Cairo in the Light of Nasir Khusraw’s Safarnama « Simerg

Nasir Khusraw’s seven year journey through the Islamic world including the three years he spent in Fatimid Cairo falls in the epoch of the Golden Age of Muslim travel which spanned several centuries. The Ismaili philosopher, missionary and traveller has left the acccount of his journey in Safarnama or The Book of Travels, which shaped the future of classical Persian travel writing. Simerg’s new post Cairo in the Light of Nasir Khusraw’s Safarnama focuses on Khusraw’s journal notes about Cairo – what he personally observed as well as what he heard from secondary sources.

The annual opening of the canal, the safety and security in Cairo under Imam Mustansirbillah’s reign and his treatment of refugees, the features of the city including its markets, shopping malls and green spaces as well as the palaces and living quarters are all featured in this well-researched and informative piece by Dr. Hatim Mahamid

More: Cairo in the Light of Nasir Khusraw’s Safarnama « Simerg.

The Institute of Ismaili Studies Publishes Nasir-i Khusraw’s Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn in Tajik

The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts (IOM) of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir-i Khusraw’s Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn (Twin Wisdoms Reconciled).This new critical edition, prepared by Professor Karomatullo Olimov who is the Director of IOM and Vice-President of the AST, is supplied with an introduction and extensive vocabulary which makes it accessible to a wider Tajik readership.

Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn is considered to be the final work of Nasir-i Khusraw, which was written in Yumgan, Badakhshan in 1069-70 CE.

via The Institute of Ismaili Studies – IIS Publishes Nasir-i Khusraw’s Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn in Tajik.

Nasir Khusraw: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow – An Introduction, by Dr Sarfaroz Niyozov

This paper provides an introductory perspective for the volume of articles devoted to Nasir Khusraw’s millennium commemoration, entitled Nasir Khusraw: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (2005), held in Tajikistan in September 2003.

The volume captures the intellectual quality and diversity reflected in the presentations and discussions held in the remote mountain city of Khorog and the capital Dushanbe.

The introduction commences with the background to the commemoration and its rationale, followed by a brief introduction to the conference and symposium, their aims and the participants. The following section is on the approaches, themes and various ideas about Nasir Khusraw in the conference papers and it is followed by procedural comments and an epilogue.

via The Institute of Ismaili Studies – Nasir Khusraw: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow – An Introduction.

Nasir Khusraw – The Splendour of Wisdom « Nooru’s Blog

The area of Badakhshan (Eastern Afghanistan, Southern Tajikistan and Northern Pakistan) is blessed with highest mountain peaks: Lenin Peak, Tirichmir Peak, Pamir Peaks and so on but there is no Mountain high enough to praise Nasir khusraw’s personality, even writers find themselves dumb whilst praising him. Ocean too before his great wisdom shrinks into a single drop; his words are lamp of enlightenment for the heart. It’s hardly possible in such a brief introduction to deal with the facts of Khusraw’s thoughts as he deserves to be discussed, to be loved and to be infused in today’s knowledge society. His poetry is full of wisdom, of reason, of the right word and the right faith.

More at the source: Nasir Khusraw – The Splendour of Wisdom « Nooru’s Blog.

Nasir Khusraw: A Famous Shia Traveler & Scholar

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Nasir Khusraw was born in 1004 AD, in Qubadiyan (Kobadiyan in Balkh a province of Afghanistan), then Greater Khorasan. He was well versed in all the branches of natural science, in medicine, mathematics, astronomy and astrology, in Greek philosophy and the writings of al-Kindi, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina

Script of Nasir Khusraw Play “The Ruby Shines On” Written and Directed by Amina Ishani

http://simerg.com/2011/05/25/script-of-nasir-khusraw-play-the-ruby-shines-on-written-and-directed-by-amina-ishani/

Simerg Exclusive Internet Telecast: “The Ruby Shines On” – A Play About the Life of Nasir Khusraw

By Writer/Director Amina Ishani.

Introduction, details and video play at the source.

http://simerg.com/literary-readings/the-ruby-shines-on-a-play-about-the-life-and-works-of-nasir-khusraw/

Pir Nasir-i Khusraw on the Gateway and Key to Paradise, by Rukhsana Ali

via Simerg.com

Rukhsana Ali is a graduate of the Institute of Ismaili Studies and has a Masters each in English Literature (University of Karachi), Education (University of London Institute of Education) and Islamic Studies (McGill University). More about the author at the source.

Excerpt – In the Wajh-i din, Nasir Khusraw masterfully applies ta’wil to the system of ideas and concepts propounded in earlier Fatimid texts. In it he “provides his most straightforward esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of a variety of religious regulations and rituals, giving the inner (batin) meaning of certain externals (zahir) of religion. The book’s 51 sections include, for example, his ta’wil of certain verses from the Qur’an, the call to prayer (azan), ablutions for prayer (wadu), the assigned times of prayer, the movements of praying, alms for the poor (zakat), the pilgrimage to the Ka‘ba in Mecca (hajj) and certain prescribed punishments. Following Ismaili hermeneutics, he shows the parallels between the structure of the physical world and that of the spiritual world, and between the human body and the human soul.”

Read at the source: http://simerg.com/literary-readings/pir-nasir-i-khusraw-on-the-gateway-and-key-to-paradise/

Institute of Ismaili Studies Publishes Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin in Tajik

The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin: The Nourishment of the Wayfarers.

This is the second publication in Tajik after Nasir Khusraw’s Diwan of poetry which was published in 2009. The present volume incorporates a comprehensive glossary of archaic and philosophical terms which make the edition accessible to Tajik readership.

via The Institute of Ismaili Studies – IIS Publishes Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin in Tajik.

Pathak Festival marks Khusraw’s meditation – The Express Tribune

CHITRAL: The people of Garam Chashma are celebrating the traditional Pathak Festival here to mark the arrival of spring.

According to the traditions of Ismaili Muslims, Pathak marks the successful conclusion of Pir Nasir Khusraw’s 40 days of meditation (chilla).

Khusraw was a Fatimid era Ismaili mystic, poet and philosopher who was the first to preach Islam in Central Asia and Badakhshan in Afghanistan and Wakhan Corridor. Born in 1004, Khusraw wrote a number of books of poetry, but most notable was his travelogue Safarnama, written during seven years of travel across the Islamic world and arguably the most authoritative account of 11th century life in the Muslim Empire.

via Pathak Festival marks Khusraw’s meditation – The Express Tribune.

http://www.groundreport.com/Business/Pathak-Festival-celebrated-at-Garamchishma/2933753
http://www.dardistantimes.com/content/pathak36-festival-chitral-kicks21

Pir Nasir Khusraw’s Theory of Intellectual Education « Simerg

Editor’s note: In Part I of this essay, Parvin Peerwani provided a brief background of the life of Nasir Khusraw and explained his definition of ‘aql and the general categories of knowledge such as the distinction between marifah and ‘ilm. The modes of knowledge and the relationship of the human soul with the Universal Intellect was described. Based on Hakim Nasir’s teachings, she concluded her article by stating that it was “through the Imam of the Time whereby the human soul becomes recipient to the divine knowledge and the eternal bliss, and thus takes the steps to perfection.”

The following is the second and final installment of her essay.

Click here to read: http://simerg.com/literary-readings/pir-nasir-khusraws-theory-of-intellectual-education/.

Pir Nasir Khusraw’s Concept of Intellect and Theory of Intellectual Education – By Parvin S. Peerwani « Simerg

The relationship between intellect (‘aql) and faith has always been of fundamental importance to Muslims and has been widely discussed amongst Muslim philosophers and intellectuals.

Etymologically the word ‘aql in Arabic is derived from the trilateral verb ‘-q-l which means to hobble with the ‘iqal (cord used for hobbling the feet of a camel), to arrest, to pay blood money, to restrain, to reason, to comprehend etc. In Islamic philosophy ‘aql is generally understood to be an immaterial substance, active in itself, through which are comprehended the realities of things. In this first part of the essay, we will attempt to see the concept of intellect from the point of the Fatimid philosopher Nasir-i Khusraw (also referred henceforth as Hakim Nasir). The next part will focus on his theory of Intellectual Education.

Dr. Parvin Peerwani, whose pen-name is Latimah-Parvin Peerwani, completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Islamic and Middle-Eastern studies from the American University of Beirut (Lebanon), and obtained her Ph.D from Tehran University (Iran) in Islamic Philosophy and Iranian Sudies. Her dissertation was on the philosophy of Nasir-e Khusraw.

More at the source: http://simerg.com/literary-readings.

Sacred Web: Online Articles – The Esoteric World Vision of Nasir Khusraw – by Alice Hunsberger

In the tradition of esoteric Islam, the philosophies of the Ismailis warrant particular attention, and among the Ismailis, the figure of Nasir Khusraw calls for even more particular study. Born into a well-placed, highly educated family in Khurasan in 1004 CE, Nasir Khusraw, along with at least two brothers, rose to prominence in the Ghaznavid and Saljuq courts, as a leading financial administrator.  Evidence of his high level of education and training can be found in his writings, of which an unusual variety remains in existence; we possess not only a number of prose philosophical and religious treatises, and a much-quoted collection of highly spiritual and philosophical poetry, but also a unique prose travelogue of an important seven-year journey he undertook throughout Islamic lands from 1045 to 1052.

More at: http://www.sacredweb.com/online_articles

Nasir Khusraw: a Living Tradition – by Kutub Kassam

The Ismailis of the Badkahshan region of Tajikistan and Afghanitan constitute an important part of the Shi‘a Ismaili Muslim community today, with a distinctive socio-cultural heritage of their own. This heritage, shaped by both history and geography, has preserved their faith for more than a thousand years. Nasir Khusraw, the famous Ismaili da‘i, theologian, philosopher and poet from the 5th century AH/11th century CE, was probably the most influential person in the formation of the Ismaili community in this region.

More at: The Institute of Ismaili Studies – Nasir Khusraw: a Living Tradition.

I Wish I’d Been There: Alice C. Hunsberger

In her wish, Dr. Hunsberger wants Nasir Khusraw to be her guide at one of the biggest annual spectacles that was celebrated in Fatimid Cairo with Imam al-Mustansir bi Allah in attendance. The Festival was called Riding Forth to Open the Canal. The description provided by Nasir Khusraw’s great contemporary scholar, Dr. Hunsberger, is vivid in its details, providing proof that Nasir Khusraw was a remarkable traveler and observer of the world around him, in addition to being one of the greatest intellectuals of his time.

Read here: http://simerg.com/

Book Reviews by Samina Morani: Knowledge and Liberation – Review

Knowledge and Liberation
A Treatise on Philosophical Theology
Edited and Translated by Faquir M. Hunzai

This is a complex book but I couldn’t avoid reading it because it deals with soul searching questions and when I started reading I felt I was getting answers of those questions that occupied my mind since a long time. Even with all its complexity this book has the power to get you completely involved in it. I experienced a paradigm shift in my understanding. Nasir Khusraw is really very good in relating difficult philosophies and theologies to every day material to clear the understanding. Here I will give some examples under the title of “Sneak Preview” of these concepts, which will give an idea to the readers about what kind of secret treasure Nasir Khusraw has to offer in this book.

via Book Reviews by Samina: Knowledge and Liberation – Review.

Quote: “knowledge is a shield against the blows of time”

Quote

The passage of a millennium has not diminished Nasir Khusraw’s relevance nor dulled the lustre of his poetry. It continues to uplift and inspire, reminding us that we are the authors of our own destiny. As he has said, we can be like a poplar tree which chooses to remain barren, or we can let our path be lit by the candle of wisdom, for only “with intellect, we can seek out all the hows and whys. Without it, we are but trees without fruit.” Another lesson that we learn from this great philosopher is that, in the ebb and flow of history, “knowledge is a shield against the blows of time”. It dispels “the torment of ignorance” and nourishes “peace to blossom forth in the soul”.

His Highness the Aga Khan, at the Foundation Stone Ceremony of The Ismaili Centre (Dushanbe, Tajikistan) 30 August 2003

First Edition of Nasirian Ethics in Tajik Language

The Khujand State University in collaboration with The Institute of Ismaili Studies recently organised a book launch of Nasirian Ethics by Nasir ad-din Tusi, a celebrated 13th century Muslim scholar. The publication represents the first edition of the Nasirian Ethics in Tajik language.

The translation was commissioned by the IIS, through its Central Asian Studies Unit, to scholars from the Khujand State University

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=110662

On the Meaning of the Straight Path | Al-Fatiha – The Opening

Nasir Khusraw was a leading Shia Ismaili poet and theologian-philosopher of the eleventh century (1004 to circa 1088 CE). In an English translation of his Gushayish wa Rahayish by Faquir Hunzai, Khusraw explains his understanding of the Siratal Mustaqim:

On the Meaning of the Straight Path

(168) O brother! You asked: ‘What is the sirat (lit. path, way, bridge)? It is said that the sirat is stretched over hell, that it is thinner than an hair and sharper than a sword, and all people have to cross it. The fortunate ones cross it and reach paradise, whereas the unfortunate ones fall from it into hell. Explain, so that we may know.’

More … http://jalaledin.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-meaning-of-straight-path.html

The Initiation of Nasir-i Khusraw | Darvish

That sage set his hand upon my heart
(a hundred blessings be on that hand and breast!)
and said, “I offer you the remedy
of proof and demonstration; but if you
accept, I shall place a seal upon your lips
which must never be broken.” I gave my consent and he
affixed the seal. Drop by drop and day
by day he fed me the healing potion, till
my ailment disappeared, my tongue became
imbued with elegant speech; my face, which had
been pale as saffron now grew rosy with joy;
I who had been a stone was now a ruby;
I had been dust-now I was ambergris.
He put my hand into the Prophet’s hand,
I spoke the Oath beneath the exalted Tree
so heavy with fruit, so sweet with cooling shade.

–snip–

From the Diwan of Nasir-i Khusraw, greatest of the Isma’ili Shia Persian poets, on his initiation. It is a striking example of the depth of the Master-disciple relationship expressed in beautiful poetic form.

Read at http://darvish.wordpress.com

Early life of Nasir-i Khusraw

Background to the Ismaili Dawat in the Northern Areas of Pakistan – Early life of Hakim Nasir-i Khusraw and his education – Article by Allamah Nasir al-Nasir Hunzai

Pir Nasir himself has referred to his vast and extensive learning in several places of his Diwan, such as:

Whatever kind of knowledge I heard of
I sat adjacent to its door (to acquire it).
Not any kind of knowledge was left
Of which I did not benefit more or less.

There is an interesting account of his learning in a spurious Sargudhasht (autobiography) attributed to him. In the Sargudhasht there are many things which have nothing to do with Pir Nasir’s life but the description of his education seems to be quite close to what is found in his Diwan.

Read complete article here, PDF 38 KB

About Allamah Nasir al-Nasir Hunzai:
He is the author of over a hundred books related to the esoteric interpretation of the Holy Qur’an. He writes both prose as well as poetry. He is the first person to have a Diwan of poetry in BUrushaski, his mother tongue, and is known as “Baba-i Burushaski” (Father of Burushaski) for his services to that language. He also composes poetry in three other languages: Urdu, Persian and Turkish. His contribution to spiritual science is widely recognised.
http://monoreality.org/

Related posts at Ismaili Mail: http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/tag/nasir-khusraw/

Pictures from Nasir Khusraw Museum

New and more photographs at Pamir Times.

“In the ebb and flow of history, “knowledge is a shield against the blows of time”. It dispels “the torment of ignorance” and nourishes “peace to blossom forth in the soul”.”

Extract from the speech by Mawlana Hazar Imam quoting Nasir Khusraw

Earlier related:
Nasir Khusraw (1004-1060)
Nasir Khusraw’s poetry reflecting Intellect and Soul
Searching for a Spiritual Guide
*All related*

Articles by Dr. Shafique Virani – Professor of Islamic Studies

“تمهيد” in گنان شريف: مع ترجمه و الفاظ معانى, vol. 9, Zarina Kamaluddin and Kamaluddin Ali Muhammad, Karachi: Z.A. Printer, 2006, 8-17. Read the article. Visit the KamalZar website for similar publications.

“Symphony of Gnosis” in Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought, ed. Todd Lawson, London: I.B. Tauris, 2005: 503-521. Read the article.

“Ahl al-Bayt” in Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., Lindsay Jones (ed.), New York: Macmillan, 2005, vol. 1, 198-199. Read the article.

“The Days of Creation in the Thought of Nasir Khusraw,” Nasir Khusraw: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Sarfaroz Niyozov and Ramazon Nazariev (eds.), Khujand, Tajikistan: Noshir Publications, 2004, 74-83. Read the article.

“The Eagle Returns: Evidence of Continued Ismaili Activity at Alamut and in the South Caspian Region following the Mongol Conquests,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 123:2 (April-June 2003): 81-100. Read the article.

“Teflon Tents in the Desert: The Hajj Terminal as a neo-Vernacular Response to Architecture’s International Style,” Jusur: The UCLA Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 15 (1999): 1-13.

“God’s Throne: A Critical Evaluation of O’Shaughnessy,” abbreviated Dutch translation published as “Gods Troon” in Het Islamitisch-Christelijk Leerhuis, Summer 1993: 2-5.

http://www1.utm.utoronto.ca/shafiquevirani

Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw and the Meaning of Id al-Fitr

In Chapter 23 of his masterpiece, Wajh-i Din, Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw provides a beautiful account of the festival of Id al-Fitr. He explains that Id al-Fitr is a symbol of Mawlana Ali, who is known as the Asas or Foundation. Just as Id liberates people from hunger, Mawlana Ali liberates the mumins from ignorance. In zahir, the mumins celebrate and enjoy festive foods, while in batin they feast on spiritual nourishment, which is the ta’wil (esoteric knowledge) provided by Mawlana Ali to the believers.

Two Intellectual Giants Speak to Each Other Accross a Millenium on “TIME”

Science and Religion in Islam: The Link.: 2 intellectual giants speak to each other accross a millenium on “time”: can it be slowed, sped up, reversed, transcended? Ask Einstein and Nasir Khusraw

Easy Nash thought it might stimulate our readership to consider modern discoveries about time in the light of what our cosmologists thought about time a thousand years ago and he uses the discoveries of two intellectual giants from a thousand years apart as examples, Albert Einstein and Nasir Khusraw.

It is fitting to quote the following, which describes the proper place of “time” in creation from an Islamic perspective and the need to be cognisant of all types of knowledge with a committment to independent thinking:

“The creation according to Islam is not a unique act in a given time but a perpetual and constant event; and God supports and sustains all existence at every moment by His will and His thought. Outside His will, outside His thought, all is nothing, even the things which seem to us absolutely self-evident such as space and time. Allah alone wishes: the Universe exists; and all manifestations are as a witness of the Divine Will” (Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)

Continued at the source:

http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/05/3592-intellectual-giants-speak-to-each.html