Golden Jubilee Canada visit

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Mawlana Hazar Imam with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall. Photo: Gary Otte
This afternoon, Mawlana Hazar Imam called on Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall. She warmly welcomed Hazar Imam to Canada on the occasion of his Golden Jubilee.
Mawlana Hazar Imam then visited Parliament Hill where he met with the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage, and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism.
In the evening, Mawlana Hazar Imam attended a working dinner with the Honourable Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation and Margaret Biggs, President of the Canadian International Development Agency.

Additional photos are available in the gallery. Also see the video of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s arrival in Ottawa. Further details on Mawlana Hazar Imam’s visit to Canada will continue to be posted at TheIsmaili.org.

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Canada visit gallery --- Part 01

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The way we celebrate

Like the multicultural nation that we call home, the Canadian Jamat is diverse and comes from all corners of the globe. In the four decades since our community’s settlement, we have adapted to the culture, language, and society of our new country. But in the days leading up to Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee visit to Canada, the ways in which we celebrate will reveal our enduring ties to our cultural and historical roots.

Jamati members of all ages will share their joy by participating in a variety of dances, such as dandia and raas, which trace their origins to the Indian sub-content. Ismailis from Central Asia, who began arriving in Canada more recently, have added the traditional Afghan attan dance to the mix. Meanwhile, contemporary hip-hop and bollywood influences will complement the rhythms of the dance floor.
The diversity of heritage in the Canadian Jamat is also woven into our garments and accoutrements. Ladies will dress in beautiful silk saris and gandai-afghani. Mendhi parties are being organised for the festive adornment of henna on hands and feet for joy, beauty and barakah (blessings). The resulting tapestry of colour and style will decorate and enliven the merriment.

Traditional meals are an important part of our festivities. Customary menus featuring pilau, biriyani or khaliyo will be complemented by spicy chutneys, and achaars, as well as sweet treats like sticky jalebi, syrup-soaked gulab jamun. Pink sharbat and mango lassi will add to the usual complement of tea, coffee, and juice.
The unity of the Jamat and our love for the Imam of the Time is reflected in the theme One Jamat, One Heart that links celebratory events planned across the country. Programmes such as Khushamadeed will gather the Jamat for dinner, dancing and live band music. Performances such as Allah Hu, Allah Hu, Expressions and Umeed-e-Deedar, will provide a stage for vocalists and instrumentalists to capture the Jamat’s sentiments of devotion, hope and anticipation.

Programming has also been planned for different segments of the Jamat. J2D: Journey to Darbar aims to engage the youth — not only in the celebrations, but also in educational, voluntary, and leadership endeavours. It begins with an orientation session for youth leaders, which will include a gala dinner with the senior leadership in each major centre. The programme will also comprise a series of discussion panels and seminars to engage young Ismailis on issues of significance to the Golden Jubilee.
J2D will culminate in a massive youth day in each region, with special ceremonies and celebrations. Regional celebratory spaces will host a specific area where youth can gather, share their experiences and reflect on this momentous occasion.

Special initiatives are also being organised to make it easier for the elderly in the Jamat to take part in the excitement. In British Columbia and Ontario, volunteers are arranging visits with Ismailis living in nursing homes and hospitals to share the festivity and enable them to be involved in the celebration.
Meanwhile, seniors in Edmonton are working on a special quilt making project, in which each participant writes a personal sentiment in the language of their choice on a square of cloth. The squares — with messages in English, Farsi, Gujarati, Urdu, and other languages — are being sewn together to create a single quilt that will be displayed prominently at the Darbar venue.

Some members of the Jamat — particularly the very young — will be experiencing their first Jubilee Darbar. Programmes and activities have been arranged in Jamatkhanas and Bait-ul Ilm classes to prepare them for what will happen on the day of the Darbar and help them to appreciate the significance of the occasion. Educational programmes have also been created for non-Ismaili family members to enhance their understanding of the Golden Jubilee and engage them in the celebration.
In the anticipation of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee visit, the Canadian Jamat will come together across the country. We will dress in our traditional clothing, partake of our traditional meals, play our traditional songs and dance our traditional dances. But from the diversity of our traditions, we will create something new.
In Canada, that’s the way we celebrate.

http://www.theismaili.org/cms/629/The-way-we-celebrate

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The Significance of Didaar - the Vision of the Imam

Mubarak! We are overjoyed at the prospect of Didaar in a few days. Alhamdulillah! The Jamaat is very fortunate to receive the news of this blessing and as we await the event, we are preparing ourselves for this momentous event in the life of an Ismaili.
We are very fortunate to be receiving the Didaar in our lifetimes. The Tajikistan and Central Asian Jamaat had to wait over 600 years for the physical Didaar of the Imam and when it happened, it was an electrically charged event for both the Imam and the Jamaat.
Al Muayyad, our famous Dai in Fatimid times, was finally able to pay his respects to the Imam after much resistance from the ministers and courtiers who would not allow any man of learning to see the Imam personally until they submitted to their dicates. After many tries, he was successful in receiving the Didaar. Describing this experience, he writes:
"I was taken near the place wherefrom I saw the bright Light of the Prophethood. My eyes were dazzled by the Light. I shed tears of joy and felt as if I was looking at the face of the Prophet of Allah and of the Commander of the Faithful, Hazrat Ali. I prostrated myself before the one who is the fittest person to bow to. I wanted to say something, but 1 was awe-struck... I tried to speak but my tongue refused to move. People asked me to say what I wished to say. I could say nothing. The Imam said, 'Leave him. Let his fear and awe subside.' After this, I rose. I took the holy hand of the Imam, placed it on my eyes and on my chest and then kissed it. I left the place with immense joy."
Al Muayyad was the teacher of Nasir Khusraw who converted to Ismailism by Al Muayyad's teachings. Nasir Khusraw's teachings were responsible for the immense love the Ismailis of Central Asia preserved in their lives for over 6 centuries. When Mowlana Hazar Imam gave Didaar in 1995, the Jamaat symbolically presented Nasir Khusraw's book "Wahj-i Deen," 'The Face of Faith' alluding to the verse in the Quran - "the Face of Allah is everywhere."


More @ http://www.amaana.org/imam/didaararticle.htm

Didaar Poems - Amaana.org

Didar poems @ http://www.amaana.org/

The Secret of Godby Rumi
Everywhere the secret of God is coming, see how the people are coming uncontrollably;
From him for whom all souls are a-thirst, to the thirsty the cry of the water carrier is coming.
They are milk drinkers of divine generosity, and are on the watch to see from whence the mother is coming.
They are in separation, and all are waiting to see whence union and encounter are coming.
From Moslems, Jews, and Christians alike every dawn the sound of prayer is coming;
Blessed is that intelligence whose heart's ear from heaven the sound of "Come hither" is coming.
Keep your ear clean of scum, for a voice is coming from heaven;
The defiled ear hears not that sound, only the deserving gets his deserts.
Defile not your eye with human cheek and mole, for that Emperor of eternal life is coming;
And if it has become defiled, wash it with tears, for the cure comes from those tears.
A caravan of sugar has arrived from Egypt; the sound of footfall and bells is coming.
Ha, be silent, for to complete the ode, our speaking King is coming.

More on http://www.amaana.org/

Source

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