Farmans Vs Irshads

Discussion on doctrinal issues
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ShamsB
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Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:20 pm

Farmans Vs Irshads

Post by ShamsB »

Ya Ali Madad,

Just a topic starter, ever wonder why MHI has started using the word Irshad versus Farman during recent visits?

Irshad & Farman are both Farsi words and have different meanings and different levels of expression. HUKM in Arabic (ORDER) is equivalent to Farman not to Irshad.
Irshad translates to utterances or quotes by a respected individual in conversation.

A FARMAN of the Holy Hazar Imam is binding for a mureed but IRSHAD is not, though as a mureed, to me both are binding and obligatory. We, the mureeds and followers of the Holy Imam have always referred to the FARMANS of our Imams but never IRSHAD which is lower than a FARMAN in importance and status. When Mowla speaks to non-Ismailis it can be referred as IRSHAD but when he talks to his spiritual children, particularly in the jamat; it is FARMAN.
Even the word Farmanbardari is derived from the word Farman - it can not be Irshadbardari.
Why has He done so? are there non ismailies being admitted into Darbar halls? or are we sharing the Farmans of the Imam with non Ismailies?
Are we falling to even lower levels in this Vikhidi Vela? that even the IMAM has stopped considering us Ismailies?

Perhaps, the Holy Imam has himself reduced his FARMANS to the level of IRSHAD on that occasion because many people nowadays do not obey their IMAM which is a sin in the Shia madhab, thus the FARMAN is not Farman but simply an Irshad.This is to save us from NA-FARMANI, disobedience.

Recently in Kampala our Mowla made the following Holy Farman:
"That so long as you stay true to the "ESSENCE" of our Tariqah, I believe,
that you will be able to gain real opportunity generation after generation. But stay true to the "ESSENCE" of our Tariqah."

Obedience and understanding of the IMAMAT is the "ESSENCE' of our Tariqah. That is the only thing in our Tariqah - BAIYAT AND SUBMISSION TO THE IMAM OF THE TIME.

These are my thoughts and opinions.
No flames please.

Shamsb.
kmaherali
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Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Ya Ali Madad,

I think because during the GJ year the Imam will be visiting countries where he normally delivers Irshad Mubarak - the Jamats of Central Asia for example, he is calling all his GJ communication to his murids Irshad to maintain uniformity across the Jamats. And we know why he delivers Irshad Mubarak to those Jamats (because of the presence of non-Ismailis in the audience).

I do not believe that he would make statements such as 'my heart is jumping in joy' if he were in the presence of his disobedient murids.
st0necol
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Post by st0necol »

I think that Mowla make Farmans in Jamatkhana and in Darbars he make Irshads.

I am not sure though.

One more thing as I was talking to my elders, they said that Darbar has less value than the deedar in Jamatkhana. Imam's noor doesn't shine that much as in the Jamatkhana.....he's totally different when he's present for deedar.

Does anyone agree with me?
kmaherali
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Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

st0necol wrote:I think that Mowla make Farmans in Jamatkhana and in Darbars he make Irshads.

I am not sure though.

One more thing as I was talking to my elders, they said that Darbar has less value than the deedar in Jamatkhana. Imam's noor doesn't shine that much as in the Jamatkhana.....he's totally different when he's present for deedar.

Does anyone agree with me?
During his Silver Jubilee Darbar in Toronto, MHI said: "I do not want to finish this Farman today without paying My deep compliments to My Canadian Jamat."

Certainly Darbars have a more 'worldly' or "outward" significance as opposed to the Deedars which have spiritual significance. Also the audience at the Darbars are more 'tuned' to the worldly aspect of the occasion - the glory of the 50 years of Imamat for example, which can overshadow the spiritual significance of the institution.

But if the trend of calling his communication Irshad continues beyond the GJ, then we will know that there is a 'shift' reflecting the nature of the audience. The general audience is more receptive to a discourse which is more 'discussive' as opposed to being 'directive'.
hamin
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Post by hamin »

regarding farman and irshad..i want to share some views of mine. first of all, these both words are not persian. Irshad is Arabic word,derived from 'Rushd' which means to guide or hidayat. if we see, for Prophet Mohammad, we used Irshad. during every era, we used different words for sayings of Imam like 'Sajal' and farman used from Post-Alamut period because of Iranian Tradition and it also used by Pirs in their ginan such as 'saheb farman likhi'<BR><BR>in short, both have equal significance. Irshad is not lower than farman even Irshad is more appropriate word which is Islamic word and directly represent the notion of guidance and in that way, we say Mursheed who give guidance.
ShamsB
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Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:20 pm

Post by ShamsB »

hamin wrote:regarding farman and irshad..i want to share some views of mine. first of all, these both words are not persian. Irshad is Arabic word,derived from 'Rushd' which means to guide or hidayat. if we see, for Prophet Mohammad, we used Irshad. during every era, we used different words for sayings of Imam like 'Sajal' and farman used from Post-Alamut period because of Iranian Tradition and it also used by Pirs in their ginan such as 'saheb farman likhi'<BR><BR>in short, both have equal significance. Irshad is not lower than farman even Irshad is more appropriate word which is Islamic word and directly represent the notion of guidance and in that way, we say Mursheed who give guidance.
So what you are saying is that in order for something to be Islamic it has to be Arabic?
and here i was under the impression that Islam was a universal faith, not bound by any language or culture....
The word Pir is also Farsi btw - P is not an arabic constenant.

Also both Farman and Irshad are words from the Farsi language.

Shams
hamin
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Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:33 am

Post by hamin »

well its better first to read Quran where the root word of irshad is rushd. and secondly, persian tradition came after post-alamut in our tradition and moreover, also read HRE topic, 'Farman understanding' it further clear. lastly, i never meant any arabic word is islamic, i just say, the connotation also used at the time of prophet Mohammad where the word Irshad used for Prophet as well. and thanks for ur instant reply
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