By SHIRAZ PRADHAN

Ours is a journey, a journey not of kilometres, but of meaning. A journey that begins with a question: Can God be seen? This question has echoed across centuries, whispered in the hearts of mystics, shouted in the silence of longing. It is the question that opens the gates of Didar, the vision of the Divine.

Part I: Three Windows into the Longing for Vision

1. The Question to Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq

Kitab al Tawhid [i] recounts a moment of profound theological and mystical tension. Abu Basīr approaches Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq and asks: “Will God be visible to everyone on the Day of Judgment?”

The Imam replies with a subtlety that transcends literalism. He does not say yes or no. Instead, he redirects the question inward. The vision of God, he implies, is not a spectacle of the eyes but a transformation of the soul. It is not about seeing as much as it is about being seen, about becoming receptive to the Divine gaze.

This moment sets the tone: Didar is not a passive event. It is an active, inner awakening.

2. The Blind Pilgrims on Mount Tabor

Let us now ascend Mount Tabor, the traditional site of Christ’s Transfiguration [ii]. In a mystical retelling, a group of blind pilgrims gathers at the summit. Each is asked: What did you see?

One says, “I saw a flame.” Another, “I saw a garden.” A third, “I saw nothing, but I felt everything.”

The responses are as varied as the souls who speak them. The phrase “calam capri poutie”, a poetic cipher, evokes the ineffable nature of divine encounter. The vision is not uniform. It is tailored to the inner eye of each seeker.

This teaches us that Didar is not a single image but a spectrum of revelations, each filtered through the prism of the soul.

3. Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna

In 19th-century Bengal, a young Narendranath, later known as Swami Vivekananda, asks the mystic Ramakrishna [iii]: “Have you seen God?”

Ramakrishna answers without hesitation: “Yes. I see Him as clearly as I see you. In fact, more clearly.”

This answer shatters Vivekananda’s scepticism. It is not an argument; it is a testimony. And it ignites a fire in him that will carry the message of divine vision across continents.

These three episodes, across Shi‘i Islam, Christian mysticism, and Vedantic Hinduism, converge on a single truth: the human soul longs to see the Divine, not with the eyes of flesh, but with the eyes of the heart.

Part II: The Mystic’s Longing and the Path of Illumination

So why does someone seek Didar? Why would a person spend her whole life yearning for something she can’t always describe?

It’s not for proof. It’s not even for answers. It’s for love. The mystics are not just thinkers, they are lovers. They don’t want to understand God as much as they want to be near God.

This longing is what Evelyn Underhill, the great Christian mystic and writer, called the “mystic quest.” In her book Mysticism [iv], she describes it as “the passionate desire for union with the Absolute”, a deep inner pull that leads the soul through stages of awakening, struggle, and finally, transformation.

She writes that the mystic journey begins with a restlessness, a feeling that something is missing. Then comes the search, the discipline, the stripping away of distractions. And finally, if grace allows, there is a moment of union, a sense of being held in something greater than oneself.

This longing is not unique to one tradition. In Sufism, the mystical path of Islam, this same yearning is called shawq [v], a burning desire to return to the Beloved. The Sufi poet Rumi says, “The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you.” That’s the heart of the mystic: always searching, always listening for the whisper of the Divine.

The Sufis speak of fana’ [vi], the moment when the self dissolves in the presence of God. It’s not about losing your identity, but about becoming so full of love that there’s no room left for ego. In that moment, the mystic doesn’t say, “I saw God.” She says, “There was only God.”

Underhill echoes this when she writes that the mystic must pass through a kind of death, not a physical one, but a letting go of the small self. Only then can the soul be filled with light.

In the Nizari Ismaili tradition, this journey is guided by the Imam of the Time, who is both a teacher and a mirror of Divine Light. The seeker follows the Imam not just with the mind, but with the heart. Through prayer, reflection, and service, the soul begins to open.

• First comes sukoon — a quieting of the heart.
• Then tajalli — a sense of inner unveiling.
• And finally liqa’ — the encounter, the Didar.

The Sufis would say that this is the moment of vasl — union or arrival. But even then, the journey doesn’t end. The mystic continues to live in the world, but with new eyes. As the Sufi master Al-Hallaj [vii] once said, “I saw my Lord with the eye of the heart. I asked, ‘Who are You?’ He answered, ‘You.’”

Underhill and the Sufis both remind us: the mystic path is not about escaping life, it’s about seeing life more clearly, through the eyes of love. And the Ismaili Ginans echo this same truth. In the Ginan “Sahebji tun more man bhaave [viii]” by Sayyed Muhammad Shah, the murid sings: “O Lord, You alone are dear to my heart; no other thought enters my mind.”

This is not just devotional poetry; it is the voice of a soul in love. Like the Sufi’s shawq and Underhill’s mystic longing, the Ginan expresses a deep, personal devotion that transforms the seeker from within. It reminds us that the heart’s desire for Didar is not abstract, it is intimate, emotional, and alive.

Part III: The Two Levels of Deedar in Nizari Ismailism

In Nizari Ismailism, Didar operates on two interwoven levels:

1. The Physical Vision of the Imam of the Time

This is the zahir, the exoteric. To behold the Imam in person is to witness the embodiment of Divine guidance. It is a moment of grace, a sacrament of presence. For many murids, this physical Didar is the culmination of a lifetime of devotion.

But it is not the end.

2. The Spiritual Vision of the Imam as Divine Light

This is the batin, the esoteric. It is the vision that occurs in the heart, in dreams, in silence. It is the recognition that the Imam is not only a person but Nur, a Light that transcends time and space.

This Light is not metaphorical. It is ontological. It is the same Light mentioned in the Qur’an: “Light upon Light. Allah guides to His Light whom He wills.” (24:35)

To see this Light is to see with the eye of the soul. It is to be transformed.

3. The Joy of Divine Vision

The Ginans portray the joy of this inner vision with symbolism that touches the heart, as in the following verse of of the Ginan Hun re piyāsī:

સાચીરે પ્રીત પંતગેકી કહીએ,
જો ઉલટ ઉલટ અંગ દેત હૈ,
એક દીપક કેરે કારણ, ]
સો કઈ પંતગે જીવ દેત હૈ

Sāchīre prīt pantagekī kahīe,
Jo ulaṭ ulaṭ anga det hai,
Ek dīpak kere kāraṇa, ]
So kaī pantage jīv det hai 

In pure love, the moth
Immolates self in the flame.
For one flame,
numerous moths sacrifice
their lives.

Such magnet powers the spiritual quest of the murid. This transforms the personality from unreal to real, a transformation of the consciousness. The Ginans call this the fulfilment of love sung in Pir Shams’s ginan Ab terī mahobatlagi [x]:

મુખડા દેખ્યા તબ મન હરખ્યા,
પીર શમ્સ કંથી સુનાયા

Mukhaḍā dekhyā tab man harakhyā,
Pīr Shamsa kānthī sunāyā

When I beheld the divine vision,
A surge of joy consumed me,
I, Pir Shams relate this truth to you.

Conclusion: The Ecstasy of Vision

The Didar, the vision of the Divine, is not something we earn like a prize. It’s a moment of grace, a gift that comes when the heart is truly open.

This is a blessed moment. In a beautiful Ghat Paat Ginan Jīre vālā, satagur sāth goṭhaḍī kīje [xi], Pir Sadardin invokes the symbolism that resonates with the story of Mount Tabor: The Imam is in a vast assembly with his murids, his Nur ablaze in its full glory.  The murid’s eyes are on her Murshid. It becomes a personal experience. The word gothadi conveys the intensity of this one-on-one encounter. Gothadi implies a heart-to-heart talk between two companions or friends who meet after a long time. There is a surge of devotion and love. The experience of each murid will be different. Each will experience this Didar through the prism of his/her heart. Let the verse of the Ginan describe this:

Jot jagādīne jumlojī beṭhā,
To preme shun pūjā kīje  re vālā.

The Murshid, sits midst his congregation,
 with his Nur ablaze,
so with love, worship him…

In that moment, words fall away. The murid no longer says, “I saw something amazing.” She says, “Something amazing saw me.”  

The Sounds of Seeking

I now invite you to enter a different kind of space, not of ideas. But of feeling. I provide recitation of Ginans that have carried the hope, love, and longings of murids for centuries:

• The yearning for Didar;
• The joy when the Divine light is glimpsed; and
• And the peace of finally feeling at home in that presence.

These aren’t just songs of devotion; they are prayers and supplications. They come from the hearts of people who have searched deeply and felt something powerful.

Some portray the longing of the soul for Didar and echo the soul’s search across lifetimes and veils of illusion as in the Ginans Hun re piyāsī or Ūnchā re koṭ :

 Recitation of Hun re piyāsī
Credit: Ginan Central, University of Saskatchewan

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Recitation of Ūnchā re koṭ
Credit: Ginan Central, University of Saskatchewan

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Others will speak of the joy of Didar when a surge of love and passion overwhelms the soul and tears well up in the eyes. The soul dances in joy as in Satagur miliyā mune:

Recitation of Satagur miliyā mun
Credit: Ginan Central, University of Saskatchewan

Such Ginans will form a tapestry of spiritual longing, revelation, and joy.

One Ginan in particular that we will focus on is Dhan re ghaḍī jo din santa padhāryā [xii]. In it, a verse beautifully encapsulates the padharamni (arrival) of Mawla and the spiritual alchemy that transforms souls:

Pāras sparshe lohā ranga palaṭe,
To jag māg jyot ujārīre vālā.
Dhan re ghaḍī jo din santa padhāryā

Just as a philosopher’s stone transforms base metal to gold,
so, does the touch and Didar of the Imam,
the brilliance of his Nur fills our vision and engulfs us.
Blessed is the day when the Beloved graces us with Didar.

Recitation of Dhan re ghaḍī jo din santa padhāryā
Credit: Ginan Central, University of Saskatchewan

Let these recitations move not only through your ears, but through your hearts. Allow the sound to carry you inward, to that place where vision is felt more clearly then seen.

Date posted: January 22, 2026.
Last updated: January 23, 2026 (typos).

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About the author: Shiraz Pradhan is an international consulting engineer, author, and long‑time researcher of the Ginan tradition. He serves as the Chairperson of the Association for the Study of Ginans, an international organisation dedicated to preserving and advancing Ginan scholarship. Shiraz has written extensively on Nizari Ismaili Ginans and Satpanth in Ilm (Ismailia Association UK, 1987) and on Simerg. His interests span the Vedas, Judeo‑Christian history, and Sufism, reflecting his broad engagement with spiritual traditions. His forthcoming book, Amrapuri: Exploring the Evolution of Nizari Ismaili Satpanth through the Prism of Ginan Literature, brings together years of dedicated study.

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FOOTNOTES

[i] Shaykh al-Saduq. 2017. The Book of Divine Unity. Kitab al-Tawhid. p. 117

[ii] Corbin. 2021. Cyclical Time & Ismaili Gnosis. Taylor & Francis. p.59.

[iii] Swami Vivekananda. n.d. What Religion Is. Advaita Ashrama (publicationbranch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math).,Introduction p. xv

[iv] Underhill, Evelyn. 2023. Mysticism. Good Press. Ch.II, p.176

[v] Fethullah Gülen, and Fethullah Gülen. 2001. “Shawq and Ishtiyaq (Joyful Zeal and Yearning).” Fgulen.com. September 17, 2001. Shawq and Ishtiyaq (Joyful Zeal and Yearning) – Fethullah Gülen’s Official Web Site

[vi] TheSufi. 2025. “Fana in Sufism: The Annihilation of Self | TheSufi.com.” TheSufi.com. August 10, 2025. Fana in Sufism: The Annihilation of Self | TheSufi.com.

[vii] “Internet History Sourcebooks: Medieval Sourcebook.” 2026. Fordham.edu. 2026. Internet History Sourcebooks: Medieval Sourcebook

[viii] Mahān Īsmāīlī Dharmapraćārak Sayyad Īmāmshāh Ane Bījā Dharmaprachārak Sayyado Rachit Gīnānono Saṅgrah 4. Bombay, 1954. [Gujarati], # 7

[ix] Mahān Īsmāīlī Dharmapraćārak Sayyad Īmāmshāh Ane Bījā Dharmaprachārak Sayyado Rachit Gīnānono Saṅgrah 4. Bombay, 1954. [Gujarati]. p.225, #14

[x] Mahān Īsmāīlī Saṅt Pīr Shams Rachit Gīnānono Saṅgrah 2. Bombay, 1952. [Gujarati], p.23, #24

[xi] Mahān Īsmāīlī Saṅt Pīr Sadardin Rachit Gīnānono Saṅgrah 1. Bombay, 1952. [Gujarati], p.28, #29.

[xii] Mahān Īsmāīlī Dharmapraćārak Sayyad Īmāmshāh Ane Bījā Dharmaprachārak Sayyado Rachit Gīnānono Saṅgrah 4. Bombay, 1954. [Gujarati], p .213

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