r/ismailis

Ya Ali Madad everyone. This has been something on my chest and mind for a while. I am not sure why the JK I have been going to is becoming extremely problametic. There is always gossip specifically aimed to me and my family and like relatives. Its absolutely disrespectful and this makes me not even want to attend Khane anymore. I always defend Ismaili to my very last word and always defend Jamatkhana as I love my faith and religon so much but for the past couple of months people attending Jamakhana has made me not even enjoy it as before. There is always gossip spreading about talking to another gender when its fine if others do that, there is always people saying do not laugh too much it is disrespectful when they litteraly laugh themselves during and after dua. I don’t understand these people who litteraly come to dua with shorts and not even proper attire. I never judge anyone but now that I am seeing other Isamilis claim they are Ismailis but are the opposite of what being an Ismaili is. I honestly can not hold it in anymore. I have so much more to say but I don’t want to say anything disrespectful, this has just been bothering me.

God bless.

Dear fellow Ismaili Brothers(Men) -

I’ve had a bad addiction for many years in pornography. I’ve tried everything from prayers to counseling but I can’t seem to overcome this. What have some of you done to help yourselves? Any advice would help.

Authoritative Pirs (Satadhari Pirs) are members of the Imam’s family who hold a spiritual position second only to the Imam. They are also referred to as the Supreme Hujjat and the Bab (Gate) of the Imam.

According to our Ginans, the Pirs are regarded as manifestations of the Noor-e-Muhammad (Universal Intellect) in their respective times. A similar concept can also be found in Ismaili literature from both the Alamut and post Alamut periods.

Some of the most famous Authoritative Pirs in our history are listed below, with a significant amount of our Ginan literature associated with them:

- Pir Satgur Noor (Pir Nooruddin Mohammad)
- Pir Shams
- Pir Sadardin
- Pir Hassan Kabiruddin

Below are passages from Paradise of Submission by Sayyidna Nasir al-Din Tusi and Pandiyat-i-Javanmardi by Imam Mustanṣir Billah II (AS) on the spiritual status and authority of the Pir.

"His (Imam) supreme hujjat is the manifestation of the First Intellect, that is to say, the visibility and power of the illumination of the First Intellect is made manifest through him.

His position has been likened to the Moon. For just as the body of the Moon is in itself dark but illuminated by the Sun, taking the Sun's place in its absence (khalifat-i u bashad), and lighting up the Earth in proportion to the amount of light that it has been capable of obtaining from the Sun, so the soul of the supreme hujjat, which by itself knows nothing and is nothing, is illumined by the effulgent radiation of the divine assistance (ta'yid) from the Imam.

In the absence of the Imam, he acts as his vicegerent. By virtue of his capacity to receive the grace of the lights of knowledge (fayd-i anwar-i ilm) and according to the measure of his aptitude, he enlightens people about the Imam, showing the way to him - may salutations ensue upon mention of him.

He establishes the truth of the Imamate and the community of the Imam with arguments and proofs which no impartial and intelligent man can deny. He makes the souls of the pupils, who are potentially capable of receiving the form of perfection and becoming intelligent, to become learned in actuality, by means of the perfect [ideal] forms he inculcates and the effective actions he undertakes."

Nasir al-Din Tusi, Paradise of Submission

"O, believers, if you wish to attain perfection in the knowledge of God (khuda-shinasi), attain the degree of the ma'rifatu'l-lah, you must accept the commands of the pir of your time, and act according to what he orders you, never disobeying him, but continuously following his command, until you reach the cognition (kashf)."

"The pir is the person to whom the Imam of the time has granted his position, which makes him the highest amongst the creations (ashraf-i makhlugat). And whenever he (i.e. the Imam) has chosen the pir, and appointed him, he (the pir) must convey to others the knowledge in detail (ma'rifat-ra ba-tafșil bi-guyad). You must attain perfection in, the knowledge of the Imam through him."

"Therefore, O, believers, it is obligatory for you to follow the pir, never flinching from his obedience. Be bound by what the pir tells you. acting as he says. The pir does not demand from you any payment or fees, I give him this instead of you. And when you obey the pir, the pir, if God pleases in the hereafter will pray to God for your protection."

Imam Mustansirbillah II (AS), Pir Pandiyat-i-Javanmardi, trnsl. W. Ivanow

No disrespect when I ask this just curious

Since Imam z zaman has the authority to pass changes and restrictions on practices in our religion, what if hypothetically he were to allow something which is haram in Islam. For EXAMPLE, drinking alcohol. Would we be obliged to follow that respective ruling.

As we watch videos on social media, our jamaat frequently use the word “Mawla Bapa” more than “Hazir Imam” or “Hazar Imam.” It makes me wonder: why have we become so comfortable using Bapa for our Imam, when we already have a precise Islamic term for his position?

I understand that Bapa is often used out of love and affection. In South Asian culture, it can refer to elders, saints, spiritual figures, and respected personalities. There is nothing wrong with the word itself. But Bapa and Imam are not equivalent terms.

The Imam has a unique position in Ismaili theology. He is not simply an elder, saint, or spiritual ordinary personality.He is the rightful successor and descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and the Imam of the time. Our own history also tells us something important. Imam Ali (a.s.) was Mawla Ali, not “Mawla Bapa.” Imam Hussain (a.s.) was Mawla Hussain, not “Mawla Bapa.” The Imams who followed them were known through their names and their position as Imams( and caliph-Imams during Fatimid). They did not need the word Bapa to establish their spiritual authority or their connection to the Prophet.

So where does this expression come from?

Bapa is primarily a localized South Asian honorific. We see it used for figures such as Jalaram Bapa, Ganpati Bappa, and Hanumanji Bapa. Because of this, using the same expression for our Imam can unintentionally blur an important distinction, especially for non-Ismailis who may already struggle to understand where Ismailism stands within Islam. This is why terminology matters.

“Imam” is an Islamic and Quranic term, and within Ismaili theology it specifically identifies the institution of Imamat. It is also the terminology used in the Ismaili Constitution to refer to the Hazir Imam. Bapa does not have that theological meaning. So, when we say “Mawla Bapa,” I would simply ask: why not say “Hazir Imam”? It carries more divine meaning than "Bapa". This expression preserves both the affection we have for our Imam and the precise meaning of his position.

Bapa is a cultural expression. Imam is purely a religious expression. Our Imams are the rightful successors and descendants of our beloved Prophet. They were never bapas. The word "Imam" carries a meaning that Bapa simply cannot replace. The clearest term for the living Imam is Hazir Imam or Hazar Imam. We can love our Mawla deeply, use affectionate language, and still be precise about who he is. He is our Mawla. He is our Hazir Imam. And Imam is the word that defines his position. Ya Ali Madad!

I hope the mods don’t take this down because I really have no other way to get this information out there.
I previously posted about the conduct of one IIS board director. I will not name any names in this particular post, but I do want to share that this particular individual continues to be abusive towards staff as well as other colleagues at the IIS. This individual is now decided that he wishes to remove the person running the organization and to replace that individual with a friend of theirs, who is also a board Director. I have been at IIS now for decades, and I have to say I have never seen the level of control and domineering attitude of one director on the board like this whose entire objective seems to be control, power and authority. The IIS is in shambles thanks to these types of battles and personal feifdom creations and the Jamat is not getting any value at all out of their work because intellectual freedom is stifled in favour of pet projects of certain directors. It would benefit from a deep deep look by the GRB.

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Since today marks Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day, here is an excerpt from Imam Shah Karim’s speech in which he spoke about the role of his grandfather, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah, in the creation of Pakistan.

“You all know that My grandfather was one of the founders of Pakistan. He, His associates and His co-workers struggled mightily for the establishment of this great country. He always had the profoundest faith in the destiny of Pakistan. These views and that faith are Mine. This country is in My heart, for as you all know My beloved Grandfather was born here.”

Speech at Karachi, Pakistan — August 4, 1957

Just curious if anyone knows why the US Southwest Council charges for Farman books, while ITREB Canada gives them out for free?

Is it just a local ITREB budget thing, or is there a specific regional policy behind it? Would love to know if anyone has insight into how this works!

Dr. Sayyid Jalal Hosseini Badakhchani passed away peacefully in London on the morning of 11 August 2026, aged 85. He was a pioneering and distinguished scholar of Ismaili history and thought, with a focus on the Nizari Ismaili literature of the Alamut period.

Didar of MHI was genuinely magical. Seeing the Imam is a blessing, full stop, and nothing in this post takes away from that. But everything around it, before and after, keeps confirming what a lot of us were already saying.

Jamat was supposed to receive juro, niyaz, and tasbih from MHI. Here’s where things actually stand:

• The apples that were given out were pretty rough. Small, old, cheap looking, a lot of them bruised. For something meant to be a blessing from the Imam, the quality should have been the last thing anyone had to compromise on.

• Tasbihs were given out, but there was no real process to get one. No wristband system, no organized distribution, nothing. 15K were ordered and they went almost instantly, leaving a huge number of murids without one (myself included). I’ve heard 3K more have since been ordered, but why wasn’t this planned properly from the start? A simple wristband swap would have made sure distribution was fair instead of a free-for-all (I heard that’s what happened with the Eastern Canada visit).

• Niyaz and the dried fruit juro still haven’t shown up. Juro packing was supposed to happen in the days after Didar. It’s now been over two weeks and Jamat is left wondering what’s going on. Where are the niyaz bottles that were supposed to be filled? Where’s the dried fruit?

More poor planning, more bad decision making, and once again it’s the Jamat left with a bad taste in their mouths, literally and figuratively.

The Didar was everything it should have been. Everything surrounding it hasn’t been, and at some point that gap needs to actually get addressed instead of repeated.

I'm visiting London and will be going to JK on Friday but not sure when Dua time is? I'm assuming between 6pm to 8pm but it varies so much by city.

Also my wife is non ismaili but I heard there is a section for spouses to sit?

Is it ok for the Jamatkhana to serve food like Subway or pizza which have meat on it which is not halal? Or even eat non halal at restaurants outside like Steak 48, Din tai Fung, Fogo de Chao, In and Out, Terry’s black, etc?

Is there any guidance from the Imam about eating halal? If not, does Quran mention anything about halal?

If Quran mentions it and there is no guidance from the Imam, who started the interpretation of eating non halal within the community itself?

Does Imam eat Halal food all the time?