"ISMAILI-SUFI-DARWISH-MYSTIC"ESOTERIC" POETRY

[From_Alamut]

Welcome, welcome O servants of the Imam
Welcome, welcome O servants of the Imam

Welcome, welcome O followers of the Imam
Welcome, welcome O workers of the Imam

The grace of the Imam is with you
The hearts of the Jamat are with you

O people of the da'wa in this age
The guidance of the Imam is with you

O commanders of the army of the Imam
The flag and guidance of the Imam are with you

By Mir Baiz Khan

[From_Alamut]

My heart is filled with the slander of the people;
I am therefore separated from them in speech and action.

As long as my heart was blind like that of Zayd and Amr,
no one could find fault in me, wherever I went.

Sometimes burning with passion I followed beautiful maidens;
sometimes out of greed I sought the philosopher's stone,

I did not fear that my life was being wasted, nor was I
ashamed that I had vulgar or evil thoughts.

During autumn my heart was dissipated with wine; in the
springtime I happily looked for water and pasture.

Complacently I sat in the midst of the watermill turning,
until the hair on my head turned white as snow.

I thought that the world had become my meadow, until like
the cattle I became fodder for the world.

If it injured me in any way, I returned to it yet again like
a drunkard always drawn towards goblets of wine.

The world kept me firmly under its control; thus sometimes
I became prosperous and sometimes a pauper.

And when my soul was worn out with the afflictions of time,
I went to the door of the king to bestow praise on him.

I was prepared to seek justice from the devil of the time,
but all I found in the king's service was enslavement.

I had to perform a hundred acts of servitude to him before
I was able to fulfill even a single hope of mine.

I gained nothing at all except toil and suffering from
the one to whom I had gone for the sake of healing.

When my heart became disappointed with kings and princes,
I turned to the people of the mantle, turban and cloak.

I told myself that they would show me the path of religion
because the people of the world had tormented my heart.

They said: "Be happy, you have been delivered from your burden"
so my soul became happy and I prayed along with them.

I told myself that since these were men of knowledge, I would
be released from the grip of ignorance and poverty.

Therefore I wasted some years of my life with them in a lot
of empty prattle and useless disputations.

But their wealth and piety was only corruption and hypocrisy,
and I said: "0 God, why have I become afflicted again?"

It was as if by going from the king to the jurist, I had
entered a dragon's mouth for fear of an ant!

Time had countless ruses and pretexts to entrap me; I became
caught in just such a pretext, such a deception.

When it betrayed me and no escape was left to me, at last
I went to the progeny of Mustafa for help.

I found help against the devil's persecution and cunning
when I entered the sanctuary of the Imam of mankind.

Shall I tell you what happened to me when I fled the devil?
Suddenly I found myself in the company of angels.

When the light of the Imam shone upon my soul, even though
I was black as night, I became the shining sun.

The Supreme Name is with the Imam of the time; through him,
Venus-like, I ascended to the heavens.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Remember the name of the Lord
And light will emerge within you;
Taste the nectar of love
And ecstasy will overwhelm you.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Shams (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Do you not see that God
is inviting you to heaven?
Why do you throw yourself
into the pit of hell-fire?

In order to ascend to
the abode of the righteous,
make knowledge your feet
and obedience your wings.

In the battleground of
our demented world,
make a sword from patience
and a shield from the faith.

Pluck the bud of wisdom
from the branch of religion;
graze the hyacinth of obedience
from the fields of knowledge.

This world is not the abode
of people who are wise;
it is but a passage for us;
therefore traverse it.

Of what use is the branch
which yields no fruit,
whether it belongs to
a fruit-bearing tree or not?

In the sight of God,
the Absolute Sovereign,
this world has not the value
of even an atom.

Had it any value in His
reckoning, do you think
the unbelievers would get
even one sip of water?

This world is only a place
of attainment for us;
therefore gather quickly
provisions for the Return.

In fact, this world is
a book in which you see
inscribed the writings
of God the Almighty.

O do not reject these
allusions of the hujja,
because truth should never
become an abomination.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

0 you who have been
sleeping at night!
If you have rested,
do not think that time
too has been resting.

Consider that your
personality is always
on the move - do not
think it eats or sleeps
even for a moment!

The momentum of time
and the turning sphere
draws all animals,
by night and day,
to ceaseless motion.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Kindle the candle of intellect in your heart
and hasten with it to the world of brightness;
If you want to light a candle in your heart,
make knowledge and goodness its wick and oil.

In the path of the hereafter, one should not walk
on foot but with the soul and the intellect,
and for provisions, you must fill the tablecloth
of your heart with obedience and knowledge.

0 son, your mind is the garden of intellect,
turn it not into a furnace with fumes of wine;
your heart is the blessed mine of knowledge,
why have you planted a perverse hardness in it?

Let your heart become soft because a shirt of
dusky soft silk does not befit a heart of stone;
cast away ignorance from your mind because
celebration does not befit a house of lament.

Comprehend well the wise poetry of the hujja,
for it is elevated and powerful like Mount Qaran,
and with the needle of reflection, prick his
excellent words in your subtle heart and soul.



By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

The master turned
my night into broad daylight
with proofs as clear as
radiant sunlight.

Since he made me
drink from the water of life,
death has become quite
insignificant to me.

When I looked
from the corner of his eye,
I saw the earth rotating
beneath my feet.

He showed me
the visible and hidden worlds,
both located in one place,
my own body.

I saw the two
guardians of paradise and hell
inhabiting the same place,
my own breast.

He pointed to one
who is the keeper of paradise
and said to me: "I am
his disciple."

I saw eight gates,
closed in the same place,
and seven other gates open,
one above the other.

He said to me:
"If you wish to enter a gate,
you have to obtain his
permission first."

When I asked him
to explain the secret to me,
he recited its story from
beginning to end.

The master said:
"He is the lord of the time,
chosen by God from
men and jinns."


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Alas, my intellect
has become oppressed
and defeated by
the evil of desire.

Woe to me because
I have wronged myself.
I am beyond neither
blame nor reproach.

O why did I waste
my life when the path
of guidance was open
and spacious to me?

And why did I lose
the light by which
I am related to
the close and noble ones?

Why do I debase
the precious pearl
and honor the mean
and insignificant oyster?


By: The Great Ismaili Dia and Hujjat Al Mu'ayyad fi'l din Al Shirazi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

You run with the light of God
among His servants so that you
may illumine their hearts
and shine therein as His proof.

Our eyes have observed your
brilliance, but in fact
opinion has never understood
the essence of your reality.

I fear you with a reverence,
lest the sun forgets its rising,
just as your remembrance made
the angels forget their praise.

You are the Spirit because
your image is shaped from
the spiritual world of your Lord
and supported by knowledge.

I swear that if the world did
not call you a caliph,
they would certainly have
called you a second Messiah.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia Ibn Hani Al-Andalusi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Above the seven spheres are two precious pearls whose light
illumines the world and mankind.

In the placenta of non-existence, from the sperm of existence,
they form images but themselves have no form.

Not contained by the senses, they are not sensible; neither
dark nor bright, they are not visible.

Reared in pre-eternity by the holy wet-nurse, they are not
pearls but have the attributes of pearls.

From this side of creation and that side of the universe,
within and beyond time, they are always together.

They are not in the world and yet they are in it; they are not
within us but nurture the soul in our bodies.

It is said that they are both the worlds; therefore they are
in the seven climes but not in the seven climes. 49

This one is the Holy Spirit and that one the Spirit of Gabriel;
they are flying angels but have no wings.

In the nest of the lower world they appear with open wings,
but in the higher world they fly without wings.

They are friends with the hot and the cold, the dry and the wet,
as are earth and air with fire and water. 50

In the treasure-houses of pre-eternity and post-eternity, they are
not pearls but recognized by the name of pearl.

They are both the world and mankind, paradise and hell; they
are absent and present, poison and sugar.

They come from light to darkness, from heaven to earth, from
the west to the east, from ocean to land.

Existent and non-existent, hidden and manifest, they are
without and with you in the same house.

In the next world which is their forge and furnace, they are
the destroyers of the building and the builder.

They are the chiefs of the nine spheres and the seven planets;
they give sustenance to the five senses and the four natures."

Around their home, there are ten witnesses, of whom five stay
inside and five stand at the door.

The shopkeepers of heaven come before them in order to
purchase what they have to sell.

They are not substance, for substance takes accident from them;
they make an axis for accident, but they are not the axes.

They read to you the book of secrets without letters; they
know your deeds without having to see them.

They appear because they are hidden; they are without head or
body because they are in the head and body.

Their attribute is that they are not contained in the world,
but they are hidden in our head and body.

They have made this world a place for you to inhabit, but for
them there is no place, for they are beyond space.

They come to you from a place which is not a place; there they
are angels and here they are messengers.

In rank, they are higher than the angelic world; like God's
essence, they are neither element nor substance.

Even though both the worlds are in the possession of this and
that, if you wish, they can be subjugated to your soul.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

How many observers are there
with eyes that cannot see?
How many seers are there
with hearts that cannot reflect?

For the human eye to see,
there are certain conditions;
he who disregards them
loses his way in the darkness.

The eye is of no avail
if it does not receive light
from the sun or the moon,
or from the burning torch.

Similarly the intellect,
during reflection by itself,
remains in the throes of
doubt and bewilderment.

Except when it is helped
by a light from outside;
then it ascends the ladder
of enlightened contemplation.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia and Hujjat Al Mu'ayyad fi'l din Al Shirazi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Rouse yourself from the sleep
of negligence so that what
shines out in the morning
is not hidden from your eyes!

The heaven you see above
is not the heaven of God,
but it is the earth below
which encompasses that heaven.

The stars submit to him,
but conceal their prostration,
and the sun shields its eyelids
from the brilliance of his light.

He is the intercessor for
the community which follows him,
just as his forefathers
were for their forefathers.

He is the trusted of God
among His servants on earth,
if at all the trusted can
be counted in His country.

This is the beloved one
of the city of Mecca,
and of its mountain paths,
its black stone and the plain.

There is a sign on him
left by the Prophet's marking,
and a splendor about him
which comes from the light of God.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia Ibn Hani Al-Andalusi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

The exoteric of revelation
is like brackish water,
but the esoteric is like pearls
for people who are wise.

Since pearls and jewels are
to be found on the sea-bed,
look for the pearl-diver
instead of running on the shore.

Why does the Maintainer
of the world keep so many
precious pearls concealed upon
the bottom of the sea?

He kept them for the Prophet
with the instruction:
"The esoteric is for the wise,
the exoteric for the ignorant."

You will get nothing but mud
and salty water from
the pearl-diver because of
your animosity towards him.

When you are searching for
the meaning of revelation,
do not be content with speech
like a donkey braying aloud.

On the Night of Power,
when you kindle the lamp,
the mosque is filled with light,
but your heart remains pitch-dark.

Whether you kindle the lamp
or not, understand that
it will not dispel the darkness
of ignorance in your heart.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

Peace be upon the pure progeny,
and welcome to their resplendent lights.

I begin with peace upon Adam from whom
came all mankind, whether nomadic or sedentary.

Peace be upon the one whose flood made
the reprobates suffer from great misfortune.

Peace be upon the one to whom came
the peace at dawn when he was engulfed by fire.

Peace be upon the one who with his staff
overpowered the unbelievers of the tyrant Pharaoh.

Peace be upon Jesus, the Holy Spirit,
who by his coming, bestowed honor on Nazareth.

Peace be upon Muhammad, the chose,
the one who intercedes in the hereafter.

Peace be upon Ali, the beloved,
and those descended from him, the radiant stars.

Peace be upon you, O Sovreign Lord
of Cairo, and all their gain abides with you.

I sacrifice my soul to Mustansir,
who is supported by the legions of heaven.

I bear witness that it is your blessed face
which illumines the faces of your followers.

You are the custodian of the fountain of life,
and may the fountain of your enemies perish!


By: The Great Ismaili Dia and Hujjat Al Mu'ayyad fi'l din Al Shirazi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

O eloquent one! Why do you remain silent?
Why do you not string pearls and corals together?

If you are a rider on the mount of wisdom,
why do you not come to the racecourse of men!

You have seen and experienced the world;
You have heard the sayings of Arabs and Persians.

You have become famous in the Science of Geometry,
from Sind and India to the borders of Khorasan.

And when you are counting, the created world is
like a grain of wild rue in your thinking.

There are many people in the East and the West
who have witnessed your claim to this Science.

Now that you are happy to be among the best,
you should have pride over your fellow men,

Since from the heart of the master Mu'ayyad,
God has opened the door of wisdom to you.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

The soul of the universe
is the sovereign of time,
for God has raised up
the body through the soul.

When the auspicious Jupiter
saw his face, it became
the source of munificence,
the mine of good fortune.

As long as the clouds
of Navroz wash all quarters
of the garden with
showers of lustrous pearls;

and the nightingale laments
the rose at the break of dawn,
like a grieving soul
separated from its lover:

may the authority of
the sovereign of time
prevail over space and time
and the denizens of the world!

prevail over space and time
and the denizens of the world!


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

0 you who have been sleeping at night! If you have rested, do not think that time too has been resting. Consider that your personality is always on the move - do not think it eats or sleeps even for a moment! The momentum of time and the turning sphere draws all animals, by night and day, to ceaseless motion.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i-Khusraw(Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

I was taken near the place wherefrom I saw the bright Light of the Prophethood. My eyes were dazzled by the Light. I shed tears of joy and felt as if I was looking at the face of the Prophet of Allah and of the Commander of the Faithful, Hazrat Ali. I prostrated myself before the one who is the fittest person to bow to. I wanted to say something, but 1 was awe-struck....I tried to speak but my tongue refused to move. People asked me to say what I wished to say. I could say nothing. The Imam said, 'Leave him. Let his fear and awe subside.' After this, I rose. I took the holy hand of the Imam, placed it on my eyes and on my chest and then kissed it. 1 left the place with immense joy.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia and Hujjat Al Mu'ayyad fi'l din Al Shirazi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

The Imam al-Mustansir, the Purity, the Lord, Is an evidence of God among mankind.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia and Hujjat Al Mu'ayyad fi'l din Al Shirazi (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

In fact, this world is a book in which you see inscribed the writings of God the Almighty. O do not reject these allusions of the hujja, because truth should never become an abomination.


By: Great Ismaili Pir Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

It is well that you should follow the Imamate,
For the Light of God is within his pure heart.
Through that Light you will be freed from darkness.
Follow that Light and may peace be with you!



By: The Great Ismaili Dia Nizari Quhistani, Dastu nama (Pbuh)

[From_Alamut]

"Allah was a mystery...
'I was a hidden treasure
And yearned to be known,
Therefore I created the world' 1

He created man
And breathed of His spirit unto him
Now, He is more of a mystery...

We are told 'Allah is everywhere'
Yet He is nowhere to be seen.

Ikra! Read! I search...

'I'm closer than your jugular vein'
He reveals in the Holy Quran
I search for a hidden message and find:

'Light upon Light, Allah guides to His
Light whom He pleases' 2

Alhamdulillah, I thank Allah
For including me in the community
That is guided by the Light
Sent with Prophet Muhammad
As a mercy to mankind
Our Intercessor on the Day of Judgement
Our beloved Imam-e-Zaman

Allahuma salle Allah
Muhammadin wa Aley Muhammad"

1. Hadith Kudsi
2. Quran 24:35
--By: Nina Nazneen Jaffer--

[From_Alamut]

Ya Allah, Ya Muhammad, Ya Ali

O Brothers and Sisters, do not rest,
Till all of us pass the test,
For Salwat is ours,
To be recited every hour.

When the salwat poses,
It becomes the staff of Moses.
Let the baraka of Allah, Muhammad and Ali flow,
And see the true believers glow.

Let love and consciousness grow,
And see negativity hit a new low,
For darkness disappears,
When the Sun appears.

– Noorallah G. Juma –

[From_Alamut]

We humans, idols of error live in Lord's Constant care,
But how frequent do we give this true feeling its due share?
Since the creation of this beautiful Universe,
Series of nourishing guidance has always been of importance.
As humans tend to be forgetful and passionate,
So to remind them of their purpose innate;
Allah sent holy prophets to bless us with profound light,
Among folks were who embraced it at their hearts sight.
For the last prophet at Gadir-e-Khum proclaimed it clearly,
That you will not go astray if you love Mowla Ali dearly;
Prophethood will end and Imamat will lead,
To shower the grace which the faithfuls need.
Thus greeting this memorable day with our hearts rejoicing,
Thanking ardently to Almighty Allah for providing;
Imamats institution for enlightening our soul,
And contemporarily guiding how to fulfil the secular role.
Hold fast the rope of Allah and love our fellow beings,
"Love" is the only present wrapped with good deeds;
Obedience to Mowla increases our strength, giving sense of gratitude,
To attain humility in success and gain fortitude.
No way, my pen can ever inscribe the ineffable,
Infinite favors with which momins have made it attainable;
Yes, the true happiness for which we all long for,
Can be attained if endeavours towards it becomes our life's core.
So, lets renew our commitment to strive for that balance,
Doing every act with our hearts beating of His Omnipresence;
13th December 1996 we wish our 49th Imam the 61st commencing year,
Earnestly pray our hearts always filled with His love so dear & near.

----By Dilshad Dayani----

[From_Alamut]

A humble poet, I am, Let me be your muse drink of me
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

A Sufi, I am, Pure of heart
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

A lover, I am, of Murtaza Ali
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

My joy uncontained, I am in song
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

Adam the Pure be you,
Yusuf the Beautiful too

Tis you who's Khidr's guide
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

His teacher, his inspiration
Lord, Lawgiver, Teacher, True Guide

Truth be, you are the Truth; the Absolute
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

Faithful Companion, in virtue incomparable
In whose company pales even the Sun, the moon

Oh, Father of Hassan, Hussein
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

Declared Muhammed, the Most Generous of generous
My cousin, the son of my uncle

My flesh is your flesh, my blood your blood
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

You are the Guardian, the Master of believers,
That the Holy Quran makes clear,
Garbed, Crowned, Invincible, Unvanquished

Shams, your humble servant, your Kambar Gulam, am I
In rapture, my very being cries out: Ali Ali

----By: Mowlana Rumi (pbuh)----

[From_Alamut]

Faith is for the believers
For those who have the might to feel
Beyond what is seen and heard
Deeper than what may seem so real
Faith is for the believers

It need not be proven by science
Nor answer all inquiries
But be trusted with pure reliance
Faith is for the believers
For those who yearn for more
Not for any selfish gain
But to feed their inner core
Faith is for the believers
Who see themselves and say
That the Almighty's creations
Are made of molded clay
Those who question Allah's presence
Fight an endless battle and grieve
Allah once revealed,
"those who have lost their selves, they will not believe."

– Nadyabanu Hasham –

[From_Alamut]

There is no Light but the Light of Hazrat Ali
In Rose and Bramble Bush
From mountain tops to valley floors,
In dark caverns and in sunlit shores,
On ocean waves and in riverbeds where salmon spawn,
Listen, listen, you will hear the universe talk . . .
Subhan Allah Subhan Allah Subhan Allah
And you will hear the sun and moon in shameful tones
Respond with joyful meekness,
"Yes! Subhan Allah and Ya Allah and Ya Ali too,
All is You All is You All is You
And in lions' lairs and in little birds' nests,
You will hear, if you silence keep,
The sound of prayer and the chants of joy
"Ali Ali Ali"

– Imtiaz Rhemtulla –

[From_Alamut]

Al-hamdulillah ja'il al-imamah fi'l-ardhi wa an-nur fiyhi
saba an-nur al-diya li-uluw muminuin
al-dhiy al-diya wa yahamduwa al-imam
al-dhiy al-diya dhalika ash-shamsu min uluw la mushirikun
al-dhiy al-diya dhalika al-imam min uluw mushukarun

Praise be to Allah. He has placed a guide in the earth and a light within it
The light dawning in irradiation to the people of faith.
This brilliant aurora spectral, they are giving praise to Allah
This brilliant aurora spectral, this is the sun, not of those who join
partners to Allah.
This brilliant aurora spectral, this is the guide of those who praise Allah.

– By: Sister Nina, translated an Arabic poetry into English –

[From_Alamut]

O vast universe
From the depths of time
On the holy night of Light
Of thirteenth December thirty-six
You sparked the birth of the Flawless Soul
Prince Karim who came like the Brilliant Star
Which illuminates the heavens and the earth
With resplendent Light of the Spirit
Perfected on earth by Hazrat Ali's Nass on eleventh July fifty-seven
Mowlana Shah Karim Al-Husayni The forty-ninth Imam
Sat on Cosmic Throne
O vast universe His face is oval-shaped
Like a pearl from heaven
Sparkling white and bright
Light which streaks and stimulates the world
Making it pulsate like the great festival
Celebrated with joy and love by his Murids
On eleventh July nineteen eighty-two
The earth shone with such alluring radiance
That even the Archangels in glory decended
For the Silver Jubilee of Mowlana Hazar Imam

– By: Nizar Esmail –

[From_Alamut]

Searching for a Spiritual Guide


When the clock of years had turned

Some forty-two rounds, I began to search for wisdom

“Among all creatures,” I thought,

“there must be one more precious than others,

like the falcon among the birds,

the camel among all beasts of burden,

the palm among the trees, and the sun among the stars.”

I searched for guidance on the Chosen One of God

from many thinkers, but each one pointed

a different way to me one to China, one to Africa.

Then one day, I read in the Quran

that God’s Hand is upon those

people’s hand who give their bayah

to Prophet Muhammad.

The Prophet was no longer alive.

To whom should I give my bayah?

Where would I find that Hand?

I went my way, inquiring, searching

from city to city, from shore to shore

Finally, I reached the city

And here, before the gates of the city my reason spoke:

“Within these walls, find what you seek

and do not leave without it.”

So I went before the guardian of the gate

and told him of my search.

Drop by drop, and day by day,

he fed me the healing medicine of mind,

till my illness went away;

my face, which has been pale, now grew rosy with joy;

I, who had been like a stone, was now a ruby.


By: The Great Ismaili Dia, Hujjat and Pir Seyyendena Nasir-i Khusraw (Pbuh)