Question about old Farmans

meeeee · Post by **meeeee** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:42 pm

I had a question about Farmans by Sultan Muhammad Shah. If the role of the Imam is to guide us through the changing times, why do they still recite in JK the Farmans of the previous Imam. Not to be disrespectful or anything, but wouldn't they apply to that time? Obviously, things like go to khane regularly still apply but I just find it a bit redundant...why don't they recite contemporary farmans instead of ones recited in the 19th century?

kmaherali · Post by **kmaherali** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:52 am

"I want you to remember the Farmans of My late Grandfather and My
own."
(Farman, Dar-es-Salaam, December 7, 1961)

nagib · Post by **nagib** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:04 pm

I heard that hazar Imam was asked this question and said that if people have no objection in referring to the Quran which was 1400 years old, why did they have objection to quote his grand fathers farmans. Of course this is subject to verification but he principle is there.

In fact each Imam says in his first farman that he is confirming the farmans of the previous imams, I have seen this with the farmans of Aga Ali Shah and also Sultan Muhamad Shah.

All the farmans including those of Hazrat Ali are valid up to the time the Imam of the Time abrogates or change them.

meeeee · Post by **meeeee** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:35 pm

so going on the same thing then that if the previous imam's farmans are still valid my grandparents told me that sultah muhammad shah specifically said in his farmans that if he was visiting one place it was for that jamat and for the other jamats to not come because they wouldnt have space...hazar imam has never said anything about this at all my grandparents say its because he is too nice and doesn't want to make a farman which people won't listen to and right now all his farmans say he knows people are there from other countries..but if he hasn't said anything about whether to come or not and the previous imam said not to...does that mean we should follow the old imam and wait for the imam to come to our country rather than following him around??

kmaherali · Post by **kmaherali** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:34 am

meeeee wrote:so going on the same thing then that if the previous imam's farmans are still valid my grandparents told me that sultah muhammad shah specifically said in his farmans that if he was visiting one place it was for that jamat and for the other jamats to not come because they wouldnt have space...hazar imam has never said anything about this at all my grandparents say its because he is too nice and doesn't want to make a farman which people won't listen to and right now all his farmans say he knows people are there from other countries..but if he hasn't said anything about whether to come or not and the previous imam said not to...does that mean we should follow the old imam and wait for the imam to come to our country rather than following him around??

Could you quote the particular Farman of MSMS in which he refuses murids to travel. Generally the Imams do not prevent murids travelling for deedars unless there are reasons specific to a particular situation. I know that during MHI's visit to East Africa in 1966, he instructed murids not to travel wherever he went.....

"I would like those spiritual children who are in Moshi, when I leave, not to come to other towns because, otherwise , I will not be able to give the time necessary to the Jamats of these other places.' (Moshi, Oct 22nd 1966)