Its the story of Krishna and Arjun. Once they saw a bird far away. Krishna said Arjun I think its Garoor [name of a giant bird of that time]. Arjun said yes it is Garoor. After some time Krishna said No, I think it is Pea cock. Arjun said yes its peacock. Than after few minutes Krishna said It is crow. Arjun said yes its crow. Krishna said to Arjun what you are saying first I said its Garoor you said it is than I said its peacockyou said it is peacock and now I said it is crow and you are saying yes it is crow.
Arjun replied I believe in whatever you say. You said it is Garoor I believe it and it was Garoor because you said it than you said it peacock and crow than it had become peacock and crow because you said so and you know every thing. Thats trur imaan
Imam Sutan Mohammad Shah said You must not argue as to why such a type of Farman is made.If I say it a day then it is aday and If I say it a night then it is a night.You should act according to Imam's intelligence.Only those who live according to My Farmans are my true momins.
Farman Bardari
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star_munir
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 12:55 am
- Contact:
The Sacred Blasphemy
To add a different spin on this subject and to illustrate the richness and strength of pluralism, the following is a poem by Mowlana Rumi. It is taken from "RUMI, In the arms of the Beloved" by Jonathan Starr. It is titled, 'The Sacred Blasphemy'.
Be off and know
That the way of lovers is opposite all other ways
Lies from the Friend
Are better than truth and kindness from others.
Be off and know
That the way of lovers is opposite all other ways
Lies from the Friend
Are better than truth and kindness from others.
A sacred Blasphemy - Complete
After further reflection, I felt the whole poem was relevant in understanding different dimensions of FARMAN BARDARI. I will therefore post the whole poem as under.
A SACRED BLASPHEMY
Be off and know
That the way of lovers is opposite all other ways.
Lies from the Friend
Are better than truth and kindness from others.
For Him
The impossible is commonplace,
Punishment is reward,
Tyranny is justice,
Slander is the highest praise.
His harshness is soft,
His blasphemy is sacred.
The blood that drips from the Beloved's thorn
is sweeter than roses and basil.
When He's bitter
it's better than a candy-shop.
When He turns his head away
it's all hugs and kisses.
When He says, "By God, I've had enough of you!"
it's like an eternal spring
flowing from the fountain of life.
A "No" from his lips is a thousand times "Yes."
On this selfless path
He acts like a stranger
yet He's your dearest friend.
His infidelity is faith,
His stones are jewels,
His holding back is giving,
His ruthlessness is mercy.
You may laugh at me and say,
"The path you're on is full of curves!"
Yes- for the curve of His eyebrow
I have traded in my soul!
This curvy path has gotten me drunk,
I cannot say another word!
Carry on, my glorious heart,
finish the poem in silence....
O Shams, Lord of Tabriz,
What sweetness you pour upon me-
All I need do is open my mouth
and all songs flow out.
A SACRED BLASPHEMY
Be off and know
That the way of lovers is opposite all other ways.
Lies from the Friend
Are better than truth and kindness from others.
For Him
The impossible is commonplace,
Punishment is reward,
Tyranny is justice,
Slander is the highest praise.
His harshness is soft,
His blasphemy is sacred.
The blood that drips from the Beloved's thorn
is sweeter than roses and basil.
When He's bitter
it's better than a candy-shop.
When He turns his head away
it's all hugs and kisses.
When He says, "By God, I've had enough of you!"
it's like an eternal spring
flowing from the fountain of life.
A "No" from his lips is a thousand times "Yes."
On this selfless path
He acts like a stranger
yet He's your dearest friend.
His infidelity is faith,
His stones are jewels,
His holding back is giving,
His ruthlessness is mercy.
You may laugh at me and say,
"The path you're on is full of curves!"
Yes- for the curve of His eyebrow
I have traded in my soul!
This curvy path has gotten me drunk,
I cannot say another word!
Carry on, my glorious heart,
finish the poem in silence....
O Shams, Lord of Tabriz,
What sweetness you pour upon me-
All I need do is open my mouth
and all songs flow out.
-
Guest
-
star_munir
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 12:55 am
- Contact:
We must follow the farmans because Imam Knows every thing. [hope tariqa board will understand it one day and will stop censoring and changings in Farman which is bolta Quran ----Quran word of God]
During First world war Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was coming to India in warship along with Lord Kitchener. The name of warship was HMS DELHI . Lord Kitchener was friend of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah and was going to India for the inspection of Indian army.
When ship reached Malta Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said him that I am not feeling well I want to stay here. You also not go there. We will go in another ship. He refused it and said Your Highness its the time of war and I am war minister I can not stay. Imam said him to not to go but he said no I have to go. Imam told him many times to stay there.He said I am leaving my daughter with you but sorry its very important for me to go over there. He went and within six to seven hours the ship drowned and he was died. Imam knew that before thats why He wan not letting him go.
When Imam went Karachi, there were some bohris who thought that they will become ismailis. Bohris believe in Imam Ismail but they do not believe Imam Nizar. Imam reached Karachi in early morning and it was very cold.Daughter of Lord Kitchener was with Imam who was 17 or 18 years old.It was 5:00 am and she was feeling cold.Imam made her wear coat by His own Hands. When bohris saw that they thought that he is not imam and went away. Every one can not understand ismailism and concept of Imamat and what Imam is we. We are lucky that we are born as ismaili so we must try to follow Farmans.
During First world war Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was coming to India in warship along with Lord Kitchener. The name of warship was HMS DELHI . Lord Kitchener was friend of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah and was going to India for the inspection of Indian army.
When ship reached Malta Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said him that I am not feeling well I want to stay here. You also not go there. We will go in another ship. He refused it and said Your Highness its the time of war and I am war minister I can not stay. Imam said him to not to go but he said no I have to go. Imam told him many times to stay there.He said I am leaving my daughter with you but sorry its very important for me to go over there. He went and within six to seven hours the ship drowned and he was died. Imam knew that before thats why He wan not letting him go.
When Imam went Karachi, there were some bohris who thought that they will become ismailis. Bohris believe in Imam Ismail but they do not believe Imam Nizar. Imam reached Karachi in early morning and it was very cold.Daughter of Lord Kitchener was with Imam who was 17 or 18 years old.It was 5:00 am and she was feeling cold.Imam made her wear coat by His own Hands. When bohris saw that they thought that he is not imam and went away. Every one can not understand ismailism and concept of Imamat and what Imam is we. We are lucky that we are born as ismaili so we must try to follow Farmans.
Pir Sabzali: “Hearing the farman, their eyes brimmed over with tears of joy”
Posted by Nimira Dewji
The Nizari Ismailis of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Northern Areas of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang province of China, and northeastern parts of Iran) living amidst the prohibitive Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Karakorum mountain ranges, have been historically isolated from other Ismaili communities. They were further isolated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by political powers. These communities, who were deprived of contact with the Imam of the time and his representatives, developed independently under the leadership of mirs and khalifas, based on the teachings of Nasir-i Khusraw, who is regarded as “the founder of the intellectual and spiritual tradition in Central Asia (Daftary, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 47).
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah’s last contact with communities of Central Asia was in 1923 through a dignitary named Sabz Ali (Sabzali) (d. 1938).
Pir-Sabzali
Sabzali Ramzanali was born in 1884 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. His father passed away when he was a teenager. Worried about his rebellious behaviour, his mother sent him to apprentice with his uncle, a businessman in Gwadar, Baluchistan. Sabzali began to acquire an interest in learning about the Ismaili tariqah, subsequently becoming a gifted orator in the community. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah sent him to the newly settled communities of Africa to promote the development of jamatkhanas and other institutions.
In 1923, Imam sent Sabzali on a difficult mission to the mountainous regions of Badakshan, Hunza, and Sinkiang (Xinjiang) region of western China in order to contact the isolated Ismaili communities. In some regions, the Ismailis “referred to themselves as Mawla’is because they were followers of the Ismaili Imam addressed by them as Mawla” (Daftary, A Short History of the Ismailis p 205).
Sabzali died in 1938. In recognition of his devoted services, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah endowed him posthumously with the title of pir.
Hunza mirs central asia sabzali
View of Hunza valley from the 700-year-old Baltit Fort,the seat of the Mirs. Source: The Ismailis An Illustrated History
Pir Sabzali kept a diary in Gujarati of his challenging journey, titled Madhya Eshiya ni rasik Vigato, first published in a series in The Ismaili from 1924 to 1926. He “relates his thoughts about the mission ahead and his complete trust in and reliance on the [Imam]. In Episode 23, Sabzali encounters large numbers of Mawlais, Central Asian Ismailis, in the mountains of Badakhshan. He marvels at their dedication in the harshest of circumstances, revels in their all-night spiritual assembly and fervent recitation of the poetry of Nasir-i Khusraw, comments on their eagerness to hear the farmans… of their imam, and expresses his admiration at the devotion of even their youngest children (An Anthology of Ismaili Literature p 77).
Badakshan Sabzali
The mountains of Afghan Badakhshan. Source: The Ismailis An Illustrated History
Pir Sabzali narrates:
“At around 7:00 in the evening, we arrived at a place called Reshun. Mawlais had gathered here in large numbers. After a full day of travel, we were completely exhausted, but our fatigue dissipated as soon as we saw the joyous faces of the Mawlais. Elaborate arrangements for our accommodation had been made at the residence of Bahadur Fidaī Jamadar Shermuhammad. At each station, the affection and hospitality displayed by the Mawlaīs was ever more praiseworthy. Their hearts were overflowing with the purest love. We spent the entire night in a majlis, a spiritual assembly. Enraptured, those devotees sweetly sang odes to the illustrious missionary, Naṣir-i Khusraw, and recited his poetry. They were ever-ready to sacrifice their lives and possessions for Mawlana Hazar Imam’s [Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah] farman.
In those regions, they are severely persecuted for their devotion to Mawlana Hazar Imam, and for honouring the missionary, Nasir-i Khusraw. If they praise him openly, they have to endure all manner of oppression. However, they care not a whit for this and live their lives openly as true devotees. Words fail me in praising how the night was imbued with splendour by the majlis.
At the break of dawn, hundreds of women and children had gathered and were sitting with great anticipation so that they could hear the farman of Mawlana Hazar Imam. As soon as the reading commenced, all listened attentively with immense respect and decorum. Hearing the farman, their eyes brimmed over with tears of joy. How fortunate they were today! Among them were those who were saying, ‘Our ancestors yearned longingly their entire lives to hear these very words of blessing, but never had that chance. Today, our Mawla has sent those blessings right to our threshold. Can there be any day more joyous than this?’
Extracts from “Pir Sabzali,” An Anthology of Ismaili Literature p 144
Sources:
“Pir Sabzali,” Translated by Nizarali J. Virani and Shafique N. Virani, An Anthology of Ismaili Literature Edited by Hermann Landolt, Samira Sheikh and Kutub Kassam, I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, 2008
“Pir Sabzali,” Muslim Devotional Literature, Secondary Curriculum, The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Farhad Daftary, A Short History of the Ismailis, Edinburgh University Press, 1998
Farhad Daftary, A Modern History of the Ismailis, I.B Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, 2011
Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2007
https://nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/ ... rs-of-joy/
Posted by Nimira Dewji
The Nizari Ismailis of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Northern Areas of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang province of China, and northeastern parts of Iran) living amidst the prohibitive Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Karakorum mountain ranges, have been historically isolated from other Ismaili communities. They were further isolated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by political powers. These communities, who were deprived of contact with the Imam of the time and his representatives, developed independently under the leadership of mirs and khalifas, based on the teachings of Nasir-i Khusraw, who is regarded as “the founder of the intellectual and spiritual tradition in Central Asia (Daftary, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 47).
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah’s last contact with communities of Central Asia was in 1923 through a dignitary named Sabz Ali (Sabzali) (d. 1938).
Pir-Sabzali
Sabzali Ramzanali was born in 1884 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. His father passed away when he was a teenager. Worried about his rebellious behaviour, his mother sent him to apprentice with his uncle, a businessman in Gwadar, Baluchistan. Sabzali began to acquire an interest in learning about the Ismaili tariqah, subsequently becoming a gifted orator in the community. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah sent him to the newly settled communities of Africa to promote the development of jamatkhanas and other institutions.
In 1923, Imam sent Sabzali on a difficult mission to the mountainous regions of Badakshan, Hunza, and Sinkiang (Xinjiang) region of western China in order to contact the isolated Ismaili communities. In some regions, the Ismailis “referred to themselves as Mawla’is because they were followers of the Ismaili Imam addressed by them as Mawla” (Daftary, A Short History of the Ismailis p 205).
Sabzali died in 1938. In recognition of his devoted services, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah endowed him posthumously with the title of pir.
Hunza mirs central asia sabzali
View of Hunza valley from the 700-year-old Baltit Fort,the seat of the Mirs. Source: The Ismailis An Illustrated History
Pir Sabzali kept a diary in Gujarati of his challenging journey, titled Madhya Eshiya ni rasik Vigato, first published in a series in The Ismaili from 1924 to 1926. He “relates his thoughts about the mission ahead and his complete trust in and reliance on the [Imam]. In Episode 23, Sabzali encounters large numbers of Mawlais, Central Asian Ismailis, in the mountains of Badakhshan. He marvels at their dedication in the harshest of circumstances, revels in their all-night spiritual assembly and fervent recitation of the poetry of Nasir-i Khusraw, comments on their eagerness to hear the farmans… of their imam, and expresses his admiration at the devotion of even their youngest children (An Anthology of Ismaili Literature p 77).
Badakshan Sabzali
The mountains of Afghan Badakhshan. Source: The Ismailis An Illustrated History
Pir Sabzali narrates:
“At around 7:00 in the evening, we arrived at a place called Reshun. Mawlais had gathered here in large numbers. After a full day of travel, we were completely exhausted, but our fatigue dissipated as soon as we saw the joyous faces of the Mawlais. Elaborate arrangements for our accommodation had been made at the residence of Bahadur Fidaī Jamadar Shermuhammad. At each station, the affection and hospitality displayed by the Mawlaīs was ever more praiseworthy. Their hearts were overflowing with the purest love. We spent the entire night in a majlis, a spiritual assembly. Enraptured, those devotees sweetly sang odes to the illustrious missionary, Naṣir-i Khusraw, and recited his poetry. They were ever-ready to sacrifice their lives and possessions for Mawlana Hazar Imam’s [Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah] farman.
In those regions, they are severely persecuted for their devotion to Mawlana Hazar Imam, and for honouring the missionary, Nasir-i Khusraw. If they praise him openly, they have to endure all manner of oppression. However, they care not a whit for this and live their lives openly as true devotees. Words fail me in praising how the night was imbued with splendour by the majlis.
At the break of dawn, hundreds of women and children had gathered and were sitting with great anticipation so that they could hear the farman of Mawlana Hazar Imam. As soon as the reading commenced, all listened attentively with immense respect and decorum. Hearing the farman, their eyes brimmed over with tears of joy. How fortunate they were today! Among them were those who were saying, ‘Our ancestors yearned longingly their entire lives to hear these very words of blessing, but never had that chance. Today, our Mawla has sent those blessings right to our threshold. Can there be any day more joyous than this?’
Extracts from “Pir Sabzali,” An Anthology of Ismaili Literature p 144
Sources:
“Pir Sabzali,” Translated by Nizarali J. Virani and Shafique N. Virani, An Anthology of Ismaili Literature Edited by Hermann Landolt, Samira Sheikh and Kutub Kassam, I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, 2008
“Pir Sabzali,” Muslim Devotional Literature, Secondary Curriculum, The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Farhad Daftary, A Short History of the Ismailis, Edinburgh University Press, 1998
Farhad Daftary, A Modern History of the Ismailis, I.B Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, 2011
Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2007
https://nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/ ... rs-of-joy/
COMPLETE SURRENDER
> What is Sharanagati???
>
> Everyday Krishna would visit the garden and say to all the
> plants, “I love you”.
>
> The plants were very happy and responded saying “Krishna, we love You too”.
>
> One day Krishna rushed quickly into the garden very
> alarmed.
>
> He went to the bamboo plant and the bamboo plant asked,
> “Krishna, what´s wrong?”
>
> Krishna said “I have something to ask you, but it is very difficult”.
>
> The bamboo said “Tell me: if I can, I will give it to you”.
>
> So Krishna said “I need your life. I need to cut you”.
>
> The bamboo thought for a while and then said “You don´t have any other choice. You don’t have any other way?”
>
> Krishna said, “No, no other way”.
>
> And it said “OK” and gave himself up.
>
> So Krishna cut the bamboo and made holes in it, and each
> time, he carved the holes, the bamboo was crying in pain ...
>
> Krishna made a beautiful flute out of it n this flute was with
> him all the time.
>
> 24 hours a day, it was with Krishna. Even the Gopis were
> jealous of the flute.
>
> They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, but yet we get to
> spend only some time with him.
>
> He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you
> are with him”.
>
> Gopis asked the bamboo, “Tell us your secret. What secret
> do you have, that the Lord treasures you so much ?”
>
> And the bamboo said “The secret is that, i gave myself up,
> and he did whatever was right for me, in the process i had
> to undergo a lot of pain.
>
> And the Lord does whatever he wants with me, whenever he wants with me and however he wants with me. I have just
> become His instrument”.
>
> So this is complete surrender: where God can do whatever
> He wants with you, whenever He wants, as He wants.
>
> *Trust Him completely and have faith in Him and Always Know.. that you are in His Hands ... What can go wrong ??*
>
> *This is Sharanagathi*
>
>
>
> Everyday Krishna would visit the garden and say to all the
> plants, “I love you”.
>
> The plants were very happy and responded saying “Krishna, we love You too”.
>
> One day Krishna rushed quickly into the garden very
> alarmed.
>
> He went to the bamboo plant and the bamboo plant asked,
> “Krishna, what´s wrong?”
>
> Krishna said “I have something to ask you, but it is very difficult”.
>
> The bamboo said “Tell me: if I can, I will give it to you”.
>
> So Krishna said “I need your life. I need to cut you”.
>
> The bamboo thought for a while and then said “You don´t have any other choice. You don’t have any other way?”
>
> Krishna said, “No, no other way”.
>
> And it said “OK” and gave himself up.
>
> So Krishna cut the bamboo and made holes in it, and each
> time, he carved the holes, the bamboo was crying in pain ...
>
> Krishna made a beautiful flute out of it n this flute was with
> him all the time.
>
> 24 hours a day, it was with Krishna. Even the Gopis were
> jealous of the flute.
>
> They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, but yet we get to
> spend only some time with him.
>
> He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you
> are with him”.
>
> Gopis asked the bamboo, “Tell us your secret. What secret
> do you have, that the Lord treasures you so much ?”
>
> And the bamboo said “The secret is that, i gave myself up,
> and he did whatever was right for me, in the process i had
> to undergo a lot of pain.
>
> And the Lord does whatever he wants with me, whenever he wants with me and however he wants with me. I have just
> become His instrument”.
>
> So this is complete surrender: where God can do whatever
> He wants with you, whenever He wants, as He wants.
>
> *Trust Him completely and have faith in Him and Always Know.. that you are in His Hands ... What can go wrong ??*
>
> *This is Sharanagathi*
>
>
Consequences of Nafarmani - Anecdote
Below is the anecdote from Mumtaz Tajdin's 225anecdotes https://ismaili.net/source/books/225anecdotes.pdf . It highlights the consequences of Nafarmani (disobedience of Imam's farman)
(19) In 1910, Varas Rehmatullah Alibhai arranged Imam’s visit in Dholera, India. At that moment Varas Rehmatullah put a mehmani for the eternal peace of his family’s souls. The Imam said, “Today, your seven generations have gone to paradise.” The Imam also asked about his business, to which he said that he was doing cotton business. The Imam said, “You wind up your cotton business from today.” He said, “Ameen Khudavind.” Varas Rehmatullah came to his office and told his manager that he had resolved to close his business. The manager put many arguments and forced him to continue it at least till the current season. Varas Rehmatullah agreed with him. Consequently, he lost nine lac of rupees in his cotton business and became debtor of nine lac rupees because of not obeying Imam’s guidance, “you wind up your cotton business from today.”
(19) In 1910, Varas Rehmatullah Alibhai arranged Imam’s visit in Dholera, India. At that moment Varas Rehmatullah put a mehmani for the eternal peace of his family’s souls. The Imam said, “Today, your seven generations have gone to paradise.” The Imam also asked about his business, to which he said that he was doing cotton business. The Imam said, “You wind up your cotton business from today.” He said, “Ameen Khudavind.” Varas Rehmatullah came to his office and told his manager that he had resolved to close his business. The manager put many arguments and forced him to continue it at least till the current season. Varas Rehmatullah agreed with him. Consequently, he lost nine lac of rupees in his cotton business and became debtor of nine lac rupees because of not obeying Imam’s guidance, “you wind up your cotton business from today.”