Preface
I was born in Karachi near Garden Jamatkhana. I am almost 90 years old and belong to the Manchester (UK) Jamat. My interest in Ismailism was a result of my daily attendance to Jamatkhana from childhood. This was from the year 1931 to 1941 when I was 5 to 15 years old. My 70 year old grandfather took me to Jamatkhana daily; he used my left shoulder as his support for walking to and from the JK.
Jamati rituals in those days took over 2 1⁄2 hours. Three weekdays were reserved for Wa’ez for over 1 1⁄2 hours each day. There were three local Hon. Wa’ezeen, who mostly participated by a weekly turn, but sometimes, the Ismailia Association (Bombay) would send a travelling Al-Wa’ez. I listened to the Wa’ez with interest because it usually consisted of long stories – religious, Quranic, or historical thirst for knowledge sprouted at that tender age. Sometimes the other children took interest in listening to my retelling of the stories. All those Wa’zeen referred to the group of Sufis, created by the Holy Prophet as “the group of forty”. I have continued to study this subject for the last 20 years.
The Group of Forty!
Once, a delegation of foreigners with some people of Medina approached the Holy Prophet, with extreme devotion, and desirous of experiencing God. They congratulated the Prophet, first for receiving deedar in Gar-e-Hira after doing Ibadat for so many years, and after a few months, for Shab-e-Qadar – his Prophethood from God, and finally, for having been blessed with Miraj. They asked the Prophet to pray for them too because they wanted to have Deedar of God.
Click here read (PDF): https://ismailimail.fun/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/the-foundation-of-sufism.pdf
- Header image: Aga Khan Museum Collection: This tile frieze is inscribed with verse 64 of the twelfth sura of the Qur’an: “Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful.”
Earlier related Abdul Sultan:
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