Ismaili Dictionary & Encyclopedia
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How much? how many?
Various Sources KevaEncyclopedia TopicWhat, how?
Various Sources Keva sarikhoEncyclopedia TopicWorth telling
Various Sources KevdaEncyclopedia TopicA kind of fragrant plant
Various Sources KevdoEncyclopedia TopicA type of plant and its aromatic flower, a kind of fragrant plant, a kind of fragrant tree or its flower
Various Sources KeviEncyclopedia TopicHow?
Various Sources KevlasaEncyclopedia TopicName of a mountain
Various Sources KevlasiEncyclopedia TopicWill be called, will be recognized as
Various Sources KEY OF THE CITY Encyclopedia Topic"March 17, 1962 : The Mayor and Town Council of Arzachena (Sardinia) made an Honorary Citizen of the Town.
August 4, 1965 : The Mayor of Abidjan conferred the honour of Freeman of Abidjan and presented with the "Golden Key" to the city.
November 15, 1966 : Presented the Golden Key to the Town of Majunga (in Malagasy Republic) by the Mayor.
April 4, 1980 : Mayor of Lahore presented the Freedom of the City of Lahore.
February 15, 1981 : Mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani of Karachi presented the "Key of Karachi City".
June 1991 : Received the Huesped de Honor de Granada from the Mayor of Granada.
September 21, 1992 : Invested with the Honorary citizenship of the city of Samarkand by the Mayor Aziz Nasirov and Governor Palat Majidovich Abdur Rakhmanov.
December 17, 1996 : Received the Key to the City of Lisbon, Portugal.
June 6, 2005 : Received the Key to the City of Ottawa, Canada.
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KhabardarEncyclopedia TopicHedge, watchman, guard
Various Sources KhadEncyclopedia TopicGrass
Various Sources Khad khadeoEncyclopedia TopicGrass
Various Sources Khadag (Khanang)Encyclopedia TopicA sword
Various Sources KhadangEncyclopedia TopicSword
Various Sources KhadaslaEncyclopedia TopicDeserted, ruined
Various Sources KHADHA KHORAKINounNourriture, appetit. Plat offert la plupart du temps symboliquement a l'Imam.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #61general KhadheEncyclopedia TopicBy eating, eating
Various Sources KhadiEncyclopedia TopicMoat
Various Sources KhadiaEncyclopedia TopicSplit of a second
Various Sources KhadiyaEncyclopedia TopicStood, joined, standing
Various Sources KhadoEncyclopedia TopicBarbed, thorny, place for storing grains
Various Sources KhaiEncyclopedia TopicHaving eaten
Various Sources KHAIBAREncyclopedia Topic"In 7/629, about six weeks after the Prophet's party returned from Hudaibia, they learnt that the Jews in Khaibar were planning to make an inroad on Medina. To forestall these moves, the Muslims marched on Khaibar, about 92 miles from Medina, with 1600 men, and covered the distance in three forced marches and reached the enemy territory before dawn on the fourth morning. The two armies met at first at Natat and fought each other strongly. When Sullam bin Mishkam, the chief of the Jews was killed, Harith bin Abu Zaynab took over the leadership, and charged from the fortress of Naim, but he was soon repulsed. Five strongholds at Khaibar were reduced one by one with the exception of the strongly fortified and impregnable al-Qamus, which was under the command of Marhab, who was like Goliath of Goeth.
The Prophet at first assigned Abu Bakr to lead the Muslim army to besiege the fort. R.V.C. Bodley writes in The Messenger (London, 1946, p. 271) that, "Into this Abu Bakr led a heroic attack, but he was driven back. Then Umar tried, but while he reached the mouth of the breach, he had to retire." Thus, the Prophet declared, "Tomorrow, I will hand over the banner of Islamic army to such a person who is an impetuous warrior and not an absconder; he befriends God and His Apostle and is also befriended by them. God is sure to grant victory on his hands." The next morning, Ali had been given the charge to lead the assault and to fight till the Jews acknowledged submission. Ali, clad in a scarlet vest over which was buckled a cuirass of steel, proceeded to the front. He put Harith, a man of gigantic stature to the sword. To revenge the death of his brother, the Jewish champion Marhab stepped forward from Jewish lines, and challenged Ali to single combat. "I am Marhab", he cried, "as all Khaibar know, a warrior bristling with arms in a furiously ranging war." Ali advanced from the Muslim ranks in response to his vainglorious challenge, saying "I am he whom his mother named Haidar, a lion of the wilderness; I weigh my foes in a gigantic balance." As both closed, Marhab made a thrust at Ali with his three-pronged lance, which Ali dexterously warded off, and before he could recover himself, Ali dealt him a blow with his irresistible sword, which divided his buckler, passed through his doubled turban, cleaving his head went down to his chest. Marhab fell lifeless to the ground. The Muslim warriors rushed forward in a body, and captured the citadel and the victory was decisive. The casualties of the Muslims in this battle did not exceed twenty, while ninety-three were killed on Jewish side.
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KhajinaEncyclopedia TopicTreasure, wealth
Various Sources KhakEncyclopedia TopicDust, clay
Various Sources KHAK-I SHAFAEncyclopedia TopicThe Persian word khak-i shafa means healing clay. The burial of the dead bodies in Karbala or Najaf, and the use of Karbala clay in holy water once held a firm dominance in the Ismaili community in Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.
Karbala was considered a sacred place for burial, where the rich class sent dead bodies of their relatives for interment. The dead body used to be kept in the Jamatkhana for some time and transported to Karbala via Baghdad. None spoke anything wrong against this practice, because Imam Hasan Ali I (1660-1694), Imam Abul Hasan Ali (1730-1792) and Imam Khalilullah Ali II (1792-1817) were also buried in Najaf, excepting Imam Hasan Ali Shah (1817-1881), who lies buried in Bombay. When Imam Hasan Ali Shah was buried in Bombay, an average Ismailis seem to have realized that there was no necessity to sanctify a particular place. It procured maximum impact after 1881. When Imam Aga Ali Shah was buried in Najaf in 1885, it reacted nothing and maintained that every place is worthy for interment in Islam.
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (1885-1957) seems to have reduced importance of Karbala in the community when he said in Zanzibar on August 16, 1905 that, "People go to Karbala, where they physically see the golden houses (shrines), stones and clay, so what? Make an inner house, which is profitable indeed."
The second issue was the belief in the sanctity of Karbala clay, known as Niyaz, Niyaz ji Goli or Khak-i Shafa. Pir Hasan Kabiruddin (1341-1449) imparts in his one ginan that: "The place where the Imam puts his legs, you pick up its clay. Prepare its tablets by his orders. Drink the water (mixed) with the clay. Without drinking, the sins cannot be forgiven." (15:45-6)
The ginanic verses quoted above designate the "place" as holy where the Imam put his legs, and collect the clay beneath his legs to mix in the water for making it sacramental. It seems that the Indian pilgrims visiting Iran brought clay of the footprints of the Imams and used for the patients for healing and mixing in the Ab-i Shafa.. It appears that it was an irregular practice. Procuring clay from Iran and distribute everywhere was not so easy in India. It is however probable that the Imam's vakils would have also brought it and supplied in their places. With the passage of time, the Indian Ismailis would have been influenced with the practice of the native Ithna Asharis, who used the clay of Karbala as holy in their rites. If this tradition is genuine, its implies that the Karbala clay took its root in Indian community in place of the clay of the footprints of the Imam. For their conviction in the holiness of Karbala clay, they were told that Karbala was the place where Imam Hussain had put his steps on it, therefore, its clay should be sacred. The argument collaborated almost with the ginanic verses of Pir Hasan Kabiruddin, therefore, the Karbala clay took no time to find its proper place in the rites/ceremonies of the Indian Ismailis. The replacement soon generated an indomitable tradition all over India. Muscat seems to have become a place, wherefrom the Karbala clay was procured.
The dust of Karbala is made into moulds, called mohurs in India from their resemblance in shape and size to pieces of coined money and into strings of large beads. Whenever the Ithna Ashari prayed, he put his mohur or mould of the dust of Karbala on the ground, so that it might meet his forehead in the act of prostration. When in prayer he muttered the name of God, he touched one of the beads fashioned out of the clay of Karbala that strung on his rosary. On more occasions, such as the new moon, the Ramzan or the Muharram, they were in the habit of partaking of a sort of sacramental cup consisting of water mingled with the clay of Karbala.
The tradition has it that the Indian Ismailis met in the Jamatkhanas and their worship also consisted in the repetition of the 99 or 101 names of the Pir Shah, on rosary of glass or amber, or preferably one made of beads of Karbala clay. On the night of lailat qadr (night of majesty) during 23rd Ramzan, a service of the chhanta held in the Jamatkhanas. The confessor knelt in front of the Mukhi/Kamadia and uttered, Ya Ali. The Mukhi or Kamadia took a little of the holy water mixed with the mould of Karbala and sprinkled it on the confessor's forehead. Its foothold in the community can be judged from the fact that it also echoed in the judgment of the Aga Khan Case of 1866, which reads: "And then what is to be said of the prayers performed three times a day, in all the Jamatkhanas of the Khojas, and with arms held down to the sides, not crossed on the breast; of the prostrations on moulds made of the dust of Karbala, the solemn drinking at stated anniversaries of water mixed with the dust of Karbala
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHALaQNounCréateur. V. KHaLQaT.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #466general KhalaqanharEncyclopedia TopicCreator
Various Sources KhaldiEncyclopedia TopicSkin, hide
Various Sources KHALIFAEncyclopedia TopicThe term occurs in the Koran twice in the singular and seven times in the plural as khala'if or khulafa. By far its most prevalent meaning in the Koran is successor, substitute, replacement or deputy, which is clear in the verbal and nominal plural occurrences. The rare meaning of the term is inhabitant or settler on earth. The meaning is most evident in 2:30 where God says to the angels: "I am making on earth a khalifa" clearly meaning Adam. Another meaning has some political and juridical implications; it is "one who exercises authority." It is clear in only one verse (38:26), where David is addressed: "O David, We have made you a khalifa on earth, so judge justly between people and follow not desires lest they should thwart you from God's path."
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHALILULLAH ALI I (957-993/1550-1585), 39TH IMAMEncyclopedia Topic"Mirza Khalil, mostly known as Khalilullah Ali I was born in Anjudan. It is related that Imam Nuruddin Ali nominated him as his successor in presence of the Indian and Syrian Ismaili pilgrims at Anjudan.
Imam Khalilullah Ali is said to have examined the economical conditions of the poor Ismailis residing in Iran, India, Syria, Badakhshan and Central Asia, and sent necessary aids through his family members. He also reviewed the then system of Ismaili mission of different regions, and caused vital changes specifically in the religious practices in India.
Between 947/1540 and 960/1553, the Safavid Shah Tahmasp waged four expeditions in the Caucasus, and brought a large number of Georgian, Circassian and Armenian prisoners in Iran, including women and slaves. There had been a serious struggle in acquiring power in the principal posts between the Iranians and the Turks, known as Kizilbash. The prisoners of Caucasus hence had been given military training as the "third force" of the empire. Thus, the introduction of the Tajik element changed the character of the Safavid society. They proved very loyal to the empire until the death of Shah Tahmasp. When he fell ill in 982/1574 for about two months, there was a recrudescence of dissension among the Kizilbash chiefs. The Tajik women in the royal harem also jumped into the political intrigue to advance the claims of their respective sons to the succession. The nine sons of Shah Tahmasp were familiar in the different military units, and each unit came up to support the respective sons for the next ruler. Muhammad Khudabanda, the elder son was ill. The second son Ismail was in prison for twenty years since 1556. The other seven sons belonged to Circassian or Georgian mothers, each was expecting the throne for their own sons. Shah Tahmasp died in 984/1576. The Georgian made an unsuccessful attempt to place Hyder on the throne, and his supporters raided the capital city, but failed and Hyder was killed. Finally, about thirty thousand Kizilbash thronged at the prison, and released Ismail and crowned him at Qazwin as Shah Ismail II on August 22, 1576 at the age of 40 years.
Shah Ismail II first of all executed and blinded those princes, who were responsible for his long punishment, including his five brothers. He abandoned the doctrines of Twelver and banned the practice of tabarra. The Kizilbash generals began to realize that Shah Ismail II was not a sort of ruler they had expected. They got him killed with the help of his sister, Pari Khan Khanum by poison in 985/1577. The Kizilbash crowned Muhammad Khudabanda, the elder brother of Shah Ismail II. He was one among those persons, who had been ordered by Shah Ismail II for execution, but was survived owing to some sorts of delay. He had been in Herat during the death of Shah Ismail II, and reached at Qazwin from Shiraz. It implied that the Safavid throne remained without a king for three months. Finally, Muhammad Khudabanda assumed power in 985/1578. He was a mild, and his eye-sight was so weak that he was virtually blind. He took no interest in state affairs, and remained in composing poems under the pen-name, Fahmi. His wife Mahd-i Ulya however governed the state by a council of the Kizilbash officers, whom she ignored, and replaced by the Iranian officers. She had planned to make her own son to succeed her husband, and conspired to remove the capable son of Muhammad Khudabanda, called Abbas being born to other wife. Abbas was in Herat and thus, he escaped from the conspiracy.
The Ottoman sultan Murad III (1574-1595) invaded Azerbaijan and Georgia with one lac soldiers in 986/1578. The Safavid forces suffered a long series of defeat. On the other side, the dispute between Mahd-i Ulya and Kizilbash officers had shaken the foundation of the empire. She had been killed by Kizilbash, and the whole power came with the military. The army of Ustajlu-Shamlu in Khorasan, the Afshars in Afghanistan, and the Kizilbash in Qazwin and northern region were divided among themselves. They began to fight one another and violated the law and order in supporting the different sons of Muhammad Khudabanda. The notable princes being supported by the above three military groups were Hamza, Abu Talib and Abbas. Hamza was killed in 1586, therefore, the Kizilbash turned their support to Abu Talib. Under such fratricidal disputes for the throne, Shah Muhammad Khudabanda had been forced to abandon the throne in favour of Abbas in 996/1588, who was about 17 years old. Murshid Quli Khan, the leader of Ustajlu-Shamlu in Khorasan supported him, who had been invested the title of vakil of the supreme diwan. The new king Shah Abbas negotiated a peace treaty with the Ottoman sultan in 997/1589, and also began to repel the Uzbek inroads from eastern side.
Imam Khalilullah Ali is said to have held a conference of the da'is of different regions in Anjudan to review the mission activities. He made few vital changes in the system in Syria and India, and issued necessary orders abreast of time in various regions. Imam Khalilullah Ali seems to have organized a best system of his contacts with the Ismailis of Iran, Syria, Badakhshan and India. He had employed in this context a certain Zayn al-Abidin bin Hussain bin Khushnam Angawani (d. 961/1554), who knew many languages. He was assigned to write letters, bearing official seal to the Ismaili communities as per the instructions of the Imam.
The Nusairi zealots had raided and pillaged the Ismaili villages in Syria in 1569. They captured the strongholds of Masiyaf and Qadmus, which was informed to the Imam by the Syrian pilgrims. It is related that Imam Khalilullah Ali dispatched an embassy to the Ottoman authority in Latakia, and as a result, the Nusairis withdrew from Masiyaf and Qadmus after three years.
The Iranian Ismailis mostly professed in agriculture. Later on, few among them are reported to have ventured into the local trade, and became leading merchants in Kirman. Their rapid progress can be judged from the records that the Ismaili merchants of Kirman dominated the trade at port Hormuz around 1580. They mostly carried their trade with the Portuguese, and then with the English East India Company in 1610. There are certain indications that the Khoja Ismaili traders also launched their commercial activities between port Hormuz and Kutchh.
The Ismaili ruler of Gilgit, Raja Trakhan (1310-1335) was succeeded by Raja Somul (1335-1390). The third ruler was Raja Khusaro Khan (1390-1435), then Raja Hyder Khan (1435-1480), Raja Chalis Khan (1480-1515) and Raja Nur Khan (1515-1565). It means that the Ismailis ruled Gilgit absolutely for about 255 years. But, the seventh ruler Raja Mirza Khan (1565-1600) was invaded by Ali Sher Khan Anchan (1595-1633), the ruler of Skardu. Raja Mirza Khan took flight to Baltistan and lived as a refugee with the Maqpon ruler, Raja Ghazi Mir (1565-1595), who had died a month later. Raja Mirza married to the daughter of the ruler, and became a Twelver. He took field against Gilgit with colossal means and materials he acquired from the new ruler, Raja Ali Sher Khan (1600-1632), and subdued Ali Sher Khan Anchan at Gilgit, and reinstated his rule. Henceforward, he forced the inhabitants to follow the doctrines of the Twelver. The Ismailis observed strict taqiya, and were also known as the Mughli.
Imam Khalilullah Ali I died at Kahek in 993/1585, but he was buried in Anjudan. It seems that the Ismailis were thickly populated in Anjudan, therefore, it was resolved to settle few families in Kahek in Kirman. According to another tradition, the Twelvers and Nuqtawiyas also lived in Anjudan and its locality, therefore, the governor of Hamadan had appointed a certain Shi'a leader, called Syed Khalilullah as the amir of Anjudan after Imam's departure from the village in 992/1584. An epigraph discovered by Farhad Daftary at Anjudan is allegedly collated with the preceding move. It reproduces the text of a royal edict issued by Shah Abbas II in Rajab, 1036/March-April, 1627 addressing to Amir Khalilullah Anjudani, for the exemption of certain taxes, wherein the Anjudani Shi'as are explicitly regarded as the Twelvers. Farhad Daftary however identifies Amir Khalilullah Anjudani as Imam Zulfikar Ali, who was also known as Khalilullah. The balance of arguments points that it is almost a tentative speculation, and its historicity is doubtful.
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHALILULLAH ALI II (1206-1233/1792-1817), 45TH IMAMEncyclopedia Topic"Imam Khalilullah Ali II was born in 1153/1740 in the city of Kirman. His upbringing in Mahallat began under the care of his uncle, Mirza Muhammad Bakir at the age of two years, and got rudiments of his formal education at home.
In 1157/1744, a daughter Bibi Marium Khatoon, was born at his uncle's home, known as Bibi Sarcar Mata Salamat, with whom the marriage of Imam Khalilullah Ali was solemnized, who gave birth of Hasan Ali Shah. She was a good orator and visited India about at the age of 85 years in 1245/1829 with Mirza Abul Kassim to remove the internal strifes of the community. She went to live at Kera in Kutchh in 1246/1830, where she breathed her last in 1248/1832. She had been interred in Najaf, but her memorial still exists in Kera. The second marriage of Imam Khalilullah Ali had been actualized in Yazd with the sister of Aga Imam Khan Farahani in 1231/1816.
Imam Khalilullah Ali ascended in 1206/1792, which he intimated in writing to his Indian followers. E.I. Howard had delivered his speech in the Bombay High Court in June, 1866, where he presented a few letters of Imam Khalilullah Ali, vide The Shi'a School of Islam and its Branches (Bombay, 1906, p. 85). In pursuant, on 23rd May, 1792, when assumed the Imamate, he wrote a letter, addressed to the community of Bhavnagar, stating that he had been so fortunate as to have assumed his seat on the throne of the Imamate, and directed them to remit the religious dues to him under the care of the jamat at Muscat. Another letter dated July, 1794 also addressed to the jamats of Sind, Kutchh, Surat, Bombay, Mahim, Bhavnagar etc.
Imam Khalilullah Ali also used to go out on regular hunting trips in the woods with his retainers and pages, preferably during the festive of Navroz and Eid al-Ghadir. He had many lands in Mahallat, Kahek and Shahr-i Babak, procuring large earnings. His followers from India, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Central Asia used to flock at Mahallat, whom he granted the title of darwish. Sometimes, he gave them the letters for the jamat. Some pilgrims are reported to have died in Iran, whose graves exist in Kahek. For instance, Kamadia Datardina Wandani of the dharkhana jamat died in 1217/1803 and a certain Rai Pareo Janguani died in 1224/1810. Imam Khalilullah Ali had acquired few pieces of land in Yazd for the Iranian Ismailis, and himself also moved to Yazd in 1230/1815.
Syed Karamali Shah was an Iranian Ismaili, who lived in Mahallat. He mostly remained in the company of Mirza Muhammad Bakir, who taught him the esoteric doctrines of Ismailism. Syed Karamali was sent to Badakhshan and Chitral, where he launched pervasive mission. He also went to Yasin, whose ruler was Raja Khushwaqt I (1640-1700), the founder of Khushwawaqt dynasty. Syed Karamali had devoted his life in the Ismaili mission and died in Yasin.
Aga Muhammad Khan Qajar had founded the Qajarid dynasty in Iran and made Tehran as his capital in 1210/1796. He concluded a truce with the Russians, and accordingly, the Qajarid retained the occupation of Jurjan and Taghlas. In 1206/1792, Aga Muhammad Khan seized Shiraz and sent his nephew, Fateh Ali to conquer Kirman. Fateh Ali replaced Mirza Sadik, the cousin of Imam Abul Hasan Ali, and himself became the governor of the provinces of Fars, Kirman and Yazd.
Aga Muhammad Khan then turned to the Afsharids of Khorasan, and invaded Mashhad in 1210/1796 and defeated them. Meanwhile, the Russians once again attacked the northern region of Iran, therefore, Aga Muhammad Khan had to take field, where he was killed by his own two slaves in 1211/1797. He ruled over a great part of Iran for a period of 18 years and 10 months, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fateh Ali Shah, who was engaged in expelling his enemies at that time, such as Russia, Turkey, the Uzbeks and Afghans.
The most marked instance of the political involvement of the Shi'a ulema during this period was in the case of the first Perso-Russian War (1804-1813) in the Caucasus, which had been intermittent from about 1804, and resumed in 1811. Abbas Mirza, the son of Fateh Ali Shah was conducting the campaign, turned to the ulema of Iraq and Ispahan to issue fatwa, declaring the encounter against Russia as a jihad. Many of the prominent ulema, such as Shaikh Jafar Kashiful Gitta (d. 1227/1812) and Ahmad Naraqi (d. 1245/1829), responded to this appeal and stirred up hottest agitation. In 1812, the Iranian army defeated the Russians at Qarabagh. Russian forces were reinforced, crossed the Aras river, and defeated the Iranians at Aslanduz.
The first Perso-Russian War was consequently ended in defeat of Iran, and the Treaty of Gulistan in 1228/1813 stripped Iran of all the Caucasian provinces, such as Georgia, Darband, Baku, Shirwan, Shaki, Ganja, Qarabagh, Mughan and part of Talish. This war had considerably depleted the resources of Iran. A number of disorders broke out; and the Afghans also engineered a rebellion in Khorasan in 1813. There was also repeated chaotic condition on the Turkish frontier, but war did not break out until 1821. It however lasted until 1823 when it was concluded by the treaty of Erzurum.
The ulema class however continued to employ effectively the tactics of obstructionism in the Iranian politics, and emphatically agitated for another jihad against Russia. In 1825, the Russian governor-general of Georgia occupied Gokcheh, the principal disputed district with a military force. Fateh Ali Shah was reluctant but when in 1826 he set out for his summer residence in Sultaniyya, he was followed there by Aqa Syed Muhammad Tabataba, Ahmad Naraqi (d. 1245/1829), Muhammad Taqi Baraghani (d.1230/1847) and other prominent ulema, demanded that Fateh Ali Shah should declare war on Russia. They threatened to take control of the affairs of government in case of refusal. They issued fatwa, declaring the war to be obligatory and opposition to it a sign of unbelief (kufr).
The king was pressed into acquiescing, and the war broke out in 1826. Iran gained initial success, recovering most of the territories ceded by the treaty of Gulistan. The Russian forces were reinforced with latest weapons. The ulema imparted to the Iranian soldiers, who had inferior weapons, to recite Sura Yasin of the Koran in the battlefield, to cause their enemies blind. The Russians inflicted a series of severe defeats on the Iranian army. They advanced rapidly and Tabriz was first to be fallen, and various discontented leaders in Azerbaijan went over to the Russian side. The outcome of this second Perso-Russian War was as disastrous as the first. Negotiations for peace began in November, 1827, and a treaty was signed on February 21, 1828 at Turkomanchay. As the result of the Treaty of Turkomanchay, Erivan and Nakhchivan and a large indemnity were ceded by Iran. Saiyid Athar Abbas Rizvi writes in Iran - Royalty, Religion and Revolution (Canberra, 1980, p. 95) that, "Thus the war-mongering bureaucrates forced upon Iran a war with Russia which ended with the even more humiliating treaty of Turkomanchay in 1828."
The state over which Fateh Ali reigned had much in common with the earliest kingdoms of the Seljuqs, the Ilkhanids, the Taymurids and the Safavids. After the Perso-Russian Wars, Fateh Ali lost large part of the Iranian territories.
Imam Khalilullah Ali resided in Mahallat. He came to live in Kahek after assumption of the Imamate in 1206/1792 where he stayed for about 23 years. The Ismailis of Syria, Iran and India flocked in Mahallat, and then in Kahek. His uncle Mirza Muhammad Bakir also lived in Mahallat.
Some contemporary European travellers have reported the whereabouts of Imam Khalilullah. L.J. Rousseau (1780-1831), a French Consul in Aleppo from 1809 to 1816, was the first person to draw the attention of the Europeans to the existence of the contemporary Ismailis and their living Imam. He writes in Memoire sur les Ismaelis et les Nosairis de Syrie, (Vol. XIV, 1811, Paris, pp. 279-80) that, "There were still many Ismailis in the country who owed allegiance to an Imam of the line of Ismail. His name was Shah Khalilullah, and he resided in a village called Kehk near Qumm, half-way between Tehran and Isfahan." Sir John Macdonnell Kinneir (1728-1830) about the year 1813 also described in his Topographical History of Persia that, "In the district of the Persian highlands especially near the ruins of Alamut, are still to be found a remnant of the Ismailis, who go by the name of Hooseinis ... the Ismailis of Persia recognize (Shah Khalilullah) as their chief and Imam, dwelling near Kehkt whose descent they deduce from Ismail, the son of Jaffir Sadick." The Scottish tourist, James Baillie Fraser (1783-1856), who in the course of his journey through Iran had seen the Ismailis. "Shah Khuleel Oollah", he writes in his Narrative of a Journey into Khorasan (London, 1825, p. 376), "was a person of high respectability and great influence, keeping an hundred gholaums of his own in pay; but he was put to death by the inhabitants of Yezd, in a riot...." Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838), an eminent orientalist of the 19th century in his Memoir sur la dynastie des Assassins (Paris, 1818, p. 84) quotes an excerpt of a letter of Rousseau's son wrote to him from Tehran on June 1, 1808. It reads: "The Ismailis even today have their Imam, or pontiff, descending, as they claim, from Jafar Sadiq, the chief of their sect, and residing at Kehek, a village in the districts of Qom. He is called Sheikh Khalil Allah...This person, whom his people grace with the pompous title of caliph, enjoys a great reputation and is considered to have the gift of performing miracles."
Syed Ghulam Ali Shah, or Ghulmali Shah from the Kadiwal family was a prominent missionary in Sind, Kutchh and Kathiawar. He had converted many Hindus. He composed few ginans, and died in Karachi in 1207/1792 and was buried in Kera in Kutchh. He was followed by Syed Muhammad Shah in Kutchh, who died in 1228/1813 and was buried in Bombay. He was the last vakil in India to be sent from Iran. He was not married, therefore, he was honoured the epithet of dullah (bridegroom).
Syed Fateh Ali Shah (1733-1798) was an eminent da'i, whose grave exists near Jiraq in Sind. His pen-name was Shamsi, also known as Syed Shamsi. He was hailed from Kadiwal family. Imam Abul Hasan Ali had given him mantle of vakil for India. He seems to have visited Iran for two times, and lastly in 1210/1795 during the time of Imam Khalilullah Ali, where he stayed about for eight months. He arrived in Mahallat on the day of Navroz and his mind became forlorn when he learnt that the Imam had gone on a hunting expedition in the woods to the north of Mahallat. He relates his quest for the Imam which ultimately led to his meeting. His two ginans are accessible, wherein he makes mention of the Imam that:- "Shah Khalilullah enjoys his stay in the fort of Mahallat, and mercifully summoned Syed Fateh Ali, and accomplished his immense desires, where Mawla Ali appeared in an absolute glory."
In 1230/1815, Imam Khalilullah Ali moved to Yazd. On moving to Yazd, he left behind his wife and children in Kahek to live on the proceeds from the lands in the Mahallat. In 1231/1816, Imam Khalilullah Ali betrothed to the sister of Aga Imam Khan Farahani. Imam Khalilullah Ali also tied his close relation with Haji Zaman Khan, the governor of Yazd. The Ismaili pilgrims henceforward began to trek in Yazd to behold their Imam.
In 1233/1817, a dispute took place between the Ismailis and the local shopkeeper at the main market, and the latter violently lodged complaint to Nawab Mirza Syed Jafar, the chief of Yazd, who summoned the Ismailis for punishment. These handful Ismailis had taken shelter in Imam's residence. In pursuit, Nawab Mirza demanded to arrest them, but Imam refused, saying, "They have sought asylum at my residence, therefore I cannot remove them from my protection."
Mulla Hussain Yazdi was a fanatical Shi'a in Yazd. His friends had created chaotic conditions in Tehran. They had made a mosque in Tehran as a centre of their evil activities. Their objective was to harass the innocent citizens, and relieved through bribes, had they arrested. It seems that Fateh Ali Shah was in need of funds through different means, therefore, he had given liberty to these elements. Many eminent persons had become the victims of the gang of Hussain Yazdi and the event of Yazd also reflects a part of his derogatory activities.
Hussain Yazdi instigated the people and stormed the Imam's residence with a terrorist gang, who pelted stones heavily and broke down its walls. They managed to enter the residence and fought with Imam's handful followers and servants. In the collision, Imam Khalilullah Ali was wounded, resulting his immediate death. The terrorists also gutted the house and took flight.
The news of the death of the Ismaili Imam rapidly spread all over the country within couple of days. In reprisal, the Ismailis took arms and the country was likely being blanketed with the darkest hour, but the emperor Fateh Ali Shah turned the tide. He at once ordered Haji Zaman Khan, the governor of Yazd to arrest Hussain Yazdi and his partisans. The governor soon afterwards arrested them while they were about to flee from the city, and sent them chained in Tehran. Hussain Yazdi was whipped and his friends were imprisoned, who relieved themselves through bribes after restoration of peace.
Imam Khalilullah Ali's body had been taken to Mahallat under the protection of the Qajarid soldiers. His bier was soon taken to Najaf for interment. He had four sons, viz. Hasan Ali Shah, Taki Khan, Sardar Abul Hasan Khan and Sardar Muhammad Bakir Khan; and two daughters, viz. Shah Bibi and Gohar Taj.
With the death of Imam Khalilullah Ali II in 1233/1817, the taqiya practice in the Iranian Ismailis being in force for over five hundred years came to an end, and they came up as a leading Shi'ite branch of Islam in Iran.
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHALIQ SHAHName(15/16e.) The eldest of the 4 sons of Sayyed Imam shah*
(15/16e.) Premier des 4 fils de Seyyed Imam Shah*.
Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #298general KHALIQUDDIN, 18è PIRName(480-540AH.) Son of Pir Mohibbudin. Was born in Sabzwar and was named by Imam Hadi. Assumed the office of Piratan when he was 18 yrs old. Had 2 sons Abdul Mominin and his successor Abdullah.
(480-540AH.) Fils de Pir Mohibbuddin né à Sabzwar et nommé par Imam Hadi. Piratan de 18 ans. Pir en 522AH. eut 2 fils: Abdul Muomini son succeseur et Abdullah.
Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #296general KHALQaTNounCréation.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #625general KHaLQaTNounCréation.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #467general KhamanEncyclopedia TopicTolerate
Various Sources KhamiEncyclopedia TopicFault, doubt, weakness
Various Sources KHAMINounManque, imperfection.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #845general KhamijeEncyclopedia TopicTolerate
Various Sources KhamineEncyclopedia TopicHaving tolerated
Various Sources KhamirEncyclopedia TopicMud, kneaded clay
Various Sources KhamiyaEncyclopedia TopicForbearance, forgiveness, patience, endurance, tolerance, humility, pardon
Various Sources KHaMIYANounTolérance. V. Padharat.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #95general KHaMIYANounTolérance. V. TCHAR MANEK.
Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #674general KhamniEncyclopedia TopicForgiveness, tolerance
Various Sources Khamo khamoEncyclopedia TopicWait, wait
Various Sources KHAMREncyclopedia TopicKhamr is the drink prohibited in the Koran. The word khamr is derived from the verb khamara means it veiled or covered or concealed a thing, and wine is called khamr because it veils and shrouds the intellect of man. The word khamr occurs six times in the Koran, once in subjective case (5:90), twice in objective case (12:36, 41) and thrice in genitive case (2:219, 5:91, 47:15).
Khamr is differently explained as meaning what intoxicates, of the expressed juice of grapes, or the juice of grapes when it has effervesced and thrown up froth and become freed therefrom and still, or it has common application to intoxicating expressed juice of anything, or any intoxicating thing that clouds or obscures the intellect. The general application is the more correct, because khamr was forbidden when there was not in Medina any khamr of grapes, the beverage of its inhabitants being prepared only from dates. It was sometimes prepared also from grains. The wider sense of khamr, as prepared from other things besides grapes, is borne out by the Koran (16:67). According to a report, wine, when prohibited, was made of five things, grapes, dates, wheat, barley and honey (Bukhari, 74:4). Hence, khamr is intoxicating liquor prepared from anything.
Intoxicating liquors are first spoken of in deprecatory terms towards the close of the Meccan period: “And of the fruits of the palms and the grapes – you obtain from them intoxication and goodly provision” (16:67). Intoxication is here spoken of in contrast with goodly provision. The provision against their use, however, belongs to the Medina period: “They ask you about intoxicating liquors and games of chance. Say, in both of them is great sin and some advantages for men, and their sin is greater than their advantage” (2:219). This was the first state in the prohibition of wine, but it was more of a recommendatory nature as it only says that the disadvantages of the use of intoxicating liquors preponderate over their advantages. The next stage was that in which the Muslims were prohibited from coming to mosque while drunk: “O you who believe! Do not go near prayer when you are intoxicated (sukara) until you know what you say” (4:43). Finally, intoxicating liquors were definitely forbidden: “O you who believe! Intoxicants and games of chance and sacrificing to stones set up and the divining arrows are only an uncleanness, the devil’s work; shun it therefore that you may be successful” (5:90). These three stages of the prohibition are clearly mentioned in a hadith (Masnad, 2:351). On the last of these occasions, a proclamation was made by the order of the Prophet that wines was prohibited, and people who heard, emptied their stores of wine immediately (Bukhari, 74:2; 46:21), so that wine flowed in the streets of Medina (Masnad, 3:217).
As wine is prohibited on account of its intoxication, it is stated in a hadith that every intoxicant is prohibited (kullu muskir-in haram-un) (Bukhari, 64:61). The Prophet has named wine as “the fountainhead of evils” (ummul khaba’ith), “the origin of all sorts of atrocities” (ummul fawahish), “the most heinous of major sins” (akbarul kaba’ir), “the head of all errors and lapses” (ra’su kulli khatia) and “the key to all evils and mischiefs” (miftahu kulli sharr). The linguist al-Zajjaj (d. 311/923) in Lisan al-Arab defines khamr as that which covers the mind (ma satara ala l-aql). Bhang, charas, opium or heroin and all other intoxicating things are therefore also forbidden; only a drink that does not intoxicate is allowed. The Prophet was asked about bit - an intoxicating beverage made of honey. He replied, “Every drink that intoxicates is prohibited” (Ibid. 74:3). It is related that Abu Usaid once invited the Prophet to a wedding feast at which his wife, the bride herself, served food, and at this feast a beverage of dried dates, over which only one night had passed, was used and there was no objection (Ibid. 74:8), because it had not become intoxicant. Malik bin Anas was asked about fuqqa – a beverage made of barley or a kind of beer, and he said, “So long as it does not intoxicate there is no harm” (Ibid. 74:3). Nabidh, or fresh juice of grapes over which not more than a night or a day has passed, is also allowed. Thus a certain people is spoken of as having come to the Prophet and asked him what to do with their grapes, and he told them to dry them and then make use of their juice in the evening if they were wet in the morning, and in the morning if they were wet in the evening (Abu Daud, 25:10). And when a beverage becomes intoxicant, even a small quantity of it, that could not intoxicate, is not allowed: “That of which a large quantity intoxicants, even small quantity of it is prohibited (Ibid. 25:5). The question whether a very small quantity may be given as a medicine is quite different. It is true that there is a hadith according to which one, Tariq bin Suwaid, was ordered by the Prophet not to make wine, and when he said that he made it to be used as a medicine, the Prophet replied that it was not a medicine (dawa) but a disease (da) (al-Muslim, 36:3). But this prohibition was, in all likelihood, directed only against the making of wine, and as Nawawi explains, in a serious case, when life was in danger, wine could be used to save life, for even carrion and flesh of swine could be used in such a case. It may be added here that trading in wine was also prohibited by the Prophet (Bukhari, 34:24).
There are manifold reasons for prohibition of intoxicating liquor. Drinking is a serious crime. Drunkenness often leads to the loss of senses, which is responsible for commission of various anti-social crimes. It is extremely harmful as it kills man’s capacity to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, virtue and vice. A drunkard in his intoxication performs such acts, which results in enmity and hatred, and disturbs peace and tranquility of family and society. It not only destroys man’s health but also his wealth, and kills his sense of dignity. Alcohol contains no minerals or proteins; 90% of it goes directly into the bloodstream. According to Prof. Harry Seffel, head of African Diseases at Wits University, Soth Africa: “Ninety percent of nutritional problems among urban blacks are related to alcoholism.” Dr. McCable told the Congress that she “was witnessing the white man’s alcoholic problem in the urban black patients.” She also said that people ran the risk of early death from gastric, liver or pancreatic failure or cancer if alcoholic intake was not stopped. To be intoxicated is to be poisoned. The word toxic is from the Latin root toxicus and Greek root toxikon, which means poison. The word In means into or within. Concatenated with Cant, which means tilt, slant or talk hypocritically, we get the word intoxicant, which means poisoned within, mentally titled and hypocritical. Dr. Charles Richet of Paris says, “Alcohol paralyzes the senses, makes one lurch and vomit, extinguishes the feeble glimmer of reason, which flickers in our poor minds. It soon overcomes the strongest man, and turns him into a raging beast, who with empurpled face and bloodshot eyes, bellows forth oaths and threats against his surroundings and insults imaginary enemies. Never any animal species, not among pigs, nor jackals, nor donkeys, is such ignominy to be found.”
Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KhanEncyclopedia TopicFood, meal; levels of creation, moment, split of a second
Various Sources KhanEncyclopedia TopicFood, meal
Various Sources