“You referred to my seventy years Imamat which, indeed, is unique in the history of 48 Ismā‘īlīImāms by its long duration, but also it began in another world, the world of horse carriages and candle lights, and today we are in the world of nuclear power, physics, jet air travel and serious discussion amongst the most learned as to how and when we can visit the stars and the moon.
ImāmSulṭānMuḥammadShāhĀgāKhān III,
(Platinum Jubilee Address, Cairo, February 20, 1955)
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By admin | Dec 6, 2021 | Islam The Eternal Religion And The Eternal Guide
BismillahirRahmanir Rahim.
Firman made by Maulana Shah Karim Al HusseinyHazar Imam on the occasion of Silver Jubilee, Nairobi MULAQAT.
5th October 1982
“ My beloved spiritual children, to all my spiritual children here today, to your families, to your Jamats, I give my warmest, my most affectionate and my best special loving blessings, Khanavadan, Khanavadan, Khanavadan.
My beloved spiritual children 25 years have gone by and much has changed, but much is the same and I want to underline to my spiritual children today one of the fundamental concepts of Islam, which I want to express to you in a manner, which I hope you will follow, you will grasp and you will make yours.
I began my firman by saying that in the past 25 years much has changed but much has remained the same.
What has remained the same is our understanding of Islam what has remained the same is the practice of our Tariqah, what has remained the same is abiding by our traditions.
And I want to underline the importance of this to you today on this occasion, because there are parts of the world with people believing in different faiths, who find it difficult to reconcile the interpretation of their faith and the modern world.
We who believe in Islam are infinitely fortunate, because Islam is a faith which is ETERNAL. It is not a faith of the past, it is a faith of the past, but also the faith of the present, it is a faith of the future.
And when l say this to you, I want to underline to you the significance of the future, in the sense that in other parts of the world, will find it difficult to reconcile their faith and modern science, people will find it difficult to reconcile their faith and attitudes of society.
But when we talk about science and as Islam tells us and we believe, Allah is ETERNAL and He is everywhere.
Then all that science is doing is discovering small Windows of Allah’s creation.
And it should be a lesson in humility, rather than a lesson in pride, that one should understand what Islam is meaning, is the sense of the totality of Allah’s presence at all times. And we need not live in that conflict, that concern, in that apprehension that there is a dichotomy between the world and the life of everyday and the practice of our faith.
I say this today because 25 years have gone by and some of you have referred to me as the Imam of Atomic Age.
But l am your 49th Imam and there will be Imams in the future and the age will not be Atomic, it may be the Space Age and maybe it will be further than Space Age, but all it means is that Allah’s presence is everywhere all the time.
My beloved spiritual children, l think therefore, it is important today on this occasion you should look to the future with confidence, loyalty, and total commitment to fundamental concept of Islam, which is the ETERNITY of Islam in the world of the PAST, world of TODAY and world of TOMORROW.
And that must never change and that is something which I wish never to change and that is why you have an Imam of the Time to guide you, to direct you, so that the interpretation of the faith at that time is in ETERNAL CONTEXT.
My beloved spiritual children, within that faith nothing forbids science, nothing forbids participating in the world of today.
What Islam does is, it guides the way in which you should live in the world of today.
It guides as to what should be the relations between members of our faith, it guides in the use of material well being that one has, it does not forbid material well being, but it says, use it generously, do not use it meanly, and use it with a conscience, and whatever strength you have, share that.
So there is no conflict in Islam and world of today and Islam and the world of tomorrow.
I wish to emphasise this simple message to my spiritual children tonight on this occasion, so that you look to the future with comfort and surety with assurance, with hope and understanding.
This is the message which l have on this occasion.
It is one of the fundamental messages of Islam and it is a message that holds for our children, and for all our generations in the years ahead.
Later during the day l will make a firman to my spiritual children about other matters.
But this firman this evening is an important one, because l want my spiritual children to be totally confident living in today’s world and preparing themselves for tomorrow’s world.
I give to each and every one of you, my warmest, my most loving and my special blessings, Khanavadan, Khanavadan, Khanavadan. “
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The Aga Khans Speeches, Writing & Interviews
Excerpt of The speech of Maulana Hazir Imam at the inauguration of the Naryn Campus, UCA.
Students of world history remind us how Central Asia, a thousand years ago, “led the world” in trade and investment, in urban development, in cultural and intellectual achievement. This was the place that leading thinkers from around the known world would look to for leadership. What were the latest breakthroughs in astronomy or mathematics, in chemistry or medicine, in philosophy or music? This was the place to find out. This region is where algebra got its name, where the earth’s diameter was precisely calculated, where some of the world’s greatest poetry was penned.
Inauguration of University Central Asia
As we celebrate the first steps of a new university, we should also recall the past. Students of world history remind us how Central Asia, a thousand years ago, led the world in cultural and intellectual achievements. This region is where medicine was founded, where algebra got its name, where the earth’s diameter was precisely calculated, where some of the world’s greatest poetry was penned. This happened because the societies were open to new ideas, open to change, open to scholars and people from many backgrounds.