Ismaili Dictionary & Encyclopedia

PustakEncyclopedia Topic

Book

Various Sources PutarEncyclopedia Topic

Son

Various Sources PutheEncyclopedia Topic

In the back, from behind

Various Sources PuthiadeEncyclopedia Topic

Behind

Various Sources PuthiyaEncyclopedia Topic

Behind

Various Sources PutliEncyclopedia Topic

Pupil of eye, statue, doll, idol

Various Sources PutloEncyclopedia Topic

Statue, idol

Various Sources PutloEncyclopedia Topic

Statue, body, edifice, idol

Various Sources PutraEncyclopedia Topic

Son

Various Sources PyaloEncyclopedia Topic

Bowl

Various Sources PyaroEncyclopedia Topic

Dear, beloved

Various Sources QabuliyaEncyclopedia Topic

Have accepted

Various Sources QADIEncyclopedia Topic

The word qadi (pl. qudat) means a religious judge administrating the Islamic law. The term qadi al-qudat refers to the highest judiciary officer of the Fatimid state.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADI NOMANEncyclopedia Topic

"Qadi Noman was a renowned Ismaili jurist in the Fatimid court. He espoused Ismaili faith early in life at Kairwan. His association with the Fatimids however began with his entry into the services of Imam al-Mahdi since 313/925. During the period of Imam al-Qaim, he concentrated mainly in the study of history, philosophy and jurisprudence and composed numerous works. Prior to the death of Imam al-Qaim in 334/945, he was appointed as a qadi. His status was further promoted during the time of Imam al-Mansur when he was granted the rank of Chief Qadi (qadi al-qudat). He however reached his zenith in the time of Imam al-Muizz. Qadi Noman was greatly impressed by Imam al-Muizz's appearance and writes that he was struck by "the refulgence of the Imamate from his countenance."

When Imam al-Muizz ascended, Qadi Noman felt his post dwindled and wrote a letter to the Imam. He got Imam's reply, which he had quoted in his al-Majalis wal Musayarat. It reads: "O, Noman, may God protect you. I have read your letter. I regret that you are not sure of my patronage, and are trapped in fear unnecessarily. You have no reason to fear any adverse change in my attitude towards you. Instead, you should entertain greater hopes and aspire for a higher position. I know every thing about you. My well-wishers ought to look upon you as a model. Your friend will envy your lot and your enemies will feel jealous of you. May God help you and keep you straight on true path. With regard to the position you occupied with my predecessor, nothing is hidden from my notice. We, the Imams are the roots and branches of the same tree. If my father has died physically, the line of Imamate shall continue for ever. The souls of the Imams are joined like the hooks of a chain. If your patron has gone, your Imam is present. Thank God and have a trust upon Him for your affairs. Write to me about your needs, and you will be given what you want."

When Imam al-Muizz came to Egypt, he also brought Qadi Noman with him. He however allowed Qadi Abu Tahir Muhammad bin Ahamad bin Abdullah to remain as the qadi of Cairo. Abu Tahir, however, always consulted Qadi Noman and asked him to revise his verdicts. Qadi Noman was not formally appointed to a higher official position, his rank as a judicial officer was however superior than that of Abu Tahir.

Qadi Noman was a man of great talent, learning and accomplishments, diligent as a scholar, prolific as a writer and upright as a judge. He was the founder and exponent of Ismaili jurisprudence. He died in 363/974 at Cairo and Imam al-Muizz led the funeral prayers. He was a erudite and versatile author and the name of 44 of his works have survived. Of these 20 are totally lost, and 18 are wholly, and the rest are preserved in the private collection.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIREncyclopedia Topic

The word qadr and taqdir are derived from qada. According to Raghib, it means the making manifest of the measure (kamiyya) of a thing, or simply measure. In the words of the same authority, God's taqdir of things is in two ways, by granting qudra (power) or by making them in a particular measure and in a particular manner, as wisdom requires. An example of this is given in the taqdir of the date-stone, out of which it is the palm only that grows, not an apple or olive tree, or in the taqdir of the sperma of man, out of which grows man only, not any other animal. Taqdir is therefore the law or measure which is working through out the whole of creation; and this is exactly the sense in which the word is used in the Koran. For example, the Koran speaks of a taqdir for each and every thing that has been created: "Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Most High, Who creates, then makes complete, and Who makes things according to a measure (qaddara from taqdir), then guides them to their goal" (87:1-3), "Who created everything, then ordained for it a measure (taqdir)" (25:2), "Surely We have created everything according to a measure (qadr)" (54:49), and "And the sun runs on to a term appointed for it; that is the law (taqdir) of the Mighty, the Knowing. And as for the moon, We have ordained (qaddarna from taqdir) for it stages" (36:38-39). The word qadr and taqdir occur 60 times in the Koran.

The law according to which foods, provisions and other things are provided in the earth is also called a taqdir of God, and so, also, the law according to which rain falls on the earth, and that according to which night and day follow each other: "And He made in it mountains above its surface, and He blessed therein and made (qaddara) therein its foods" (41:10), "And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasures of it, and We do not send it down but in a known measure (qadr)" (15:21), "And We send down water from the cloud according to a measure (qadr)" (23:18; 43:11), and "And God has appointed a measure (yuqaddiru from taqdir) of the night and the day" (73:20).

Though man is included in the creation, and his taqdir is therefore the same as the taqdir of the whole creation, he is also separately spoken of as having a taqdir similar to the law of growth and development in other things: "Of what thing did He create him? Of a small life-germ He created him, then He made him according to a measure (qaddara-hu)" (80:18-19)

All these verses go to show that, as according to lexicologists, taqdir, in the language of the Koran, is a universal law of God, operating as much in the case of man as in the rest of nature: a law extending to the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth and the heavens and all that exists in them. This universal law is fully explained in two short verses in 87:2-3 : "Who creates, then makes complete, and Who makes according to a measure, then guides." Four things are mentioned regarding everything created, including man; its khalq or creation, its taswiya or completion, its taqdir or measure, and its hidaya or guidance to its goal. The law of life, as witnessed in nature, is exactly the law described here. Everything is created so as finally to attain to its completion, this completion being brought about according to a law or a measure within which everything works by Divine guidance. Thus, the taqdir of everything is the law or the measure of its growth and development. While one seed will grow into a blade of grass, another will become a huge tree; notwithstanding its growth and development, one life-germ can hardly be seen with a microscope while another grows into a huge animal. Everything has its own line of development and so has man; therefore his taqdir is not different in nature from the taqdir of other things.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - <i>Idzlal</i> as ascribed to GodEncyclopedia Topic

The mistaken idea that God leads people astray arises out of a misconception of the meaning of the word idzlal when it is ascribed to God. The word idzlal carries a variety of meanings besides leading astray. It should be noted that wherever idzlal is attributed to God, it is only in connection with the transgressors (2:26), the unjust (14:27), and the extravagant (40:34), not the people generally. Idzlal is the causative form of dzlal, which according to Raghib, means "swerving from the straight path, and the word is applied to every swerving from the right path whether it is intentional or unintentional, and whether it is very small or very great; wherefore it may be used of him who commits any mistake whatever." According to the same authority, idzlal is of two kinds. The first kind is that in which idzlal (or going astray) is the cause of idzlal. This again may be in two ways: (1) when a thing has itself gone astray from you, as you say adzlaltu-l-ba'ira, the meaning of which is, I lost the camel, not I led astray the camel, which is not true in this case; and (2) when you judge a person to be in error or going astray; and in both these cases going astray on the part of the object of idzlal is the cause of idzlal or leading astray. The second kind is that in which idzlal or leading astray is the cause of the going astray of the object of idzlal, and it is in this way that you embellish evil to a man so that he may fall into it. The word as used in the Koran, means judging or finding one to be in error. This was a recognized use of the word among the Arabs. Thus in a verse of Tarfa, the words adzallani sadiqi means my friend judged me to be in error. And in a hadith, it is said that the Prophet came to a people fa-adzalla-hum (he found them adopting a wrong course, not following the true path). Ibn Athir gives further examples showing that adzalla-hu means he found him in error just as ahmadtu-hu means I found him in a praiseworthy condition, and abkhaltu-hu means I found him a niggard. In fact, this sense of the word is recognized by all lexicologists. Explaining adzalla-hu, Lane says: "And he found him to be erring, straying

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - Creation of good and evilEncyclopedia Topic

Taqdir, meaning the absolute decree of good and evil by God, an idea with which the word is now indissolubly connected by the popular mind as well as thinking writers, is neither known to the Koran, nor even to Arabic lexicology. There is only one occasion in the Koran on which a derivative of taqdir is used to indicate the fate of a person. Speaking of the wife of Lot, the Koran says, "We ordained (qaddarna) that she shall be of those who remain behind" (15:60, 27:57). But even here it does not mean that God had ordained that she should be a doer of evil. There is mention here of an ordinance, which holds good in the case of all evil-doers that they should suffer the evil consequence of what they have done; she was not one of the faithful, but disbeliever, so that when divine punishment overtook the evil-doers, she was ordained to be with them. The doctrine of predestination is of later growth, and seems to have been the result of the clash of Islam with Persian religious thought. The doctrine that there are two creators, a creator of good and a creator of evil, had become the central doctrine of the Magian religion. Islam taught the purest monotheism, and it was probably in controverting the dualistic doctrine of the Magian religion, that the discussion arose as to whether or not God was the creator of evil. This discussion grew very hot and many side-issues sprang up. All this was due only to a misunderstanding of the nature of good and evil. Imam Ali bin Abu Talib said, "This (doctrine of predestination) is a dark path, do not traverse it; a deep ocean, do not enter it; and a divine mystery, do not try and unveil it" (Nahj al-Balagha, saying 287). He also said on another occasion, "The meaning of qada and qadr pertains to commanding obedience and forbidding disobedience; the bestowing of power upon man to perform good works and renounce evil works; the provision of grace to increase nearness to God; delivering up the sinners to their own states; the making of promises and threats" (Bihar al-Anwar, 5:96). God created man with certain powers, which he could exercise under certain limitations, and it is the exercise of these powers in one way or another that produces good or evil. For instance, God has gifted man with the power of speech, which he can use either to do good or evil to humanity, either to tell a truth and say a good word, or to utter falsehood and slander. Similarly man has been endowed with numerous other powers which may be used either for good or for evil. Imam Jafar Sadik said, "Neither compulsion (jabr) nor complete freedom (tafwid), rather, something between the two" (Kitab al-Tawhid, 59:8). Hence the controversy, as to whether God was the Creator of good and evil, arose simply out of a misconception of the nature of good and evil. The same act may be virtue on one occasion and evil on another. A blow struck in self-defence or in defence of a helpless man is right, and a blow struck aggressively is wrong. Hence, evil is also called zulm, which means the placing of a thing in a place other than that which is meant for it, either by falling short or by excess or by deviation from its time, or its place. Thus, the use of a power in the right manner, or at the right moment, or in the right place is a virtue, and its use in a wrong manner, or at a wrong moment, or at the wrong place is a vice. The Koran, therefore, has not dealt with the question of the creation of good and evil at all. It speaks of the creation of heavens and earth and all that is in them; it speaks of the creation of man; it speaks of endowing him with certain faculties and granting him certain powers; it tells us that he can use these powers and faculties within certain limitations, just as all other created things are placed within certain limitations

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - Foreknowledge of GodEncyclopedia Topic

The doctrine of predestination or the decreeing of a good course for one man and an evil course for another, thus finds no support from the Koran, which plainly gives to man the choice to follow one way or the other. But, it is said, the doctrine of the decreeing of good and evil follows from the doctrine of the foreknowledge of God. If God knows what will happen in the future, whether a particular man will take a good or an evil course, it follows that that man must take that particular course, for the knowledge of God cannot be untrue. Now in the first place, it must be clearly understood what God's knowledge of the future means? The fact is that the future is an open book to God. The limitations of space and time, which are everything to man, are nothing to God. Man's knowledge of things is limited both by space and time, but to the Infinite Being, unlimited space is as it were a single point and the past and the future are like the present. God sees or knows the future as a man would know what is passing before his eyes. God's knowledge of the future therefore, though far above and far superior to man's knowledge, is like his knowledge of the present, and mere knowledge of a thing does not interfere with the choice of the agent or the doer. Hence God's foreknowledge has nothing to do with predestination.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - God does not lead astrayEncyclopedia Topic

A very misconception regarding the teachings of the Koran is that it ascribes to God the attributes of leading astray. Nothing could be farther from truth. While al-Hadi, or the One Who guides, is one of the ninety-nine names of God, al-Mudzill, or One Who leads astray, has never been recognized as such. If leading astray were an attribute of God, as guiding certainly is, the name al-Mudzill should have been included in the list of His names, as al-Hadi is. But the Koran which repeatedly says that God's are all the excellent names, could not ascribe to Him what it has plainly ascribed to the Devil, viz. the leading astray of men. This fact is conclusive so far as the leading astray of men is concerned, but there are several other considerations which confirm it. The sinners' own confession, as repeatedly mentioned in the Koran is that their great leaders misled them, or that the Devil misled them. Not once do they put forward the excuse that it was God Himself Who misled them: "When they have all come up with one another into it (the fire), the last of them shall say with regard to the foremost of them, Our Lord! These led us astray, so give them a double chastisement of the fire" (7:38), "O woe is me! Would that I had not taken such a one for a friend! Certainly he led me astray from the reminder after it had come to me" (25:28-29), "And none but the guilty led us astray" (26:99), "And they shall say, Our Lord! Surely we obeyed our leaders and our great men, so they led us astray from the path. O our Lord! Give them a double chastisement and curse them with a great curse" (33:67-8), and "And those who disbelieve shall say, Our Lord! Show us those who led us astray from among the jinn and the men that we may trample them under our feet so that they may be of the lowest" (41:29).

Now if God had really led men astray, their best excuse on the day of judgment would have been that they did not deserve to be punished, because it was God Himself Who led them astray. But not once is that excuse advanced, and it is always the guilty leaders, both from among men and jinn, who are denounced by the guilty followers as having misled them. This is another conclusive argument that it is not God Who leads men astray.

In the third place, the Koran is full of statements to the effects that God sends His prophets and grants revelation for the guidance of the people. The general rule laid down with regard to Divine dealing with humanity is thus made clear in the very beginning: "Surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, so whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve" (2:38).

It is impossible that God, Who is so solicitous for the guidance of man, should Himself lead him astray. Guiding and leading astray are two contradictions, which could not be gathered together in one being. The Koran itself draws attention to this point: "And it is not attributable to God that He should lead people astray after He has sent them a guidance; He even makes clear to them what they should guard against" (9:115). The argument is evident. The Being Who sends guidance to a people could not lead them astray; how, then, could it be ascribed to God that He makes men fall into evil when He sends His messengers to explain to people that they should guard against evil?

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - God's sealing of heartsEncyclopedia Topic

Another misconception, which must be removed in this connection is that relating to God's setting seals on hearts. The misconception in this case is that it is thought that God has created some men with seals on their hearts, while other have been created with free and open hearts. No trace of any such distinction is met with anywhere either in the Koran or in hadith. All men are created sinless, all men are created pure, that is the express teaching of Islam: "Then set thy face upright for religion in the right state

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - God's writing of adversitiesEncyclopedia Topic

Statements are frequently met with in the Koran, in which God is spoken of as having written down the doom of a nation, or a man's term of life, or an affliction. Such verses have also been misconstrued as upholding the doctrine of predestination. The misconception is due to a wrong interpretation of the word kitab, ordinarily carries the significance of writing, but has been freely used in Arabic literature and in the Koran itself in a variety of senses. Raghib says: "The word kitaba carries the significance of ithbat, i.e., establishing or confirming and taqdir, i.e., measuring out, and ijab, i.e., making obligatory, and farz, i.e., making incumbent, and azm bi-l-kitaba, i.e., determination to write down." And further on, it is stated that kitaba also signifies qadsa, i.e., what has been brought to pass, and hukm, i.e. order, and ilm, i.e. knowledge. Examples of these uses are given: "God has written (kataba), I will most certainly prevail, I and My apostles" (58:21), "Nothing will afflict us save what God has written down (kataba) for us" (9:51), and "Say, Had you remained in your houses, those for whom slaughter was written down (kutiba) would certainly have gone forth to the places where they would be slain" (3:153). Now in all these instances there is no mention of predestination or the fixing before hand of an evil course for the evil-doer. In the first example the meaning is clearly this, that the order or command has gone forth from God that the Prophet shall triumph, and God's orders must come to pass. "God has written down" only means that it is God's order that such a thing should happen. It is not necessary to seek a reference to any previous writing or previous order, because the order or writing is there in these words themselves, but, if necessary, the reference may be to the numerous prophecies that are met with in the Koran regarding the ultimate triumph of the Prophet, and which were in fact written down in a literal sense.

In the other two examples, there is mention of the writing down of distress or death. In the first place, it must be borne in mind that even if by the writing down of death or distress it is meant that such as pre-ordained for them, it does not lend any support to the doctrine of predestination, which means that the evil course of any evil-doer has been fixed for him before hand, and that no choice is left to him to adopt either a good or an evil course. Death or distress is due to circumstances over which man has no control, while the doing of good or evil is a matter entirely of man's own choice, according to the plain teaching of the Koran. But, as a matter of fact, there is no mention of pre-ordaining here, for kitaba means ordering and not pre-ordaining. In fact, the word sometimes means simply intending a thing: Raghib says, "The reason is that a thing is first intended, then spoken and then written. So intention is the beginning and writing the end, and therefore the word kitaba is used to signify mere intention, which is the beginning, when it is meant to emphasize it by writing." Going back to the Koran, itself, while it speaks of distress being "written down" in one place, it speaks of it as coming with God's permission or knowledge or order, in another. Compare the following two verses: "No affliction befalls on the earth nor in your souls, but it is in a book before We bring it into existence" (57:22); "No affliction comes about but by God's permission (idhn)" (64:11). The word idhn used here, means according to Raghib, knowledge of a thing, where there is with it also mashi'a, i.e. permission or order. It is clear, from a comparison of these two verses, that what is called kitaba in one place is called idhn in another. Thus the writing of God is only His knowledge or permission or order.

The Koran throws further light on this subject where it makes mention of the Divine intention to bring the faithful to perfection through adversities. Thus, speaking of the believers in particular, it says: "And We will certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits; and give good news to the patient, who, when a misfortune befalls them, say We are God's and to Him we shall return. These are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord and these are the followers of the right course" (2:155-157). The principle is laid down here that the faithful are brought to perfection through adversities and trials, because we are told that God intends to try the believers by means of various kinds of afflictions, and through patience in suffering, they make themselves deserving of Divine blessings and mercy. Therefore when the faithful are made to say, "Nothing will afflict us save what God has written down for us" (9:51), it is in reference to the Divine will, as expressed above, and they are made to suffer affliction for their own perfection. God's writing down afflictions for them means, therefore, only that the Divine law is that they will be brought to perfection through afflictions. Of like significance is 3:153.

Both the verses quoted above and other similar verses, which speak of the writing down of afflictions for the believers, only teach that greatest lesson of life, resignation in adversities. Muslims are taught to remain absolutely contented when they have to meet adversity or death in fulfillment of their duties. If Muslims meets adversity or even death, he must believe that it is by God's order, that being the real meaning of kitaba in such cases. That faith upholds, a Muslim in adversity because he knows that out of an adversity which is by the order of the good God, will undoubtedly come good. There is a message in these verses that Muslims must face all adversities manfully and never despair of the mercy of God.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QADR OR TAQDIR - The will of God and the will of manEncyclopedia Topic

A great deal of misunderstanding exists as to the relation of the Divine will to the will of man. All the faculties with which man has been endowed have emanated from the great Divine attributes. Yet all human attributes are imperfect, and can be exercised only under certain limitations and to a certain extent. God is All-seeing and All-hearing; man also sees and hears, but these attributes in him bear no comparison to the Divine attributes of seeing and hearing; being only imperfect and miniature images of the perfect and infinite attributes of the Divine Being, even as the reflecting mirror of human nature is itself imperfect and finite. For the very same reason, man's exercise of these attributes is also subject to certain limitations. Man's knowledge of things, his exercise of power over things and his exercise of his will in relation to things, stand on a par. All these are subject to limitations and laws. Man's will stands in the same relation to the Divine will as his other attributes to the attributes of the Divine Being. He can exercise it under limitations, and there is a very large variety of circumstances, which may determine his choice in each case. Yet it is not true that the choice to exercise it has been taken from him; and the fact is that, notwithstanding all the limitations, he is free to exercise his will, and, therefore, though he may not be responsible to the same extent for anything done in all cases, and a variety of circumstances must determine the extent of his responsibility, which may be very small, almost negligible, in some cases and very great in others, yet he is a free agent and responsible for what he does.

The argument that man does an evil deed because God wills it so, is put into the mouth of the opponents of the Prophet on several occasions. Take the following for instance: "The polytheists will say, if God had pleased, we would not have associated aught with Him, nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden to ourselves anything; even so did those before them reject until they tasted Our punishment. Say, Have you any knowledge so you should bring it forth to us? You only follow conjecture and you only tell lies. Say, Then God's is the conclusive argument; if He had (so) willed. He would have guided you all" (6:149-150). The polytheists' contention here is that what they do is in accordance with the will of God, and this is condemned as a mere conjecture and a lie. And against it, two arguments are adduced. The first is that previous people were punished when they persisted in their evil courses; if what they did was because God had so willed it, He would not have punished them for it. The second is that God had never said so through any of His prophets: "Have you any knowledge with you so you should bring it forth to us." And in the verse that follows, the argument is carried further: "If He had willed, He would have guided you all." The conclusion is clear. If it were the Divine will that people should be compelled to one course, that would have been the course of guidance. But men are not compelled to accept even the right way; much less could they be compelled to follow the wrong course. The Divine will is expressed through prophets who are raised up to point out what is good and what is evil, and the choice is given to man to follow the one or the other. That is clearly laid down: "Surely We have shown him the way, he may accept or reject" (76:3). And again: "The truth is from your Lord, so let him who pleases believe, and let him who pleases disbelieve" (18:29). The Divine will is therefore exercised in the raising up of prophets, and in the pointing out of the courses of good and evil, and human will is exercised in the choice of one course or the other.

It is this very law that is expressed at the end of chapter 76: "Surely this is a reminder, so whoever pleases takes to his Lord a way. And you do not please except that God please" (76:29-30). And again to the same effect: "It is naught but a reminder for the nations, for him among you who pleases to go straight, and you do not please except that God please, the Lord of the worlds" (81:27-29). It will be seen that in both these places, the Koran is spoken of as having been revealed for the upliftment of man, yet, it is added, only he will derive benefit from it who chooses to go straight or take a way to his Lord, that is, exercises his will in the right direction. Thus man is left to make his choice after God has sent down a revelation, and the will of man to make a choice is thus exercised only after the will of God has been exercised in the sending down of a revelation. If God had not pleased to reveal the reminder, man would have had no choice. Thus the words, "you do not please except that God please," mean only this that if God had not pleased to send a revelation, man would not have been able to make his choice of good or evil.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral Qaem / QayamEncyclopedia Topic

Everlasting, permanent, perpetual, eternal, an epithet used for every Imam

Various Sources QaherEncyclopedia Topic

Punishment, wrath

Various Sources QAIMNoun

Résurrecteur. V. Qiyamat*.

Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #101general QAIM (322-334/934-946), 12TH IMAMEncyclopedia Topic

"He was born in 280/893 in Salamia. His name was Muhammad Nizar, surnamed al-Qaim bi-Amrillah (Firm in the ordinances of God). He married to Umm Habiba, the daughter of his uncle, and ascended in 322/934.

In 301/913, Imam al-Qaim had commanded the Fatimid naval forces. The Fatimid fleet sailed from Mahdiya towards the northern coast of Egypt and returned to Raqada after conquering Tripoli. In the following year Hubasa bin Yousuf set off east and conquered Surt and Ajabiyya, and on 7th Rajab, 301, February 6, 914 he entered Barqa. On Thursday the 14th Zilhaja, 301/July 7, 914, the Imam followed him from Raqada with a large army. Contrary to his orders, Hubasa, without waiting for his arrival, pushed further east and invaded Alexandria on 2nd Safar, 302/August 27, 914. Imam al-Qaim arrived there on Friday the 14th Rabi II, 302/November 4, 914. The Abbasids succeeded to prevent the Fatimid's entry in Egypt. At his withdrawal from Egypt, Imam al-Qaim however left a garrison in Barqa.

In 307/919, the second attempt had been conducted at the command of Imam al-Qaim. He set out eastward on Monday the 1st Zilkada, 306/April 5, 919. On Friday the 8th Safar, 307/July 9, 919 the vanguard of the army arrived in Alexandria. This time the Fatimid forces made an advance right upto the Egyptian capital before they were repulsed. These two invasions were launched during the period of Imam al-Mahdi. After his succession, Imam al-Qaim made a third attempt in 323/935 under the command of Raydan. Muhammad bin Tughj al-Ikhshidid (323-334/935-946), the then governor of Egypt, repelled this attack, forcing the Fatimid forces to withdraw to Barqa. Nothing was gained in these three campaigns, but it made a way open for the next period to the Fatimid to occupy Egypt.

In 323/935, the Italian pirates raided the coastal regions of the Fatimid, therefore, Imam al-Qaim turned his attention towards Europe, and dispatched a strong squadron of 20 sailing vessels under the command of Amir al-Bahr (the European, Admiral) Yaqub bin Ishaq al-Tamimi, who made a successful attack on Italy, the south of France, and the coast of Genoa and Calabria, and a part of Lombardy was also brought into subjection. During the Italian raids, the Fatimid forces used mangonels (arradas or dabbabas), an engine missiling the heavy stones on target, which was the then most advanced weapon. Maurice Lombard writes in The Golden Age of Islam (Netherlands, 1975, p. 86) that, "Fatimid currency was in use throughout southern Italy. Dinars and particularly quarter dinars (rub) were in circulation and were initiated (tarin), a phenomenon similar to that observed in the Christian kingdoms in northern Spain and the country of Barcelona which, in the eleventh century, initiated the Muslim gold currencies in use in the south of the peninsula."

The Fatimid fleet was unfortunately called back, according to Islam in Africa (Lahore, 1964, p. 87) by Prof. Mahmud Brelvi, "just at the moment when Qaim's navy was about to conquer the whole Italy". It was due to the domestic rebellion of Abu Yazid. Syed Zakir Hussain writes in Tarikh-i Islam (Delhi, 1935) that, "If Abu Yazid had not staged a massive revolt against the Fatimids, al-Qaim would have probably conquered the whole Europe, resulting a loss of a great Islamic victory." R. Brunschvig also admitted the loss of Europe in the campaign, vide Encyclopaedia of Islam (1934. 4:850). The Fatimid fleet, returning to Mahdiya, also occupied islands of Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, Crete and Cyprus for a short while. And here we cannot but call attention to a fact that the Fatimids were the masters of the entire Mediterranean, and their fleets operated freely throughout its length and breadth. Prof. Mahmud Brelvi writes in Islam in Africa (Lahore, 1964, pp. 86-87) that, "Qaim was a great warrior, and was the first of the Fatimid Caliphs who created a powerful fleet in the Mediterranean. After re-establishing his authority in Mauritania, he turned his attention towards the continent of Europe. His ports had been harassed by the Italian pirates from the Ligurian coast, from Pisa and other places. In reprisal, Qaim overran Southern Italy as far as Gaeta, and his ships of war captured Genoa. A part of Lombardy was also brought into subjection. Unfortunately, the pent-up wrath of the people at the excesses of the savage Berbers, the allies of the Fatimids, burst into a furious flame just at the moment when Qaim's navy was about to conquer the whole Italy. The revolt was headed by a Khariji, named Abu Yazid."

Imam al-Qaim had to meet more serious rebellions hatching in the west. The principle revolt took place amongst the Zanata tribe, south of Katama territory, who were the Kharijis under the leadership of Abu Yazid. In 332/943, he marched northwards and took Baghai, Tabassa, Mermajenna and Laribus. The Fatimid forces tried to prevent his advance upon Baja, but were repulsed. Abu Yazid marched towards Kairwan, but this time he suffered defeat. He soon rallied, and took Raqada, and then pressed on to Kairwan and captured it. Mahdiya put up a vigorous resistance for almost a year, repelling Abu Yazid's repeated attempts to storm the capital. Ziri bin Manad, the amir of the tribe of the Sanhaja sent a new reinforcement to the Fatimids, who was a fervent Ismaili.

In 334/945, Abu Yazid ordered for massacre and plunder, and captured Tunisia. The Fatimid forces were able to regain whole Tunisia next year. But, after an interval, Abu Yazid rallied and laid siege to the town of Susa.

Imam al-Qaim was an experienced soldier and an able commander who could lead his forces to victory. Unlike his father, he used to participate in military expeditions. He was bold and courageous, and his activities were not confined to his military operations only. Prof. Masudul Hasan writes in History of Islam (Lahore, 1987, 1:492) that, "Al-Qaim ruled for eleven years. He was a man of courage, and did not lose nerves even in the face of great difficulty. He lost most of his territory to Abu Yazid, and was besieged in his capital Mahdiya. In spite of a very difficult situation, he preserved, and out of the civil war which lasted for several years, the Fatimids ultimately emerged victorious. This civil war changed the course of history. But for this civil war, al-Qaim would have occupied a greater part of Italy, and that would have served a base for the conquest of Europe."

Imam al-Qaim died on 14th Shawal, 334/May 19, 946 at the height of Abu Yazid's rebellion, who at that time had siege over Susa. His age was 59 years, 6 months and 27 days and the period of the Imamate and Caliphate lasted for 12 years, 6 months and 27 days.

QAIM AL-QIYAMA [ see QIYAMAT-I QUBRA ]

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral Qaji / QaziEncyclopedia Topic

Judge

Various Sources QalabEncyclopedia Topic

Body

Various Sources QalamEncyclopedia Topic

Pen

Various Sources QALANDAR SHAH, SEYYED BU-Name

(14/15 Century) Pir Hassan Kabirdin's son. Buried at Multan. Is also revered by non ismailis. (Dhama dham mast Qalandar..)

(14/15e? S). fils de Pir HK. Enterré à Multan. Révéré par les non-ismaéliens. (Dhama dham mast Qalandar..)

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #192general QALBEncyclopedia Topic

"The word qalb is derived from qalaba, meaning to overturn, return, go back and forth, change, fluctuate, undergo transformation. The Koran uses a number of verbal forms from the same root in this meaning. It uses the term heart itself in a variety of senses

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QararEncyclopedia Topic

Survival

Various Sources QARMATIANSEncyclopedia Topic

"It is learnt that a group of Mubarakiyya in Kufa among the Ismaili orbit believed in the Mahdism of Imam Muhammad bin Ismail, anticipating his return, which had never been promulgated by the official dawa. Granted that it was the propaganda of the Ismaili dawa, there would hardly be a place left for the Imams for them in the line of Muhammad bin Ismail. This small Ismaili group was expecting the return of the Imam, and a da'i Hussain al-Ahwazi had also a leaning towards them. He had gone to southern Iraq for propaganda and procured large converts.

Nuwayri (677-732/1279-1332) writes in Nihayat al-Arab (ed. M. Jabir A. al-Hini, Cairo, 1984, p. 189) that, "Hussain al-Ahwazi also converted Hamdan bin al-Ash'ath al-Qarmati to Ismailism in 261/874." Hamdan al-Qarmat started to reveal Ismaili doctrines and the return of Muhammad bin Ismail to the villagers and brought them in the fold of Ismailism. When Hussain al-Ahwazi died, Hamdan al-Qarmat continued his mission with his brother-in-law Abdan bin al-Rabit as his deputy. He increased his influence among the Arab and Nibati tribes in Kufa and appointed Abdan bin al-Rabit and Zikrawayh bin Mihrawayh as his assistants.

The southern Iraqian term karmitha or karmutha, unknown to Arabic elsewhere, implied an agriculturist or a villager. Later on, it was arabicised into qarmat or qarmatuya which has different meanings. In Arabic the root qarmat means to walk or make short steps and thence to write closely etc. Another view suggests that it was an Aramaic nickname, meaning short-legged or red-eyed, since Hamdan possessed both peculiarities, therefore, he was widely known as Hamdan al-Qarmat. The converts of Hamdan al-Qarmat also became known as Qarmatians - a regional identity of a group of the Ismailis in southern Iraq.

Hamdan al-Qarmat maintained correspondence with the Ismaili da'is at the headquarters in Salamia, and was quite unknown about the hidden Imams of the era of concealment. In 286/899, Hamdan received a direct letter from Imam al-Mahdi from Salamia, suggesting certain changes. He became surprised to receive a letter from an Imam, and consequently, he sent his envoy Abdan to Salamia to investigate. It was only at Salamia that Abdan found that al-Mahdi had succeeded to the Imamate, following the death of Imam Radi Abdullah. Abdan interviewed with the Imam without procuring result. He returned back and reported to Hamdan al-Qarmat that instead of the Mahdiship of Muhammad bin Ismail, the new leader claimed the Imamate for himself in the line of Muhammad bin Ismail.

Hamdan, thus considered it as drastic deviations, and assembled his subordinate da'is, and renounced his allegiance from the central leadership of Salamia and officially abjured Ismailism. He also ordered his da'is to suspend the mission in their respective districts. Soon afterwards, Hamdan went to Kalwadha, near Baghdad and was never heard of again. Abdan was also murdered in 286/899 at the instigation of Zikrawayh. Soon, however, Isa bin Musa, a nephew of Abdan, rose to lead the Qarmatians, and they were subdued by the Abbasid commander, Harun bin Gharib.

Finally, the leadership came to the hands of Zikrawayh, who dispatched his three sons, viz. Yahya, Hussain and Ali to Syria. They seized Hams, Hammah etc., and marched towards Salamia, where Imam al-Mahdi resided. Tabari (d. 310/922) in his Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l Muluk (ed. de Goeje, Leiden, 1879-1901, 3:2226) simply writes the rise of Zikrawayh around 289/901 and their massacre in 290/902. They killed many relatives of the Imam and sacked the town, taking away treasures of the Imam. Imam al-Mahdi had left Salamia before the coming of the Qarmatians. Finally, the Abbasid forces reached Salamia and subdued their rising. Yahya and Ali had been killed in the encounter, and Hussain was taken prisoner and beheaded in Baghdad. When Zikrawayh knew the death of his sons, he proceeded towards Kufa and captured Basra, and threatened the Abbasids near Baghdad. He was also repulsed in 294/906, causing an end of the Qarmatian power in Iraq and Syria.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QARMATIANS - Decline of the Qarmatians Encyclopedia Topic

Meanwhile, Hasan al-A'sam, the son of Ahmad Abu Tahir and a nephew of Abu Tahir, had become the commander of the Qarmatian forces, who was usually selecting to lead the Qarmatians in their military campaigns outside Bahrain. In 357/968, Hasan al-A'sam had taken Damascus after defeating Hasan bin Ubaidullah bin Tughj, the Ikhshidid governor of Syria. The Qarmatians also sacked Ramla and took vast riches and returned to Bahrain. About three months following the Fatimid conquest of Egypt, a Qarmatian force, commanded by al-A'sam's cousin, again came to Damascus and defeated Hasan bin Ubaidullah, the Ikhshidid governor of Syria. Finally, a peace treaty had been concluded between them, and according to which, the Ikhshidid agreed to pay an annual tribute to the Qarmatians.

In 359/970, a large Fatimid force commanded by Jafar bin Falah was sent to conquer Syria. The Ikhshidid governor, Hasan bin Ubaidullah sought necessary help from the Qarmatians. Jafar bin Falah attacked at full gallop and defeated the joint forces of the Ikhshidid and the Qarmatians near Ramla. Hasan bin Ubaidullah was taken prisoner. The Fatimid conquered Syria, resulting the loss of the tribute to the Qarmatians being paid to them previously by the Ikhshidids. This is cited as the main cause for the invasion of the Qarmatians on Syria next year.

In 360/970, being helped by the Buwahid Izz ad-Dawla Bakhtiyar (356-367/967-978) and the Hamdanid Abu Taghlib of Mosul, the Qarmatian commander, Hasan al-A'sam captured Damascus and Ramla, having defeated the Fatimids and killed Jafar bin Falah in battle. Hasan al-A'sam, who had also allied himself with the Abbasids, proclaimed the suzerainty of the Abbasids in Syria and had Imam al-Muizz cursed in the mosques of Damascus.

In 361/971, Hasan al-A'sam marched towards Egypt and reached near the gates of Cairo, but he was turned back by the Fatimids, and was obliged to retreat to al-Ahsa, but Damascus remained in the hands of the Qarmatians. In 363/974, after coming to Cairo, Imam al-Muizz wrote a letter to Hasan al-A'sam, stating the dignity of Ahl al-Bayt and his own excellence. He also recalled the early relations of the Qarmatians with the Ismailis, and also warned him to refrain from his attacks. Hasan al-A'sam took no heed of Imam al-Muizz's reproach, and made his letter public and denounced the Fatimids. He entered Egypt in 363/974 for the second time, and went as far as Ayn Shams and besieged Cairo, and took possession of the moat. The defeat of the Fatimid force on that occasion would have been inevitable had Imam al-Muizz not won over to his side one of the allies of the Qarmatians, named Hasan bin Jarrah, who abandoned in the thick of the fight. Hasan al-A'sam was defeated and retreated, and died at Ramla in 366/977. His cousin Jafar took charge of the Qarmatians. In 368/978, Imam al-Aziz himself took field and subdued Iftagin and the Qarmatians near Ramla. The Qarmatians agreed to a peace. Henceforward, the Qarmatians of Bahrain were reduced to a local power. Most of the Qarmatians reverted to their original Ismaili faith, and left Bahrain and settled as isolated families in Oman, Muscat, Gwadar and Makran. The rest of the power of the Qarmatians declined when the Buwahids inflicted two heavy defeats in 375/985. In 378/988, the Qarmatians suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of al-Asfar, the chief of the clan of Muntafiq, and after that, the Qarmatians almost disappeared from history. Silvestre de Sacy writes in his Memoir on the dynasty of the Assassins (Paris, 1818, p. 5) that he had learnt from books of the Druze that the Qarmatians were still ruling in al-Ahsa in 422/1031. We also learn from the Safar-nama (pp. 87-89) of Nasir Khusaro (d. 481/1088), who was at al-Ahsa in 443/1051 that the Qarmatians were ruling under a council of six descendants of Abu Sa'id, assisted by six vizirs, in the line of Ibn Sanbar. He also writes that the Friday prayers and other rites such as fasting were not observed at al-Ahsa, where all mosques had been closed. Around 450/1058, a certain Abul Bahlul al- Awwam of the tribe of Abdul Qays, aided by his brother Abul Walid Muslim, rebelled against the Qarmatian governor of Uwal. In the following year, the rebels defeated a Qarmatian fleet, and Qatif was snatched from them very soon. The Qarmatians were then threatened by Abdullah bin Ali al-Uyuni, the chief of the clan of Mura bin Amir of Abdul Qays, who rose against them in 462/1070 and defeated the Qarmatians and laid siege over al-Ahsa for seven years. Assisted by a force of Turkoman horsemen sent from the Abbasids, Abdullah bin Ali al-Uyuni seized al-Ahsa in 469/1076. He decisively subdued the Qarmatians in 470/1077, putting a definite end to the Qarmatian state of Bahrain, and founded a local rule of the Uyunids in eastern Arabia.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QARMATIANS - The Ismailis and the QarmatiansEncyclopedia Topic

"It must be known that some historians have tried to establish as fact that the Qarmatians and the Ismailis constituted one and the same movement, and some have tried to prove the contrary. Ibn Rizam, an anti-Ismaili pamphleteer of the first half of the fourth/tenth century had wrongly woven stories of the Ismailis and Qarmatians, to which S.M. Stern writes in Studies in Early Ismailism (Jerusalem, 1983, p. 295) that, "One might regard this account which derives after all from a pamphleteer whose aim was to blacken the reputation of the Fatimid, with some suspicion." Historian Nuwayri (d. 732/1332) also poured unbelievable stuff, whose primary purpose was to provide entertaining reading and cared less than anything for the truth. It is however curious to note a general tendency in the Sunnite and Shi'ite sources, when referring to the Ismailis, often erroneously call them Qarmatians without perception of the distinction between them. The Qarmatians have been discredited invariably as the extremist and opportunistically nihilist, and their extreme activities have been wrongly conflated with the Ismailis. Syed Abid Ali writes in Political Theory of the Shi'ites (cf. A History of Muslim Philosophy, ed. by M.M. Sharif, Germany, 1963, 1:738) that, "The Carmathian sect is not confused with the Ismailites, as the latest research has established beyond any doubt: it is the term "Ismailite" which is indicative of the true origin of the sect, other appellations being either misleading or based on hostility to this sect in general and to orthodox Shi'ites in particular." He also writes, "At this juncture, it is perhaps expedient to state in the most explicit terms that the Carmathians were not associated with the Ismailis, nor were they identical with them as it is sometimes wrongly supposed." (Ibid., p. 741). S.M. Stern also writes that, "It is true that the movement to which both names (Ismailis and Qarmatians) are applied was at one moment in its history broken by a schism, and that the name "Qarmatian" was predominantly used in respect of the Qarmatians of Bahrayn, who were at variance with the main body of the Ismaili movement; yet even then the term "Qarmatian" was not exclusively reserved for them and was often used - usually in a derogatory sense - to denote any Ismaili.... The early Ismailis were seldom so denominated by their contemporaries, being called instead by such names as Qarmatians or Batinis. They themselves seem to have designated their movement simply by the name "the mission", al-dawa, or more formally "the right-guided mission", al-dawa al-hadiya; thus "to be converted to Ismailism" would be rendered by them as "to enter the mission", dakhala'l-dawa. (Ibid. pp. 289-90)

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QARMATIANS - The Qarmatians in BahrainEncyclopedia Topic

"The Qarmatians also penetrated into Bahrain by the efforts of Abu Sa'id al-Hasan bin Bahram al-Jannabi, who was born in Jannaba on the coast of Fars. He was trained by Abdan in Kufa, and Hamdan al-Qarmat sent him to Bahrain in 281/894. By 286/899, with the support of the clan of Rabi of Abdul Qafs, Abu Sa'id had brought under submission a large part of Bahrain and also captured Qatif. According to Ibn Hawakal, the leader of the Qarmatians in Bahrain, Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi took the part of Hamdan al-Qarmat and Abdan. In 287/900, the Qarmatians acquired control of Hajar, the seat of the Abbasid governor. The Abbasid caliph Mutadid (d. 289/902) sent an army of 2000 men against them, but were defeated. In 290/903, Hajar was finally subdued after a long siege laid by Abu Sa'id. He established his headquarters at al-Ahsa (or al-Lahsa), which became the capital of the Jannabid rule of the Qarmatians of Bahrain in 314/926.

Bernard Lewis writes in The Origins of Ismailism (London, 1940, p. 76) that, "The Carmathians of Behrain seem, according to the accounts of most of our sources, to constitute a separate movement, differing in several important aspects from other sections of the Ismaili dawa. They had separate leaders of their own, a distinct local tradition and history." Abu Sa'id was killed in 301/914 after ruling for fifteen years. He was succeeded by his son, Abul Kassim, who ruled for three years, and was killed by his younger brother Abu Tahir in a revolt in 304/916. Abu Tahir was a deadly enemy of the Abbasids, therefore, he started his political correspondence with the Fatimids in Maghrib. He executed a verbal undertaking with the Fatimids, which was absolutely a political pact. Accordingly, when Imam al-Qaim, the son of Imam al-Mahdi launched a campaign of Egypt in 307/919 from Maghrib, the Qarmatians were to reach opposite direction of Egypt to put a pressure on the Egyptian army. Before the arrival of Abu Tahir at that location, Imam al-Qaim had returned from his place to Maghrib after getting loss. Abu Tahir however reached late and returned to Bahrain. Henceforward, the above political pact between them practically became annulled.

In 317/929, the Qarmatians had spread down in Hijaz, and flooded Mecca and Kaba with the blood of pilgrims under the command of Abu Tahir. They made it a scene of fire, blood and repine for 17 days. It must be known that the Qarmatians had been severely and rigorously condemned by the Fatimids for not complying with the pact and reached late at the Egyptian border. In reprisal, the Qarmatians moved to discredit the Fatimids and recited the Fatimid khutba in place of the Abbasid in Hijaz during their horrible operations, so as to misguide the Muslims that their barbarian operations were directed by the Fatimids. The Qarmatians choked up the sacred spring of Zamzam, the door of the Kaba was broken open, the veil covering the Kaba was torn down, and the sacred Black Stone was removed from the Kaba and taken to their headquarters at Hajar. The Fatimid Imam al-Mahdi was highly shocked to hear this sacrilegious operation and wrote a reproachful letter to Abu Tahir, reprehending him severely for his devilish conduct. Reproaching Abu Tahir, al-Mahdi had written a letter to him. According to al-Nufudh al-Fatimid fi bilad al-Sham wa'l Iraq (Cairo, 1950, p. 36), the letter reads: "It is a contemptible matter that you have committed a grave sin under my name. Where did you commit? You have committed in the House of God and its neighbours. This is a sacred place, where the murder was unlawful even in the age of ignorance; and the defamation of the people living in Mecca is considered inhuman. You have violated that tradition, and even rooted out the Black Stone, and brought it to your land; and now you expect that I may express my gratitude? God curse you, and be again accursed and execrable. May peace be upon him (Prophet Muhammad), whose sayings and deeds are the source of the integrity of the Muslims, who may be ready to answer hereafter what they have committed today." It must be pointed out that the letter of Imam al-Mahdi as cited by Ibn Khallikan (1:427) is absolutely distorted and interpolated for the purpose of throwing the odium of sacrilege on Imam al-Mahdi too.

In the meantime, Begkem (d. 326/941), the amir of Baghdad offered the Qarmatians a reward of 50,000 dinars to restore the sacred stone, which was refused. But the letter of Imam al-Mahdi was more effectual than Begkem's proffered ransom. Abu Tahir apologized and promised to return the Black Stone to its original place in Kaba. It however remained in Hajar for 22 years, and was returned in 339/950 by the then Qarmatian chief, Ahmad bin Mansur. When they restored the Black Stone, they first carried it to Kufa and hung it up in the mosque for public inspection; and then they bore it to Mecca. Nasir Khusaro (d. 481/1088) had visited al-Ahsa in 443/1051 and relates the above event in his Safar-nama (tr. by W.M. Thackston, New York, 1986, pp. 88-89) that, "One of the rulers (of al-Ahsa) attacked Mecca and killed a number of people who were circumambulating the Kaba at the time. They removed the Black Stone from its corner and took it to Lahsa. They said that the Stone was a "human magnet" that attracted people, not knowing that it was the nobility and magnificence of Muhammad (peace be on him) that drew people there, for the Stone had laid there for long ages without anyone paying any particular attention to it. In the end, the Black Stone was brought back and returned to its place."

Abu Tahir died in 332/944 and had made a will of succession for his elder brother, Ahmad Abu Tahir. Some also supported Sabur, the son of Abu Tahir; therefore, it was mutually resolved that Ahmad Abu Tahir would rule with Sabur as his successor. Sabur however rebelled in vain against his uncle in 358/969; but himself was arrested and executed. Ahmad Abu Tahir was poisoned in 359/970, and his elder brother Abul Kassim Sa'id also died after ruling for two years. In 361/972, Abu Yaqub Yousuf, the brother of Ahmad Abu Tahir began to rule until 366/977. Henceforward, the Qarmatian state of Bahrain came to be ruled jointly by six grandsons of Abu Sa'id, known as al-sada al-ru'asa.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QasarEncyclopedia Topic

Palace, castle

Various Sources QASIDONoun

Broderie d'or et d'argent.

Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #935general QASIM SHAH, 32&egrave; PIRName

Pir Alaudin's son. Named by Imam Zulfikar Ali. Died after a brief sickness duringthe time of Imam Nooruddin Ali.

Fils de Pir Alaudin, nommé par l'Imam Zulfikar Ali. Mourut après une brève maladie durant l'Imamat de Nooruddin Ali.

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #338general QASIM, 3&egrave;. PIRName

(47AH-61AH.) Hazarat Hassan's son. Was born in Medina and and was sacrified as a martyr at Kerbala at the age of 14. See. Pir Jaffar.

(47AH-61AH.) Fils de Hazrat Hassan, né à Médine, sacrifia sa vie à Kerbala, à l'âge de 14 ans. V. Pir Jaffar.

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #337general QatareEncyclopedia Topic

In a queue

Various Sources QATL AL-NAFSEncyclopedia Topic

The word qatl al-nafs means self-murder, denoting suicide in classical Islamic literature. Another word intihar means cutting of the throat is common in modern Arabic speech. There is only one phrase in the Koran relevant to the subject of suicide: "O you who believe! Do not devour your wealth in the wrong way, rather only through trade mutually agreed to, and do not kill yourselves" (4:29). The phrase wa-la taqtulu anfusakum (do not kill yourselves) coincides with the Arabic term for suicide (qatl an-nafs).

The prophetic tradition frequently, clearly and absolutely prohibits suicide. He said, "Whosoever shall kill himself shall suffer in the fire of hell" (Bukhari, 8:984) and "shall be excluded from heaven for ever" (Ibid., 8:182). It is also related that the Prophet refused the funeral rites to a suicide (Abu Daud, 2:98), and also told the people not to pray over a man who had killed himself by cutting his throat with a sharp blade.

Suicides by reason of financial failure, loss of honour or of loved one and the civil and domestic disputes occur daily in the world. It is committed by firing, drowning into the water or poisoning oneself

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral QayamEncyclopedia Topic

Eternal, forever

Various Sources QayamEncyclopedia Topic

Qayam paya, ever-living

Various Sources Qayam dayamEncyclopedia Topic

Ever-existing and Ever-living

Various Sources QIBLAEncyclopedia Topic

"The word qibla means direction or point towards which one turns his face for prayer as opposed to dibrah which indicates the direction or point towards which one turns his back. The word qibla occurs four times in the Koran.

While the Prophet was in Mecca, he used to pray with his face to the holy temple at Jerusalem, but six months after his coming to Medina, where the Jewish element was strong, he was expressly directed by Divine revelation to turn his face to the Kaba as his qibla: "And from whatsoever place you come forth, turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque; and wherever you are, turn your faces towards it" (2:150). This order that all places of worship should coverage towards the Kaba had an underlying purpose which is hinted at in the Koran in connection with the subject of the qibla: "And every one has a direction to which he turns himself, therefore hasten to do good works; wherever your are, God will bring you all together" (2:148). The bringing of all together clearly means the making of all as one people, so that, beneath the ostensible unity of direction lies the real unity of purpose. Thus, the unity of the qibla among Muslims stands for their unity of purpose, and forms the basis on which rests the brotherhood of Islam. Hence, the Prophet's saying: "Do not call your ahl qibla (those who follow your qibla) kafirs"

It is related that when the Islamic army returned from the battle of Khaibar, they alighted at a place for prayer at evening. The sky was covered with dense clouds and it was too dark, and as a result the direction of qibla could not be located. They offered prayer on different directions. Next day when they reached Medina and found their directions being different, they started to re-offer their prayer. On this juncture, the Koranic verse revealed: "And God's is the East and the West, therefore whither you turn, thither is God's face" (2:115).

Fakhruddin Razi (4:18) take a broad sense of the Koranic context and points out that both East and West belong to God, wherever God chooses to order men to face will be the qibla. No direction has any superiority over any other; the qibla has thus no intrinsic merit, but is the qibla simply on account of the fact of God's having imposed it.

Zamakhshari interprets the verse as follows:- "To God belongs the east and the west means that the lands of the east and the west and the entire earth belong to God. Wherever, therefore, you turn your face, that is, in whatever place you perform the act of turning your faces there is the face of God. The face of God here means the direction which he decreed and with which He was pleased (1:306).

The verse could also mean, according to Ibn Arabi, "To God belongs the illumination or shinning forth (ishraq) upon men's hearts through His being reflected in them and manifesting Himself to them in the attribute of His beauty in the state of their presence (shuhud), and annihilation (fana). To him also belongs the westering (ghurub), that is, concealing Himself in them by veiling Himself in the forms and essences of their hearts. It is His self-concealment in the attribute of His Majesty in the state of their subsistence (baqa) after annihilation. To whatever direction you turn then there shall be His face. For there is nothing in reality but He alone" (1:8).

The qibla is a direction or point, which does not direct the existence of God over there alone. God is Omnipresent and His existence is not limited to the extent of one direction only. God says: "The East and the West belong only to God" (2:142), "And He is with you wherever you are" (57:4) and "It is not righteousness that you turn your face towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in God and the last day and the angels" (2:177).

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