Ismaili Dictionary & Encyclopedia
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"Qiyamat-i qubra or qaim al-qiyama was a famous occasion commemorated in Alamut on 17th Ramzan, 559/August 8, 1164 when Imam Hasan II came out publicly upon the termination of dawr-i satr. In his speech, he announced himself a legitimate Imam in the descent of Imam al-Nizar. Edward G. Browne writes in A Literary History of Persia (London, 1964, 2:454) that, "This Hasan boldly declared himself to be, not the descendant of Kiya Buzrug Ummid, but of the Fatimid Imam Nizar bin al-Mustansir."
The term qiyama literally means rising of the dead, and allegorically, it implies an idea denoting the rising to the next spiritual stage, and qiyamat-i qubra (great resurrection) means an attainment of the highest degree when a man becomes free from the ties of external laws, whom he shackles and transfigures into spiritual substance, which rejoins its divine sources.
Before we proceed, one pivot point needs to be touched upon. It is seen that Qadi Noman (d. 363/974) wrote in Sharhu'l Akhbar that, "The religion of Islam will triumph under al-Mahdi and his descendants, so that the present order will end, and the qiyama will come under one of his successors." Hamiduddin Kirmani (d. 412/1021) also writes in Kitab ar-Riyad on the authority of Kitabu'l Mahsul that, "This qiyamat al-qubra is going to arrive when the gates of talim will be closed, and the dawa suspended by the Imam of the qiyamat al-qubra, because by that time the dawa will attain its completion." Qalqashandi (d. 8121/1418) writes in Subh al-A'sha fi Sina'at al-Insha (13:245) that, "Hasan bin Sabbah preached the doctrine that the appearance of the qaim al-zaman was imminent and that the revelation of the Imam and his creed were about to take place." The situation of Alamut was not that of the past, therefore, the Imam of the time was to appear before his followers for their spiritual guidance. Marshall Hodgson writes, "No doubt men hoped increasingly that time was near when the Imam himself would return from his hiding, and bring his blessing among them again, as it has been among them in the days of Egyptian glory." (op. cit., p. 147)
Rashiduddin writes in Jamiut Tawarikh (comp. in 310/1310) that, "On 17th Ramzan of the year 559, he (Imam Hasan II) ordered the people of his territories, whom he had caused to be present in Alamut at that time, to gather together in those public prayers grounds at the foot of Alamut. They set up four large banners of four colors, white, red, yellow and green; which had been arranged for the affairs, at the four corners of the pulpit." Abu Ishaq Kohistani also gives details in his Haft Bab (pp. 41-2) that, "The followers from Khorasan stood on the right, the followers from (Persian) Iraq on the left of it, and the Daylamites with the followers from Rudhbar stood right opposite. In the middle a chair was placed, facing the minbar (pulpit), and faqi Muhammad Busti was ordered to mount it. The Khudawand Ala Dhikrihi's Salam, clad in a white garment with a white turban on his head, descended from the fortress about noon and mounted the minbar from the right, in the most perfect manner. Then he pronounced three times the "salam" - first addressing the Daylamites, then turning to the right, and then turning to the left. Then he squatted for a while, then rose and holding his sword..." According to Jorunn J. Buckley in The Nizari Ismailites (Stvdia Islamica, Paris, 1984, LX, p. 143) that from the top of the pulpit, Hasan II presented a clear and eloquent epistle, and at the end of the address he said, "The Imam of the Time sends you blessings and compassion, calling you his specially selected servants."
Imam Hasan II made his sermons in Arabic. The jurist Muhammad Busti stood up, and translated the Imam's sermons into Persian for those present. It was followed by the ceremony of an oath of allegiance from the cheering followers.
Most of the Ismaili da'is of that period had described the above event in their treatises, notably the fasl of Hussain bin Abdul Malik, Qadi Masud, Amir Hyder Masud etc., but none is survived. Hitherto, however, one ocular-witness of qiyamat-i qubra has been unearthed, who had not identified himself. He was a da'i in Qazwin and compiled Haft bab-i Baba Sayyid-na in 597/1200. His original text is edited by W. Ivanow, vide Two Early Ismaili Treatises (Bombay, 1933). Marshall Hodgson has rendered its English translation, vide The Order of Assassins (Netherland, 1955, pp. 279-328). Hasan bin Sabbah, according to the above treatise had foretold the advent of qiyamat-i qubra, and said, "When the qaim appears, he will sacrifice a camel, and bring forth a red standard" (p. 21). The author further writes, "And all these (signs) I have actually seen in Imam Ala Zikrihi's Salam." (p. 21) He also writes, "Sayyidna Hasan bin Sabbah had sent Hamid as a messenger to Ala Zikrihi's Salam in service and submission, and asked forgiveness of him." Giving his comments on this very passage, Marshall Hodgson writes, "This message from Hasan-i Sabbah to Hasan II must be conceived of in the manner of the traditional greeting of the Prophet to his great-great-grandson, the Imam: he asked one of his young companions to greet the child when it should be born." (op. cit., p. 302)
After the proclamation of the qiyama, Imam Hasan II, in his epistles (fusul) and addresses, hinted palpably that he himself was the Imam of the Age, the son of an Imam from the progeny of Imam Nizar bin al-Mustansir billah.
Writing on qiyama, W. Ivanow says in Alamut and Lamasar (Tehran, 1960 p. 29) that, "It is quite possible that the period of about 75 years, from the installation of Hasan-i Sabbah in Alamut, a period of continuous hard struggle, have so much matured their spirits that they could be regarded as quite fit to discard the usual external forms of worship, and carry on by their internal spiritual discipline."
In sum, the qiyama was interpreted to mean the manifestation of the unveiled truth (haqiqa) in the person of the Imam. Thus, the believers were now capable to comprehend the truth. According to this interpretation, the believers could come to know God and the mysteries and realities of creation through an Imam, the epiphany (mazhar) of God on earth. The qiyama also represented an attempt by an Imam to give an interpretation to the Shariah abreast the times. The Imam, henceforward, had began to stress the spirituality and the inner meaning of the religious commandments.
Ten weeks later, a token ceremony of qiyama was commemorated at the fortress of Muminabad, to the east of Birjand in Kohistan, where Hasan II had sent his messenger, Muhammad Khaqan to Rais Muzaffar, his deputy who headed the Ismailis of Kohistan since 555/1160. It was celebrated in the fortress of Muminabad on 8th Zilkada, 559/September 18, 1164, where the written sermons of Hasan II were read. In Syria too, the qiyama was announced, evidently a while later in 560/1165.
It appears that the Ismailis began to apply since then the term ala zikrihi's salam (peace be on his mention) with the name of Hasan II, making him known as Hasan Ala Zikrihi's Salam (Hasan, peace be on his mention), and evidently, such benedictory term cannot be pronounced for any da'i like Hasan, the son of Muhammad.
Imam Hasan II rose as an absolute ruler and Imam, and the dawr-i satr was replaced by dawr-i kashaf. It was the second dawr-i satr, and the first occurred in pre-Fatimid period. According to Cambridge History of Iran (London, 1968, 5th vol., p. 474), "The term satr had originally referred to those periods when the whereabouts of the Imam was unknown to the world at large, or even, at times, to the faithful, as had been the case among Ismailis before the rise of the Fatimids and again after the death of Nizar."
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QolEncyclopedia TopicWord, promise
Various Sources QudratEncyclopedia TopicNature, creation
Various Sources QUTOUBName1. Term used for "Great Commander" 2.Qutub Taro = The Northern Star(?)
1. Terme employé par les soufis signifiant "Grand Maître". 2. Qutoub Taro = étoile polaire(?)
Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #362general RabEncyclopedia TopicThe Sustainer, a name of Allah
Various Sources RachaeaEncyclopedia TopicEstablished, set up
Various Sources RachaiEncyclopedia TopicCreated, made
Various Sources RachaiEncyclopedia TopicCreated
Various Sources Rachana rachaviEncyclopedia TopicAfter creating, after making
Various Sources RachaveEncyclopedia TopicWill establish
Various Sources RachavengoEncyclopedia TopicWill make, will create
Various Sources RachaviyoEncyclopedia TopicCreated, established
Various Sources RachavoEncyclopedia TopicEstablish, set up, create
Various Sources RachavoEncyclopedia TopicBuild, make, create
Various Sources RachavsheEncyclopedia TopicWill establish, will, arrange, will create
Various Sources RachayaEncyclopedia TopicMade, spread, set up
Various Sources RachayaEncyclopedia TopicEstablished
Various Sources RachayaiEncyclopedia TopicCreated, established
Various Sources RacheEncyclopedia TopicWill be estabbshed
Various Sources RacheseEncyclopedia TopicWill establish, will create
Various Sources RachesheEncyclopedia TopicWill create
Various Sources RachesheEncyclopedia TopicWill establish
Various Sources RachieEncyclopedia TopicInvolved
Various Sources RachiyaEncyclopedia TopicCreated
Various Sources RachiyaEncyclopedia TopicWas busy, engrossed, was occupied with
Various Sources RachiyoEncyclopedia TopicEstablished, created
Various Sources RachnaEncyclopedia TopicCreation, form, to be engrossed
Various Sources RachnaEncyclopedia TopicCreation, created thing, work, production
Various Sources Rachne lagaEncyclopedia TopicBegun to reach across
Various Sources RachniEncyclopedia TopicCreation, created thing, work, production
Various Sources RachoEncyclopedia TopicMeet
Various Sources RachoEncyclopedia TopicTo be engrossed, to be absorbed, Sink into, drown, coloured by.
Various Sources RachyoEncyclopedia TopicCreated, made
Various Sources RaDaJNounDétruire, annuler, effacer.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #757general RaDaYNounCoeur, nom de la Reine dans le ginan PREM PATaN*. Se trouve en nous.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #109general RaDaYNounSoi, âme. RIDIYA RANI* (reine du coeur).
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #758general RadeEncyclopedia TopicThe heart, soul, mind, the seat or faculty of thought and feeling
Various Sources Radeh / RadiyaEncyclopedia TopicHeart
Various Sources RadhanEncyclopedia TopicTo cultivate
Various Sources RadhedaEncyclopedia TopicSown
Various Sources RADI ABDULLAH (225-268/840-881), 10TH IMAMEncyclopedia Topic"Hussain bin Ahmad or Abu Abdullah, surnamed az-Zaki, known as Hussain ar-Radi, or Radi Abdullah (Servant of God who is satisfied and content), was born in 210/825 and assumed the Imamate in 225/840. He is also called Muhammad and al-Muqtada al-Hadi. His also kept his identity secret being represented by his hujjat, Ahmad, surnamed al-Hakim. Tabari (3:2232) refers to his son, al-Mahdi under the name of Ibn al-Basri (the son of Basra), emphasizing the connection of Imam Radi Abdullah with southern Mesopotamia and the adjoining province of Khuzistan.
Imam Radi Abdullah is celebrated in devoting time to complete the task of his father, his teachings and institutions. In his time, the faith of the Ismailis spread by leaps and bounds with galloping speed through out the length and breath of Arabia.
Imam Radi Abdullah was an erudite scholar and is celebrated to have epitomized Ikhwan as-Safa into an instructive synopsis (al-jamia). Its full name was ar-Risalat al-Jamia (comprehensive epistle). It served as a substitute for the Epistle of Ikhwan as-Safa, intended for private circulation among the more advanced members of the groups. The al-Jamia is the backbone of the Epistles, which was further summarized in Risalat al-Jamiat al-Jamia an al-Zubdah min Rasail Ikhwan as-Safa (the condensation of the comprehensive epistles, or the cream of the epistles of Ikhwan as-Safa).
Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Maymun was born in 204/828 and had joined the Ismaili mission at youth. He operated his mission in Iran and Iraq. His father had sent him with a deputation to make a survey in Yamen, where he collected the informations for the headquarters and also travelled as far as Bahrain. After his father's death in 260/874, he returned to Salamia, where Imam Radi Abdullah promoted him to the rank of hujjat. He was known in Salamia as Ahmad al-Hakim, and died in 275/888.
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 firmly grounded in Ismaili faith and groomed enough for its promulgation, he entrusted him and his colleague, Ibn Fazal, with the task of Ismaili mission in Yamen. They reached Yamen, and 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. Thus, Yamen became a vital zone and an important hub of Ismaili mission.
Abu Abdullah al-Shi'i was hailed from Kufa, where he had been an inspector of weights and measures, and was also an ascetic of Shi'ite inclinations, having been converted along with his brother, Abul Abbas bin Ahmad to Ismailism by da'i Firuz. Realizing his potential, Imam Radi Abdullah sent him to Ibn Hawshab in Yamen for further training in Ismaili esoteric doctrines as well as affairs of the state. Abu Abdullah stayed in Yamen with Ibn Hawshab for a year.
Imam Radi Abdullah continued his peaceful living in Salamia, associating the local Hashimites. He also kept on good terms with the local governor. He seems to have been active in scholarly matters without a bearing in the politics. He was rolling in plenty; yet he contented himself with plain dress and simple food. He was humble in disposition and very hospitable. He is said to have granted allowances from his wealth to the poor and disabled persons in Salamia without discrimination between the Ismailis and non-Ismailis. Tradition has it that he was fond of horsing, shooting, hunting and archery, which had been also a favourite pastime of the Hashimites in Syria.
When Imam Radi Abdullah felt that the shadows of his death were closing upon him, he consigned the office of Imamate to his son, Muhammad al-Mahdi, saying, according to Ibn Khaldun that: "You are the promised Mahdi. You would take refuge in a remote land after my death, where you would have to submit to hard trials." (Tarikh, Karachi, 1966, 5:93).
Imam Radi Abdullah died in 268/881 at Salamia while he was travelling in the vicinity, appointing before his death as his trustee his own brother, Muhammad bin Ahmad, surnamed Sa'id al-Khayr as the guardian of his son, al-Mahdi. His death in 268/881 marked the termination of dawr-i satr (concealment period) in the Ismaili history.
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral RADI ALLAH-O ANHOEncyclopedia TopicThe phrase Razi Allah-o anho or Razi Allah-o anha or Razi Allah-o anhum means may God be pleased with him/her/them as the case may be. It is uttered after the the names of the Companions of the Prophet, saints or Pirs.
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral RaeEncyclopedia TopicLord, master, king
Various Sources RaenEncyclopedia TopicNight
Various Sources Raen / RaeniEncyclopedia TopicNight
Various Sources Raen biniEncyclopedia TopicIn the early morning, the time of dawn
Various Sources RaGOURAYNounDieu.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #759general RaguEncyclopedia TopicVeins
Various Sources RAHNounChemin, direction, route. PanTH*
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #760general Rah chukaEncyclopedia TopicGone astray
Various Sources