Questions about Ismailism from a Sunni

Discussion on doctrinal issues
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someone2
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:38 pm

Questions about Ismailism from a Sunni

Post by someone2 »

Hello

I'm a Sunni Muslim.

I want to know more about Ismailism.

I want to ask some questions about Ismailism.

Please answer my questions.

1. Do Ismailis believe in a Day of Judgement?
Do Ismailis believe in Yugas?




2. Do Ismailis believe in reincarnation?

3. Do Ismailis believe that the Imams are greater than Hazrat Muhammad (saw)?

4. Do ismailis believe in the Ginans literally?

5. In the Ginans it says that Hazrat Ali (ra) is Allah. Do Ismailis literally believe that he is Allah?

6. In Ismailism are the dietary restrictions the same as in Sunni Islam?

Please answer my questions.
GMR
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:31 pm

Post by GMR »

Let me ask a question first. Are you a Sunni (Barelvi)? Are you a Sunni (Shafiee)? Are you a Sunni (Hanbali)? Are you a Sunni (Hanafi)? or Wahabi / Taliban? or any other Sunni? After hearing from you it's easy to answer your all questions.
TheMaw
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:57 pm

Re: Questions about Ismailism from a Sunni

Post by TheMaw »

1. Do Ismailis believe in a Day of Judgement?
Yes.

2. Do Ismailis believe in reincarnation?
No.

3. Do Ismailis believe that the Imams are greater than Muhammad?
Good Heavens, no. Muhammad is the Prophet; Ali his Wasi and the foundation of the Imamate. An Imam is no equal to a prophet!

4. Do ismailis believe in the Ginans literally?
I don't know how to answer that. I don't even know many. Not all Ismailis are Indic speakers.

5. In the Ginans it says that Hazrat Ali (ra) is Allah. Do Ismailis literally believe that he is Allah?
Absolutely not. He was a great man - who was not equal to Muhammad even, so how then could he be God?

6. In Ismailism are the dietary restrictions the same as in Sunni Islam?
Those dietary rules vary by Sunni sect: some ban shellfish, etc. However, Nizaris don't drink or eat pork, if that's your general question. We have halaal and haraam just like it's mentioned in the Qur'an.
agakhani
Posts: 2059
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 8:49 am
Location: TEXAS. U.S.A.

Re: Questions about Ismailism from a Sunni

Post by agakhani »

someone2 wrote:Hello

I'm a Sunni Muslim.

I want to know more about Ismailism.

I want to ask some questions about Ismailism.

Please answer my questions.

1. Do Ismailis believe in a Day of Judgement?
Do Ismailis believe in Yugas?




2. Do Ismailis believe in reincarnation?

3. Do Ismailis believe that the Imams are greater than Hazrat Muhammad (saw)?

4. Do ismailis believe in the Ginans literally?

5. In the Ginans it says that Hazrat Ali (ra) is Allah. Do Ismailis literally believe that he is Allah?

6. In Ismailism are the dietary restrictions the same as in Sunni Islam?

Please answer my questions.
It would have lot easier if you had mentioned in your post that what kind Sunny are you( if you realy sunny), but I give the answer as per the Ginanic and Quran.
answer # 1
Yes, we beleive in day of judgement
Yes, As a true ismaili I beleive incarnation, there are many references you can find in ginans and in Quran;- In one place in quran Allah say that you were dead and I give you rebirth , that means there is death and rebirth.
3, No
4, Yes we beleive in ginan and also beleive in Quran and Famans of our Imam.
5, That is wrong; ginan say Hazarat Ali is part of Allah.
6, no, not necessarily.
mAli1
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:43 am

Post by mAli1 »

dear muslim brother,

I will try to answer your question to my best knowledge and my beleif.

1) yes i believe there will be a day of judgment and every soul will be accountable for deeds.
2) yes i believe in reincarnation.
3) I believe the Imams and Hazrat mohammed are from the same light.
4) ginans have deep spritual knowledge and lots of hidden meaning.
5) In lot of ginans there is reference of hazrat Ali and his progeny of Imams is part of Allah. He is indeed the true guide and to fulfill his farmans is the most supreme duty of all ismailies.
6) yes we do have halal and haram.

brother i hope i have answered your questions but and i hope lot of other ismailies will answers your questions.
mAli1
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:43 am

Post by mAli1 »

dear muslim brother,

I will try to answer your question to my best knowledge and my beleif.

1) yes i believe there will be a day of judgment and every soul will be accountable for deeds.
2) yes i believe in reincarnation.
3) I believe the Imams and Hazrat mohammed are from the same light. as he is the progeny of prophet Mohammed
4) ginans have deep spritual knowledge and lots of hidden meaning.
5) In lot of ginans there is reference of hazrat Ali and his progeny of Imams is part of Allah. He is indeed the true guide and to fulfill his farmans is the most supreme duty of all ismailies.
6) yes we do have halal and haram.

brother i hope i have answered your questions but and i hope lot of other ismailies will answers your questions.
TheMaw
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:57 pm

Post by TheMaw »

mAli1 wrote:dear muslim brother,

I will try to answer your question to my best knowledge and my beleif.

1) yes i believe there will be a day of judgment and every soul will be accountable for deeds.
2) yes i believe in reincarnation.
3) I believe the Imams and Hazrat mohammed are from the same light. as he is the progeny of prophet Mohammed
4) ginans have deep spritual knowledge and lots of hidden meaning.
5) In lot of ginans there is reference of hazrat Ali and his progeny of Imams is part of Allah. He is indeed the true guide and to fulfill his farmans is the most supreme duty of all ismailies.
6) yes we do have halal and haram.

brother i hope i have answered your questions but and i hope lot of other ismailies will answers your questions.
The nur of the Imamate is not saying that the Imamate is the same as God, though. It's important to distinguish the Imami Shi'i concept of the blessing of the Nur (i.e. the 12ers also believe this about their A'immah) and the misleading English meaning of the term "Emanation" that gets thrown around in discussions about the Shi'a. Unlike, say, Jesus, the Imams are not divine, but divinely-empowered.
ShamsB
Posts: 1117
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:20 pm

Post by ShamsB »

TheMaw wrote:
mAli1 wrote:dear muslim brother,

I will try to answer your question to my best knowledge and my beleif.

1) yes i believe there will be a day of judgment and every soul will be accountable for deeds.
2) yes i believe in reincarnation.
3) I believe the Imams and Hazrat mohammed are from the same light. as he is the progeny of prophet Mohammed
4) ginans have deep spritual knowledge and lots of hidden meaning.
5) In lot of ginans there is reference of hazrat Ali and his progeny of Imams is part of Allah. He is indeed the true guide and to fulfill his farmans is the most supreme duty of all ismailies.
6) yes we do have halal and haram.

brother i hope i have answered your questions but and i hope lot of other ismailies will answers your questions.
The nur of the Imamate is not saying that the Imamate is the same as God, though. It's important to distinguish the Imami Shi'i concept of the blessing of the Nur (i.e. the 12ers also believe this about their A'immah) and the misleading English meaning of the term "Emanation" that gets thrown around in discussions about the Shi'a. Unlike, say, Jesus, the Imams are not divine, but divinely-empowered.
As you can see someone - we do have disagreement on the issues.
However we do give our ba'yah to the Imam - e- zamaan - now the question should arise as to how individuals view the Imam - e - zamaan.
And in our form of Islam - everyone is allow to have that invidiualistic approach.

Shams
someone2
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:38 pm

Post by someone2 »

Hello

Thank you for your replies.

I'm a Hanafi Sunni Muslim.

I want to ask some more questions about Ismailism. Please answer them.

1. Do Ismailis have a kalma (declaration of faith)?

2. Do Ismailis consider the Ginans equal to the Holy Quran?

3. Is there an Ismaili hadith collection?

4. Is there an Ismaili tafsir of the Holy Quran?

5. What do Ismailis believe about reincarnation?
Does everyone become reincarnated or only some people?
Can humans be reincarnated as animals?

6. Do Ismailis believe in a literal Heaven and Hell?

7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell?

Please answer my questions.
kmaherali
Posts: 25165
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

In the memoir of our 48th Imam, there is a chapter ISLAM
THE RELIGION OF MY ANCESTORS. This can be considered as an authoritative statement about our interpretation of Islam. This can be accessed online at: http://www.ismaili.net/Source/0016b.html

Our constitution also states our doctrine:

BISMI-LLAHI-R-RAHMANI-R-RAHIM

Whereas

(A) The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims affirm the Shahadah 'La- ilaha illallih, Muhammadur Rasulu-llah'. the Tawhid therein and that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Salla-llahu alayhi wa-sallam) is the last and final Prophet of Allah. Islam, as revealed in the Holy Quran, is the final message of Allah to mankind, and is universal and eternal. The Holy Prophet (S.A.S.) through the divine revelation from Allah prescribed rules governing spiritual and temporal matters.


(B) In accordance with Shia doctrine, tradition, and interpretation of history, the Holy Prophet (S.A.S.) designated and appointed his cousin and son-in-law Hazrat Mawlana Ali Amiru-l-Mu'minin (Alayhi-s-salam), to be the first Imam to continue the Ta'wil and Ta'lim of Allah's final message and to guide the murids, and proclaimed that the Imamat should continue by heredity through Hazrat Mawlana Ali (A.S.) and his daughter Hazrat Bibi Fatimat-az-Zahra, Khatun-i-Jannat Alayha-s-salam).


(C) Succession to Imamat is by way of Nass,it being the absolute prerogative of the Imam of the time to appoint his successor from amongst any of his male descendants whether they be sons or remoter issue.


(D) The authority of the Imam in the Ismaili Tariqah is testified by Bay'ah by the murid to the Imam which is the act of acceptance by the murid of the permanent spiritual bond between the Imam and the murid. This allegiance unites all Ismaili Muslims worldwide in their loyalty, devotion and obedience to the Imam within the Islamic concept of universal brotherhood. It is distinct from the allegiance of the individual murid to his land of abode,


(E) From the time of the Imamat of Hazrat Mawlana Ali (A.S.), the Imams of the Ismaili Muslims have ruled over territories and peoples in various areas of the world at different periods of history and, in accordance with the needs of the time, have given rules of conduct and constitutions in conformity with the Islamic concepts of unity, brotherhood, justice, tolerance and goodwill.


(F) Historically and in accordance with Ismaili tradition, the Imam of the time is concerned with spiritual advancement as well as improvement of the quality of life of his murids. The Imam's Ta'lim lights the murids' path to spiritual enlightenment and vision. In temporal matters, the Imam guides the murids, and motivates them to develop their potential.


(G) Mawlana Hazar Imam Shah Karim al Hussaini, His Highness Prince Aga Khan, in direct lineal descent from the Holy Prophet (S.A.S.) through Hazrat Mawlana Ali (A.S.) and Hazrat Bibi Fatima (A.S.), is the Forty-Ninth Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.


(H) By virtue of his office and in accordance with the faith and belief of the Ismaili Muslims, the Imam enjoys full authority of governance over and in respect of all religious and Jamati matters of the Ismaili Muslims.


(I) It is the desire and Hidayah of Mawlana Hazar Imam that the constitutions presently applicable to the Ismaili Muslims in different countries be superseded and that the Ismaili Muslims worldwide be given this Constitution in order better to secure their peace and unity, religious and social welfare, to foster fruitful collaboration between different peoples, to optimize the use of resources, and to enable the Ismaili Muslims to make a valid and meaningful contribution to the improvement of the quality of life of the Ummah and the societies in which they live.

http://www.ismaili.net/Source/extra1.html
TheMaw
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:57 pm

Post by TheMaw »

someone2 wrote:1. Do Ismailis have a kalma (declaration of faith)?
2. Do Ismailis consider the Ginans equal to the Holy Quran?
3. Is there an Ismaili hadith collection?
4. Is there an Ismaili tafsir of the Holy Quran?
5. What do Ismailis believe about reincarnation? Does everyone become reincarnated or only some people? Can humans be reincarnated as animals?
6. Do Ismailis believe in a literal Heaven and Hell?
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell?
1. Our kalimah is the same as that of the Sunni: There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Prophet of God. We recite it daily in our prayers.
2. Equal to the Qur'an? No, but they are a great collection of works that teach Islam. Some have referred to them as the "oral Qur'an" because they express the concepts of Islam in the native tongues of what is now India and Pakistan. Our daily prayers are in Arabic and comprise excerpts from the Qur'an just like those of all other Muslims. And Khojas - Indic-origin Muslims - are a large portion of Nizari Ismailis, but there are many (like myself) who only know of the ginans from afar.
3. Yes, we have ahaadith, but we don't study them the same way that Sunnis do as we have an Imaam, a living guide. Our text is the Qur'an. Ahaadith are useful and are studied by the Imaam and theology students of the da'wah, but they are not relied upon as "oral law" the way they are in Sunnism or in branches of Shi'i Islam where there is no longer a living Guide.
4. There are many, many tafaasir of the Qur'an! Of course some of them are by Ismailis.
5. I do not believe in reincarnation.
6. I'm not sure what you are driving at here...
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell? No. AFAIK all Muslims believe the righteous of all the People of the Book, or even those not of the Book but who are righteous nonetheless, are worthy of salvation. It is only a modern and very radical Christian belief that to be saved is simply to require the recitation of a magic oath - in their case, to accept Jesus as one's personal saviour (God prevent that madness of thought!) - that makes one eligible for redemption.

If people seem reticent to answer, it is because we are a private community. Discussion of faith issues often generates a reminder from others that we are tolerant, convince others by our actions and not simply our words (i.e. "war of creeds") and historically have been forced to hide our allegiances to survive. With the rise of increasingly crazy faith groups, we continue to prefer to demonstrate Islam by our deeds.

If you are interested in Islam, the Imam does welcome Believers, however! Follow those links above and explore the official website of the Ismaili tariqah. Ismailis are everywhere; if you want to talk to someone from your area, ask around.
razinizar
Posts: 119
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 2:17 am

Post by razinizar »

Just want to clear one more thing regarding Ginans.
Ginans are basically an explanation of Quran for the people of Indian Subcontinent in their own culture and in their own language of there time.
it is not equitant to quran but an explanation of Quran.
YaAliYaMowla
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 1:43 pm

Post by YaAliYaMowla »

TheMaw wrote:
mAli1 wrote:dear muslim brother,

I will try to answer your question to my best knowledge and my beleif.

1) yes i believe there will be a day of judgment and every soul will be accountable for deeds.
2) yes i believe in reincarnation.
3) I believe the Imams and Hazrat mohammed are from the same light. as he is the progeny of prophet Mohammed
4) ginans have deep spritual knowledge and lots of hidden meaning.
5) In lot of ginans there is reference of hazrat Ali and his progeny of Imams is part of Allah. He is indeed the true guide and to fulfill his farmans is the most supreme duty of all ismailies.
6) yes we do have halal and haram.

brother i hope i have answered your questions but and i hope lot of other ismailies will answers your questions.
The nur of the Imamate is not saying that the Imamate is the same as God, though. It's important to distinguish the Imami Shi'i concept of the blessing of the Nur (i.e. the 12ers also believe this about their A'immah) and the misleading English meaning of the term "Emanation" that gets thrown around in discussions about the Shi'a. Unlike, say, Jesus, the Imams are not divine, but divinely-empowered.
This has been quoted in our forum and is from an authoritative sunni source:

Imam Hanbal quotes in his Musnad (as do Ibn Shafi’i in his Manaqib, Mir Seyyed Ali Hamadani in Mawaddatu'l-Qurba, Dailami in Firdaus and others with minor variations) in quoting the "Hadith of Creation":

Prophet said: "I and Ali were created of the same Divine Light 14,000 years before Adam was created. From the loins of the Prophet Adam and through his holy progeny, the Light was inherited by Abdu'l-Muttalib, and from him it was divided and inherited by Abdullah, (father of the Prophet) and Abu Talib, (father of Ali). I was granted prophethood, and Ali was granted the caliphate."

It is the same divine light in both the Prophet (saws) and the Imams. I see no difference in the two with respect to this. This is not an Ismaili hadith. Nevertheless, I dont think that the Prophet or any Imam would be happy with us trying to be the judge in comparing the two. We can at least agree that they are both much much higher than any of us.

As ShamsB rightfully said, there is diversity in the beliefs of the Ismaili Jamat and we should respect this diversity.
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Post by DELETED »

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ShamsB
Posts: 1117
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:20 pm

Post by ShamsB »

TheMaw wrote:
someone2 wrote:1. Do Ismailis have a kalma (declaration of faith)?
2. Do Ismailis consider the Ginans equal to the Holy Quran?
3. Is there an Ismaili hadith collection?
4. Is there an Ismaili tafsir of the Holy Quran?
5. What do Ismailis believe about reincarnation? Does everyone become reincarnated or only some people? Can humans be reincarnated as animals?
6. Do Ismailis believe in a literal Heaven and Hell?
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell?
1. Our kalimah is the same as that of the Sunni: There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Prophet of God. We recite it daily in our prayers.
2. Equal to the Qur'an? No, but they are a great collection of works that teach Islam. Some have referred to them as the "oral Qur'an" because they express the concepts of Islam in the native tongues of what is now India and Pakistan. Our daily prayers are in Arabic and comprise excerpts from the Qur'an just like those of all other Muslims. And Khojas - Indic-origin Muslims - are a large portion of Nizari Ismailis, but there are many (like myself) who only know of the ginans from afar.
3. Yes, we have ahaadith, but we don't study them the same way that Sunnis do as we have an Imaam, a living guide. Our text is the Qur'an. Ahaadith are useful and are studied by the Imaam and theology students of the da'wah, but they are not relied upon as "oral law" the way they are in Sunnism or in branches of Shi'i Islam where there is no longer a living Guide.
4. There are many, many tafaasir of the Qur'an! Of course some of them are by Ismailis.
5. I do not believe in reincarnation.
6. I'm not sure what you are driving at here...
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell? No. AFAIK all Muslims believe the righteous of all the People of the Book, or even those not of the Book but who are righteous nonetheless, are worthy of salvation. It is only a modern and very radical Christian belief that to be saved is simply to require the recitation of a magic oath - in their case, to accept Jesus as one's personal saviour (God prevent that madness of thought!) - that makes one eligible for redemption.

If people seem reticent to answer, it is because we are a private community. Discussion of faith issues often generates a reminder from others that we are tolerant, convince others by our actions and not simply our words (i.e. "war of creeds") and historically have been forced to hide our allegiances to survive. With the rise of increasingly crazy faith groups, we continue to prefer to demonstrate Islam by our deeds.

If you are interested in Islam, the Imam does welcome Believers, however! Follow those links above and explore the official website of the Ismaili tariqah. Ismailis are everywhere; if you want to talk to someone from your area, ask around.
#2 is the opinion of theMaw - not of the rest of us. certainly not mine.

Shams
shiraz.virani
Posts: 1256
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Post by shiraz.virani »

someone2 wrote:
1. Do Ismailis have a kalma (declaration of faith)?
2. Do Ismailis consider the Ginans equal to the Holy Quran?
3. Is there an Ismaili hadith collection?
4. Is there an Ismaili tafsir of the Holy Quran?
5. What do Ismailis believe about reincarnation? Does everyone become reincarnated or only some people? Can humans be reincarnated as animals?
6. Do Ismailis believe in a literal Heaven and Hell?
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell?

1. Our kalimah is the same as that of the Sunni: There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Prophet of God. We recite it daily in our prayers.
2. Equal to the Qur'an? No, but they are a great collection of works that teach Islam. Some have referred to them as the "oral Qur'an" because they express the concepts of Islam in the native tongues of what is now India and Pakistan. Our daily prayers are in Arabic and comprise excerpts from the Qur'an just like those of all other Muslims. And Khojas - Indic-origin Muslims - are a large portion of Nizari Ismailis, but there are many (like myself) who only know of the ginans from afar.
3. Yes, we have ahaadith, but we don't study them the same way that Sunnis do as we have an Imaam, a living guide. Our text is the Qur'an. Ahaadith are useful and are studied by the Imaam and theology students of the da'wah, but they are not relied upon as "oral law" the way they are in Sunnism or in branches of Shi'i Islam where there is no longer a living Guide.
4. There are many, many tafaasir of the Qur'an! Of course some of them are by Ismailis.
5. I do not believe in reincarnation.
6. I'm not sure what you are driving at here...
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell? No. AFAIK all Muslims believe the righteous of all the People of the Book, or even those not of the Book but who are righteous nonetheless, are worthy of salvation. It is only a modern and very radical Christian belief that to be saved is simply to require the recitation of a magic oath - in their case, to accept Jesus as one's personal saviour (God prevent that madness of thought!) - that makes one eligible for redemption.

If people seem reticent to answer, it is because we are a private community. Discussion of faith issues often generates a reminder from others that we are tolerant, convince others by our actions and not simply our words (i.e. "war of creeds") and historically have been forced to hide our allegiances to survive. With the rise of increasingly crazy faith groups, we continue to prefer to demonstrate Islam by our deeds.

If you are interested in Islam, the Imam does welcome Believers, however! Follow those links above and explore the official website of the Ismaili tariqah. Ismailis are everywhere; if you want to talk to someone from your area, ask around.
i would like to correct THE MAW...


1] our kalimah is :

2nd part of our holy dua

LA ILAHA IL-LAL-LAHU, MUHAM-MADUR
RASULUL-LAHI. 'ALY-YUN AMIRUL-MU'MININ 'ALY-YUL-LAH

There is no deity except Allah, Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, 'Aly - the master of believers is
from Allah

plus at the end of our holy dua we say :

ASHAHADAN LA ILAHA ILLALLAH
WA ASHAHADAN MUHAMMAD UR RASOOLULLAH
WA ASHAHADAN ALIUL AMIRUL MOMINEEN ALIYULLAH




2] ginan is the acutal meaning quran, confused ?? well brother quran gives you zaheri meaning where as ginan gives you the true spiritual meaning

3] frankly speaking we dont have any hadith as of today because whatever hadiths were recorded uptil our fatimid imams were burned down by mongols...but luckily we have a living imam who is always present to guide us..plus brother how do we know whether what was said some 1400 years ago is authentic or not ? dont get me wrong but generally speaking, lemme give you an example....gather 25 kids and give then a word to pass on without letting the other person know, "john is great" by the time the 25th person gives you the answer its gonna be "john is dead"

4] ginan is the tafaasir brother, lemme explain, The idea of penetrating into the inner meaning of things is to be seen everywhere in Islam, in religion, philosophy, science and art. But it is particularly in the case of the Quran that ta'wil is applied especially by the Sufis and the Shi'ah.

To demonstrate the traditional basis of this important doctrine we quote two traditions, one from a Sunni and the other from a Shi'ite source. There is a famous tradition of the sixth Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq as follows: 'The Book of God contains four things: the announced expression ('ibarah), the allusion (isharah), the hidden meaning related to the suprasensible worlds (lata'if), and the spiritual truths (haqa'iq). The literary expression is for the common people ('awamm); the allusion is for the elite (khawass); the hidden meaning is for the friends of God (or saints) (awliya'); and the spiritual truths are for the prophets (anbiya').


There is also a Hadith of the Prophet as transmitted by Ibn 'Abbas, one of the most respected transmitters of Hadith in Sunni sources, as follows: One day while standing on Mt. 'Arafat he made an allusion to the verse 'Allah it is who hath created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof.' (LVX, 12) and turned to the people saying 'O men! if I were to comment before you this verse as I heard it commented upon by the Prophet himself you would stone me.' What does this statement mean but that there is an inner meaning to the Quran not meant for anyone except those who are qualified to hear and understand." (Ideals and Realities of Islam, 1967, pp. 58-59).


5] i cannot answer this, i guess nobody can !!

6] ofcourse we do !! isnt that the aim of all human beings ??

7] who are we to decide who is going to heaven or hell ?? i want you to read surah 17:70 and 17:71 .

thank you

salam
ya ali madad
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shiraz.virani
Posts: 1256
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Post by shiraz.virani »

i wanna let my ismaili brothers and sisters know that @ ABOVE [meena] is not a christian nor a muslim

he/she is just trying to fill our hearts with enmity towards the christians, so i request you all to be patient and let this dog bark.

i repeat this person is neither a christian nor a muslim.
someone2
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:38 pm

Post by someone2 »

Thank you for your replies.

I want to ask some more questions about Ismailism.
Please answer them.

1. What evidence is there that Imam Jafar Sadiq (ra) appointed his son Ismail to be the Imam after him, and not his son Musa as Twelver Shia say?

2. Why don't Ismailis believe that Hasan bin Abu Talib is an Imam, while Twelver Shia believe that he was an Imam?
How did this difference on belief on whether he is an Imam or not happen?

3. Do Ismailis have the same dress law as Sunni Muslims?

4. Do Ismailis fast during Ramadan? When they fast do they not drink any liquid or eat any food?

5. Do Ismailis believe that there were humans before Hazrat Adam (as)?

6. In some of the Ginans, example http://www.ismaili.net/granths/chetwan.html, itsa that Ali is Allah. it also says that Allah sent the four Vedas.
Do Ismailis believe that Allah sent the Vedas?
Can you please explain.

7. How can a non-Ismaili become an Ismaili?



Please answer my questions.
mAli1
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:43 am

Post by mAli1 »

someone2 wrote:
1. Do Ismailis have a kalma (declaration of faith)?
2. Do Ismailis consider the Ginans equal to the Holy Quran?
3. Is there an Ismaili hadith collection?
4. Is there an Ismaili tafsir of the Holy Quran?
5. What do Ismailis believe about reincarnation? Does everyone become reincarnated or only some people? Can humans be reincarnated as animals?
6. Do Ismailis believe in a literal Heaven and Hell?
7. Do Ismailis believe non-Ismailis will go to Hell?



1) our kalimah is :

LA ILAHA IL-LAL-LAHU, MUHAM-MADUR
RASULUL-LAHI. 'ALY-YUN AMIRUL-MU'MININ 'ALY-YUL-LAH

There is no deity except Allah, Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, 'Aly - the master of believers is
from Allah

2) i think both are excellent source of knowledge and deep spritual meaning

3) dont have the answer

4) dont have an answer

5) i believe reincarnation but have no imformation on it other than that.

6) i dont believe in literal heaven and hell

7) Nope thats not my beilef as As Allah is the creator of all
kmaherali
Posts: 25165
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

There were similar questions in the past under:

Doctrines --> want to learn about ismailiyya

http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... 16&start=0

Doctrines --> Personal questioning regarding Ismailism

http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... an+twelver

You may want to go there.....
shiraz.virani
Posts: 1256
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Post by shiraz.virani »

Thank you for your replies.

I want to ask some more questions about Ismailism.
Please answer them.

1. What evidence is there that Imam Jafar Sadiq (ra) appointed his son Ismail to be the Imam after him, and not his son Musa as Twelver Shia say?

for the simple fact that imam and only imam knows that who is going to be his heir, imam jafer as sadiq[as] never revealed who is going to be an imam after him and only after his demise some people said that ok imam ismaili is the imam and some said imam musa al kazim is an imam and since we did not have will at that time a lot confusion occured and this led to split in shia islam.

you should not forget that imam never leaves this world even for a mini second...even when jesus went to occultation HE DIED FIRST but in reference of imam mehdi of ishna sharis people say he never died.... nothing is forever in this world brother except the noor of imamat.

2. Why don't Ismailis believe that Hasan bin Abu Talib is an Imam, while Twelver Shia believe that he was an Imam?
How did this difference on belief on whether he is an Imam or not happen?


for the fact that there cannot be 2 imams acting at the same time, shehzada hasan[as] was a holy pir where as imam hussain[as] was a holy imam...in ismailism there shah = imam and pir= those who preach faith

at present shah karim al hussaini is both SHAH/PIR

and the biggest proof my brother is if shehzada hassan[as] was indeed an imam then the future imam would have been from his seeds and not imam hussain....this is the biggest proof of all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


3. Do Ismailis have the same dress law as Sunni Muslims?

no we dont have any dress code, but simplicity is much appreciated because jamatkhana is a place of worship and not a dating network or a social club.


4. Do Ismailis fast during Ramadan? When they fast do they not drink any liquid or eat any food?

again i dont think its compulsary, the only reason why rasool[saw] ordered muslims to observe salat is because he wanted them to stop waging a war and atleast for a month spend their time in remembering allah[swt]....the most important of all is the 10th roza i.e the 10th day of ramadan [ you can google it and search why ]


5. Do Ismailis believe that there were humans before Hazrat Adam (as)?

as per my opinion , NO !

6. In some of the Ginans, example http://www.ismaili.net/granths/chetwan.html, itsa that Ali is Allah. it also says that Allah sent the four Vedas.
Do Ismailis believe that Allah sent the Vedas?
Can you please explain.


brother there are 1,24,000 messengers ....and as of today we know barely 20-30 or may be 40 , so do you think the rest of the messenger s went to their people empty handed ??? think logically ...hinduism is the oldest religion as well all know...do you think allah will leave them just like that ???

jainism, buddhism,hinduism etc etc.....they came wayyyyyyy before islam and christianity , do you think they had no scriptures ??


7. How can a non-Ismaili become an Ismaili?

by giving bayaat [allegiance] to the living imam....but before doing this you should first understand the true meaning of ismailism
ShamsB
Posts: 1117
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:20 pm

Post by ShamsB »

shiraz.virani wrote:Thank you for your replies.

I want to ask some more questions about Ismailism.
Please answer them.

1. What evidence is there that Imam Jafar Sadiq (ra) appointed his son Ismail to be the Imam after him, and not his son Musa as Twelver Shia say?

for the simple fact that imam and only imam knows that who is going to be his heir, imam jafer as sadiq[as] never revealed who is going to be an imam after him and only after his demise some people said that ok imam ismaili is the imam and some said imam musa al kazim is an imam and since we did not have will at that time a lot confusion occured and this led to split in shia islam.

you should not forget that imam never leaves this world even for a mini second...even when jesus went to occultation HE DIED FIRST but in reference of imam mehdi of ishna sharis people say he never died.... nothing is forever in this world brother except the noor of imamat.

2. Why don't Ismailis believe that Hasan bin Abu Talib is an Imam, while Twelver Shia believe that he was an Imam?
How did this difference on belief on whether he is an Imam or not happen?


for the fact that there cannot be 2 imams acting at the same time, shehzada hasan[as] was a holy pir where as imam hussain[as] was a holy imam...in ismailism there shah = imam and pir= those who preach faith

at present shah karim al hussaini is both SHAH/PIR

and the biggest proof my brother is if shehzada hassan[as] was indeed an imam then the future imam would have been from his seeds and not imam hussain....this is the biggest proof of all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


3. Do Ismailis have the same dress law as Sunni Muslims?

no we dont have any dress code, but simplicity is much appreciated because jamatkhana is a place of worship and not a dating network or a social club.


4. Do Ismailis fast during Ramadan? When they fast do they not drink any liquid or eat any food?

again i dont think its compulsary, the only reason why rasool[saw] ordered muslims to observe salat is because he wanted them to stop waging a war and atleast for a month spend their time in remembering allah[swt]....the most important of all is the 10th roza i.e the 10th day of ramadan [ you can google it and search why ]


5. Do Ismailis believe that there were humans before Hazrat Adam (as)?

as per my opinion , NO !

6. In some of the Ginans, example http://www.ismaili.net/granths/chetwan.html, itsa that Ali is Allah. it also says that Allah sent the four Vedas.
Do Ismailis believe that Allah sent the Vedas?
Can you please explain.


brother there are 1,24,000 messengers ....and as of today we know barely 20-30 or may be 40 , so do you think the rest of the messenger s went to their people empty handed ??? think logically ...hinduism is the oldest religion as well all know...do you think allah will leave them just like that ???

jainism, buddhism,hinduism etc etc.....they came wayyyyyyy before islam and christianity , do you think they had no scriptures ??


7. How can a non-Ismaili become an Ismaili?

by giving bayaat [allegiance] to the living imam....but before doing this you should first understand the true meaning of ismailism
Just a correction - Imam Hasan was an Imam as was Imam Husayn, but one was Imam Mustawada (Pir) and the other Imam Mustaqir (Shah).

Shams
arshad1988
Posts: 159
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2007 2:02 am
Contact:

Post by arshad1988 »

mAli1 wrote:someone2 wrote:
1. Do Ismailis have a kalma (declaration of faith)?

1) our kalimah is :

LA ILAHA IL-LAL-LAHU, MUHAM-MADUR
RASULUL-LAHI. 'ALY-YUN AMIRUL-MU'MININ 'ALY-YUL-LAH

There is no deity except Allah, Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, 'Aly - the master of believers is
from Allah
'Aly-yul-lah = 'Aly-yun + Allah = "The Ali" + Allah

Therefore, " 'Aly-yul-lah " = Ali is Allah
someone2
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:38 pm

Post by someone2 »

Thank you for your replies.

I checked out those links



I want o ask some more questions about Ismailism.

Please answer them.



1. Do Ismailis believe in the existence of Angels and Jinn?

2. Do Ismailis believe that an Imam has knowledge of everything?

3. Do Ismailis outside the Indian subcontinent have scriptures besides the Ginans?

4. Do ismailis believe in cyclical time, forexample the Hindu belief in Yugas?

5. What do Ismailis believe about the Druze?

6. Do Ismailis believe that Krishna was a Prophet or Imam?

7. What do Ismailis believe about Jesus?
Do they believe, like Sunnis do, that he was not crucified, but was raised alive to heaven and will return to earth before the Day of Judgement?

8.How can a non-Ismaili give bayah to the imam?
YaAliYaMowla
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 1:43 pm

Post by YaAliYaMowla »

someone2 wrote:Thank you for your replies.

I checked out those links



I want o ask some more questions about Ismailism.

Please answer them.



1. Do Ismailis believe in the existence of Angels and Jinn?

2. Do Ismailis believe that an Imam has knowledge of everything?

3. Do Ismailis outside the Indian subcontinent have scriptures besides the Ginans?

4. Do ismailis believe in cyclical time, forexample the Hindu belief in Yugas?

5. What do Ismailis believe about the Druze?

6. Do Ismailis believe that Krishna was a Prophet or Imam?

7. What do Ismailis believe about Jesus?
Do they believe, like Sunnis do, that he was not crucified, but was raised alive to heaven and will return to earth before the Day of Judgement?

8.How can a non-Ismaili give bayah to the imam?
I hope that you've seen by now that there is quite a bit of diversity within the Jamat on some issues that you've asked about, as there are in all tariqahs within and outside Islam. I hope that you are genuine in your questioning. The responses that you are receiving in this forum is by no means authoritative. It is likely difficult for you to distinguish between posters here who have done their reading of Ismaili literature and those that have not. There are some good books that you can find published by the Institute of Ismaili Studies. These are written by scholars in Ismaili research and, I am confident, will be more beneficial for you in understanding Ismaili doctrines, as in not only what we believe, but WHY we believe it.
kmaherali
Posts: 25165
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

someone2 wrote:Thank you for your replies.

I checked out those links



1. Do Ismailis believe in the existence of Angels and Jinn?

2. Do Ismailis believe that an Imam has knowledge of everything?

3. Do Ismailis outside the Indian subcontinent have scriptures besides the Ginans?

4. Do ismailis believe in cyclical time, forexample the Hindu belief in Yugas?

5. What do Ismailis believe about the Druze?

6. Do Ismailis believe that Krishna was a Prophet or Imam?

7. What do Ismailis believe about Jesus?
Do they believe, like Sunnis do, that he was not crucified, but was raised alive to heaven and will return to earth before the Day of Judgement?

8.How can a non-Ismaili give bayah to the imam?
Obviously you did not read the contents of the links. The chapter in the memoir of the 48th Imam contains answers to all your questions. As I said they are more authoritative than the personal views of individuals in this forum.
shiraz.virani
Posts: 1256
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 2:52 pm

Post by shiraz.virani »

1. Do Ismailis believe in the existence of Angels and Jinn?

ofcourse we do !


2. Do Ismailis believe that an Imam has knowledge of everything?

if he dint then i think our imamat would have stopped just like ishna shari's


3. Do Ismailis outside the Indian subcontinent have scriptures besides the Ginans?

no , throughout the world ismailis recite ginan, yes there might be the difference in laguage but we dont have any other scriptures apart from quran whose actual meaning is given in ginans


4. Do ismailis believe in cyclical time, forexample the Hindu belief in Yugas?

quran is filled with science brother and correct me if iam wrong but the very 1st islamic astronomer was a shia ismaili , then we have father of modern optics , his name is AL- HAYTHAM , brother what i mean to say is the world which you think is not just some thousand years old....our earth is millions of years old.... allah[swt] said life first began in water and whatever he created came out of water

so there was fish and other creatures who can survive in water and then from there allah[swt] brought life on earth through parasites,bacteria,fungus etc etc and, then from fishes allah created different animals/reptiles who walk on their belly's [ mentioned in quran ]....unfortunately brother our so called muslim ummah rejects this because they believe soo...but we ismailis believe in all 4 yugas and the current age is KALIYUG = DARK AGE

5. What do Ismailis believe about the Druze?

The Druze faith began as a movement in Ismailism that was mainly influenced by Greek philosophy and gnosticism and opposed certain religious and philosophical ideologies that were present during that epoch.

The faith was founded by Hamza ibn ‘Alī ibn Ahmad, a Persian Ismaili mystic and scholar. He came to Egypt in 1014 and assembled a group of scholars and leaders from across the Islamic world to form a new Unitarian movement. The order's meetings were held in the Raydan Mosque, near the Al-Hakim Mosque.[19]

In 1017, Hamza officially revealed the Druze faith and began to preach his doctrine. Hamza gained the support of the Fātimid Caliph al-Hakim, who issued a decree promoting religious freedom prior of the declaration of the divine call.

Remove ye the causes of fear and estrangement from yourselves. Do away with the corruption of delusion and conformity. Be ye certain that the Prince of Believers hath given unto you free will, and hath spared you the trouble of disguising and concealing your true beliefs, so that when ye work ye may keep your deeds pure for God. He hath done thus so that when you relinquish your previous beliefs and doctrines ye shall not indeed lean on such causes of impediments and pretensions. By conveying to you the reality of his intention, the Prince of Believers hath spared you any excuse for doing so. He hath urged you to declare your belief openly. Ye are now safe from any hand which may bringeth harm unto you. Ye now may find rest in his assurance ye shall not be wronged. Let those who are present convey this message unto the absent so that it may be known by both the distinguished and the common people. It shall thus become a rule to mankind; and Divine Wisdom shall prevail for all the days to come

Al-Hakim became a central figure in the Druze faith even though his own religious position was disputed among scholars. John Esposito states that al-Hakim believed that "he was not only the divinely appointed religio-political leader but also the cosmic intellect linking God with creation." , while others like Nissim Dana and Mordechai Nisan state that he is perceived as the manifestation and the reincarnation of God or presumably the image of God.

Some Druze and non-Druze scholars like Samy Swayd and Sami Makarem state that this confusion is due to confusion about the role of the early heretical preacher ad-Darazi, whose teachings the Druze rejected as heretical.These sources assert that al-Hakim refused ad-Darazi's claims of divinity, and ordered the elimination of his movement while supporting that of Hamza ibn Ali.

Al-Hakim disappeared one night while out on his evening ride - presumably assassinated, perhaps at the behest of his formidable elder sister Sitt al-Mulk. The Druze believe he went into Occultation with Hamza ibn Ali and three other prominent preachers, leaving the care of the "Unitarian missionary movement" to a new leader, Bahā'u d-Dīn.

but we ismailis believe that after his demise his son took over as heriditary imam and you can find proofs from the official ismaili islam site www.iis.ac.uk

6. Do Ismailis believe that Krishna was a Prophet or Imam?

Mystics among the Sufi Saints and shia ismailis believe that lord Brahma and Hz. Ibrahim is one and the same entity. There is a variation in the pronunciation of the name of the same divine. The elite Brahmins who claim to be the offspring of lord Brahma are Saadat-e-Ibrahimi the way, Saadaats among Sayyed Muslims are the offspring of Prophet Mohamed (sas). The way the Gita emanated from the mouth of lord Krishna, Bible from the mouth of lord Jesus, and Quran from the mouth of lord Mohammed, the Vedas have emanated from the mouth of lord Brahma. The Vedas are the same as Sahifa-e-Ibrahimi. This belief of the Sufi Saints and shia ismailis is projected in this write up only to highlight the Oneness of Religions. Sanatan Dhrama (Old Testament in the Bible), the original religion of Prophet Noha was consolidated by Hz Ibrahim in the Sahifa-e-Ibrahimi (lord Brahmas Vedas) and passed on to later generations of mankind. If this belief is accepted Hz Ibrahim (Lord Brahma) is certainly the creator of present day religious order. He is the father of modern religion.

7. What do Ismailis believe about Jesus? Do they believe, like Sunnis do, that he was not crucified, but was raised alive to heaven and will return to earth before the Day of Judgement?

quran never said that allah will send him back, but yes we do believe that he was never crucified.

8.How can a non-Ismaili give bayah to the imam?

a non ismaili can give bayyah by contacting tariqah board in respective jamatkhana's...but its not easy to become an ismaili...you have to have good knowledge about our faith


salam

ya ali madad
TheMaw
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:57 pm

Post by TheMaw »

I should add that the Druze were described as our fellow Ismaili brothers by the Aqa Khan III (I believe... you can google it). They are Ismailis, just not Nizaris. Other non-Nizari Ismailis are the Musta'lis, usually called "Bohras", of which there are many separate sects (Wikipedia lists most of them, I believe).

Druze are also private, but they do not allow intermarriage with outsiders. They believe Imam al-Hakim biAmrillahi the Fatimid went into Occultation and ended the Imamate (or, rather, paused it in the same way all other Shi'i believers do); we Nizari believe his nass was passed on to the next Imam and the Imamate remains living.

One other oddity of the Druze is their secrecy leaves those who have not been initiated in the dark about the tariqah. This is very different from other Nizaris, who learn Islam from a very young age.
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