Please note that they were already "convinced" after having discussions with the missionaries. Seeing the Imam in-person helped them psychologically accept the things told by the missionaries.
"After a number of SATSANG MULAKATS most of the members of our group, numbering two hundred, were convinced of what the missionaries had said about the DIVINE ASPECT of MOWLANA SULTAN MOHAMED SHAH, who was the FORTY_EIGHTH JOMADHARI NOOR MOWLA MURTAZA ALI (SHRI VISHNU VAR DATAR)."
On the other link you provided related to the Haji Bibi Case:
Please note that the Judge was Justice Louis Pitman Russell. The link says that the Judge died in 3 days. See these links below - the first one shows that he was the Judge in Bombay High Court until 1912 and the second one shows he died on Feb 13, 1914. That is ~6 years after the case was decided in September 3, 1908. This certainly brings the credibility of the anecdote into question.
This link on Bombay High Court:
https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/jshowpui ... BhZ2Vubz01
Search for the name "Louis Pitman Russell" and see the corresponding date.
http://eddiesextracts.com/twextracts/tw19140200.html
Coming back to the topic, so let's build on that example: Jafar Sadiq dies, all murids that had the vision of Jafar Sadiq will now instead start seeing visions of Ismail. What happens to the murids that may not have reached that stage to have the vision of Jafar Sadiq? They were dedicated to serving Jafar Sadiq but they were not elevated to seeing visions. You may agree or disagree but I believe that constitutes a substantial portion of the murid population at any given time. How will they decide which Imam to choose?
Allah and the Nur of Allah
It was not only the physical presence of the Imam but the vision of the das avtars which enabled them to accept Ismailism. I don't think they were expectant of such an experience and they were certainly not sitting in meditation at the moment of vision. The vision was not only due to their Hindu background and the theological preparation but also the grace of the Imam.njessani wrote:Please note that they were already "convinced" after having discussions with the missionaries. Seeing the Imam in-person helped them psychologically accept the things told by the missionaries.
I cannot prove or disprove you about what you have stated, but there was no other proof apart from the vision, that the Imam could come up with. So that in itself lends credibility to the story.njessani wrote: On the other link you provided related to the Haji Bibi Case:
Please note that the Judge was Justice Louis Pitman Russell. The link says that the Judge died in 3 days. See these links below - the first one shows that he was the Judge in Bombay High Court until 1912 and the second one shows he died on Feb 13, 1914. That is ~6 years after the case was decided in September 3, 1908. This certainly brings the credibility of the anecdote into question.
In this case the murids who did not have the capacity to experience the vision would rely on the individuals who had the capacity to inform them. Through out history there have always been Dais appointed by the Imams who could be trusted by the Jamat. And of course at any given time there would be individuals albeit a minority who would have that capacity and are recognized by the Jamat as such. Bhachhibai Tejpar was an example who would give lectures based upon her own experiences and who was trusted by the Jamat.njessani wrote: Coming back to the topic, so let's build on that example: Jafar Sadiq dies, all murids that had the vision of Jafar Sadiq will now instead start seeing visions of Ismail. What happens to the murids that may not have reached that stage to have the vision of Jafar Sadiq? They were dedicated to serving Jafar Sadiq but they were not elevated to seeing visions. You may agree or disagree but I believe that constitutes a substantial portion of the murid population at any given time. How will they decide which Imam to choose?
MSMS once remarked that Ismailism is not about numbers. He said that Ismailism will survive even if there is only one Ismaili.
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shivaathervedi_1
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What kind of light was that? Colorful, white light, or like sun light! I have read about light experiences in western literature. The lady was dejected and in deep depression. What she experienced was her state of mind. That was her sub conscious which made her felt in extreme lights. Was that light visible to others surrounding her, of course not other wise it should have been head lines of news papers. The lady did not claimed she was merged with light but felt a foot or so uplifted.njessani wrote:I think we are back to where we started as we can't fully rely on mystical experiences. Here is one where this women merged into Light:kmaherali wrote: All the experiences above are to be discarded and not to be given
too much significance as the real destiny of the soul is even higher.
[All the mystical experiences that are elluded to in these verses are
only tentative, as an indication of the extra sensory experience.
However these may not occur in all cases as the final destiny is
even higher and therefore these may confuse some aspirants about
the final experience. People have managed to get the higher and
ultimate experience without these experiences.]
"The following is also a merging-with-light experience but it led to an out-of-body experience. The report was sent by an English woman of an experience thirty years in the past, when she was twenty:
I was at a concert with a friend, given by the Hallé orchestra. They were playing the Chorale Symphony (Beethoven) and as I did not know the music well, I retreated into my own thoughts— which were pretty depressing. I prayed to be taken out of the “black pit of my own mind and selfishness” and suddenly, in answer, there was a rush of LIGHT, which surrounded me, lifted me into LIGHT and at the same time seemed to melt my physical being so that LIGHT welled up also from within me, or rather, burst out of me, to meet the LIGHT that was without. With this LIGHT came BLISS, happiness a million times stronger than anything I had ever experienced on earth: and on earth I had been, at times, completely happy. At the same time, I felt a cool breeze playing on me, and within me a whirling sensation and a feeling that I was somehow above myself—my body—but not completely, only a foot or so."
Worldly light can not be compared with Noor. No one can see Noor in his/her worldly life.
I came across a Christian white male age 60+, who told me he saw light. I asked him how come. He narrated; I was involved in car accident and died, and realized a type of white light surrounding me, and a voice came out of that light saying go back and help your elderly mother. I conclude that after accident the man was unconscious and story came out from his subconscious.
“Who is this?” A poem about Imam Zayn al-Abidin
Posted by Nimira Dewji
Imam Ali b. al-Husayn, the third Imam of the Ismailis and the fourth in the line of the Twelver community, was born around 658. He was present at the massacre of his family at Karbala in 680 and survived the event because he was ill at the time and confined to his tent. Upon returning to Medina, he refrained from political activity. Over time, due to his renowned piety, he acquired the honorific title Zayn al-Abidin meaning ‘the ornament of the pious’ as well as al-Sajjad due to his devotion to praying. He came to be held in great esteem by the pious people of Medina.
Along with some devotional poetry, Imam compiled a collection of prayers for various occasions known as al-Sahifa al-sajjadiyya, considered the oldest manual of supplications in Islamic sources, and one of the influential works of Islamic spirituality, given its widespread use as a devotional guide up to the present day.
Imam Zayn al-Abidin died in Medina in 714 and was buried in the Baqi cemetery next to his uncle al-Hasan b. Ali.
Al-sahifa al-sajjadiyya, Iran, dated 1678. Source: Wikipedia
Hisham b, Abd al-Malik (d. 743), the Umayyad heir and future caliph (r. 724-743), was circling the Kaba during a Hajj. He had tried in vain to reach the Kaba to touch the holy relic. Despite his aristocratic status, the crowds of pilgrims ignored him. He moved aside until the crowd dispersed. However, his entourage noticed that the crowd parted respectfully for the Prophet’s grandson Ali Zayn al-Abidin, who easily approached the stone and kissed it. Offended by the greater respect given by the pilgrims to the newly arrived personage, the Umayyad prince asked, ‘Who is this?’ At the time, al-Farazdaq (d. ca 730), one of the most renowned Arab poets, who was also performing the Hajj, stepped before the prince and composed a poem which has since been considered a masterpiece of Arabic literature (The Ismailis An Illustrated History p 54).
Who is this?
This is he whose very footsteps are known to the valley of Mecca!
The surrounding land, the sanctuary and the sacred House itself
know him well
This is the child of the best of all God’s servants
Peerless, pious, pure and pristine
Are you ignorant of who he is? He is the son of Fatima
God’s prophets were sealed with his grandfather
His liberal hands, ever-generous like the bounteous rain clouds
Shower abundantly, untouched by want
He lowers his gaze in modesty, while others do so in awe of him
A smile always accompanies his speech
After the mention of God himself, the are mentioned
At the beginning and end of all orations
Love for them wards off misfortune and calamity
And brings the copious flow of favours and bounties [SV]
Read entire poem at Shafique N.Virani.org.
www.shafiquevirani.org/pdfs/Virani-WhoisThis.pdf
nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/who-is-this-a-poem-about-imam-zayn-al-abidin/
Posted by Nimira Dewji
Imam Ali b. al-Husayn, the third Imam of the Ismailis and the fourth in the line of the Twelver community, was born around 658. He was present at the massacre of his family at Karbala in 680 and survived the event because he was ill at the time and confined to his tent. Upon returning to Medina, he refrained from political activity. Over time, due to his renowned piety, he acquired the honorific title Zayn al-Abidin meaning ‘the ornament of the pious’ as well as al-Sajjad due to his devotion to praying. He came to be held in great esteem by the pious people of Medina.
Along with some devotional poetry, Imam compiled a collection of prayers for various occasions known as al-Sahifa al-sajjadiyya, considered the oldest manual of supplications in Islamic sources, and one of the influential works of Islamic spirituality, given its widespread use as a devotional guide up to the present day.
Imam Zayn al-Abidin died in Medina in 714 and was buried in the Baqi cemetery next to his uncle al-Hasan b. Ali.
Al-sahifa al-sajjadiyya, Iran, dated 1678. Source: Wikipedia
Hisham b, Abd al-Malik (d. 743), the Umayyad heir and future caliph (r. 724-743), was circling the Kaba during a Hajj. He had tried in vain to reach the Kaba to touch the holy relic. Despite his aristocratic status, the crowds of pilgrims ignored him. He moved aside until the crowd dispersed. However, his entourage noticed that the crowd parted respectfully for the Prophet’s grandson Ali Zayn al-Abidin, who easily approached the stone and kissed it. Offended by the greater respect given by the pilgrims to the newly arrived personage, the Umayyad prince asked, ‘Who is this?’ At the time, al-Farazdaq (d. ca 730), one of the most renowned Arab poets, who was also performing the Hajj, stepped before the prince and composed a poem which has since been considered a masterpiece of Arabic literature (The Ismailis An Illustrated History p 54).
Who is this?
This is he whose very footsteps are known to the valley of Mecca!
The surrounding land, the sanctuary and the sacred House itself
know him well
This is the child of the best of all God’s servants
Peerless, pious, pure and pristine
Are you ignorant of who he is? He is the son of Fatima
God’s prophets were sealed with his grandfather
His liberal hands, ever-generous like the bounteous rain clouds
Shower abundantly, untouched by want
He lowers his gaze in modesty, while others do so in awe of him
A smile always accompanies his speech
After the mention of God himself, the are mentioned
At the beginning and end of all orations
Love for them wards off misfortune and calamity
And brings the copious flow of favours and bounties [SV]
Read entire poem at Shafique N.Virani.org.
www.shafiquevirani.org/pdfs/Virani-WhoisThis.pdf
nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/who-is-this-a-poem-about-imam-zayn-al-abidin/
'Concept of Light in Ismaili Philosophy'
Arzina Lalani
Light as an archetype, is used in most traditions and faiths as it is in Islam, where the most prevailing representations are in relation to Muḥammad’s prophetic appearance. Within classical Shiʿi texts, this is linked to the light of leadership –nur al-imama. The paper draws on the teachings of early imams on intellect, light, love and ru’yat Allah in select Shiʿi texts including the Ikhwan al-Safa’ and Fatimid scholars. The experience of hearts perceiving the vision of light is unique to each individual, being a journey that needs a guide. Ibn Sina concedes to this in his later life, referring to it as the hikmat al-mashriqiyya which becomes fully developed under Suhrawardi, the founder of al-Ishrāq –the school of illumination. In this school, the guide is the angel of humanity, known to the philosophers as the active intelligence and recognised by al-Naysaburi as the universal intellect.
The article can be accessed at:
https://www.academia.edu/11720153/Conce ... view-paper
Arzina Lalani
Light as an archetype, is used in most traditions and faiths as it is in Islam, where the most prevailing representations are in relation to Muḥammad’s prophetic appearance. Within classical Shiʿi texts, this is linked to the light of leadership –nur al-imama. The paper draws on the teachings of early imams on intellect, light, love and ru’yat Allah in select Shiʿi texts including the Ikhwan al-Safa’ and Fatimid scholars. The experience of hearts perceiving the vision of light is unique to each individual, being a journey that needs a guide. Ibn Sina concedes to this in his later life, referring to it as the hikmat al-mashriqiyya which becomes fully developed under Suhrawardi, the founder of al-Ishrāq –the school of illumination. In this school, the guide is the angel of humanity, known to the philosophers as the active intelligence and recognised by al-Naysaburi as the universal intellect.
The article can be accessed at:
https://www.academia.edu/11720153/Conce ... view-paper
God said,"light upon light". How can we explain light upon light? Is it a kind of layer of light on other layer of light? Is it explained as stages of light? Or one light will depart and other will take its place? Is this light colorful? Can we look at this light without harming eyes? Is this light has fragrance or it is without fragrance. Is this light visible with naked eyes. Where is this light?
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Jashn-e Gulzor-e Imomat
Celebration of Imam's Rose Garden
Gulzor-e Imomat(Rose Garden of the Imamat )
A beautiful Persian lyric, Gulzor-e Imomat, finally comes to the limelight.
On the auspicious occasion of the Imamat Day Celebration of Nur Mawlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, on July 11, 2020, Eagles World presents a devotional Persian poetry in the sweet voice of Zahida Parveen Khan of Pakistan and in collaboration with the highly talented Iranian artists (musicians and music director).
Click on the following link to watch and listen the beautiful Persian poetry intertwined with the Persian music of Iran:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sldfsK- ... e=emb_logo
Celebration of Imam's Rose Garden
Gulzor-e Imomat(Rose Garden of the Imamat )
A beautiful Persian lyric, Gulzor-e Imomat, finally comes to the limelight.
On the auspicious occasion of the Imamat Day Celebration of Nur Mawlana Shah Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, on July 11, 2020, Eagles World presents a devotional Persian poetry in the sweet voice of Zahida Parveen Khan of Pakistan and in collaboration with the highly talented Iranian artists (musicians and music director).
Click on the following link to watch and listen the beautiful Persian poetry intertwined with the Persian music of Iran:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sldfsK- ... e=emb_logo
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Bolo Ali Ali - Ambreen Lakhani
Say Al Ali
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... e=emb_logo
Say Al Ali
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... e=emb_logo
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Teri Rehmatein (Cover) - Inaaya Dhamani (With Lyrics & Translations)
JollyGul.com presents "Teri Rehmatein" (Your Blessings) cover song by Inaaya Dhamani. The original song was a Diamond Jubilee superhit by Indian singer and songwriter Jishan Ali Thobani.
Inaaya Dhamani is 11 years old and has been singing since the age of 4. She continues to receive vocal training and is also very passionate about drawing and painting. She plans to pursue her career in the field of arts. Inaaya is JollyGul.com's first "Rising Star".
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fxTW7 ... e=youtu.be
JollyGul.com presents "Teri Rehmatein" (Your Blessings) cover song by Inaaya Dhamani. The original song was a Diamond Jubilee superhit by Indian singer and songwriter Jishan Ali Thobani.
Inaaya Dhamani is 11 years old and has been singing since the age of 4. She continues to receive vocal training and is also very passionate about drawing and painting. She plans to pursue her career in the field of arts. Inaaya is JollyGul.com's first "Rising Star".
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fxTW7 ... e=youtu.be
It is not the physical light being described. It is only a symbol of the Divine Light.swamidada wrote:General rule is, things are recognized by their opposites.The word Allah has no opposite word. But NOOR has opposite word ZULUMAAT (darkness) as used in Quran? Any comment.
sakhee ved kitaab maa(n)he ke e gam naahee re
tee-aa(n) nahee divas nahee raat ke dhup na chhaa(n)i re.........11
O beloved ones, the description or the experience is not given in the vedas
(scriptures) or in any books because in this state there is neither day nor
night nor sun nor shade. (In other words this experience is
beyond intellect and hence undescribable.)
http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/23118
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
In Surah Ikhlas Allah says," QUL HUWALLAHU AHAD ". Allah has not said," QUL HUWALLAHUN NOOR". In my understanding Noor is Authority, Farman, Knowledge (Khudai Ilm), Wisdom.Admin wrote:Start reading the Quran first. Allah IS Noor. If the opposite of Noor is darkness, the opposite of Allah is also darkness.
There is no opposite word for Nirinjin.
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
I adore Innayah. You should have posted this song in the thread 'Qasidas and Geets'.kmaherali wrote:Teri Rehmatein (Cover) - Inaaya Dhamani (With Lyrics & Translations)
JollyGul.com presents "Teri Rehmatein" (Your Blessings) cover song by Inaaya Dhamani. The original song was a Diamond Jubilee superhit by Indian singer and songwriter Jishan Ali Thobani.
Inaaya Dhamani is 11 years old and has been singing since the age of 4. She continues to receive vocal training and is also very passionate about drawing and painting. She plans to pursue her career in the field of arts. Inaaya is JollyGul.com's first "Rising Star".
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fxTW7 ... e=youtu.be
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
kmaherali wrote:It is not the physical light being described. It is only a symbol of the Divine Light.swamidada wrote:General rule is, things are recognized by their opposites.The word Allah has no opposite word. But NOOR has opposite word ZULUMAAT (darkness) as used in Quran? Any comment.
sakhee ved kitaab maa(n)he ke e gam naahee re
tee-aa(n) nahee divas nahee raat ke dhup na chhaa(n)i re.........11
O beloved ones, the description or the experience is not given in the vedas
(scriptures) or in any books because in this state there is neither day nor
night nor sun nor shade. (In other words this experience is
beyond intellect and hence undescribable.)
http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/23118
I never considered Noor as a physical light. In Ginans the word NOOR is used and described in different ways by Satadari Pirs and Syeds.
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Music adds power to the essential message, you wrote. Please start back ground music with your posts also, your message will be more effective.kmaherali wrote:Based on the content, I felt it would be appropriate here. Music adds power to the essential message.swamidada wrote: I adore Innayah. You should have posted this song in the thread 'Qasidas and Geets'.
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
At the end of Ayat e Noor (24/35), Allah says;"WA YADHRIBULLA HUL AMSAAL LINNAS" means, Allah does set forth PARABLES for mankind.kmaherali wrote:He has said ALLAHU NURU SAMAWATI WAL ARDH - Allah IS the Nur of the heavens and the earth. This is the notion of monoreality which MSMS has expounded.swamidada wrote:Allah has not said," QUL HUWALLAHUN NOOR". .
Rays of the Same Light
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BowrCgi321o
The Ismaili is pleased to present Rays of the Same Light, a song created in commemoration of Imamat Day by Kenya's Pamoja Ensemble.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BowrCgi321o
The Ismaili is pleased to present Rays of the Same Light, a song created in commemoration of Imamat Day by Kenya's Pamoja Ensemble.
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swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Allah has said, MASALU NOORIHI MEANS EXAMPLE OF HIS NOOR.... and at the end of Ayat e Noor Allah says, Allah set forth PARABLES for mankind. Kmaherali, please shed some light.swamidada wrote:At the end of Ayat e Noor (24/35), Allah says;"WA YADHRIBULLA HUL AMSAAL LINNAS" means, Allah does set forth PARABLES for mankind.kmaherali wrote:He has said ALLAHU NURU SAMAWATI WAL ARDH - Allah IS the Nur of the heavens and the earth. This is the notion of monoreality which MSMS has expounded.swamidada wrote:Allah has not said," QUL HUWALLAHUN NOOR". .
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mahebubchatur
- Posts: 735
- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:01 pm
Noor, Allah, Prophets & Imams - an elucidation
For Ismaili Muslims, Noor & Allah are elucidated in their Imams Tawil and Talim of the Quran. These are worldly and religious guidances given by their Imams. They are collectively called Farmans (They include Ginans, speeches & the Ismaili constitution)
The full name of Imam of the time includes the word “Noor” The full title used today by Ismaili even in their prayers is
“Noor, Mawlana, Shah Karim, Al Husseini, Hazar Imam “
Imams have assured believers that their faith is logical, & intellectual. There is no hocus pocus. As a part of their Allegiance (Bayah) they all have a duty to seek read & understand Farmans of their Imams. That being the foundation of the faith.
Misunderstandings, misinterpretation & confusion continues in the Ismaili Muslim community, mainly because Leaders appointed to serve the community for many decades, have had a policy of blocking Farmans & related reports from their community & scholars, Al Waezeens. This is despite repeated Farmans of Hazar Imam. (link below*). The top Leadership even filed an unprecedented lawsuit in 2010 which was unsuccessful. Hazar Imam gave guidance in a historic meeting on 15th October 2010 (link below)
Therefore most Ismailis today have not had or read all the Farmans or even their full constitution. During the present pandemic in the online conversations and teachings by the same Leaderdhip, Farmans are discouraged & excluded. Even in TheIsmaili facebook and twitter publications. they have quotations from, e.g. Aristotle and Victor Hugo etc. When asked why not Farmans, or in context, the Team said they use quotes from Institute of Ismaili studies (Leadership).
Imams mandate & Authority is divinely ordained and comes from Allah. “The Imam's Ta'lim lights the murids' path to spiritual enlightenment and vision. In temporal matters, the Imam guides the murids, and motivates them to develop their potential.”(Farman link below)
For Ismaili Muslims, Noor is a manifestion through the Quran &
Prophet Mohamned PBUH &Hadiths (Tawil and Talim of Quran), followed by Imams & their Farmans who have continued thevTawil and Talim of the Quran)
Noor is not simply a physical light. The Tawil (allegory ), of Noor is that it is a collective manifestation of the blessings of enlightenment, intellect knowledge understanding & Farmans of Imams. The light guide believers in all their acts and deeds towards the right path, siratul mustaqeem, (sura Fatihah). The opposite of Allah and Noor of Allah, is Darkness & ignorance.
Everyone is born with and has a soul with them. The souls, and Allah are eternal. The souls are from and a part of Allah. Every soul therefore has a direct link with Allah. The whole of creation is a part of Allah. Allah is a part of the universe. This is the monoreality, & unity of Allah (Tawhid).
Therefore Allah is everywhere, with all, all the time, & closer to us than our jugular vein, and made is his own Image. And to Know ourselves is to know Allah Allah can guide and do anything and everything in any and every way Allah wills. (Quran, Farmans, & Ginans). Allah knows what we think and our true intentions ( Niyat - link below)
“And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein” [Quran 50:16]
Hazar Imam confirmed the following “I say this day, because 25 years have gone by, and some of you have referred to me as the Imam of the Atomic Age. But I am the 49th Imam and there will be Imams in the future, and the Age will not be Atomic, it may be the Space Age, and may be it will be further than the Space Age, but all that means is that Allah’s presence is everywhere, all the time.” [Hazar Imam Nairobi: 5th Oct, 1982]
Allah appointed Prophets on Earth to deliver his messages & guide mankind to the right path. The last, was Prophet Mohammed PBUH and then through him Hereditary Imams of Ismaili Muslims.
The messages or guidance from Allah are a part of, and from the Noor (Will, knowledge & intellect) of Allah, which has no limitations. This is also called Aql e Kul.
Every Imam of the time has the same , & eternal Noor, as did all prophets starting with Hazrat Adam. Their individual appointment and authority is divinely ordained. That is not the same as “divinity”. Prophet Mohammed never claimed Divinity. He delivered the Quran, which is the final message from Allah for mankind.
Hamdani writes in Mawddatul Qurba on the authority of Salman al-Fars that the Prophet said, “I and Ali were both created from one and the Same noor four thousand years before Adam was created, and when Adam was created, that noor was given a place in his backbone. So we continued to occupy the same place till were separated in the back of Abdul Muttalib.”
Allah is divine and as Hazar Imam reminds us often Allah is, He who is above ALL else. “In acknowledging the immensity of The Divine, we will also come to acknowledge our human limitations, the incomplete nature of human understanding.”(Hazar Imam)
Ismaili Muslims give Bayah to their Imams, (Bayah al Ridwan (628CE Quran 48:10 *) This is done with a sincere intention called Niyat* - The allegiance is to seek. obey and follow Imams Farmans. In return they receive blessings of Farmans and enlightenment ( Noor).
”Lo! those who swear allegiance unto thee (Muhammad), swear allegiance only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands.
So whosoever breaketh his oath, breaketh it only to his soul's hurt; while whosoever keepeth his covenant with Allah, on him will He bestow immense reward.”
The ultimate for every Ismaili Muslim is to receive and be guided by the Noor & blessings of their Imam’s Deedar (link below)
“For hundreds of years, my spiritual children have been guided by the Rope of Imamat. You have looked to the Imam of the Age for advice and help in all matters and through your Imam’s immense love and affection for his spiritual children, his Noor has indicated to you where and in which direction you must turn, so as to obtain spiritual and worldly satisfaction.” – Hazar Imam Salgirah 13 December 1964
“We seek from our murids that they set aside hatred, and that they live in unity and solidarity. Whoever follows the clear explanation of his Lord, and has had a Witness sent over him, and has heard what we have commanded, and rises up to implement it, then we shall turn our face and our hearts towards him.
I am he who is manifested in Humanity, and hidden in Divinity.
I am the Light of Certainty, and the qiblah of the Gnostics, and the salvation of the seekers. Whoever knows me is saved. You have heard from me gems of Divine Power, and you have been illuminated by the Lights of my Invincible Glory.
I have commanded you, so obey! I have bound a covenant upon you, so listen! Do not break our covenant, and do not be anything other than obedient to our command. For the Friend is most certainly Lord." - Imam Muhtadi of Alamut (21st Imam, d. 1157)- Imam Mawlana al-Muhtadi, quoted in M. Ghalib "Tarikh ad-Daw'ah al-Ismai'liyyah" (Beirut: Dar al-Andalus, 1975) pp. 255-256, translated by Seth (Shaykh 'Abd al-Hakeem) Carney
Noor cannot be extinguished by non believers. “Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however much the disbelievers are averse.” (Quran 61:icon_cool.gif
Noor - Light of Imams and Prophet Mohammed are the same. “Two thousand years before creation, Muhammad and ‘Ali were one Light (nur) before God.” – Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, (Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, The Divine Guide in Early Shi ‘ism, p. 31)
https://www.facebook.com/15348147601242 ... 26177/?d=n
The soul, spark and light is within us seeking and awaiting the grace and blessings of actualisation.
“Allah sent down that Spirit to His Prophet and it did not ascend back to the heaven since it was sent down, and it is within us.” - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir Basa’ir al-darajat, Section 9, Chapt 17:10, p.814
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) said the Noor from Allah has been with them since Hazrat Adam.
“I and Ali b. Abi Taalib both were a light (Nur) in the presence of Allah fourteen thousand years before the creation of Adam. When Allah created Adam, he deposited this light in Adam’s loins. We remained together as one light until we were separated in Abdul Muttalib’s loin. Thereafter, I was endowed with Prophethood and Ali with Imamat - (Nabuwah- Waliya)
(Among others, many Sunni scholars have documented Hadis-e-Nur: including Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal in his Musnad)
The following phrase of knowledge and ignorance , light and Darkness is common in Quran “From the darkness in the light” (mina l-zulumati ila l-noori), - appears more that’s seven times in the Quran (2:257, 5:16, 14:1, 5; 33:43, 57:9, 65:11).
“Say, Is the blind equal with one who sees or is darkness equal with light?” (13:16); this verse is repeated almost verbatim in 35:19.
“Say (O Muhammad): Who is Lord of the heaven and the earth? Say: Allah! Say: Take ye then (others) beside Him for protectors, which, even for themselves, have neither benefit nor hurt? Say: Is the blind man equal to the seer, or is darkness equal to light? Or assign they unto Allah partners Who created the like of His creation so that the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them?
Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty.”
Elsewhere the direct connection between light and seeing versus darkness and not seeing is clearly evoked:
“God took away their light and left them in darkness so they could not see” (2:17), and the evocative “Or like the darkness in a deep ocean surmounted by crashing waves with dark clouds above – darknesses, one on top of the other.
Allah gives his light to who he wills and appoints.
“Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.” (Quran 24:40)
The Torah & Gospel are referred to as “guidance and light” (hudan wa-noorun) in 5:44 and 5:46. This is repeated for the Torah: “Say, Who sent down the book that Moses brought as light and guidance for humankind (nooran wa-hudan lil-nas)?” (6:91).
“Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the Prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses. So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And barter not My revelations for a little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers.”
“And they measure not the power of Allah its true measure when they say: Allah hath naught revealed unto a human being. Say (unto the Jews who speak thus): Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for mankind, which ye have put on parchments which ye show, but ye hide much (thereof), and by which ye were taught that which ye knew not yourselves nor (did) your fathers (know it)? Say: Allah. Then leave them to their play of cavilling (objections/Criticisms)
The word noor occurs 49 times in the Quran .The most common word for light is Noor. Diya appears on three occasion, also there is misbah and siraj. Light, Noor most frequently appears juxtaposed to darkness (zulumat).
You did not know what the book was nor faith, but We made it a light (noor) with which We guide whom We wish.
“And thus have We inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our command. Thou knewest not what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith. But We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our bondmen. And lo! thou verily dost guide unto a right path.” - Quran 42:52
We sent down to you a manifest light (nooran mubinan)” (Quran 4:174). The light is also used as a reference to a permanent guidance. There has come to you from God a light and a clear book (kitabun mubinun)” (5:15), and “It is those who believe in him, honour him, help him and follow the light that is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper” (7:157).
“Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear.
Then those who believe in him, and honor him and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.”
In another instance, the Prophet is referred to explicitly as a source of light: And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light.” (Quran 33:46).
Light also refers to the physical sun and moon where moonlight is called noor and sunlight diya: “He is the One Who made the sun a light and the moon a light (ja’ala l-shams diya’an wa-l qamar nooran) (Quran 10:5).
“He it is who appointed the sun a splendor and the moon a light, and measured for her stages, that ye might know the number of the years, and the reckoning. Allah created not (all) that save in truth. He detaileth the revelations for people who have knowledge.”
Elsewhere, the moon is referred to as light (noor) while the sun is called a lamp (siraj) (71:16).
A most message and guidance on Noor is in the verse of Light (ayat al-noor):
“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche (mishkat) wherein is a lamp (misbah); the lamp encased in glass; the glass as if it were a glittering star kindled from a blessed tree, an olive that is neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would burn bright even if no fire touched it. Light upon Light, God guides to His Light whom He wills” (Quran 24:35).
Divine Light here does not mean a beam of light, which travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second and stimulates the optic nerve through the retina. This conception of earthy light has nothing to do with the light of reality. Light in fact has no colour or shape and what we perceive of it, is only the experience of its reflection or the reaction from the objects with which our eyes is affected. We see not the light, but the lighted objects perceivable by our eyes. Hence, what we experience is only an illusion, needing space and time for its manifestation to us.
The Divine Light of the reality has no such limitations or dependence. It prevails everywhere, penetrating, comprehends and envelops everything without any need of time or space whatsoever.
Allah is not a symbol, & cannot be compared with anything. He chose symbols for Himself. His oneness thus encompasses a Great Symbol (mas’lul a’ala).
The Divine Light is unperceivable. Allah would have symbolized His Light with the sun, but symbolized it with a house-lamp, suggesting that His Light is within mankind and within his oneness.
If the Light would have remained in one condition like a sun, it must have been symbolized as sun, not as a lamp. When in the Quran Sllah explains His Divine Light, it begins with the olive oil representing the fuel, and the glowing earthen lamp representing the lantern and ends with the lamp shinning within a glass-globe.
Jafar bin Mansur writes in Kitab al-Kashaf (p. 23) that, “The Light of God through a lamp is the Light of the Imam.” God is the Light of the heavens and earth means He is the Light of the whole Creation and universe of which earth and mankind are manifestation, of a part.
Muhammad Bakir Majalisi writes in Mirat al-Haqqul (Tehran, 1354 AH, 1: 353) that:
“In fact, noor is that which becomes a causative factor to manifest anything. Thus, the Existence is called the Noor.” Hence, the Light does not reach the people directly, but through the glass, a transparent medium through which the light passes.
This glass is the Prophet, while the lamp itself generating the Light is the Imam. So, the Prophet (glass) helps in identifying the Imam (lamp).
God knows best what parable can best explain a certain reality; and who is entitled to receive this bounty and who is not: (Quran 14:25).
“Allah coineth the similitudes for mankind in order that they may reflect. God has no need to show His Light to the one who has no desire or longing for it and who is utterly lost in worldly pursuits. “
Hazrat Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said, “I am more close to you than the hairs of the human body and am sitting in your hearts.”(Zanzibar: 17/9/1905)
The Holy Quran says the earth will shine with the Noor of Allah & the Quran - knowledge & guidance (39;69) “And the earth shineth with the light of her Lord, and the Book is set up, and the Prophets and the witnesses are brought, and it is judged between them with truth, and they are not wronged.”
Niyat
http://ismaili.net/timeline/2018/chatur-nyat.pdf
**Bayah - Baya’h (Bayat)
Means the spiritual & material contract or covenant that every Ismaili Muslim or murid has made with the Ismaili Imam of the Time.
Bay ‘ah gives the murid the right to access the Imam’s teachings, guidance, blessings, and spiritual medicine, and the Jamat Khanna is the private space where the Imam makes these available to his murids.
More on Bayah
https://ask.ismailignosis.com/article/9 ... f-the-time
http://ismaili.net/drupal5/node/10678
More on Deedar
http://ismaili.net/source/didar-meaning.pdf
More on Farmans & Hadiths
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... sc&start=0
Link to Farmans to Share Farmans
http://ismaili.net/timeline/2018/101-proofs-chatur.pdf
“Encyclopaedia of Ismailism” (Karachi, 2006, pp. 476-7).
July 2020
Back to top
The full name of Imam of the time includes the word “Noor” The full title used today by Ismaili even in their prayers is
“Noor, Mawlana, Shah Karim, Al Husseini, Hazar Imam “
Imams have assured believers that their faith is logical, & intellectual. There is no hocus pocus. As a part of their Allegiance (Bayah) they all have a duty to seek read & understand Farmans of their Imams. That being the foundation of the faith.
Misunderstandings, misinterpretation & confusion continues in the Ismaili Muslim community, mainly because Leaders appointed to serve the community for many decades, have had a policy of blocking Farmans & related reports from their community & scholars, Al Waezeens. This is despite repeated Farmans of Hazar Imam. (link below*). The top Leadership even filed an unprecedented lawsuit in 2010 which was unsuccessful. Hazar Imam gave guidance in a historic meeting on 15th October 2010 (link below)
Therefore most Ismailis today have not had or read all the Farmans or even their full constitution. During the present pandemic in the online conversations and teachings by the same Leaderdhip, Farmans are discouraged & excluded. Even in TheIsmaili facebook and twitter publications. they have quotations from, e.g. Aristotle and Victor Hugo etc. When asked why not Farmans, or in context, the Team said they use quotes from Institute of Ismaili studies (Leadership).
Imams mandate & Authority is divinely ordained and comes from Allah. “The Imam's Ta'lim lights the murids' path to spiritual enlightenment and vision. In temporal matters, the Imam guides the murids, and motivates them to develop their potential.”(Farman link below)
For Ismaili Muslims, Noor is a manifestion through the Quran &
Prophet Mohamned PBUH &Hadiths (Tawil and Talim of Quran), followed by Imams & their Farmans who have continued thevTawil and Talim of the Quran)
Noor is not simply a physical light. The Tawil (allegory ), of Noor is that it is a collective manifestation of the blessings of enlightenment, intellect knowledge understanding & Farmans of Imams. The light guide believers in all their acts and deeds towards the right path, siratul mustaqeem, (sura Fatihah). The opposite of Allah and Noor of Allah, is Darkness & ignorance.
Everyone is born with and has a soul with them. The souls, and Allah are eternal. The souls are from and a part of Allah. Every soul therefore has a direct link with Allah. The whole of creation is a part of Allah. Allah is a part of the universe. This is the monoreality, & unity of Allah (Tawhid).
Therefore Allah is everywhere, with all, all the time, & closer to us than our jugular vein, and made is his own Image. And to Know ourselves is to know Allah Allah can guide and do anything and everything in any and every way Allah wills. (Quran, Farmans, & Ginans). Allah knows what we think and our true intentions ( Niyat - link below)
“And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein” [Quran 50:16]
Hazar Imam confirmed the following “I say this day, because 25 years have gone by, and some of you have referred to me as the Imam of the Atomic Age. But I am the 49th Imam and there will be Imams in the future, and the Age will not be Atomic, it may be the Space Age, and may be it will be further than the Space Age, but all that means is that Allah’s presence is everywhere, all the time.” [Hazar Imam Nairobi: 5th Oct, 1982]
Allah appointed Prophets on Earth to deliver his messages & guide mankind to the right path. The last, was Prophet Mohammed PBUH and then through him Hereditary Imams of Ismaili Muslims.
The messages or guidance from Allah are a part of, and from the Noor (Will, knowledge & intellect) of Allah, which has no limitations. This is also called Aql e Kul.
Every Imam of the time has the same , & eternal Noor, as did all prophets starting with Hazrat Adam. Their individual appointment and authority is divinely ordained. That is not the same as “divinity”. Prophet Mohammed never claimed Divinity. He delivered the Quran, which is the final message from Allah for mankind.
Hamdani writes in Mawddatul Qurba on the authority of Salman al-Fars that the Prophet said, “I and Ali were both created from one and the Same noor four thousand years before Adam was created, and when Adam was created, that noor was given a place in his backbone. So we continued to occupy the same place till were separated in the back of Abdul Muttalib.”
Allah is divine and as Hazar Imam reminds us often Allah is, He who is above ALL else. “In acknowledging the immensity of The Divine, we will also come to acknowledge our human limitations, the incomplete nature of human understanding.”(Hazar Imam)
Ismaili Muslims give Bayah to their Imams, (Bayah al Ridwan (628CE Quran 48:10 *) This is done with a sincere intention called Niyat* - The allegiance is to seek. obey and follow Imams Farmans. In return they receive blessings of Farmans and enlightenment ( Noor).
”Lo! those who swear allegiance unto thee (Muhammad), swear allegiance only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands.
So whosoever breaketh his oath, breaketh it only to his soul's hurt; while whosoever keepeth his covenant with Allah, on him will He bestow immense reward.”
The ultimate for every Ismaili Muslim is to receive and be guided by the Noor & blessings of their Imam’s Deedar (link below)
“For hundreds of years, my spiritual children have been guided by the Rope of Imamat. You have looked to the Imam of the Age for advice and help in all matters and through your Imam’s immense love and affection for his spiritual children, his Noor has indicated to you where and in which direction you must turn, so as to obtain spiritual and worldly satisfaction.” – Hazar Imam Salgirah 13 December 1964
“We seek from our murids that they set aside hatred, and that they live in unity and solidarity. Whoever follows the clear explanation of his Lord, and has had a Witness sent over him, and has heard what we have commanded, and rises up to implement it, then we shall turn our face and our hearts towards him.
I am he who is manifested in Humanity, and hidden in Divinity.
I am the Light of Certainty, and the qiblah of the Gnostics, and the salvation of the seekers. Whoever knows me is saved. You have heard from me gems of Divine Power, and you have been illuminated by the Lights of my Invincible Glory.
I have commanded you, so obey! I have bound a covenant upon you, so listen! Do not break our covenant, and do not be anything other than obedient to our command. For the Friend is most certainly Lord." - Imam Muhtadi of Alamut (21st Imam, d. 1157)- Imam Mawlana al-Muhtadi, quoted in M. Ghalib "Tarikh ad-Daw'ah al-Ismai'liyyah" (Beirut: Dar al-Andalus, 1975) pp. 255-256, translated by Seth (Shaykh 'Abd al-Hakeem) Carney
Noor cannot be extinguished by non believers. “Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however much the disbelievers are averse.” (Quran 61:icon_cool.gif
Noor - Light of Imams and Prophet Mohammed are the same. “Two thousand years before creation, Muhammad and ‘Ali were one Light (nur) before God.” – Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, (Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, The Divine Guide in Early Shi ‘ism, p. 31)
https://www.facebook.com/15348147601242 ... 26177/?d=n
The soul, spark and light is within us seeking and awaiting the grace and blessings of actualisation.
“Allah sent down that Spirit to His Prophet and it did not ascend back to the heaven since it was sent down, and it is within us.” - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir Basa’ir al-darajat, Section 9, Chapt 17:10, p.814
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) said the Noor from Allah has been with them since Hazrat Adam.
“I and Ali b. Abi Taalib both were a light (Nur) in the presence of Allah fourteen thousand years before the creation of Adam. When Allah created Adam, he deposited this light in Adam’s loins. We remained together as one light until we were separated in Abdul Muttalib’s loin. Thereafter, I was endowed with Prophethood and Ali with Imamat - (Nabuwah- Waliya)
(Among others, many Sunni scholars have documented Hadis-e-Nur: including Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal in his Musnad)
The following phrase of knowledge and ignorance , light and Darkness is common in Quran “From the darkness in the light” (mina l-zulumati ila l-noori), - appears more that’s seven times in the Quran (2:257, 5:16, 14:1, 5; 33:43, 57:9, 65:11).
“Say, Is the blind equal with one who sees or is darkness equal with light?” (13:16); this verse is repeated almost verbatim in 35:19.
“Say (O Muhammad): Who is Lord of the heaven and the earth? Say: Allah! Say: Take ye then (others) beside Him for protectors, which, even for themselves, have neither benefit nor hurt? Say: Is the blind man equal to the seer, or is darkness equal to light? Or assign they unto Allah partners Who created the like of His creation so that the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them?
Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty.”
Elsewhere the direct connection between light and seeing versus darkness and not seeing is clearly evoked:
“God took away their light and left them in darkness so they could not see” (2:17), and the evocative “Or like the darkness in a deep ocean surmounted by crashing waves with dark clouds above – darknesses, one on top of the other.
Allah gives his light to who he wills and appoints.
“Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.” (Quran 24:40)
The Torah & Gospel are referred to as “guidance and light” (hudan wa-noorun) in 5:44 and 5:46. This is repeated for the Torah: “Say, Who sent down the book that Moses brought as light and guidance for humankind (nooran wa-hudan lil-nas)?” (6:91).
“Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the Prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses. So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And barter not My revelations for a little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers.”
“And they measure not the power of Allah its true measure when they say: Allah hath naught revealed unto a human being. Say (unto the Jews who speak thus): Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for mankind, which ye have put on parchments which ye show, but ye hide much (thereof), and by which ye were taught that which ye knew not yourselves nor (did) your fathers (know it)? Say: Allah. Then leave them to their play of cavilling (objections/Criticisms)
The word noor occurs 49 times in the Quran .The most common word for light is Noor. Diya appears on three occasion, also there is misbah and siraj. Light, Noor most frequently appears juxtaposed to darkness (zulumat).
You did not know what the book was nor faith, but We made it a light (noor) with which We guide whom We wish.
“And thus have We inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our command. Thou knewest not what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith. But We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our bondmen. And lo! thou verily dost guide unto a right path.” - Quran 42:52
We sent down to you a manifest light (nooran mubinan)” (Quran 4:174). The light is also used as a reference to a permanent guidance. There has come to you from God a light and a clear book (kitabun mubinun)” (5:15), and “It is those who believe in him, honour him, help him and follow the light that is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper” (7:157).
“Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear.
Then those who believe in him, and honor him and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.”
In another instance, the Prophet is referred to explicitly as a source of light: And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light.” (Quran 33:46).
Light also refers to the physical sun and moon where moonlight is called noor and sunlight diya: “He is the One Who made the sun a light and the moon a light (ja’ala l-shams diya’an wa-l qamar nooran) (Quran 10:5).
“He it is who appointed the sun a splendor and the moon a light, and measured for her stages, that ye might know the number of the years, and the reckoning. Allah created not (all) that save in truth. He detaileth the revelations for people who have knowledge.”
Elsewhere, the moon is referred to as light (noor) while the sun is called a lamp (siraj) (71:16).
A most message and guidance on Noor is in the verse of Light (ayat al-noor):
“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche (mishkat) wherein is a lamp (misbah); the lamp encased in glass; the glass as if it were a glittering star kindled from a blessed tree, an olive that is neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would burn bright even if no fire touched it. Light upon Light, God guides to His Light whom He wills” (Quran 24:35).
Divine Light here does not mean a beam of light, which travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second and stimulates the optic nerve through the retina. This conception of earthy light has nothing to do with the light of reality. Light in fact has no colour or shape and what we perceive of it, is only the experience of its reflection or the reaction from the objects with which our eyes is affected. We see not the light, but the lighted objects perceivable by our eyes. Hence, what we experience is only an illusion, needing space and time for its manifestation to us.
The Divine Light of the reality has no such limitations or dependence. It prevails everywhere, penetrating, comprehends and envelops everything without any need of time or space whatsoever.
Allah is not a symbol, & cannot be compared with anything. He chose symbols for Himself. His oneness thus encompasses a Great Symbol (mas’lul a’ala).
The Divine Light is unperceivable. Allah would have symbolized His Light with the sun, but symbolized it with a house-lamp, suggesting that His Light is within mankind and within his oneness.
If the Light would have remained in one condition like a sun, it must have been symbolized as sun, not as a lamp. When in the Quran Sllah explains His Divine Light, it begins with the olive oil representing the fuel, and the glowing earthen lamp representing the lantern and ends with the lamp shinning within a glass-globe.
Jafar bin Mansur writes in Kitab al-Kashaf (p. 23) that, “The Light of God through a lamp is the Light of the Imam.” God is the Light of the heavens and earth means He is the Light of the whole Creation and universe of which earth and mankind are manifestation, of a part.
Muhammad Bakir Majalisi writes in Mirat al-Haqqul (Tehran, 1354 AH, 1: 353) that:
“In fact, noor is that which becomes a causative factor to manifest anything. Thus, the Existence is called the Noor.” Hence, the Light does not reach the people directly, but through the glass, a transparent medium through which the light passes.
This glass is the Prophet, while the lamp itself generating the Light is the Imam. So, the Prophet (glass) helps in identifying the Imam (lamp).
God knows best what parable can best explain a certain reality; and who is entitled to receive this bounty and who is not: (Quran 14:25).
“Allah coineth the similitudes for mankind in order that they may reflect. God has no need to show His Light to the one who has no desire or longing for it and who is utterly lost in worldly pursuits. “
Hazrat Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said, “I am more close to you than the hairs of the human body and am sitting in your hearts.”(Zanzibar: 17/9/1905)
The Holy Quran says the earth will shine with the Noor of Allah & the Quran - knowledge & guidance (39;69) “And the earth shineth with the light of her Lord, and the Book is set up, and the Prophets and the witnesses are brought, and it is judged between them with truth, and they are not wronged.”
Niyat
http://ismaili.net/timeline/2018/chatur-nyat.pdf
**Bayah - Baya’h (Bayat)
Means the spiritual & material contract or covenant that every Ismaili Muslim or murid has made with the Ismaili Imam of the Time.
Bay ‘ah gives the murid the right to access the Imam’s teachings, guidance, blessings, and spiritual medicine, and the Jamat Khanna is the private space where the Imam makes these available to his murids.
More on Bayah
https://ask.ismailignosis.com/article/9 ... f-the-time
http://ismaili.net/drupal5/node/10678
More on Deedar
http://ismaili.net/source/didar-meaning.pdf
More on Farmans & Hadiths
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... sc&start=0
Link to Farmans to Share Farmans
http://ismaili.net/timeline/2018/101-proofs-chatur.pdf
“Encyclopaedia of Ismailism” (Karachi, 2006, pp. 476-7).
July 2020
Back to top
-
swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Re: Noor, Allah, Prophets & Imams - an elucidation
[quote="mahebubchatur"]
The full name of Imam of the time includes the word “Noor” The full title used today by Ismaili even in their prayers is
“Noor, Mawlana, Shah Karim, Al Husseini, Hazar Imam “
Query:
With reference to your above quote, when Hazar Imam sends Taliqa Mubarak or any communication, at the end he writes " Yours affectionately Aga Khan " and not " Yours affectionately Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam".
The full name of Imam of the time includes the word “Noor” The full title used today by Ismaili even in their prayers is
“Noor, Mawlana, Shah Karim, Al Husseini, Hazar Imam “
Query:
With reference to your above quote, when Hazar Imam sends Taliqa Mubarak or any communication, at the end he writes " Yours affectionately Aga Khan " and not " Yours affectionately Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam".
-
swamidada_2
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:18 pm
Re: Noor, Allah, Prophets & Imams - an elucidation
mahebubchatur wrote:
Imams mandate & Authority is divinely ordained and comes from Allah.
Imams mandate & Authority is divinely ordained and comes from Allah.
I agree with your above statement.
Re: Noor, Allah, Prophets & Imams - an elucidation
He does not write, he signs Aga Khan. This is his official and legal signature which he uses to sign all documents whether they are related to community or not. It would not be appropriate to call himself Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam when dealing with non communal matters.swamidada wrote: With reference to your above quote, when Hazar Imam sends Taliqa Mubarak or any communication, at the end he writes " Yours affectionately Aga Khan " and not " Yours affectionately Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam".
All postings of Songs, Videos, Youtube, Jollygul etc.. on the topic have been move to the following link so we can keep this present thread for discussion on the topic.
For Songs and Videos on Noor of Allah, please post here:
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... pic&t=9382
For Songs and Videos on Noor of Allah, please post here:
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... pic&t=9382