1.
Islam
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Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion which professes that there is only one and incomparable God and that Muhammad is the last messenger of God. It is the worlds second-largest religion and the major religion in the world, with over 1.7 billion followers or 23% of the global population. Islam teaches that God is merciful, all-powerful, and unique, and He has guided mankind through revealed scriptures, natural signs, and a line of prophets sealed by Muhammad. The primary scriptures of Islam are the Quran, viewed by Muslims as the word of God. Muslims believe that Islam is the original, complete and universal version of a faith that was revealed many times before through prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses. As for the Quran, Muslims consider it to be the unaltered, certain religious rites and customs are observed by the Muslims in their family and social life, while social responsibilities to parents, relatives, and neighbors have also been defined. Besides, the Quran and the sunnah of Muhammad prescribe a comprehensive body of moral guidelines for Muslims to be followed in their personal, social, political, Islam began in the early 7th century. Originating in Mecca, it spread in the Arabian Peninsula. The expansion of the Muslim world involved various caliphates and empires, traders, most Muslims are of one of two denominations, Sunni or Shia. Islam is the dominant religion in the Middle East, North Africa, sizable Muslim communities are also found in Horn of Africa, Europe, China, Russia, Mainland Southeast Asia, Philippines, Northern Borneo, Caucasus and the Americas. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world, Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, submission, safeness and peace. In a religious context it means voluntary submission to God, Islām is the verbal noun of Form IV of the root, and means submission or surrender. Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the verb form. The word sometimes has connotations in its various occurrences in the Quran. In some verses, there is stress on the quality of Islam as a state, Whomsoever God desires to guide. Other verses connect Islām and dīn, Today, I have perfected your religion for you, I have completed My blessing upon you, still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith. In the Hadith of Gabriel, islām is presented as one part of a triad that also includes imān, Islam was historically called Muhammadanism in Anglophone societies. This term has fallen out of use and is said to be offensive because it suggests that a human being rather than God is central to Muslims religion
2.
Shia Islam
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Shia is a branch of Islam which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. Shia Islam primarily contrasts with Sunni Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor, instead they consider Abu Bakr to be the correct Caliph. Adherents of Shia Islam are called Shias of Ali, Shias or the Shia as a collective or Shii individually, Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam, in 2009, Shia Muslims constituted 10–13% of the worlds Muslim population. Twelver Shia is the largest branch of Shia Islam, in 2012 it was estimated that perhaps 85 percent of Shias were Twelvers. Shia Islam is based on the Quran and the message of Muhammad attested in hadith, Shia consider Ali to have been divinely appointed as the successor to Muhammad, and as the first Imam. The word Shia means follower and is the form of the historic phrase shīʻatu ʻAlī, meaning followers of Ali, faction of Ali. Shia and Shiism are forms used in English, while Shiite or Shiite, as well as Shia, the term for the first time was used at the time of Muhammad. At present, the word refers to the Muslims who believe that the leadership of the community after Muhammad belongs to Ali, nawbakhti states that the term Shia refers to a group of Muslims that at the time of Muhammad and after him regarded Ali as the Imam and Caliph. Al-Shahrastani expresses that the term Shia refers to those who believe that Ali is designated as the Heir, Imam and caliph by Muhammad, for the Shia, this conviction is implicit in the Quran and history of Islam. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing, Shia search for the true meaning of the revelation to get the purpose of the life blood and the human destiny. Shia Muslims believe that just as a prophet is appointed by God alone and they believe God chose Ali to be Muhammads successor, infallible, the first caliph of Islam. The Shias believe that Muhammad designated Ali as his successor by Gods command, Ali was Muhammads first cousin and closest living male relative as well as his son-in-law, having married Muhammads daughter Fatimah. Ali would eventually become the fourth Muslim caliph, after the Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad ordered the gathering of Muslims at the pond of Khumm and it was there that Shia Muslims believe Muhammad nominated Ali to be his successor. The hadith of the pond of Khumm was narrated on 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah of 10 AH in the Islamic calendar at a place called Ghadir Khumm, located near the city of al-Juhfah, Saudi Arabia. Muhammad there stated, Shia Muslims believe this to be Muhammads appointment of Ali as his successor, when Muhammad died in 632 CE, Ali and Muhammads closest relatives made the funeral arrangements. While they were preparing his body, Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali and his family accepted the appointment for the sake of unity in the early Muslim community. Alis rule over the early Muslim community was often contested, as a result, he had to struggle to maintain his power against the groups who betrayed him after giving allegiance to his succession, or those who wished to take his position. This dispute eventually led to the First Fitna, which was the first major civil war within the Islamic Caliphate, the Fitna began as a series of revolts fought against Ali ibn Abi Talib, caused by the assassination of his political predecessor, Uthman ibn Affan
3.
Nizari
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The Nizari are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam. There are an estimated 15-25 million Nizari residing in more than 25 countries and territories, Nizari teachings emphasize human reasoning, pluralism and social justice. From quite early on in his reign, the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mustansir Billah had publicly nominated his elder son Nizar as his heir to be the next Fatimid Caliph-Imam after him and this was common knowledge in Fatimid Egypt at the time. Dai Hassan-i Sabbah, who had studied and accepted Ismailism in Fatimid Egypt, had been aware of this fact personally by al-Mustansir. Al-Afdal engineered a coup on behalf of the much younger. In early 1095, Nizar fled to Alexandria where he received the peoples support, there were even gold dinars minted in Alexandria in Nizars name. In late 1095, al-Afdal defeated Nizars Alexandrian army and took Nizar as a prisoner to Cairo where he had Nizar executed, after Nizars execution, the Nizari Ismailis and the Mustaali Ismailis parted ways in a bitterly irreconcilable manner. The schism finally broke the remnants of the Fatimid Empire and the now divided Ismailis separated into the Mustaali following, the later Ismaili following came to be known as Nizari Ismailism. The followers of the young Imam Hadi who joined the military were trained as the Fidai, the Fidais bravery and self-sacrificing spirituality was due to their belief that the Nizari Imam-ul-waqt had the Noor of God within him. The Fidai were feared as the Assassins, but in fact did not assassinate for payment, although they were trained in the art of spying and combat, they also practiced their Islamic mysticism at the highest level. This religious ardor turned them into formidable foes which reached a level as told in the anecdote of Count Henry of Champagne. Returning from Armenia, Henry spoke with Grand Master Rashid ad-Din Sinan at one of his castles, al-Kahf, Henry pointed out that since his army was bigger by far than Sinans, Sinan should pay him an annual tribute. Sinan refused asserting that his army was far stronger in spirit and he invited Henry to witness this obedience and sacrificial spirit of his Fidai. Sinan signalled to a Fidai standing on the parapet of a wall of his castle. The Fidai called out God is Great and unhesitatingly took a headlong dive into the rocks far below. The bewildered Henry asked Sinan the cause for the suicidal jump, Sinan pointed once again to the Fidai who had taken the place of the now dead Fidai. Again Sinan gave a signal to the Fidai to jump and the second Fidai also called out God is Great, Henry was visibly shaken by the experience of witnessing the two Fidais total disregard for their own lives. He accepted Sinans terms of peace on a paying basis
4.
Fatimid Caliphate
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The Fatimid Caliphate was an Ismaili Shia Islamic caliphate that spanned a large area of North Africa, from the Red Sea in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The dynasty ruled across the Mediterranean coast of Africa and ultimately made Egypt the centre of the caliphate, at its height the caliphate included in addition to Egypt varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz. The Fatimids claimed descent from Fatima bint Muhammad, the daughter of Islamic prophet Muhammad, in 921 the Fatimids established the Tunisian city of Mahdia as their new capital. In 948 they shifted their capital to Al-Mansuriya, near Kairouan in Tunisia, in 969 they conquered Egypt and established Cairo as the capital of their caliphate, Egypt became the political, cultural, and religious centre of their empire. The ruling class belonged to the Ismaili branch of Shiism, as did the leaders of the dynasty, the existence of the caliphate marked the only time the descendants of Ali through Fatimah were united to any degree and the name Fatimid refers to Fatimah. The different term Fatimite is sometimes used to refer to the caliphates subjects, after the initial conquests, the caliphate often allowed a degree of religious tolerance towards non-Ismaili sects of Islam, as well as to Jews, Maltese Christians, and Egyptian Coptic Christians. The Fatimid caliphate was also distinguished by the role of Berbers in its initial establishment and in helping its development, especially on the military. During the late eleventh and twelfth centuries the Fatimid caliphate declined rapidly and he founded the Ayyubid dynasty and incorporated the Fatimid state into the Abbasid Caliphate. The Fatimid regime lasted until the twelfth century, though its leaders made little headway in persuading the Egyptian population. The Fatimid Caliphates religious ideology originated in an Ismaili Shia movement launched in the 9th century in Salamiyah, Syria by their eighth Imam and he claimed descent through Ismail, the seventh Ismaili Imam, from Fatimah and her husband ʻAlī ibn-Abī-Tālib, the first Shīʻa Imām. Thus his name was al-Fātimiyyūn Fatimid, the eighth to tenth Imams, remained hidden and worked for the movement against the periods times rulers. According to legend, Abdullah and his son were fulfilling a prophecy that the mahdi would come from Mesopotamia to Sijilmasa. They hid among the population of Sijilmasa, then an independent emirate, for four years under the countenance of the Midrar rulers, al-Mahdi was supported by dedicated Shiite Abu Abdullah al-Shii, and al-Shii started his preaching after he encountered a group of Muslim North African during his hajj. These men bragged about the country of the Kutama in western Ifriqiya, and the hostility of the Kutama towards, and their independence from. This triggered al-Shii to travel to the region, where he started to preach the Ismaili doctrine, the Berber peasants, who had been oppressed for decades by the corrupt Aghlabid rule, would prove themselves to be a perfect basis for sedition. Instantly, al-Shii began conquering cities in the region, first Mila, then Sétif, Kairouan, and eventually Raqqada, in 909 Al-Shii sent a large expedition force to rescue the Mahdi, conquering the Khariji state of Tahert on its way there. After gaining his freedom, Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah became the leader of the state and assumed the position of imam. The Fatimids existed during the Islamic Golden Age, the dynasty was founded in 909 by the eleventh Imam ʻAbdullāh al-Mahdī Billah
5.
Qajar dynasty
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The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal dynasty of Turkic origin, specifically from the Qajar tribe, which ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925. The state ruled by the dynasty was known as the Sublime State of Iran. The Qajar family took control of Iran in 1794, deposing Lotf Ali Khan, the last of the Zand dynasty. In the Caucasus, the Qajar dynasty permanently lost many of Irans integral areas to the Russians over the course of the 19th century, comprising modern-day Georgia, Dagestan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The Qajar rulers were members of the Karagöz or Black-Eye sect of the Qajars, Qajars first settled during the Mongol period in the vicinity of Armenia and were among the seven Qizilbash tribes that supported the Safavids. The Safavids left Arran to local Turkic khans, and, in 1554 Ganja was governed by Shahverdi Soltan Ziyadoglu Qajar, Qajars filled a number of diplomatic missions and governorships in the 16–17th centuries for the Safavids. The Qajars were resettled by Shah Abbas I throughout Iran, the great number of them also settled in Astarabad near the south-eastern corner of the Caspian Sea, and it would be this branch of Qajars that would rise to power. The immediate ancestor of the Qajar dynasty, Shah Qoli Khan of the Quvanlu of Ganja and his son, Fath Ali Khan was a renowned military commander during the rule of the Safavid shahs Sultan Husayn and Tahmasp II. He was killed on the orders of Shah Nader Shah in 1726, Fath Ali Khans son Mohammad Hasan Khan Qajar was the father of Mohammad Khan Qajar and Hossein Qoli Khan, father of Baba Khan, the future Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Mohammad Hasan Khan was killed on the orders of Karim Khan of the Zand dynasty, like virtually every dynasty that ruled Persia since the 11th century, the Qajars came to power with the backing of Turkic tribal forces, while using educated Persians in their bureaucracy. In 1779 following the death of Karim Khan of the Zand dynasty, Mohammad Khan Qajar, Mohammad Khan was known as one of the cruelest kings, even by the standards of 18th century Iran. In his quest for power, he razed cities, massacred entire populations, the Qajar armies at that time were mostly composed of Turkomans and Georgian slaves. By 1794, Mohammad Khan had eliminated all his rivals, including Lotf Ali Khan and he reestablished Persian control over the territories in the entire Caucasus. Agha Mohammad established his capital at Tehran, a village near the ruins of the ancient city of Rayy, in 1796, he was formally crowned as shah. In 1797, Mohammad Khan Qajar was assassinated in Shusha, the capital of Karabakh Khanate, between 1747 and 1795, Erekle was, therefore, by the turn of events in Iran following the ongoing turmoil there, able to maintain Georgias autonomy through the Zand period. In 1783, Heraclius placed his kingdom under the protection of the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Georgievsk. In the last few decades of the 18th century, Georgia had become an important element in Russo-Iranian relations than some provinces in northern mainland Persia. On top of that, having another port on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea would be ideal, the consequences of these events came a few years later, when a new Iranian dynasty under the Qajars, emerged victorious in the protracted power struggle in Persia
6.
Mumbai
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Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named a world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India. The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies, during the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845. Bombay in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development, during the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon Indias independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State, in 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India and it is also home to some of Indias premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses Indias Hindi and Marathi film and television industry, Mumbais business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures. The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja, in 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia. This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning good little bay, in 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu, Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi. Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include, Mombayn, Bombay, Bombain, Bombaym, Monbaym, Mombaim, Mombaym, Bambaye, Bombaiim, Bombeye, Boon Bay, and Bon Bahia. After the English gained possession of the city in the 17th century, Ali Muhammad Khan, imperial diwan or revenue minister of the Gujarat province, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi referred to the city as Manbai. By the late 20th century, the city was referred to as Mumbai or Mambai in the Indian statewise official languages of Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, the Government of India officially changed the English name to Mumbai in November 1995. According to Slate magazine, they argued that Bombay was a corrupted English version of Mumbai, Slate also said The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. A resident of Mumbai is called mumbaikar in the Marathi language, the term has been in use for quite some time but it gained popularity after the official name change to Mumbai. Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands, Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli and it is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited
7.
British Raj
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The British Raj was the rule by the British Crown in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947. The rule is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India, the resulting political union was also called the Indian Empire and after 1876 issued passports under that name. It lasted until 1947, when the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two sovereign states, the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The British Raj extended over almost all present-day India, Pakistan and this area is very diverse, containing the Himalayan mountains, fertile floodplains, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a long coastline, tropical dry forests, arid uplands, and the Thar desert. In addition, at times, it included Aden, Lower Burma, Upper Burma, British Somaliland. Burma was separated from India and directly administered by the British Crown from 1937 until its independence in 1948, among other countries in the region, Ceylon was ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens. Ceylon was part of Madras Presidency between 1793 and 1798, the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, having fought wars with the British, subsequently signed treaties with them and were recognised by the British as independent states. The Kingdom of Sikkim was established as a state after the Anglo-Sikkimese Treaty of 1861, however. The Maldive Islands were a British protectorate from 1887 to 1965, India during the British Raj was made up of two types of territory, British India and the Native States. In general, the term British India had been used to also to the regions under the rule of the British East India Company in India from 1600 to 1858. The term has also used to refer to the British in India. The terms Indian Empire and Empire of India were not used in legislation, the monarch was known as Empress or Emperor of India and the term was often used in Queen Victorias Queens Speeches and Prorogation Speeches. The passports issued by the British Indian government had the words Indian Empire on the cover, in addition, an order of knighthood, the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, was set up in 1878. At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, during the partition of Bengal the new provinces of Assam and East Bengal were created as a Lieutenant-Governorship. In 1911, East Bengal was reunited with Bengal, and the new provinces in the east became, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, there were 565 princely states when India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in August 1947. The princely states did not form a part of British India, the larger ones had treaties with Britain that specified which rights the princes had, in the smaller ones the princes had few rights. Within the princely states external affairs, defence and most communications were under British control, the British also exercised a general influence over the states internal politics, in part through the granting or withholding of recognition of individual rulers. Although there were nearly 600 princely states, the majority were very small
8.
Aga Khan II
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Aga Khan II, was the title of Aqa Ali Shah, the 47th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. A member of the Iranian royal family, he became the Imam in 1881, during his lifetime, he helped to better not only his own community, but also the larger Muslim community of India. He was a sportsman and hunter. Aqa Ali Shah was born in 1830 at Mahallat in Iran and he was the eldest son of Aga Khan I and the only surviving male issue of his father with Sarv-i Jahan Khanum. Aqa Ali Shah was a member of the Iranian royal family, as his mother was the daughter of Fat′h Ali Shah and his rank as a prince of the royal family was also recognized by Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar when Aqa Ali Shahs father died. Nasser al-Din himself carried out a ceremony performed among Persian princes to mark the end of mourning of deceased relations. In addition, Nasser al-Din sent a robe of honour and the emblem of the Persian Crown studded with diamonds to Aga Ali Shah as a sign of the Shahs relationship with the Aga Khans family and he descended from the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt. In the late 1840s, changed political circumstances allowed Aqa Ali Shah to return to Persia where he took some of his fathers responsibilities. In 1853, Sarv-i Jahan Khanum and Aqa Ali Shah joined Aga Khan I in Bombay, as his fathers heir apparent to the Ismaili Imamat, Aqa Ali Shah frequently visited various Ismaili communities in South Asia, particularly those in Sind and Kathiawar. Aqa Ali Shah became Imam of the Ismailis upon the death of his father in 1881, Aga Khan II maintained the cordial ties that his father had developed with the British and was appointed to the Bombay Legislative Council when Sir James Fergusson was the governor of Bombay. This was an achievement, given that nomination to the Council in those days was a rare distinction bestowed only on men of outstanding ability. Being concerned about the welfare of his followers, he opened a number of schools for them in Bombay and elsewhere. He received much recognition for his work as he discharged his responsible, Imam Aqa Ali Shah was held in high esteem by the Indian Muslim population, a result of the improvement in the conditions of his own community, his policies, and his social activism. He was elected president of the Muhammadan National Association, a position that he held until his death, like his father before him, Imam Aqa Ali Shah maintained close ties with the Nimatullahi Sufi order. Prior to going to India, Aqa Ali Shah had developed close relations with the leader of one of the Nimatullahi branches, Rahmat Ali Shah, who had been a guest of Aga Khan I in Mahallat in 1833. After Rahmat Ali Shahs death in 1861, Aqa Ali Shah often sent money from India for the recitation of the Quran at his grave in Shiraz. Aqa Ali Shah also had ties with Rahmat Ali Shahs uncle as well as one of Rahmat Ali Shahs successors. Another prominent figure of the Nimatullahi order received by Aqa Ali Shah was Safi Ali Shah, not much is known about Aqa Ali Shahs first two wives, both of whom died in Bombay
9.
Imam
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Imam is the name of an Islamic leadership position. It is most commonly used as the title of a leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, serve as community leaders, the Sunni branch of Islam does not have imams in the same sense as the Shia, an important distinction often overlooked by those outside of the Islamic faith. Friday sermon is most often given by an appointed imam, all mosques have an imam to lead the prayers, even though it may sometimes just be a member from the gathered congregation rather than an officially appointed salaried person. Women imams may only lead amongst female-only congregations, the person that should be chosen, according to Hadith, is one who has most knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and is of good character, the age being irrelevant. The term is used for a recognized religious scholar or authority in Islam, often for the founding scholars of the four Sunni madhhabs. It may also refer to the Muslim scholars who created the analytical sciences related to Hadith or it may refer to the heads of the Prophet Muhammads family in their generational times, Imams have a meaning more central to belief, referring to leaders of the community. Twelver and Ismaili Shia believe that these imams are chosen by God to be perfect examples for the faithful and they also believe that all the imams chosen are free from committing any sin, impeccability which is called ismah. These leaders must be followed since they are appointed by God, here follows a list of the Twelvers imams, Fatimah, also Fatimah al-Zahraa, daughter of Muhammed, is also considered infallible but not an Imam. Shia believe that the last Imam will one day return, see Imamah and List of Ismaili imams for Ismaili imams. At times, imams have held both secular and religious authority and this was the case in Oman among the Kharijite or Ibadi sects. At times, the imams were elected, at other times the position was inherited, as with the Yaruba dynasty from 1624 and 1742. The Imamate of Futa Jallon was a Fulani state in West Africa where secular power alternated between two lines of hereditary Imams, or almami, in the Zaidi Shiite sect, imams were secular as well as spiritual leaders who held power in Yemen for more than a thousand years. In 897, a Zaidi ruler, al-Hadi ilal-Haqq Yahya, founded a line of such imams, ruhollah Khomeini and his successor Ali Khamenei are officially referred to as Imams in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Several Iranian places and institutions are named Imam Khomeini, including a city, an airport, a hospital. Women as imams Mufti Encyclopædia Britannica Online, center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University. Encyclopaedia of Islam and the Muslim world, vol.1, encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Translated by Sherrard, Liadain, Sherrard, Philip, london, Kegan Paul International in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies
10.
Persian language
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Persian, also known by its endonym Farsi, is one of the Western Iranian languages within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan and it is mostly written in the Persian alphabet, a modified variant of the Arabic script. Its grammar is similar to that of many contemporary European languages, Persian gets its name from its origin at the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Persis, hence the name Persian. A Persian-speaking person may be referred to as Persophone, there are approximately 110 million Persian speakers worldwide, with the language holding official status in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. For centuries, Persian has also been a cultural language in other regions of Western Asia, Central Asia. It also exerted influence on Arabic, particularly Bahrani Arabic. Persian is one of the Western Iranian languages within the Indo-European family, other Western Iranian languages are the Kurdish languages, Gilaki, Mazanderani, Talysh, and Balochi. Persian is classified as a member of the Southwestern subgroup within Western Iranian along with Lari, Kumzari, in Persian, the language is known by several names, Western Persian, Parsi or Farsi has been the name used by all native speakers until the 20th century. Since the latter decades of the 20th century, for reasons, in English. Tajiki is the variety of Persian spoken in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan by the Tajiks, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term Persian as a language name is first attested in English in the mid-16th century. Native Iranian Persian speakers call it Fārsi, Farsi is the Arabicized form of Pārsi, subsequent to Muslim conquest of Persia, due to a lack of the phoneme /p/ in Standard Arabic. The origin of the name Farsi and the place of origin of the language which is Fars Province is the Arabicized form of Pārs, in English, this language has historically been known as Persian, though Farsi has also gained some currency. Farsi is encountered in some literature as a name for the language. In modern English the word Farsi refers to the language while Parsi describes Zoroastrians, some Persian language scholars such as Ehsan Yarshater, editor of Encyclopædia Iranica, and University of Arizona professor Kamran Talattof, have also rejected the usage of Farsi in their articles. The international language-encoding standard ISO 639-1 uses the code fa, as its system is mostly based on the local names. The more detailed standard ISO 639-3 uses the name Persian for the dialect continuum spoken across Iran and Afghanistan and this consists of the individual languages Dari and Iranian Persian. Currently, Voice of America, BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also includes a Tajik service and an Afghan service. This is also the case for the American Association of Teachers of Persian, The Centre for Promotion of Persian Language and Literature, Persian is an Iranian language belonging to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family of languages
11.
Isma'ilism
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Ismāʿīlism is a branch of Shia Islam. Ismailis believe in the oneness of God, as well as the closing of divine revelation with Muhammad, the Ismāʿīlī and the Twelvers both accept the same initial Imams from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and therefore share much of their early history. Both groups see the family of Muhammad as divinely chosen, infallible, and guided by God to lead the Islamic community, Ismaili thought is heavily influenced by neoplatonism. There are also a significant number of Ismāʿīlīs in Central Asia, Ismailism shares its beginnings with other early Shi‘i sects that emerged during the succession crisis that spread throughout the early Muslim community. From the beginning, the Shia asserted the right of Ali, cousin of Muhammad and this also included his two sons, who were the grandsons of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah. Soon after his ascendancy, Aisha, the third of the Prophets wives, claimed along with Usmans tribe, the Ummayads, ‘Ali voted against it as he believed that situation at that time demanded a peaceful resolution of the matter. Both parties could rightfully defend their claims, but due to escalated misunderstandings, following this battle, Muawiya, the Umayyad governor of Syria, also staged a revolt under the same pretences. ‘Ali led his forces against Muawiya until the side of Muawiya held copies of the Quran against their spears, ‘Ali accepted this, and an arbitration was done which ended in his favor. A group among Alis army believed that subjecting his legitimate authority to arbitration was tantamount to apostasy and this group was known as the Khawarij and ‘Ali wished to defeat their forces before they reached the cities where they would be able to blend in with the rest of the population. While he was unable to do this, he defeated their forces in subsequent battles. Regardless of these defeats, the Kharijites survived and became a problematic group in Islamic history. The Entrusted Imam is an Imam in the full sense except that the lineage of the Imamate must continue through the Permanent Imam. However, the caliphate was soon taken over by Muawiya. Even some of Ali’s early followers regarded him as “an absolute and divinely guided leader who could demand of them the kind of loyalty that would have been expected for the Prophet. ”For example, one of Ali’s supporters who also was devoted to the Prophet said to him, “our opinion is your opinion. The early followers of ‘Ali seem to have taken his guidance as “right guidance” deriving from Divine support, in other words, ‘Ali’s guidance was seen to be the expression of God’s will and the Qur’anic message. This spiritual and absolute authority of ‘Ali was known as walayah and it was inherited by his successors, the Imams. In the first century after the Prophet, the sunnah was not specifically defined as “Sunnah of the Prophet” but was used in connection to Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthman. The idea of “Hadith” or traditions ascribed to the Prophet was not mainstream nor was Hadith criticism, even the earliest legal texts by Malik b
12.
Indian subcontinent
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Geologically, the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago. Geographically, it is the region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west. Politically, the Indian subcontinent usually includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, sometimes, the term South Asia is used interchangeably with Indian subcontinent. There is no consensus about which countries should be included in each and it is first attested in 1845 to refer to the North and South Americas, before they were regarded as separate continents. Its use to refer to the Indian subcontinent is seen from the twentieth century. It was especially convenient for referring to the region comprising both the British India and the states under British Paramountcy. The term Indian subcontinent also has a geological significance and it was, like the various continents, a part of the supercontinent of Gondwana. A series of tectonic splits caused formation of basins, each drifting in various directions. The geological region called the Greater India once included the Madagascar, Seychelles, Antartica, as a geological term, Indian subcontinent has meant that region formed from the collision of the Indian basin with Eurasia nearly 55 million years ago, towards the end of Paleocene. The Indian subcontinent has been a particularly common in the British Empire. The region, state Mittal and Thursby, has also labelled as India, Greater India. The BBC and some sources refer to the region as the Asian Subcontinent. Some academics refer to it as South Asian Subcontinent, the terms Indian subcontinent and South Asia are sometimes used interchangeably. There is no accepted definition on which countries are a part of South Asia or Indian subcontinent. In dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies a large, distinguishable subdivision of a continent, the region experienced high volcanic activity and plate subdivisions, creating Madagascar, Seychelles, Antartica, Austrolasia and the Indian subcontinent basin. The Indian subcontinent drifted northeastwards, colliding with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago and this geological region largely includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The zone where the Eurasian and Indian subcontinent plates meet remains one of the active areas. The English term mainly continues to refer to the Indian subcontinent, physiographically, it is a peninsular region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east
13.
Yazd
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Yazd, formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located 270 km southeast of Esfahan, at the 2011 census, the population was 486,152. Because of generations of adaptations to its surroundings, Yazd has a unique Persian architecture. It is nicknamed the City of Windcatchers from its many examples, Yazd has a history of over 5,000 years, dating back to the time of the Median empire, when it was known as Ysatis or Issatis. The present city name, however, is derived from Yazdegerd I, the city was definitely a Zoroastrian center during Sassanid times. After the Arab conquest of Iran, many Zoroastrians migrated to Yazd from neighboring provinces, by paying a levy, Yazd was allowed to remain Zoroastrian even after its conquest, and Islam only gradually became the dominant religion in the city. Because of its desert location and the difficulty of access, Yazd remained largely immune to large battles. For instance, it was a haven for those fleeing from destruction in other parts of Persian Empire during the Mongol invasion, in 1272 it was visited by Marco Polo, who remarked on the citys fine silk-weaving industry. In the book The Travels of Marco Polo, he described Yazd in the way, It is a good and noble city. They weave there quantities of a certain silk tissue known as Yasdi, when you leave this city to travel further, you ride for seven days over great plains, finding harbour to receive you at three places only. There are also wild asses, handsome creatures, at the end of those seven marches over the plain, you come to a fine kingdom which is called Kerman. Yazd briefly served as the capital of the Muzaffarid Dynasty in the fourteenth century, the Friday mosque, arguably the citys greatest architectural landmark, as well as other important buildings, date to this period. During the Qajar dynasty it was ruled by the Bakhtiari Khans, under the rule of the Safavid, some people migrated from Yazd and settled in an area that is today on the Iran-Afghanistan border. The settlement, which was named Yazdi, was located in what is now Farah City in the province of the name in Afghanistan. Even today, people from this area speak with an accent very similar to that of the people of Yazd, one of the notable things about Yazd is its family-centered culture. According to official statistics from Irans National Organization for Civil Registration, the Majority people in Yazd are Muslims. There is also a population of Zoroastrians in the city. There was once a relatively large Jewish-Yazdi community, however, after the creation of Israel, former president of Israel Moshe Katsav is an example
14.
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar
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Fath-Ali Shah Qajar was the second Qajar emperor of Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death, historian Joseph M. Upton says that he is famous among Persians for three things, his exceptionally long beard, his wasp-like waist, and his progeny. He was born in Damghan on 5 September 1772, and was called Fath-Ali, a name which his great-grandfather and he was the son of Hossein Qoli Khan Qajar, brother of Agha Mohammad Khan. He was also known by his name of Baba Khan. Fath-Ali was governor of Fars when his uncle was assassinated in 1797, Fath-Ali then ascended the throne and used the name of Fath Ali Shah. He became suspicious of his chancellor Ebrahim Khan Kalantar and ordered his execution, Hajji Ebrahim Khan had been chancellor to Zand and Qajar rulers for some fifteen years. Much of his reign was marked by the resurgence of Persian arts and painting, in particular during his reign, portraiture and large-scale oil painting reached a height previously unknown under any other Islamic dynasty, largely due to his personal patronage. The latter, like most of his regalia, was studded with a number of pearls. In 1803, Fath-Ali Shah appointed his cousin Ebrahim Khan as the governor of the Kerman Province, during the early reign of Fat′h Ali Shah, Imperial Russia took control of Georgia, a territory which Iran had ruled intermittently since 1555 with the Peace of Amasya. Georgia, led by Erekle II, had forged an alliance with Persias rival, Russia, to punish his Georgian subjects, his uncle, Agha Mohammad Khan, had invaded and sacked Tblisi, seeking to reestablishing full Persian suzerainty over Georgia, in which he succeeded. Also, not only was Georgia annexed but also was Dagestan invaded, in 1804, Fath Ali Shah ordered the invasion of Georgia in order to regain it, under pressure from the Shia clergy, who were urging a war against Russia. Russia continued with a campaign against Persia, Persia asked for help from Britain on the grounds of a military agreement with that country. However, Britain refused to help Persia claiming that the military agreement concerned a French attack not Russian, Persia had to ask for help from France, sending an ambassador to Napoleon and concluding a Franco-Persian alliance with the signature of the Treaty of Finkenstein. However, just when the French were ready to help Persia, at this time, John Malcolm arrived in Persia and promised support but Britain later changed its mind and asked Persia to retreat. Though many years the war had been stale and located in parts of Transcaucasia. In early 1813, under General Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, the Russians successfully stormed Lankaran, Russian troops invaded Tabriz in 1813 and Persia was forced to sign the Treaty of Gulistan with Russia. On account of consecutive defeats of Persia and after the fall of Lankaran on 1 January 1813 and these territories altogether comprise modern-day Georgia, southern Dagestan, and most of the contemporary Azerbaijan Republic. In return, Russia pledged to support Abbas Mirza as heir to the Persian throne after the death of Fat′h Ali Shah, between 1805 and 1816, Qajar rulers began invading Herat in neighboring Afghanistan with small detachments
15.
Qom
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Qom, also spelled as Ghom, is the eighth largest city in Iran. It lies 125 kilometres by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province, at the 2011 census its population was 1,074,036, comprising 545,704 men and 528,332 women. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River, Qom is considered holy by Shiʿa Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Mæsume, sister of Imam Ali ibn Musa Rida. The city is the largest center for Shiʿa scholarship in the world, Qom is famous for a brittle toffee called “Sohan”, considered a souvenir of the city and sold by 2,000 to 2,500 “Sohan” shops. Qom has developed into an industrial centre owing in part to its proximity to Tehran. Qom gained additional prosperity when oil fields were discovered at Sarajeh near the city in 1956, Qom, the capital of Qom province, is located 125 kilometers south of Tehran, on a low plain. The shrine of Masoumeh, the sister of Imam Reza, is located in this city, the city is located in the boundary of the central desert of Iran. At the 2011 census its population was 1,074,036, Qom is counted as one of the focal centers of the Shiʿa both in Iran and around the globe. Since the revolution, the population has risen from around 25,000 to more than 45,000. Substantial sums of money in the form of alms and Islamic taxes flow into Qom to the ten marja-i taqlid or “Source of Imitation” that reside there. The number of schools in Qom is now over fifty. Its theological center and the Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine are prominent features of Qom, another very popular religious site of pilgrimage formerly outside the city of Qom but now more of a suburb is called Jamkaran. Qom’s proximity to Tehran has allowed the clerical establishment easy access to monitor the affairs, many Grand Ayatollahs possess offices in both Tehran and Qom, many people simply commute between the two cities as they are only 156 kilometres or 97 miles apart. Southeast of Qom is the ancient city of Kashan, directly south of Qom lie the towns of Delijan, Mahallat, Naraq, Pardisan City, Kahak, and Jasb. The surrounding area to the east of Qom is populated by Tafresh, Saveh, Qom has a hot desert climate with low annual rainfall due to remoteness from the sea and being situated in the vicinity of the subtropical anticyclone aloft. Except for its hot and extremely dry summers, which are due to the relatively low altitude among the hottest in inland Iran. The present town of Qom in Central Iran dates back to ancient times and its pre-Islamic history can be partially documented, although the earlier epochs remain unclear. Its true function is still a matter of dispute, but the contributions by Wolfram Kleiss point to a Parthian palace that served as a station on the highway and was used until Sasanian times
16.
Imamah (Ismaili doctrine)
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The doctrine of the Imamate in Ismailism differs from that of the Twelvers because the Ismailis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam went into concealment. They followed Ismail ibn Jafar, elder brother of Musa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam after his father, Jafar al-Sadiq. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Jafar, according to some early Ismailis, the Seveners, as well as the Qarmatians, a splinter group, the number of imams was fixed, with seven Imams preordained by God. These groups considers Muhammad ibn Ismail, the foundation Imam of the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam, to be the Mahdi and to be preserved in hiding, the Twelver Shia also believe their final Imam is the Mahdi and in the Occultation. According to the early Seveners and Qarmatians, God sent seven great prophets, known as nātiq speakers, in order to disseminate, all of these great prophets has an assistant, the Sāmad Imam. After six silent imams, a nātiq was sent to reinvigorate Islam, after Adam and his son Seth, and after six “Nātıq” – “Sāmad” silsila, the silsila of “Nātıqs and Sāmads have been completed with. Ahmad al-Wafi Muhammad at-Taqi Radi Abdullah
17.
Esoteric interpretation of the Quran
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Esoteric interpretation of the Quran, also known as Sufi interpretation and taʾwīl, is the allegorical interpretation of the Quran or the quest for its hidden, inner meanings. It was a synonym of conventional interpretation in its earliest use, esoteric interpretations do not usually contradict the conventional interpretations, instead, they discuss the inner levels of meaning of the Quran. The term batin refers to the inner or esoteric meaning of a sacred text, esoteric interpretations are found in Sufi, Shia, Sunni, and Bahai interpretations of the Quran. A hadith which states that the Quran has a meaning, and that this inner meaning conceals a yet deeper inner meaning. The exoteric aspect is the word, the law. Esoteric interpretations are more suggestive than declarative, they are rather than explanations. However the Quran says about doing this, As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord. And no one knows its interpretation except Allah, but those firm in knowledge say, We believe in it. And no one will be reminded except those of understanding, only a few examples are given here. In 7,172 the Quran states, And when Your Lord summoned the descendants of Adam, thus you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection we were unaware of this. According to the above mentioned verse, before creation, God called the future humanity out of the loins of the not-yet-created Adam and addressed them with the words, and they answered, Yes, we witness it. In Islam, this primordial covenant is the foundation between God and humankind. Along the way, this esoteric being damages a boat belonging to poor people, moses is so disturbed that he couldnt stop protesting despite his agreement to keep silent. And in 56,79 the Quran describes itself, This is an honorable Quran, in a book hidden, in the exoteric sense, the Quran requires Muslims to perform ritual cleansing of their hands before touching it. Esoteric interpreters were of the opinion that it implies that individuals with spiritual purity are able to grasp the meaning of the Quran. Attar of Nishapur, the 12th-century mystical poet, gives an interpretation of the Quranic story of the descent of Adam. According to Attar, the man whose mind and vision are ensnared by heavens grace must forfeit that same grace, occasionally a verse may be interpreted in a sense very different from its conventional meaning. For example, Hamadani in his book Tamheedat interprets 104, 6–7 which conventionally refers to the punishment in hell, Hamadani interprets 14,48, which conventionally describes the day of judgment as a description of the moment of spiritual awakening or enlightenment
18.
Batin (Islam)
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Batin literally means inner, inward, hidden, etc. The Quran, for instance, has a meaning in contrast to its exterior or apparent meaning. Sufis believe that likewise, every individual has a batin which is the world of souls and this is the inward self of the individual which when cleansed with the light of ones spiritual guide, elevates a person spiritually. This notion is connected to Allahs attribute of Al-Batin i. e. the Hidden One who cannot be seen, muslim groups believe that the bāṭen can only be fully understood and interpreted by a figure with esoteric knowledge, who for Shia Muslims is the Imam of the Time. In a wider sense, bāṭen can refer to the meaning or reality behind all existence. Sufism Esotericism Esoteric interpretation of the Quran Batiniyya Alevism Bektashi Order, another group focusing just like Alevis on Batin and Zahir Ismailism Nizari Alawites Qarmatians Sufi Live
19.
Pir (Sufism)
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Pir or Peer orFakir /Shah is a title for a Sufi master or spiritual guide equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh, which is Arabic for Old Man, the title is often translated into English as saint and could be interpreted as Elder. In Sufism a Pirs role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the Sufi path and this is often done by general lessons and individual guidance. Other words that refer to a Pir include, Murshid, Sheikh, in Alevism, Pirs are considered a direct descendant of Ali. The title Peer Baba or Shah Baba is common in Hindi used to give a salutation to Sufi masters or similarly honored persons, after their death people visit their tombs. The path of Sufism starts when a student takes an oath of allegiance with a teacher called Baiath or Bayah where he swears allegiance at the hands of his Pir, after that, the student is called a Murid. From here, his batin journey starts, a Pir usually has authorizations to be a teacher for one Tariqahs. A Tariqah may have more than one Pir at a time, a Pir is accorded that status by his Shaikh by way of Khilafat or Khilafah. Khilafat is the process in which a Shaikh identifies one of his disciples as his successor, a Pir can have more than one khalifah so called Fakir. Chapter on Sui Ideology in SUFISM by R. M. Chopra,2016, Anuradha Prakashan, New Delhi
20.
Ginans
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Ginans are devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili Muslims. It was originally an oral rendition mostly by Pirs, first among whom to come to South Asia was Pir Satgurnoor in the 12th century, Ginans are composed in many languages of South Asia, especially Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi and many more. They are based on Verses from the Quran, like Ginans, Qaseedas are recited in Arabic, Persian or Tajik by Ismailis in Central Asia, Iran and Syria. Ismailis from the subcontinent recite these as well as Arabic and Persian qusidas which are recited before or after the prayer in the Jamatkhana, Ginan Central is a web portal developed at the University of Saskatchewan Library to safeguard ginans and promote research and education. Example Translation of a Ginan, Sahebaji tun more man bhave, Verses I-VIII My lord and my lord, My heart is fond of you. So readily, my lord, You give me Whatever I ask of you and you indulge me In so many ways, My lord. In all four ages, I went about, Looking hard, I found none To match you, my lord. My lord, my heart Is fond of you, come, come, My maiden friends, Let us go To view the groom. Hes the one, the beloved Ive attained and he comes to my home, The beloved, He but for whom A minute is hard to pass. How should we call him Unhappy - He whose lord Is one such as this, how should we find fault With the merciful. Whats written In our karma Is what we shall have, ram and Raheman Are but one Deity. Of this mystery, The fool is quite unaware, says Saiyad Mohamadshah, I am bonded to you, My lord. Leaving you, At what other door Am I to knock and my lord, My heart is fond of you. My lord, My heart is fond of you, retrieved from the Institute of Ismaili Studies Website, Originally Published in, Esmail, Aziz. A Scent of Sandalwood, Indo-Ismaili Religious Lyrics, khursheed Nurali Aziz Tejpar Alidina Jamal Shamshuddin Bandali Haji Dr
21.
'Aql
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‘Aql, is an Arabic language term used in Islamic philosophy or theology for the intellect or the rational faculty of the soul or mind. It is the translation of the Greek term nous. In jurisprudence, it is associated with using reason as a source for sharia law and has been translated as dialectical reasoning. While predominantly expounded by Shī‘ī and Sufi thinkers, some Sunni Muslims such as Barelvis share similar beliefs, in Shī‘ī jurisprudence, ‘aql is the process of using intellect or logic to deduce law. Legal scholars in both Sunni and Shī‘ī Islamic traditions share Quranic interpretation, the Sunnah, and Ijma‘ consensus as sources of Islamic law, however, Twelvers of the Ja‘farī school of law utilize ‘aql whereas Sunnis use qiyas analogical reasoning as the fourth source of law. Among Twelvers, Akhbārīs and Usulis were contending subschools, the former reject ijtihād outright, the possessor of ‘aql, or al-‘āqīl realises a deep connection with God. Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq described this connection as a realisation that God loves some, that God is truth and he further noted that where the Aimmah are the ḥujjatu ż-żāhira External proof, ‘aql is the ḥujjatu l-Bāṭina Secret proof. While in early Islam, ‘aql was opposed to jahl ignorance, under the influence of Mu‘tazilī thought, ‘aql came to mean dialectical reasoning. A Philosophical Discourse by Dr Syedi Yusuf Najmuddin
22.
Hujja
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A term used in Shii terminology, hujja means proof. It is usually used to refer to an individual in any given human era who represents Gods proof to humanity. The hujja is a prophet or an Imam who possess a relationship with God that is greater than anyone else, the Imam who is the hujja of his time functions as the ultimate mediator between God and humanity, giving the Imam the greatest precedence for interpretation of the Quran. As the mediator between God and humanity, the Imam is the one who can properly resolve conflicting interpretations of the Qurans words. The word Imam and hujja do not necessarily refer to the person because an Imam may not be hujja. The Imam that is hujja is hujja for several different logical proofs that are supported by Shii Quran interpretation, the first proof of an Imam who is hujja is presented by the Imams role as mediator between God and humanity. Therefore, it is only those who are members of the Prophets family line that possess the knowledge from God. The second proof an Imam is hujja is shown by the guidance the Imam provides for mankind for he is a channel of divine grace which comes to him inwardly from the suprasensible realm. The Imams divine guidance from God gives him the ability to lead and influence, the third proof an Imam is hujja is based on the Imams immunity from the pollution of human sin. The Imam is such a spiritual figure he is free from committing human error or misinterpreting the Quran. For a man who does commit sin is not fit to lead for he can spread sin and is denied the rank of Imam. Only those who are free from error can be considered divinely touched and therefore are hujja, the fourth proof that the Imam is hujja is deducted by reason. Gods grace keeps his creatures towards obedience and keeps away from disobedience. However, if God orders man to do something He knows man cannot do or will have difficulty doing, therefore, God gives humanity hujja to help lead man toward God and His spiritual greatness. The hujja sent here is filled with spiritual guidance and helps direct man towards God, which is also what the Imam does, the last justification of the hujja comes from the idea that without the hujja the world would not exist. The world cannot exist even for a moment without the imam who is the hujja of God, if the imam were to be taken away from the earth even for an hour, the earth would swallow up its inhabitants just as the sea swallows its people. The idea that the Imam, who is hujja, is always present helps support the fact that God is always present to mankind and it supports the fact that it is only through the Imam that God can be known
23.
Taqiya
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Taqiya is an Islamic term referring to precautionary dissimulation or denial of religious belief and practice in the face of persecution. Another term for this concept, kitmān, has a specific meaning of dissimulation by silence or omission. This practice is emphasized in Shia Islam whereby adherents are permitted to conceal their religion when under threat of persecution or compulsion, however, it is also permitted in Sunni Islam under certain circumstances. Taqiyya was initially practiced under duress by some of Muhammads Companions, later, it became particularly important for Shias due to their experience as a persecuted religious minority. According to Shia doctrine, taqiyya is permissible in situations where there is overwhelming danger of loss of life or property, Taqiyya has also been politically legitimised, particularly among Twelver Shias, in order to maintain unity among Muslims and fraternity among the Shia clerics. Yarden Mariuma writes, Taqiyya is an Islamic juridical term whose shifting meaning relates to when a Muslim is allowed, under Sharia law, to lie. A concept whose meaning has varied significantly among Islamic sects, scholars, countries, the term taqiyya is derived from the Arabic triliteral root wāw-qāf-yā, denoting fear, or prudence, guarding against. In the sense of prudence, fear it can be used synonymously with the terms tuqa, tuqāt, taqwā and ittiqāʾ and these terms also have other meanings. For example, the term taqwa can mean piety, an alternative term for religious dissimulation is kitmān action of covering, dissimulation. Regarding 3,28, Ibn Kathir writes, meaning, except those believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers, in this case, such believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. He quotes Muhammads companion, Abu Ad-Darda, who said we smile in the face of people although our hearts curse them. A similar instance of the Quran permitting dissimulation under compulsion is found in Sura 16,106, Sunni and Shia commentators alike observe that verse 16,106 refers to the case of Ammar b. Yasir, who was forced to renounce his beliefs under physical duress, the doctrine of taqiyya was developed at the time of Jafar al-Sadiq, the sixth Imamiya Imam. It served to protect Shias when Al-Mansur, the Abbasid caliph, conducted a brutal and oppressive campaign against Alids, shiis lived mostly as a minority among a frequently-hostile Sunni majority until the rise of Safavid dynasty. This condition made taqiyya doctrine important to Shias, Taqiyya holds a central place in Twelver Shia Islam. This is sometimes explained by the minority position Shias had under the dominance of Sunni Muslims, requiring them to protect themselves through concealment. In Shia legal literature, there is a range of situations in which taqiyya may be used or even required, for Shia Muslims, taqiyya is to conceal their association with their faith when revealing it would result in danger. Taqiyya is done for reasons of safety, for example, a person may fear that he might be killed or harmed if he does not observe taqiyya
24.
Numerology (Ismailism)
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Numerology is an element of Ismailis belief, the idea that numbers have religious meanings. The Natiq and Wasi are in turn succeeded by a line of seven Imams, the seventh and last Imam in any period would then be the Natiq of the next period. This would be without cult or law but would consist in all creatures praising the creator and this final stage was called Qiyamah
25.
Reincarnation
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Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious concept that an aspect of a living being starts a new life in a different physical body or form after each biological death. It is also called rebirth or transmigration, and is a part of the Saṃsāra doctrine of cyclic existence and it is a central tenet of all major Indian religions, namely Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The idea of reincarnation is found in ancient cultures, and a belief in rebirth/metempsychosis was held by Greek historic figures, such as Pythagoras, Socrates. Unity Church and its founder Charles Fillmore teach reincarnation, in recent decades, many Europeans and North Americans have developed an interest in reincarnation, and many contemporary works mention it. The word reincarnation derives from Latin, literally meaning, entering the flesh again, the Greek equivalent metempsychosis derives from meta and empsykhoun, a term attributed to Pythagoras. An alternate term is transmigration implying migration from one life to another, the term has been used by modern philosophers such as Kurt Gödel and has entered the English language. Another Greek term sometimes used synonymously is palingenesis, being born again, Rebirth is a key concept found in major Indian religions, and discussed with various terms. These religions believe that this reincarnation is cyclic and an endless Saṃsāra and they consider the release from the cycle of reincarnations as the ultimate spiritual goal, and call the liberation by terms such as moksha, nirvana, mukti and kaivalya. Gilgul, Gilgul neshamot or Gilgulei Ha Neshamot refers to the concept of reincarnation in Kabbalistic Judaism, Gilgul means cycle and neshamot is souls. Kabbalistic reincarnation says that humans only to humans and to the same sex only. The origins of the notion of reincarnation are obscure, discussion of the subject appears in the philosophical traditions of India. The Greek Pre-Socratics discussed reincarnation, and the Celtic Druids are also reported to have taught a doctrine of reincarnation, the ideas associated with reincarnation may have arisen independently in different regions, or they might have spread as a result of cultural contact. In ancient European, Iranian and Indian agricultural cultures, the cycles of birth, death. The idea of reincarnation has early roots in the Vedic period, predating the Buddha, the concepts of the cycle of birth and death, samsara, and liberation partly derive from ascetic traditions that arose in India around the middle of the first millennium BCE. Though no direct evidence of this has found, the tribes of the Ganges valley or the Dravidian traditions of South India have been proposed as another early source of reincarnation beliefs. Hinduisms Rigveda makes references to reincarnation in the Brahmanas layer, though these early textual layers of the Vedas, from 2nd millennium BCE, mention and anticipate the doctrine of Karma and rebirth, the idea is not fully developed. It is in the early Upanishads, which are pre-Buddha and pre-Mahavira, the texts of ancient Jainism that have survived into the modern era are post-Mahavira, likely from the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE, and extensively mention rebirth and karma doctrines. The Jaina philosophy assumes that the soul exists and is eternal, passing through cycles of transmigration, after death, reincarnation into a new body is asserted to be instantaneous in early Jaina texts
26.
Holy Du'a
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Holy Duā is the mandatory Nizari Ismaili prayer recited three times a day, Fajr prayer at dawn, Maghrib prayer at sundown and Isha prayer in the evening. Each Holy Dua consists of 6 rakat, totaling 18 per day, as opposed to the 17 of Sunni and Twelver salat. Only Nizaris are permitted to enter the house, the Jamaat Khana, during the recitation the Holy Dua, however. Jamaat Khanas are usually built with a qibla facing Mecca although Ismāʿīlīs believe that to God belongs the East, the Dua contains two positions of prayer, quud sitting and sajada prostration, the latter done at the end of each rakah. In Khoja tradition, Ubhi Tasbih is recited during tahajjud, Tasbih are used at various points during the Dua. At the end of prayers one turns to ones neighbour and offers peace, the Holy Dua is recited in Arabic. Historically, approximately prior to the establishment of Pakistan, Nizaris from India, the Holy Dua starts with Surah al-Fatiha and then various verses from Surat an-Nisa, al-Maida, al-Fath and al-Anfal are recited and the last part of the rakah contains Surah al-Ikhlas. Towards the end of the Dua, a list of all the Imāms is read, beginning with Ali, Jamaat Khana Nizari Ismaili state Ismā‘īlī Constitution List of Ismaili imams Imamate History of Nizari Ismailism Khan IV, Aga. Holy Dua English text with translation, HH Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismailia Association for Canada
27.
Seven pillars of Ismailism
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The Ismāīlī Shia – the Nizari, Druze and Mustaali – have more Pillars than those of the Sunni. The Shahadah, is not considered a Pillar and is seen as the foundation upon which they are built. Walayah Guardianship denotes love and devotion to God, the prophets, the scripture, the imams, in Ismāīlī doctrine, God is one and the true desire of every soul, creator of everything. The appointed duāt lead believers to the right path, the Druze refer to this pillar as Taslīm Submission, An informative article on the Seven Pillars and Walayah. An informative article on the relationship between Salah and Dua. These three times have been related with the three times that have mentioned in the Quran, sunrise, before sunset, and after sunset. In contrast, the Mustalī maintain five prayers and their style is closely related to that of the Twelvers. The Druze believe that the meaning of prayer is sidqu l-lisān speaking Truth and they do sometimes attend prayers, which is the practice of the uninitiated and historically was also done for reasons of taqiyya. The Ismāīlīs donate 10% to 12 and these institutions are run by the Aga Khan Development Network, which is one of the biggest welfare networks in the world. Thus, Ismāīlīs believe that as Muhammad was designated to take zakāt from the believers in the past, the Druze practice hifzu l-Ikhwān Protection of Ones Brothers instead of paying a fee, a culturally complex practice of interdependence. Sawm Fasting, Nizari and Mustalī believe in both a metaphorical and literal meaning of fasting, in particular, Ismāīlīs believe the real and esoteric meaning of fasting is avoiding devilish acts and doing the good deeds. Not eating during the month of Ramadan in conjunction with an implementation of fasting. The Druze emphasise the esoteric meaning, which they call tark ibādat al-awthān deserting idol-worship, hajj Pilgrimage, For Ismāīlīs, visiting the imām or his representative is one of the most aspired pilgrimages. There are two pilgrimages, Hajj-i-Zahiri and Hajj-i-Batini - the first is the visit to Mecca, the second, the Mustalī maintain also the practice of going to Mecca. The Druze interpret this completely metaphorically as fleeing from devils and oppressors, in addition, the Uqqāl Wise Ones, the religious cadre of the Druze, are pacifists. The ordering of the pillars as understood by Druze is as follows, Taslīm Submission denotes love and devotion to God, the prophets, the Imām and the du‘āt missionaries. In Ismā‘īlī doctrine, God is the desire of every soul, and he manifests himself in the forms of prophets and imāms. The Druze never mention ‘Alī, unlike most Ismā‘īlīs, as they believe al-Hakīm supersedes his authority, sidqu l-Lisān speaking Truth, The Druze believe that the meaning of prayer is sidqu l-lisān and do not believe in five daily prayers
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Walayah
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Welayah or Welaya, is a word which empower gives authority/guardianship to a person, community, or country that is under the direction and rule on behalf of another. Wali is someone who has Walayah over somebody else, for example, in fiqh, a father is wali of his children. Two verbal noun are derived from the Arabic root of the word w-l-y ولي, Walayah and Wilayah which means to be near to something, to be a friend of someone, the term welayah also has similarity with AWLIA. The term Wali derives from Quran. It occurs also in a number of aḥādīṯ qodsīya or Hadith Qudsi, such as “whoever harms a friend of Mine, I declare war against him and others. There are several kinds of Walayah, Wila of love or nearness which implies that the household of the prophet are his near relatives, Awliya Allah means the friends of Allah or the beloved of Allah. Wila of socio-political leadership Spiritual Wila which concerns changing the potentials to the action and making the people to get to the divine nearness, the Wali has a kind of creative power over the world and the men. Corbin states that Walayah is the foundation of the prophecy and the mission of the messenger, and it concerns to the esoteric dimension of the prophetic reality. Abu al-Hasan Sharif Isfahani, a student of Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, by many hadith argues that the walayah is the inner, mulla Sadra states that the genealogical descendents of Muhammad and his spiritual heirs are Awliya. Dakake describes Walayah as an inheritance, esoteric knowledge, that Imams inherit from the prophets. Which expresses the spiritual and political authority of ahl al-Bayt, tabatabaei regards that Walayah is the esoteric dimension of the Imamah and it is not just guiding the man, but it is conveying the man to the Truth. By verse 42,23 and hadith of Ghadir, the called the Muslims to love his pure. Al-Tabari, Az-Zamakhshari and Fakhrud-Din ar-Razi state that verse 5,55 is revealed about Ali, the verse implies that Allah and His prophet is the Wali and the holders of the authority of the Muslims and the believers must accept their Wila. This bond of love further causes that the Muslims follow their speeches, deeds, in Quran, the term walayah is used in conjunction with nusrah and it is not only used in relation to God but also is used for those who have perfect devotion to God. Some traditions state that the verse 7,172 deals with the pact that God has taken for His Lordship and the Walayah to the prophet. In the Quran, the term showes a link between faithfulness to God and devotion to the members of the community, tabatabaei claims that wherever Quran ascribes the guardianship for the prophet, it means authority and devotion. Whosoever dies in enmity to the family of Muhammad, dies an nbeliever, whosoever dies in enmity of the family of Muhammad, will not smell the scent of Paradise. A hadith al-Baqir narrates that Islam is built upon five, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, pilgrimageand walayah, and not one of them was proclaimed, the way walayah was proclaimed. Hasan ibn Ali narrates that after professing tawhid and the mission of the prophets, jafar al-Sadiq told that Imam separates the people of the Heaven from the Hell, without any judgement, because their love for the Imam is their Heaven or Hell respectively
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Salah
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Salah, called namāz in some languages, is one of the Five Pillars in the faith of Islam and an obligatory religious duty for every Muslim. It is a physical, mental, and spiritual act of worship that is observed five times every day at prescribed times, in this ritual, the worshiper starts standing, bows, prostrates themself, and concludes while sitting on the ground. During each posture, the worshiper recites or reads certain verses, phrases, the word salah is commonly translated as prayer but this definition might be confusing. Muslims use the words dua or supplication when referring to the definition of prayers which is reverent petitions made to God. Salah is preceded by ritual ablution, Salah consists of the repetition of a unit called a rakʿah consisting of prescribed actions and words. The number of obligatory rakaʿāt varies from two to four according to the time of day or other circumstances, prayer is obligatory for all Muslims except those who are prepubescent, are menstruating, or are experiencing bleeding in the 40 days after childbirth. Every movement in the salat is accompanied by the takbir except the standing between the ruku and sujud, and the ending which has a derivation of the Muslim greeting As-salamu alaykum, Salah is an Arabic word whose basic meaning is bowing, homage, worship, prayer. In its English usage, the reference of the word is almost always confined to the Muslim formal, Muslims themselves use several terms to refer to salah depending on their language or culture. In many parts of the world, including many non-Arab countries such as Indonesia, the other major term is the Persian word namāz, used by speakers of the Indo-Iranian languages, as well as Turkish, Russian, Chinese, Bosnian and Albanian. In North Caucasian languages, the term is lamaz in Chechen and this is a book, there is no doubt in it, a guidance for righteous. Those who believe in unseen and offer Salah and spend from what we have given to them, and those who believe in what We have revealed to thee and what We revealed before thee, and on hereafter they believe. They are on guidance from their lord and they are successful, and offer Salah and pay Zakah and bow along those who bow. Guard your Salah and middle Salah, and stand before God devoutly obedient, then if you fear on foot or riding, then when you become secure remember God as he has taught you that which you did not know previously. And offer Salah at the two ends of day and at the approach of night, indeed good deeds remove bad deeds, offer Salah at the decline of the day until the darkness of night, and Quran at dawn, indeed Quran at dawn ever is a witness. And at night pray Tahajjud an extra for thee, it is expected that your lord raise you to praised station. ) Say call God or call Merciful, by whomever you call, He has good names, and offer Salah and pay Zakah and obey Messenger so that you may receive mercy. And recite that is revealed to you as a book and offer Salah, indeed Salah prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and remembrance of God is great, ) The chief purpose of salah is to act as a persons communication with and remembrance of God. By reciting The Opening, the first sura of the Quran, as required in daily worship, the worshiper can stand before God, thank and praise Him, under the Hanbali School of thought, a person who doesnt pray five times a day is an unbeliever
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Fasting in Islam
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Fasting in Islam, known as Sawm or siyam صيام, the Arabic words for fasting, is abstaining from eating and drinking. In the terminology of Islamic law, sawm means to abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours, the observance of sawm during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, but is not confined to that month. Sawm is a cognate to Syriac, ܨܘܡܐ ṣawmā. Literally, it means to abstain, cognates to Hebrew tsom, fasting is not unique to the Muslims. It has been practiced for centuries in connection with religious ceremonies by Christians, Jews, Confucianists, Hindus, Taoists, for example, the Muslims of Central Asia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey use the words roza/rozha/roja/oruç, which comes from Farsi. While the Malay community in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore call it puasa, Muslims are prohibited from eating, drinking and engaging in conjugal sexual relationships from dawn to sunset. Fasting helps Muslims develop self-control, gain an understanding of God’s gifts. Fasting in Islam involves abstaining from all bodily pleasures between dawn and sunset, not only is food forbidden, but also any sexual activity. All things which are regarded as prohibited is even more so in this month, each and every moment during the fast, a person suppresses their passions and desires in loving obedience to God. This consciousness of duty and the spirit of patience helps in strengthening ones faith, fasting helps a person gain self-control. A person who abstains from permissible things like food and drink is likely to feel conscious of his sins, a heightened sense of spirituality helps break the habits of lying, staring with lust at the opposite sex, gossiping, and wasting time. Fasting is also viewed as a means of controlling ones desires, Sawm also carries a significant spiritual meaning. It teaches one the principle of God Consciousness, because when one observes fasting, it is out of deep love for God. Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, the month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion. And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, number of other days. God desireth for you ease, he desireth not hardship for you, and that ye should complete the period, and that ye should magnify God for having guided you, the intention means resolving to fast. It is essential to have the intention the night before, night by night, throughout the duration of the fast itself, Muslims will abstain from certain provisions that the Quran has otherwise allowed, namely eating, drinking and sexual intercourse. This is in addition to the standard obligation already observed by Muslims of avoiding that which is not permissible under Quranic or sharia law, without observing this standard obligation, sawm is rendered useless and is seen simply as an act of starvation
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Hajj
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It is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and Sawm. The Hajj is the largest annual gathering of people in the world, the state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istitaah, and a Muslim who fulfills this condition is called a mustati. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, the word Hajj means to intend a journey, which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions. The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th of Dhu al-Hijjah, because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the given to the special spiritual state in which pilgrims wear two white sheets of seamless cloth and abstain from certain actions. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the year. This is sometimes called the lesser pilgrimage, or Umrah, the present pattern of Hajj was established by Muhammad. However, according to the Quran, elements of Hajj trace back to the time of Abraham, according to Islamic tradition, Abraham was ordered by God to leave his wife Hagar and his son Ishmael alone in the desert of ancient Mecca. In search of water, Hagar desperately ran seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwah but found none, returning in despair to Ishmael, she saw the baby scratching the ground with his leg and a water fountain sprang forth underneath his foot. Later, Abraham was commanded to build the Kaaba and to people to perform pilgrimage there. The Quran refers to incidents in verses 2, 124-127 and 22. It is said that the archangel Gabriel brought the Black Stone from Heaven to be attached to the Kaaba, in pre-Islamic Arabia, a time known as jahiliyyah, the Kaaba became surrounded by pagan idols. In 630 CE, Muhammad led his followers from Medina to Mecca, cleansed the Kaaba by destroying all the pagan idols, in 632 CE, Muhammad performed his only and last pilgrimage with a large number of followers, and instructed them on the rites of Hajj. It was from this point that Hajj became one of the five pillars of Islam. During the medieval times, pilgrims would gather in big cities of Syria, Egypt and this was done in order to protect the caravan from Bedouin robbers or natural hazards, and to ensure that the pilgrims were supplied with the necessary provisions. Muslim travelers like Ibn Jubayr and Ibn Battuta have recorded detailed accounts of Hajj-travels of medieval time, the caravans followed well-established routes called in Arabic darb al-hajj, lit. Pilgrimage road, which usually followed ancient routes such as the Kings Highway, the date of Hajj is determined by the Islamic calendar, which is based on the lunar year. Every year, the events of Hajj take place in a period, starting on 8 and ending on 12 Dhu al-Hijjah
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Jihad
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Jihad is an Arabic word which literally means striving or struggling, especially with a praiseworthy aim. It can have many shades of meaning in an Islamic context, such as struggle against ones evil inclinations, in classical Islamic law, the term refers to armed struggle against unbelievers, while modernist Islamic scholars generally equate military jihad with defensive warfare. In Sufi and pious circles, spiritual and moral jihad has been traditionally emphasized under the name of greater jihad, the term has gained additional attention in recent decades through its use by terrorist groups. The word jihad appears frequently in the Quran with and without military connotations, Islamic jurists and other ulema of the classical era understood the obligation of jihad predominantly in a military sense. They developed a set of rules pertaining to jihad, including prohibitions on harming those who are not engaged in combat. In the modern era, the notion of jihad has lost its jurisprudential relevance, while modernist Islamic scholars have emphasized defensive and non-military aspects of jihad, some Islamists have advanced aggressive interpretations that go beyond the classical theory. Jihad is classified into inner jihad, which involves a struggle against ones own impulses, and external jihad. Most Western writers consider external jihad to have primacy over inner jihad in the Islamic tradition, gallup analysis of a large survey reveals considerable nuance in the conceptions of jihad held by Muslims around the world. Jihad is sometimes referred to as the pillar of Islam. In Twelver Shia Islam jihad is one of the ten Practices of the Religion, a person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid. The term jihad is often rendered in English as Holy War, in Modern Standard Arabic, the term jihad is used for a struggle for causes, both religious and secular. The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic defines the term as fight, battle, jihad, nonetheless, it is usually used in the religious sense and its beginnings are traced back to the Quran and words and actions of Muhammad. In the Quran and in later Muslim usage, jihad is commonly followed by the expression fi sabil illah, in the path of God. Muhammad Abdel-Haleem states that it indicates the way of truth and justice, including all the teachings it gives on the justifications and it is sometimes used without religious connotation, with a meaning similar to the English word crusade. The context of the Quran is elucidated by Hadith, of the 199 references to jihad in perhaps the most standard collection of hadith—Bukhari—all assume that jihad means warfare. He said, The best jihad is the one in which your horse is slain, Ibn Nuhaas also cited a hadith from Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, where Muhammad states that the highest kind of jihad is The person who is killed whilst spilling the last of his blood. According to another hadith, supporting one’s parents is also an example of jihad and it has also been reported that Muhammad considered well-performing hajj to be the best jihad for Muslim women. The practice of raids by Bedouin against enemy tribes and settlements to collect spoils predates the revelations of the Quran
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Musta'li
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The Musta‘lī are a sect of Ismailism named for their acceptance of al-Mustali as the legitimate nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah. In contrast, the Nizari—the other living branch of Ismailism, presently led by the Aga Khan IV—believe the nineteenth caliph was al-Mustalis elder brother, Ismailism is a branch of Shia Islam. The Mustali originated in Fatimid-ruled Egypt, later moved its religious center to Yemen, the Hafizi view lost all support following the downfall of the Caliphate, current-day Mustalis are all Taiyabi. Most Mustali are Bohras, and the largest Bohra group is the Dawoodi Bohra, the name Bohra is a reinterpretation of the Gujarati word vahaurau to trade. The Bohra comprise two groups, a chiefly merchant class Shii majority and a Sunni Bohra minority who are mainly peasant farmers. Mohammed Burhanuddin was the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra community, after his death, there was a dispute regarding succession with both Mufaddal Saifuddin and Khuzaima Qutbuddin claiming to be the 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq. According to Mustalī tradition, after the death of al-Amir bi-Ahkamil-Lah, his infant son, Tayyib and she had been promoted to the post of Hujjat al-Islam long before by al-Mustansir Billah when her husband died and ran the Fatimid dawah from Yemen in the name of Imam Tayyib. During her leadership Tayyib went into occultation so she instituted the office of Dai al-Mutlaq, zoeb bin Moosa was first to be instituted to this office and the line of Taiyibi Dais that began in 1132 has passed from one Dai to another up to the present day. Arwa al-Sulayhi was the Hujjah in Yemen from the time of Imam al Mustansir and she appointed the Dai in Yemen to run religious affairs. Ismaili missionaries Ahmed and Abadullah were also sent to India in that time and they sent Syedi Nuruddin to Dongaon to look after southern part and Syedi Fakhruddin to East Rajasthan, India. In 1592, a leadership struggle caused the Ṭayyibi to split into, Sulaymani, named after Sulayman ibn Hassan and mainly located in Yemen, Dawoodi Bohra, found mostly in the Indian subcontinent. There is also a community of Sunni Bohra in India, in the fifteenth century, there was schism in the Bohra community of Patan in Gujarat as a large number converted from Mustali Ismaili Shia Islam to mainstream Hanafi Sunni Islam. The leader of this movement to Sunni was Syed Jafar Ahmad Shirazi who also had the support of Mughal governor of Gujarat. Thus this new group is known as Jafari Bohras, Patani Bohras or Sunni Bohras, in 1538, Syed Jafar Ahmad Shirazi convinced the Patani Bohras to cease social relations with Ismaili Bohras. The cumulative results of these resulted in large number of Bohras converting from Ismaili Shia fiqh to Sunni Hanafi fiqh. A split in 1637 from the Dawoodi resulted in the Alavi Bohra, the Hebtiahs Bohra are a branch of Mustali Ismaili Shia Islam that broke off from the mainstream Dawoodi Bohra after the death of the 39th Dai al-Mutlaq in 1754. They have further split into two branches, Atba-e-Malak Badar Atba-i-Malak Vakil The Progressive Dawoodi Bohra is a reformist sect within Mustali Ismaili Shia Islam that broke off circa 1977. They disagree with mainstream Dawoodi Bohra, as led by the Dai al-Mutlaq, on doctrinal, economic, in 2014 following the death of Mohammed Burhanuddin, there was a succession dispute over who became the 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq
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History of Nizari Ismailism
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The History of Nizari Ismailism from the founding of Islam covers a period of over 1400 years. A few months before his death, Muhammad who resided in the city of Medina made his first and final pilgrimage to Mecca, there, atop Mount Arafat, he addressed the Muslim masses in what came to be known as the Farewell Sermon. After completion of the Hajj pilgrimage, Muhammad journeyed back toward his home in Medina with the other pilgrims, O God, befriend whosoever befriends him and be the enemy of whosoever is hostile to him. This is known as the event of Ghadir Khumm, which is remembered in the hadith of the pond of Khumm, following Muhammads death the Shia or Party of Ali believed he had been designated not merely as the political successor to Muhammad but also his spiritual successor. And looked toward Ali and his most trusted supporters for political and spiritual guidance. Alis descendants were also the descendants of Muhammad as Ali had married Muhammads only surviving progeny. Through the generations, the mantle of leadership of the Shia passed through the progeny of Ali and Fatimah, the Ahl al-Bayt, embodied in the head of the family, the Imam. Both Ismaʿili and Twelver Shia accept the same initial Imams from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and therefore much of their early history. The modern Nizari faith refers to itself as a tariqa or path, Jafar al-Sadiq was acknowledged leader of the Shia and head of the Ahl al-Bayt. During a period of change, when Muslims no longer threatened were beginning to concern themselves with questions like what does it mean to be a Muslim. His answer was Jafari jurisprudence, a school of jurisprudence distinct to the Shia. This period marks the founding of the religious views of both the Shia and the Sunni. Jafar al-Sadiq was married to Faṭimah, herself a member of the Ahl al-Bayt, together they had two sons, Ismāīl al-Mubarak and his elder brother, Abdullah al-Aftah. Following Fatimahs death, Jafar al-Sadiq was said to be so devastated he refused to ever remarry, however, it is controversially believed that Ismāīl predeceased his father. However, the sources report Ismāīl being seen three days after in Basra. His closest supporters believed Ismail had gone into hiding to protect his life and he claimed a second designation following Ismāīls disappearance. While some had already accepted him as the Imam following the death of Jafar as-Sadiq, Ismailis argue that since a defining quality of an Imam is his infallibility, Jafar as-Sadiq could not have mistakenly passed his nass on to someone who would be either unfit or predecease him. Therefore, the Imam after Ismāīl was his eldest son Muhammad ibn Ismāīl, muhmmad al-Maktūm was himself several years the senior of his half-uncle, Musa al-Kadhim
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Hafizi
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The Hafizi sect disappeared completely after the collapse of the Fatimid Caliphate in 567 AH/1171 CE as they joined the Taiyabi sect. Al-Hafiz is the son of Abul Qasim Muhammad a son of Al Mustansirbillah, died imprisoned in the Fatimid palace in Cairo under Salahuddin. Abu Sulayman Daud Al-Hamid-lil-lah, d.1207 AD, died in prison under the Ayyubid dynasty. Sulayman Badruddin, d.1248 AD without issue, died in prison under the Ayyubid dynasty. The Hafizi sect lived on into the 14th century AD with adherents in Northern Egypt, List of extinct Shia sects Hafizi-Ismaili family tree List of rulers of Egypt Barber, Malcolm. The New Knighthood, A History of the Order of the Temple, a Short History of the Ismāīlīs
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Alavi Bohras
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The Alavi Bohras علوي بھرۃ are a Taiyebi Mustaalavi Ismaili Shii Muslim طیبي مستعلوي اسماعیلي شیعۃ مسلم community from Gujarat, India. Two major splits during this period resulted in the formation of three groups of Bohras, Alavis, Dawoodis and Sulaymanis. e. From 1st Dai Saiyedna Zoeb bin Saiyedi Moosa till 23rd Dai Saiyedna Mohammad Izzuddin, in Sindh and India too Wali-ul-Hind ولي الھند were appointed by these Duaat دعاۃ one after another until Wali-ul-Hind Maulaai Jafar, Maulaai Abd ul Wahab and Maulaai Qaasim Khan bin Hasan. The last three wali were of help in the era of the 21st to 24th Dai i. e. Saiyedna Husaamuddin, Saiyedna Shamsuddin, Saiyedna Izzuddin. Following the death of the 26th Dai Saiyedna Dawoodji Burhaanuddin bin Saiyedi Ajabshah in 997 AH/1591 AD in Ahmedabad, Sulayman bin Hasan, the grandson of 24th Dai, was wali in Yemen and claimed the succession, supported by the other Yemeni Bohra. However, the Indian Bohra denied his claim of nass, declaring supporting documentation to be forged, the two factions separated, with the followers of Sulayman becoming the Sulaymanis, and the followers of 27th Dai Saiyedna Dawoodji Burhaanuddin bin Saiyedi Qutubshah becoming the Dawoodi Bohra. Saiyedna Ali, the 29th Alavi Dai was born in the city of Vadodara in Fakhri Mohalla. His father Saiyedi Ibrahim died during his childhood and he was born on 8th Rabi ul-Awwal 1379 AH/10-9-1959 AD, Thursday in Vadodara. He is the actual Dai of Alavi Bohras. After this Hierarchy comes the Status of 24 Hudood, Vadodara City is the Headquarters of Alavi Bohras where Saiyedna saheb stays along with the family members at Devdi Mubaarak. It is the place right from 32nd Dai stayed and imparted knowledge to their subjects in their respective periods. It has now become the hub of Ismaili-Taiyebi branch of Learning, as it houses the Islamic Personal Library of Rare Books and the Unique Personal Collection of MSS pertaining to Ismaili Taiyebi Literature. Under strict supervision and permission Saiyedna saheb himself manages the Library affairs, during the seclusion of Imam, his deputy-Da’i performs this act of succession whom he finds eligible for the status of Da’i. He might not be from his sons, unlike the succession of Imam where an Imam always appoints his successor from one of his sons, after Mohammad this rank is on the 6th position and after this comes Mazoon-مأذون and Mukaasir-مکاسر. In Yemen, after the seclusion, Da’i was given Itlaaq-إطلاق or a free conduct and absolute religious and social authority and his command is regarded as a final decree guided by the divine support of Imam and this is the reason he is called Da’i al-Mutlaq. Saiyedna Haatim Zakiyuddin is the 45th Da’i al-Mutlaq of Alavi Bohras in the line of succession of these Da’is in which 24 are in Yemen,7 are in Ahmedabad,1 is in Surat and 12 are in Vadodara. At any cost he always assists and obeys his superior and his Master and his prime responsibility is to conduct teaching sessions and make them understand the basic things of Isma’ili Taiyebi faith. In the absence of Da’i he acts as his legatee, Da’i may appoint his Mazoon as his successor. And if not Da’i can appoint someone more learned and efficient for the post of Da’i after him, as the respectable post of Mazoon is necessary for the completeness of Spiritual Hierarchy
Bhownagree, Mancherjee Merwanjee (1911). "Aga Khan I.". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 362–363.
