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Battle Of Jamal
"A'isha had long hated Ali, and wished that, when the aged Uthman died, her own kinsman, Zubayr, should become caliph. When Uthman was assassinated, she was not in Medina, having gone to Mecca a few weeks previously to perform the pilgrimage. The news of Uthman's murder reached her when she was on the way back. She returned immediately to Mecca and incited the citizens against Ali. The fiery address set a match to the smouldering fire of discontent. The first to respond to A'isha's call was Abdullah bin Amur, the Uthmanid governor of Mecca. Those Umayyads who had fled from Medina after the ghastly murder of Uthman now also joined A'isha, and when Talha and Zubayr came over to A'isha, many more of the Qoraish clamoured to join in the rebellion. A'isha started march on Basra. Throwing off the veil ordained, A'isha now took command of the army. The money to equip it came from Yamen treasury, brought to Mecca by the governor whom Ali had deposed. It is however clear from the sources that in the battle between Ali and A'isha, the triumvirate was fighting for personal reason rather than for the blood of Uthman, which was a timely and convenient pretext for them.
Charity
Charity, in the sense of giving away one's wealth, is of two kinds: voluntary and obligatory. Voluntary charity is mentioned in the Koran as itfaq (spending benevolently), ihsan (the doing of good) and sadaqa (derived from sidq, meaning truth, and comes to signify a charitable deed). The very words used to denote charitable deeds are an indication of the broadness of its conception. The Koran not only lays stress on such great deeds of charity as the emancipation of slaves (90:13, 2:177), the feeding of the poor (69:34, 90:11-16, 107:1-3), taking care of orphans (17:34, 76:8, 89:17, 90:15, 93:9, 107:2) and doing good to humanity in general, but it gives equal emphasis to smaller acts of benevolence. It is for this reason that the withholding of ma'un (107:7), which specially indicates small act of charity is stated to be against the spirit of prayer. And in similar strain, the speaking of a kind word to parents is referred to as ihsan in 17:23, and generally the use of kind words is recommended as in itself a charitable deed in 2:83, 4 and other places.
Christmas Gift Giving
People who are well-off generally buy gifts for family & friends but the holiday is not as commercial as it is American & European countries, because main emphasis is more on the religious part of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ than gift giving. Usually & most importantly, Christians buy a new set of clothes to be worn to the church service. Majority of African Christians are too poor to be able to afford presents for their children & there aren't too many toy stores in rural Africa to shop at anyway. If gifts have to be exchanged in poorer communities they usually come in the form of school books, soap, cloth, candles and other practical goods.
Christmas in America
In an English tradition that survived in some parts of North America, Christmas revelers would dress in costume and progress from door to door to receive gifts of food and drink. Most holiday gifts were limited to small amounts of money and modest presents passed from the wealthy to the poor and from masters to their servants. Families almost never exchanged Christmas gifts among themselves.
Dewan Eboo Pirbhai
Period: (1905-1990)
Dewan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, the first Chairman of the Leaders' International Forum, was born at Bombay on May 27, 1905. His father, Pirbhai Gangji belonged to a noble family.
He came in Nairobi in 1910 with his family, where he took his early education at the Duke of Gloucester School. Without much formal education, he became a taxi owner-driver in 1926.
Dewan Eboo Pirbhai
Period: (1905-1990)
Dewan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, the first Chairman of the Leaders' International Forum, was born at Bombay on May 27, 1905. His father, Pirbhai Gangji belonged to a noble family.
He came in Nairobi in 1910 with his family, where he took his early education at the Duke of Gloucester School. Without much formal education, he became a taxi owner-driver in 1926.
Dewan Eboo Pirbhai
Period: (1905-1990)
Dewan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, the first Chairman of the Leaders' International Forum, was born at Bombay on May 27, 1905. His father, Pirbhai Gangji belonged to a noble family.
He came in Nairobi in 1910 with his family, where he took his early education at the Duke of Gloucester School. Without much formal education, he became a taxi owner-driver in 1926.
Dewan Eboo Pirbhai
Period: (1905-1990)
Dewan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, the first Chairman of the Leaders' International Forum, was born at Bombay on May 27, 1905. His father, Pirbhai Gangji belonged to a noble family.
He came in Nairobi in 1910 with his family, where he took his early education at the Duke of Gloucester School. Without much formal education, he became a taxi owner-driver in 1926.
Dewan Ghulam Hussain Mohammad Jindani
Naser was from Jamnagar, Kutchh and he came from a noble family. He migrated towards Zanzibar in 1851 to find a better life for his family. He had only a son, called Mohammad, who was born in Zanzibar in 1864. Mohammad Naser served the jamat devotedly in different fields. He was also noted for his generosity. When the first Ismaili Council established in 1905 at Nairobi with Varas Mohammad Rehmatullah Hemani as its President, Mohammad Naser was also appointed as one of its founder members (1905-1914).
On January 15, 1912, the Imam sent him a letter from Karachi and appointed him as his Estate Manager to take care of the Imam’s estates in Zanzibar in place of Varas Saleh. He took over its charges also from Kamadia Pradhan.
Diamond Jubilee of Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan
In a message to “Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Year Book,” the Imam said, “The Ismailia history has passed through several stages of development. My Diamond Jubilee marks such a stage in the present times. With it a phase of consolidation and cooperation has been achieved among my spiritual children in various countries, and now lies ahead a period of goodwill and expansion.
Fidai Khorasani
Period: (1850-1925)
Muhammad bin Zain al-Abidin bin Karbalai Daud Khorasani, was also known as Fidai Khorasani and Haji Akhund in Iran. He was born in 1850 in Dizbad, a village located in the mountains between Mashhad and Nishapur. He traced his descent from Khaki Khorasani (d. 1646), the famous Ismaili poet. Fidai Khorasani took his formal education in Dizbad and studied in Bakiriya Madrasa in Mashhad. He was knowledgeable in religion since childhood and explored rare historical documents on Ismailism.
Focus Humanitarian Assistance
FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance is an international group of agencies established to compliment and facilitate the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance in specific regions of Africa and Asia. This global institution with an international mandate, seeks to enable the local jamats to prepare for hazards, respond to crisis situations, and where possible, to avert disaster or minimize its impact. FOCUS meets its challenging and growing mandate through the dedication, energy and intellect of hundreds of volunteers and professionals who form the backbone of FOCUS.
Golden Jubilee Of H.H. Prince Karim Aga Khan
The 11th July, 2007 is going to mark historically an inauguration of the Golden Jubilee of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the 49th Hazar Imam. This is the glorious historical era when the Ismailis are scattered all over the world, not confined to East Africa and British India. The splendor, magnificence and the fidelity with which the Ismaili world celebrates the Golden Jubilee of their beloved 49th Hazar Imam is unparallel.
Golden Jubilee Of Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan
Bombay was the venue for the celebrations in India. Huge crowd in festive and solemn mood had gathered at Hasanabad to attend the unique occasion on January 19, 1936. When the Imam and Begum arrived at 10.35 a.m. to receive one of the most spectacular ovations from a crowd of over 40,000 Ismailis, every inch of space in the Hasanabad ground was taken up. The Imam took his seat on the gadi embroidered in gold with the coat of arms of his family. To his right sat his mother, Lady Aly Shah, and to his left sat the Begum. The Imam was dressed in a purple robe with a great turban, with all the decorations and insignia glittering on his breast.
Huzur Varas Ghulam Ali Allana
Period: (1906-1985)
Ghulam Ali Allana traced his descent from a certain Haji, and whose son, Vali was a small merchant in Lahari Bandar, Sind. When the port of Lahari Bandar dried up, Vali came in Jerruk, where he lived with his son Saleh. The son of Saleh was Aloo, whose business expanded as far as Bhuj, Kutchh. Natho, the son of Aloo lived for some time in Bhuj, Kutchh and then settled down in Mulla Katiar, Sind. Natho’s son was Khalfan, who migrated towards Karachi with his wife, called Lakhanni. Khalfan was the care-taker (jamatbhai) in the Kharadhar Jamatkhana. He had four sons, Allana, Pesan, Ghulam Hussain and Mohammad; and four daughters, Fatima, Khatija, Zainab and Mianbai. Allana joined a Jewish firm in Karachi to repair the watches. In 1882, Allana started his own small shop of repairing and selling the watches, and ultimately he was destined to become a leading dealer of watches. Allana was a thrice-married man. He had two sons, Hussain and Fijey from his first wife. He had no child from his second wife. His third wife was Sharafi, the daughter of Mukhi Hashu, and the mother of Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana.
Ismailis in Syria
"Syria is an original homeland of the Ismailis. It is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean sea. Iraq bound it on the east on the north by Turkey, on the west by Lebanon and the Mediterranean sea and on the south by Jordan and Israel. The Ismailis mostly flourished in Salamia, where Imam Ismail resided secretly till death in 158/775. Imam Muhammad bin Ismail also came to live in Salamia, where he died in 197/813. The Abbasids intensified operations in search of the Imam, thus Imam Wafi Ahmad went to Syria and lived in the castle of Masiyaf for some time. The Ismaili da'is in search of a new residence for their Imam came to Salamia and inspected the town and approached the owner, Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Saleh, who had transformed the town into a flourishing commercial centre. Soon afterwards, Salamia became the headquarters of Ismaili dawat. Imam Wafi Ahmad retired into solitude and died in Salamia in 212/828. Imam Taqi Muhammad is reported to have died in 225/840 in Salamia after bequeathing the office of Imamate to his son, Imam Radi Abdullah. Imam al-Mahdi lived in Salamia in a thick of insecure milieu in the cloak of a merchant and relinquished it in 286/899.
Ismailis in United States of America, and United Kingdom
The Ismailis of Malaysia emigrated from India in 1920 under the guidance of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah and were settled in Federation of Malaya and State of Singapore, the country now is known as Malaysia. The Ismailis in Malaysia have good and cordial relations with other communities like the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians and the Europeans. There are about 500 Ismailis spread over in cities and towns like Singapore, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Seramban, Kotra Bahru and Kuala Trenganu. The Ismailis are in business doing cutlery, hosiery, toys, stationary, ready-made garments, importers and exporters, etc. In sum, 90% of Ismailis are businessmen and 10% are employed. Nearly half of them have their own houses and buildings.
Ismailis in Yamen
Imam Radi Abdullah had dispatched his da'is in all directions, the most acclaimed among them was Ibn Hawshab. When the Imam found that Ibn Hawshab was groomed enough for the responsibility of its promulgation, he jointly entrusted him and his colleague, Ibn Fazal, with the task of Ismaili mission in Yamen. They conquered Sana'a, the capital of Yamen, and exiled the ruling tribe of Banu Laydir, and established Ismaili authority in Yamen. The Ismaili mission reached the apex of its influence in Yamen, from where Ibn Hawshab dispatched many da'is to the farthest corners. Thus, Yamen became a vital zone and an important hub of Ismaili dawa.
Isqat
"The word isqat means abortion. Classical Muslim jurists applied a number of terms to abortion, including isqat, ijhadIt, tarh, ilqa and imlas. The Koran does not make reference to abortion as the term is commonly understood, although it upholds the sanctity of human life in general (5:32) and forbid the killing of children (17:31) and female infants (81:18-9) in particular.
Isqat
"The word isqat means abortion. Classical Muslim jurists applied a number of terms to abortion, including isqat, ijhadIt, tarh, ilqa and imlas. The Koran does not make reference to abortion as the term is commonly understood, although it upholds the sanctity of human life in general (5:32) and forbid the killing of children (17:31) and female infants (81:18-9) in particular.
Istakhbara
The verb istakhbara is used forty times in the Koran and its participle, mustakbir, six times. Pride (takabbur) is very often denounced by the Koran as a sin, because of its similarity to a form of partnership with God. Pride is the sin of all those who refuse to surrender to God. It was also Satan's first sin (2:34, 38:73-4). Pride is also the sin of those who did not listen to the Prophets' message, and this was the case of Noah's folk: "And they magnified themselves in pride" (71:7); of Saleh's people: "The leaders of those who were arrogant among his people"
It Is Through Your Light That It Has Come To Be So
In Egypt, the festival of Navroz was celebrated with great pomp. It must be known that Egypt under the Fatimid remained largely a Sunni country and Ismailism won only a limited following among the population. Cairo alone housed a large Sunni population. When Imam al-Muizz found that the general Muslims took less interest publicly in the festival, he prohibited public festivities on Navroz in 363/974. Thus, the celebration first moved to the streets of Cairo, to the Azhar, and, finally, to the palace itself. These changes show in part how a popular celebration moved progressively close to the Ismaili centre of Cairo and ultimately was assimilated into the ceremonial of the court. The general population probably did not desist from its customary practices on the festival, but the ceremony that took place at court was stripped of all popular elements.
Jafar Bin Mansur Al-Yamen
"Jafar bin Mansur, the son of Ibn Hawshab was greatly distressed by the internal quarrels in which his brother, Abul Hasan Mansur played a conspiracy in killing Abdullah bin Abbas al-Shawiri in Yamen. Jafar bin Mansur was deadly against his brother and went to Maghrib at the Fatimid court. He reached Maghrib when Imam al-Mahdi had died in 322/934. He was however well received by Imam al-Qaim and his services were amply rewarded and was given the charge of mission. He was held in great esteem for his learning and ability. He also served whole heartedly to Imam al-Mansur and Imam al-Muizz.
Jahannam (Hell)
The word jahannam is derived from jihinnam means a deep pit, and as it is said in Arabic: bir'un jahannam'un means a well whose depth is very great. The word jahannam occurs 77 times in the Koran. Another name for hell, which bears a similar significance, but occurs only once in the Koran, is hawiya (101:9) means an abyss or a pit having no bottom, the root being hawa which means falling down to a depth from a highest and hence according to Raghib, it refers to low desires. Four names of hell are taken from the analogy of fire, viz. jahim, derived from jahm signifying the burning or blazing of fire, but this word is applied to the fury of war as well as of fire, while tajahhama, another measure from the same root means he burned with vehemence of desire or covetousness and niggardliness also he became strained in disposition, occurring 23 times in the Koran. Sa'ir is derived from sa'r means the kindling of fire, and it is metaphorically applied to the raging of war or outbreak of disease, occurring 8 times in the Koran. Su'ur is used in the sense of distress (54:24). Saqar is derived from saqara, means the heat of the sun scorched a man, occurring 4 times in the Koran. Laza means flame, and in one form talazza is metaphorically used for burning with anger, occurring only once in the Koran (92:14). Hutama is derived from hutam means the crushing or grinding of everything to powder or the breaking of a thing, also rendering infirm or weak with age, while hutama means a vehement fire, occurring twice in the same context (104:4-5). The most common description, al-nar (fire) occurs 125 times in the Koran. Besides, hell has lahab means flames (77:31), and it punishes by combustion, aza'b al-hariq (3:181). The nar hamiya (101:11) means a raging fire.
Jamatkhana
The word jamatkhana means communal house or communal gathering place. The Persian word khana means house or place, such as khana'i chaslm (the socket of the eyes), khana'i zumbur (a bee-hive) or khana'i murgh (a bird's nest). The Jamatkhana is a concrete expression of the response to the beliefs that are an integral part of Ismailism. It represents the physical space in which the community gathers together in a shared process of communication. The thrust of this shared communication is undertaken through collective participation. The Jamatkhana provides the community with a physical frame within which to express and uphold fundamental beliefs. In addition, the Jamatkhana is most importantly a place for congregational worship as well as a center of learning, how to lead a life of chastity, contentment, tolerance, fraternity and balance. In many parts of the world it is also called khana-i khuda or khana-i jamat. In Iran, it is called khanaqah panjtani or panjtan-gah, and simply the masjid in Syria.
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