Faith & Traditions
ITREB USA presents Critical Conversations, a virtual forum featuring faith-based perspectives on the questions of our time. "Justice and Social Action in Islam" features Dr. Farouk Mitha and the Honorable Halim Dhanidina and is moderated by Zain Gulamali.
This talk will revolve around a simple question: at the time of this global pandemic, where do we seek answers? Are they to be found in faith and religious practice? Or should people exclusively seek every answer under these circumstances from science? The question of the interaction between faith and intellect (or rather science) as two sources of knowledge has been at the heart of major theological and philosophical currents in the Muslim world. How do we resolve these tensions without obviating either faith or science? Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor explores this theme and refers to Ismaili tradition and primary sources to demonstrate that there is no conflict between faith and science and both serve a purpose, both have weight and significance as well as the ability to reinforce one another.
Learn about the diverse places of worship that are part of the religious lives of over 1.6 billion Muslims. Rizwan Mawani, author of “Beyond the Mosque: Diverse Spaces of Muslim Worship” discusses his latest publication in the Institute of Ismaili Studies' World of Islam series.
ITREB USA - Al-Waez Najeeb Haidary shares a perspective on “Understanding Allah’s Mercy - A Journey through Our Imam’s Work through AKDN” for the on-demand series entitled Perspectives: Viewing the World through the Lens of the Ismaili Imamat.
During this global pandemic, members of our community — from kids to seniors — have stepped up to give back and make a difference.
Maintaining a balance between the spiritual and the material is one of the important messages in the guidance of Mawlana Hazar Imam. This Time to Think talk will discuss how this is translated into the institutional language as ‘improving the quality of life’ for the Jamat and the people amongst whom they live.
ITREB USA - Al-Waeza Dilshad Keshwani shares a perspective on “Global Brotherhood Through the Lens of the Constitution” for the on-demand series entitled Perspectives: Viewing the World through the Lens of the Ismaili Imamat.
Ginans – Ismaili religious literature originating from the religious-cultural context of the Indian Subcontinent, have sometimes been viewed as “lacking Islamic personality”. This talk will challenge this view and introduce audiences to multiple examples of religious poetry used by various Muslim traditions from the region to highlight typical characteristics of the literature that are greatly influenced by South Asian cultural contexts. The talk will also introduce the audience to multiple IIS publications that one can turn to in order to learn more and gain further insights into this topic.
Our history offers a rich repository of our beliefs and values, and how we have lived by them through the centuries. This talk explores select examples from the Dawr al-Satr (765-909 CE) and the Fatimid period (909-1171 CE) of our history, to illustrate how the Imams and the leadership at the time dealt with challenging circumstances of their age, using them as a springboard for laying stronger foundations for the future of the Jamat across various regions of the world.
ITREB USA - Al-Waez Anwar Mohammed shares a perspective on “Our Imam’s Vision on Volunteerism” for the on-demand series entitled Perspectives: Viewing the World through the Lens of the Ismaili Imamat.
ITREB USA - Al-Waez Murad Bhaidani shares a perspective on “My Tribute to that Gate” for the on-demand series entitled Perspectives: Viewing the World through the Lens of the Ismaili Imamat.
ITREB USA - Al-Waez Amirali Noorani shares a perspective in Urdu on “Hope as a Trampoline of Progress” for the on-demand series entitled Perspectives: Viewing the World through the Lens of the Ismaili Imamat.
Dr. Shafique Virani reflects on the Jamat's perseverance through adversity and helps us to understand how our tariqah will help us emerge from this pandemic with even greater strength.
We live in a world where we are often around people who are different from us. Research shows that humans are born with a bias in favour of those who are similar to them and against those who are different. Thus, this talk argues that it is imperative for the survival of civilised society that the value of pluralism is encouraged and taught at all levels of society.
In this week’s edition of the Facets of Faith series, Alwaeza Karima Ramji explores the concept of Taqwa in Muslim Piety, and engages with Alwaez Rahim Shivji in a conversation about this key ethical principle in Islam. Join us as we talk about Taqwa, Iman, and how each of us can be "muttaqi".
Alwaeza Karima Ramji is a graduate of the International Waezeen Training Program. She currently serves as Mukhiani Saheba of Victoria Jamatkhana. She is also a past Chair of the Victoria World Partnership Walk and has served in a TKN capacity to help develop the University of Central Asia's Co-op Education Program. Alwaeza Karima is a certified Cultural Intelligence Professional, has over two decades of experience as a co-operative education professional, and currently holds the position of Associate Director, International, Indigenous and Strategic Initiatives for the Co-operative Education Program and Career Services at the University of Victoria.
Alwaeza Karima Ramji is a graduate of the International Waezeen Training Program. She currently serves as Mukhiani Saheba of Victoria Jamatkhana. She is also a past Chair of the Victoria World Partnership Walk and has served in a TKN capacity to help develop the University of Central Asia's Co-op Education Program. Alwaeza Karima is a certified Cultural Intelligence Professional, has over two decades of experience as a co-operative education professional, and currently holds the position of Associate Director, International, Indigenous and Strategic Initiatives for the Co-operative Education Program and Career Services at the University of Victoria.
Opening session of the IIS's 25th Anniversary conference "Word of God, Art of Man - the Qur'an and its Creative Expressions" at The Ismaili Centre, London, including keynote address by Mawlana Hazar Imam and Professor Oleg Grabar (Princeton University), introduced by Professor Azim Nanji (Director, IIS).
Educate your mind and be inspired by IIS scholar Dr Omar Ali de Unzaga who introduces the Rasa‘il Ikhwan al-Safa’ (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity). The Ikhwan al-Safa (Brethren of Purity), the anonymous adepts of a tenth-century esoteric fraternity based in Basra and Baghdad, hold an eminent position in the history of science and philosophy in Islam due to the wide reception and assimilation of their monumental encyclopaedia, the Rasa‘il Ikhwan al-Safa’ (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity).
In a speech at the Canadian Parliament in 2014, Mawlana Hazar Imam spoke of the contributions made by Time and Knowledge Nazrana (TKN) volunteers and said "The importance of contributing one’s individual energies on a voluntary basis to improving the lives of others is not a matter of philanthropy, but rather of self-fulfilment... their impact has been enormous in helping us to achieve best practice standards in our institutions and programmes"