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Quote of the Week

“In many Muslim traditions, the meaning of bay‘a is to offer oneself to a spiritual master, pir, murshid, or shaykh in exchange for spiritual knowledge and guidance… In the Shi‘i Ismaili tradition, it is the acceptance of the permanent spiritual bond between the Imam and the murid, uniting all Ismaili Muslims worldwide in their loyalty, devotion and obedience to the Imam within the Islamic concept of universal brotherhood.”

Glossary definition of “Bay‘a” by the Institute of Ismaili Studies
Source: www.iis.ac.uk/glossary_list.asp?f=a&t=c&l=en

“As I observe the world, I am struck by the insufficiency of well-informed debate, of richer dialogue, of deeper education in our quest to avoid human conflict. That insufficiency often plagues relations between the North and the South - and increasingly between the North and the Islamic world. Some have called this a clash of civilizations - I think it is, essentially, a clash of ignorances.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, North-South Prize Ceremony, Lisbon, Portugal, June 12, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1277/

“It is ironic that a sense of intensified conflict comes at a time of unprecedented breakthroughs in communication technology. At the very time that we talk more and more about global convergence, we also seem to experience more and more social divergence.  The lesson it seems to me is that technologies alone will not save us - the critical variable will always be and will always lie in the disposition of human hearts and minds.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, North-South Prize Ceremony, Lisbon, Portugal, June 12, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1277/

“We inhabit an overcrowded and interconnected planet and yet we share a common destiny. A weakness or pain in one corner can rapidly transmit itself across the globe. The pervasive rejection of pluralism in all its forms plays a significant role in breeding destructive conflicts… Instability is infectious, but so is hope. And that it is why it is so important for us to carry the torch of hope as we seek to share the gift of pluralism.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, North-South Prize Ceremony, Lisbon, Portugal, June 12, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1277/

“The Global Centre for Pluralism was established in partnership with the Government of Canada, and was inspired, in part, by Canada’s experience as a highly diverse society, with a long-term commitment to welcoming and supporting newcomers. The Centre was founded as a place where we all can learn from one another about the challenges of diversity, and about the enormous possibilities that can open for us when we respect diversity as an opportunity rather than fearing it as a burden.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Ottawa, Canada, May 29, 2014
Source: http://pluralism.ca/images/PDF_docs/APL2014/2014APL-HH_Speech.pdf

“For most of the world, science has completely transformed the way life begins, and the risks associated with childbirth. But enormous gaps still exist. These gaps are not the result of fate – they are not inevitable. They can be changed, and changed dramatically. When government and private institutions coordinate effectively in challenging a major public problem, as this example demonstrates, we can achieve substantial, genuine, quantifiable progress – and fairly rapidly.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Toronto, Canada, May 29, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1273/

“This new Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, like the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Museum to be built in Toronto, reflects our conviction that buildings can do more than simply house people and programmes. They can also reflect our deepest values, as great architecture captures esoteric thought in physical form.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Ottawa, Canada, December 6, 2008
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/699

“During my Golden Jubilee – and this is important – six years ago Ismailis from around the world volunteered their gifts, not only of wealth, but most notably of time and knowledge, in support of our work. We established a Time and Knowledge framework, a structured process for engaging an immense pool of expertise involving tens of thousands of volunteers. Many of them traveled to developing countries as part of this outpouring of service – one third of those were Canadians.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Address to Canadian Parliament, Ottawa, February 27, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1253

“Some of the most glorious chapters in Islamic history were purposefully built on the principle of inclusiveness — it was a matter of state policy to pursue excellence through pluralism. This was true from the time of the Abbasids in Baghdad and the Fatimids in Cairo over 1,000 years ago. It was true in Afghanistan and Timbuktu in Mali, and later with the Safavids in Iran, the Mughals in India, the Uzbeks in Bukhara, and Ottomans in Turkey. From the 8th to the 16th century, al-Andalus thrived on the Iberian Peninsula — under Muslim aegis — but also deeply welcoming to Christian and Jewish peoples.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Address to Canadian Parliament, Ottawa, February 27, 2014
Source: http://www.akdn.org/Content/1253

“A cosmopolitan ethic is one that welcomes the complexity of human society. It balances rights and duties, freedom and responsibility. It is an ethic for all peoples, the familiar and the Other, whether they live across the street or across the planet.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Address to Canadian Parliament, Ottawa, February 27, 2014
Source: http://www.akdn.org/Content/1253

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