I converted to be a ismaili on marrying a ismaili. I am confused about mehmani specially after funeral mehmani
Why do we keep gold jewellery, food, clothes etc in mehmani after a person dies? I am sure the ruhanis do not require these offerings nor it reaches them instead would be better if we prayed lots of tasbih for the souls forgiveness. And surely every food is available in Jannat! And clothes, jewellery?
ruhani mehmani
The idea behind bringing the valuables such clothes and jewelry is to break whatever residual attachments the soul had in those valuables so that the soul can be freed from them.
There is a verse of a Ginan which states:
eji jo ghar hove bhaai vast peeyaaree jee
so naam saaheb jee ko deejee ejee.............................3
O momin! whatever you have that is dear to your heart, submit it in the name of the Lord.
http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/22846
Hence bringing clothes and other valuables, we are submitting them on behalf of the deceased, so that the soul attains freedom.
When we recite salwaats and other prayers on behalf of the deceased, it has the same effect of elevating the soul of this person.
There is a verse of a Ginan which states:
eji jo ghar hove bhaai vast peeyaaree jee
so naam saaheb jee ko deejee ejee.............................3
O momin! whatever you have that is dear to your heart, submit it in the name of the Lord.
http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/22846
Hence bringing clothes and other valuables, we are submitting them on behalf of the deceased, so that the soul attains freedom.
When we recite salwaats and other prayers on behalf of the deceased, it has the same effect of elevating the soul of this person.
The reality of life is that we live in a material world. When we live in a material we get attached to the desires of the material world. To break the desires we submit what is dearest to us to the Imam. The soul cannot attain freedom when there are residual material desires.
Hence submitting the valuables to the Imam on the behalf of the ruhani breaks the residual desires and hence frees the soul.
The items are auctioned as nandi and the money goes towards improving the world through the Imamat institutions.
Hence submitting the valuables to the Imam on the behalf of the ruhani breaks the residual desires and hence frees the soul.
The items are auctioned as nandi and the money goes towards improving the world through the Imamat institutions.
During the 1966 visit to East Africa in which Mowlana Hazar Imam performed religious work, he granted an audience to a group of waezin in Kisumu both at the group level and at the individual level to each alwaez . One of the waezin asked MHI in an individual audience opportunity: What happens to our souls when we die?
To which MHI replied: There are three categories of souls:
1. Those who merge with the Universal Soul and according to our expression become ‘Asal ma wasal”
2. Those who are in the ‘waiting list’ in the spiritual world awaiting final union. The waiting period is a long period and has stages in the spiritual world according to the capacity of each soul.
3. (With a very sad expression he said) Those lower souls who take rebirth in one form or another.
Our Ruhani prayers and rites we perform assist the souls in the waiting list, he said.
To which MHI replied: There are three categories of souls:
1. Those who merge with the Universal Soul and according to our expression become ‘Asal ma wasal”
2. Those who are in the ‘waiting list’ in the spiritual world awaiting final union. The waiting period is a long period and has stages in the spiritual world according to the capacity of each soul.
3. (With a very sad expression he said) Those lower souls who take rebirth in one form or another.
Our Ruhani prayers and rites we perform assist the souls in the waiting list, he said.