Born in Zanzibar in 1874, during the reign of Seyyid Barghash, my grand father Fazal Valli Nathu Dilgir, known as Kavi Dilgir, was a gemologist, a musicologist and the original composer of the Ismaili Anthem, Noor e Rasulillah of which the original melody is in arabic tune. He had a melodious voice,and he played upright Harmonium and Violin (Fiddle). Kavi Dilgir, fluent in many languages, wrote poems in Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, Swahili and Arabic. He was a personal friend of Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah as well as succeeding Sultans (Kings) of Zanzibar, and was often called upon to compose poetry for them. The Ismaili Anthem was composed by Kavi Dilgir in Zanzibar in 1922, but was not played until 1929. On hearing it during a visit to Zanzibar, Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah immediately acclaimed it the Anthem of the Ismaili community. The Anthem (called Salute) was played through out the world in areas of Africa, Europe, India, Pakistan, North America, Australia and New Zealand. I am not sure about Central Asia. In 1946 (Diamond Jubilee) Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah after hearing one of his poem, commented: “In the life of every Imam there has been a poet, and the poet of my time is Mr. Dilgir.” This is a brief extract of Mr. Dilgir’s life history and his contribution to the Ismaili community. Also an accomplished author, his first book Nure Azim was published in 1923. I have written this message to provide history on the original composition of Noor e Rasulillah, now rearranged as the Nashid Al Imama. The melody is still the same.