A Bridge Between

a b r i d g e b e t w e e n t w o e p o c h s 2 translation of calligraphy surah of qadr 97

v e r i ly w e r e v e a l e d i t i n t h e n i g h t o f q a d r . a n d w h at m a k e s y o u k n o w w h at t h e n i g h t o f q a d r i s ? t h e n i g h t o f q a d r i s b e t t e r t h a n a t h o u s a n d m o n t h s . t h e a n g e l s a n d t h e s p i r i t d e s c e n d i n i t b y t h e p e r m i s s i o n o f t h e i r l o r d , c o n c e r n i n g e v e r y w o r k . [ i t i s ] p e a c e u n t i l t h e b r e a k o f d a w n . h i s h i g h n e s s a g a k h a n i i i , m o s a i c p o r t r a i t i n l a p i s l a z u l i ismail gulgee

reproduced by kind permission of amin gulgee

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a b r i d g e b e t w e e n t w o e p o c h s

c r e at i v e d i r e c t o r rashida noormohamed-hunzai

photographs researchers nizar habib, yasmin p. karim

d e s i g n e r yasmin p. karim

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6 a b r i d g e b e t w e e n t w o e p o c h s

rashida noormohamed-hunzai 8 glorious life of hazrat mawlana sultan muhammad shah c - al-husayni, alayhi’s-salam, his highness aga khan III

04 about this publication

12 sayings of hazrat mawlana shah karim al-husayni, his highness aga khan IV, related to his grandfather

14 honours

26 special events

54 inventions c o n t e n t s 70 sayings related to women

102 messages to the ismailis of africa

108 status of women

118 the concept of monoreality

132 correspondence

136 photo credits

137 acknowledgements bout his u b l i c a ti o n ABrave indeed wouldT be a person toP undertake a book on Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah al-Husayni, calayhi’s-salÀm! It would take much more than an ordinary literary talent to do justice to a life crammed with so many unprecedented events and achievements, a life which he himself describes as being so full that he was never for an instant bored!

This publication therefore has very different objectives. It attempts to focus on selected aspects of Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah’s life and times in order to motivate the readers to reflect on the reasons for what happened during his long Imamat. The first two sections on his titles and decorations and a calendar of the main events in his life serve as a backdrop as well as an easy reference.

He was the first Imam in Ismaili history to play such an outstanding role in international politics. Born in the east, he publicly acknowledges his beloved mother’s role in receiving a thorough education both of the east and the west. During his long life he travelled all over the globe. His impact on the political, social and educational aspects of his time is indelible. He was the most indefatigable champion of Islam in epo chs

two the west and also the most outspoken about the shortcomings of Muslims in the east.

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bridge

a ••• • ••• 0 41 0 By his active and multi-faceted life, he demonstrated that there is no dichotomy in Islam between the material and the spiritual dimensions of life. Echoing the life of the holy Prophet Muhammad, ÊallallÀhu calayhi wa Àlihi wa sallam, he was a spiritual leader, a politician, both national and international, an educationalist, a social reformer, a champion of human rights, a writer, a great sportsman and he played many other roles. His followers, the Ismailis, celebrated his Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees, the economic, educational and social impact of which are evident even today in their lives. These Jubilees also served another purpose. Through the intense media exposure of these events the Imamat became known across the world, fulfilling the Qur’anic prophecy: “Wa ashraqati’l-arÐu bi-nÆri rabbihÀ” – “And the earth shall shine with the light of its Lord” Surah of Zumar 39:69. See also the speech of Mawlana Hazir Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni at the Asia Society in New York on 25th September 1979 where concluding his speech on Islamic Architecture – A Revival, he said “We are to give this light to all”.

Although Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah wrote about it in his Memoirs and mentioned in his speeches that he was a ‘Bridge between Two Epochs’, it appears that readers and listeners have accepted this description either superficially or literally. The reason for including the section on the scientific discoveries that took place during his Imamat is to ask: Is there any connection between his Imamat and the unprecedented advance in science during it? Never before in recorded human history had this leap from candlelight to atomic power and horse carriages to supersonic airplanes in a matter of a mere sixty years taken place.

The title page of this publication has highlighted the Surah of Qadr 97 of the holy Qur’an, which describes the blessings of the Night of Qadr. Esoteric or bÀÌinÄ Islam interprets the six days of creation as the six great Prophets, the seventh as the Qa’im, and the nights as their Èujjats. Should the same principle not apply to the Night of Qadr?

Further, if the tremendous acceleration of scientific discoveries in the light of the verse of Surah of HÀ-MÄm Sajdah 41:53 is God’s demonstration of His signs in the external world, what about the manifestation of His signs in the inner world of human beings? Moreover, according to the Qur’an Surah of Hajj 22:47 each day of God is a thousand years of human reckoning, therefore each of the six great Prophets had a period spanning approximately one thousand years. epo chs

two Should we therefore not ask when the period of the holy Prophet Muhammad is going to end? between

bridge

a ••• • ••• 0 6 1 2 The section on the guidance of Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah regarding women, answers many questions about the status of women in Islam. His efforts to bring the Ismaili community out of the darkness of conventional behaviour imposed on them by their social contexts is not duly recognised or appreciated. By including the translation of extracts of his guidance, it is hoped to create greater awareness of his vision and far-sightedness. What he said about the status of women in Islam is all the more extraordinary when one witnesses the struggle of Muslim women in our contemporary world. Additionally, the granting of equal rights to women should also be seen in the context of the many transformations brought about by the end of imperialism and the two world wars during his time and the continuing trend towards the eradication of all kinds of inequalities in our globalised and inter-connected world, a vision in the holy Qur’an of an “ummatun wÀÈidah” or a single community. The final section in this booklet is Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah’s Concept of Monoreality in his own words. He coined this particular word, which to date is not in the English dictionaries. He elevated the common understanding of the oneness of God or TawÈÄd to a sublime level that demands greater intellectual engagement.

His is the time in Ismaili history of research and publications on the Ismaili Tariqah of Islam. In his Platinum Jubilee speech in Cairo in 1955 he said: “But, as I have explained in my Memoirs for the whole world to understand, there are two worlds – the world of material intelligence and the world of spiritual enlightenment. The world of spiritual enlightenment is fundamentally different from the world of material intellectualism and it is the pride of Ismailis that we firmly believe that the world of spiritual enlightenment has come as a truth from the inception of Islam to this day with the Imamat and carries with it as one of its necessary consequences love, tenderness, kindliness and gentleness towards first, our brother and sister Muslims of all sects and secondly, to those who live in righteousness, conscience and justice towards their fellow men.”

0 8 1 4 He encouraged huge numbers of his followers to search for this spiritual enlightenment. It was during his Imamat that the office of PÄratan merged with the office of Imamat. Cannot this be the esoteric interpretation of ayat 9 of Surah of QiyÀmah 75: “Wa jumica’sh-shamsu wa’l qamar”, that is, “And the sun and the moon will be united”. Should this portent not be reflected upon more and more? What about the guidance of Hazrat Mawlana Shah Karim al-Husayni on Friday, 26th July 1957 in London just a fortnight after becoming the 49th Imam, where he said: “You have lost the finest Imam we have had”.

How should this be understood? In short, his life exemplifies his own profound words: “Life is a great and noble calling, not a mean and grovelling thing to be shuffled through as best we can but a lofty and exalted destiny.”

With these motivating words resounding in our ears, let us reflect on the contents of this publication to understand the glorious personality and the unique role of the 48th Imam, Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah.

1 0 1 6 His time is a mere half century away from our own time, in terms of history very close to us. The sincere intent of this publication is to avoid a presbyopic or a myopic view of history and to motivate the readers to study the entire span of the history of religion and to understand the unique position of Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah’s period within it.

Insha’a’llÀh this will not only contribute to a ta’wÄlÄ or esoteric understanding of faith, but will help to duly understand the role and achievements of the present Imam, Hazrat Mawlana Shah Karim al-Husayni Hazir Imam. H azrat M awlana S hah K arim A l-H usayni , H is H i gh n e s s ga han IV AThis is a sad Kand a very happy occasion for me. I see you for the first time since my beloved grandfather departed this world physically. You have lost the finest Imam we have had and I have lost a grandfather who was more devoted than any grandfather a man has ever had. I hope you do not think that because he is not physically with us, that he won’t watch over you.

In my time, I will do everything in my capacity to be worthy of and to see that the community lives very well and that the welfare of the community, I will see, is set on the lines my grandfather has set for you.

london, 26 july, 1957

1 2 1 8 Many many memories come to our minds as we think of him. He achieved in his life, for our community that which could only have been accomplished normally in a period of many generations. The tributes that the world has paid him bear honest testimony to his great life and work. karachi, 4 august, 1957

You have said, Mr. President, some very kind words about my late grandfather, my late father and myself. My grandfather was a most gifted person, and amongst his many qualities, one of them had always particularly impressed me. While the past was a book he had read and re-read many times, the future was just one more literary work of art into which he used to pour himself with deep thought and concentration. Innumerable people since his death have told me how he used to read in the future, and this certainly was one of his very great strengths. As a child I used to listen to him for many hours on end and I think, in fact I am convinced, that it was his inspiration which has created in me such a strong interest in the future, while at the same time, guiding me to learn from the teaching books of the past. karachi, 5 december, 1964 h o n o u r s

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i tl e s T1. Aga Khan was first given to Hazrat Mawlana Hasanc Aly Shah, the 46 Ismaili Imam, by the Shah of Persia in 1830s.

2. His Highness given by Queen Victoria in 1886.

3. His Royal Highness given by the Shah of Iran in 1949.

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e c o r a ti o n s D1. Knight Commander of the 6. Knight Grand Commander of the Indian Empire (K.C.I.E.) Star of India (G.C.S.I.) given by given by Queen Victoria in 1898 King George V in 1912

2. Brilliant Star of Zanzibar 7. First Class Prince of the Bombay given by Sultan Sayyid Hamud bin Presidency given by King George V Muhammed Al-Busaid, in 1916 with a salute of 11 guns Sultan of Zanzibar in 1899 8. Knight Grand Cross of the Royal 3. Shamsu’l-Humayun given by Victorian Order ( G.C.V.O.) given by Muzzafar al-Din, King George V in 1923 Shah of Persia in 1899 9. Order of Omayyads given by the 4. Star of Turkey given by the Syrian Government in 1951 Turkish Government in 1899 10. Knight Grand Cross of the 5. Grand Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Order of the Indian Empire ( G.C.M.G.) given by the (G.C.I.E) given by King Edward VII Queen Elizabeth II in 1955 in 1902

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2 4 eader shi p L1. Founding member and first 6. Delegate of India to the League of Permanent President of the Nations at the fourteenth meeting in 1932 All India Muslim League in 1907-1914 7. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1924 and 1925 2. Permanent President of the Deccan League in 1908 8. Chief Delegate of India to the Assembly of the League of Nations 3. Life Member of the Club at in 1933 Anglo-Muslim College (precursor of the Aligarh University) in 1910 9. Imperial Privy Councillor in 1934

4. Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh University India 1921, also founding member since 1910

5. Chairman of the British-Indian delegation to the Round Table Conference in 1930 onouring e ga c y HFirst Delegate of IndiaL to the Assembly of the League of Nations remarks on the entry of afghanistan as a member

to a muslim like me, it is no small thing that another islamic nation is today entering the league, for i am convinced that her entry will strengthen the league in far greater measure than the number of her subjects.

The following is an eye witness account provided by Sheikh Hussein Kidwai on Afghanistan’s entry to the League of Nations: I was thrilled to the bone by what the Aga Khan said when the Muslim State of Afghanistan joined the so-called League of Nations. The Aga Khan was the head of the delegation from India. While welcoming the entry of Afghanistan he said: india is proud of her eastern culture, eastern traditions, eastern language, eastern civilisation and with afghanistan, eighty million muslims of india are proud, as i am proud to belong to the glorious brotherhood of islam.

I was fortunately present on the occasion.

2 0 2 6 The hall was full with peoples of different nationalities professing different religions. The members of the League itself belonged to over fifty different nationalities. They were all educated, talented men representing their respective governments, but none was more cultured or enlightened than His Highness The Aga Khan who had assimilated all that was best in the Eastern as well as in the Western culture. He, indeed, was most cultured of them all.

In the presence of so many learned persons who claimed to represent nations scattered all over the world stood up a man – a responsible, thoroughly educated, well-experienced, well-travelled, well-polished man, a gentleman, a nobleman, respected by one and all, and he proclaimed at the top of his voice that he was proud to belong to the Glorious Brotherhood of Islam.

The bold announcement was thrilling. The occasion when it was made was thrilling. The Aga Khan’s words raised the prestige of Islam in an assembly which was almost prejudiced against it. I was overjoyed. I am a man hard to bend before anybody – not even “before a king”. But I would gladly bow before a man who spoke from his heart those thrilling words.

15 session 1934 the basis of all security is a foreign policy rooted in mutual goodwill and cooperation; a foreign policy in which no country covets its neighbours possessions or seeks to infringe its moral and spiritual rights.

delegate of india to the league of nations

fourteenth meeting in 1932

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onorary e gr e e s H1. LL.D. University ofD Cambridge* in 1911

2. LL.D. Oxford University in 1918

3. LL.D. Dacca University in 1951

onorary i ti z e n s h i p H1. Citizenship of LeC Cannet, France in 1947

2. Citizenship of Pakistan in 1947

3. Citizenship of Iran in 1949

*Aga Khan III, Selected Speeches and Writings of Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Edited by K.K. Aziz Kegan Paul International, 1997, p. 13, volume 1

2 4 3 0 h i l a te l i c onours 1.P Munnings’ painting, H 2. Pakistan First Day “SADDLING MAHMOUD Cover for Aga Khan’s FOR THE DERBY”, Birth Centenary featured on a stamp

3. Mint Aga Khan III stamp Pakistan’s “Pioneers of Freedom” issued in 1990 agazine onours MMen of the Day TheH Aga Khan III in 1904, Caricature by Leslie Ward

2 6 3 2 never in my long life – i may say with complete honesty have i for an instant been bored. every day has been so short, every hour so fleeting, every minute so filled with the life i love, that time for me has fled on far too swift a wing. a mind that is occupied, in health or sickness, with things outside itself and its own concerns, is i believe a perpetual source of true happiness. mawlana sultan muhammad shah, his highness aga khan III memoirs, p. 307 s p e c i a l e v e n t s

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ull & llustrious ife F1877 I L November 2, born in Karachi at Honeymoon Lodge.

1885 August 18, at the age of 7 years and 10 months became the 48 Imam of the Shicah Imami Ismailis when he succeeded his father Hazrat Mawlana cAly Shah, the 47 Imam, His Highness Aga Khan II.

1886 Queen Victoria awarded him the title of “His Highness” at the age of nine years.

1893 Acted as a mediator between Hindu and Muslim leaders to bring about peace.

1896 Visited Anglo-Muslim College at Aligarh and had a meeting with Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and assured him of full co-operation for the establishment of Aligarh University. Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah was 19 years old whereas Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was 80 years. The latter presented an address in Farsi and Imam replied in Farsi.

1896 Visited England to attend the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

3 0 3 6 1897 During the great famine in India, Imam donated thousands of tons of food and gave employment to thousands of jobless people by constructing the Yaroda Palace (Aga Khan Palace) at Poona. This Palace was gifted by Hazrat Mawlana Shah Karim al-Husayni, His Highness Aga Khan IV, to the Government of India. It is now a Museum. Mahatma Gandhi was held a prisoner there by the British during the colonial times.

1897 During the epidemic of Bubonic plague, people in India due to age old prejudice, were refusing to be inoculated. The Imam set an example and allayed fears by publicly getting inoculated himself and by getting all the Ismailis to do so. He provided Prof. W. Haffkine with all the facilities for this campaign and this helped save many lives.

1897 Married Shahzadi Begum.

1898 Visited London and met Queen Victoria, who gave the Imam the title of the Knight Commander of Indian Empire (K.C.I.E.). 1899 First visit to Africa (Zanzibar) where the Sultan presented the Imam with the title of Brilliant Star of Zanzibar.

1899 Title of Shamsu’l-Humayun given by Shah of Iran.

1899 Title of Star of Turkey presented by Turkish Government.

1900 Visited Burma for the first time.

1902 Presided over the Muslim Educational Conference in Delhi. In his Presidential Speech, he called upon all the Muslims to contribute towards the establishment of Aligarh University and himself donated Rs. 35,000/-.

1902 Established the Aga Khan Foreign Scholarship Fund for the students of Aligarh College.

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1902 Attended the Coronation of King Edward VII. The King met him thrice privately during this visit. The Imam was made Grand Commander of the Order of Indian Empire (G.C.I.E.).

1903 Performed opening ceremony of Prince of Wales School of Science in Bombay and emphasized the importance of scientific education.

1903 Presided over the 2nd Muslim Educational Conference.

1903 Nominated to the Imperial Legislative Council of India and acted as Chairman of the Reception Committee of the All India Muslim Education Conference.

1906 Headed Muslim deputation to Lord Minto, Governor General of India and demanded separate representation for Muslims.

1906 Muslim League came into being in Dacca as suggested by the Imam.

3 4 4 0 1906 Established the first Ismailia Council of India after abolishing the previous committee known as Justi. Its first President was Seth Ibrahim.

1906 Elected the Permanent President of the Muslim League and remained as President for 7 years. Resigned in 1912.

1906 World Tour visiting Malaya, Singapore, China, Japan, across the Pacific to Honolulu, San Francisco and by train to Chicago reaching New York in January, 1907.

1908 Haji Bibi filed a case against the Imam in the Bombay High Court. In September, Justice Russell gave a verdict in the Imam’s favour.

1908 Second marriage, with Princess Theresa, mother of Prince Aly Khan.

1910 Presided over the Annual Session of the Muslim League, which was attended by about 602 delegates from all over India. 1910 Received an address by both Shia and Sunni Muslims of India in appreciation of services to the cause of Islam.

1910 Collected three million rupees for Aligarh Muslim University. In the same year Imam also called Hindu Muslim Unity Conference at Allahabad.

1910 Presided over the next session of the Muslim Educational Conference, and emphasized the importance of Primary Education.

1911 June 13, birth of Prince Aly Khan at Turin, Italy.

1912 Knight Grand Commander of the Star of India G.C.S.I. was given by King George V.

1912 Visited Russia for the first time.

3 64 2 1913 Presented a valuable treasure of books, which included books on English, Urdu, Persian and Arabic literature to Aligarh College library.

1914 Visited Burma.

1916 British Government granted a salute of 11 guns and rank of First Class Prince of Bombay.

1918 Wrote “India in Transition” and dedicated the book to his beloved mother Nawab `Aliyah Shamsu’l-Mulk.

1918 Awarded Honorary Degree of LLD by Oxford University.

1920 Aligarh College was finally upgraded to a University due to Imam’s untiring efforts.

1921 Became Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh University. 3 8 4 4

1923 Knighted Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order G.C.V.O. by King George V.

1924 Recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize by Council of State in India.

1926 December 2, the passing away of Princess Theresa.

1928 Presided over All-India All Parties Muslim Conference at Delhi.

1929 Married Mademoiselle (Miss) Andree Carron, mother of Prince Sadruddin.

1930 Attended Round Table Conference in London as Chairman of the British Indian Delegation.

1930 His horse Blenheim won the Derby.

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••• • •••

1931 Met Mahatma Gandhi at Ritz Hotel, London in an effort for Hindu-Muslim understanding.

1932 Represented India at the World Disarmament Conference. In the same year led the Indian delegation to the League of Nations and again in 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937.

1933 Birth of Prince Sadruddin.

1934 Was made a Privy Councillor.

1935 August 18 completed fifty years of Imamat.

1935 His horse Bahram won the Triple Crown of the Turf that is, the Two Thousand Guineas, the Derby and the St. Leger.

4 2 4 8 1936 Golden Jubilee was celebrated in Bombay by weighing the Imam against gold on 19 January.

1936 Presided over the Muslim Educational Conference at Rampur on 21 February.

1936 Marriage of Prince Aly Khan to Joan Yarde-Buller, who took the name Princess Taju’d-dawlah.

1936 Birth of the present Imam, Shah Karim al-Husayni. 4 4 5 0

1937 His Highness was weighed against gold by the lsmailis of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

1937 President of the League of Nations.

1937 Attended the Coronation of His Majesty King George VI as the representative of British India.

1937 Birth of Prince Amyn Mohammed.

1944 Married Mademoiselle (Miss) Labrousse, Ome Habibeh.

1945 Laid the foundation of Ismailia Association in Africa at the Mission Conference in Dar-es-salaam.

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1945 Became the patron of East African Muslim Welfare Society.

1946 Diamond Jubilee celebrated in Bombay on 10 March by weighing the Imam against diamonds. He was also weighed against diamonds at Dar-es-salaam, Africa on 10 August.

1946 Honoured Ome Habibeh with the title of ‘Mata Salamat’.

1947 Felicitated Quaid-e-Azam on the creation of Pakistan.

1948 Jamats celebrated the longest Imamat in Ismaili history.

1951 Awarded the degree of LLD by Dacca University.

1951 Visited Syria where he was decorated with the title of Order of the Omayyads.

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1952 His horse Tulyar won the Derby.

1952 Evian Conference held to discuss social and economic changes for the African Jamats. Introduced simple colonial dress, and English as the medium of education in Africa.

1954 Platinum Jubilee celebrated in Karachi on February 3.

1954 Published “The Memoirs of Aga Khan – World Enough and Time”. It was printed in London by Cassell and Company Ltd and in New York by Simon and Schuster.

1955 Platinum Jubilee in Cairo on 20 February.

1957 Passed away on 10 July at the age of 80 years.

1977 Birth centenary celebrations all over the world.

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my life in many ways has been a bridge across vastly differing epochs.

in my youth the internal combustion engine was in its early, experimental phase, and the first motor-cars were objects of ridicule; now we all take supersonic jet propulsion for granted, and interplanetary travel is far more seriously discussed today than was even the smallest flying venture at a time when i was quite grown up and had already lived a full and active life.

i had the great honour of knowing lord kelvin, in his time the greatest physicist in the world; he assured me solemnly and deliberately that flying was a physical impossibility for human beings and quite unattainable. yet these and much more have come to pass in a brief half-century. memoirs p 2

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ep ly Rto the address given by the african legion, cairo, 20 february, 1955 you referred to my seventy years imamat which, indeed, is unique in the history of the 48 ismaili imams by its long duration, but also it began in another world, the world of horse carriages and candle lights, and today we are in the world of nuclear power, physics, jet air travel and serious discussion amongst the most learned as to how and when we can visit the stars and the moon.

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i n v e n t i o n s

6 2 we shall show them our signs in the - - external world (afaq) and in their souls (anfus) until it will be manifest to them that he is true

- - surah of ha-mim sajdah 41:53 c i e n ti f i c n v e n ti o n s S1877 I 1. Internal Combustion Engine (four-cycle), by Nikolaus August Otto, German 2. Talking Machine (phonograph) by Thomas Alva Edison, American 3. Microphone by Emile Berliner, American 4. Electric Welding by Elihu Thomson, American 5. Refrigerator Car by G.F. Swift, American

1878 6. Cream Separator by Carl Gustav de Laval, Swedish 7. Cathode Ray Tube by Sir William Crookes, British

1879 8. Cash Register by James J. Ritty, American 9. Light Bulb (Incandescent filament) by Thomas Alva Edison, American and Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, British 10. Automobile Engine (two-cycle) by Karl Benz, German 11. Arc Lamp by Charles Francis Bush, American

1880 12. Linotype by Ottmar Mergenthaler, American

5 8 6 4 1884 13. Steam Turbine by C.A. Parsons, English 14. Rayon (nitrocellulose) by Comte Hilaire Bernigaud de Chardonnet, French 15. Multiple-wheel Steam Turbine by Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, British 16. Nipkow Disk (mechanical television scanning device) by Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, German 17. Fountain Pen by Lewis Edson Waterman, American

1885 18. Automobile (w/ int. combustion engine) by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, German 19. Graphophone (dictating machine) by Chichester A. Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter, American 20. AC transformer by William Stanley, American

1887 21. Air-inflated Rubber Tire by J.B. Dunlop, Scottish 22. Gramophone (disk records), Emile Berliner, American 23. Gas mantle, Baron Carl Auer von Welsbach, Austrian 24. Mimeograph, Albert Blake Dick, American 25. Monotype, Tolbert Lanston, American 26. Automated Electric Elevator by Alexander Miles, American 1888 27. Adding Machine (recording) by William Seward Burroughs, American 28. Kodak Camera by George Eastman, American

1889 29. Steam Turbine by C.G. de Laval, Swedish

1890 30. Rayon (cuprammonium) by Louis Henri Despeissis, French

1891 31. Glider by Otto Lilienthal, German 32. Motion Picture Camera (kinetograph) by Thomas Alva Edison, American and William K. L. Dickson, British 33. Motion Picture Viewer (kinetoscope) by Thomas Alva Edison, American and William K. L. Dickson, British 34. Synthetic Rubber by Sir William Augustus Tilden, British

1892 35. AC Motor by Nikola Tesla, American 36. Three-color Camera by Frederick Eugene Ives, American 37. Rayon (viscose) by Charles Frederick Cross, British 38. Vacuum Bottle (Dewar flask) by Sir James Dewar, British

6 0 6 6 1893 39. Photoelectric Cell by Julius Elster Hans F. Geitel, German 40. Diesel Engine by Rudolf Diesel, German 41. Gasoline Automobile by Charles Edgar Duryea and J. Frank Duryea, American

1894 42. Motion Picture by Louis & Auguste Lumiere, French and Charles Francis Jenkins, American

1895 43. X-ray by Wilhelm Konrad Rientgen, German 44. Rayon (acetate) by Charles Frederick Cross, British 45. Wireless Telegraph by Marchese Guglielmo Marconi, Italian

1896 46. Experimental Airplane by Samuel Pierpont Langley, American

1898 47. Sensitized Photographic Paper by Leo Hendrik Baekeland, American

1900 48. Rigid Dirigible Airship by Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German 1902 49. Radiotelephone by Valdemar Poulsen, Danish and Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, American

1903 50. Airplane by Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright, American 51. Windshield Wipers by Mary Anderson, American 52. Electrocardiograph by Willem Einthoven, Dutch

1905 53. Diode Rectifier Tube (radio) by Sir John Ambrose Fleming, British

1906 54. Gyrocompass by Hermann Anschetz-Kempfe, German

1907 55. Triode Amplifier Tube (radio) by Lee De Forest, American

1908 56. Cellophane by Jacques Edwin Brandenberger, Swiss 57. Two-colour Motion Picture Camera by C. Albert Smith, British

6 2 6 8 1909 58. Salvarsan the first modern chemotherapy agent by Paul Ehrlich, German

1910 59. Plastic Synthesized (Bakelite) by Leo H. Baekeland, American 60. Hydrogenation of Coal by Friedrich Bergius, German 61. Gyroscopic Compass and Stabilizer by Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American

1911 62. Air Conditioning by W.H. Carrier, American 63. Vitamins by Casimir Funk, Polish 64. Neon Lamp by Georges Claude, French

1912 65. Mercury Vapour Lamp by Peter Cooper Hewitt, American

1913 66. Ramjet Engine by Rene Lorin, French 67. Multigrid Electron Tube by Irving Langmuir, American 68. Cracked Gasoline by William Meriam Burton, American 69. Heterodyne Radio Receiver by Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, American 1914 70. Gas-Mask (Hood) by Garrett Morgan, American

1915 71. Automobile Self-starter by Charles Franklin Kettering, American

1916 72. Browning Gun (automatic rifle) by John Moses Browning, American 73. Gas-filled Incandescent Lamp by Irving Langmuir, American 74. X-ray Tube by William David Coolidge, American

1919 75. Mass Spectrograph by Sir Francis William Aston, British and Arthur Jeffrey Dempster, American

1922 76. Insulin by Sir Frederick Grant Banting, Canadian

1922 77. Sound Motion Pictures by T. W. Case, American

6 4 7 0 1923 78. Autogiro by Juan de la Cierva, Spanish 79. Television Iconoscope by Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, American 80. Three-way Traffic Signal by Garrett Morgan, American

1924 81. Quick-Frozen Food by Clarence Birdseye, American

1925 82. Television Image Dissector Tube by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, American

1926 83. Aerosol Can by Erik Rotheim, Norwegian 84. Liquid-fuel Rocket by Robert Hutchings Goddard, American

1927 85. Paints & Stains from soybeans by George W. Carver, American 86. Universe is Expanding by George LeMaitre, Belgian and Edwin P. Hubble, American

1928 87. Penicillin by Alexander Fleming, British 1930 88. Bathysphere (deep-sea submersible) by Otis Bartona and used by William Beebe, American 89. Freon (low-boiling fluorine compounds) by Thomas Midgley and co-workers, American 90. Modern Gas-turbine Engine by Sir Frank Whittle, British 91. Neoprene (synthetic rubber) by Julius Arthur Nieuwland, Belgium and Wallace Hume Carothers, American

1931 92. Cyclotron by Ernest Orlando Lawrence, American 93. Differential Analyzer (analogue computer) by Vannevar Bush, American

1932 94. Phase Contrast Microscope by Frits Zernike, Dutch 95. Van de Graaff Generator by Robert J. Van de Graaff, American

1933 96. Frequency Modulation (FM) by Edwin Howard Armstrong, American

6 6 7 2 1935 97. Buna (synthetic rubber) by German Scientists, German 98. Radiolocator (radar) by Sir Robert Watson-Watt, British 99. Cortisone Synthesized by Percy Julian and Edward Kendall, American and Tadeus Reichstein, Swiss 100. Electron Microscope co-invented by Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska, German 101. Sulfanllamide by Gerhard Domagk, German 102. Nylon by Wallace Hume Carothers, American

1936 103. Jet Engine Propulsion by Sir Frank Whittle, British and Hans von Ohain, German 104. Twin-rotor helicopter by Heinrich Focke, German

1937 105. Snowmobile by Armand Bombardier, Canadian

1938 106. Ballpoint Pen by Georg and Ladislao Biro, Hungarian

1939 107. DDT by Paul Mieller, Swiss 108. Helicopter by Igor Sikorsky, American 1940 109. Betatron by Donald William Kerst, American

1941 110. Turbojet Aircraft Engine by Sir Frank Whittle, British

1942 111. Guided Missile by Wernher von Braun, German 112. Nuclear Reactor by Enrico Fermi, American 113. Xerography by Chester Carlson, American

1944 114. V-2 Rocket (rocket-propelled bomb) by German Scientists, German

1945 115. Atomic Bomb by U.S. Government Scientists, American 116. Streptomycin by Selman A. Waksman, American

1946 117. Digital Computer, Electronic, by John Presper Eckert, Jr., and John W. Mauchly, American

6 8 7 4 1947 118. Holography by Dennis Gabon, British 119. Chlormycetin by Mildred Rebstock, American 120. Polaroid Land Camera by Edwin Herbert Land, American 121. Bathyscaphe by Auguste Piccard, Swiss 122. Microwave Oven by Percy L. Spencer, American

1948 123. Scintillation Counter by Hartmut Kallmann, German 124. Aureomycin by Benjamin Minge Duggar and Chandra Bose Subha Rao, American 125. Transistor by John Bardeen, Walter Houser Brattain, and William Shockley, American

1949 126. Ramjet Airplane by Rene Leduc, French

1950 127. Colour Television by Peter Carl Goldmark, American 128. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) by Felix Bloch & Edward Purcell, American 1952 129. Hydrogen Bomb designed by Richard Garwin and made by Edward Teller and a team of scientists, American 130. Bubble Chamber (nuclear particle detector) by Donald Arthur Glaser, American

1953 131. Maser by Charles Townes, American 132. Structure of DNA described by James Watson, American and Francis Crick, English

1954 133. Solar Battery by Bell Telephone Laboratory Scientists, American 134. Polio Vaccine by Jonas Salk, American

1955 135. Synthetic Diamonds by General Electric Scientists, American 136. Carbon Dating by W.F. Libby, American 137. Optical Fibres by Narinder S. Kapany, Indian

7 07 6 1956 138. Hovercraft by Christopher Cockerell, English 139. First Prototype Rotary Engine by Felix Wankel, German 140. Videotape by Charles Ginsberg and Ray Dolby, American

1957 141. Sodium-cooled Atomic Reactor by U.S. Government Scientists, American 142. Artificial Earth Satellite by USSR Government Scientists, Soviet s ay i n g s r e l at e d t o w o m e n translation from gujarati

kalam-i imam-i mubin, volume 1 and 2

mumbai 1950 - 1951

7 8

alam-i mam-i ubin, vol. 1 KIt is not appropriateI that many womenM cover their faces with a burqa (veil). It is obligatory for them to control their hearts (literally: to keep the reins of their heart strongly in their hands). If the women do not look at their spiritual brothers in this world, how will they recognise them in the Hereafter? No Prophet or Imam has said [to wear] burqa (veil). zanzibar, 20 august, 1899

In our Ismaili religion women and men are all equal. Do not be bashful of each other. Women should consider all men [other than their husbands] as brothers or fathers and men should consider all women [other than their wives] as sisters and mothers. bagamoyo, 21 september, 1899

It is not right in your faith to harbour the desire for two wives. Women in your faith should not be bashful of men. The men should be like angels. Behave towards each other as though you are the children of the same mother and father. Believers should be like angels and women should not be bashful of them. dar-es-salaam, 27 september, 1899

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Consider your sisters in faith as your own sisters. Never do evil things. Always keep your eyes pure. Just as you look at your own sisters, similarly look at your sisters in faith.

Treat your wives with love. Do not quarrel with them, never beat them. Do not have two wives [simultaneously] without a good reason. If unfortunately you do not have children or your wife is ill and for this reason you need to marry a second wife, treat them as equally as your two eyes. Do not love one more than the other, treat them alike. Have equal love for them. Do not have more than one wife just for the sake of pleasure. zanzibar, 24 august, 1905

7 6 8 2 The physical veil that women wear is not good, but draw a veil of modesty across the heart’s eyes, that is, do not let your hearts bear evil thoughts at any time.

zanzibar, 29 august, 1905 alam-i mam-i ubin, vol. 2 Kaddressing the girlsI of the kandi moholaM school We are very happy to see the samples of embroidery and knitting done by the girls who are receiving education here. We command the parents that they must send their girls to this school. We make it obligatory for them to do so, because if the girls attend school and learn to knit, embroider, read, write, etc. they will be able to look after themselves in the future. If they do not attend this school and do not learn these skills they may have to wash the clothes and utensils of others and earn merely four to six paisas, on which they will have to depend. This is why we wish the girls to be educated and clever and not to have to rely on others. Therefore it is essential to send them to school to educate them.

If the girls through education become smart and capable they will be able to teach their children in the future what they know; they will be able to give them a good upbringing, which is why everybody should send their girls to school. Do not forget this.

7 88 4 There should be no Ismaili girl who is not educated. A boy can go anywhere and trade and learn new skills, but where will the girls go? This is why it is very necessary to educate the girls. They should learn to read Gujarati, [also] our religious books, writing and arithmetic, embroidery and knitting. It is very important for girls to learn to add, subtract, etc. addressing parents who did not send older girls to school, he said: Perhaps at present their parents may be well to do, but it is possible a time may come when their girls may need to work; this is natural and it happens in many places. If they are educated they will not be a burden on anyone. We are very keen to see that girls learn more than the boys. At present many girls remain in darkness without education.

In future if girls are educated their children too will also progress more in education. mumbai, 18 february, 1913 It is your duty to send your daughters to school. What is the benefit if you remove your girls when they are young, that is, they become ten years old? If you do so, they will forget what they have learnt. Therefore, send them to school until they are fourteen years old, because if they have learnt a little they will forget that if removed from the school and thus there will no benefit in that. Send the girls up to the age of fourteen so they can learn the skills properly and this will serve them well. We are spending a lot of money [on education] so give your children full advantage of it.

These girls are our little children. We advise you to the extent that if you have two children, one boy and one girl and you do not have enough money to educate them, first educate the girl and then the boy. Teach the girl until she is fourteen years old so that she can benefit from it.

addressing the girls You are our small children, study hard at school. Even If your parents tell you not to attend school, tell them that you will go to school and study well. mumbai, 1 march, 1915

8 0 8 6 With religious education it is very necessary to also acquire worldly education. This is especially necessary for girls. It is the duty of parents to send their girls to school.

It is the duty of the whole community to give worldly and religious education to their children, it is very necessary. It is also necessary for boys. Boys can go anywhere and work hard, or they can go to another part [of the country] and struggle hard and manage to earn a living. Where can the girls go? This is why education is very necessary for girls.

If by ill fortune her husband is bad and uneducated, she will certainly be unhappy. If she is educated she will be happy and be able to change her husband. Even if her husband is uneducated, she by the strength of her learning will be able to transform him. We say this specially to you that it is most essential to teach girls knowledge and skills and it is the utmost duty of every parent to educate the girls.

We do not wish to see any of our followers uneducated. karachi, 26 april, 1920 expressing happiness at the establishment of a debating society For example one person says that women should wear veils, another opposes this idea and shows the disadvantages of doing so. He gives a speech and then the arguments are evaluated.

We have given this only as an example that one person questions and the two sides present their arguments, but our Ismaili followers should not be so foolish as to keep women in prison and veils.

The one who imprisons women is not an Ismaili. Our Ismaili followers should not behave in such a foolish or ignorant manner. karachi, 30 april, 1920

Teach the girls to knit, so that they can have happy futures. It is a fine and exalted action that every person sends his daughters to school. It is not enough that there is a girls’ school in Dhoraji. We should open girls’ schools all over Kathiawad. To supervise this is your work and especially that of the Council.

8 2 8 8 Encourage your girls. Knitting is a wonderful skill. Send them wherever there are facilities for them to learn. If there are Government schools, send them there too. rajkot, 13 february, 1923

It is very necessary to give girls education. It is more important to educate girls than boys. Fathers will send their boys to any school because they are motivated by the fact that the boys will earn money, but as for girls the fathers have no such motivation.

As your spiritual father we give you guidance about the girls’ education. We are always emphasising in our guidance about girls’ education because we wish their parents to educate them. There will be a time when they will also learn English. Whatever knowledge exists in the world should be open to the girls to learn. zanzibar, 19 february, 1925 Where there are schools, it is the duty of parents to send their children to them. If we do not have our own school, send them to the Government schools, but it is necessary to give them an education. Teach the girls too and give them an education. Boys and girls are equal like the two eyes. There is no difference between them. Like the boys give the girls an education, that is, you should educate them equally. There is no difference between a man or a woman if he or she serves in any way with courage and faith. nairobi, 18 march, 1926

during a meeting a woman had pulled her pachedi (scarf) over her face. on seeing this, he addressed all the ladies and said: This tradition is very bad, therefore give up the tradition of covering your face. It is not appropriate for an Ismaili to cover her face, therefore no Ismaili woman should do so. All of you walk about with uncovered faces.

It is wrong to cover your faces so do not practise it. If you walk on the road with covered faces, you could get trapped under a car or you could fall down. What is the benefit in that? Therefore nobody should cover their faces. nairobi, 22 march, 1926

8 49 0 addressing the ladies and girls who are you covering your face for, the older people, for your imam (pir-u murshid) or for somebody else? if you cover your faces you will not benefit from the fresh air, therefore from today nobody should cover their faces. educate yourselves in such a way that you can earn your own living. girls should acquire such an education that even if they are not married they can earn their own livelihood. give the girls a good education and if possible teach them english. nairobi, 22 march, 1926 Women should not cover their faces with their scarf or head covering (chedo or ghumto). If you cover the face, the nose is blocked so how can air reach it? Therefore give up the custom of covering your face. It is very necessary to educate the girls, because boys can work on steamers and sleep on the ground and can earn their living in any way. Therefore first it is necessary to educate the girls.

We do not wish to see Ismaili women dependent on their parents, husbands or anybody else, except God. Therefore teach girls English as well as typing and train them in such a way that they become independent and earn their own livings. mombasa, 31 march, 1926

Teach girls skills with which they can earn an income. Teach them to sew well and give them every type of skill and learning, including English and typing. It is the duty of leaders to give frequent talks in Jamatkhana (congregational place) regarding the girls’ education and to make every effort for it. mombasa, 7 april, 1926

8 6 9 2 addressing a woman who had served the gujranwala jamat by converting people to the faith You are doing the work of more than ten men; you are serving us greatly. You have served more than a missionary. Even amongst the men, there must be few like you. A believer may be anywhere but he or she is close to us. mumbai, 13 january, 1928

Send your children to school. Women should also work. They should not be dependent on the men, therefore to teach them skills is necessary and obligatory. Make sure that they are able to earn something (literally: five paisa). At present the situation of the world demands that both hands be strong. One hand is the man and the other is the woman. If you wish to have a future generation of strong and healthy people, you need a healthy father and more important than that, a mother who is free from illness. This is why we advise you to start the habit of exercise in the open air appropriate for girls. mumbai, 15 january, 1928 addressing the leaders of karachi When there is a public meeting of the community, invite the ladies committee and accord them the respect similar to that in Mumbai. mumbai, 17 january, 1928

addressing the workers at the school Look after the girls very well, teach them well. We pray [for you] day and night. Take care of them and take them to open spaces. Think about getting the girls to do exercise. For girls it is important to do specially drill, breathing and other exercises. It is the duty of their parents to keep them at school until fourteen. At school, they should learn all matters concerning life. Give them proper physical training. thana, 29 january, 1928

8 89 4 The community being small here it is not possible for you to teach further, however you should continue their education elsewhere.

The children should go to Government schools or any private school such as Hindu or other schools and study further. Place a greater obligation on the matter of girls’ education, so that when they finish in this school they continue higher classes at other schools, in order to be able to earn their own livelihoods. poona, 1 february, 1928 on visiting the recreation club institute The true meaning of the word ‘Recreation’ is re-creating or making something anew. We hope that you will keep the true meaning of the word ‘Recreation’ in your minds by understanding that the real ‘Recreation’ is to arouse a new consciousness within oneself or to inspire a new life within. In this world you have been told absolutely correctly that women should play a greater role, otherwise we envision a very negative future. mumbai, 12 february, 1928

addressing the office-bearers of the ismailia co-operative bank We visited the Bank yesterday. The work of the Co-operative is very good. We are very happy. It is satisfactory that you have increased the capital and we hope that gradually the members will increase. We are very happy to know that women members are given equal rights in the Bank. mumbai, 12 january, 1935

9 09 6

addressing the members of the kathiawad supreme council Take advantage of the schooling provided by the State of Kathiawad. Secondly persuade more people to educate their girls. Make arrangements to ensure that girls get more education. Other communities are reaping the benefit of educating their girls. You too should educate your girls and reap the benefit of that. Instruct the missionaries, leaders and members of the Council to give talks and advice to the community. The more you educate the girls the greater the benefit. mumbai, 26 january, 1936

on a visit to the girls’ school Remain happy all of you. It is the special duty of our daughters to acquire education, because they are going to be mothers and look after children. Educated mothers can look after their children. Pay greater attention to them since the girls are going to bear the duties of mothers [in the future]. If the mothers are uneducated their children will face difficulties. Education is compulsory for them. Nothing can be done without education. nairobi, 19 january, 1937

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addressing women on visiting the aga khan club

It is 20 years since girls have been going to school and they have taken good advantage [of it]. Now it is important to put into practice three or four other things.

First, it is very necessary to organise a baby week here, therefore take every step to organise a baby show. Second, it is the duty of the Council to arrange weekly or fortnightly lectures for the women regarding the baby week. In this matter, if you identify a lady from outside the community who has the qualifications, there is no problem in inviting her to the congregation to deliver such lectures. Third, it is very necessary that women learn skills by which they can earn their own living. We allocate this duty to the Education Board. These three matters are very important in this world.

mombasa, 21 january, 1937

9 41 0 0 addressing the ladies committee Well done! We are very happy to see you. You the young women serve us a great deal. You are like our daughters. Young women like yourselves should come forward. Explain to all to serve the Imam and to serve the community. The Imam wishes to see young, educated, healthy daughters come forward to serve openly. We are happy to see our daughters’ progress in education, dress, and in every way.

Always remain happy and keep smiling. Such attributes are the light of the community and they are our flag.

Keep on working always as you are doing now. Persuade our other daughters to come forward for the progress of the world and the community. Teach them everything about child rearing and help them to progress. Your dress is beautiful like flowers. Do not keep only your dress flower-like, but become flower-like in your own personalities. All of you women are flower-like. Amongst flowers the rose is exalted, in the same way live in this world with exalted attributes and with the same you will be in our presence in the Hereafter. mombasa, 22 january, 1937 addressing boys and girls at the aga khan school We are very happy to see you. Aspire to attain the highest education. You should not in any way acquire less education than the boys.

zanzibar, 27 january, 1937

message sent to the community in africa The time has come to appoint women to the Provincial Councils of the bigger towns. Therefore we are appointing women members for the Provincial Councils of Zanzibar, Mombasa, Dar-es-salaam and Nairobi.

cairo, 11 february, 1938

addressing women Even if you reach the age of 100 years you will remain young, that is, your hearts will stay young. Believers never age. Be strong. Do not forget your Imam. mumbai, 27 december, 1938

9 61 0 2 addressing women We want to give you some advice, therefore listen carefully and put it into practice. In Europe, every woman does her own housework, such as washing clothes, dishes, ironing, etc. They do all these tasks with their own hands. Here in this country the way the European women live and the way they get African servants to do their work is not done in Europe. In Europe all housework, [such as] cooking, washing, caring for the children and keeping bathroom and toilets clean is done by the women themselves. Do not depend on African servants and learn to do your housework such as cooking, washing, cleaning and dusting, looking after children, etc. with your own hands.

Do not blindly imitate the European women here who get African servants to do their housework, rather live like the women in Europe. Be independent and do not rely on African servants. Young women specially should learn to do all their housework themselves. It is not a problem if those women who are midwives, nurses or who work in offices and shops, if perhaps they get African servants to do their work. However it is not at all appropriate that those women whose husbands earn more than enough leave all the housework to African servants while they go shopping in the bazaar and the markets. They should do all their work with their own hands.

Teach your children to do everything themselves and make them independent. My Begum does all the housework herself, such as cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, disinfecting and dusting etc.

when the women heard this they started laughing and hazrat mawlana sultan muhammad shah too, laughed a lot with them, then he continued: You may laugh but my Begum does all the housework with her own hands and you too, give up the reliance on African servants and learn to do all your work yourselves.

9 81 0 4 addressing the members of the old girls’ association Believers always remain young. They never age, therefore change the name of your Association from ‘Old’ to ‘Young’ Girls’ Association. A believer’s heart is always young, it never ages. nairobi, 17 april, 1945

In a town like Nairobi where people live at great distances, you should learn to cycle. We are very happy to hear that girls are cycling here and the older women should also learn to do so. Just as men and women go for drives in motorcars, in the same way they should go for rides together on bicycles. Using bicycles instead of cars exercises the body and at the same time it is more economic. We have given this advice particularly for a town like Nairobi where people live far away from the centre. For towns like Mombasa and Zanzibar where residences are close to the town, it is not necessary to use bicycles, but it is better to walk. nairobi, 30 may, 1945 addressing members of the aga khan old girls’ association We do not like this name. Our daughters never age, they always remain young, therefore change the name to “Young Girls’” or “Former Girls’” Association. It is very necessary for you to learn the skills of cooking. Food should not be overcooked, because it destroys the nourishing essence in it. Learn to cook scientifically so that the nourishing essence of vegetables and meat is not destroyed, but rather it is retained and gives benefit to the eaters. Minimise as much as possible the use of chilli and spices. We have given much guidance regarding this in Nairobi, read and put it into practice to receive benefit. You should learn to sew your own clothes. Every woman should know how to cut and sew her own clothes. Teach everybody these skills, including how to dry clean clothes.

mombasa, 12 june, 1945

1 0 01 0 6 addressing the ladies’ lecturing society It is very commendable that you organise and deliver lectures. Give lectures to the ladies of the community every month about good subjects and topics. The subjects should be interesting and appropriate for the women so they are motivated and interested in them as well as being beneficial. You are teaching mature women, which is a very good thing.

You are educating and making our followers smart – this gives us great happiness. mombasa, 12 june, 1945 addressing girls at the aga khan school We are very happy to see that there are girls who after studying in our school return as teachers to work here. We are extremely pleased to physically see our spiritual daughters here today. We give you all our best blessings.

We have spoken about one matter numerous times in India, which we are repeating here to you. If parents have two children, a boy and a girl and they are able only to educate one of them, if such parents ask us for advice we would tell them to educate the girl first. We would tell them that the boy would be able to manage his life, therefore educate the girl first. Another reason is that if the mother is educated she will be able to teach her children, whereas if a father is educated he will be so pre-occupied with his worldly tasks that he will not be able to teach his children as much as an educated mother.

1 0 21 0 8 Secondly, a man can work the whole day on a steamer or dockside and sleep on the road or elsewhere, but if a woman is without a husband and she does not possess the skills to earn her own living, will she be able to sleep on the roadside? Give the girls excellent education.

More than men, women should have strong faith and courage in the matter of religion. It is very necessary that girls develop spiritual strength. We have made Ismaili women free and independent. If that were not the case, you would also be walking around in veils the way other Muslim women are compelled to do. However, your Imam has granted you complete freedom. The Ismaili community is ahead of other Muslim communities by fifty years. They will not be able to attain the same freedom as the Ismaili women for the next twenty years. mombasa, 17 june, 1945 Now Pakistan has come into existence, thus it is doubly obligatory upon you not to be left behind in education. If your own schools are not adequate send them to other schools. We do not wish to see Ismailis lagging behind others in education. You should progress further than the others. - Al-hamdu. li’llah! Ismaili women have progressed a hundred years ahead of the women of other communities. In the same way, men too, should progress.

It is important for women to protect their religion. They are free. They are a hundred years ahead of other communities. Make efforts for their progress. For this reason women have the double responsibility of protecting their faith. For those who are striving, the Hereafter is very bright. It is necessary for young women to become teachers. There is a shortage of teachers therefore they should take advantage of this.

karachi, 12 february, 1950

1 0 41 1 0

m e s s a g e s t o t h e i s m a i l i s o f a f r i c a [ s e n t a s t e l e g r a m s ]

1 1 2

Congratulations Mukhiani Kamdiani very happy occasion wearing western dress at duty hope example will be followed by lady officers on duty when not on duty may do as they wish.

marseilles, 23 august, 1952

I wish all Africa dearest spiritual children to be careful not to waste old sari clothes in any case many such saris could be turned into western costume for growing girls and to be worn until used by wear and tear. Object dress reform colonial economy for this essential no waste during necessary interval of years until complete western system comes in time.

marseilles, 15 september, 1952

1 0 81 1 4

xtract from a e tte r Eto a man who objected to theL introduction of colonial dress for Ismaili women this gentleman has talked of the vices of hollywood coming amongst the young ladies of the community. i hate the vices of hollywood. but what about the worst vice of the slavery of women in purdah, burqah and zenana where women are reduced to the moral insignificance of vegetables and physical wrecks of diseases such as tuberculosis, etc? god does not consider anybody moral who is put in a cage or box and locked up. the only morality is those who resist temptation of evil and with honour carry their heads high, having seen the attraction of the bad and chosen the good.

1 1 01 1 6 the public belief is that muslim ladies are hemmed by traditional customs and that their utility is limited to domestic and family affairs. the life of my beloved mother proves how false such ideas are. she exerted her influence for seventy years; she having lived ninety-nine years. her influence was great not only among ismailis or even muslims but amongst all communities in india. no doubt everybody cannot have such a fine start in life from such an advantageous position but ladies, in their own sphere, can, by devoting time and thought, render public service in addition to domestic and family works. cannes, 4 december, 1952 s tat u s o f w o m e n

1 1 8

message to the ismailia women’s association The Prophet of Islam (who has been so cruelly libelled in the Western world, by ignorance or malice) was wont to say that men can but follow in the footsteps of their mothers towards Paradise. And it was not for nothing, according to Muslim belief, that his first convert was a woman.

Biologically the female is more important to the race than the male. While average women are capable of earning their own livelihood like men, they are the guardians of the life of the race, and only through their natural constitution are they able to bear the double burden. Experience shows the strong probability that the active influence of women on society, under free and equal conditions, is calculated not only to bring about practical improvement in the domestic realm, but also a higher and nobler idealism into the life of the state.

Those who know Moslem society from within readily admit that its higher spiritual life owes a great debt to the example and influence of women. Today, as in the lifetime of the Prophet, probably the majority of devout and reverent followers of his teaching are women.

1 1 41 2 0 no progressive thinker of today will challenge the claim that the social advancement and general well-being of communities are greatest where women are least debarred, by artificial barriers and narrow prejudice, from taking their full position as citizens. the progressive modernisation which depends on co-operation and understanding will be impossible unless women are permitted to play their legitimate part in the great work of national regeneration on a basis of political equality. march, 1953 mportance of omen Iclarion call to muslim womenW I do not think you realise yourselves and I am sorry to say, certainly the men of Pakistan and a few other Muslim countries do not realise the importance of women taking an equal rank with men in the welfare, in the Government and in the general activity and prosperity of the country. Only the other day, the Minister of Waqfs, one of the leading ‘ulemas’ of Egypt responsible for religious affairs, was telling me that a country is like a human body – men and women are two lungs if you reduce the power of women, you crush them with inhibitions and imaginary restrictions based ultimately on man’s superior physical power. In a nation, it is exactly like a human being who has one lung perforated by tuberculosis and only one lung to work.

Ladies believe me, if Pakistan does not rise to the modern idea of the equal position of women, you will find not only Europe but all the other countries of Asia going ahead of you. I am heartbroken when I see how little so many of our men realise what it is, and how little the women contribute, compared to what they could contribute to the moral and material happiness and prosperity of the country.

1 1 61 2 2 To begin with, the women here, to my horror, are forbidden from taking part in the religious life of the country. In practically every Muslim country the women are allowed to go to mosque for Friday prayers and there are proper wings divided by ‘purdahs’ from the men where they conduct Friday prayers. Perhaps the greatest blot in Pakistan is the neglect of Friday prayers by Muslims generally but above all, not giving women occasions for participating in these most important prayers. If you are forbidden even prayer, what can you expect? The first thing to agitate for is to get your right for prayers, which women enjoy in practically every Muslim country. In Cairo, there are special mosques, like the Mohammedali Mosque, where galleries are reserved for women. In North Africa, in the Paris mosque and the London mosque at Woking, in Iran and in Turkey, women have their own special place for Friday prayers. When you do not allow the women to pray, how can you expect them to do any lay service for the country?

First of all you must win the right to prayers, then win your right to equality in production, industrial service and in office work. I am an old man and I can expect very little in this world but my message to you women is: Organise yourselves, resist and fight for your rights. One last word, some of our champions of inhibitions fear that liberty will lead to sexual immorality. Believe me, when women from childhood and adolescence have seen men, then there is very little likelihood of that, except in naturally bad characters who will be bad always under any conditions, either of freedom or restrictions.

I have lived in most European and American countries, and I have no hesitation in saying that only one out of 1,000 families is broken up by sexual misdemeanour and the other 999 go through happy life bringing up children, living perfectly moral lives in which little thought is given to sexual relations and the whole life is taken up for service to the children, to the family, to the husband and to the country. My dear Muslim sisters – one result of this that some of your men who lock up their women, when they go to Paris, rush to indulge in their horrible instincts and for that go to places where (like in every great city, even in Muslim countries) there are prostitutes and shows for encouraging sexual depravity. But that is not the life of the people. The overwhelming life of the people is happy family relations and far more devotion to children than you can possibly get out of ‘purdah-nashin’.

1 1 81 2 4 oh my sisters, agitate. leave no peace to the men till they give you religious freedom by opening mosques for prayers not side by side with men but in reserved quarters attached to all the mosques, so that the habit of praying in public and self-respect and self-confidence becomes general amongst women. on that foundation of religious equality, you can then build social, economic, patriotic and political equality with men. i pray allah almighty to open the eyes of our benighted men and some of our still more benighted women. oreword f“position of woman under islam” by syed m. h. zaidi published in calcutta, india, 1935

I have not the least doubt that the whole spirit and teaching of the Holy Prophet whatever their temporary aspects may have been – encouraged the evolution of all legitimate freedom and legitimate equality between men and women.

The responsibility before God for prayers, for action, and for moral decisions is the same for men and women, according to the Prophet’s Holy Message. Women already 1350 years ago were made economically independent of men, while in England till as late as 1880 a woman’s property belonged to her husband. The Prophet also broke with that system and made women financially independent and gave them their proper due in succession to their various relatives’ estates.

1 2 01 2 6 Pious and believing Muslims who really wish to understand the Holy Message of the Prophet and not just its passing aspects would immediately set to work with the object of bringing about the full and legitimate evolution of Muslim women in Islamic society till such time as they can honestly hold their own with the men.

The fact that in succession women get only one-half of what a man gets does not prove that they have not moral equality. But in the same way women in Europeare paid less than men because they are not expected to keep a family, so in Islam in their independent property they are expected to maintain themselves and not their families. The fact that the family name goes through the boys makes it necessary that the wealth of the family should go more to the sons than to the daughters, leaving the daughters with 50% and in a position of real equality. Even in these days in Roman Catholic countries the woman’s property goes automatically to the husband, who becomes the owner of his wife’s belongings. Under this system women have very little real independence and are at the mercy of their husbands.

i firmly believe that in encouraging education amongst my

religious followers, and in trying as far as possible to give

them equality – women with men – i have carried out the spirit

of the holy message of my ancestor.

1 21 2 2 8 seclusion and purdah are purely oriental customs which came into islam, but have no relation with the spirit of that teaching though undoubtedly they became part of the social system which islam carried on from its neighbouring countries such as persia, byzantium and egypt.

For these reasons I heartily welcome Syed M. H. Zaidi’s book and wish it every success. t h e c o n c e p t o f monoreality

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ayings from the emoirs Sthus there was an absoluteM need for the divine word’s revelation, to mohammed himself, a man like the others, of god’s person and of his relations to the universe which he had created. once man has thus comprehended the essence of existence there remains for him the duty, since he knows the absolute value of his own soul, of making for himself a direct path which will constantly lead his individual soul to and bind it with the universal soul of which the universe, as much of it as we perceive with our limited vision, is one of the infinite manifestations.

1 2 61 3 2 thus islam’s basic principle can only be defined as

monorealism and not as monotheism. consider for example the opening declaration of every

islamic prayer: “allah-o-akbar”. what does that mean? there can be no doubt that the second word of the declaration likens the character of allah to a matrix which contains all and gives existence to the infinite, to space, to time, to the universe, to all active and passive forces imaginable, to life and to the soul.

1 2 81 3 4 imam hassan has explained the islamic doctrine of god and the universe by analogy with the sun and its reflection in the pool of a fountain; there is certainly a reflection or image of the sun, but with what poverty and with what little reality, how small and pale is the likeness between this impalpable image and the immense, blazing, white-hot glory of the celestial sphere itself. allah is the sun; and the universe, as we know it in all its magnitude, and time, with its power, are nothing more than the reflection of the absolute in the mirror of the fountain. there is a fundamental difference between the jewish idea of creation and that of islam. 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.

1 3 01 3 6 i think that i have sufficiently explained the difference between the islamic doctrine of the unity of god and on one side the theistic ideas, founded upon the old testament, and on the other the pantheistic and dualistic ideas of the indian religions and that of zoroaster. but having known the real, the absolute, having understood the universe as an infinite succession of events, intended by god, we need an ethic, a code of conduct in order to be able to elevate ourselves towards the ideal demanded by god. p. 175-176 islamic doctrine goes farther than the other great religions for it proclaims the presence of the soul, perhaps minute but nevertheless existing in an embryonic state in all existence in matter, in animals, trees, and space itself. every individual, every molecule, every atom has its own spiritual relationship with the all-powerful soul of god. but men and women, being more highly developed, are immensely more advanced than the infinite number of other beings known to us.

1 3 21 3 8 islam acknowledges the existence of angels, of great souls who have developed themselves to the highest possible planes of the human soul and higher, and who are centres of the forces which are scattered throughout the universe. without going as far as christianity, islam recognizes the existence of evil spirits which seek by means of their secret suggestions to turn us from good, from that strait way traced by god’s finger for the eternal happiness of the humblest as of the greatest - abraham, jesus, mohammed. p. 177 i can only say to everyone who reads this book of mine that it is my profound conviction that man must never ignore and leave untended and undeveloped that spark of the divine which is in him. the way to personal fulfilment, to individual reconciliation with the universe that is about us, is comparatively easy for anyone who firmly and sincerely believes, as i do, that divine grace has given man in his own heart the possibilities of illumination and of union with reality.

1 3 41 4 0 it is, however, far more important to attempt to offer some hope of spiritual sustenance to those many who, in this age in which the capacity for faith is non-existent in the majority, long for something beyond themselves, even if it seems second-best. for them there is the possibility of finding strength of the spirit, comfort, and happiness in contemplation of the infinite variety and beauty of the universe. penultimate paragraph, p. 334 life in the ultimate analysis has taught me one enduring lesson. the subject should always disappear in the object.

1 3 61 4 2 in our ordinary affections one for another, in our daily work with hand or brain, we most of us discover soon enough that any lasting satisfaction, any contentment that we can achieve, is the result of forgetting self, of merging subject with object in a harmony that is of body, mind, and spirit. and in the highest realms of consciousness all who believe in a higher being are liberated from all the clogging and hampering bonds of the subjective self in prayer, in rapt meditation upon and in the face of the glorious radiance of eternity, in which all temporal and earthly consciousness is swallowed up and itself becomes the eternal. ultimate paragraph, p. 335 orrespondence Cbetween hazrat mawlana sultan muhammad shah, his highness aga khan III, and dr. khalifah abdul hakim

22 May, 1950

Dear Dr. Hakim, I was very glad to get your letter. Of course I looked through your book on Roomi which the Finance Minister gave me to read. I also vaguely remember meeting the young philosopher at the Taj Mahal Hotel ages ago.

I may have been prejudiced against you by the fact that all your friends have spoken to me about your knowledge of Moslem and Eastern philosophy. They have compared you with the poet Ikbal, but I feel very strongly that our philosophers interpreted the universe from the objective knowledge they then had. Even for men like Roomi the earth was the centre and his evolutionary view was the transmission of life in the abstract rather than the physical body. The European philosophers earlier than Kant suffered from similar weakness.

1 31 8 4 4 No doubt Hafiz as a poet has found short cuts and so have other Moslems, either by instinct or by the influence of the Coran, but these short cuts howsoever excellent and ultimately true will not win us over those who seek not only the journey’s end but the journey itself.

Not only the dialectics of Marx but the mathematical philosophy of Russell, and later travellers on that road, need our main attention and exposure on Coranic principles. As I understand Islam, it is unlike Jewish monotheism, in fact it is mono-realism.

I hope to be in Karachi in November, in any case for a few days, and if you will kindly come there, and after personal discussion, we might find a way to carry on the work of the late Z. Hassan.

I am sure the Finance Minister will be very happy to put you up during your visit.

Yours sincerely, 14 September, 1950

Dear Sir, I was very glad to get your letter and it has cleared up the misconceptions which I had.

The beauty of the Quran is that its conception of Reality automatically adapts itself to the highest and most up to date as well as the most primitive thought.

Even the now fashionable logical positivism of England and both the forms of existentialism, whether of the Danes of Copenhagen or of Sartre of St. Germain des Pres, cannot free themselves from the Quranic absolute.

[LÀ Èawla wa lÀ quwwata illÀ bi’llÀhi’l-caliyyi’l-caÎÄm]

Only energy without extension is our saviour today. Even our old and glorious friend Hume having destroyed alike object and subject cannot clear himself from the facts which he assumes in spite of his philosophy in every line of his History of England.

In the work which you wish to take up, we must first realize for whose benefit we are acting. Is it for the half educated failed and successful graduates of our Universities or is it for a small and restricted coterie of intelligencers throughout the World?

1 4 01 4 6 I think the professional writing should attack both but by different routes for no mixing is possible. That means you must remember the French saying namely “clericalism is a different article for export and import”.

I very much look forward to meeting you when I come to stay for sometime in Karachi in March with our friend the Finance Minister. We may then be able to get something done.

Zafar Hassan’s work remains unfinished. Will you be able to get from his heirs whatever has been already completed so that it may be used after what you reported to me on it that his romanism philosophical ideas were not completed by him but the embryo was put together and published after his death. Yours truly,

[PS. I think Marx Dialectical Matter & our Mono Real are very similar conceptions. The fundamental difference is Value] h o to r e d i ts Pcover JampudeepC No Sultan, Al-waiz 45 © AGIP - Rue des Archives/ Abdulaziz Rai Abdullahbhai, pen name is The Granger Collection, New York

“Sayrab Abuturabi” 47 Courtesy of Fatehali Janmohamed

calligraphy Hikmat Printers 49 Private Collection

02 © National Portrait Gallery, London 51 Private Collection

15 Private Collection 73 Private Collection

17 Private Collection 75 - 93 Position of Woman Under Islam,

23 League of Nations Archive Syed H. Zaidi

25 Azeem Maherali Collection 105 Heritage Society Collection 26 Leslie Ward [Public domain], via 109 - 145 Private Collection

Wikimedia Commons

29 - 41 Private Collection

1 4 21 4 8 cknowledgments Athe present publication is the combined work of a number of individuals in the east and the west, who assisted by modern technology, have worked together in the spirit of frontierless brotherhood and sisterhood.

zulfiqar jamani is credited for doing research on the scientific inventions. azeem maherali is credited for collaborating the honours section with works from his articles on simerg simerg.com, ismaili mail ismailimail.wordpress and nanowisdoms nanowisdoms.org. zahir lalani has helped in editing and other tasks such as obtaining permission for the inclusion of a particular photograph. shaherose karim-rawji is credited for acquiring the photographs on p2 and p45. nizar fath ali habib’s usual artistic and technical skills have enhanced the printed publication of this book. yasmin p. karim is the designer of this volume and we are sure that the readers will be most appreciative of her creativity as we are. she has also illustrated the two images of the different epochs.

we hope that another piece of literature produced with unity, dedication and total commitment will bring newer perspectives to our understanding and broaden our perception of “new knowledge” as mentioned in the sayings of hazrat mawlana shah karim al-husayni, aga khan IV. 1 5 0

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