Ismaili Dictionary & Encyclopedia

KhedoEncyclopedia Topic

Cultivate, bring under plough

Various Sources KhehEncyclopedia Topic

Dust, mud, clay

Various Sources KhehEncyclopedia Topic

Dust, soil

Various Sources KhehEncyclopedia Topic

Dust

Various Sources KhelEncyclopedia Topic

Play

Various Sources Khelat khel gayaEncyclopedia Topic

Created, performed a miracle

Various Sources KhelavarEncyclopedia Topic

Lord of miracles

Various Sources KheldiEncyclopedia Topic

Play, game

Various Sources KheljoEncyclopedia Topic

Play

Various Sources KhetarEncyclopedia Topic

Field, farm

Various Sources Khetar / KhetraEncyclopedia Topic

Field

Various Sources KhetraEncyclopedia Topic

Field, farm

Various Sources KhetraEncyclopedia Topic

Field

Various Sources KhetraEncyclopedia Topic

Field, earth

Various Sources KhevanharaEncyclopedia Topic

Captain, skipper

Various Sources KHIDMAT [ see VOLUNTARY SERVICES ]Encyclopedia TopicEncyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHILAFAT MOVEMENTEncyclopedia Topic

"When the first World War ended in November, 1918 the fate of the defeated Ottoman Empire in Turkey was no longer in doubt. The other fallen empires, Austria-Hungary had been dismembered, and the Ottoman Turks could not hope to escape the consequences of allying themselves with Germany. For Indian Muslims this raised grave issues of the political power of Islam. They had provided a large number of recruits in the war and had contributed materially towards the defeat of Turkey. Their sympathies were with the Turks, for the Turkish Sultan was looked upon as the Khalifa, the leader of the Islamic community. In 1915, secret treaties were concluded between Britain, France, Russia and Italy under which the signatories agreed, in the event of their victory, to partition the Ottoman Empire into four sphere of influence, apart from the direct annexation of some Turkish territories by each of the Entente powers (A History of the Peace Conference of Paris, 1924, 4:1-22). Their object was stated to be "setting free of the populations subject to the bloody tyranny of the Turks; and the turning out of Europe of the Ottoman Empire as decidedly foreign to Western civilization"(Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939, 1952, 4:301-3).

The Muslims in India had little or no idea of the extent of decay within the Turkish Sultanate. The tragedy of their position was that they turned to it at a time when the Turkish Empire could no longer be preserved and when the ideal they sought – the political unity of the Islamic community was rejected by almost all Muslims outside India. The Arabs had no desire to be ruled by Turkey and felt no allegiance to the Sultan of Turkey as their Khalifa. Within the Turkey itself a distinct Turkish nationalism had developed with the aim of building a new Turkish nation and with no interest in the trappings of an Islamic Empire. The Indian Muslims held the British Government responsible for the dismemberment of the Turkish Empire. Their feelings were well expressed by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali in a memorandum they addressed to the Viceroy on 24th April, 1919, from Chinwada, where they were detained. The failure of the British Government to respond, even to a limited extent, to demands touching the fate of the Turkish Empire resulted in the emergence of the Khilafat Movement. When the Conference of the Muslim leaders held at Lucknow on 21st September, 1919, called upon the people to observe 17th October as Khilafat Day, a day of fasting and prayer, Gandhi advised Hindus to join with Muslims in observing it so as to give proof of their solidarity with them. The Day was widely observed and may be said to mark the beginning of the Khilafat Movement and of the short-lived period of political collaboration between Hindus and Muslims in India. Gandhi had conducted himself so masterfully and with such manifest sincerity over the Khilafat issue that as soon as the agitation began to take organized form he emerged as its leader. It was Muslim point of view an advantageous to have a Hindu leader, especially one of Gandhi’s stature who was so firmly committed to Hindu-Muslim unity that he adopted the Muslim grievance over Turkey and the Khilafat as his own and who at the same time could ensure the support of the Hindu community for the cause. The esteem in which the Muslim leaders held Gandhi can be seen from the fact that he was made President of the first All-India Khilafat Conference held in Delhi on 23rd-24th November, 1919. Other Hindu leaders supported the Khilafat cause for somewhat different reasons. For the Hindu public neither religious nor political aspects of the Khilafat held any interest, but the significance of the alliance of the Khilafat movement with the Congress was generally recognized. In less than six months after its origin in October, 1919, the Khilafat movement developed into a mass movement of Indian Muslims, fully supported by the Indian National Congress. The Muslim League, which until this time had represented the Muslim middle class, was pushed aside. The leadership of the League was divided on the methods of agitation to be adopted to bring pressure on the British Government on behalf of Turkey.

The Muslim leaders were divided on the non-cooperation programme. Maulana Abdul Bari opposed it on the ground that Gandhi’s scheme would take years of work, while the Turkish and the Khilafat problems required immediate action in the form of jihad and hijrat. Thus the Muslim leaders still hesitating about the course of action to be followed. Finally, the non-cooperation movement was to begin officially on 1st August, 1920. The Non-cooperation Committee of the Central Khilafat Committee advised the people to observe full strike on that day.

Following the suspension of non-cooperation and civil disobedience and the imprisonment of Gandhi, what was left of the tenuous alliance between Hindus and Muslims, collapsed. The balance of the year 1922 was spent in petty bickering, in which Hindu and Muslim sniped at each other for lack of devotion to the national cause. In November, 1922 the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara struck the first blow at the Khilafat by abolishing the Ottoman sultanate, deposing Sultan Wahiduddin Muhammad VI, and declaring Abdul Mejid Effendi the new caliph. In late October, 1923 the Grand National Assembly declared Turkey a republic, with Mustafa Kemal as President and Ismet Pasha as Prime Minister.

In 1923, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah also took a leading part in the Khilafat Movement with the Indian Muslims, and raised his voice through articles in newspapers and letters to British authorities. This was indeed a critical time that his loyalty to the West and his unbounded love for Islam directly clashed, but the Imam decidedly championed the cause of Islam. He wrote a historic letter in association with Right Hon’ble Syed Ameer Ali (1849-1928), a member of the Privy Council of England, addressed to Ismet Pasha, the Prime Minister of Turkey on November 24, 1923, insisting not to liquidate the symbol of Islamic unity, and pleading that the matter of Turkey be given considerable hearing at the conference table. This letter was published in London Times on December 14, 1923. Aziz Ahmed writes in Islamic Modernism in India and Pakistan (London, 1967, p. 138) that, "The letter influenced and possibly precipitated the decision of the Turkish National Assembly taken on March 3, 1924 to abolish the caliphate and to exile Abd al-Majid. This marked the end of a centuries-old institution and of an era in the history of Islam."

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KhilavoEncyclopedia Topic

Cause to blossom

Various Sources KhimaEncyclopedia Topic

Tent

Various Sources KhimaEncyclopedia Topic

A tent, pavilion

Various Sources Khima khodiEncyclopedia Topic

Set up pavilion, encamp

Various Sources KhirEncyclopedia Topic

Milk

Various Sources KhodeEncyclopedia Topic

Put, dig, bury

Various Sources KhodeEncyclopedia Topic

Dug, buried, set upright, erected

Various Sources KhodiEncyclopedia Topic

Having dug

Various Sources KhodoEncyclopedia Topic

Put, dig, bury

Various Sources KhodtaEncyclopedia Topic

Upon searching

Various Sources KhoedeEncyclopedia Topic

In the existence

Various Sources KhoesoEncyclopedia Topic

Will lose, will waste

Various Sources KhoiEncyclopedia Topic

Lost, wasted

Various Sources KhojEncyclopedia Topic

Search

Various Sources KHOJAName

Indian translation for "Khwaja" a title given by Pir Sadardin to the Lohana community [?] which converted in 15Century, in India. See Khoja Case. Ref: "Pir Sadardin jaher thaya, hindu kariya musulman, Lohana phri khoja karya téné aliyo satcho iman" (S. Imam Shah) and Momin chetamni "Téné (Bibi Fatima) tamén aljo dejo déj man khoja char". But the name probably comes from Khoj => Search => Gnostics.

Indien pour "Khwaja" titre donné par Pir Sadardin à la communauté Lohana? qu'il convertit en Inde au 15e S. V. Khoja Case. Ref: "Pir Sadardin jaher thaya, hindu kariya musulman, Lohana phri khoja karya téné aliyo satcho iman" (S. Imam Shah) et Momin Tchetamni "Téné (Bibi Fatima) tamén aljo dejo déj man khoja tchar". En realité ce nom vient surement de "Khoj" => recherche => gnostic

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #300general KHOJA PANJIBHAI CLUBEncyclopedia Topic

It appears that the word panjibhai was coined most probably in the tradition of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent during 17th century. This word was also used in the 14th part of the old prayer. The word panjibhai means the hand shaking brother. It was generally used for those who served inside the prayer-hall. It became more common for those who served inside and outside the community during the Aga Khan Case of 1866. On that occasion, some eminent Ismailis had rendered valuable services in all affairs, the most prominent among them were Ismail Kherraj, Sharif Gangji, Mukhi Alarakhia Sumar, Kamadia Khaki Padamsi and their workers, who were known as the panjibhais. The Imam recognized them as Ismaili fidais and Ismaili soldiers. Henceforward, the group of the panjibhai continued to serve in different fields, and need also arose to form an association of brotherhood in the community. Thus, the existence of their club came into being. This was the first association of brotherhood. It was initially a group of enthusiastic persons, working for the religious, economical and social welfare of the Ismailis in Bombay. Later on, it had been recognized an official institution of the community when a bungalow had been hired at Repon Road, Bombay. When Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah returned from his European trip in 1899, the selected members sought permission for its establishment. The Imam named it The Khoja Panjibhai Club and himself became its life patron. The Club was later on shifted at Chopati Road, which was inaugurated by the Imam on May 28, 1900, whose first President was Jafar Rehmatullah with the Hon. Secretary, Ibrahim Muhammad Rawji. Before it, the Khoja Panjibhai Club had been founded in Zanzibar on September 9, 1899, whose first President was Mitha Jessa with the Hon. Secretary, Muhammad Saleh Kanji. In Jamnagar, Kutchh The Khoja Panjibhai Club existed on August 16, 1904, whose first President was Kamadia Haji Nazar Ali with the Hon. Secretary, Ghulam Hussain Ali Bhai. The Khoja Panjibhai Club also opened in Karachi on June 26, 1905, whose first President was Ghulam Hussain Varas Wali with the Hon. Secretary, Alidina Ali Muhammad.

Later, the Khoja Panjibhai Club along with other relevant institutions were merged in Bombay under the name of The Aga Khan Gymkhana in 1936. The same changes also took place in Zanzibar, then in Karachi in 1940.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHOJA, MEANING OFEncyclopedia Topic

"The new converts during the operation of the Ismaili mission in India became known as the khoja - a title firstly came to be originated during the time of Pir Satgur. Syed Imam Shah (d. 926/1520) describes in his Moman Chetamani (no. 198-199) that, "Pir Satgur Nur had converted them, and consigned a path to be protected. He made them Khojas after conversion, and gave the essence of the path. The Satpanth started since then with a practice of tithe." Thus, it is not difficult to determine with exactitude that the term khoja came to be known before the period of Pir Shams.

The word khoja is supposed to have derived from koh-cha means small mountain, and later on, it was changed to kauja or kohja. This derivation is almost irrelevant, rather not convincing. Most of the modern scholars claim that it is a corrupt form of khwaja (lord or master), which also seems incorrect. It must be borne in mind that Syed Imam Shah used both the word khoja in Moman Chetamanni (stanza 199) and khwaja (stanza 122) as well, where the question of the corruption itself becomes annulled, and therefore, the modern theory suggesting its root from khwaja seems doubtful. It should also be known that the Ismaili Pirs in India had never introduced any foreign terminology during the early stage of conversion. The above assumption seems to have grown in Sind, where the Iranian terminologies were in vogue in the Sindhi language. In Sind, the word khoja is also pronounced with the corresponding prevalent word khwaja, and it has probably constrained the scholars to attest its derivation from khwaja.

The early extant records indicate that the term khoja stands in its original form without being corrupted. An inscription, for instance, is discovered at Patan, Gujrat by Col. Tod, vide his Travels in Western India (p. 506), belonging to the year 662/1264. This inscription is found in the temple of Harsata, which was originally a mosque in the time of Arjundeva (1262-1274), the second king of Vaghela line of the Solanki dynasty of Anhilvad. It reads that a ship-owner, called Khoja Abu Ibrahim had donated a piece of land, an oil-mill and two shops; and from its income, a mosque had been built. Khoja Abu Ibrahim was an Indian and living in Hormuz in Iranian Gulf. From this antique record, it is difficult to surmise that the above inscribed term khoja should have been khwaja prior to the period of 662/1264. While examining further earliest records, it is known that Kiya Buzrug Ummid (d. 532/1138), the second ruler of Alamut had dispatched his envoy, called Khoja Muhammad Nassihi Shahrastani to the Seljuq court, where he had been murdered in 523/1129. The later records suggest that Syed Mashaikh (d. 1108/1697) compiled about 16 books in 1092/1680, in which he has also used the term khoja like Syed Imam Shah. Virji Premji Parpiya had translated one of the Persian manuscripts of his forefather, called Khoja Ibaloo (d. 1208/1794), entitled Khoja Iblani Vansh'nu Vratant (Bombay, 1917), who begins the account of his forebear, called Khoja Bhaloo (d. 1016/1607) during the time of Pir Dadu (d. 1005/1596). It also contains frequent usage of the term khoja. Captain Alexandar Hamlet reports in 1140/1728 that the wealth of a certain merchant, called Khoja Muhammad Hirji of Bombay was more than that of East India Company. The balance of argument tends to sound that the khoja is an unswerving word since its origin without being adulterated even in later period.

The khoja is a Hindi word, its verb being khoj means to search. According to Encyclopaedia Asiatica (Delhi, 1982, 5:564), the Hindi word khoja means information or search. The Persian Prof. Kassim Sumar Thariani of Elphinstone College of Bombay, also ruled out its origin from khwaja, and writes that, Khoja is a word derived from Hindi word khoj means to dig out, or search in such a sense that it turns to mean one who is engrossed in search of truth in religion. (cf. Khoja Gnanti'nu Gorav by V.N. Hooda, Bombay, 1927, p. 118) The local low castes were simply converted in the time of Pir Satgur without being loaded in the rituals, and after their admission they were consigned the Sufic practice of zikr, for which they were mastered in their former cults; and were instructed to "get absorbed" (kho'ja!) in deep contemplation. This phrase purporting kho'ja (get absorbed) gradually became a significant phrase among the absorptive initiates, rather it became a distinctive title, or identification among local people. In sum, the new converts first embraced Ismaili faith, and then became khoja (the absorptive ones), which also sounds the notion of Moman Chetamanni (stanza 198-199) of Syed Imam Shah.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KHOJKIEncyclopedia Topic

Khojki, Khwaja Sindhi, Chali Akhari or Khwajki Sindhi Surat Khat is a traditional script of the Ismailis of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. It was originated most probably in Sind, then it spread in other parts of India. It is also said that it was an earliest script for writing Sindhi. The Indian tradition has it that it was invented by Pir Sadruddin (1300-1416), who mostly converted the Hindu Lohana caste.

Dr. F. A. Khan excavated some potsherds in 1958 at Bhambhore, about 40 miles east of Karachi, which contain inscriptions of proto-Nagari of 8th century. These inscriptions are very akin to the Khojki script. The origin of the Sindhi dialect appears to be lost in the obscurity of antiquity, but there are ample reasons to believe that it is an oldest tongue of Indo-Pakistan. The Arab travellers have mentioned that the inhabitants of Sind had different scripts for writing. Ibn Nadim (d. 385/995) in Kitaba al-Fihrist gives a report of 100 different scripts employed in the region. Al-Biruni (973-1048) visited Sind and Hind in 1017 and 1030, and describes in his Kitab al-Hind that there were 11 scripts in India, out of which there were three scripts prevalent in Sind, namely Ardhanagri, Sindhu and Malwari. Ibn Hawqal of 10th century also writes in Kitab Surat al-Arad that the languages spoken in Sind were Arabic and Sindhi, but it is not known in which script the Sindhi was written. Through a substantial portion of history the Sindhi was an oral in character. For writing the Sindhi, the Muslims employed a modification of the Perso-Arabic alphabets, while the Hindu employed the Landa or clipped alphabet. Landa was also known as Baniya or Waniko, i.e. mercantile in Sind. Richard F. Burton writes in his Sindh and the Races that inhabit the Valley of the Indus (Karachi, 1975, p. 152) that, "Characters in which the Sindhi tongue is written are very numerous. Besides the Moslem varieties of the Semitic alphabet, there are no less than eight different alphabets." Among the various alphabets in use for Sindhi, he mentioned their names including the alphabet of Khwajah tribe (or Khojki). Captain George Stack in his Grammar of the Sindhi Language (Bombay, 1850) tabulated 14 scripts, including Khojki, which were in use for writing Sindhi. In sum, Khojki represents an earliest form of written Sindhi.

The models of proto-Nagari script unearthed in Bhambhore also bear considerable resemblance with the Lohanki script, which was used for the purpose of commerce by the Hindu Lohana. Lohanki was also known as Wannaki and Thakuri. Lari was one another script in usage in lower Sind having resemblance of the Lohanki.

When the Hindu Lohana became Muslims by the Ismaili preachers, the religious literature or the ginans were written in Lohanki. Henceforward, the Hindu Lohanki became known as the Khojki. It seems that the form of the old Lohanki script was altered when it became Khojki among the Khoja Ismailis. On the other hand, the Hindu Lohanas, known as Thakur or Thakkar, who were not converted, retained their old Lohanki or the Thakuri script with them. The script of the converted Lohanas or the Khoja Ismailis later became known as the Khojki in another refined form. Edward Balfour also admits the invention of this written character among the Khoja Ismailis.

The term Khojki does not occur in the ginans, which implies that its coinage came in later time. The term Khawajgi however is found in the beginning of the 12th century from a Persian poetry of Anwari (d. 1189) in the meaning of a trader or merchant.

The original homeland of Khojki was Sind. It exercised a role of keeping the religious literature in secret and was available only within the circle of adherents. We have little textual and historical evidence of its evolution. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were special important in the history of Khojki with the advent of the printing press, such as Ghulam-i Hussain Chhapakhana at Kandi Molla, Bombay started printing in 1886. Later, Mukhi Laljibhai Devraj (d. 1930) introduced the Khoja Sindhi Press in Bombay in 1910. He had gone to Germany for preparing the letters of Khojki. It was the first official press for Khojki, in which a large number of texts, mostly ginans and farmans were printed.

Khojki was regularly taught in the religious school, known as the Sindhi Schools in Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. It had been removed from the religious centers in 1975. The scholars working on the ginans however learn Khojki privately to study the old manuscripts of the ginans.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral KhojnaEncyclopedia Topic

Search

Various Sources KhojoEncyclopedia Topic

Search

Various Sources KhokhriEncyclopedia Topic

Body

Various Sources KholanEncyclopedia Topic

To open

Various Sources KholeEncyclopedia Topic

In the lap

Various Sources KHOLENoun

Ouvrir.

Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #630general KholiyaEncyclopedia Topic

Opened

Various Sources KholoEncyclopedia Topic

Open, confess

Various Sources KHOnRNoun

180 000 ou 10 000 000. Vient du sanscrit "SHOnRI".

Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #632general KHOnR aDHARNoun

18 KHOnR* = 3 240 000 personnes tués lors de la bataille de MAHABHARaTa.

Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #633general KhordaEncyclopedia Topic

House, palace

Various Sources KHOrE (KHOlE)Noun

Sur les genoux. "Khoré dhawrawé bal.." (allaite l'enfant sur ses genoux).

Heritage Dictionary of Ismailism, entry #631general KhotEncyclopedia Topic

Loss, disadvantage

Various Sources KhotEncyclopedia Topic

Loss, shortage

Various Sources KhotaEncyclopedia Topic

False

Various Sources