www.ismaili.net

hi,
hope u all frndz will be fine.
i want to convert to Ismailism from Sunni.
i need help of u people in this regard.
i m livind in Rawalpindi.

Thats a very good new. Masha Allah. but can i ask you why do u want to be Ismaili. What things impressed u or admired you to become ismaili? Look brother, ismailism is very difficult and being ismaili is even very tough. Coming into this sect just because u heard abt it and u r impressed by ppl is not good thing. u need to be strong o&shy;n ur faith. <BR><BR>Secondly, its even difficult to become ismaili. But its not impossible. First thing u need to do is to find a ismaili and then Ismaili Council for ur city. Then go to Ismaili Council and they will guide u how to become. but it would take time to become ismaili. its not like you said yes and now ur ismaili. u need to do few things in order to be called ismaili. Its bcz ismailism is not exoteric. Its esoteric thats y we dont go much what u see but rather what is in ur heart. <BR><BR>Cheers

I suggest that you first join AKDN and serve humanity - it would be a good step towards Ismailism.


There are two kinds of generosity - the real and the shadow; the former is prompted by love, the latter by vanity.Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

When the miser shows any generosity he celebrates it with trumpets.

Do not look for thanks or appreciation for all the good you do to others, nor use it as a means to stimulate your vanity.

Do all that you consider good for the sake of goodness, not even for a return of that from God.

When, by constantly trying to do so, you can do so by any effort, then you will certainly convince yourself that you have risen above the ordinary stage of the human being.

The whole tragedy of life is in losing sight of one's natural self, and the greatest gain in life is coming into touch with one's real self.

The real self is covered by many layers of ego; those which preponderate above all others are hunger and passion, beneath these are pride and vanity.

One must learn to discriminate between what is natural and what is unnatural, what is necessary and what is not necessary, what brings happiness and what brings sorrow.

No doubt it is difficult for many to discriminate between right and wrong; but by standing face to face with one's ego and recognizing it as someone who is ready to make war against us, and by keeping one's strength of will as an unsheathed sword, one protects oneself from one's greatest enemy, which is one's own ego. And a time comes in life when one can say, 'My worst enemy has been within myself.'

Man's greatest enemy is his ego which manifests itself in selfishness.

Even in his doing good, in his kind actions, selfishness is sometimes at work.

When he does good with the thought that one day it may return to him and that he may share in the good, he sells his pearls for a price.

A kind action, a thought of sympathy, of generosity, is too precious to trade with.

One should give and, while giving, close the eyes.

Man should remember to do every little action, every little kindness, every act of generosity with his whole heart, without the desire of getting anything in return, making a trade out of it. The satisfaction must be in doing it and in nothing else.

Inshallah Allah will light your way !





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naushad25 wrote:Thats a very good new. Masha Allah. but can i ask you why do u want to be Ismaili. What things impressed u or admired you to become ismaili? Look brother, ismailism is very difficult and being ismaili is even very tough. Coming into this sect just because u heard abt it and u r impressed by ppl is not good thing. u need to be strong o&shy;n ur faith. <BR><BR>Secondly, its even difficult to become ismaili. But its not impossible. First thing u need to do is to find a ismaili and then Ismaili Council for ur city. Then go to Ismaili Council and they will guide u how to become. but it would take time to become ismaili. its not like you said yes and now ur ismaili. u need to do few things in order to be called ismaili. Its bcz ismailism is not exoteric. Its esoteric thats y we dont go much what u see but rather what is in ur heart. <BR><BR>Cheers

<BR>thanku very much for ur reply.dear i want to become ismaili becoz i m really impressed be the great works of His Highness Prince&nbsp;Karim Shah.i will search any Ismaili around me.well what kind of things i have to do become true ismaili?can u guide me brother.plz?

see. going into a religion doesnt require anything. its ur own faith and right to what ever u want to do. u shud be firm o&shy;n ur believes. as u r now thinking of leaving Sunnism, may be after sometime if u look at Hinduism and ur impressed by that and then u say i want to go for that. i think thats not a true way to lead a life. u need to know more what ismailism is all about. at the start u may find it weird. why are we doing that and all. but u need to think it esoterically and have to go for the spirituality behind it. that will come gradually. but plz if u think this is the right religion for u then come otherwise coming in ismailism and going back to other is not good. u need to be firm o&shy;n ur believes and rest Allah will guide u. Missionaries are there to help u always. U can go to <A href="http://www.kamalzar.com">www.kamalzar.com</A> and contact a missionary from Contact us link. His name is Rai Kamaluddin Missionary. ask him whatever u want to.<BR><BR>Best of luck. keep update abt ur entrance.

Dear Muddasir:

We welcome you to the Ismaili fold. Like others have said, get in touch with your nearst council as soon as possible. They will then guide you through the process. In the meantime you may ask any questions you like on this board as well as read thoroughly through Ismaili literature.

Sincerely,

Samir Noorali

naushad25 wrote:see. going into a religion doesnt require anything. its ur own faith and right to what ever u want to do. u shud be firm o&shy;n ur believes. as u r now thinking of leaving Sunnism, may be after sometime if u look at Hinduism and ur impressed by that and then u say i want to go for that. i think thats not a true way to lead a life. u need to know more what ismailism is all about. at the start u may find it weird. why are we doing that and all. but u need to think it esoterically and have to go for the spirituality behind it. that will come gradually. but plz if u think this is the right religion for u then come otherwise coming in ismailism and going back to other is not good. u need to be firm o&shy;n ur believes and rest Allah will guide u. Missionaries are there to help u always. U can go to <A href="http://www.kamalzar.com/">www.kamalzar.com</A> and contact a missionary from Contact us link. His name is Rai Kamaluddin Missionary. ask him whatever u want to.<BR><BR>Best of luck. keep update abt ur entrance.

<BR>yes dear i have understood what u have said.i'll Insha'ALLAH follow it.i have a question here that i have never seen any ismaili with beard(daarhi),is it prohibite to keep beard(Daarhi) in Ismailism?

no its not prohibited. u can do whatever u want under islamic laws. but before being called as ismaili, u need to contact council

naushad25 wrote:no its not prohibited. u can do whatever u want under islamic laws. but before being called as ismaili, u need to contact council

<BR>thanku very much brother.<BR>i will find any ismaili around my place.<BR>brother i know a Jamat Khana near my place can i visit it before converting ismaili?i want to&nbsp;get info abt ismaili counicil from there.

Sorry, but u cannot go into JK without being Ismaili. bcz there are rules of it. We are not following religion physically rather as i said it is esoteric religion. we do all things spiritually. Dont think that everyone is top o&shy;n their religion as ppl have flaws and no o&shy;ne is perfect. but still o&shy;ne has to think spiritually abt islam before being into ismailism and jk. so it would be better to ask some o&shy;ne standing outside Jk about council or i would also recommend u to contact Rai kamaluddin from <A href="http://www.kamalzar.com">www.kamalzar.com</A> <BR>He will guide u. if he doesnt answer u then ask some o&shy;ne abt council nearby. take complete information abt it. If someone need something special, then he has to go through problems and hurdles. <BR><BR>Cheers

naushad25 wrote:Sorry, but u cannot go into JK without being Ismaili. bcz there are rules of it. We are not following religion physically rather as i said it is esoteric religion. we do all things spiritually. Dont think that everyone is top o&shy;n their religion as ppl have flaws and no o&shy;ne is perfect. but still o&shy;ne has to think spiritually abt islam before being into ismailism and jk. so it would be better to ask some o&shy;ne standing outside Jk about council or i would also recommend u to contact Rai kamaluddin from <A href="http://www.kamalzar.com/">www.kamalzar.com</A> <BR>He will guide u. if he doesnt answer u then ask some o&shy;ne abt council nearby. take complete information abt it. If someone need something special, then he has to go through problems and hurdles. <BR><BR>Cheers

<BR>ok brother thanku very much.<BR>i have sent email to kamalzar's respected owner.<BR>plz pray that he replies me soon.<BR>also pray that i join u as ur ismaili brother as soon as its possible.....<BR>May Mowla Bless You............Aameen.

Dear Brother Muddasir, I am very happy that you want to convert. and i truly pray that may Mowla accept you. Although it may take some time for you to become ismaili. i would highly suggest that you learn more about ismailism. This website is a great way to interact with other ismailies. If you faith is true, then Very soon you will become an ismaili. Please let us know about you journey as it progress. Good luck brother

Dear naushad25:

You said:

and contact a missionary from Contact us link. His name is Rai Kamaluddin Missionary. ask him whatever u want to.<BR><BR>Best of luck. keep update abt ur entrance.

Kamaluddin has called himself an Alwaiz on the website you provided, not missionary. There is a big difference beween the two titles. Please ensure that if he is stating he is a missionary on his site and he has been appointed as such then call him one. Otherwise stick to what he has designated himself as on the website.

Thank you.

Samir Noorali

So Samir, I would like to draw ur attention towards TITLE thing given by Maula. Ttile is bestowed upon a ismaili for his long term services, khidmat and sincerity to&nbsp;Maula. Al waiz is not a title, its just a simple urdu word that means preacher or teacher. so if ur working for ur religion as in&nbsp;for Religious Education Centre as teacher, u&nbsp;r alwaiz.<BR><BR>Missionary o&shy;n the other hand is a title given to all the preachers i.e., AL WAIZ who excels the mission of Imam which is to guide the Jamat. so o&shy;n the whole a person may or may not use his title, its upto him/her, but all the big alwaez/alwaeza who are carrying forward the mission of Imam are Missionaries. but it should be given by maula. Secondly, just&nbsp;for information, in this period of time, Maula is our Imam and Pir. In previous times, Pir and Imam were different so at that time Pirs were&nbsp;Missionaries. <BR><BR>I hope this answers. No fights. Peace<BR><BR>Ya Ali Madad&nbsp;

and as far as Rai kamaluddin is concerned, he never uses his titles. If u have seen&nbsp; his book, he never says Al waiz or missionary.. so its all same for them ..the thing is not the name the thing is the mission they are carrying and we should try to do the same.. not for the name. I think may be he has got a bigger title i.e., RAI so he cannot use the older o&shy;ne. but missionary are the o&shy;nes who carries imam's mission. <BR><BR>Cheers

mAli1 wrote:Dear Brother Muddasir, I am very happy that you want to convert. and i truly pray that may Mowla accept you. Although it may take some time for you to become ismaili. i would highly suggest that you learn more about ismailism. This website is a great way to interact with other ismailies. If you faith is true, then Very soon you will become an ismaili. Please let us know about you journey as it progress. Good luck brother

<BR>Aameen..............thanks for ur encouragement brother............

<P>naushad brother i have contact kamalzar's website.they have told me that council office is inside the Jamat khana Chandni Chaok.u told me that i m not allowed to enter the Jamat Khana as far as i dont get converted to Ismailism.then how will i reach the council office if i m not allowed to enter the Jamat Khana?plz guide me brother.</P>

thats very fast reply. I think u shud put ur case now infront of him and ask him what to do as he is premier member and very informative about these things... cheers

naushad25 wrote:thats very fast reply. I think u shud put ur case now infront of him and ask him what to do as he is premier member and very informative about these things... cheers

<BR>ok brother thanks.if i have some other question i will ask from u here in this forum,again thanks.

Muddasir wrote:thanku very much for ur reply.dear i want to become ismaili becoz i m really impressed be the great works of His Highness Prince Karim Shah.i will search any Ismaili around me.well what kind of things i have to do become true ismaili?can u guide me brother.plz?

Dear Mudassir,

It is good to know that you are impressed by the work of our Imam but guessing from what you said you are impressed with his worldly work which is philanthropy. This in no way is a good enough reason to convert to Ismailism. You should study the Shia doctrine and their concept of need for a living Imam. Until and unless you agree with that your journey will be long and fruitless and might come to a disappointing halt. What if you become an Ismaili based on your liking of the current Imam's work and then are not impressed with the next Imam, whenever that happens, what are you going to do? Our Imams have never held open enrollment where anyone can come in and register to become Ismaili for this particular reason. You must do your homework by learning the Shia doctrine to start with and work your way through many splits that have occured among Shias in the past to arrive at a conclusion for yourself whether Ismailism is right for you.

Ismailism is a path to reuniting our souls with the Ultimate. Real Ismailism starts where the worldly affairs end. This is why we believe in the living Imam. Although the Imam has created institutions for our worldly progress, his sole purpose is to guide us to our destiny or atleast show us the way. A lot of Ismailis even take this path for granted and do not take the next step and are satisfied by just being called Ismailis. There is a lot more to Ismailism and this is what they will put you through, sort of training classes, where they will give you small doses at a time to see if you can swallow and digest it. This also gives you a chance to reflect upon Ismailism and decide for yourself.

Having studied the Shia doctrine and Ismailism will go a long way in helping you in your quest. I suggest you start with study of Quran with a Shia perspective. No other Shia sect has a living Imam. You will find that only in Ismailism. Then when you reach a point in your studies where need for a living Imam makes sense, go to the next level and read the history of Ismaili Imams. Reading books on Ismailism will help you a lot. Only then you will see the light at the "other" end of the tunnel. Your real journey will start there.

I wish you the best in your journey.

If I am not mistaken, I believe the Aga Khan University is in Rawalpindi. I'm sure you will find many Ismailis there as well. Please also learn about our history as the Ismailis before this huge decision. Being an Ismaili is like walking on the edge of a sword (as described by Pir Sadardeen). The story of Raja Harishchandra and Tara Rani is also one to read as it explains our religion (in my belief). This story is what has brought interest and personal better understanding of Ismailism for myself and I hope I also brings you to understand what the religion really means. Links are below. My prayers are with you.


http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/3681


http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/19758

Brother Visram!

Aga Khan University is in Karachi on Stadium Road and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) offices are in Islamabad, but they can't provide any support on faith related issues. Jamatkhana is situated near Chandni Chowk Rawalpindi. I appreciate that brother Mudasir is in quest of truth. Brother remember, good and bad people are everywhere and in every religion. Don't assume that every Ismaili is an angel. Converting to Ismaili or other faith is not a solution, as one of our reader suggested earlier. You can remain in your faith and try to become a good muslim rather a flawed one. There are two things that Allah (SWT) has made mandatory for all the believers; 1) Iman (Faith) Trust in oneness of Almighty God, His 124,000 Prophets, His Angels, His designated Olil Amri Minkum (Imams of the Time), 49th Imam of Ismailis is His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan-IV, Shah Karim Al-Hussaini, keep a balance between worldly matters and hereinafter (Aakhirat). I mean Deen and Dunya. Now your iman is complete. 2) Second most important thing which God demands from His creatures is Taqwa (Modesty) as Holy Quran says: 'Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most deeply conscious (as you are Urdu speaking: Parhezgari, Khuda say darna, etc. etc. 49:13)'. I wonder which branch of Sunni do you belong (i.e. Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi, Hanbali or Wahabi (Al-Qaida, Taliban etc. etc.). The Barelvi sect of Sunni is a libral and Sufism faith like Shia, Ithna-Ashri (twelvers) and they are followers of Shah Raza Ahmed Khan Barelvi. In Punjab and Sindh, majority of them are Barelvis.

The last boat of the present era (the Holy Imam) is already here.

Only the faithful ones will cross the ocean of this material existence (by boarding into the spirituality of the Holy Imam of the time and age).

The essence of the True Path is the Truth.

One can only attain the substance and the mysteries
of the True Path if the heart is pure.

O ! believers speak from your mouths only the truth. In every individual my Lord is nearer than the hand and in every individual He is fully present.

He is the only Glorious,

"Taqwa is the best provision for the journey of the Hereafter (2:197).

Taqwa is an attire which is the best both with respect to protection and with respect to adornment (7:26).

Taqwa is superior even to human forgiveness and justice (2:237; 5:8).

It is only he who has taqwa in his heart, who respects the Signs of God (sha'aair-i Allah) (22:32).

No sacrifice, except taqwa, reaches the presence of God (22:37). The real taqwa is created in the hearts of the mu'mins after trial and test (49:3)."

[Source: Qur'anic Healing, p.44]

As-Salam and YA `A L I` MADAD

Dear brother Muddasir. I suggest you to PLEASE read our doctrine first before you accept `SHIA ISMAILSM ISLAM`. So, that there shall be no confusion after your conversation.

Here is one of this wonderful book online and I hope it help you Inshallah to understand our ESOTERIC[ BATIN ] faith.........

Introduction to Ismailism
BY DR. SHEIKH KHODR HAMAWI
1970
http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_5/1800 ... 180755.pdf

In our life as believers, we practise the conduct in Four stages:

1) Shari'at the law.

2) Tariquat the way.

3) Hakikat the truth

4) Marrifat- the knowledge.

As-Salam and YA `A L I` MADAD

Dear brother Muddasir. I suggest you to PLEASE read our doctrine first before you accept `SHIA ISMAILSM ISLAM`. So, that there shall be no confusion after your conversation.

Here is one of this wonderful book online and I hope it help you Inshallah to understand our ESOTERIC[ BATIN ] faith.........

Introduction to Ismailism
BY DR. SHEIKH KHODR HAMAWI
1970
http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_5/1800 ... 180755.pdf

In our life as believers, we practise the conduct in Four stages:

1) Shari'at the law.

2) Tariquat the way.

3) Hakikat the truth

4) Marrifat- the knowledge.


Shari’ah is like travelling to God or progressing to God “on Foot” i.e. the speed is that of a pedestrian.
Tariqah progress to God is like travelling by car. Haqiqah progress to God seems like travelling by air.
Ma’rifah is Wasl-e-Haq i.e. to merge into the reality of Allah’s Nur.
(The blossoms of Ma’rifat)

thanku very much to all of you brothers for guiding me in such a beautiful and understandable way.<BR>dear friends i want to join Ismailism as soon as posible......because u know there is no trust of the life of a person.......I Love Mowla,Baapa Shah Karim Al-Hussaini,His Highness.i want to come uder his blessingful shadow of esotericity........faith and love for mankind.........hope u all will keep me guiding like this.......Mowla Bless&nbsp;You All....

Ismailism is very demanding ! It is a faith of conviction - not of convenience and many have fallen by the wayside....it calls for sacrifice ! of time, knowledge, wealth and sometimes even life itself....it is not a picnic, if you will....do you see that even the Imam himself works 18 hours a day and runs around everywhere trying to serve humanity even though they are not Ismailis ! That is why I did say at the outset, join AKDN as a first step towards ismailism....ADL,QIST,TAQWA are essential ingredients.....many people are deceived by the outward perceptions they have about ismailism....their inward is rather too complex and deep and some parts are perpetually in dissimulation as it is also an "esoteric" faith.
Not easy ! be assured ! from 3.30 am daily go and check Ismaili JKs....they are vibrant and people are praying.....show me if the masjids are open at this time?

Pride is an extremely fatal disease from the ethical and spiritual point of view, similarly callousness(hardness) of the heart is also an extremely dangerous disease which, if not cured in time, can prove to be extremely detrimental for the spiritual growth of a mu’min.

According to the holy Qur’an, precautionary measures against these spiritual diseases and its prevention are possible only through the tenderness of the heart, humility and Du'a.

The Wise Qur'an, in describing the praise-worthy manners and qualities of the Prophets (pbuh), praises remembrance in this manner :

"These (Prophets) are they on whom God bestowed favors, from among the Prophets of the progeny of Adam and of those whom We carried with Nuh and of the progeny of Ibrahim and ishmael.... and muslims pray every day but they do not understand what they are actually praying..."Guide us to the RIGHT PATH !....the path of those upon whom THOU has bestowed favours !

Sirat is the way of those upon whom Allah has bestowed HIS favours and they are obviously the Prophets who were Truthful and brought the Message of God to mankind...then the Witnesses (Shuhada) and the Salihin (Righteous)....and the Jihad is to strive in the way of Allah through them...and surely you will be tested both in yourself and in your possessions....thus many have disappeared overtime.....but Allah calls them "niggardly" and has said they will be replaced !

Muddasir wrote:thanku very much to all of you brothers for guiding me in such a beautiful and understandable way.<BR>dear friends i want to join Ismailism as soon as posible......because u know there is no trust of the life of a person.......I Love Mowla,Baapa Shah Karim Al-Hussaini,His Highness.i want to come uder his blessingful shadow of esotericity........faith and love for mankind.........hope u all will keep me guiding like this.......Mowla Bless&nbsp;You All....

Brother, i am very very happy to hear that. I can feel your excitement. and I can't wait to hear about your acceptance. Mowla is the Lord of all worlds, be assured that he is also waiting to accept you , just as you are waiting to be accepted. "If a devotee's love of god is unlimited then how can GOD's love for his devotee be limited" This brings tears in my eyes. And very soon Our Lord's birthday is Coming ( Dec 13) and this reminds me of a ginan by pir sadardeen which i will quote

eji dhan dhan aaj no daadd lore
ame hareevar paayaa

O momins, it is an auspicious day today(a day of joy full of fortunes),
for we have gained the recognition of the Supreme Lord, our Imaam,
the Protector and Provider.

So i Just wanted to share this happiness with you. May mowla indeed fullfil all your good wishes.. aameen

GMR wrote:Brother Visram!

Aga Khan University is in Karachi on Stadium Road and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) offices are in Islamabad, but they can't provide any support on faith related issues. Jamatkhana is situated near Chandni Chowk Rawalpindi. I appreciate that brother Mudasir is in quest of truth. Brother remember, good and bad people are everywhere and in every religion. Don't assume that every Ismaili is an angel...

Well then, thanks, I guess I was mistaken.. ! I was just suggesting ideas, I didn't mean to be so literal, sorry... I of course understand that there are good + bad people in all religions and do not doubt that one bit, however, I just thought that there was no known place of a Jamat Khana, so if getting anywhere close, it would be going to one of Aga Khan's Institutions. Unfortunately I was wrong, it wasn't where I thought it was... But thats okay, we have tons of people that have the right facts and know what is located where! My sense of direction is sort of gone down the drain.. But thankfully people here know where the JK is.. Thanks + sorry GMR.

From_Alumut wrote:
1) Shari'at the law.

2) Tariquat the way.

3) Hakikat the truth

4) Marrifat- the knowledge.

Quote from Ginan by Imam Begum, Tum Chet Man Mera:


ejee gat maa(n)he meelo neeto neet, paheleeye maano shareeyat
tareekat or hakeekat, maarfat me(n) manku(n) maar
tum chet man meraa...........................................7

Meet in the congregation(of Jamaatkhaanaa) everyday. As a first principle believe in the 'Sharia'(aim, principles and doctrines of faith). Then follow the way or the method(Tariqah) and then internalise the inner mysteries(truths)(Haqiqah) as attained on the Path. Attaining the gnosis(Maarifah, ultimate knowledge and certainty) hence, kill or destroy your (lower)mind including it's desires.

mAli1 wrote:

Muddasir wrote:thanku very much to all of you brothers for guiding me in such a beautiful and understandable way.<BR>dear friends i want to join Ismailism as soon as posible......because u know there is no trust of the life of a person.......I Love Mowla,Baapa Shah Karim Al-Hussaini,His Highness.i want to come uder his blessingful shadow of esotericity........faith and love for mankind.........hope u all will keep me guiding like this.......Mowla Bless&nbsp;You All....

<BR><BR>Brother, i am very very happy to hear that. I can feel your excitement. and I can't wait to hear about your acceptance. Mowla is the Lord of all worlds, be assured that he is also waiting to accept you , just as you are waiting to be accepted. "If a devotee's love of god is unlimited then how can GOD's love for his devotee be limited" This brings tears in my eyes. And very soon Our Lord's birthday is Coming ( Dec 13) and this reminds me of a ginan by pir sadardeen which i will quote<BR><BR>eji dhan dhan aaj no daadd lore<BR>ame hareevar paayaa<BR><BR>O momins, it is an auspicious day today(a day of joy full of fortunes),<BR>for we have gained the recognition of the Supreme Lord, our Imaam, <BR>the Protector and Provider.<BR><BR>So i Just wanted to share this happiness with you. May mowla indeed fullfil all your good wishes.. aameen

<BR>thanku very much brother.......i m also happy about the Coming Birthday of My Lord.