talim

[bruthayusuf]

ya ali madad:

i am a novice student of shia imami ismaili tariqa. i have been studying ismaili doctrine of talim. i find it to be impeccable.

sayyidna hasan e sabbah says in _the four chapters (fusul)_:

"he who delivers opinions on the subject of the Creator Most High must say one of two things: either he must say, I know the Creator Most High thru reason & speculation alone without the teaching (ta'lim) of a teacher; or he must say, there is no way to knowledge (ma'rifa) even with reason & speculation except with the teaching of a trustworthy teacher (mu'allimin sadiq). if one asserts the first he cannot deny the reason & speculation of anyone else; for when he denies, he thereby teaches; so denying is teaching, & an indication that the one denied needs someone else. hasan said, the twofold dilemma is necessary, for when a man delivers an opinion or makes a statement, either he is speaking on his own or from someone else. likewise, when he accepts a doctrine either he accepts it on his own or from someone else. this is the first chapter which refutes the partisans of reflection & reason."

(excerpt taken from shahristani's paraphrasing of sabbah's da'wa & translated into english by m. hodgson in _the order of the assassins_).

reason alone cannot ascertain the light of Allah ta'ala. sabbah goes on to say that first, one must recognize one's need for the imam, and, then, one must locate the imam; then, one may enter into communion with the divine light of Allah ta'ala thru recognition of the imam e zaman. as the nizari ismailis are the only muslim ummah to have a manifest imam, it is clear beyond a doubt that they are on the truth.

am i on the right track here? i have also been studying nasir al din tusi's _contemplation & action (sayr wa suluk)_, which also elaborates on this doctrine of talim. it appears to be unassailable logic.

i find that just reflecting on the imam e zaman, i.e. his highness prince karim aga khan, has an uplifting & inspirational effect. reading his words & the words of the aga khans beforehand also are motivational.

i have been reading this message board & have been learning much. i welcome all feedback & help in this study.

yours,

brutha yusuf

[kmaherali]

Absolutely! You are on the right track. Ismaili Tariqah is an esoteric tradition and like all esoteric traditions, it is predicated upon the necessity of a Murshid in the search for the light.

The role of reason is to lead one to the Murshid. Once one has attained him, it becomes necessary to submit to him. In the process one gets purified and transformed and avails himself/herself to receive the light of God.

You will find more literature on Ismailism in the Library section which can be accessed by clicking the link on the left of this window.

Good luck in your search!

[bruthayusuf]

thank u for your response, kmaherali.

"by our need we know the imam and by the imam we know the measure of our need." (hasan e sabbah)

"he notes that there is truth & error in the world. then he notes that the sign of truth is unity & the sign of error is multiplicity; & that unity comes with ta'lim, & multiplicity with reflection. ta'lim is with the community & the community with the imam. but reflection is with the various sects & they are with their heads."

"he put truth & error & the similarity between them on the one hand, & the distinction between them on the other hand --- opposition on both sides & order on one of the two sides --- as a balance to weigh all that he uttered on the matter. he said, this balance is simply derived from the formula of shahada [laa ilaha il Allah]... he weighed therewith good & evil, truth & falsehood, & the other opposites..." (quotes taken from source cited in previous post).

this is ingenius. by seeing the similarities between truth & falsehood (or any opposition), as well as the differences between them, one can establish a workable balance in all aspects of life. i don't know if hasan sabbah came up with this on his own, but, it is brilliant.

"...and tawhid was tawhid & prophethood together, if it was tawhid at all; & prophethood was prophethood & imamate together, if it was prophethood at all..." (ibid)

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it is my understanding (& correct me if i'm wrong), but, looking over my notes, the "seal of the prophets" (i.e. muhammad mustafa, sallallahu alayhi wa salam) unites all prophets & all believers in one & the same "corpus mysticum", the "temple of light of the imamate".

knowledge of God is accessible to man thru knowledge of his imam; the imam as the pole (qutb) of one's being (not a relationship with an institution but with the soul).

the imam is the "a'raf" which separates paradise from hell-fire (quran 7:46ff.); "ma'rifah" (gnosis of the imam).

all the prophets & all their imams are all of one religion (deen wahid), one school (madhhab wahid). they are like one spiritual person. moreover, the believers who follow them, in whatever place & time they exist, are like a single soul. the school of each imam is that of another imam, & at the same time, the school of the totality of the prophets & the awliya'.

the "qutb", the mystical "pole" of the world, which gives its "polar" dimension to each being who enters into relationship with it, is the imam.

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from study of the doctrine of ta'lim, i recognize clearly my need for the imam & thereby, also, recognize the imam of our time (imam az zaman). i know that study of ismaili teachings will take a lifetime, as they are unfathomably deep. aside from study & meditation upon the imamate, what is the next step in furthering ones submission to the imam? or, is this good enough for now? i already feel a transformation taking hold in my life even at this superficial level of understanding.

yours,

brutha yusuf

[kmaherali]

from study of the doctrine of ta'lim, i recognize clearly my need for the imam & thereby, also, recognize the imam of our time (imam az zaman). i know that study of ismaili teachings will take a lifetime, as they are unfathomably deep. aside from study & meditation upon the imamate, what is the next step in furthering ones submission to the imam? or, is this good enough for now? i already feel a transformation taking hold in my life even at this superficial level of understanding.

yours,

brutha yusuf

Brother, as I have said before, you are on the right track. At this stage, I would recommend that you read Alice Hunsberger's book 'Nasir Khusraw, The ruby of Badakshan and Nasir al-Din Tusi's 'Contemplation and Action'. Both books are about the search for the Imam by two important scholars who were not born Ismailis but became very devoted Ismailis after finding the Imam. The latter book discusses the concept of Talim in a greater detail.

Also pray continously for His grace to guide you towards the recognition of the Imam. There is a process of becoming an Ismaili if you are serious about becoming one.

Once again, good luck in your search.

[bruthayusuf]

ya ali madad

i have read & re-read tusi's _contemplation & action_. i have went over it with a pencil, taking notes & checking references, in particular, the quranic principles that the book elaborates on. i luv that book. i mentioned in my initial post that i study that text. i will look into procuring hunsberger's book on nasir khusraw. thanks for the tip.

i am attempting to use this forum as a sounding board for ismaili ideas. i don't mean to be a bother or a pest. i was hoping to elicit some feedback on the material i have touched upon.

i am already in contact w/ the imam. the imam is more than just a physical person. the imam is the soul, the spirit of God Itself. everywhere is the imam. the imam is the very essence of being. aga khan is the physical embodiment of the imam, but, the imam is greater than the physical realm.

i am very interested in becoming an ismaili. i luv the imam. he is constantly in my heart. he is straightening me out. alhamdulillah.

bruthayusuf