhammad Fazal Shah bin Syed Sadruddin bin Syed Zain al-Abidin bin Syed Abdul Hasan bin Syed Mashaikh I bin Syed Rahmatullah Shah bin Pir Hasan Kabiruddin.

"The two terms, mustaqarr and mustawda Imams often used by the Ismailis to denotes the type of Imams. These are the Koranic terms (6:98): "It is He Who produced you from one living soul, and then there is (for you) a lodging-place (mustaqarr), and a repository (mustawda)". Baidawi agrees that the word mustaqarr in this verse means the loins (sulb, pl.

"Syed Imam Shah was a famous Ismaili da'i in India. His name was Imamuddin, surnamed Abdur Rahim. He was born in Uchh Sharif in 834/1430, and was the younger son of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin. The tradition has it that when Pir Hasan Kabiruddin died, his all sons were present at Uchh Sharif with exception of Syed Imam Shah. The tradition attests that he reached late during the interment of his father's body.

"The Ismaili mission in Gujrat suffered a setback due to the negative propaganda of Nur Muhammad Shah (d. 940/1534), the son of Syed Imam Shah. He however had renounced his allegiance with the Imams, but it is doubtful that he had ever claimed Imamate for himself. Among the Imam-Shahis, a theory had been cultivated, equating Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad with Pir Shams as one and the same person.

"The key verbal roots occur more than two dozen times each in the Koran with –k-l and sh-r-b appears together eight times. The most famous occurrence is in 7:31, where God says the children of Adam to dress properly when attending the mosque, and to “eat and drink, but avoid excess for He does not love the intemperate,” and “Eat of what your Lord has given you (kulu min rizqi rabbikum) and render thanks to Him” (34:15).

The host should offer water to wash the hands of his guests from the right to the left, washing his own last. When a man has guests with him, he should eat joyfully with them; he should be the last to begin to eat, and he should be the last to lave his hands before, and last to do so after, a meal (Kitab Majmu'at al-Hawashi, p. 59).

The name of God should be uttered before drinking; and the Lord should be praised at the end (Daim al-Islam, p. 447). Imam Jafar Sadik used to drink standing as well as sitting (Ibid., p. 449). Ali bin Abu Talib drank water while standing, and added that people did not like it but he had seen the Prophet drinking water while standing (Bukhari, 74:15).

No limitations are placed upon the form or quality of clothing, either in the Koran or hadith. The Prophet is reported to have said, "Eat and drink and wear clothes and be charitable, not being extravagant or self-conceited" (Bukhari, 77:1). Ibn Abbas said: "Eat what you like and wear what you like, so long as you avoid two things, extravagance and vanity" (Ibid.) Thus, Islam requires no particular dress. A man may choose what he eats and what he wears.

Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had called a Conference in Evian, France known as the Evian Conference between July 4, 1952 and July 8, 1952 to discuss various economic and social problems confronting the African Ismailis and also to make necessary amendments in the Constitution of the African Councils.

"Fadak was a fertile tract in the vicinity of Khaibar under the Jewish occupation, just three miles from Medina, now the modern village of Howeyat. After the victory of Khaibar, the Prophet wiped out the Jewish influence in this area, who were threat to Islam, therefore, he sent his envoy, Muhit to Yusha bin Nun, the chief of the village Fadak. The chief of the Jews preferred peace and surrendered to fighting.

It is derived from framana (Turkish, ferman), meaning royal decree, command, direction, edict or written edict. For the Ismailis, it refers to any pronouncement, order, advice or ruling made by the Imam.

"North Africa was the land of the lost causes of Islam. The land was mainly inhabited by the Berber tribe, which was practically independent of the Abbasids. The Ismaili dai Abu Abdullah arrived in the Katama land and chose Ikjan as his base, a mountain stronghold that dominated the pilgrimage route, where he began to preach the Ismaili doctrines.

The word fatwa is derived from the root fata, which includes in its Semanic fields the meaning youth, newness, clarification, or explanation. These connotations have survived in its various definitions. Its development as a technical term originated from the Koran, where the word is used in two verbal forms meaning asking for a definitive answer and giving a definitive answer (4:127, 176).

The Koran does not mention the word fa'y, which became the technical term in Islamic law, but refers explicitly to the verb afa'a (from the same root as fa'y); vide 33:50 and 59: 6-7. There is indications that in 59: 6-7, referring to the surrender of the Banu Nadir, afa'a denotes booty acquired not by fighting but as a result of the surrender of the enemy. Fa'y literally means that which come back.

"The Persian word fidai (or fidawi, pl. fidaiyan) means one who offers his life for a cause or sacrifices. Its synonymous Arabic word is fidaiyyun. It is a term for special Ismaili devotees of Iran and Syria, coined for the first time in Alamut period, who risked their lives. The term fidai is the symbol of loyalty and sacrifice - a highest form of virtue.

The word fiqh is used in the literal sense to mean understanding and in this sense; the words fiqh and fahm are synonymous. The word fiqh was originally used by the Arabs for a camel expert, who could distinguish the pregnant she-camels with others, and thus the expression fahal faqihi was current among them. It indicates deep knowledge and understanding. In addition, the Arabic idiom goes Fala’n la yafaqahu wala yanqahu (So-and-so neither understands nor comprehends).

Among the indicative of divisions or distinctions, the words used in the Koran are hizb (pl. ahzab), ta'ifa, shi'a and the derivatives of f-q-r. All can be understood with the general meaning of party, group or faction. The word hizb in its singular, plural and dual forms appears 19 times and the word shi'a and shi'ya occurs 11 times in the Koran. The word ta'ifa and its dual forms appears 23 times, used more or less randomly to refer to groups or parties among the Ahl al-Kitab. Tusi (d.

The five elements (al-hawassul khamsa) alone form the constituents of all the mundane creation. The first is unsur-i azam (the great element), referring to the great throne (arsh-i akbar). Secondly, the wind; thirdly, the fire; fourthly, the water and fifthly, the dust. In the Indian language, these are called panch-bhut, namely akas, vayu, tej, jal and prthivi.

FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance is an international group of agencies established to compliment and facilitate the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance in specific regions of Africa and Asia. This global institution with an international mandate, seeks to enable the local jamats to prepare for hazards, respond to crisis situations, and where possible, to avert disaster or minimize its impact.

In recent times, with the rapid means of communication, the Muslims are increasingly coming into the contact with the western countries more than ever before. Owing to their special dietary laws, the Muslims are confronted with the question of the consumption of the meat of animals slaughtered by the Christians and Jews.

The Prophet left Medina for performing his farwell pilgrimage on Saturday, the 25th Zilkada, 10. He reached Mecca on Wednesday, the 7th Zilhaja, 10, and performed the pilgrimage. He left Mecca on 14th Zilhaja, 10. His caravan reached a little before noon to a pond (ghadir), known as Khum, on 18th Zilhaja, 10/March 16, 632. It is situated about 3 miles north-west of Mecca in the heart of the desert, called Sahara'i Huja, about 3 miles from the town, al-Jahfa.

The plural noun maghanim is used in the Koran (4:94, 48:15, 19:20) for the booty, and the verb ghanima (8:41,69). The Koran mentions the word ghunm or its derivatives on nine occasions as ghanamo, ghanomi, ghunm, ghanimtun, maghanimo and maghanima. The wars waged by the Prophet were purely for the purpose of security or defence. In the battles, the unbelievers left their means and materials in the field.

"Abbas Shah, surnamed Shah Gharib or Gharib Mirza, was also known as Gharibu'l-lah and Mustansir billah III, and assumed the Imamate in 899/1493. Imam Gharib Mirza seems to have left Shahr-i Babak few months after assuming Imamate. He seems to have repaired for about one year out of Shahr-i Babak, leaving behind his hujjat, called Badiuddin Khwaja Kassim, and at length settled down in Anjudan, most possibly in 900/1494. Pir Shihabuddin Shah (d.

"The two connotations of the root are ghaba'an, meaning to be absent and ghaba fi, meaning to be hidden. In current usage, ghayb signifies absence. More frequently ghayb indicates what is hidden, inaccessible to the senses and reason, thus at the same time absent from human knowledge and hidden in divine wisdom. It is to this second meaning that al-ghayb refers, as a technical term of the religious vocabulary.

Ghibah is the verbal noun (masdar) of ghaba and also that of ightiyab means backbiting. Jawahari writes, "It is said ighatabahu ightiyaban when one falls into backbiting. The noun is al-ghibah, and it means saying such things about an absent person. If it is true it is called ghibah and if false, buhtan (slander)." The Koran specifies the varieties of evil speech, which violate the dignity of others and seek to expose their weakness.

The Koran speaks on one occasion, of the presence in paradise of ghilman (pl. of ghulam meaning a boy), and on two occasions of wildan (pl. of walad meaning a son or a child): "And round them shall go boys (ghulman) of theirs as if they were hidden pearls" (52:24); "And round about them shall go children (wildan) never altering in age" (56:17, 76:19).