By MALIK MERCHANT

July 11, 2024, marks a significant milestone in the history of Ismaili Muslims worldwide. It’s the 67th Imamat Day of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan. This day symbolizes his succession to the Divine Throne of Imamat as the 49th Ismaili Imam at the young age of 20, a pivotal moment in the continuing spiritual and material journey of the Ismaili Muslim community.

On this auspicious day, we extend our heartfelt felicitations to all our readers and Ismailis worldwide and express our humble gratitude to Mawlana Hazar Imam for his continuous blessings and guidance for his spiritual children. We also appreciate his family members for their contribution to the Institution of Imamat.

On this blessed day, we extend our warmest wishes to all Ismailis worldwide. May this Imamat Day bring you joy, good health, prosperity, and spiritual enlightenment. Let’s find solace in the constant presence of the Imam in our lives. He wishes the best for us, both in our material and spiritual aspects, and we are always in his heart, thoughts, and prayers. As he reminds us, “You are all constantly in my heart, in my thoughts and in my prayers.”

The Imam’s love for his community is unwavering. As he has said, “No mountains, no river, no desert can separate the Imam from his murids” and “You must remember that Imam loves you more, much more than you can ever love him, and you must be strong in this knowledge.”

Indeed, as murids (followers) of Mawlana Hazar Imam, we must draw strength from these messages.

The Rope of Imamat is an everlasting Rope of Guidance, Love and Affection and will stretch out for eternity; the wish and prayer of every murid of the Imam should be to hold fast to the Promised Rope and remain on the Straight Path (Sirat al-Mustaqim).

Earlier this week, Kutub Kassam’s poem and introduction to the poem Mazhar or Theophany made it abundantly clear that the Imam-of-the-Time is the Mazhar par excellence. He is the bearer of the Divine Light in the terrestrial world and the most perfect expression of the underlying divine reality.

Story continues below

As a follow-up, Toronto’s Karim Ismail has designed a beautiful Imamat Day card bearing the Quranic verse, “Wa kulla shai’in ahsainaahu feee Imaamim Mubeen” (Sura Yaseen,36:12), meaning “We have vested (the knowledge and authority of) everything in the Manifest Imam.”

This verse underscores the central role of the Imam in our spiritual journey and our lives. Our goal should be to strengthen this belief in our hearts, minds and souls for our spiritual upliftment, happiness, and courage to face any adversity that comes our way. As the 48th Imam, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, observed, “You will have no fear in this world if you love the descendants of Muhammad and Ali.”

Date posted: July 10, 2024.

___________________

Originally from Uganda, Karim Ismail lived in England before settling in Canada. By profession, he is a Pharmacist (retired).  It was in England, in 1986, that he came across the artwork of a German Muslim, Karl Schlamminger (1935-2017), at the Ismaili Centre London. Karl’s artwork on calligraphy and geometrics, had a profound effect on Karim. He is frequently seen conducting calligraphy workshops for children at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Karim is also active on the literature counter at the Ismaili Centre Toronto.

FEEDBACK

Barakah welcomes your feedback. Please complete the LEAVE A REPLY form below. Your letter may be edited for length and brevity, and is subject to moderation.

VISIT BARAKAH’S SISTER WEBSITES

Before departing this website, please take a moment to visit Barakah’s Home Page or Table of Contents for links to more than 350 pieces dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat. Also, visit our two sister websites, Simerg and Simergphotos. Barakah’s editor, Malik, may be reached at mmerchant@barakah.com. Please follow him @Facebook, @X and @LinkedIn.