.

Dr. D.S. Merchant's Articles in Religion

Show All|Display Category|Title|Newest|Oldest
  • Ismailis in Central Asia
    The term "Central Asia" will include here the mountainous regions of China, Soviet Union, including Hindukush, Pamir, Yarkand, Wakhan, Oxus, Shagnan, Gilgit, Hunza and Chitral.

    During the period of Imam al-Mustansir billah, Nasir Khusaro was designated as a hujjat of Khorasan and Badakhshan. He came from Khorasan and launched mass conversion in Central Asia. When public pressure against him escalated, he found refuge in Yamghan, in the court of Ali bin al-Asad, an intellectual Ismaili prince in the mountainous region of Badakhshan. Thus Yamghan became synonymous with prison, where he died.
  • Wazir Ghulam Hussain S.Thavar
    Period: (1907-1963)

    Thavar Pir Muhammad hailed from Dhoraji. It is said that he left Dhoraji in 1890 with his sons, Shakur Thavar and Hashim Thavar and arrived in Deccan, Hyderabad. He again moved towards Bijapur, where he opened his small grocery shop. His sons were traders of cutlery items and bones. Soon afterwards, Thavar Pir Muhammad ventured into the business of leather. His elder son, Shakur who was born in 1880 had established the Sholapur Tenneries at very young age in Sholapur and became a pioneer merchant of leather. Shakur Thavar died on June 4, 1952 at the age of 72 years.
  • Ismailis In Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent
    "In 270/884, Ibn Hawshab had sent al-Haytham from Yamen to Sind for Ismaili propaganda. He originated there the Ismaili mission that remained continued considerably under the charge of different da'is. Another da'i called Jaylam bin Shayban was recommended by Imam al-Muizz to the headquarters of Yamen. He captured Multan after overthrowing the ruling dynasty, and finally founded a Fatimid vassal state in Upper Indus Valley in 349/960. The Fatimid foothold in Multan therefore seems to have existed between 340/951 and 358/968. Jaylam bin Shayban started the new coinage in the State of Multan, known as Qahirya minted in Egypt in the name of the Fatimids. He died probably in 376/986.
  • Wazir Ghulam Hussain S.Thavar
    Period: (1907-1963)

    Thavar Pir Muhammad hailed from Dhoraji. It is said that he left Dhoraji in 1890 with his sons, Shakur Thavar and Hashim Thavar and arrived in Deccan, Hyderabad. He again moved towards Bijapur, where he opened his small grocery shop. His sons were traders of cutlery items and bones. Soon afterwards, Thavar Pir Muhammad ventured into the business of leather. His elder son, Shakur who was born in 1880 had established the Sholapur Tenneries at very young age in Sholapur and became a pioneer merchant of leather. Shakur Thavar died on June 4, 1952 at the age of 72 years.
  • Ismailis in Iran
    "Tradition has it that Imam Muhammad bin Ismail left Medina and went to southern Iraq, where he acquired the epithet of al-maktum (veiled one), and then at Nishapur in disguise, where he lodged for some times. Afterwards, the Imam proceeded towards Ray, about 15 miles from Tehran. Ishaq bin al-Abbas al-Farsi, the Abbasid governor of Ray professed Ismailism. Imam betrothed to Fatima, the daughter of Sarah, sister of Ishaq bin al-Abbas. When the news of Imam Muhammad bin Ismail's stay at Ray reached the ears of Harun ar-Rashid, he wrote to Ishaq bin al-Abbas, ordering to arrest the Imam and send him to Baghdad. Upon receipt of caliph's letter, he showed it to the Imam and replied to the caliph that he found no trace of the Imam, and would send as soon as he was arrested, and thus he tried to put the caliph off the scent. But the spies planted by Baghdad reported to the caliph that Imam Muhammad bin Ismail not only was living at governor's house, but that he was operating his mission from there. Upon this, the caliph wrote another letter to Ishaq bin al-Abbas, impugning him to come in person with his forces if his orders were not obeyed forthwith. The governor however made his usual reply. Meanwhile, the complaints about Ali bin Musa bin Mahan, the governor of Khorasan reached the point where Harun ar-Rashid could no longer ignore them, and adopted a militant stance. In 189/805, he marched towards Ray with a detachment of his army, and after searching for the Imam through a tracking party, ordered to arrest Ishaq bin al-Abbas. Ishaq died as a result of severe torture inflicted upon him, and was rigorously flogged till death. He did not waver and stood steadfast in spite of excruciating tortures. In spite of the gloomy situation, his faith remained unshakable.
  • Ismailis in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Switzerland
    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.
  • Missionary Hamir Lakha
    Period: (1888-1963)

    Lakhpat was the oldest port of Kutchh, situated near Indus river. It depopulated from 15000 to 2500 in 1847 during a famine and became absolutely desolated. Hamir Lakha’s grandfather migrated from the depopulated region of Lakhpat and came in Sind, where he rendered valuable services in different villages. It is related that Bibi Mariam (1744-1832), the mother of Imam Hasan Ali Shah visited India with Mirza Abul Kassim in 1829 to resolve the internal strifes of the community in Bombay. She arrived in Karachi via Muscat, and reached Lakhpat after visiting Jerruk. The temperature of Lakhpat was so scorching that the people travelled at night on camels. It was the grandfather of Missionary Hamir Lakha, who arranged her nocturnal journey between Ramki Bazar and Lakhpat. He well cushioned the camels and made the journey of Bibi Mariam comfortable. Ramki Bazar was a small village between Sind and Kutchh in district Tharparkar, about 32 miles from Badin. It was an ancient town and a bustling commercial center where trade caravans came from all parts of India. All kinds of grains and cottage butter were brought from interior Sind and transported on camels in Bhuj, Mundra, Mandavi, etc. It appears that 250 to 300 Ismailis of Kutchh lived in this area. His grandfather had come from Lakhpat and settled in the village called Nindo, near Badin, with his 18 year old son Lakho (1829-1928). Lakho was well built and very muscular. He also held a natural command on mathematics and was competent in maintaining the accounts. Seth Rahmatullah was an Ismaili merchant in Ramki Bazar, who learnt the talent and honesty of Lakho. He employed him in his firm to maintain the accounts.
  • 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 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.
  • Hashim Jamal, Count
    Period: (1880-1970)

    Jamal Pradhan was a famous figure in Kutiana, India. His elder son, Hashim, was born in 1880, who did his early schooling in India and helped his father in his shop in his free time. He studied upto 7th class and joined the school as a teacher. In 1901, he left the school and decided to immigrate to Africa. When he bid farewell to his schoolmates, Maneklal Nanji, the headmaster said, “How much would you give to the school if God may bless you with Rs. 10,000/-”. To this, Hashim Jamal said, “I will donate Rs. 500/- to the school.” The headmaster also said, “When you try your fortune, you must come back to improve the condition of your old school. Do not forget us.” True to his promise, many years later, he donated Rs.500/- generously to his old school.
  • 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.
  • Ithna Asharites
    "The death of Imam Jafar Sadik in 148/765 marked the beginning of the decentralization of Shi'ite religious authority. The Ithna Asharites or the Twelvers, the Shi'ite sect supported Musa Kazim as their next Imam after Imam Jafar Sadik. Musa Kazim was born in 128/745 on the road between Mecca and Medina. His mother was a Berbar slave, called Hamida. Throughout the whole of his life, Musa was faced with hostility from the Abbasids. The cause of his arrest and murder is said to have been the result of the plotting of caliph Harun ar-Rashid's vizir, Yahya bin Khalid. Thus, Musa was arrested in 177/793 in Mecca, then he was sent to Baghdad, where he was imprisoned and killed by poisoning in 183/799.
  • 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.
  • Jahiliyya
    The word jahiliyya means ignorance, which is taken to refer to the pre-Islamic period. It was the age of tribalism and is reckoned to cover the period of about a century before the advent of Islam. In pre-Islamic literature, and to a considerable degree in the Koran, the word from the root j-h-l means not ignorance but something like barbarism. The term jahiliyya occurs four times in the Koran (33:33, 48:26, 5:50 and 3:154).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Janna
    Paradise, the abode of the righteous in the hereafter, is called in the Koran, al-janna, meaning the garden. It occurs under this name over hundred times. In addition to this figure, the Koran uses the same word janna in the sense of an earthy garden for 26 times and six times for the original garden in which Adam and Eve lived before the fall.

    The basic meaning of janna is a garden with trees, rivers and fruits. Another basic element is the shade provided by the numerous luxuriant luscious trees. It is also meant the concealing of a thing, so that it is not perceived by the senses. Generally, janna is taken to mean a garden, because trees cover its ground. But the use of this name for the abode of bliss has a deeper significance, since of paradise it is plainly stated that its blessings are such as cannot be perceived by the physical senses. The garden, with its vitality, abundance and comfort, provides a fitting home for those who believe and do good works, especially as it always contrasts in the Koran with hell, the abode of evildoers.
  • Jawhar As-Siqalli
    "Jawhar as-Siqilli was born most probably between 298/911 and 300/913 in Sicily, the then island under occupation of the Byzantines. During the period of Imam al-Mansur, Jawhar was brought as a slave to Kairwan and was presented before the Imam. Realizing his potential, he was made as a personal attendant of Imam al-Mansur, and soon rose to prominence. In 341/932, Imam al-Muizz appointed him as his Katib and since then, he became known as Jawhar al-Katib. In 347/958, he was made the commander-in-chief of the Fatimid forces, and was assigned to subdue the remaining parts of the Maghrib. In 347/958, Jawhar led the Fatimid forces westwards and defeated near Tahrat, who had rebelled against the Fatimids.

[1] [2] [3] [4] 
Sign Up for author account
Home
Submit Articles
Member Login
Guidelines and Terms
Article RSS Feeds
Search This Site
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Articles Blog
Get our free daily e-tips:

-> Self Improvement
-> Diet & Exercise
Web Resources

-> NLP