Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an- (Ga'far Muhammad an-Nimeiri) (Ga'far Muhammad an-Numayri) (Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry) (Jaafar Nimeiry) (Gaafar Nimeiry) (January 1, 1930 – May 30, 2009). Fifth President of the Sudan.
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was the President of Sudan from 1969 to 1985. He was born on January 1, 1930, in Wad Nubawi Omdurman in central Sudan, and was the son of a postman and the great grandson of a local tribal leader from the Wad Nimeiry region in Dongola, ash-Shamaliyah, the Northern State.
In 1952, Nimeiry graduated from the Sudan Military College, where he was greatly influenced by the ideas of Gamal Abdel Nasser's Free Officers Movement, which gained power in Egypt that same year. Later he joined the Khartoum garrison.
In 1966, Nimeiry was graduated from the United States Army Command College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1969, together with four other officers then Colonel Nimeiry overthrew the government of Ismail al-Azhari, and became prime minister and chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). He started a campaign aimed at reforming Sudan's economy through nationalization of banks and industries as well as some land reforms. He used his position to enact a number of socialist and Pan-Arabist reforms.
Throughout the 1970s, a number of bilateral investment treaties were signed between Sudan and several states such as the Netherlands on August 22, 1970; Switzerland on February 17, 1974; Egypt on May 28, 1977; and France on July 31, 1978.
Nimeiry successfully weathered a coup attempt by Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1970, and in 1971 was briefly removed from power by a Communist coup, before being restored. Later in 1971 he was elected President winning a referendum with 98.6 per cent of the votes, and signed the Addis Ababa Agreement whereby autonomy was granted to the non-Muslim southern region of Sudan, which ushered in an 11 year period of peace and stability to the region which had witnessed civil war since 1955, before Sudan's independence. He thus began a more Western-friendly policy, where banks were returned to private ownership and foreign investment was encouraged as evidenced by a number of bilateral investment treaties that were signed. In July 1978 at the OAU summit in Khartoum, Nimeiry was elected Chairman of the Organization of African Unity until July 1979.
In late 1975, a military coup by Communist members of the armed forces, led by Brigadier Hassan Hussein Osman, failed to remove Nimeiry from power. General Elbagir, Nimeiry's deputy, led a counter coup that brought Nimiery back within a few hours. Brigadier Osman was wounded and later court martialed and executed.
Again in 1976, a force of one thousand insurgents under Sadiq al Mahdi, armed and trained by Libya, crossed the border from Ma'tan as-Sarra. After passing through Darfur and Kordofan, the insurgents engaged in three days of house-to-house fighting in Khartoum and Omdurman that killed some 3000 people and sparked national resentment against Muammar al-Gaddafi. Nimeiry and his government were narrowly saved after a column of army tanks entered the city.
In 1977, a National Reconciliation took place between the leader of the opposition who was based abroad Sadiq al Mahdi and Nimeiry. A limited measure of pluralism was allowed and Sadiq al Mahdi and members of the Democratic Unionist Party (Sudan) joined the legislature and under the umbrella of the Sudan Socialist Union. Relations between Khartoum and the South Sudan leadership worsened after the National Reconciliation and the National Reconciliation itself came to a premature end in light of disagreements between the opposition and Nimeiry.
During 1980-5, the Sudanese Pound lost 80 percent of its worth due to hyperinflation and renewed civil war.
In 1981, Nimeiry, pressured by his Islamic opponents, and still President of Sudan, began a dramatic shift toward Islamist political governance. He allied himself with the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1983, he imposed Sharia, or Islamic law, throughout the country—alienating the predominantly Christian and animist south. The administrative boundaries of the south were also reformed. In violation of the Addis Ababa Agreement he dissolved the southern Sudanese government, thereby prompting a renewal of the civil war. Nimeiry was the only Arab leader who maintained close relations with Anwar Sadat after the Camp David Accords and attended Sadat's funeral.
In 1985, Nimeiry authorized the execution of the peaceful yet controversial political dissident and Islamic reformist Mahmoud Mohamed Taha after Taha — who was first accused of religious sedition in the 1960s when Sudan's President was Ismail al-Azhari — had been declared an apostate by a Sudanese court. Shortly thereafter on April 6, 1985, while Nimeiry was on an official visit to the United States of America in the hope of gaining more financial aid from Washington, a bloodless military coup led by his defense minister General Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab ousted him from power. At the subsequent elections the pro-Islamist leader, Sadiq al-Madhi (who had attempted a coup against Nimeiry in July 1977) became President.
Nimeiry lived in exile in Egypt from 1985 to 1999, in a villa situated in Heliopolis, Cairo. He returned to Sudan in May 1999 to a rapturous welcome that surprised many of his detractors. The next year, he ran in the presidential election against incumbent president Omar al-Bashir, but did poorly, obtaining only 9.6% of the votes. From then until his death he was affiliated with the National Congress Party. In 2005, Nimeiry's party -- The Alliance of the Peoples' Working Forces -- merged with the ruling National Congress Party of Sudan. The National Congress Party negotiated an end to Sudan's civil war that was signed in a Comprehensive Peace Agreement on January 9, 2005.
Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiry died on May 30, 2009.
In his 16 year tenure as President of the Sudan, Nimeiry veered from ardent Arab nationalism to socialism, from friendly relations with the Soviet Union to a pro-Western stance and a close alliance with the United States. Although he was often seen as one of the more moderate Arab leaders, he was not averse to violent crackdowns and even mass executions of opponents. He survived four attempted coups in his first nine years in power.
Ga'far Muhammad an-Numeiri see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Ga'far Muhammad an-Numayri see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Numayri, Ga'far Muhammad an- see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Nimeiry, Gaafar Muhammad an- see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Jaafar Nimeiry see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry was the President of Sudan from 1969 to 1985. He was born on January 1, 1930, in Wad Nubawi Omdurman in central Sudan, and was the son of a postman and the great grandson of a local tribal leader from the Wad Nimeiry region in Dongola, ash-Shamaliyah, the Northern State.
In 1952, Nimeiry graduated from the Sudan Military College, where he was greatly influenced by the ideas of Gamal Abdel Nasser's Free Officers Movement, which gained power in Egypt that same year. Later he joined the Khartoum garrison.
In 1966, Nimeiry was graduated from the United States Army Command College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1969, together with four other officers then Colonel Nimeiry overthrew the government of Ismail al-Azhari, and became prime minister and chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). He started a campaign aimed at reforming Sudan's economy through nationalization of banks and industries as well as some land reforms. He used his position to enact a number of socialist and Pan-Arabist reforms.
Throughout the 1970s, a number of bilateral investment treaties were signed between Sudan and several states such as the Netherlands on August 22, 1970; Switzerland on February 17, 1974; Egypt on May 28, 1977; and France on July 31, 1978.
Nimeiry successfully weathered a coup attempt by Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1970, and in 1971 was briefly removed from power by a Communist coup, before being restored. Later in 1971 he was elected President winning a referendum with 98.6 per cent of the votes, and signed the Addis Ababa Agreement whereby autonomy was granted to the non-Muslim southern region of Sudan, which ushered in an 11 year period of peace and stability to the region which had witnessed civil war since 1955, before Sudan's independence. He thus began a more Western-friendly policy, where banks were returned to private ownership and foreign investment was encouraged as evidenced by a number of bilateral investment treaties that were signed. In July 1978 at the OAU summit in Khartoum, Nimeiry was elected Chairman of the Organization of African Unity until July 1979.
In late 1975, a military coup by Communist members of the armed forces, led by Brigadier Hassan Hussein Osman, failed to remove Nimeiry from power. General Elbagir, Nimeiry's deputy, led a counter coup that brought Nimiery back within a few hours. Brigadier Osman was wounded and later court martialed and executed.
Again in 1976, a force of one thousand insurgents under Sadiq al Mahdi, armed and trained by Libya, crossed the border from Ma'tan as-Sarra. After passing through Darfur and Kordofan, the insurgents engaged in three days of house-to-house fighting in Khartoum and Omdurman that killed some 3000 people and sparked national resentment against Muammar al-Gaddafi. Nimeiry and his government were narrowly saved after a column of army tanks entered the city.
In 1977, a National Reconciliation took place between the leader of the opposition who was based abroad Sadiq al Mahdi and Nimeiry. A limited measure of pluralism was allowed and Sadiq al Mahdi and members of the Democratic Unionist Party (Sudan) joined the legislature and under the umbrella of the Sudan Socialist Union. Relations between Khartoum and the South Sudan leadership worsened after the National Reconciliation and the National Reconciliation itself came to a premature end in light of disagreements between the opposition and Nimeiry.
During 1980-5, the Sudanese Pound lost 80 percent of its worth due to hyperinflation and renewed civil war.
In 1981, Nimeiry, pressured by his Islamic opponents, and still President of Sudan, began a dramatic shift toward Islamist political governance. He allied himself with the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1983, he imposed Sharia, or Islamic law, throughout the country—alienating the predominantly Christian and animist south. The administrative boundaries of the south were also reformed. In violation of the Addis Ababa Agreement he dissolved the southern Sudanese government, thereby prompting a renewal of the civil war. Nimeiry was the only Arab leader who maintained close relations with Anwar Sadat after the Camp David Accords and attended Sadat's funeral.
In 1985, Nimeiry authorized the execution of the peaceful yet controversial political dissident and Islamic reformist Mahmoud Mohamed Taha after Taha — who was first accused of religious sedition in the 1960s when Sudan's President was Ismail al-Azhari — had been declared an apostate by a Sudanese court. Shortly thereafter on April 6, 1985, while Nimeiry was on an official visit to the United States of America in the hope of gaining more financial aid from Washington, a bloodless military coup led by his defense minister General Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab ousted him from power. At the subsequent elections the pro-Islamist leader, Sadiq al-Madhi (who had attempted a coup against Nimeiry in July 1977) became President.
Nimeiry lived in exile in Egypt from 1985 to 1999, in a villa situated in Heliopolis, Cairo. He returned to Sudan in May 1999 to a rapturous welcome that surprised many of his detractors. The next year, he ran in the presidential election against incumbent president Omar al-Bashir, but did poorly, obtaining only 9.6% of the votes. From then until his death he was affiliated with the National Congress Party. In 2005, Nimeiry's party -- The Alliance of the Peoples' Working Forces -- merged with the ruling National Congress Party of Sudan. The National Congress Party negotiated an end to Sudan's civil war that was signed in a Comprehensive Peace Agreement on January 9, 2005.
Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiry died on May 30, 2009.
In his 16 year tenure as President of the Sudan, Nimeiry veered from ardent Arab nationalism to socialism, from friendly relations with the Soviet Union to a pro-Western stance and a close alliance with the United States. Although he was often seen as one of the more moderate Arab leaders, he was not averse to violent crackdowns and even mass executions of opponents. He survived four attempted coups in his first nine years in power.
Ga'far Muhammad an-Numeiri see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Ga'far Muhammad an-Numayri see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Numayri, Ga'far Muhammad an- see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Nimeiry, Gaafar Muhammad an- see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Jaafar Nimeiry see Nimeiri, Gafar Mohammad an-
Nimrod
Nimrod (Namrud) (Nemrod). Biblical personage. He is not mentioned by name in the Qur’an, but it is clear that his legend was known. Muslim hadith associates him with the story of the childhood of Abraham.
Nimrod, a legendary biblical figure, is described in Genesis 10:8–12 as “the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The only other references to Nimrod in the Old Testament are Micah 5:6, where Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, and I Chronicles 1:10. The beginning of his kingdom is said in Genesis to be Babel, Erech, and Akkad in the land of Shinar. Nimrod is said to have built Nineveh, Calah (modern Nimrūd), Rehoboth-Ir, and Resen. There is some consensus among biblical scholars that the mention of Nimrod in Genesis is a reference not to an individual but to an ancient people in Mesopotamia.
The description of Nimrod as a “mighty hunter before the Lord” is an intrusion in this context, but probably, like the historical notices, derived from some old Babylonian saga. However, no equivalent of the name has yet been found in the Babylonian or other cuneiform records. In character there is a certain resemblance between Nimrod and the Mesopotamian epic hero Gil
Nimrod also figures in many legends and folktales outside the Bible. Extra-Biblical traditions associating him with the Tower of Babel led to a darkening of his reputation. Several Mesopotamian ruins were given Nimrod's name by 8th century Arabs.
Since ancient times, Nimrod has traditionally been considered the leader of those who built the Tower of Babel in Shinar, though the Bible never actually states this. It is usually assumed that it was under his direction that the building began; aside from Flavius Josephus, this is also the view found in the Talmud (Chullin 89a, Pesahim 94b, Erubin 53a, Avodah Zarah 53b), and later midrash such as Genesis Rabba. Several of these early Judaic sources also assert that the king Amraphel, who wars with Abraham later in Genesis, is none other than Nimrod himself.
An early Arabic work known as Kitab al-Magall or the Book of Rolls (part of Clementine literature) states that Nimrod built the towns of Hadâniûn, Ellasar, Seleucia, Ctesiphon, Rûhîn, Atrapatene, Telalôn, and others, that he began his reign as king over earth when Reu was 163, and that he reigned for 69 years, building Nisibis, Raha (Edessa) and Harran when Peleg was 50. It further adds that Nimrod "saw in the sky a piece of black cloth and a crown." He called upon Sasan the weaver and commanded him to make him a crown like it, which he set jewels on and wore. He was allegedly the first king to wear a crown. "For this reason people who knew nothing about it, said that a crown came down to him from heaven." Later, the book describes how Nimrod established fire worship and idolatry, then received instruction in divination for three years from Bouniter, the fourth son of Noah.[4]
The Syriac Cave of Treasures (ca. 350) contains an account of Nimrod very similar to that in the Kitab al-Magall, except that Nisibis, Edessa and Harran are said to be built by Nimrod when Reu was 50, and that he began his reign as the first king when Reu was 130. In this version, the weaver is called Sisan, and the fourth son of Noah is called Yonton.
A confrontation is found in the Islamic Qur'an, between a king, not mentioned by name, and the Prophet Ibrahim (Arabic version of "Abraham"). Muslim commentators assign Nimrod as the king based on Jewish sources. In Ibrahim's confrontation with the king, the former argues that Allah is the one who gives life and gives death. The king responds by bringing out two people sentenced to death. He releases one and kills the other as a poor attempt at making a point that he also brings life and death. Ibrahim refutes by stating that Allah brings the Sun out from the East, and so he asks the king to bring it from the West. The king is then perplexed and angered.
Whether or not conceived as having ultimately repented, Nimrod remained in Jewish and Islamic tradition an emblematic evil person, an archetype of an idolater and a tyrannical king. In rabbinical writings up to the present, he is almost invariably referred to as "Nimrod the Evil" (Hebrew: נמרוד הרשע), and to Muslims he is "Nimrod al-Jabbar" (The Mighty one or powerful).
Namrud see Nimrod
Nemrod see Nimrod
Nimrod (Namrud) (Nemrod). Biblical personage. He is not mentioned by name in the Qur’an, but it is clear that his legend was known. Muslim hadith associates him with the story of the childhood of Abraham.
Nimrod, a legendary biblical figure, is described in Genesis 10:8–12 as “the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The only other references to Nimrod in the Old Testament are Micah 5:6, where Assyria is called the land of Nimrod, and I Chronicles 1:10. The beginning of his kingdom is said in Genesis to be Babel, Erech, and Akkad in the land of Shinar. Nimrod is said to have built Nineveh, Calah (modern Nimrūd), Rehoboth-Ir, and Resen. There is some consensus among biblical scholars that the mention of Nimrod in Genesis is a reference not to an individual but to an ancient people in Mesopotamia.
The description of Nimrod as a “mighty hunter before the Lord” is an intrusion in this context, but probably, like the historical notices, derived from some old Babylonian saga. However, no equivalent of the name has yet been found in the Babylonian or other cuneiform records. In character there is a certain resemblance between Nimrod and the Mesopotamian epic hero Gil
Nimrod also figures in many legends and folktales outside the Bible. Extra-Biblical traditions associating him with the Tower of Babel led to a darkening of his reputation. Several Mesopotamian ruins were given Nimrod's name by 8th century Arabs.
Since ancient times, Nimrod has traditionally been considered the leader of those who built the Tower of Babel in Shinar, though the Bible never actually states this. It is usually assumed that it was under his direction that the building began; aside from Flavius Josephus, this is also the view found in the Talmud (Chullin 89a, Pesahim 94b, Erubin 53a, Avodah Zarah 53b), and later midrash such as Genesis Rabba. Several of these early Judaic sources also assert that the king Amraphel, who wars with Abraham later in Genesis, is none other than Nimrod himself.
An early Arabic work known as Kitab al-Magall or the Book of Rolls (part of Clementine literature) states that Nimrod built the towns of Hadâniûn, Ellasar, Seleucia, Ctesiphon, Rûhîn, Atrapatene, Telalôn, and others, that he began his reign as king over earth when Reu was 163, and that he reigned for 69 years, building Nisibis, Raha (Edessa) and Harran when Peleg was 50. It further adds that Nimrod "saw in the sky a piece of black cloth and a crown." He called upon Sasan the weaver and commanded him to make him a crown like it, which he set jewels on and wore. He was allegedly the first king to wear a crown. "For this reason people who knew nothing about it, said that a crown came down to him from heaven." Later, the book describes how Nimrod established fire worship and idolatry, then received instruction in divination for three years from Bouniter, the fourth son of Noah.[4]
The Syriac Cave of Treasures (ca. 350) contains an account of Nimrod very similar to that in the Kitab al-Magall, except that Nisibis, Edessa and Harran are said to be built by Nimrod when Reu was 50, and that he began his reign as the first king when Reu was 130. In this version, the weaver is called Sisan, and the fourth son of Noah is called Yonton.
A confrontation is found in the Islamic Qur'an, between a king, not mentioned by name, and the Prophet Ibrahim (Arabic version of "Abraham"). Muslim commentators assign Nimrod as the king based on Jewish sources. In Ibrahim's confrontation with the king, the former argues that Allah is the one who gives life and gives death. The king responds by bringing out two people sentenced to death. He releases one and kills the other as a poor attempt at making a point that he also brings life and death. Ibrahim refutes by stating that Allah brings the Sun out from the East, and so he asks the king to bring it from the West. The king is then perplexed and angered.
Whether or not conceived as having ultimately repented, Nimrod remained in Jewish and Islamic tradition an emblematic evil person, an archetype of an idolater and a tyrannical king. In rabbinical writings up to the present, he is almost invariably referred to as "Nimrod the Evil" (Hebrew: נמרוד הרשע), and to Muslims he is "Nimrod al-Jabbar" (The Mighty one or powerful).
Namrud see Nimrod
Nemrod see Nimrod
Nisaburi, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-
Nisaburi, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al- (al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Nisaburi) (d.1015). Litterateur and Qur’anic scholar. He is famous for a collection on intelligent madmen.
Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Nisaburi, al- see Nisaburi, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-
Nisaburi, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al- (al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Nisaburi) (d.1015). Litterateur and Qur’anic scholar. He is famous for a collection on intelligent madmen.
Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Nisaburi, al- see Nisaburi, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-
Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed
Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed (Shams al-Din Mehmed Niyazi) (Misri Efendi) (1617-1694). Ottoman poet and mystic. Instructed in the Naqshbandiyya order, he joined the Qadiriyya order and became famous for his sanctity and gifts of prophecy. He was twice banished to Lemnos because of his sermons. His diwan exists in Arabic and Turkish.
Shams al-Din Mehmed Niyazi see Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed
Misri Efendi see Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed
Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed (Shams al-Din Mehmed Niyazi) (Misri Efendi) (1617-1694). Ottoman poet and mystic. Instructed in the Naqshbandiyya order, he joined the Qadiriyya order and became famous for his sanctity and gifts of prophecy. He was twice banished to Lemnos because of his sermons. His diwan exists in Arabic and Turkish.
Shams al-Din Mehmed Niyazi see Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed
Misri Efendi see Niyazi, Shams al-Din Mehmed
Nizam al-Din Ahmad al-Harawi
Nizam al-Din Ahmad al-Harawi (1549-1594). Persian historian. His fame rests on a work in which he deals with the history of India from 977 to 1593.
Harawi, Nizam al-Din Ahmad al- see Nizam al-Din Ahmad al-Harawi
Nizam al-Din Ahmad al-Harawi (1549-1594). Persian historian. His fame rests on a work in which he deals with the history of India from 977 to 1593.
Harawi, Nizam al-Din Ahmad al- see Nizam al-Din Ahmad al-Harawi
Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Nizam al-Din Awliya’ (Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bukhari) (Nizam al-Din Auliya) (Nizam ud-Din Auliya) (Sultan-ul-Mashaikh) (Mehboob-e-Ilahi) (Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya) (1238 - 3 April 1325). Indian Muslim saint. He is regarded as one of the most celebrated saints of India, and his tomb near Delhi is visited by many Muslims. Nizam al-Din Awliya’ was one of the most celebrated Sufi saints of India. Disciple of Shaikh Farid Ganj-i Shakar of Ajodhan (d. 1265), he worked in Delhi for the moral and spiritual culture of people for more than half a century. According to the historian Barani all sorts of people from the cities as well as from the rural areas visited him. Nizam al-Din kept an open kitchen and entertained his visitors irrespective of their caste or creed. He sent his disciples to distant parts of the country and through their efforts the Chishti order attained a pan-Indian status. Eminent figures from all walks of life -- princes, nobles, scholars, administrators, poets, businessmen, and others -- joined his discipline. The shaikh identified religion with the service of humanity and considered helping the needy to be more important than prayers or penitence. He believed in instructing people through example rather than spinning fine ideas. He kept away from the rulers and the politics of the day and if a khalifa (higher disciple) accepted government service, he expelled him from the discipline. The Fawa’id-Fu’ad is a collection of his conversations. During the centuries, his tomb has remained an important place of pilgrimage.
Nizam al-Din Awliya' was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in South Asia, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to humanity. He is one of the great saints of the Chishti order in India. His predecessors were Moinuddin Chishti, Bakhtiyar Kaki and Fariduddin Ganjshakar. In that sequence, they constitute the initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chisti order, which is widely prevalent in India and Pakistan.
Nizam al-Din Awliya' like his predecessors stressed upon the element of love as a means of realization of God. For him, his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of secularism and kindness. It is claimed by the 14th century historiographer Ziauddin Barani that his influence on the Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was effected in their outlook towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and prayers and remaining aloof from the world.
Nizam al-Din Awliya' (Nizamuddin) was born in 1238, in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh (East of Delhi), though at age five, after the death of his father, Ahmad Badayuni, he came to Delhi with his mother Bibi Zulekha. His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century document written by Mughal Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.
At the age of twenty, in the year 1269, Nizāmuddīn went to Ajodhan (the present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) and became a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar, commonly known as Baba Farid. Nizāmuddīn did not take up residence in Ajodhan but continued with his theological studies in Delhi while simultaneously starting the Sufi devotional practices and the prescribed litanies. He visited Ajodhan each year to spend the month of Ramadan in the presence of Baba Farid. It was on his third visit to Ajodhan that Baba Farid made him his successor. Shortly after that, when Nizāmuddīn returned to Delhi, he received news that Baba Farid had expired.
Nizāmuddīn lived at various places in Delhi, before finally settling down in Ghiyaspur, a neighborhood in Delhi undisturbed by the noise and hustle of city life. He built his Khanqah here, a place where people from all walks of life were fed, where he imparted spiritual education to others and he had his own quarters. Before long, the khanqah became a place thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.
Many of his disciples achieved spiritual height, including Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Delhi, and Amir Khusro, noted scholar/musician, and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate.
He died on the morning of April 3, 1325. His shrine, the Nizāmuddīn Dergāh is located in Delhi, and the present structure was built in 1562. The shrine is visited by people of all faiths, through the year, though it becomes a place for special congregation during the death anniversaries, or 'Urs, of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' and Amīr Khusro, who is also buried at the Nizāmuddīn Dargāh.
Besides believing in the traditional Sufi ideas of embracing God within this life (as opposed to the idea that such partial merger with God is possible only after death), by destroying the ego and cleansing the soul, and that this is possible through considerable efforts involving Sufi practices, Nizamuddin also expanded and practised the unique features introduced by past saints of the Chisti Sufi order in India. These included:
* Emphasis on renunciation and having complete trust in God.
* The unity of mankind and shunning distinctions based on social, economic, religious status.
* Helping the needy, feeding the hungry and being sympathetic to the oppressed.
* Strong disapproval of mixing with the Sultans, the princes and the nobles.
* Exhortation in making close contact with the poor and the downtrodden
* Adopting an uncompromising attitude towards all forms of political and social oppression.
* A bold stance in favor of Sema, which some considered un-Islamic. Perhaps this was with the view that this was in consonance with the role of music in some modes of Hindu worship, could serve as a basis of contact with local people and would facilitate mutual adjustments between the two communities. In fact Qawwali, a form of devotional music, was originally created by one Nizamuddin's most cherished disciples: Amir Khusro.
Nizamuddin did not much bother about the theoretical aspects of Sufism, believing rather that it was the practical aspects that counted, as it was anyway not possible to describe the diversified mystical experiences called spiritual states or stations which a practicing Sufi encountered. He discouraged the demonstration of Keramat and emphasized that it was obligatory for the Auliya (which roughly means the friends of God) to hide the ability of Keramat from the commoners. He also was quite generous in accepting disciples. Usually whoever came to him saying that he wanted to become a disciple was granted that favor. This resulted in him being always surrounded by people from all strata of society.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bukhari see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Nizam al-Din Auliya see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Nizam ud-Din Auliya see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Sultan-ul-Mashaikh see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Mehboob-e-Ilahi see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Nizam al-Din Awliya’ (Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bukhari) (Nizam al-Din Auliya) (Nizam ud-Din Auliya) (Sultan-ul-Mashaikh) (Mehboob-e-Ilahi) (Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya) (1238 - 3 April 1325). Indian Muslim saint. He is regarded as one of the most celebrated saints of India, and his tomb near Delhi is visited by many Muslims. Nizam al-Din Awliya’ was one of the most celebrated Sufi saints of India. Disciple of Shaikh Farid Ganj-i Shakar of Ajodhan (d. 1265), he worked in Delhi for the moral and spiritual culture of people for more than half a century. According to the historian Barani all sorts of people from the cities as well as from the rural areas visited him. Nizam al-Din kept an open kitchen and entertained his visitors irrespective of their caste or creed. He sent his disciples to distant parts of the country and through their efforts the Chishti order attained a pan-Indian status. Eminent figures from all walks of life -- princes, nobles, scholars, administrators, poets, businessmen, and others -- joined his discipline. The shaikh identified religion with the service of humanity and considered helping the needy to be more important than prayers or penitence. He believed in instructing people through example rather than spinning fine ideas. He kept away from the rulers and the politics of the day and if a khalifa (higher disciple) accepted government service, he expelled him from the discipline. The Fawa’id-Fu’ad is a collection of his conversations. During the centuries, his tomb has remained an important place of pilgrimage.
Nizam al-Din Awliya' was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in South Asia, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to humanity. He is one of the great saints of the Chishti order in India. His predecessors were Moinuddin Chishti, Bakhtiyar Kaki and Fariduddin Ganjshakar. In that sequence, they constitute the initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chisti order, which is widely prevalent in India and Pakistan.
Nizam al-Din Awliya' like his predecessors stressed upon the element of love as a means of realization of God. For him, his love of God implied a love of humanity. His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of secularism and kindness. It is claimed by the 14th century historiographer Ziauddin Barani that his influence on the Muslims of Delhi was such that a paradigm shift was effected in their outlook towards worldly matters. People began to be inclined towards mysticism and prayers and remaining aloof from the world.
Nizam al-Din Awliya' (Nizamuddin) was born in 1238, in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh (East of Delhi), though at age five, after the death of his father, Ahmad Badayuni, he came to Delhi with his mother Bibi Zulekha. His biography finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century document written by Mughal Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.
At the age of twenty, in the year 1269, Nizāmuddīn went to Ajodhan (the present Pakpattan Sharif in Pakistan) and became a disciple of the Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar, commonly known as Baba Farid. Nizāmuddīn did not take up residence in Ajodhan but continued with his theological studies in Delhi while simultaneously starting the Sufi devotional practices and the prescribed litanies. He visited Ajodhan each year to spend the month of Ramadan in the presence of Baba Farid. It was on his third visit to Ajodhan that Baba Farid made him his successor. Shortly after that, when Nizāmuddīn returned to Delhi, he received news that Baba Farid had expired.
Nizāmuddīn lived at various places in Delhi, before finally settling down in Ghiyaspur, a neighborhood in Delhi undisturbed by the noise and hustle of city life. He built his Khanqah here, a place where people from all walks of life were fed, where he imparted spiritual education to others and he had his own quarters. Before long, the khanqah became a place thronged with all kinds of people, rich and poor alike.
Many of his disciples achieved spiritual height, including Shaikh Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Delhi, and Amir Khusro, noted scholar/musician, and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate.
He died on the morning of April 3, 1325. His shrine, the Nizāmuddīn Dergāh is located in Delhi, and the present structure was built in 1562. The shrine is visited by people of all faiths, through the year, though it becomes a place for special congregation during the death anniversaries, or 'Urs, of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā' and Amīr Khusro, who is also buried at the Nizāmuddīn Dargāh.
Besides believing in the traditional Sufi ideas of embracing God within this life (as opposed to the idea that such partial merger with God is possible only after death), by destroying the ego and cleansing the soul, and that this is possible through considerable efforts involving Sufi practices, Nizamuddin also expanded and practised the unique features introduced by past saints of the Chisti Sufi order in India. These included:
* Emphasis on renunciation and having complete trust in God.
* The unity of mankind and shunning distinctions based on social, economic, religious status.
* Helping the needy, feeding the hungry and being sympathetic to the oppressed.
* Strong disapproval of mixing with the Sultans, the princes and the nobles.
* Exhortation in making close contact with the poor and the downtrodden
* Adopting an uncompromising attitude towards all forms of political and social oppression.
* A bold stance in favor of Sema, which some considered un-Islamic. Perhaps this was with the view that this was in consonance with the role of music in some modes of Hindu worship, could serve as a basis of contact with local people and would facilitate mutual adjustments between the two communities. In fact Qawwali, a form of devotional music, was originally created by one Nizamuddin's most cherished disciples: Amir Khusro.
Nizamuddin did not much bother about the theoretical aspects of Sufism, believing rather that it was the practical aspects that counted, as it was anyway not possible to describe the diversified mystical experiences called spiritual states or stations which a practicing Sufi encountered. He discouraged the demonstration of Keramat and emphasized that it was obligatory for the Auliya (which roughly means the friends of God) to hide the ability of Keramat from the commoners. He also was quite generous in accepting disciples. Usually whoever came to him saying that he wanted to become a disciple was granted that favor. This resulted in him being always surrounded by people from all strata of society.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bukhari see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Nizam al-Din Auliya see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Nizam ud-Din Auliya see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Sultan-ul-Mashaikh see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Mehboob-e-Ilahi see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya see Nizam al-Din Awliya’
nizam al-mulk
nizam al-mulk. Arabic term which is the title for a high functionary. The term nizam al-mulk literally means “regent of the kingdom” or "governor of the kingdom". Surnames in al-mulk (“of the kingdom”) are not used by the Egyptian emirs.
The title nizam al-mulk is borne by various Indian Muslim princes. The term is Arabic for “governor of the kingdom,” which also has been translated as “deputy for the whole empire.” In 1713 it was conferred on Chīn Qilich Khan (Āṣaf Jāh) by the Mughal emperor Muḥammad Shah and was held by his descendants, the rulers of the princely state of Hyderabad, until the mid-20th century. The head of a ruling family was commonly known as the nizam.
regent of the kingdom see nizam al-mulk.
governor of the kingdom see nizam al-mulk.
deputy for the whole empire see nizam al-mulk.
nizam al-mulk. Arabic term which is the title for a high functionary. The term nizam al-mulk literally means “regent of the kingdom” or "governor of the kingdom". Surnames in al-mulk (“of the kingdom”) are not used by the Egyptian emirs.
The title nizam al-mulk is borne by various Indian Muslim princes. The term is Arabic for “governor of the kingdom,” which also has been translated as “deputy for the whole empire.” In 1713 it was conferred on Chīn Qilich Khan (Āṣaf Jāh) by the Mughal emperor Muḥammad Shah and was held by his descendants, the rulers of the princely state of Hyderabad, until the mid-20th century. The head of a ruling family was commonly known as the nizam.
regent of the kingdom see nizam al-mulk.
governor of the kingdom see nizam al-mulk.
deputy for the whole empire see nizam al-mulk.
Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan (Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan Nizam al-Mulk) (Abu Ali al-Hasan al-Tusi Nizam al-Mulk) (Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk al-Tusi) (1017/1018 – October 14, 1092) (1017/1018-1092). Vizier of the Saljuq sultans Alp Arslan and Malik Shah. Nizam al-Mulk (literally “order of the realm”) was the honorific title of Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ali Tusi, the vizier to the Seljuk sultans Alp Arslan and Malikshah. Nizam al-Mulk was also a writer on the art of government.
Nizam al-Mulk was born near Tus, where his father was a minor official. The Ghaznavid sultan Mas‘ud ibn Mahmud having been defeated by the Saljuqs at Dandanqan in 1040, Nizam al-Mulk left the Ghaznavids for the Saljuqs. Nizam al-Mulk served the Seljuk prince Chaghri Beg and gained the regard of his son Alp Arslan, then governing Khorasan for his father.
Nizam al-Mulk was Alp Arslan’s right hand man throughout his reign (1063-1072), and upon the accession of his young son Malik-shah (1072-1092) became the virtual ruler of the empire. After the assassination of Alp Arslan in 1072, Nizam al-Mulk, for the next twenty years, was the real ruler of the Saljuq Empire, residing with the young Malik Shah at Isfahan. He was a champion of orthodoxy and a generous patron of learning, fostering both by founding the Nizamiyya College in Baghdad.
His relations with the ‘Abbasid caliphs al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah and al-Muqtadi were strained, but after he had been received graciously at Baghdad in 1086, he became a champion of the caliphate, while relations with Malik Shah and the princely family deteriorated. His vigorous repression of heresy led to his murder by an emissary of the “Assassins” of Alamut.
Nizam al-Mulk was assassinated in 1092, probably by an emissary of the Nizari Isma‘ili al-Hasan ibn al-Sabbah, who had obtained possession of Alamut. He was a lavish patron of religious men and poets. In 1091 and 1092, he wrote a monarch’s primer, in which he deals with dangers that threatened the empire, in particular from the Isma‘ilis. After his death, members of his family, known as Nizamiyya, held office under princes of the Saljuqs for the next sixty years, except for a gap between 1123 and 1134.
Nizam al-Mulk’s Siyasat-nama, written in unadorned Persian prose in 1091 at the invitation of Malik-shah and somewhat expanded by a later editor, is a practical manual of statecraft, illustrated by historical anecdotes.
Nizam al-Mulk is generally regarded as the principal architect of the Seljuk state. He began his administrative career under the Ghaznavids, from whom he would draw inspiration for both theory and practice throughout his life. Then, following the victories of the Seljuks, he entered their service in Khurasan, becoming Alp Arslan’s vizier and succeeding with him to imperial power.
Nizam al-Mulk combined his administrative skills with the military ventures of his sovereign to consolidate Seljuk authority from the Mediterranean to beyond the Oxus River. Although he was able to dominate the young Malikshah, Alp Arslan’s son and successor, the vizier and the sultan later fell out, probably because of Nizam al-Mulk’s arrogance as well as resistance at the court, due in part to his extensive use of nepotism.
Nizam al-Mulk’s greatness lies in his championing of traditional Perso-Islamic practices of government and his attempt to adapt them to the new context of the Islamic Middle Ages. His goal was to return substantial power to a civilian Persian bureaucracy. Here he was unable to reverse the trend toward Turkish military dominance. Ironically, he contributed to the growing autonomy of local military leaders. By introducing reforms in the land grant (iqta) system, he institutionalized it to the point that it would serve as a basis for their expanded power, influence, and independence. He was able, however, to contribute to the spread of a common educational and intellectual standard throughout Islam by supporting his own schools for Islamic scholars, the Nizamiyya madrasas.
Nizam al-Mulk’s practice was complemented by his theories, which were articulated in the Siyasatnama (Book of Government), a collection of advice, quotations, traditions, sayings, anecdotes, longer stories, contemporary events, and historical narratives, written in the last five years of his life. The Siyasatnama takes a well-deserved place in both the development of Persian literature and the refinement of Islamic political theory.
The first part of the book contains chapters about the king’s public function (“Concerning assignees of land and inquiry into their treatment of the peasantry,” “On obtaining information about the conduct of tax-collectors, judges ...”) as well as his more personal life (“Concerning boon companions and intimates ...,” “Concerning the rules and arrangements for drinking parties ...”). The second part is foreboding, dealing almost exclusively with heresy and various revolts, in particular with the contemporary activities of the Isma‘ilis.
Nizam al-Mulk’s pessimism was warranted. He was assassinated in 1092 by an Isma‘ili, possibly with the complicity of the enemies he had gathered at court over three decades. Malikshah died shortly thereafter. These dual voids would not be filled. Thus the decline of the Seljuk Empire in favor of smaller regional and local states was ensured.
Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan Nizam al-Mulk see Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Abu Ali al-Hasan al-Tusi Nizam al-Mulk see Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk al-Tusi see Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan (Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan Nizam al-Mulk) (Abu Ali al-Hasan al-Tusi Nizam al-Mulk) (Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk al-Tusi) (1017/1018 – October 14, 1092) (1017/1018-1092). Vizier of the Saljuq sultans Alp Arslan and Malik Shah. Nizam al-Mulk (literally “order of the realm”) was the honorific title of Abu Ali Hasan ibn Ali Tusi, the vizier to the Seljuk sultans Alp Arslan and Malikshah. Nizam al-Mulk was also a writer on the art of government.
Nizam al-Mulk was born near Tus, where his father was a minor official. The Ghaznavid sultan Mas‘ud ibn Mahmud having been defeated by the Saljuqs at Dandanqan in 1040, Nizam al-Mulk left the Ghaznavids for the Saljuqs. Nizam al-Mulk served the Seljuk prince Chaghri Beg and gained the regard of his son Alp Arslan, then governing Khorasan for his father.
Nizam al-Mulk was Alp Arslan’s right hand man throughout his reign (1063-1072), and upon the accession of his young son Malik-shah (1072-1092) became the virtual ruler of the empire. After the assassination of Alp Arslan in 1072, Nizam al-Mulk, for the next twenty years, was the real ruler of the Saljuq Empire, residing with the young Malik Shah at Isfahan. He was a champion of orthodoxy and a generous patron of learning, fostering both by founding the Nizamiyya College in Baghdad.
His relations with the ‘Abbasid caliphs al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah and al-Muqtadi were strained, but after he had been received graciously at Baghdad in 1086, he became a champion of the caliphate, while relations with Malik Shah and the princely family deteriorated. His vigorous repression of heresy led to his murder by an emissary of the “Assassins” of Alamut.
Nizam al-Mulk was assassinated in 1092, probably by an emissary of the Nizari Isma‘ili al-Hasan ibn al-Sabbah, who had obtained possession of Alamut. He was a lavish patron of religious men and poets. In 1091 and 1092, he wrote a monarch’s primer, in which he deals with dangers that threatened the empire, in particular from the Isma‘ilis. After his death, members of his family, known as Nizamiyya, held office under princes of the Saljuqs for the next sixty years, except for a gap between 1123 and 1134.
Nizam al-Mulk’s Siyasat-nama, written in unadorned Persian prose in 1091 at the invitation of Malik-shah and somewhat expanded by a later editor, is a practical manual of statecraft, illustrated by historical anecdotes.
Nizam al-Mulk is generally regarded as the principal architect of the Seljuk state. He began his administrative career under the Ghaznavids, from whom he would draw inspiration for both theory and practice throughout his life. Then, following the victories of the Seljuks, he entered their service in Khurasan, becoming Alp Arslan’s vizier and succeeding with him to imperial power.
Nizam al-Mulk combined his administrative skills with the military ventures of his sovereign to consolidate Seljuk authority from the Mediterranean to beyond the Oxus River. Although he was able to dominate the young Malikshah, Alp Arslan’s son and successor, the vizier and the sultan later fell out, probably because of Nizam al-Mulk’s arrogance as well as resistance at the court, due in part to his extensive use of nepotism.
Nizam al-Mulk’s greatness lies in his championing of traditional Perso-Islamic practices of government and his attempt to adapt them to the new context of the Islamic Middle Ages. His goal was to return substantial power to a civilian Persian bureaucracy. Here he was unable to reverse the trend toward Turkish military dominance. Ironically, he contributed to the growing autonomy of local military leaders. By introducing reforms in the land grant (iqta) system, he institutionalized it to the point that it would serve as a basis for their expanded power, influence, and independence. He was able, however, to contribute to the spread of a common educational and intellectual standard throughout Islam by supporting his own schools for Islamic scholars, the Nizamiyya madrasas.
Nizam al-Mulk’s practice was complemented by his theories, which were articulated in the Siyasatnama (Book of Government), a collection of advice, quotations, traditions, sayings, anecdotes, longer stories, contemporary events, and historical narratives, written in the last five years of his life. The Siyasatnama takes a well-deserved place in both the development of Persian literature and the refinement of Islamic political theory.
The first part of the book contains chapters about the king’s public function (“Concerning assignees of land and inquiry into their treatment of the peasantry,” “On obtaining information about the conduct of tax-collectors, judges ...”) as well as his more personal life (“Concerning boon companions and intimates ...,” “Concerning the rules and arrangements for drinking parties ...”). The second part is foreboding, dealing almost exclusively with heresy and various revolts, in particular with the contemporary activities of the Isma‘ilis.
Nizam al-Mulk’s pessimism was warranted. He was assassinated in 1092 by an Isma‘ili, possibly with the complicity of the enemies he had gathered at court over three decades. Malikshah died shortly thereafter. These dual voids would not be filled. Thus the decline of the Seljuk Empire in favor of smaller regional and local states was ensured.
Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan Nizam al-Mulk see Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Abu Ali al-Hasan al-Tusi Nizam al-Mulk see Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk al-Tusi see Nizam al-Mulk, Abu ‘Ali al-Hasan
Nizami
Nizami (Ilyas ibn Yusuf Nizami) (Nezāmi-ye Ganjavi) (Nîzamî Gencewî) (Niżām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakī ibn-Mu‘ayyad) (Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Nizami Ganjawi) (1140/1141-1209). Born in Ganja, Nizami became the greatest Persian poet of the southern Caucasus. His epic work consists of five separate poems compiled by later generations into a collection called the Khamsa (Quintet). Each poem is composed in a different meter and evokes a different tradition. Makhzan al-asrar (Treasury of Secrets) is an ethical-philosophical poem rich in parable and allegory; Khusrau u Shirin, said to be inspired by Nizami’s grief over the death of his first wife, is an interpretation of a tragic, semi-historical Middle Iranian love story; Laila u Majnun, also a romantic tragedy, is based on Arabic folklore; Haft paykar (Seven Portraits) gives an account of the education and reign of an ideal king, her Bahram Gur. The fifth epic, which consists of two parts, Sharafnama (Book of Honor) and Iqbalnama (Book of Happiness), is a portrait of Alexander the Great as warrior, philosopher, and king.
Of the presumed twenty thousand lyrical verses of Nizami, two thousand have survived to attest to his mastery of the genres of ghazal (love poetry) and qasida (panegyric). A large number of imitators in Iran and in areas under the influence of Persian culture, such as Turkey, Central Asia, and India, composed Khamsas of their own. Thus, the formal conventions and mythology of the original were widely circulated.
Nizami (Nezami) was the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic.
Little is known of Neẓāmī’s life. Orphaned at a young age, he spent his entire life in Ganja, leaving only once to meet the ruling prince. Although he enjoyed the patronage of a number of rulers and princes, he was distinguished by his simple life and straightforward character.
Only a handful of his qaṣīdahs (“odes”) and ghazals (“lyrics”) have survived; his reputation rests on his great Khamseh (“The Quintuplet”), a pentalogy of poems written in mas̄navī verse form (rhymed couplets) and totaling 30,000 couplets. Drawing inspiration from the Persian epic poets Ferdowsī and Sanāʾī, he proved himself the first great dramatic poet of Persian literature. The first poem in the pentology is the didactic poem Makhzan al-asrār (The Treasury of Mysteries), the second the romantic epic Khosrow o-Shīrīn (“Khosrow and Shīrīn”). The third is his rendition of a well-known story in Islāmic folklore, Leyli o-Mejnūn (The Story of Leyla and Majnun). The fourth poem, Haft paykar (The Seven Beauties), is considered his masterwork. The final poem in the pentalogy is the Sikandar or Eskandar-nāmeh (“Book of Alexander the Great”), a philosophical portrait of Alexander.
Neẓāmī is admired in Persian-speaking lands for his originality and clarity of style, though his love of language for its own sake and of philosophical and scientific learning makes his work difficult for the average reader.
Ilyas ibn Yusuf Nizami see Nizami
Nezāmi-ye Ganjavi see Nizami
Nîzamî Gencewî see Nizami
Niżām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakī ibn-Mu‘ayyad see Nizami
Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Nizami Ganjawi see Nizami
Nizami (Ilyas ibn Yusuf Nizami) (Nezāmi-ye Ganjavi) (Nîzamî Gencewî) (Niżām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakī ibn-Mu‘ayyad) (Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Nizami Ganjawi) (1140/1141-1209). Born in Ganja, Nizami became the greatest Persian poet of the southern Caucasus. His epic work consists of five separate poems compiled by later generations into a collection called the Khamsa (Quintet). Each poem is composed in a different meter and evokes a different tradition. Makhzan al-asrar (Treasury of Secrets) is an ethical-philosophical poem rich in parable and allegory; Khusrau u Shirin, said to be inspired by Nizami’s grief over the death of his first wife, is an interpretation of a tragic, semi-historical Middle Iranian love story; Laila u Majnun, also a romantic tragedy, is based on Arabic folklore; Haft paykar (Seven Portraits) gives an account of the education and reign of an ideal king, her Bahram Gur. The fifth epic, which consists of two parts, Sharafnama (Book of Honor) and Iqbalnama (Book of Happiness), is a portrait of Alexander the Great as warrior, philosopher, and king.
Of the presumed twenty thousand lyrical verses of Nizami, two thousand have survived to attest to his mastery of the genres of ghazal (love poetry) and qasida (panegyric). A large number of imitators in Iran and in areas under the influence of Persian culture, such as Turkey, Central Asia, and India, composed Khamsas of their own. Thus, the formal conventions and mythology of the original were widely circulated.
Nizami (Nezami) was the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic.
Little is known of Neẓāmī’s life. Orphaned at a young age, he spent his entire life in Ganja, leaving only once to meet the ruling prince. Although he enjoyed the patronage of a number of rulers and princes, he was distinguished by his simple life and straightforward character.
Only a handful of his qaṣīdahs (“odes”) and ghazals (“lyrics”) have survived; his reputation rests on his great Khamseh (“The Quintuplet”), a pentalogy of poems written in mas̄navī verse form (rhymed couplets) and totaling 30,000 couplets. Drawing inspiration from the Persian epic poets Ferdowsī and Sanāʾī, he proved himself the first great dramatic poet of Persian literature. The first poem in the pentology is the didactic poem Makhzan al-asrār (The Treasury of Mysteries), the second the romantic epic Khosrow o-Shīrīn (“Khosrow and Shīrīn”). The third is his rendition of a well-known story in Islāmic folklore, Leyli o-Mejnūn (The Story of Leyla and Majnun). The fourth poem, Haft paykar (The Seven Beauties), is considered his masterwork. The final poem in the pentalogy is the Sikandar or Eskandar-nāmeh (“Book of Alexander the Great”), a philosophical portrait of Alexander.
Neẓāmī is admired in Persian-speaking lands for his originality and clarity of style, though his love of language for its own sake and of philosophical and scientific learning makes his work difficult for the average reader.
Ilyas ibn Yusuf Nizami see Nizami
Nezāmi-ye Ganjavi see Nizami
Nîzamî Gencewî see Nizami
Niżām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakī ibn-Mu‘ayyad see Nizami
Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Nizami Ganjawi see Nizami
Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar (Ahmad ibn ‘Umar Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi) (Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Alī) (Nizamī-i Arūzī-i Samarqandī) (Arudi) (Aruzi) ("The Prosodist") (fl.1110-1161). Persian poet and prose writer. One of the most remarkable Persian writers of prose in twelfth century. He faithfully served the Ghurid princes for 45 years. His fame rests on his Four Discourses, each of which deals with one of the classes of men whom the author regards as indispensable in the service of kings: secretaries, poets, astrologers and physicians. Nizami also gives the earliest notice of Firdawsi, and the only contemporary reference to ‘Omar Khayyam.
Born in Samarqand, Aruzi spent most of his time in Khorasan and Transoxiana. He served as essentially a court-poet to the Ghurids for many years, and is considered one of the greatest of the Persian prose writers, though his poetry is considered inferior to his prose. All that is known of his personal life is gleaned from the Chahar Maqala itself. While he was primarily a courtier, he also noted in his book that he was an astronomer and physician as well. He reports in the work that he spent time not only in his native Samarqand, but also in Herat, Tus (where he visited Ferdowsi's tomb and gathered material on the great poet), Balkh, and Nishapur, where he lived for perhaps five years. He also claimed to have studied under the astronomer-poet Omar Khayyám, a native of Nishapour.
In the Introduction to the Chahar Maqala, Nizami Aruzi elaborates on issues of natural science, epistemology and politics. He is a champion of the ancient Persian concept of kingship which, for the sake of legitimation, is expressed in Muslim vocabulary. His elaboration on the classes of society is influenced by Persian as well as Greek conceptions, especially Plato.
The Chahar Maqala has been rendered into English, French, Italian and Swedish.
Ahmad ibn ‘Umar Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqand see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Alī see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Nizamī-i Arūzī-i Samarqandī see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Arudi see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
The Prosodist see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar (Ahmad ibn ‘Umar Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi) (Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Alī) (Nizamī-i Arūzī-i Samarqandī) (Arudi) (Aruzi) ("The Prosodist") (fl.1110-1161). Persian poet and prose writer. One of the most remarkable Persian writers of prose in twelfth century. He faithfully served the Ghurid princes for 45 years. His fame rests on his Four Discourses, each of which deals with one of the classes of men whom the author regards as indispensable in the service of kings: secretaries, poets, astrologers and physicians. Nizami also gives the earliest notice of Firdawsi, and the only contemporary reference to ‘Omar Khayyam.
Born in Samarqand, Aruzi spent most of his time in Khorasan and Transoxiana. He served as essentially a court-poet to the Ghurids for many years, and is considered one of the greatest of the Persian prose writers, though his poetry is considered inferior to his prose. All that is known of his personal life is gleaned from the Chahar Maqala itself. While he was primarily a courtier, he also noted in his book that he was an astronomer and physician as well. He reports in the work that he spent time not only in his native Samarqand, but also in Herat, Tus (where he visited Ferdowsi's tomb and gathered material on the great poet), Balkh, and Nishapur, where he lived for perhaps five years. He also claimed to have studied under the astronomer-poet Omar Khayyám, a native of Nishapour.
In the Introduction to the Chahar Maqala, Nizami Aruzi elaborates on issues of natural science, epistemology and politics. He is a champion of the ancient Persian concept of kingship which, for the sake of legitimation, is expressed in Muslim vocabulary. His elaboration on the classes of society is influenced by Persian as well as Greek conceptions, especially Plato.
The Chahar Maqala has been rendered into English, French, Italian and Swedish.
Ahmad ibn ‘Umar Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqand see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Alī see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Nizamī-i Arūzī-i Samarqandī see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Arudi see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
The Prosodist see Nizami ‘Arudi Samarqandi, Ahmad ibn ‘Umar
Nizami Ganjawi, Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad
Nizami Ganjawi, Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad (Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Nizami Ganjawi). See Nizami.
Nizami Ganjawi, Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad (Jamal al-Din Abu Muhammad Nizami Ganjawi). See Nizami.
Nizami, Hasan
Nizami, Hasan (Hasan Nizami) (Sadr al-Din Muhammad). Persian historian from Nishapur of the thirteenth century. He is known for a great work which deals with the history of the first three Mu ‘izzi or Slave Kings of Delhi.
Hasan Nizami see Nizami, Hasan
Sadr al-Din Muhammad see Nizami, Hasan
Muhammad, Sadr al-Din see Nizami, Hasan
Nizami, Hasan (Hasan Nizami) (Sadr al-Din Muhammad). Persian historian from Nishapur of the thirteenth century. He is known for a great work which deals with the history of the first three Mu ‘izzi or Slave Kings of Delhi.
Hasan Nizami see Nizami, Hasan
Sadr al-Din Muhammad see Nizami, Hasan
Muhammad, Sadr al-Din see Nizami, Hasan
Nizam Shahis
Nizam Shahis. Name of an independent sultanate at Ahmadnagar, which arose out of the ruins of the Bahmanid kingdom of the Deccan. The sultanate lasted from 1490 to 1633. It was annexed by the Mughals, notwithstanding the attempts of the Maratha leader Shaji Bhonsle to resuscitate the dynasty.
Shahis, Nizam see Nizam Shahis.
Nizam Shahis. Name of an independent sultanate at Ahmadnagar, which arose out of the ruins of the Bahmanid kingdom of the Deccan. The sultanate lasted from 1490 to 1633. It was annexed by the Mughals, notwithstanding the attempts of the Maratha leader Shaji Bhonsle to resuscitate the dynasty.
Shahis, Nizam see Nizam Shahis.
Nizari Isma‘ilis
Nizari Isma‘ilis (Nizariyya). Major branch of the Isma‘iliyya. The Nizaris derive their name from Nizar, the eldest son of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir bi-‘llah, to whom they gave their allegiance, rejecting the claims of Nizar’s brother al-Musta‘li bi-‘llah. One of their most important figures was Hasan-i Sabbah. After the destruction of Alamut, the various communities in Syria and Persia struggled to survive. They emerged in the Punjab, Sind and Gujarat, where they are known as Khojas. Their present Imam is Aga Khan IV, Nizari communities are found in Asia, Africa (Zanzibar), Europe, the United States and Canada. (See also Assassins.)
Nizariyya see Nizari Isma‘ilis
Khojas see Nizari Isma‘ilis
Nizari Isma‘ilis (Nizariyya). Major branch of the Isma‘iliyya. The Nizaris derive their name from Nizar, the eldest son of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir bi-‘llah, to whom they gave their allegiance, rejecting the claims of Nizar’s brother al-Musta‘li bi-‘llah. One of their most important figures was Hasan-i Sabbah. After the destruction of Alamut, the various communities in Syria and Persia struggled to survive. They emerged in the Punjab, Sind and Gujarat, where they are known as Khojas. Their present Imam is Aga Khan IV, Nizari communities are found in Asia, Africa (Zanzibar), Europe, the United States and Canada. (See also Assassins.)
Nizariyya see Nizari Isma‘ilis
Khojas see Nizari Isma‘ilis
Nizaris
The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī (an-Nizāriyyūn), is a path (tariqah) of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority of the Ismā‘īlī. There are an estimated 12 to 15 million Nizari Ismā‘īlī residing in more than 25 countries and territories.
Nizari teachings affirm the Islamic tenet that there is "No god but the One God, and Muhammad is the final Prophet of God". Along with other Shī‘a, Nizari believe that following the Prophet's death his relative Ali Ibn Talib was selected by divine decree to succeed the Prophet as Imam in the institution of Imamate (Imama) which continues in an unbroken hereditary chain through Ali Ibn Talib, and Fatimah Az Zahra (the Prophet Muhammad's daughter) to the present day, under the aegis of His Highness Prince Shah Karim Al-Husayni, the Aga Khan IV, their forty ninth Imam.
Human society is believed to be in a state of continuous flux, the role of the Imam is to find permanent solutions to issues, and challenges raised by increasingly rapid changes in the world; to care for the spiritual and material well being of their followers as well as humanity at large, and to safeguard the rights of the individual to spiritual, social, and scientific inquiry.
The Nizāriyyah are the spiritual descendants of the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1094 CC) and the subsequent "Assassins" of Alamūt under Dā‘ī Hassan aṣ-Ṣabbaḥ (1034-1124 CC).
The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī (an-Nizāriyyūn), is a path (tariqah) of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority of the Ismā‘īlī. There are an estimated 12 to 15 million Nizari Ismā‘īlī residing in more than 25 countries and territories.
Nizari teachings affirm the Islamic tenet that there is "No god but the One God, and Muhammad is the final Prophet of God". Along with other Shī‘a, Nizari believe that following the Prophet's death his relative Ali Ibn Talib was selected by divine decree to succeed the Prophet as Imam in the institution of Imamate (Imama) which continues in an unbroken hereditary chain through Ali Ibn Talib, and Fatimah Az Zahra (the Prophet Muhammad's daughter) to the present day, under the aegis of His Highness Prince Shah Karim Al-Husayni, the Aga Khan IV, their forty ninth Imam.
Human society is believed to be in a state of continuous flux, the role of the Imam is to find permanent solutions to issues, and challenges raised by increasingly rapid changes in the world; to care for the spiritual and material well being of their followers as well as humanity at large, and to safeguard the rights of the individual to spiritual, social, and scientific inquiry.
The Nizāriyyah are the spiritual descendants of the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1094 CC) and the subsequent "Assassins" of Alamūt under Dā‘ī Hassan aṣ-Ṣabbaḥ (1034-1124 CC).
Isma'ili Islam believes God is the One true and perfect reality from which all forms descend. The creator who is omniscient, omnipotent, and beyond the comprehension of human thought or sensory perception. God creates and sustains existence (time-space) through a series of radiations originating in the godhead. From God's own substance waves radiate out, yet God's own being never decreases, nor diminishes. Waves move further away from the source through the realities, but subsequently become less divine. This process is on going and never ceases. So in one sense God not merely created existence, but is constantly sustaining it, and by extension the ultimate revelation of existence is that God is the only true reality.
The Arabic term for God is Allāh, in Persian Khuda. Nizari use both; but their discourse often describes God as "that which cannot be reached by the boldness of thoughts". Though this unknowable divinity can not be realized in this reality, God may be contemplated within it, meditation of the divine can reveal a glimpse (deedar) of what is yet to come. The idea of Kashf (unveiling), as opposed to Satr (hidden), to reach a hidden mystical knowledge or truth (haqq) concerning the human condition, and the discovery of a fuller life. Creation consists of two states: The intelligible (batin) which is pure, and thus permanent, fixed, and eternal which can be revealed through unveiling (kasf), and the sensible (zahir) which is mixed, and thus dissolves, and is impermanent, and finite which is itself veiled (satr). Isma'ili seek to be bestowed with the Tajallî, the transfiguration of the individual through meditative contemplation. Tajallî is seen as a divinely ordained act of virtue, in which a human being can attain a direct perception of the divine gnosis (ma'rifat), which is beyond knowable forms involving the annihilation (fanâ') of the one to whom it is granted.
The Nizari, like all Muslims, consider the Qur'an to be the word of God. The Qur'an is viewed as the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad by God through the Arch-Angel Gabriel between 610 CC and his death on June 8, 632 CC.
The Qur'an is divided into 114 suras, or chapters, which combined, contain 6,236 āyāt, or verses. The chronologically earlier suras, revealed at Mecca, are primarily concerned with ethical and spiritual topics. The later Medinan suras mostly discuss social and moral issues relevant to the Muslim community.
The Naziri employ the science of Qu'ranic commentary and esoteric exegesis known as Ta'wil to reveal the batin (inner, esoteric), in addition to Tafsir to reveal the zahir (outer, exoteric), as tools of interpretation of scripture. Ta'wil stems from a Qur’anic word meaning "to return", "going back to" the original meaning of the Qur’an. While acknowledging the importance of both batin and zahir in religion, the batin (inner, esoteric) understandings of religion, informs how the Zahir (outer, exoteric) aspects of religion are practiced, but more importantly guides the believer on a spiritual journey that engages both the intellect ('aql) and the spirit (ruh) on a journey of discovery of the intangible truth (haq'iqq), with the ultimate destination being that of gnosis (ma'rifat).
The word Qur'an means "recitation". When Muslims speak in the abstract about "the Qur'an", they usually mean the scripture as recited rather than the printed work or any translation of it. For Isma'ili the Qu'ran is embodied most perfectly in the form of the Imam-i-Zaman, whose engagement of the Qu'ran through the use of Ta'wil and Tafsir is believed by Nizari to be "par excellence" due to divine inspiration.
A fundamental belief of the Imami Shi'a school is that the Prophet Muhammad, was imparted with a divine spark that dated back to the founding of the universe. This Nūr Dīn Muhammad (Light of Religion of Muhammad) had by divine decree been passed onto his son in law, Imam ‘Alī ibn Talib who had in turn passed it on to his descendants through the concept of nass; where divinely inspired, the Imām appoints his successor. Religious guidance can only come from the designate Imām who remains a constant guide from God in the world. For Shi'a the Imāmate is a mercy, and a belief in humanity from God, who would never leave humanity without access to divine guidance and leadership. The term "Imām" takes on a different significance for the Shi‘a, whereas for the Sunni an Imām is any member of a congregation who leads prayer.
For the Isma'ili, the chain of Imamate remains continuous until the end of the world, Imams may go in to satr (concealment, veiling) ushering in an age known as dawr-Al sartr (epoch of concealment) when the Imams remain hidden from the eyes of the bulk of their followers which may be generational; when safety is assured they re-emerge as kashf (manifest, unveiled), and usher in an age of dawr-al-Kashf (epoch of unveiling). For the Isma'ili, the Imams do not manifest supernatural abilities, but rather exemplary qualities in dealing with the spiritual and material well being of their followers, they guard individual intellectual inquiry, and foster community cohesion.
Isma'ilism holds that there are seven pillars in Islam, each of which possess both an exoteric outer (Zahir) expression, and an esoteric inner (Batin) expression.
The Shahādah, or profession of faith, is not considered a Pillar as it is in other schools of Islam. Rather as the foundation upon which the Seven Pillars rest. The recitation of the shahādatayn (La ilaha illa Allah wa Muhammadun rasulu l-Lah) “There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God” confirms one as a Muslim. The Shia and the Nizari add wa ‘Aliyun wali llah: "‘Alī is the guardian [appointed] of God" at the end of the shahādatayn, a confirmation that one is a Mu'min "believer" under the guardianship (walayya) of the Imam and on the esoteric inner path (tariqah).
For the Nizari, the Seven Pillars of faith consist of:
1. Walayah Guardianship: cultivating a pure loving affection for, attachment to, and intimacy with God, as manifested by the Prophets and the Imams by continually offering loyalty, allegiance, devotion and obedience to God, and those who manifest divine guardianship. For the Nizari, intimacy with God is the true desire of every soul.
2. Taharah Purity: physical cleanliness, keeping a hygienic home and personal presence, but also a purity of the heart and the soul.
3. Salah Prayer: Nizari Isma'ili as Imami Shia practice the Salah according to the Ja‘farī madhhab, which is performed to mark important festivals. Nizari more generally perform a ritual du‘a three times a day. The Nizari, like the Sufi, practice dhikr "remembrance" of God, the Prophets and the Imams, which can take the form of a melodic communal chant or can be performed in silence.
4. Zakah Charity: Volunteering, and the sharing of one's own knowledge or skills, as well as tithing. Nizari are encouraged to actively volunteer in the running of community spaces, and offering their specialized knowledge (legal, medical, or more vocational expertise) to the wider community. Zakah also refers to tithing. Islamic tradition holds that the Imam was designated to collect zakāt from believers. It is now the duty to pay the Imām or his representative. The zakat tithes are to be redistributed in local, and international, development.
5. Sawm Fasting: Fasting during the month of Ramadan and to mark the new moon is believed to be beneficial for those who are overwrought with the base ego; desire, rage, and the self. Isma'ilis who are following the tariqah (path) seek to transcend the base ego so as to attain an inner being that is in harmony. Isma'ilis absorb food as nourishment for a healthy, peaceful, body and mind. The more important fast is that of mind and heart, where one abstains from unworthy concerns and worldly thoughts.
6. Hajj Pilgrimage: The pilgrimage to Mecca is required at least once in an individual's life. For the Nizari, there is also a fuller discovery to be made regarding life. The Imams spirit, both a spiritual and physical glimpse (Deedar) aid them in transforming themselves into spiritual beings. During the hajj, the Nizari cease to be ordinary people existing within the exoteric reality, but rather journey to and discover an inner reality of life.
7. Jihad Struggle: Jihad is a struggle against deeply personal and social vices, such as wrath, intolerance, and envy. Jihad is intended to remove one from the ease of the divine presence. The struggle may also take the form of a physical war against those that harm the peace, either militarily or through subterfuge, with the aim of restoring or creating a just society. Isma'ilis are instructed to avoid provocation, and to use force only as a final resort, and only in self-defense.
Various rival approaches to the challenge that Greek rationalism posed to revelation permeated early Islamic society. The Ashʿari considered Kalam (reason) contradictory to Islam and philosophy (falsafa) as inherently antagonistic to faith, asserting the absolute supremacy of revelation, and the abandonment of reason in the spiritual space and the secular space (both of which are interconnected within orthodox Islam). The Mutazili took a less absolutist approach asserting the supremacy of traditionalism, yet allowing for a limited role of reason (Kalam). Isma'ili adopted an altogether more philosophical approach in which only through reasoned discourse could one attain understanding of revelation, social structure, individualism as well as the functioning of the natural world. For this reason, the Isma'ili produced a relatively scant collection of theological discourse in comparison to other Shia, and the Sunni. However, they commanded a leading place in the development of philosophical discourse within the Islamic world.
While Nizari belong to the Imami or Ja‘fāriyya Madhab (school of Jurisprudence), founded by Imam Ja‘far as-Sadiq, they adhere to the supremacy of reason, "Kalam", in the interpretation of scripture, and believe in the temporal relativism of understanding, as opposed to fiqh (traditional legalism), which adheres to an absolutism approach to revelation.
For the Nizari, reasoning is arrived at through a dialectic between revelation and human reasoning, based on a synergy of Islamic scripture and classical Greek philosophy, in particular Aristotelean reasoning and Platonic metaphysics. It seeks to extend an understanding of religion and revelation to identify the outwardly apparent (zahir), and also to penetrate to the roots, to retrieve and disclose that which is the inner underlying (batin). This process of discovery engages both the intellect (‘aql) and the spirit (ruh), operating in an integral synergy to illuminate and disclose truths (haqa’iq) culminating in gnosis (ma'rifat).
Isma'ili history is often traced through the unbroken hereditary chain of Guardianship or (waliya), beginning with, as the Shia believe, Ali Ibn Talib being declared Muhammad's successor as Imam by the Prophet Muhammad during his final pilgrimage to Mecca, a journey referred to as The Farewell Pilgrimage, and continuing in an unbroken chain to the current Imam.
The history of the Nizari includes the establishment of two states governed by their Imams, including the first Shia Empire and the Fatimid Empire, a considerable feat considering that the Nizari are small minority of the Shia, who are in turn are a minority within Islam.
In Africa, Asia and the Middle East, a major objective of the Community's social welfare and economic programs, until the mid-fifties, had been to create a broad base of businessmen, agriculturists, and professionals. The educational facilities of the community tended to emphasize secondary-level education. With the coming of independence, each nation's economic aspirations took on new dimensions, focusing on industrialization and modernization of agriculture. The community's educational priorities had to be reassessed in the context of new national goals, and new institutions had to be created to respond to the growing complexity of the development process.
It is this commitment to man's dignity and relief of humanity that inspires the Ismā'īlī Imāmat's philanthropic institutions. Giving of one's competence, sharing one's time, material or intellectual ability with those among whom one lives, for the relief of hardship, pain or ignorance is a deeply ingrained tradition which shapes the social conscience of the Ismā'īlī Muslim community.
Jama'at Khana, from the Arabic "Jamaat" (congregation), and the Persian "Khaneh" (house), are Isma'ili houses of prayer, study, and community. They usually contain separate spaces for prayer, and a social hall for community gatherings. There are no principle architectural guidelines for Jama'at Khana although inspiration is drawn from Islamic architectural philosophy, and local architectural traditions to seamlessly, and discretely place them into the local architectural environment. Architectural forms and interior designs of Jamaat Khana vary from east to west, but are focused on a minimalist design aesthetic. Jama'at Khana do not contain minarets, or announce the call to prayer, and while they may contain a central dome, seldom do.
Larger Jama'at Khana are referred to as "Dharkhanas", or "Isma'ili Centers" in the west, and have been referred to as "Isma'ili Cathedrals" by observers. While containing prayer, and social infrastructure albeit on a larger scale, they may also contain auditoriums and lecture spaces, libraries, offices, and council chambers, as they act as the regional, or national governing centers for community administration.
Jama'at Khana, particularly the larger centers offer their spaces to the community at large, and arrange guided tours. However, during prayer only Isma'ili are allowed to enter the prayer hall.
The Isma'ili flag known as "My Flag"
The Fatimids adopted Green (akhdar) as the color of their standard, which symbolized their allegiance to Hasdret Ali, who in order to thwart an assassination attempt once wrapped himself in a green coverlet in place of the Prophet Muhammad. When Hassan I Sabbah captured Alamut it is said he hoisted the green standard over the fortress, it was later reported that Hassan I Sabbah prophesied that when the Hidden Imam made himself known he would hoist a red flag, which Hasan II did during his appearance. Following the destruction of Alamut Ismaili hoisted both green and red flags above the tombs of their Imams. Green and Red were unified in the 19th century into the Isma'ili flag known as "My Flag".
The Fatimids adopted Green (akhdar) as the color of their standard, which symbolized their allegiance to Hasdret Ali, who in order to thwart an assassination attempt once wrapped himself in a green coverlet in place of the Prophet Muhammad. When Hassan I Sabbah captured Alamut it is said he hoisted the green standard over the fortress, it was later reported that Hassan I Sabbah prophesied that when the Hidden Imam made himself known he would hoist a red flag, which Hasan II did during his appearance. Following the destruction of Alamut Ismaili hoisted both green and red flags above the tombs of their Imams. Green and Red were unified in the 19th century into the Isma'ili flag known as "My Flag".
The Fatimids also used a white standard with gold inlays, and the Caliph Imams often wore white with gold, as they do today. Isma'ilis use a gold crest on white standard to symbolize the authority of the Imamate. The Isma'ilis often wear white in the presence of their Imam.
The heptagram (septegram) a seven pointed star is often used by Isma'ilis as a symbol.
Marriage ("ʿurs") is a legal contract ("Nikkah") between a consenting adult man and a woman. It is not considered a sacrament in Islam as it is in Christianity. As a contract, it allows both parties to add certain conditions.
Nizari ideals of marriage envision a long term union and thus the Nizari also reject short Nikah Mut'ah and Misyar temporary marriage contracts.
Nizari of either gender may marry from spouses from the Abrahamic faiths, Jews, Christians, Samaritans, as well as Zoroastrians. However an emphasis is placed on marrying within the community, or converting partners who are outside the fold, raising children of mixed unions as Isma'ili Muslim.
Since marriage is not considered a sacrament in Islam, Nizari Isma'ili consider secular court marriages in the west as valid legal contracts. However many Isma'ili couples in the west opt into a court marriage to secure legal recognition, in addition to a Nikkah ceremony performed at a Jama'at Khana.
Nizari ideals of marriage envision a long term union and thus the Nizari also reject short Nikah Mut'ah and Misyar temporary marriage contracts.
Nizari of either gender may marry from spouses from the Abrahamic faiths, Jews, Christians, Samaritans, as well as Zoroastrians. However an emphasis is placed on marrying within the community, or converting partners who are outside the fold, raising children of mixed unions as Isma'ili Muslim.
Since marriage is not considered a sacrament in Islam, Nizari Isma'ili consider secular court marriages in the west as valid legal contracts. However many Isma'ili couples in the west opt into a court marriage to secure legal recognition, in addition to a Nikkah ceremony performed at a Jama'at Khana.
Nāndi is a ceremony in which food is symbolically offered to the Imām-e Zamān, and is subsequently auctioned to the congregation. Money obtained are forwarded to the Imām by officials. The Ceremony is conducted by volunteers from the community. The food is prepared at home and is brought to the Jamāa't khāne. The Mukhi (congregation head) includes the food known as "Mehmāni" during a blessing at the end of prayers, informing the congregation that it has been offered to the Imām and the benefits of it are for the whole Jamāt. If no physical Mehmāni has been brought to the Jamātkhāne then a symbolic plate called the "Mehmāni plate" can be touched during the Du'a Karavi ceremony, this serves as a substitute for physical food.
The origins of Nāndi are said to be in the Prophet Muhammad's time when a similar practice occurred; however a more likely origin is that it developed from the south Asian Isma'ili who offered food within temples before their conversion to Islam, the ceremony then becoming Islamized, which explains its popularity amongst South Asians.
The Nizari use an arithmetic based Lunar calendar to calculate the year, unlike most Muslim communities who rely on visual sightings. The Isma'ili calendar was developed in the Middle Ages during the Faitmid Caliphate of Imam Al-Hakim.
A lunar year contains about 354 11/30 days, Nizari Isma'ili employ a cycle of 11 leap years (kasibah) with 355 days in a 30 year cycle. The odd numbered months contain 30 days and the even numbered months 29 days, the 12th and final month in a leap year contains 30 days.
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