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Alsalamu Alaikum wa Rahmutallahi wa Barakatu, I am a former Astara-Isma'ili Muslim who became a Muslim and I want to teach about the secretive and little-known Astara-Isma'ili Muslims and expose their beliefs and practices for the purpose of education or helping fellow Sunnis in debates. Astara-Isma'ili Muslims are Sevener Isma'ili Sufi Shiite Muslims. They believe in the first 6 Imams that most Shi'a believe in, but unlike Twelvers, the majority sect within Shiism, Astara-Isma'ili Muslims believe in only 7 Imams and the Imam Mahdi, instead of 12 Imams with the 12th being the Imam Mahdi. Astara-Isma'ili Muslims believe after Imam Ja'far As-Saddiq, Imam Isma'il was the next rightful successor of the Imams. Astara-Isma'ili Muslims believe that Imam Isma'il never died, but instead ascended to heaven. Now they wait seemingly endlessly for the Imam Mahdi to appear. Many sources say 1 Million Astara-Isma'ili Muslims exist, although the vast majority has to use Taqiya to hide their beliefs, so numbers are unknown. The ancient practice of Taqiya, or lying to conceal one’s beliefs, is used by Astara-Isma'ili Muslims to be safe from those who dislike them. Most Astara-Isma'ili Muslims live in Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Southern Arabia, North Africa, Western Europe, and North America. In Spain, the UK, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia the Astara-Isma'ili Shi'as have family traditions and secretive books to keep them educated in their beliefs. In Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan they have Pirs, much like Sufis. Astara-Isma'ilis are actually Sufis within Shi’a Islam. In Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia Astara-Isma'ili Muslims have Sheikhs. In Canada and the USA, they rely on various sources. On the Virginia Peninsula on the East Coast of North America is a place called the Islamic Sultanate of Qarsherskiy, which claims to be a sovereign and independent country within the USA. The sultan of Qarsherskiy, Sultan Ali Aq-Qarsherskiyy At-Tarīq, is also known as Brennan as well as the name Abu Hamza Pir, because he is the Pīr, or spiritual leader of the Islamic Sultanate of Qarsherskiy, which is an Astara-Isma'ili government. Qarsherskiy is the only place in the world where Astara-Isma'ilis aren’t subject to persecution or Westernization. In Qarsherskiy are only 2485 people and only 81% of those people are Muslims (this includes deviant and misguided sects) and only 44% of Muslims in Qarsherskiy are Astara-Isma'ili Muslims. Despite being such a small population of people in a small wooded and rural area between Newport News and York County, those Astara-Isma'ili Muslims account for nearly 85% or more of all Astara-Isma'ili Muslims openly expressing their faith online, and 98.6% of all Astara-Isma'ili Muslims not hiding their faith with Taqiya are in Qarsherskiy. By looking into the beliefs and practices publicly displayed for all to see in Qarsherskiy, we see that Astara-Isma'ili Muslims are Shi'a and Sufis as well as Hurufi, meaning they believe in magical properties of the Arabic letters which only comes from the divine will of Allah ﷻ. We also see that Astara-Isma'ilis believe the prophets and Imams can intercede, or get Allah ﷻ to help you when you need help. This is why many say “Ya Ali Madad” (O Ali, help us/me!). They believe by calling upon the imams, they can be helped, which is blatant shirk. They also wear jewelry with Hamsa Hands, or Hand of Fatima, as well as Dhulfiqar swords. It is unclear if Astara-Isma'ili Muslims ever see the jewelry as amulets to ward off evil, which would be shirk, but they admit to wearing it to be identified as separate from other sects, as Muslims wear beard to be seen as Muslims. The next part of this passage is debatable, as instead of relying on what we see to expose the beliefs of Astara-Isma'ili Muslims, I only rely on my own experiences as a former Astara-Isma'ili myself, which means it is unproven and many can refute this claiming there is no evidence. I can testify with 100% certainty that the Astara-Isma'ilis have Hellenic influence in their Deen, which is a major Bid’a. I can also testify that Astara-Isma'ilis have many odd rituals and traditions which are also not from the Quran or Sunnah, such as Shoor, Latmiya, throat singing, and astrological beliefs. I swear that Astara-Isma'ilis have lots of Hurufi, Sufi, Hellenic, Astrological, and Numerological influences in their beliefs which are Bid’a, shirk, and very Haram. Please avoid praying behind these “Muslims” at all costs. We used to curse Shimr all night with dances and chants and over-exaggerated curses claiming that Shimr is a human incarnation of Shaytan on the Earth. I do admit that Astara-Isma'ilis don’t curse the Sahaba, nor do they (directly atleast) worship the Imams.

Salam alaykum. I was Sunni until a few months ago when I started to research Shia Islam. Convinced of the imamate of Ali, Hassan and Hussein, I then had to decide between Twelver, Zaidi and Ismaili. To cut a long story short, now I am Twelver. However I would like to know what is the Twelver perspective on the Ismailis. My main question is specifically why is Musa al-Kadhim the seventh Imam and not his brother Ismail? Any other comments related to Twelver and Ismaili perspectives of each other is welcome.

Hello, I’m a Sunni girl and the perosn I’m marrying is an ismaili Shia. The problem we’re facing is deciding what our children (in the future IA) will be. I’ve said to him that I want them pray my way primarily (5 times a day), and apart for that they can go to the ismaili jamaat khana with their father. And learn all the good values taught to them, and also take part in the activities there. He believes that this would lead to an identity crisis for them. For example, I’ll teach them that we have 12 Imaams while in the jamaat khana they’ll be taught about the >40 (and still on gojng) Imams that Ismailis have. And in the jamaat khana they’ll be taught to pray the ismaili way, and they’ll be living amongst ismaili. So he says that things like these would lead to an identity crisis for them, which would be ofcourse really bad for them. But I’m persisting that we can make this work. Please if any one has any advise or has been in a similar situation, please help us out a bit. I need some direction as to if this ‘middle ground’ can work. Please let me know. I’ll be extremely grateful.

Assalamu aleikoum, ya 'Ali madad, I would like to see everyone of those people mentioned here in the tags and even other Shi'a whom I forgot to mention to create here topic of understanding support and Shi'ite unity. Be friendly in the name of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)! We can discuss here our faith practices but really, be friendly and be brothers and sisters here. Our religion is Islam Shi'a, that´s what unite us!

Salam I am reading about Imamate and it is very interesting intellectually but here are some questions I have: If we have a divinely appointed imam to guide us on the way of the Prophet (s.a.w.) why only stop after 12? Why not continue with one imam after another till Imam Mahdi? I would like you to answer this without referring to the Sunni hadith books about the hadith of 12 caliphs or similar narrations in your own books but only using intellect and logic. See, I am almost convinced that the idea of a divinely appointed ruler for the Muslim Ummah, who is protected from sin is a good one and it makes sense to my intellect but since we do not know when the Day of Judgement will be and when the world will end, shouldn't there be a continuous line of imams, one after the other, until the last one (whom we can call Imam Mahdi (a.s.) ? I am a Sunni Muslim and a member of a Sufi tariqah but have recently been reading about Shi'ism as well and this question came to me.

إذا وصلته وقطعني قطع الله أجله If I maintain my ties with him and he cuts me off then Allah will cut off his life-time [Imam al-Kadhim about Muhammad b. Ismail] Introduction We all know of the summons of Imam Musa al-Kadhim to Baghdad in the year 179 by Harun al-Rashid, his subsequent imprisonment and ultimate death in the year 183. But what is less well known is the role of one of the relatives of the Imam, specifically his nephew Muhammad b. Ismail in bringing this tragic event about. Who was Muhammad b. Ismail? Muhammad is the seventh “Imam” of the Ismailiyya about whose life very little is known even in their pitiable sources. Muhammad was the eldest son of Ismaıl b. Ja’far [who died in the lifetime of al-Sadiq]. The Ismailiyya claim that he left Iraq after the recognition of the Imamate of Musa al-Kadhim by the majority of al-Sadiq’s followers, and went into hiding, henceforth acquiring the epithet al-Maktum, the Hidden. He is supposed to have continued to maintain close contacts with the Mubarakiyya, a radical Shı’ı group which followed him. According to the later Ismaılıs, this emigration marks the beginning of the period of concealment (Dawr al-Satr) in early Ismaılism, with no apparent Imam, until the Fatimi Da’wa came and re-established it. What happened to the followers of Muhammad b. Ismail? Most of the followers of Muhammad b. Ismail refused to acknowledge his death. For these immediate predecessors of the Qarmatıs, Muhammad b. Ismaıl was regarded as the last Imam and expected to reappear as the Mahdı or Qaim, ‘riser’. They were also called Sab'iyya [seveners i.e. believed in seven Imams] and Waqifiyya [stoppers i.e. who halted at Muhammad b. Ismail]. Later Ismailis claim that that there was another obscure group of followers of Muhammad b. Ismail who accepted his death and traced the Imamate in his descendants. However, the separate existence of this group is not recorded in any contemporary source, until Abd Allah, the future leader of the movement, publicly claimed the Imamate of the Ismaılıs for himself and his ancestors in the year 297. It is hard to conclude this to be anything other than a back-projection of the Fatimid Imams wishing to to place themselves in one continuous chain of Imams back to Muhammad b. Ismail and the early 'Aimma. His Role in Sending al-Kadhim to his Death The picture that emerges in a reliable narration in al-Kafi shows Muhammad b. Ismail to be quite a worldly and ambitious fellow who was instrumental in heightening Harun’s suspicion towards Musa al-Kadhim. This acts as another reminder that mere blood relation with the purified personalities is not enough to safeguard one from evil inclinations. The Narration الكافي: علي بن إبراهيم، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن موسى بن القاسم البجلي، عن علي بن جعفر قال: جاء ني محمد بن إسماعيل وقد اعتمرنا عمرة رجب ونحن يومئذ بمكة، فقال: يا عم إني أريد بغداد وقد أحببت أن اودع عمي أبا الحسن - يعني موسى بن جعفر عليه السلام - وأحببت أن تذهب معي إليه، فخرجت معه نحو أخي وهو في داره التي بالحوبة وذلك بعد المغرب بقليل، فضربت الباب فأجابني أخي فقال: من هذا فقلت: علي، فقال: هوذا أخرج - وكان بطئ الوضوء - فقلت: العجل قال: وأعجل، فخرج وعليه إزار ممشق قد عقده في عنقه حتى قعد تحت عتبة الباب، فقال علي بن جعفر: فانكببت عليه فقبلت رأسه وقلت: قد جئتك في أمر إن تره صوابا فالله وفق له، وإن يكن غير ذلك فما أكثر ما نخطي قال: وما هو؟ قلت: هذا ابن أخيك يريد أن يودعك ويخرج إلى بغداد، فقال لي: ادعه فدعوته وكان متنحيا، فدنا منه فقبل رأسه وقال: جعلت فداك أوصني فقال: اوصيك أن تتقي الله في دمي فقال مجيبا له: من أرادك بسوء فعل الله به وجعل يدعو على من يريده بسوء، ثم عاد فقبل رأسه، فقال: يا عم أوصني فقال: اوصيك أن تتقي الله في دمي فقال: من أرادك بسوء فعل الله به وفعل، ثم عاد فقبل رأسه، ثم قال: يا عم أوصني، فقال: اوصيك أن تتقي الله في دمي فدعا على من أراده بسوء، ثم تنحى عنه ومضيت معه فقال لي أخي: يا علي مكانك فقمت مكاني فدخل منزله، ثم دعاني فدخلت إليه فتناول صرة فيها مائة دينار فأعطانيها وقال: قل لابن أخيك يستعين بها على سفره قال علي: فأخذتها فأدرجتها في حاشية ردائي ثم ناولني مائة اخرى وقال: أعطه أيضا، ثم ناولني صرة اخرى وقال: أعطه أيضا فقلت: جعلت فداك إذا كنت تخاف منه مثل الذي ذكرت، فلم تعينه على نفسك؟ فقال: إذا وصلته وقطعني قطع الله أجله، ثم تناول مخدة أدم، فيها ثلاثة آلاف درهم وضح وقال: أعطه هذه أيضا قال: فخرجت إليه فأعطيته المائة الاولى ففرح بها فرحا شديدا ودعا لعمه، ثم أعطيته الثانية والثالثة ففرح بها حتى ظننت أنه سيرجع ولا يخرج، ثم أعطيته الثلاثة آلاف درهم فمضى على وجهه حتى دخل على هارون فسلم عليه بالخلافة وقال: ما ظننت أن في الارض خليفتين حتى رأيت عمي موسى بن جعفر يسلم عليه فالخلافة، فأرسل هارون إليه بمائة ألف درهم فرماه الله بالذبحة فما نظر منها إلى درهم ولا مسه al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from Muhammad b. Isa from Musa b. al-Qasim al-Bajali from Ali b. Ja’far who said: Muhammad b. Ismail [b. Ja’far] approached me when we were in Makka and had just completed the Umra in the month of Rajab - he said: O uncle, I want to travel to Baghdad but first I wish to bid farewell to my uncle Aba al-Hasan - that is Musa b. Ja’far. I would like it if you accompany me to meet him. I came out with him heading towards my brother who was in his house in Huba. We reached a little after Maghrib. I knocked the door and was answered by my brother who said: who is that? I said: Ali, he said: I am just coming - he was someone who took long in making the ablution - so I said: make haste, he said: I will. Eventually he came out wearing a lower garment [waist-wrapper] dyed in an earthish hue, knotted at his neck and proceeded to sit at the threshold [step] of the door. Ali b. Ja’far said: I bent towards him, kissed his forehead and said: I have come to you concerning a matter, if you find it to be appropriate then it is Allah who facilitated it, and if it is not [if you find it disagreeable] then how often do we err [as humans]. He said: what is it? I said: this is the son of your brother, he wishes to bid you farewell and depart towards Baghdad. He [the Imam] said to me: call him [Muhammad b. Ismail]. I called him and he was close by. He [Muhammad b. Ismail] came near him, kissed his forehead and said: May I be made your ransom, advise me, he [the Imam] said: I advise you to fear Allah concerning my blood, he replied to him: May Allah do such to whoever wishes ill for you, and he began supplicating against the one who harbors ill-feeling towards him. Then he kissed his forehead a second time and said: O uncle, advise me, he said: I advise you to fear Allah concerning my blood, he said: May Allah do such and such to whoever wishes ill for you [and He has already done so]. Then he kissed his forehead a third time and said: O uncle, advise me, he said: I advise you to fear Allah concerning my blood, so he supplicated against the one who wishes ill towards him, then he turned away from him [to depart], I too began walking away with him, but my brother said to me: O Ali, [stop] where you are. I halted, he called me and I entered [the house]. He outstretched a pouch which contained a hundred gold coins and handed it to me and said: tell the son of your brother [nephew] to make use of it on his journey. Ali said: I took it and twisted it around the hem of my cloak, then he handed me another hundred and said: give it to him, then he handed me another pouch and said: give it to him also. I said: may I be made your ransom, if you fear him doing what you described then why are you aiding him against yourself [by helping him]? he said: If I maintain my ties with him and he cuts me off then Allah will cut off his life-time. Then he took to hand a tanned leather pillow [hollowed out to store money] in which were three thousand fine silver coins and said: give this to him as well. He [Ali b. Ja’far] said: I came out and gave him the first hundred whereupon he became extremely delighted and supplicated for his uncle, then I gave him the second and the third. He became so happy that I thought he will turn back and not depart [for Baghdad]. Lastly I gave him the three thousand silver coins. Nevertheless, he departed on his mission until he went in to see Harun [the Abbasid Caliph] and greeted him by acknowledging his Caliphate [said: peace be upon you O Commander of the Faithful]. Then he said: I never thought that there could be two Caliphs on earth [at the same time] until I saw my uncle Musa b. Ja’far being greeted with the Caliphate [people referring to him as the Caliph when greeting him]. Harun sent him one hundred thousand silver coins [as a reward for his reporting about his uncle] but Allah afflicted him [Muhammad b. Ismail] with an ailment [in which an ulcer grows and chokes the passage in the throat] and he did not get the chance to even take a look at a single silver coin [that he had been gifted] let alone touch it. Conclusion The death date of Muhammad b. Ismail can be fixed to be the year 179, the year in which he betrayed his uncle to the authorities and was punished immediately by Allah for it. Muhammad sold his Akhera for the Dunya, despite the Imam supporting him from his own wealth to repel his evil and fulfill the ties of kinship. Such a person hardly meets the base requirements of a supposed Imam and the adulation that his followers direct towards him.

Salam The proof that Imam Musa al Kazim (as) is Imam is this hadith. Sharif al Qarashi page 129 a man who cursed al-Kadhim's grandfather, Imam Ali. The Imam's followers intended to kill the man, but al-Kadhim prevented them. He went to the man's farm in the outskirts of Medina. He approached him, but the man shouted at him not to walk on his plants. The Imam paid no attention and when he reached him, sat beside him and treated him kindly, asking how much had the man paid to sow his land. "One hundred dinars," said the man. "How much do you hope to acquire from it?" asked the Imam. "I do not know the unknown," said the man. "I only asked you about what you hope it would bring you," insisted the Imam. The man answered "two hundred dinars", and the Imam gave him three hundred dinars, saying "This three hundred dinars is for you and your plants are as they are."[16] The Imam then headed for the mosque of the prophet, where he saw that the man was already sitting there. When he saw the Imam, the man stood up and called out the verse: "Allah knows best where to put his (prophetic) mission."[e] His companions were surprised at this change, but the man recited to them the noble deeds of the Imam and invoked Allah for him. Hence, the Imam turned to his companions and said: "Which was better – what you wanted or what I wanted? I have put right his attitude to the extent you have now become acquainted with." Prove that Ismail has the right to imamate.

Can someone provide me with neutral sources for the immamt of musa khadim

Is it true that Ismaili folk don't believe that Hazrat Imam Ali (as) was an Imam and that Hazrat Imam Hassan (as) is their first imam?

I have a question and I want answers from Ismailis only please. I understand why the veil was abolished by His Highness Sir Aga Khan III but I don't get why it was considered as "traditional" when there are so many Quran verses about covering ourselves and dressing modestly. Do ismails believe in pardah and to what extent? Thank you.

Salam Alaykum, What is the difference between the Seveners and the Nizaris? Or are they the same? I must apologize for the low-quality of sources, but I've read some rather conflicting information. For example, the Wikipedia article Isma'ilism lists the Nizaris and the Seveners under separate subsections . Moreover, the latter is categorized under the Extinct branches section. The article goes as follows: I'd advice caution, since the insertion doesn't have any references. Moreover, Garcia (2006) has came out with the following chart where Seveners and Nizaris are listed separately. The reliability of the source can be questioned, though: However, there are sources that imply otherwise.For example, both Erde & Steinbach (2010) and Hendricks (2005) imply that the Seveners still do exist in the modern world. Well, these two are quality sources, but just not to let you too easy — my brothers — the Wikipedia article on the Seveners states: Again, just like with the Wikipedia article on Isma'ilism, I'd advise to caution: this insertion doesn't have any references either, but it manages to cast a doubt — if it's true — on Erde & Steinbach (2010) and Hendricks (2005); were they talking about the Nizaris or whom? I hope you endure through the confusion with me, brothers :-) Thanks! Sources Ende W. & Steinbach, U. (2010). Islam in the World Today: A Handbook of Politics, Religion, Culture, and Society, p. 260: "Afganistan is home to both Twelver Shi'a (the majority) and Sevener Ismailis (a minority), together making up over 20 percent of the country population." Garcia, L. (2016). The Assassins — the Legacy of Medieval Terrorist-Murderers. History Sifter 26.02.2016. Hendricks, S. (2005). Tasawwuf (Sufism): Its Role and Impact on the Culture of Cape Islam, pp. 112-113: "Pockets of various Shi'ite sects however - particularly the Isma'ilis, or Seveners - do exist in all the major centres along the East African coast (Trimingham, 1962:104-8)."

Salam Alaykum, What is the difference between the Seveners and the Nizaris? Or are they the same? I must apologize for the low-quality of sources, but I've read some rather conflicting information. For example, the Wikipedia article Isma'ilism lists the Nizaris and the Seveners under separate subsections . Moreover, the latter is categorized under the Extinct branches section. The article goes as follows: I'd advice caution, since the insertion doesn't have any references. Moreover, Garcia (2006) has came out with the following chart where Seveners and Nizaris are listed separately. The reliability of the source can be questioned, though: However, there are sources that imply otherwise.For example, both Erde & Steinbach (2010) and Hendricks (2005) imply that the Seveners still do exist in the modern world. Well, these two are quality sources, but just not to let you too easy — my brothers — the Wikipedia article on the Seveners states: Again, just like with the Wikipedia article on Isma'ilism, I'd advise to caution: this insertion doesn't have any references either, but it manages to cast a doubt — if it's true — on Erde & Steinbach (2010) and Hendricks (2005); were they talking about the Nizaris or whom? I hope you endure through the confusion with me, brothers :-) Thanks! Sources Ende W. & Steinbach, U. (2010). Islam in the World Today: A Handbook of Politics, Religion, Culture, and Society, p. 260: "Afganistan is home to both Twelver Shi'a (the majority) and Sevener Ismailis (a minority), together making up over 20 percent of the country population." Garcia, L. (2016). The Assassins — the Legacy of Medieval Terrorist-Murderers. History Sifter 26.02.2016. Hendricks, S. (2005). Tasawwuf (Sufism): Its Role and Impact on the Culture of Cape Islam, pp. 112-113: "Pockets of various Shi'ite sects however - particularly the Isma'ilis, or Seveners - do exist in all the major centres along the East African coast (Trimingham, 1962:104-8)."

Salam, I would like to have a better understanding of my Shia brothers and sisters who follow other branches of Islam. I would like to learn about Zaydi, Ismaili, Druze, Alawi,Yarsan, and Bektashi, but I'm not looking for superficial stuff I could find online I would like in depth teachings that cover prayers (and prayer times), Philosophical trends, what is considered Halal and Haram, view of scripture, are books besides the Qur'an and Hadith used, how you perform salat, basically everything. both the esoteric and exoteric views of scripture, and your view on the Mahdi. If you are willing to teach me please let me know, I'll even take book and pdf recommendations and please be of the sect you are teaching because I don't want to get any bogus information. Thank you for your time

(bismillah) Salam, I have a question regarding the schism that occurred at the death of Imam as-Sadiq(as). As far as I know, Imam as-Sadiq had initially intended his eldest son, Imam Ismail, to be the Imam after him. But since Imam Ismail passed away before his blessed father, Imam Sadiq appointed his younger son, Imam Musa Kazim, as his successor. Two points of inquiry: 1)Since only someone infallible can be the Imam of the time, does that mean that originally Imam Ismail was also infallible? 2)Since we know Imam Musa Kazim(as) was infallible, could it be possible that Imam Sadiq had 2 infallible sons, the same way Imam Ali(as) had 2 infallible sons? ws.

Seven Proofs that Imam Isma'il ibn Ja'far was the Successor to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq: Read Full Article here http://ismailignosis.com/2014/10/02/who-succeeded-imam-jafar-al-sadiq-seven-proofs-for-the-imamat-of-imam-ismail-ibn-jafar/ "Our branch of Shia Islam, in that particular generation of the family, accepted the legitimacy of the eldest son, Isma‘il, as being the appointed Imam to succeed and that is why they are known as Ismailis." (Forty-Ninth Hereditary Imam of the Shi‘i Isma‘ili Muslims) Summary of the Seven Proofs Below is a summary of the proofs. Please click on the proof number to jump directly to a specific proof. Taken individually or collectively, these Seven Proofs demonstrate that the legitimate successor and true Imam after the Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq is Mawlana Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far and that the Present and Living Imam of all Shi‘i Muslims must be the direct lineal descendant of Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far. Proof #1: Imām Ja‘far designated Mawlānā Ismā‘īl as the next Imam by the rule of nass as per Twelver, Ismaili, Sunni and academic sources. Proof #2: The only way to deny or negate the nass of Mawlānā Isma‘il is through contradictory hadiths presented in later Twelver hadith books. Proof #3: Isma‘il’s death before Imam Ja‘far is not confirmed and may have been staged to protect him — as he was reportedly seen by eyewitnesses after his alleged death. Proof #4: Even if Isma‘il had died before his father, the Imamat continued in Isma‘il’s son, Muhammad ibn Isma‘il, whom Isma‘il had appointed as his own successor. Proof #5: Earliest Shi‘i hadiths lack the mention of Twelve Imams but instead predict exactly the first eighteen Imams in the Isma‘ili lineage of Imamat. Proof #6: With the exception of the Nizari Ismaili Imamat, all other Shi‘i Imamat lineages have hidden Imams. This contradicts the Qur’anic definition of Imamat which requires the Imam always be present and manifest (mubin) in the world. Proof #7: Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni Aga Khan IV is the forty-ninth hereditary Imam of Shi‘i Islam in direct, documented, lineal descent from Mawlana Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far al-Sadiq. As the only present (hadir), manifest (mubin) and living (mawjud) hereditary Imam, with a documented and validated lineage, Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni’s very existence is itself confirmation of his Imamat and that of his ancestors. Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni Aga Khan IV visiting his Ismaili followers in Tajikistan, 2008http://ismailignosis.com/2014/10/02/who-succeeded-imam-jafar-al-sadiq-seven-proofs-for-the-imamat-of-imam-ismail-ibn-jafar/

I was in a market dominated by Bohra community. They started running here and there and closed shops and ran to their mosque crying when the news reached them. Sentimental scenes had clueless people wondering what had happened. Some thought martial law has been imposed in Pakistan!

Qur’an is divine but its interpretation is human and hence there have been different interpretations of various Qur’anic verses. The differences in interpretation of the Qur’anic verses was not a later development but began shortly after the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Different prominent companions of the Prophet began to differ from each other and with the passage of time these differences also deepened in their scope. There were various reasons for these differences. First and foremost was, of course, the differences due to understanding any text, and much more so the divine text which also tends to be symbolic, is understood depending on ones own mental and intellectual capacity. Also, the understanding of these verses depends on ones own personal or family background; the tribal background and the community ethos also would play an important role. The formation and doctrinal differences of these have been dealt with in various early books like Al-Farq bayn al-Firaq of Baghdadi and others. Each of these sects tried to interpret various Qur’anic verses in their own way. And it became impossible to resolve both political as well as doctrinal differences. There also evolved differences between the jurists (fuqaha’). And among other sectarian differences the differences between Sunnis and Shi"is assumed much more controversial role. No other two sects of Islam have differed as much as the Sunnis and Shi"is in understanding and interpretation of certain Qur’anic verses. The Shi"is also subsequently sub-divided into number of subsects the main division being between the Ithna "Asharis and Isma"ilis. The Isma"ilis developed their own independent interpretation of the Qur’anic verses which radically differs from not only the Sunni interpretation but also the mainstream Shi"a interpretation. The Isma"ilis branched off from the Ithna "Ashari Shi"is on the question of succession to the fifth (and according to the Ithna "Asharis the sixth) Imam Ja"far al-Sadiq. It should be noted that the doctrine of imama is very central to the Shi"a Islam as the doctrine of Khilafah is to the Sunni Islam. According to the Shi"a belief the imam must belong to the progeny of Fatima and Ali and thus son will always succeed the father. This doctrine remains central whichever the Shi"a sect. And most of the differences among the Shi"a sub-sects, though not always, have been on the question of succession as to which son succeeded the previous Imam. The Hanafiyas believed that it was Ali’s son Muhammad bin Hanifa who succeeded as Imam. Similarly the Zaidi Shi"is believed that it was Zaid, the son of Imam Zain al-Abidin who succeeded him. The Zaidi Shi"is are found mostly in the Yemen. Similarly, the Isma"ili Shi"is believe that it was Isma‘il who succeeded Imam Ja"far al-Sadiq whereas the Ithna "Asharis believe that it was Musa Kazim who became imam after Imam Ja"far al-Sadiq. The chain of imama as far as the Ithna "Asharis are concerned stopped with the seclusion of the 12th imam whose reappearance is awaited by them. And as far as the Isma"ilis are concerned the office of imama continued in the progeny of Isma"il and they, on the other hand, believe that the imama continues in his progeny. It is also to be noted that the Isma"ilis also split on the question of succession of imama after Imam Mustansir billah. A section of the Isma"ilis believed that Mustansir had nominated his younger son Must"ali as his successor and the other section believed that Nizar, his elder son, was nominated as Mustansir’s successor. And Imam Taiyyib belongs to the Must"alian stream. Now the most important question is what is this ta"wil? In the Isma"ili literature it is also referred to as "ilm al-ladunni which passes orally from Prophet to his wasi and from wasi to imam and from one imam to another. But if we go historically then one finds the exposition of ta"wil literature much later i.e. during the Abbasid period, in fact, after the controversy about the appointment of Isma"il and the subsequent split in the Shi"a community. The hidden meaning of the Qur’anic verses is attempted by the Isma"ili imams and da"is (i.e. missionaries and summoners to the Isma"ili faith) after the spread of Greek knowledge in the Islamic world. These epistles are of great importance in the Isma"ili literature. The Ismai"ili ta"wil is based on reason. The word ta"wil in Arabic means to go to the first, primary or basic meaning of the word. According to the Isma"ilis each and every verse of the Qur"an has basic meaning or hidden meaning apart from the manifest or secondary meaning. According to them a mu"min is one who knows and believes in the hidden or original meaning (batin) of the Qur’anic verses. The Isma"ilis maintain that there is difference between a Muslim and a Mu"min. One who recites the kalima and performs all the manifest rituals (zahiri) like offering prayers, fasting, giving zakat, performing haj etc. is a Muslim. But a mu"min is more than being a Muslim. A Mu"min is one who not only performs the zahiri rituals but also believes in batin, the real, the original, the intended, meaning of these rituals. The Isma"ilis quote the verse 14 of the chapter 49 which reads as follows:"The dwellers of the desert say: We believe (amanna). Say: You believe not, but say, We submit (aslamna); and faith (iman) has not yet entered into your hearts." Thus this verse, the Isma"ili theologians point out, clearly makes distinction between Islam and Iman, between those who submit (Muslims) and those who believe Mu"min. Iman, according to them is not mere acceptance of what is manifest zahir but sincere belief in batin (the hidden, the original). Before we proceed further it is necessary to throw light on what is batin or what is the way ta"wil is done? It is also important to note that ordinary people are not supposed to know the original meaning or the ta"wil. It is only the chosen few or the initiated who are entitled to know. The contents of ta"wil was kept a strictly guided secret even from ordinary believers. The reason was obvious. The Isma"ilis were looked upon as heretics by the orthodox Muslims. Imam Ghazali also wrote a book on Batinis and condemned them. They were accused of believing in hulul and tanasukh i.e. belief in Imam being God and transmigration of souls though it is not true. The Isma"ilis, for fear of such condemnations had to hide from general Muslims their beliefs in batini theology and reveal it only to the chosen or initiated few. The knowledge of batin was revealed to a person only after ensuring his/her sincerity and faithfulness. Thus Imam on earth is the representative of the Tenth Intellect and hence commands highest respect of the believers. He has all the attributes of the Tenth Intellect and since Allah has no attributes (He transcends all attributes and is beyond them), these attributes apply to the Tenth Intellect. Therefore Imam who is mamthul of the Tenth Intellect on earth also has these attributes on earth. It is this theory of attributes which was misunderstood by the opponents of the Fatimi Imams as the belief in hulul i.e. descent of God into the person of Imam. Saiyyidna Qadi Al-Nu"man in his Ta"wil al-Da"a"im lays great stress on "ilm (knowledge). "Ilm is very fundamental to the Isma‘ili system. "Ilm is wazir (minister) to iman (faith). Faith draws sustenance through "ilm (knowledge). The Qadi says that "ilm applies to both zahir (manifest) and batin (hidden). Thus a mu"min becomes true person of faith through iman and "ilm. As the human body can be purified only by water, the soul of a mu"min can be purified only by knowledge. And as amwal (material wealth) cannot be given to undeserving persons or those weak of understanding (sufaha", see verse 4:5), knowledge also cannot be imparted to those who do not deserve. Thus one who has been favored by Allah through knowledge, he should not impart it to undeserving persons. In other words the knowledge of batin can be imparted only to deserving persons whose iman (faith) is strong and unwavering and it will become even more stronger through such knowledge. But if it is imparted to undeserving person, his faith may be weakened and his doubts might increase. Also, one should not be miserly in imparting knowledge of ta"wil to deserving people and he should not be extravagant with the undeserving.

Why Calling Ismaili's Non-muslims Is A Great Sin? This post is addressed to the Ithnashari young and old people in this forum. In this last month of Ramadan, the Insults to the Imam-e-Zamana reached fever pitch by the young ignorant Ithnashari and their poorly educated religious scholars, whose knowledge and research, in the exegesis of the Holy Quran, the Hadith, history, archeology and other sciences needed to establish the truth is Poor and Shoddy. They have neither took up any great intellectual challenge and solved any mystery. Thus, for comparison, I pick a Sunni scholar who has made a name in recent times. This scholar's name is Sheikh Imran Hosein. Below are the two links to the same video, one with Bangla subtitles (as it is also my native language) and the other has the biography of the Sheikh at the end which is very important. His family moved to Trinidad as an "indentured" servants. I am sure none of your Ayatollahs from Iran or India ever went thru such harsh life to cook their personality. 2012 Imran Hosein - Sufi, Salafi and the End of Times - YouTube It is also true that your Ayatollah Khamenei, Ayatollah Sistani, do NOT reach the scholarly level of the Sheikh Imran Hosein. He has written perhaps as many if not more books and treatises than your Ayatollah Khomeini (ra). In particular, he has now written on the TIMELY and RELEVANT topic of the end times. However, here my purpose is different. This video of his talks about the issue, whether, Ismailis are muslim or not. Ismaili Tariqah is a Sufi Tariqah, with only one difference, the Sufi master is also the Imam-e-Zamana, from the first Imam Ali or Mawlana Ali (Salawat). The Jamat Khana is like a Sufi Khanaqah. It has no music or dancing in the Jamat Khana. There was a time, there was such persecution of the Ismailis after than fall of Alamut by mean spirited and chandah-collecting ithnashari clergy, that a clean separation was made and sharia was totally abandoned. That is what saved the Ismailis from the ithnashari clergy. In any country, where civil laws of harassment and stalking were operational, it would be fairly easy to stop the harassment via a civil harassment restraining order against the clergy. But unfortunately, this did not work in Iran. The Ismaili practices in the Jamat Khana are PRIVATE practices as in the Khanaqah. There are many sufi Ithnashari tariqah where men and women sit, women without any hijab, and they sing and dance. These are bonafide persian men and women. They dont believe in sharia in the sense that they believe it but have reached tariqah and dont practice it. This is because they already practice the ADAAB which means respect legal and civil rights or others. Sharia is nothing but codification of the civil and criminal laws. The wahhabis call the Prophet the law-giver. As a result, the Ismaili, Nizari, Agakhani practices are private and not the business of anyone other than the member of this sufi tariqah. Next, it is true that some of the members of the Tariqah, specifically the Khoja who speak Gujjarati have posted the videos of the gatherings on the internet. These are NOT the videos of the religious congregation but rather the SOCIAL functions. I can show you many videos or photos of Ithanshari women of Iranian without hijab. I can show you videos of the Pakistani women anchors without hijab and new and new daily makeup and clothes in that poor country. Benazir Bhutto, her Iranian mother Nusrat Bhutto never wore HIJAB. I am for hijab but that is not the reason for calling the Ismailis non-muslims. In Lebanon, the shia live all the time with sunni and christian and druze women who wear western clothing. In "the muslim village" that the Sunni Sheikh Imran Hosein describes, you cannot stop the Ismailis from their Jamat Khana practices, or you will be thrown out faster than federal express. Yes, you can keep your arms on the side, or fold them on your chest or above the belly, any way, but you cannot call each other non-muslims. I urge you to listen to Sheikh Imran Hosein and bring ONE single AYATOLLAH of yours who has written any treatises on this important subject of Akhir-u-Zaman. I know that he has criticized our Imam and called him a stooge of the west. But he forgot that the previous Imam, who worked so much more to build a relationship between Islam and the West was the one who worked for the building of Aligarh university and Allameh Iqbal Lahouri himself came out and muslims separated the engine of the railway and dragged his rail-car personally in honor of his services for the muslims of India. Infact, my Bangladesh would not have separated from the West Pakistan, had the muslims of Pakistan listened to him and adopted Arabic as their first national language. This itself is a miracle that your pakistani elite could not see or none of your scholars from the sunni or shia could reach that stage of foresight. He says in his speech clearly, that he will become UNPOPULAR, but none of your Ayatollah could reach that level of insight or foresight. In addition, only one sunni scholar has admitted in the retrospect and called him the grandfather of pakistan and that is Dr Israr Ahmad whose speech video is on the internet and I saw it once on this forum. Can someone bring it out than trying to hide it that post? The gujarati nizari khojas are responsible for this issue as they are putting the videos that are supposed to private. In addition, Imam-e-Zamana himself brought a case against several of his gujarati khojas in Canada for publishing his private firmans etc. If there are things that are holding us back from progress, it is the gujju khojas who are not obeying the firmans of the Hazar Imam. The Holy Prophet could not be held responsible for the disobedience in later times of Talha and Zubayr and those who faught among themselves. I urge you to listen to this scholar, Sheikh Imran Hosein and his lecture on the resolution between Salaf and the Sufi and TRANSER and APPLY that to the way to resolution between Shia Imami Ismaili Nizari (who originated Risail Ikhwan As-Safa) and Shia Ithnashari. Shariat, Tariqat, Haqiqat, Ma'arifat. Ithanshari use the term IRFAN. Sheikh Imran Hosein uses the term IHSAN.

Why an earthquake in Iran/Tabriz on the Ismaili Lailatul Qadr? I tried to make an account several time and it was deleted. I prefer to use proxy for posting and so on as Ithnasharis hack forum visitors and/or record mac addresses and practice black-listing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Ahar-Varzaqan_earthquakes The 2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes occurred near the cities of Ahar and Varzaqan in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, on August 11, 2012, at 16:53 Iran Standard Time. The two quakes measured 6.4 and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale, and were separated by eleven minutes. The epicenter of the earthquakes was 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Tabriz.[5] At least 306 people died and more than 3000 others were injured,[4] primarily in the rural and mountainous areas to the northeast of Tabriz (though 45 died in the city of Ahar).[6] The earthquake was felt in Armenia and Azerbaijan, though no major damage was reported.[7] Earthquakes Iran (Tabriz, Ahar, Varzghan, Heris area) - Incredible devastation + increasing chance on diseases Last update: August 15, 2012 at 8:16 pm by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell Earthquake overview : An extremely dangerous shallow earthquake occurred in the Tabriz Ahar area. The population in this area runs into the millions of people. Read also : Understanding the August 11 2012, East Azerbaijan - Iran earthquake Update 15/08 $(H 2(B0:11 UTC - At 21:19 local time, a new powerful M5.3 earthquake occurred at 34 km from Lahar and 49 km from Tabriz. These aftershocks will go on for some time. When compared to the earthquake of Van Turkey, aftershocks in and near Van continued for months and ran into the thousands (hundreds have been felt by the population). Why dont you solve this issue once and for all by going to your Ayatollah Khamenei, Ayatollah Sistani, and other small and sundry indian pakistani hojatollahs and ask them to mobilize at an appointed time, 100million iranian ithnasharia, 200million indian ithnasharia, 100millioniraqi ithnasharia and 100million spread over the world and play in a constructive resonance to Allah to finish the Ismailis or our Imam-e-zaman Hazir Wa al-Mawjud, in a _purely_ divine act, without any doubt of human intervention, so your faith can be absolutely increased manifold as you wish. Maybe, just pray that a tornado hit the Aiglemont or such an act of God, so your bloodthirst can be quenched. On the other hand, I wish you all well. I wish that we can travel thru time in mutual respect or just ignore each other, till a time where Allah shall bring us together to the return of Jesus and the Mahdi whereby the doubt shall be removed. But, you are not willing to practice patience. You want some kind of instant gratification and that not happening, you stoop to attacking the Imam-e-Zaman. It is indeed a miracle. On the night of Qadr, as I was praying and brooding over your insults to the TRUE Khalifa of God on Earth, this happened. I was praying Salawats. I was praying to Allah to Exalt the Hazar Imam. Why is it that this terror struck right on that night? The next day, I see this news. I am sure, many other Ismailis who were hurt by your insults felt similar thoughts. You may say that Tabriz is in an earthquake zone. But then, why on Laylatul Qadr's Night - and then again, Laylatul Qadr by our Imam's calculation, which is one full day offset with your calculation this year. Ismaili calculation is exactly on the 23rd Ramadan. Our Ramadan started exactly with our Ahle-Sunna brothers. Your started one day late. Where I live on earth, the time of our Lail-tul Qadr included the time of earthquake in Tabriz - which was the capital of the Safavids and now a big industrial center. Ahle-Sunna have all odd nights in the last 10 as possible Qadr with 27th more likely. You have the first 3 odd nights, 19,21,23. By information theory definition of information, our is more specific, namely 23rd only. When our Imam left Iran and migrated to British India, at a miraculously auspicious moment of the history, when India's muslims, India which was the center of Sufi Dawa, were at their lowest point in history after 1857 war, Allah's blessing started growing on the muslims of India and Allah's wrath started growing on Iran. Dictators started being imposed on Iran with colonial powers vying for influence. In the Indian subcontinent, Aligarh Muslim University was started by the Aga Khan 3, and he is the one who negotiated for it with the British - the previous elite, too heartbroken after total defeat. Agakhan was neither related to the previous elite, nor to the new elite, a totally neutral person from Persia. In addition, Dr Asrar Ahmad admits on video that Aga Khan 3 was the Grandfather of Pakistan, if Jinnah was the Father of Pakistan. This father of Pakistan was mentored in the employ of the Grandfather of Pakistan while fighting those cases which were brought against the Imam challenging his lineage. Emissaries in the British commonwealth were sent to confirm the evidence of the lineage. Even your Iranian revolution touched success - after Ayatollah Khomeini reached the land of our Imam - namely Paris, France. Now you will say, there are too many sins in France. Well, when the Baraka spread in Mecca on the birth of the Holy Prophet, there were sins there also. Anyway, I discussed this with a couple of Ismailis about the earthquake and each one's first reaction was that we dont wish anyone any harm. Not a single word of bad feelings towards the Ithnashari brothers. As I witness their feelings towards your and your feelings towards them, I cannot but feel the side with bitterness in hearts (Ithnashari here) versus the side with sweet hearts (Isamili Nizaris I spoke to). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19264498 14 August 2012 Last updated at 23:37 ET Iran's Tabriz city in shock after twin quakes

English Book in PDF format : AgaKhanism & Its Insitutions http://www.dawoodani.../Agakhanism.pdf This is actually the translation of Urdu Book "Aga-Khaniat aur Uskay Idaaray" by Shk. Muhammad Raza Dawoodani. Originally written for Karachi/Pakistan audience because of a certain issue prevailing there but its contents are certainly useful for global audience too. For Urdu Book: http://www.dawoodani.../agakhaniat.php Sharing below an extract from Shaheed Mutahheri about AgaKhanism:

What is Ismailiites view about Imam Mahdi (a.s)?