black clothes ???

asif_ashiq_ali · Post by **asif_ashiq_ali** » Thu Mar 27, 2003 2:04 pm

Ya Ali Madad, Do anyone know that y it is not allowed to us to wear dark and black clothes ? Is their any farman of MHI or SMS about wearing black clothes ? Plz answer it , i m really waiting 4 ur reply. or email me the answer my id is [email protected]

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Mar 28, 2003 1:57 am

yam that is a very good question i hope you get the answer from some learned person as far as i know we should not wear black clothes in j.k specialy the person who is taking part in any ceremonies i have heard in some waez that both MSMS and HI (sa) has some things to say about wearing black clothes in JK.plus i think it blocks the noor and for so many years it is a dominate color of people who have been always agaist ismailism.so i guess we all make our own decisions with the best judgement.YAM manjee................................

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Mar 28, 2003 1:59 am

Anonymous wrote:yam that is a very good question i hope you get the answer from some learned person as far as i know we should not wear black clothes in j.k specialy the person who is taking part in any ceremonies i have heard in some waez that both MSMS and HI (sa) has some things to say about wearing black clothes in JK.plus i think it blocks the noor and for so many years it is a dominate color of people who have been always agaist ismailism.so i guess we all make our own decisions with the best judgement.YAM manjee................................

layla · Post by **layla** » Mon Mar 31, 2003 6:24 pm

BLACK CLOTHES - This article is written by Missionary Abu Aly
It is becoming more and more, day by day, common to see our people, particularly the women, wearing black dresses in jamatkhanas. It is done, mostly, because of ignorance. They do not know that such a practice is condemned in our Tariqah.

We are “batineen”. We care more for the spiritual aspect of our lives than the temporal. Life in hereafter is more important and better than the life in this world. We are told to keep a balance between the two. We do not forsake one for the other. Our food, clothes, habits, way of life, way of thinking and our attitude toward life are all intertwined in the spiritual characteristic of our Tariqah. It all depends on one's understanding.

Our Tariqah is a “sufi tariqah” with a difference. We do not forsake legitimate comforts and pleasures of life. For instance: occasionally eating rich food, wearing good clothes, living a comfortable life etc, are not condemned. Living for eating rather than eating for living is unspiritual, irreligious. Such a habit brings untold problems in one's health--and indeed in life--and kills the purpose of living spiritually. Bad health affects the mind abnormally and weakens the spirit. Good health is necessary for iba'dat and happy living.

Similarly, the habit of dressing in an indecent way, not only, tends to form bad habits and evil thinking but, also, creates evil vibrations among those who see or meet the wearer. Such a person is, of course, committing a sin. Our Holy Prophet has condemned such a person,particularly a woman, who provokes men by her indecent clothes and behaviour. Allah commands:
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands...." (HQ.24:31)
"Keep your clothes clean and avoid uncleanness." (HQ.74:3,4)

Mowlana Hazar Imam had sent the following holy Farman to the jamats of Pakistan:

"My dear spiritual children, from year to year customs and traditions in human clothing are changing and it has become necessary to draw your attention to the fact that when you go to jamatkhana you should do so in proper and suitable attire.
I do not want those spiritual children who have done well in a worldly manner to make demonstration of their success nor do I wish clothes to be worn which are not compatible with the practice of your faith in an atmosphere of calm and serenity.

"The aforementioned matters are universal and binding principles of Islam and must be followed by all Muslims, for indeed these principles were established by Prophet himself."

Ornaments and colourful clothing, in a simple and decent manner,are allowed in Islam. But the Holy Prophet has forbidden Muslims to wear the clothes dyed with a bark known as Kusm (“…'’)in Arabic. Kusm is boiled in water in an iron pot until the water turns deep black Then the clothes are put in this water and kept boiling till the required colour appears on the clothes.

In India a bark known as gali or gardi (“….”) is used for this purpose. In olden days there was no other proper dye, except gali, to dye garments black. In our Ginan the mureeds are forbidden to go to jamatkhana wearing such clothes, dyed with gali:
"0 dear! Cast off clothes (dyed) with gali;
Do not go to the place of worship dressed in such clothes. The angels avoid such people,
Therefore, my brother discard clothes of gali."

Jamatkhana is the House of the Imam, about which Allah has mentioned in the Holy Qur'an:
"That Lamp is lit in houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and His Name be mentioned therein, declare Glory to Him in the morning and the evening." (24:36)

The Lamp means the Noor of Imamate in jamatkhana. There the angels and spirits visit constantly to greet the faithful. Anyone entering in the jamatkhana's prayer hall is greeted by these spiritual beings but whosoever comes in black attire is avoided. In the pleasant gathering of tranquillity and spiritual happiness the person in black is considered like a stinking body in the Paradise. Therefore, the above verse of the Ginan has mentioned that the angels keep aloof from the people in black clothes.

Abdullah bin Omru Aass has reported that he was wearing clothes dyed in the kusm bark and went to see the Holy Prophet who told him to shun such clothes as that was the colour of kafireen. The Holy Prophet ordered him to go and burn them. (Mishkaat,No.4111).

Speaking about his enemies and the enemies of Ahl-Bait the Holy Prophet said:

“The sign of our enemies will be that they will wear black clothes."

Mowlana Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah had made the following holy farman to the ladies at Karachi,in 1920:
"Why have you come here in front (of me) wearing black clothes. It is not good (for you) to come to jamatkhana wearing black clothes. You must have read my farmans I had made in Zanzibar about it. I am not happy at all to see you here in such (black) and expensive dresses."

The writer (Missionary Abu Aly) is the eye witness to the following incident.
On a day in 1945, Mowlana Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah had visited the Aga Hall (known as Wadi) at Bombay to bestow didaar. As he came out of his car a captain of the Ladies' Volunteer Corps gave a salute of honour but the Imam ignored it. He then summoned the major of the Corps and asked her why the captain, who saluted, was wearing a black stripe around her pachhedi (the head cloth, a part of the uniform) instead of the usual Corps' official stripe? She replied that her dhani (husband, master) had died a few days ago; she was mourning. The Holy Imam said:"Tell her that dhani's Dhani (Imam) is alive always." As soon as the captain was told this she removed the black stripe from her pachhedi instantly. The Holy Imam blessed her and her husband's soul.

Once Mowlana Hazar Imam,Shah Karim, was visiting the Darkhana at Dar es Salaam. As He was climbing the stairs he noticed that the Mukhi, Najmudin Kassam Dewji, who was just behind the Imam, had put on black socks. Mowlana Hazar Imam cautioned him: " Mukhi you are wearing black socks here?" The mukhi immediately removed the socks and followed his Mowla bare feet.

Black is the colour of mourning, of condolence, of sadness. Sufis and spiritual people abhor black colour because it is the colour of sadness, depression and despondency. Science of colour involves physics, physiology and psychology. Colour has been used for decorative purposes since prehistoric times. The sun's light contains all basic colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Not black because it is opposite of light.

All colours, and their combinations, have their individual wavelength in a spectrum of light affecting the eye and eye sight which, in turn, imprints its effect and cause on the mind. Therefore, the colours worn by people have subtle effect on their psychology and behaviour. For example: A person who wears mostly clothes of red colour becomes witty, aggressive, easily offended, less tolerant and harsh. It is also, symbolically, the colour of sacrifice. White represents light. It is the colour of purity, piety and grace, a symbol of cleanness.

Colours red, orange and yellow produce hot and quick temperament. Blue, indigo and violet tend to create coolness and diminution of tension. Green is neutral in effect but improves eyesight.
Aura, the magnetism or essence which emanates from all living things, has its colours depicting the condition and characteristic of mind. Muddy or black aura is the sign of weakness or disease or death.
Black is the colour of death and mourning. When people attend a funeral they wear black clothes. On a happy occasion, such as a marriage celebration, people do not wear black dresses; its a sign of bad omen and misfortune. Black represents darkness, ignorance and promotes mental depression, lethargy, melancholy and despondency.

The orthodox Christians, clad in black clothes, mourn for the crucifixion of Jesus, during Easter. Orthodox Sanatani Hindus mourn their elders during the three days period of Sharad but they do not wear black clothes instead they wrap their idols in black cloth or paint them black. The idol of Bhawani, a dreaded deity, is always painted black. Ithnasheri Shias wear black clothes, in the month of Muharram, to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Husain, at Kerbala, some 1300 years ago.

But for the Ismailis: THEIR IMAM IS EVER PRESENT.

Books referred : Holy Qur'an, Kalam e Imam e Mobin - 1 Various books of Hadith, Ginans by Pir Imam Shah, Encyclopaedia Britainnica, A Brief History of Ismailism, Al-belaghul Mobin etc.
Abualy Aziz
VANCOUVER. Feb.1994.

ngangji · Post by **ngangji** » Tue Apr 01, 2003 10:28 am

Interesting and mind provoking. 2 points:

1 Often, junior volunteers for whom uniforms are not essential, may wear black pants instead of blue. Even teenagers and university students coming to Jamat Khana wear black most of the time. How do we distinguish them from someone (a young lady or an elder one) who wears a strapless gown during Navroz or other such festivals in Jamat Khana? Or what about those lmen who wear black suits, which are the predominant color in men's wear? Or what about the elders who sit at the paat wearing low-cut outfits in order to display jewelry? I'm not being sarcastic, just asking honest questions.

2. What about when a parent or sibling buys you a beautiful shalwaar khameez for special occassions - with hand-embroidered sequins - except it is black? Do you hurt their feelings by not wearing it? Or do you wear it anyway, and hope He will forgive you for not wanting to hurt that family memeber?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 05, 2003 11:59 pm

I feel that it is all right to wear what ever you want provided you dress up simply. I feel that youwear any colour you choose provided you go to jamatkhana with a pure clean heart and not for the sole purpose of flaunting your jewellery or expensive clothes. Wearing expensive clothes not only disrupts you from being able to concentrate because you will be more concerned about tour attire and it also disrupts others because they will be looking at your jewellery and clothes etc. In my opinion though, I feel it is all right for men to wear a suit or socks for the matter of any colour. If your parents buy you a black coloured outfit and you want to comply with MHI wishes wear your outfit to a party your parents will definetly understand. I still do believe though that angles will bless those who are good and kind and the noor will also pass through those who are good or kind be it whatever colour the person is wearing. By the way isn't white the colour you wear during ruhani majlis and when pp die??? Why do we have to wear white during live majlis????

zg · Post by zg » Sun Apr 06, 2003 1:56 pm

All of these comments are very legitimate and well thought out.

I feel that much of the past guidance on black clothing was relevant to areas in the Third World. For example, in Karachi, Pakistan, there is a large Ithna Ashari contingent that wear black clothing. I believe that past commentary was aimed toward our brothers and sisters who were geographically nearby to those other Shi'a communities.

The Ismaili community in industrialized states do not have significant Shi'a communities. Nowadays, one cannot really obtain suits that are not dark, as earlier comments have suggested.  Most pants are black, as well. Those in the West will not tend to associate Ismaiils who were black articles of clothing with other Shi'a schools. As far as decency of clothing is concerned, I believe we must continue to uphold the utmost respect for Jamatkhana and for Allah, so appropriate clothing should always be worn. Remember, it is not a fashion show. We come to Jamatkhana for prayers, not to show our layers.

lakhania · Post by **lakhania** » Wed Apr 09, 2003 5:00 pm

Layla, A very good read.. thanks for sharing.. Adnan.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 12:10 pm

It is very simple to understand.

At some parties there is a dress code for example "formal" "casual" etc.

The person hosting the event decides what kind of dress code they want.

Now think of the moron who dresses casual for a formal party.

The Imam has set a simple dress code for coming to Jamatkhana, which is his house. The code has one simple request to not wear clothes colored BLACK.

Are we going to dress up in Black clothes and stand out like that moron wearing casual clothes at a formal party?

It is up to us to either follow the host's request or disrespect it.

Remember we go there to ask favors from him.

Anyone with a little intelligence can understand that disrespecting the request of the ONE whom we all depend upon is foolish.

To be a foolish moron or intelligent momin is up to us.

Pardon my language, regular english seemed to not communicate this simple FACT in the other posts.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 6:19 pm

In my opinion one should wear whatever color they chose to. To this day I have not seen a Farman of HI that states "Do not wear black colored clothing." Anything goes as long as we are not flaunting our bodies or our wealth! The farman to Pakistani jamat was made due to the persecution of Ismailis by Sunni Muslims. Yes, we should obey farmans, but again I think of what HI said once, Our religion is a religion of INTELLECT!!! We should realize that the black clothing rule was not for western jamats.

Thanks.

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 7:37 am

YA ALY MADAD

Our Imam has repeatedly stated that "Intellect is central to our Tariqa"

Whose Intellect? Your Intellect or Imams Intellect?

Why do you think he is called Aql-e-Qul?

As far as the Sunni Muslim persecution theory, I don't think it flies as one event was in the African Continent.

"Once Mowlana Hazar Imam,Shah Karim, was visiting the Darkhana at Dar es Salaam. As He was climbing the stairs he noticed that the Mukhi, Najmudin Kassam Dewji, who was just behind the Imam, had put on black socks. Mowlana Hazar Imam cautioned him: " Mukhi you are wearing black socks here?" The mukhi immediately removed the socks and followed his Mowla bare feet."

What about this

Speaking about his enemies and the enemies of Ahl-Bait the Holy Prophet said:

“The sign of our enemies will be that they will wear black clothes."

The Quran states for those that follow their own desires
“Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire his god?” (25:43)

We can either follow our desires or Imams desires.

As far as the statement in the previous post about Imam's Farman about not wearing black clothes in Jamatkhana not being applicable to western world.
Doesn't the western world have Jamatkhanas?

Let me give you a very recent example.
Missionary Kamaluddin, the one who taught Imams children about Islam, used to live with the Imam in his home while he served.
One day Begum Salima gave him and his wife Zarina a gift of shawls colored black.

That evening she returned to give them the reciept for the purchase and said that she knew that Ismailies were not allowed to wear black in Jamatkhana and that they should exchange the shawls with the reciept.

Obviously the Begum was not aware of this when she purchased the shawls or she would have purchased a different color.
Clearly she learned about "black colored clothing in JK" issue that day itself.
Who do you think informed Begum Salima that Ismailies were not allowed to wear black in Jamatkhana?
My guess is the Imam.

The reason why there are colors is because objects absorb all spectrums of light except the one they reflect which becomes the color we see.

The color red absorbs all colors except red.

White reflects back all color spectrums. hence in its selflessness it is considered a color of purity.

BLACK
Absorbs all light spectrums and reflects back nothing. In its selfishness it is considered a color of Impurity.

On the Day of Judgement clothing colored Black is not going to come to our rescue, the Imam is, if we follow his farmans.

If we cannot follow a simple straight forward farman like this, how in the world are we going to follow farmans like "Ame raat kahiye to raat ane din kahiye to din"

Pride in "My Intellect" is what causes this type of misunderstanding.

Remember Imams farman "Human mind is a creation of Allah"

"Darek Insan ni AQL nu moor Imam ni AQL che"

(The root of the intellect of all men is Imams intellect)

Let us study the farmans of the Imam and live our lives accordingly so that we can live and have our being in his NOOR.

yaaaahoooo · Post by **yaaaahoooo** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 12:07 am

Black is a universal color of mourning!!!!!

or Black is worn as a color in fashion!!!!! suits or any ladies items

Now black color specially in khane.....ask urself a question.........r we going for mourning or for fashion?

Did u get a reply .....

Ohhh yes khane we go for dua prayersand other rituals ........specially the prayer halls

Yes it really doesnt matter if we wear black in a party organised by ismailis (except any of the dandiyas & celebrations or fund raising for the institutions).....well a birthday bash by a group of ismailis ...in some posh villa ...who the hell cares if its black......or even just skin

star_munir · Post by **star_munir** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 8:45 pm

Is it allowed to wear black dresses in places other than Jamat Khana?

Abduldhanani · Post by **Abduldhanani** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 12:39 pm

Dear Asif Ashiq Ali, Please see my letter to Alwaez Abu Ali in response to his article about Black Clothes. Like every thing else, it is a matter of your personal choice. There should never be any compulsion as to what color your clothes should be as long as a proper decorum is maintained and the Jamatkhana's respectability is not violated. Dear Alwaez,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

office" /><o:p></o:p>Ya Ali Madad.   I am an admirer of your waezes but unfortunately, the Canadian jamats haven’t had the benefit of your waez for a very long time. I was therefore very pleasantly surprised to see an article written by you in 1994 over the Internet. But very disappointed to read its contents and I would like to draw your attention on the case you have presented.I am not advocating that people should wear black clothes in Jamatkhanas. I think that people can and should wear whatever they like as long as their clothes are decent and are in accordance with the decorum of the House of God. Your arguments against wearing black clothes in Jamat Khanas are irrelevant, irrational and downright incompetent. I would like to address your case point by point.1.         Where does any of the Ismaili scripture say that Black clothes are condemned in our            Tariqua ?2.         If we are, (which we definitely are), the esoteric tariqua, then in principle, it does not             matter what we wear as long as our spiritual focus is on the Siratal Mustakim.3.         You are quite right, Good health is necessary for Iba'dat and happy living. Absolutely<o:p></o:p>            correct; but where in the annals of Medicine does it say that black clothes destroy your<o:p></o:p>            health ?4.         It is very true that "the habit of dressing in an indecent way" provokes men. But by what <o:p></o:p>            logic do you equate “black clothes” with “indecency” ??  Where on earth does it say that<o:p></o:p>            Black clothes, by virtue of their colour, are indecent and provoke men ??  “To the dirty<o:p></o:p>           everything is dirty”. Remember Pir’s ginan which says, “Kapda dhove so kya huva, dil <o:p></o:p>           dhove so pave…”.5.         Black clothes can be perfectly decent and, if  you read the local newspapers, you will deduce that in the courts when a woman or a man needs to display respectability, uprightness and morality, he is advised by his lawyers to wear black clothes. A black suit on a woman is very becoming and portrays nothing but good decorum. Alwaez Abu Ali, are you still living in the villages of Punjab ? Mentally, haven’t you even migrated to Tanzania yet, let alone Canada??<o:p></o:p> 6.            HQ.24.31 does not say that women should not wear Black clothes. Is this your way of interpreting the Holy Quran to support your outlook in life ? 7.         HQ.74: 3,4 – By equating your argument with this ayat, you are implying that black clothes are dirty and unclean. Have you been to the Ismaili owned laundries in Canada, and seen how clean they can get Black clothes ? 8.         Mowlana Hazar Imam’s Firmans to Pakistan Jamat, as quoted by you, state that we should go to Jamat Khana in “proper and suitable attire…in an atmosphere of calm and serenity”. In the entire Firman, Mowlana Hazar Imam does not once mention the word black; nor does He relate or associate Black Clothes with “improper” and “unsuitable” attire. Mowlana Hazar Imam does not say that black is improper or unsuitable. once again it is only your interpretation in order to uphold your contention. For your information Alwaez, in the Western world, Black Clothes effuse calm and serenity.  9.           Sura 24:36, as translated by you does not mention anything about the black clothes violating the sanctity of the exalted houses. 10.         Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah’s Firmans made to the Bombay Jamat in 1920 were during the period following the two well known court cases in which the members of the Ithnashri community of Bombay were involved; and He had advised our Jamats not to wear black clothes in order to distinguish the Khoja community in Bombay from the Ithnashri community who always wore black. This feud with the Ithnashris continued for a long time, till in the late sixties and seventies Mowlana Hazar Imam put a stop to this. We do not live in the villages of Gujrat anymore; and in the Global context, we can not have any acrimony with other Muslim factions. Our Mowla was so concerned about this that in the past few years we have actually altered the dates of our Imamate Day celebrations because the actual dates coincided with the mourning periods in Iran. As a mentor of the community with a prominent standing, you should learn  from our Mowla and cultivate a broad minded attitude instead of criticising the colour of clothes of the other Muslim factions.<o:p></o:p> 11.       When Mowlana Hazar Imam asked the Mukhi in Dar-Es-Salaam, “Mukhi you are wearing black socks here?", by “here” he meant “in the sweltering heat of Dar-Es-Salaam”. It is a well known scientific fact that black colour absorbs and retains heat whereas white reflects the heat. Consequently, it is wise to wear non-black clothes in the tropical climate to keep cool. PLEASE do not interpret MHI’s firmans to support your contention.  Most of the Mullahs and the other clerics in the Middle East and most of the Iranians wear black clothes in the Mosques. By describing black clothes as dirty and unclean, and by saying that “the angels avoid people wearing black clothes”, you are offending other Muslim factions and it is politically incorrect to insult our Muslim brethren by calling them unclean and dirty by the virtue of the colour of their clothing. 12.       True, in the Western world, black is the colour of mourning. However, in the East, particularly in India, white is the colour of mourning. When a person dies, the close relatives always wear white saris to demonstrate their grief and sadness. Why don’t you then, being of Indian origin, advocate that women should not wear white in Jamatkhanas because it is a colour of sadness and mourning in some of the Indian Societies ??  In the Western culture, white does represent purity, piety and gracefulness. But that does not automatically place black in the dirty corner ! Black dress can be very graceful indeed. 13.       Oh PLEASE, do not try and bamboozle people with your limited knowledge of physics. Quite true, that black is not one of the colours in the spectrum of light. But by the same token, WHITE IS NOT REPRESENTED in the spectrum of light either. I believe you need to brush up your physics. The Firmans, the Khoja Devotional Poetries, and the Ayats and the Suras quoted by you are typical example of your technique of bamboozling the ignorant Jamats in order to baffle them into following your ways of thinking. Alwaez, wake up ! We now have The Institute in England and the Professors who advocate new ways of thinking. PLEASE do not continue to mislead our Jamats. I am not trying to contradict your premise but merely pointing out the weakness and political incorrectness in your polemics. Not a single source quoted by you, supports your contention or lends any credence to your premise. Finally, please do not malign our Muslim brethern as "dirty and indecent", by implication, just because they wear black clothes.    Abdul Dhanani June 2003In response to Alwaez Abuali's Article reproduced below:-------------------------------------------------BLACK CLOTHES---------------------------- It is becoming more and more, day-by-day, common to see our people, particularly the women, wearing black dresses in jamatkhanas. It is done, mostly, because of ignorance. They do not know that such a practice is condemned in our Tariqah.We are batineen. We care more for the spiritual aspect or our lives than the temporal. Life in hereafter is more important and better than the life in this world. We are told to keep a balance between the two. We do not forsake one for the other. Our food, clothes, habits, way of life, way of thinking and our attitude toward life are all intertwined in the spiritual characteristic of our Tariqah.  It all depends on one's understanding.Our Tariqah is a Sufi Tariqah with a difference. We do not forsake legitimate comforts and pleasures of life. For instance: Occasionally eating rich food, wearing good clothes, living a comfortable life etc. are not condemned. Living for eating rather than eating for living is unspiritual, irreligious. Such a habit brings untold problems in one's health—and indeed in life—and kills the purpose or living spiritually. Bad health affects the mind abnormally and weakens the spirit. Good health is necessary for iba'dat and happy living. <o:p></o:p>Similarly, the habit of dressing in an indecent way, not only, tends to form bad habits and evil thinking but, also, creates evil vibrations among those who see or meet the wearer. Such a person is, of course, committing a sin. Our Holy Prophet has condemned such a person, particularly a woman, who provokes men by her indecent clothes and behavior. Allah commands:<o:p></o:p>"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands...."  (HQ.24: 31)"Keep your clothes clean and avoid uncleanness."  (HQ.74: 3,4)Mowlana Hazar Imam had sent the following holy Farman to the jamats of Pakistan:<o:p></o:p>"My dear spiritual children, from year to year customs and traditions in human clothing are changing and it has become necessary to draw your attention to the fact that when you go to jamafkhana you should do so in proper and suitable attire.  I do not want those spiritual children who have done well in a worldly manner to make demonstration of their success nor do I wish clothes to be worn, which are not compatible with the practice of your faith in an atmosphere of calm and serenity".The aforementioned matters are universal and binding principles of Islam and must be followed by all Muslims, for indeed these principles were established by Prophet himself. Ornaments and colourful clothing, in a simple and decent manner are allowed in Islam. But the Holy Prophet has forbidden Muslims to wear the clothes dyed with a bark known as Kusm.  Kusm is boiled in water in an iron pot until the water turns deep black. Then the clothes are put in this water and kept boiling till the required colour appears on the clothes.In India a bark known as gali or gardi is used for this purpose.  In olden days there was no other proper dye, except gali, to dye- garments black. In our Ginan, the mureeds are forbidden to go to jamatkhana wearing such clothes, dyed with gali:<o:p></o:p>"0 dear! Cast off clothes (dyed) with gali;  Do not go to the place of worship dressed in such clothes.<o:p></o:p>The angels avoid such people, Therefore, my brother, discard clothes of gali."Jamatkhana is the House of the Imam, about which Allah has mentioned in the Holy Qur'an:<o:p></o:p>"That Lamp is lit in houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and His Name be mentioned therein, declare Glory to Him in the morning and the evening."         (24:36)<o:p></o:p>The Lamp means the Noor of Imamate in jamatkhana. There the angels and spirits visit constantly to greet the faithful. Anyone entering in the jamatkhana prayer hall is greeted by these spiritual beings but whosoever comes in black attire is avoided. In the pleasant gathering of tranquility and spiritual happiness the person in black is considered like a stinking body in the Paradise. Therefore, the above verse of the Ginan -- has mentioned that the angels keep aloof from the people in black clothes. <o:p></o:p>Abdullah bin Omru Aass has reported that he was wearing clothes dyed in the kusm bark and went to see the Holy Prophet who told him to shun such clothes as that was the colour of kafireen. The Holy Prophet ordered him to go and burn them. (Mishkaat, No.4111).  Speaking about his enemies and the enemies of Ahl-Bait the Holy Prophet said: "The sign of our enemies will be that they will wear black clothes."<o:p></o:p>Mowlana Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah had made the following holy Farman to the ladies at Karachi, in 1920:<o:p></o:p>"Why have you come here in front (of me) wearing black clothes? It is not good (for you) to come to jamatkhana wearing black clothes. You must have read my Farmans I had made in Zanzibar about it. I am not happy at allto see you here in such (black) and expensive dresses.'<o:p></o:p>The writer is the eyewitness to the following incident. on a day in 1945, Mowlana Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah had visited the Aga Hall (known as Wadi) at Bombay to bestow didaar. As he came out of his car, the captain of the Ladies' Volunteer Corps gave a salute of honour but the Imam ignored it. He then summoned the major of the Corps and asked her why the captain, who saluted, was wearing a black stripe around her pachhedi (the head cloth, a part of the uniform) instead of the usual Corps' official stripe? She replied that her dhani (husband,master) had died a few days ago; she was mourning. The Holy Imam said: "Tell her that dhani ' s Dhani (Imam) is alive always." As soon as the captain was told this she removed the black stripe from her pachhedi instantly. The Holy Imam blessed her and her husband's soul. <o:p></o:p>Once Mowlana Hazar Imam, Shah Karim, was visiting the Darkhana at Dar es Salaam. As he was climbing the stairs he noticed that the Mukhi, Najmudin Kassam Dewji, who was just behind the Imam, had put on black socks. Mowlana Hazar Imam cautioned him: " Mukhi you are wearing black socks here?" The Mukhi immediately removed the socks and followed his Mowla bear foot.<o:p></o:p>Black is the colour of mourning, of condolence, of sadness. Sufis and spiritual people abhor black colour because it is the colour of sadness, depression and despondency. Science of colour involves physics, physiology and psychology. Colour has been used for decorative purposes since prehistoric times. The sun's light contains all basic colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Not black because it is opposite of light.  All colours, and their combinations, have their individual wavelengths in a spectrum of light affecting the eye and eyesight, which, in turn, imprints its effect and cause on the mind. Therefore, the colours worn by people have subtle effect on their psychology and behaviour. For example: A person who wears mostly clothes of red colour becomes witty, aggressive, easily offended, less tolerant and harsh. It is also, symbolically, the colour of sacrifice. White represents light. It is the colour of purity, piety and grace, a symbol of cleanness.<o:p></o:p>The colours red, orange and yellow produce hot and quick temperament. Blue, indigo and violet tend to create coolness and diminution of tension. Green is neutral in effect but improves eyesight.<o:p></o:p>Aura, the magnetism or essence, which emanates from all living things, has its colours depicting the condition and characteristic of mind. Muddy or black aura is the sign of weakness or disease or death. Black is the colour of death and mourning. When people attend a funeral they wear black clothes. on a happy occasion, such as a marriage celebration, people do not wear black dresses; it’s a sign of bad omen and misfortune. Black represents darkness, ignorance and promotes mental depression, lethargy, melancholy and despondency.<o:p></o:p>The orthodox Christians, clad in black clothes, mourn for the crucifixion of Jesus, during Easter. Orthodox Santani Hindus mourn their elders during the three days period of Sharad but they do not wear black clothes instead they wrap their idols in black cloth or paint them black.  The idol of Bhawani, a dreaded deity, is always painted black. Ithnashari Shias wear black clothes, in the month Muharram, to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, at Kerbala, some 1300 years ago. <o:p></o:p>But for Ismailis: THEIR IMAM IS ALWAYS PRESENT.<o:p></o:p>Reference: Holy Qur'an, Kalam e imam e Mubin Part 1, Various books of Hadith, Ginans by Pir Imam Shah, Encyclopedia Britannica, A Brief History of Ismailism, Al-belaghul Mobin etc.<o:p></o:p>Abualy Aziz  VANCOUVER. Feb.1994. <o:p></o:p>

star_munir · Post by **star_munir** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:22 pm

How can you say that alwaez abuali is misleading jamat as he gave ginan,examples from life of Prophet,farman of Imam Sultan Mohammad Shah what else you want.
You said that people in india wear white dress when someone dies so why ismailis wear white. The answer is whre Imam,farman,Hadeeth or Ginan says not to white.

danu · Post by **danu** » Wed Dec 24, 2003 12:32 pm

yam
according to my opinoin wearing black inside jk is not situable i think it is becoming too common inside the jk to wear black clothes because its a fashion specially inside the girls but the black is black now you can take any religion all religion sees this color with bad eyes specially u can see the shia's in muhram they wear black clothes because it is the month of martydom of hazrat imam hussain.by wearing black clothes they prove that black is the color which play the role of ssadness sorrows and all this thing
a question always raised in our mind that if imam tells us about all this things that not to wear black clothesand ths and this but u can see imam in deeedar he always use to wear black or dark blue color whle we the jamat weared the light color why
what is the reason behind it
the reason is that
it is our belif that imam take all the sin which we have made in the deedar
if we take this thing according to the scientific point of view and according to the theories of color
black color is that color which absorb the energy while the white and the light color reflect it
we as the murred of imam are full of sin when imam come to give us the deedar he absorb all oour sin and give us the blessings
ith blessing we reflect it one one another and take it to some extends
so this is the proccess of reflecting and absorbing
if u are wearing black clothes it jamat khana your soul cant intract and u maynot feel the blessings and the freshness which we get in the jamat khana
many people use to say that we've already made the black clothes so what we do now
my suggusion is that dont wear inside jk wear in any picnc,outing party any wear but not in jk
hope so u all understand this thing
yam

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 7:16 pm

DANU how can anyone object to reason. you have used reason to understand the whole black clothing issue but it is your reason.

The Imam is the first Reason and when he tells us to do something then it is our duty to comply.

Who do u think suffers in the end when they disobey the Imam?

The person that disobeys the farman.

Why a certain Farman was made and what Mowla was thinking when he made that farman? for us to talk about these are like childish fantasies.

the Imam and his thought which by the way created the entire cosmos v/s our time limited understanding-------to even contemplate that comparision is a joke and a sin.

so we do as we are told .

Ya Aly Madad

Shams

noorani_786 · Post by **noorani_786** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 2:18 pm

I am still waiting for someone to quote a farman where Imam has asked us not wear black. Prophet Muhammad's saying : "The signs of our enemies is that they will wear black" or the event where MHI said to the mukhi "you are wearing black" are just too vague and open to interpertation. One can easily interpret them in his/her favor. Just as there is a farman that clearly states not to where obsecne clothes, is there a farman that clearly states not to wear black? If so , please point it out.

Nizar

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:43 pm

Ya Aly Madad Nizar hope u have Kalaame Imame Mubeen part II

there are farmans about clothing on the following pages
53,54,57,58,65,114,163,196,231,323,326,331,334,381,390,413,414.

Farman No. 220 Page 53 Karachi April 29th 1920

....aava kala rang na kapda pehri aagad sha mate betha ccho? aa kala ne gani rang na kapda pehri jamatkhana ma aavu saru nathi. tame amara jungbarna farman vacchya hasho. aava bharae kapda pehri ahi aavya ccho, taema ammae bilkul khushi nathi.
......

hope this reference helps

Shams

star_munir · Post by **star_munir** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 2:52 am

aa kala ne gani rang na kapda pehri jamatkhana ma aavu saru nathi

Kala means black what is meaning of gani

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 9:24 am

Imam SMS in the same farman goes on to explain that the type of clothes he wants us to wear are the type that will immediately let us know if they are dirty so that they can be washed clean.

Now Black clothes do not show dirt right away and if you read the Jungbar Farman Mowlana SMS has talked about a person with spotlessly clean clothes becoming uneasy when even a little bit of dirt gets on his clothes and a person with dirty clothes doesn't care if there are a few more spots on it. Mowla then clarifies that the spotless clothing is your aamal and dirt is gunnah.

Here are my thoughts
This whole thing about clothing color has a very strong symbolic meaning and if we are able to understand the batuni meaning behind it, it becomes effortless to implement in Zahir as well as Batin.

The Gani means many. Multicolored.

Mowlabapa also explained why we should not wear expensive clothing because it causes hasad(envy) in the hearts of those who cannot afford it.

bilkis · Post by **bilkis** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 1:44 pm

Shamsubhai, u must be from the "old school" ---- colours don't make a man (or woman) ---- it is not what u wear -- it is what u have in your heart that counts.

The firman you quoted here ---- granted it is a very deep firman --- don't take it literally ----- look for the hidden meaning in this firman. Kala -- may be interpreted as "black" or some other evil colour not necessarily the colour black. Nothing wrong with the colour black --- if your heart is black (kala) THEN u have a problem and maybe some people may interpret this firman as such --- colour of the soul not the attire!

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 3:15 pm

bilkis Ya Aly Madad,

your statement is true that its whats in your heart that counts.

The point is not that we are taking the farman literally. We have to implement the farman in literal and spiritual ways.

Mowla bapa wants us to go to jamatkhana regularly now the batuni meaning of jamatkhana is dil or heart.

Now does it mean we should not go to jamatkhana (the building) because thats what the literal meaning is?

I think it is to do both the literal and the real.

star_munir · Post by **star_munir** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 7:42 pm

Black dresses are not allowed to wear in Jamat Khana but can we wear black dress on places other than Jamat Khana or it is completely forbidden to wear any where?

noorani_786 · Post by **noorani_786** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 10:18 pm

Ok. based on everything that has been said so far, here is my take on it. I think there is a symbolic meaning behind the color black in Islam. Black represents impure and evil. But that doesn;t mean that anything that's black is impure or evil. Just that we use black to represent impure or evil. Green represents money for example. Red represents haughtiness. Blue calmness. We have always associated meanings or feelings with color, nothing new here.

So, in Islam Black represents impure or evil. Keeping that in mind one should REFRAIN, and refrain being the keyword here, from wearing black. Simple because when we go to Khane we want to represent ourselves as pure. Just like we should refrain from talking about worldy gossips in Khane. Not that there is really anything wrong with talking about worldy stuff, its just that Khane isn't the place for it.

I think its like Shams said, if we keep the batin ascept of our religion in mind when we go to khane it would make it alot easier for us to wear something other than black. Another point I wanted to make is that our actions, habits, the way we talk, what we wear, are definelty things that can have batin (spiritual) meanings attached to them. Spirituality is not just sitting in bandagi, everything single thing that you do, and even how you look, can be spiritual in nature. Don't we see spiritual light in Imam's face when He gives us deedar? It is said that Gautam Buddha had a white light surronding his face when he became englightened. So spirituality is definetily represented in material terms and material objects can have spiritual meaning attached to them.

So, my conclusion is that one should try and not wear black in Khane. I believe it would help reinforce the reason we go to Khane since we are actually making a consious effort of reminding ourselves why we go to khane when we choose not to wear black.

As always thanks again Shams for making it all clear to me.

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:23 pm

It is not the color black itself but the fact that black colored clothes can get dirty and you would not even know it. Mowla wants us to wear clothing that would easily show if it was clean or dirty so that we can wash them when they are dirty.

The spiritual meaning of this I think is that our actions should be so clear that if there is any impurity in our actions it would be immediately evident to one and all.

We have to try to make our actions as clean, as clear, as pure as we can (like the color white) so that any bad deeds will be immediately evident and we will take steps to clean up our act right away.

hope this helps

Shams

noorani_786 · Post by **noorani_786** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 6:25 pm

Shams,

Ya Ali Madad!

If the reason for not wearing is because if they get dirty you cannot tell, one would argue that you should never wear black.

Since you never want your clothes to be dirty, or in spirtual terms you never want your actions to be dirty or impure, it follows that you should never wear black, regardless of whether you are or are not in Khane.

What is your take on this? I personally think its a little extreme to never wear black.

On a another note, what if one washes his/her black clothes everytime after wearing them to make sure they are not dirty. Then is it ok to wear black? I know it sounds like a ridiculous thing to say but I hope you can see the point I am making - we cannot take these things to the extreme, otherwise they break. The material actions and things, like wearing black, have spiritual meanings. But if you concentrate too much on the material act itself rather then on the meaning behind it, the whole thing falls apart. These things are like elastic rubber bands; stretch them too much and they break. Anyway, that's just my two cents.

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 2:09 am

Well the point here is how far are you willing to go to follow Imams Farman.

I have stopped wearing Black completely to remind myself that it is also my spiritual goal to not have deeds that are black.

well, you may say I am taking it to the extreme but then what can I do if my heart wont agree.

Yeh Dil Maanta Nahi.

I dont hate Black clothes or anything, they just are not meant for me thats all.

Shams

_thaillestlunatic_ · Post by **_thaillestlunatic_** » Sat May 08, 2004 3:10 pm

YAM to all
hope everybody is fine and all is well

it is ABSOLUTE SHAMEFUL and DISRESPECTFUL for people to wear BLACK in jk. Here in Toronto, I ask myself if we even follow MHI's firmans. It is SOO SAD TO SEE A WAEZEN WHO IS GIVING A WAEZ TO WEAR A BLACK DRESS. IT ABSOLUTELY MAKES ME UPSET THAT WE CAN'T EVEN FOLLOW A SIMPLE FIRMAN SAYING DO NOT WEAR BLACK IN JK. HOW HARD IS THAT? BUT FOR A WEAZEN TO WEAR BLACK THAT IS ABSOLUTE DIS RESPECT AND IS NOT SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE YOUNGER JAMAT. I BET ALL OF YOU GUYS WOULD NOT WEAR BLACK IF MHI WAS PHYSICALLY PRESENT BUT MHI IS PHYSCIALLY PRESENT IN JAMATKHANE AT ALL TIMES. YOU JUST HAVE TO REALIZE IT.
SORRY IF I HAVE HURT ANYONE BUT HERE IN TORONTO I WONDER HOW MANY ISMAILIES EVEN GO TO JK
JUST TWO DAYS AGO MISSIONARY ABU ALY GAVE A WAEZ AND HE SAID OUT OF THE 25,000 ISMAILIES IN JK HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS GO TO JK OR GO TO CASINOS. ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL IT IS.

shamsu · Post by **shamsu** » Sat May 08, 2004 6:51 pm

Dear _thaillestlunatic_,

There are different levels at which everyone takes Imams Farmans to heart. There are people who have no clue about the farmans, then there are those who know them but dont understand them. then comes those who understand them but cannot make them real in the sense they cannot realise the farmans by implementing them with understanding and then there are Haqiqati momins.

So when you see someone act in a certain way you may want to try to understand why they are doing what they are doing. Once you understand it you will have no problem with them.

Almost everyone does what they think is right or what they have convinced themselves to think is the best thing to do in their particular situation. Now , if I understand that to be the case then there is no reason to be upset, at them or anything else.

The most important thing to do is to try your best at helping them re-examine their understanding of what they think is right. Once that changes, everything else is a domino effect.

First help people know, then understand and then encourage them to implement on Farmans. If this combination doesnt reach their heart let them try any combination of the three. Sometimes pure hearted implementation leads to understanding and then to knowledge.

Lastly who are we to judge anyone. you may have heard about sabri's bors, she was an old impoverished bhagat of Mowlana Ram and she wished for him to come to her home. When he did she had nothing to offer him but some bors (bor=indian berry) well she started taking a little bite off each of them and then offering them to Mowlana Ram. The people around him were very upset at this sign of disrespect and tried to stop her from eating the bors first but M.Ram stopped them.
You see she did not want her mowla to eat any bitter bors, so she was tasting them to make sure they were all sweet, each one of them.

So, sometimes we see things we dont understand but that doesn't mean it is wrong. Afterall in Islam all actions are judged by the underlying intention and we have no clue about what peoples intentions are.

Yes we do have control and understanding about our own intentions. So we can work on purifying our own intentions every second of every day.

Question:Where do you think intentions reside?

Yes you are right, in the Heart. So here is where Imams farman about " If you look with a pure heart and pure eyes you will see in everyone Khudavantallah's Nur..."

If your intentions can be purified completely you will have reached the state of a pure heart. The purification of intentions requires a constant watch over the state of the heart to prevent it from getting contaminated and to prevent it from losing sight of his destination.

It is a pure heart in which resides the ONE who is the purest of all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And another thing, everyone seems to have confused batuni with spiritual. Batuni is that which is hidden, spiritual is that which is above all else. Two completely different things. What we talk here is all zaheri and a little batuni.
Spiritual is above language.
It is very important that we dont start thinking ourselves to be spiritual due to this misunderstanding.

My intention was not to hurt anyones feelings

Ya Aly Madad

Shams

www.ismaili.net

black clothes ???

black clothes ???

black clothes

Dress up in any color but black for Jamatkhana

WHOSE INTELLECT YOURS OR IMAMS?

short & simple

Black Clothes in Jamatkhanas

black clothes

REASON

KIM part II

gani = many

black is black

Black color hides dirt

Black

black clothes

knowing, understanding and realising