1. "But make faith part of your everyday life. Let not there be a day where you forget your faith. Faith has become in certain societies a matter of convenience and you attend your faith when a child is born, when an individual passes away but any other engagement in your faith disappears in front of the materialism of the modern world. And I want to say to my spiritual children, let that never happen to the murids of my Jamat."
   London, July 5th, 2008
    
   
2. "He who forgets soul is unhappy, this you will see everyday around you." Pakistan, 1964

1. "Allah the Merciful shall give abundance to those who are virtuous. All prosperity cometh not in a day but gradually and slowly. God makes such people prosperous in their properties and progeny. For a day shall come why they shall rise high."
   Zanzibar, September 5, 1905
    
   
2. "To achieve worldly prosperity is necessary but it is more essential to excel in spiritual progress. To attend to the worldly business is incumbent but the affairs of the next world are important than this. This should never be forgotten."
   Nairobi, March 30, 1945.

1. Please note that Mowlana Sultan Muhammad Shah (a.s.) has emphasized that the affairs of next world are more important than those of this world. Therefore, as we have to balance din and duniya, din needs to be addressed first so that duniya finds its appropriate place. If we give duniya a first priority then it takes over and virtually eliminates the din.
    
   
2. Ordinary people go after duniya for material comforts while mumins toil in this world to gain the next world. However there is a great secret and blessing in the activities of the mumins. According to the sayings of Noor Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.), ease of the world is given to these mumins because they are staunch in seeking the next world through their submission of dasond, and regularity in the practice of dua and bandagi.
    
   
3. The most astonishing aspect of these quotations is the teaching that livelihood is of two kinds: the livelihood that we seek and the livelihood which seeks us. Those people who focus on the spiritual dimension of our religion are blessed because livelihood seeks them and comforts also reach them.
    
   
4. The material prosperity of the Jamat is barakat of the Holy Imam which gets activiated through dasond, dua and bandagi of mumins. Their continual activity turns the wheel of the cycle of well wishing for the whole Jamat. Therefore, it is incumbent for all us to join in this effort in order to bring peace, happiness and prosperity the global jamat, the ummah and humanity at large! This is an integral part of the Ismaili ethos!
    
   

1. In order to understand the Holy Qur'an, it is first necessary to study it externally. However, in order to understand the wisdom of the Holy Qur'an, the only door is bandagi. There is no other short cut.
    
   
2. An assessment of what can be learned with ism-i azam is given in the first ayats of Surah 'Alaq: The Clot (Surah No. 96):
    
   "Proclaim! (or read!) in the name (ism-i azam) of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created — Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, — He Who taught (the use of) the pen, — Taught man that which he knew not."
    
   
3. The Holy Imam, the Lord of present (zaman) and eternal time (asr), has a spiritual army which is used to build the personal spiritual world of mumins. However, this grace is given to only those who are blessed with special knowledge, perform good deeds, have the permission through ism-i azam and practice bandagi regularly.
    
   
4. The fundamental message for this Lail-tul Qadr is to make a commitment to perform bandagi regularly. In this way every night becomes a Lail-tul Qadr. Then with the power of bandagi, we would have the strength to tirelessly serve the Imam of the time and meet his expectations of the nazrana of time and knowledge.

1. Idd ul-Fitr is a great day of happiness for all Muslims because it comes after the month of Ramadan—a month of ardent prayers, fasting and reflection. Noor Mowlana Murtaza Ali (a.s.) teaches us that to abstain from committing sins is also an Idd. Thus, a devout mum'in creates a consciousness which is focused on the pleasure of God. This method virtually eliminates the acts through which sins are committed.
    
   
2. We should do our best to show gratitude to our Holy Imam who has spent his whole life for our material, spiritual and intellectual upliftment. For practical purposes, gratitude is measured by the degree of obedience, thus it is a good idea to listen or read firmans and assess the degree of one's obedience.
    
   
3. We can also use the following yardstick from the Holy Qur'an:
    
   "Those who show patience, firmness and self-control; who are true (in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of God); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning." (3:17)
    
   

With this background, I interpret the Dua-e-Qunut as follows:

1. Knowledge of religion:
    
   It is said in a Hadith:
   "He whom God wills a good (thing), He grants him the understanding of religion." (Tirmidhi, V, 28)
   (Tawil 604, A Thousand Wisdoms, page 321)
    
   
2. Seeker of Knowledge:
    
   It is said in a Hadith:
   "Gods clears a path to paradise for the one who follows a path seeking knowledge. And the angels lay down their wings for the pleasure of the seeker of knowledge. As for the learned (âlim), whoever is in the heavens and the earth, including fish in the water seek forgiveness for him, and the excellence of the learned one over the worshipper (âbid) is like that of the moon over all the stars". (Tirmidhi, IV, 48-49)
   (Tawil 606, A Thousand Wisdoms, page 322)

1. Salmân (A name) :
    
   It is said in a Hadith: "Salmân is from us, the ahl-i bayt." This Hadith alludes to the fact that mu'mins of the first rank, male or female, can also be included in ahl-i bayt."
   (Tawil 448, A Thousand Wisdoms, page 241)
    
   
2. Salmân (Salmânu'-khayr) :
    
   
   1. Salmân was an exemplary mu'min of the time of Prophethood.
   2. Salmân is proof of the verse of the sound heart (26:89).
   3. He became one of the doors of paradise.
   4. The sacred light of holy ahl-i bayt had arisen in the personal world of Salmân.
   5. In the time of every Imam, some pure mu'mins (men and women) become like Salmân-i Fârsi.
   (Tawil 450, A Thousand Wisdoms, page 242)
    
   
3. Salmân (Salmân as an 'âlim of given knowledge) :
    
   When the Commander of the faithful Mawla Ali was asked about Salmân, he said: "He is given the first knowledge and the last knowledge, and that which he has, cannot be grasped." (Tabaqât, IV, 85). The Imam also said: "He has the knowledge of the first ones and ths last ones." (Sirat-i Salman, p. 155)
   (Tawil 452, A Thousand Wisdoms, page 243)

1. Dhibh (1): That which is sacrificed
   "It is mentioned in verse (37:107): "And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice." That is, Hazrat Isma'il was sacrificed spiritually instead of his external and physical sacrifice, which in many senses was greater than his physical sacrifice. He was sacrificed in the dream, his soul continued to be seized for several days in a wakeful state, he attained the rank of martyrdom in spiritual jihad and he was repeatedly sacrificed at the place of intellect as well." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 356, p. 193)
    
   
2. Dhibh (2): That which is sacrificed
   "Hazrat Ismail was the Permanent Imam and the asas. His intention and worship in the above-mentioned sacrifices were for God and their spiritual benefits were for the people. This is because the Imam, on behalf of God, is always present in this world so that he may accomplish for the people of the world, those useful deeds which they themselves are not able to do. An example of this is the spiritual sacrifice, which is not possible for everyone to accomplish." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 357, p9. 193-194)
    
   
3. Dhibh (3): That which is sacrificed
   Question: "How do the people of the world benefit from the inner sacrifices of the exalted Imam? Is there any such allusion in the Qur'an?"
    
   Answer: "The wisdom-filled allusion of the Qur'an says the Imam of the time is not only the Imam of the righteous (Imamu'l-muttaqin, 22:74), but the Imam of the people (Imamu'n-nas, 2:214) as well. However, the great difference is that, the door of (spiritual) knowledge and wisdom opens instantly (in this world) for the righteous, whereas for the masses it is closed in this world." (A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 358, p. 194)

Let us reflect on the tawil of selected important words which appear in Hadith and the Holy Qur'an:
 

1. Rajim: Primary meaning: One who stones and is stoned
   "This is derived from rajm (to stone) on the pattern of fa'il (grammar) in the sense of both active principle "stoning" and passive participle "stoned". In a secondary sense it also means "cursed". Satan is called rajim in the sense that his work is to stone by false and incorrect discourses, so that a mu'min who is weak in true knowledge may be frightened by it and become his victim, or die with respect to soul of faith or suffer from doubt. This is the esoteric wisdom. But exoterically, people neither know the stoning Satan, not do they feel the pain of his stoning."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 379, p. 206
    
   
2. Rizq: Sustenance
   "It is said in verse (2:25): "And whoever will be given fruits as food, they will say: This is what was given to us before." Three kinds of nourishment can be received in the world: physical, spiritual and intellectual (in form of light). Physical nourishment is the one in which mu'mins, disbelievers and animals share equally. Spiritual and intellectual nourishment is special for the people of faith. It is the nourishment which is given in paradise, but in the most excellent and superb form."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 388, pp. 210-211
    
   
3. Rih Yusuf: The fragrance of Yusuf, i.e., spiritual fragrance
   "Hazrat Ya'qub said: "I get the fragrance of Yusuf." (12:94). Hazrat Yusuf was the Imam. One of the spiritual miracles of the Imam is the manifestation of spiritual fragrances." (This barakat speeds up the process of purification of the soul and is a great sign of spiritual progress)
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 399, p. 215
    
   
4. Raqim: Inscription, writing
   "One of the spiritual marvels and wonders is that sometimes writing appears in front of the inner eye. This surely is an allusion to the fact that there are bounties in paradise in the form of writing, too (Holy Qur'an 18:9)."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 392, p. 213
    
   
5. Rahiq (1): Pure wine
   "It is mentioned in verses (83:25-26): They will given to drink a sealed pure wine, the seal of which is musk." By sealed pure wine are meant spiritual words of the Qur'an, the Hadith and the Imam of the time, in which are hidden the wonders and marvels of wisdom and recognition, which are pleasant and soul-nourishing like sealed pure wine."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 386, pp. 209-210
    
   
6. Rahiq (2): Pure wine
   "Sealed pure wine is the given (or gifted) knowledge (ilm-i laduni), and the science of ta'wil (esoteric meaning) which is received from the perfect words and the hidden Book. Thus, it both the knowledge of the Imam as well as the wine of love for him. Just as worldly love awakens by drinking worldly wine, similarly, the vision of his knowledge is his light and is felt and perceived in many ways."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 387, p.210
    
   
7. Zulzilat: It was shaken
   "The quake of a personal resurrection is mentioned in the surah of Zilzaal (99:1-8), which is a tremendous miracle of the personal world, whereby the sâlik is purified and hears spiritual conversation. The resurrection of all the representative particles of people takes place in a hidden way in the personal resurrection."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 412, p. 223
    
   
8. Râ'in (1): Shepherd, king, ruler
   "It is said in a Hadith: "Each one of you is a shepherd and each one of you is accountable for his herd (on the Day of (personal) Resurrection)." Another translation: "Each one of you is a king (potentially) and each one of you is accountable for his subjects (on the Day of (personal) Resurrection)." That is, on the Day of (personal) Resurrection each one of you will be asked what did you do for your subjects. (Bukhari, Cairo, II, 6; Delhi, II, 8-9; Lughât, Râ, pp.95-96, Tirmidhi, IV, 208)"
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 371, p. 203
    
   
9. Râ'in (2): Shepherd, governor, sovereign
   "O my dear! You have understood the fact that there is a complete copy of the universe and the existents in the personal world of each individual. Thus, by the infinite mercy of God, every individual has potentially become a king whose subjects are in the entire world. However, it is now up to the people of faith to actualise the kingdom of their personal world through their knowledge and good deeds."
   A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 372, p. 203
    
   
10. Râ'in (3): Shepherd, king
    "In many Qur'anic verses and Ahadith it mentioned that obedient and successful souls will be kings in paradise. Those who will not be able to attain this status, will have done injustice to their personal world due to their ignorance and inaction or lack of good deeds.
     
    O my dear! It is certainly a great favour of God to teach the realities and recognitions through the concept of the personal world. Therefore, there has been and continues to be great success in this method of teaching."
    A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil No. 373, p. 204
     
    

Part 3: The Idd-e-Gaddir Dhikr—Ya Ali, Tuhi Tu