Online Articles - Reading Room
Article Text Link | Extract | General Subjects | Bibliography Link |
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A Semiotics of Infinite Translucence: The Exoteric and Esoteric in Ismaili Muslim Hermeneutics | The complex juxtaposition of private practice and public visibility/invisibility of contemporary Ismaili Muslims has certain parallels with other religious communities, but it exhibits unique features. This community adheres to an esotericism that has shaped its hermeneutic and communication practices. In a seeming paradox, the group is also extensively engaged in the public sphere. However, its communal institutions are limiting the dissemination of texts pertaining to the religious addresses and biography of the group’s leader, Aga Khan IV. | A Semiotics of Infinite Translucence: The Exoteric and Esoteric in Ismaili Muslim Hermeneutics | |
A Short History of the Ismailis Traditions of a Muslim Community | The Ismailis represent the second largest Shi‘i Muslim community after the Twelvers (Ithna‘ asharis), and are today scattered as religious minorities in more than twenty-five countries of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Despite their long history and contributions to Islamic civilisation, however, they were until recently one of the least understood Muslim communities. In fact, a multitude of medieval legends and misconceptions circulated widely about Ismaili teachings and practices, while the rich literary heritage of the Ismailis remained inaccessible to outsiders. | A Short History of the Ismailis Traditions of a Muslim Community | |
A SINDHI VERSION OF PIR SHAMS' DAS AVATAAR - An Unpublished Ginan | By Dr. Gulshan Khaki This paper is partly based on one of my previously published paper [1] and draws freely from it. | Pir Shamsh Jo Das Avtaar - An Unpublished Ginan | |
Salah al-Din and Syrian Assassins | Since ancient times in the East lots of religio-philosophical and mystical sects have been established, but most of them collapsed and disappeared during the centuries. The Islamic era was not an exception. Despite the fact that orthodox Islam was fighting with all “heretics” in every way, many religio-philosophical orders were established in the Islamic world and they suggested their own interpretations of Islam to society | Salah al-Din and Syrian Assassins | |
Satpanth Literature in Khojki Manuscripts | By Mumtaz Ali Tajddin Sadiq Ali INTRODUCTION Very little is known today about the early history of Nizari Ismaili Da'wa in the Indian | Satpanth Literature in Khojki Manuscripts | |
SAUM OR FASTING By: Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali | The word roza is a Persian for the Arabic saum. The primary significance of saum is abstaining in an absolute sense (al-imsaku ani-l fi’l), and includes abstaining from eating or speaking or moving about; thus a horse that abstains from moving about, or from fodder, is said to be sa’im, and wind is said to be saum when it abates, and the day when it reaches the midpoint. On two occasions in the Koran (9:112 and 66:5), those who fast are called sa’ih (from saha meaning he travelled) or spiritual wayfarers. | ||
Sectarian References of Political Position of Nizārī Ismāʿīlīs in 11th and 12th centuries | Reinterpretation of Quran and hadith, both of which had been mainly seen two basic sources of Islam, was a critical issue of the late 8th century when the last tabiins were died. Esbab-ı nüzul which only could place each verse of Quran in the context of early 6th century of Mecca and Medina gave way to diversified interpretations of Quran in new conquered lands, especially in Zoroastrian culture of Iran and in Hellenistic culture of Near East. | Sectarian References of Political Position of Nizārī Ismāʿīlīs in 11th and 12th centuries | |
SECTARIANIST WRITINGS IN ISLAM: PREJUDICE AGAINST THE HASHSHASHIN IN 12TH AND 13TH CENTURY MUSLIM HISTORIOGRAPHY | This paper seeks to present a review and analysis of medieval Muslim historiography – especially that originating in what constitutes modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Syria, or the-then Seljuk Empire – with exclusive reference to its anti-Nizari Isma’ili content. The Nizari Isma’ili sect, also called the “Hashshashin”, was an offshoot of Isma’ilism that was created in 1094 AD after the death of al- Mustansir bi’Allah, the Caliph-Imam of the Fatimid Empire. The sect was primarily founded by Hasan | SECTARIANIST WRITINGS IN ISLAM: PREJUDICE AGAINST THE HASHSHASHIN IN 12TH AND 13TH CENTURY MUSLIM HISTORIOGRAPHY | |
SHAB-I BARAT By: Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S.Ali | SHAB-I BARAT Shab-i Barat or Lail at-Bara’a (night of quittance) is a non-Koranic term, but a very popular feast of the Muslims. It is celebrated on the night of the full moon of 14th Sha’ban, and the people devote it to the commemoration of the dead. It is considered to be the night when the “writing conferring immunity is written in heaven” or, more generally, the night during which “the fates of the coming year are destined in heaven.” | ||
SI HARFI - (30Alphabets) by Sayed Ahmed Shah | TRANSLITERATION, TRANSLATION & EXPLANATION By: Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S.Ali Si Harfi (30 letters) is an acrostic on the alphabet. This kind of verses or formation are not | ||
SIRAT AL-MUSTAQIM - SATPANTH By: Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali | “Do you know? Your religion is excellent more than the ornament. There is no other religion better than yours. If there are thousand diamonds and ornaments of invaluable prices, even then these are matchless before the hair of your path. Your religion is so precious, therefore, do not become reckless with your religion.” (Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah, Dar-es-Salaam, 27th September, 1899). Mawlana Hazar Imam said, “I give you blessings to remain strong on Sirat al-Mustaqim.” (Texas, 13th April, 2008) | ||
Some Guidelines for Cataloguing Khojki Manuscripts | By Dr Ali S. Asani, Associate Professor of Indo-Muslim culture, Harvard University The following are some of the guidelines used to catalogue the collection of Ismaili literature in Indic languages found in the Harvard university library. The collection donated to the Library's Middle Eastern Department, consists of manuscripts, printed texts as well as lithographs in several scripts including Khojki, Gujarati and Devanagari. In 1986, the University received a grant from the National Endowment | Some Guidelines for Cataloguing Khojki Manuscripts | |
Studying Isma‘ili Texts in Eleventh-Century Shiraz: al-Mu'ayyad and the “Conversion” of the Buyid Amir Abu Kalijar | As a key primary source for the history of the eleventh-century Isma‘ili majlis, the Fatimid chief missionary al-Mu’ayyad fi al-Din al-Shirazi’s autobiographical Sira offers a prime opportunity to consider the application of centralizing features of the Fatimid state in eleventh-century Buyid Shiraz. Previous studies on the Fatimid majlis have raised questions about an Isma‘ili core curriculum as well as the intended audience/s of Fatimid da‘wa teachings. | Studying Isma‘ili Texts in Eleventh-Century Shiraz: al-Mu'ayyad and the “Conversion” of the Buyid Amir Abu Kalijar | |
The Shi'i World: Pathways in Tradition and Modernity | Except for a handful of recent sources, there has been a lack of ample introductory level texts suitable for teaching Shi'ism to undergraduate students. Andrew Newman’s Twelver Shiism: Unity and Diversity in the Life of Islam, 632 to 1722 (Edinburgh U.P., 2013), Farhad Daftary’s A History of Shi6i Islam (I.B.Tauris, 2013) and Najam Haider’s Shi6i Islam: An Introduction (Cambridge U.P., 2014) have begun to fill in this gap. Daftary, and Amyn Sajoo and Shainool Jiwa,have added to this brief list the essays collected in The Shi6' World: Pathways in Tradition and Modernity. | The Shi'i World: Pathways in Tradition and Modernity |