*Said the Holy Prophet: "He who died while he recognized not the Imam of the Age, certainly died he the death of ignorance." (Note from Holy Qur'an, S.V. Mir Ahmed Ali's translation, page 1318).
 
Let us now reflect upon the concept of Panj Tan Pak which is captured on a beautiful card prepared by Maroom Alwaez Rai Amiraly Amlani (may his soul rest in eternal peace, ameen):
 

1. Unity in the Jamat;
2. Regularity in Jamati work; and
3. Living according the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim tradition.

1. Ya Mowla, empower us with inspiration, courage, knowledge and wisdom to:
    
   
   • become staunch obedient, farmanbardari momins;
      
     
   • be staunch in the submission of dasond of resources, time and knowledge;
      
     
   • be regular in the recitation of Holy Dua on time and in congregation;
      
     
   • be regular in performing bandagi (ibadat), i.e., in performing the luminous prayer at the luminous time with the luminous word (bol, ism-i azam or any other name of Ali Zaman);
      
     
   • perform noble deeds (nek amal);
      
     
   • perform unconditional service to Khudavand, the Jamat and humanity at large;
      
     
   • strengthen our faith through the blessing of spiritual particles of faith
     (Ruh-ul iman);
      
     
   • excel in secular education and also deepen our knowledge and understanding of our holy faith;
      
     
   • keep our hearts filled with dhikr;
      
     
   • abstain from committing sins;
      
     
   • perform tauba and seek forgiveness of our sins;
      
     
   • be patient, humble, grateful and authentic; and
      
     
   • be united at the level of our families, our Jamats and the global Jamat.
      
     
2. Ya Mowla, bestow luminous (noorani), spiritual (ruhani) and material (jismani) barakat and tayid (help) upon us;
    
   
3. Ya Mowla, grant salvation to all departed souls;
    
   
4. Ya Mowla, grant us a light in our hearts, a light in our souls, a light in our ears, a light in our eyes, a light in our tongues, a light in our hair, a light in our flesh, a light in our skin, a light in our nerves, a light in our blood, a light in our bones, a light above us, a light below us, a light on our right, a light on our left, a light behind us and a light in front of us;
    
   
5. Ya Mowla, have mercy and create Sunshine in our hearts with your NOOR, and make us earthly angels so that your Light would work at its full potential in our hearts, souls and intellects; and
    
   
6. Ya Mowla, bestow upon us the blessing of being Imam conscious at all times and give us the wisdom to only perform deeds which will lead to the salvation of our souls (Jêvi tê karni-e jivdo chhutê, têvi karni kijê sneh).

 

 
A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it,
bearing within him the image of a cathedral."
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras

1. Men may be divided almost any way we please, but I found the most useful distinction to be made between those who devote their lives to conjugating the verb "to be", and those who spend their lives conjugating the verb "to have."
   -- Sydney J. Harris (Readers' Digest Quotable Quotes: Wit and wisdom for all occasions, 1971. p.67)
    
   
2. "To achieve worldly prosperity is necessary but it more essential to excel in spiritual progress. To attend to worldly business is incumbent but the affairs of the next world are important than this. This should never be forgotten."
   -- Noor Mowlana Sultan Muhammad Shah, Nairobi, 30-3-1945
    
   
3. "I do not want my spiritual children to forget that life on earth is but a very short passage in eternity, and you must not believe that you are here for what is only one existence and thereafter you have to account for nothing."
   -- Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam, Lahore, 25-11-1964
    
   
4. "The tendency during your lifetime, during your children's lifetime, will be to ignore the spiritual side of their lives, this will be the tendency. None of you must ignore this, you will be unhappy and your children will be unhappy, because it is not possible to live and not practise one's faith, nor do Ibadat (bandagi) and yet be happy."
   -- Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam, Dacca, 5-12-1964
    
   
5. "As the material world around you becomes less meaningful, less significant, less important, let the spiritual world become more and more predominant in your lives, so that by the end of your lives you have made that Link very, very short."
   -- Noor Mowlana Hazar Imam, Dacca, 18-11-1977
    
   
6. "It is said in a Hadith-i qudsi: "O My servant! Obey me, I will make you like My Image (mithal = surat-i Rahman) everliving that you will never die, mighty that you will never be humiliated and rich that you will never be needy." (Arba rasa'il Isma'iliyyah, p.15). This is the teaching of the paradise of knowledge (obtained through bandagi, i.e., meditation of ism-i azam) and the greatest glad news."
   -- A Thousand Wisdoms, Tawil number 77, p.53.