Lisaan ud Da'wat-The Language of the Alavi Spiritual Mission and the most versatile dialect of Alavi Bohras has its interesting history and long journey of expression and development dates back since the Imaamat and Caliphate of Faatemi Imaams in Cairo i.e. 1100 years.  It originated from its mother language Arabic with the help of its supportive languages Urdu and Persian.  Its structural and grammatical formation largely depends on Gujarati language.

Since centuries it has passed through many phases and the language that we Alavi Bohras speak today is its most complex and refined form because of the extensive efforts of our Du'aat to make it the language of masses emboldened with simplicity and acceptance.  Language Awareness is the most challenging campaign as it is to create a special and long-lasting interest in already overloaded life of people.  In the era of internet and mass-media, language originality is slowly vanishing and due to the lack of proper learning it is becoming a soft target of multi-lingual syndrome.

Mukaasir Maulaa is conducting regular classes of Lisaan ud Da'wat at Nooraani Masjid to make the participants confident and attached to their mother-tongue.  Learning of the language begins from home where a child imitates what is being said by the elders.  Then comes the role of Madrasah where a child actually learns the basics of his mother-tongue.  Then while growing up he reads, listens and writes as and when he gets time.  Mukaasir Maulaa says that, the best way in todays time is to read Mishkaat ul Haadi thoroughly and to listen the bayaanaat carefully and attentively to get into every inch of Lisaan ud Da'wat.  It comes in your computer, mobile or at home.  The thing is that you should read and follow.

On 6th of Sha'baan 1439, Mukaasir Maulaa organized an outing of the participants of Lisaan ud Da'wat daras group in Sayaji garden and had a healthy discussion relating to rejuvenation of our mother-tongue.  Every student gave their valuable suggestion keeping in mind the importance of our unique language in our day-to-day lives.  Mukaasir Maulaa did imaamat of Maghrib and 'Ishaa il Aakherat namaaz. Mukaasir Maulaa posed a question about how you all feeling the difference by knowing the depth of our mother-tongue before and after joining the daras...Mukaasir Maulaa requested all to prepare atleast two person for learning our mother-tongue completely in the manner that they should understand correctly and write well on their own.  Some of the participants also recited different ash'aar on varied topics.  It proved to be a great experience for all.

It is the bashaarat-pleasant tiding to all mumineen that on every Tuesday (Nooraani Masjid, Badri Mohalla) after the namaaz of Maghrib and Friday (Taiyebi Masjid, Ajwa Road) on 08:30 pm, Mukaasir ud-Da'wat Syedi Mohammad Bhaisaheb Nuruddin (zi) and Ra'sul Hudood Dr. Zulqarnain Bhaisaheb Hakeemuddin (zi)  has commenced the Weekly Deeni Dars.  The sole aim of this dars is to inculcate the interest of knowing Lisaan ud-Da’wat comprising of Arabic language among the mumineen.  Our language is Arabic, the lisaan of Allaah, Malaa’ik, Ambiyaa and Awliyaa (ra).  All our Da’wat kutub-literature is in Classical Arabic covering the span of 14 centuries.  The language we speak now is a Arabicized Gujarati language in which we construct the sentence in our local zabaan embellishing it with the words of Arabic, Urdu and Persian.

Our zabaan in Gujarat is the result of 10 centuries when Maulaai Ahmad, Maulaai Abdullaah and Maulaai Nooruddin (ra) came here with the farmaan-khaas of Maulaana Imaam Mustansir billaah (as) in the last decades of fifth century Hijri to propagate the Ismaili Mazhab.  This is to be noted that during the time when our Maulaai arrived here the language of the people of Patan-Siddhpur was Sanskrit which our Maulaai mastered it soon and they communicated with the locals in both Arabic as well as Sanskrit language.  Gradually the time came when the political power of Gujarat rested in the hands of Mughals whose court language was Persian and this got reflected in the daily life of localities.  Arabic remained the essence of Da’wat and our Du’aat adhered to this sunnat in Yaman and also to some extent in India till the beginning of 12th century Hijri.  Then as per the course of time our Du’aat in Ahmedabad and Vadodara started to give hidaayat to mumineen in their simple local zabaan easily understood by all but not letting deviated from the mother of all language i.e. Arabic.

In our daily routine we do speak many Arabic words which we do not know its correct usage or its significance in Qur’anic Arabic language.  To know the real depth of our zabaan-e-Da’wat all mumineen are requested to attend the daras with a piece of pencil and a notebook.  Practice makes a person perfect.  One should keep in mind that to know something you have to invest your efforts untiringly.  Hence with determination and devotion you can sail your ship of life through rough waters of hardship with success and satisfaction.  May Allaah Ta’aala grant our mumineen with that special blessings to tread the way leading towards salvation, najaat and hasanat.

The main purpose of starting this daras is to brush up and renew the basic deeni knowledge of mumineen and muminaat in regards to our customs, principles and practices; who have lost the touch with it due to their personal pre-occupations. This is also true for the boys and girls who have completed their madrasah education and have forgotten the basics of our religion owing to the stress of their school studies and tuition. This leads to a very few number of children who actually are sound in the deeni knowledge at the time of Misaaq, after which they have to perform all the obligatory duties of the Shari'at.

To cover up these loopholes and difficulties, weekly daras has been started which will include the tafseer of the Qur'an, pillars of Imaan and Islaam (da'aaim), learning of every aspect of Lisaan-ud-Da'wat which forms the base of every wa'az or bayaan, history of Ambiyaa (AS), Awsiyaa (AS), A'immat-e-Taahereen (AS), Du'aat –e-Akrameen (QR), understanding of Isma'ili principles, our customs and practices, dialogue and discussion of the queries that arise out of the normal lifestyle of a mumin in regards to his personal, business and social matters. Mumineen are requested to take the advantage of this teaching of Imaan and Islaam and include them amongst the knowledgeable who will truly succeed in the life Hereafter.

In the past such type of daras used to take place when Saiyedi Maazoon ud-Da'wat imparted the deeni knowledge to mumineen in a very lucid way. In this daras the participants would listen and remember it as per their intellectual and mental capacity, but this time mumineen will have to carry with them their own notebook so that the entire proceedings during daras could be written. This will indeed help the mumineen for their future reference and it will surely serve as a treasure of knowledge for the people to come. The articles which are published in Mishkaat ul-Haadi Newsletter will also be discussed in details and the terminology used therein. The sole effort will be made to present the fact that who we are and we are the best among the others.

•  Qur'an describes 4 jannati naher which flows beneath it:

• Honey (‘asl-e-musaffaa)
• Milk (laban)
• Pure Sherbat (sharaaban tahoora)
• Water (maa')

All these streams have different source and Allaah Ta'aala have beautifully explained this right on the human face from where 4 different types of watery juices which comes out from different parts of a single face, and that is:

• Tears
• Saliva
• Nasal secretion
• Ear-wax

•  Allaah Ta'aala has created 30 types of fruits from the rain water :

• 10 types of fruits are such that you can eat its outer portion (zaahir) but not its inner thing (baatin) e.g. mango, aalu, cherry, falsa etc.
• 10 types of fruits are such that you cannot eat its outer portion (zaahir) but can eat its inner thing (baatin) e.g. banana, pineapple, papaya, orange etc.
• 10 types of fruits are such that you can eat its outer portion (zaahir) as well as its inner thing (baatin) e.g. chickoo, fig, apple, grapes etc.

Allaah has bestowed us with the duniyaawi ne'mat of food and drinks so that we can be physically fit and energetic. But Imaan is the eternal (abadi, azali) ne'mat of our soul that keeps us strong spiritually. The above examples suggest that there are three types of ilm which are based on either zaahir (outer meaning) or baatin (inner meaning) or both.

• The ilm that is based on baatin is the life history of ambiyaa, awsiyaa and a'immat (as)
• The ilm that is based on zaahir is the ahkaam of nikaah & talaaq, eating & drinking, oaths & vows, medicine, dress & perfume, hunting, wills & inheritance etc.
• The ilm that is based on both zaahir and baatin is the faraa'iz of Shari'at i.e. namaaz, roza, tahaarat, hajj, jihaad, zakaat & walaayat.

•  There are two types of ‘Ibaadat : 1. ‘Ibaadat-e-‘Ilmiyah 2. ‘Ibaadat-e-‘Amaliyah . The first ine deals with the ilm of Ahl ul-Bayt (as) and the second one encompasses the total aamaal of Shari'at. Both are inter-related as one cannot do amal without ilm and on the other hand only acquiring ilm is of no use without acting on it at its prescribed time as per the Islamic code of conduct.

•  Allaah Ta'aala has created 4 things in the Heavens and sent it on the earth without any earthly source or birth:

• Prophet Saaleh's (as) Naaqah (she-camel)
• Prophet Musaa's (as) ‘Asaa (stick)
• Maulaana Ali's (as) Zulfiqaar (sword)
• Maulaana Ismaa'eel's (as) Dumbo (male sheep)

•  Maulaana Ali (as) imparted knowledge of different discipline to 5 of his most trusted ashaab:

• H. Salamaan ul-Faarsi got the ilm of Haqeeqat (worldly and heavenly facts in the eyes of Ahl ul-Bayt (as))
• H. Jaabir bin Abdillaah al-Ansaari got the ilm of Taweel (the esoteric meaning of Shari'at)
• H. Abdullaah bin Abbaas got the ilm of Tafseer (the commentary and revelation of Qur'an)
• H. Abu Zarr al-Ghaffaari got the ilm of Naseehat (noble thoughts for best imaani life)
• H. Maalik al-Ushtar got the ilm of Jihaad (the art of fighting against idolaters, infidels and hypocrites)

•  Every action has two aspects and the intention with which the action takes place is stronger than the action itself. If the action happens to be against the ahkaam of Shari'at then its inner aspect becomes more dangerous for the soul than the haraam action. For e.g.

• Shirk (polytheism, idolatry) is haraam but if anyone does shirk in the darajaat of Awliyaa then it is more serious crime than the zaahiri shirk. Those who have not recognized the wasaayat (vicegerency, deputyship) of Maulaana Ali (as) as ordered by Mohammad Rasoolullaah (saws) at Ghadeer-e-Khumm and installed such persons who were illegitimate as well as uneligible to lead the ummat and ignorant about the darajaat of Maulaana Ali (as) are all mushrekeen in the inner sense of shirk.
• Drinking of Khamar (sharaab, alcohol) and consuming nasheeli (intoxicating) thing is haraam but if anyone achieves the ilm of Shari'at from a person who is not under the holy mantle of the misaaq of Imaam uz-Zamaan (as), he would get intoxicated by the unhealthy thoughts which would definitely destroy his perception of the deen-e-haqq propagated by A'immat-e-Taahereen (as). As any intoxicating thing eats the power of reasoning and thinking, the unauthorized ilm eats the power of imaan and aamaal. Therefore acquiring deeni ilm without the razaa of Saheb-e-Da'wat is as good as drinking alcohol which is strictly forbidden in Shari'at.

•  The thing which is precious and difficult to obtain and requires lot of time and skill is obviously valued the most. One such thing is ‘honey’. Honey is produced by Honey Bees in the hives through a gradual process. Honey bees suck the nectar of the flowers – which have attractive appearance, and collect it in their hives in the form of Honey. Honey bees are called as ‘nahl’ and Honey as ’asl’ in Arabic Language. There is one separate Surah in the Qur’an as ‘Surat un-Nahl’, where Allaah Ta’aala says in the verses 68 and 69,

‘And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy for you. There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this indeed there is a sign for people who think.’

This is the Zaahiri (obvious) understanding of the aayat of the Qur’an. Let us explore the Baatini concept of the above aayat and see what favours have Allaah Ta’aala decreed for the follower of the Qur’an and Ahl ul-Bayt (as). Laqab of Maulaana Ali (as) is ‘Ameer un-Nahl’ and ‘Ya’soob ul-Mumineen’, which means the ‘Commander of Bees’ and the ‘Leader of the mumineen.’ Honey bees are compared with the mumineen whose commander and leader is Maulaana Ali (as). The Honey is the Imaan (faith) which the mumineen (nahl) gathers throughout their lifetime in their beautifully crafted houses. Honey Bees are pious and pure because they feed on the pure juices of the flowers and produce a pure and clear Honey. They always obey the command of their leader. Hence the Mumin whose heart is enlightened with the brilliance of the Noor of Walaayat of Maulaana Ali (as) leads his life like a Honey Bee by being beneficial to the mankind in every aspect.  Honey Bee is a silent and calm creature which doesn’t harm anyone but when its dwelling is attacked or harmed then it reacts dangerously with painful bites and never spares the one who is after it.  On the other hand, mumin is calm and peaceful as far as he is not harmed in any way, but a single mumin is enough to overpower the unbelievers when anyone tries to ridicule or degrade his beliefs and deeds.  Everyone tries to fetch the honey as he cannot resist the temptation to taste the sweetness of honey, same is with a faithful when every envious eyes is after the imaan and yaqeen and makes every effort to see the faithful void of the faith which is like honey.

•  Every Surah in the Qur’an begins with “Bismillaah” except Surat ul-Baraat. “Bismillaah” is the foundation on which the edifice of the Qur’an has been erected. Along with Bismillaah, Surat ul-Faatehah has 7 verses which signify the spiritual succession of Ambiyaa-Notaqaa from Maulaana Aadam (as) to Maulaana Qaa’im ul-Qayaamah (as) who is the last imaam from Aal-e-Mohammad (as).  It also implies the succession of A’immat-e-Taahereen (as) in which the martabah and darajah of Imaam (as) in their seven multiples is supreme. If Surat ul-Faatehah is “Umm ul-Kitaab” means the mother of the Qur’an then “Bismillaah” is its head, so if ignorant people recite the Qur’an without “Bismillaah” then they have obviously beheaded it and no one can be identified without its head and face.  If one fails to recite Surat ul-Faatehah during Namaaz, then he should repeat it again. The only message that this Surah conveys to all of us is that, one must have the ma’refat and mohabbat of the Ulil Amr – Da’i ul-Mutlaq, who is the guardian of the Da’wat ul-Haqq of Allaah. He who obeys this command has in true sense understood the core hidaayat of Surat ul-Faatehah in which a faithful pleads to Allaah for assistance and Siraat-e-Mustaqeem.  This is bestowed upon us in form the Aal of Nabiyullaah who are always present to guide the mumineen and acts as fountainhead of rehmat and noor of Allaah in every time.  Hence in “Bismillaah” with the name of Allaah we take the name of His Hujjat who is present in front of us.

•  A human being is brought about in this world along with two things by Allaah Jalla Shaanohu, i.e. Body and Soul. Everything is created with visible (zaahir) and hidden (baatin) aspects of physical existence. Both play an important role for its mutual understanding. Thus, body is visible and perishable but soul is hidden and eternal. Soul and body helps each other for their presence and deliverance of its responsibility. Soul is being sent to accept the Da’wat of Allaah, for which it requires the help of body for action as per the faith and devotion of soul. Good deeds help the soul for its ascension in the life here after. While body remains alive till it is accompanied with the soul. The health of the body depends on hygienic and nutritional diet, while, the divine guidance of Imaam uz-Zamaan (as) and abiding to Shari’at always fill the freshness and liveliness in the soul of a faithful. It is essential for every mumin to know how he could achieve success in both the worlds physically and spiritually. For the betterment (islaah), guidance (hidaayat) and salvation (najaat) of the people, Allaah Ta’aala sent Nabi [body] and Wasi [soul] time to time. Finally, Rasoolullaah [saws] was given responsibility to deliver the Islaam in its perfection among the most powerful and intelligent people of Arabs in harsh conditions and uncivilised surroundings which constitutes the place of Body in Islaam whilst Ameer ul-Mumineen Maulaana Ali [as] his Wasi represents the Soul of Islaam. Both Nabi and Wasi with his progeny (imaam and da’i) make the Deen and Da’wat of Allaah complete and perfect. Rasoolullaah [saws] was responsible for teaching and preaching the distinct and clear fundamentals of Islaam which is called Tanzeel. Wasi is the master of the knowledge of facts and reality of these fundamentals which is called Taweel.  Tanzeel is manifest and clear like the dimensions of the body while Taweel is hidden and deep-rooted in Tanzeel like a soul in a body.

•  Rasoolullaah [saws] said, "One who died without knowing his Imaam who is from Aal-e-Mohammad (as), died in Ignorance and ignorance leads to hell-fire." Ignorance means one who fails to seek the light of divine knowledge and doesn’t acquire guardianship and sovereignty of Saheb-e-Haqq. This also means refusal to the acceptance of Deen and Da’wat. After getting departed from the body every soul doesn’t attain salvation, but only cognition of Imaam-uz-Zamaan [as] and Da’i uz-Zamaan undoubtedly makes the soul to achieve the rehmat and ne’mat from his Lord which is nothing but the Paradise.

•  Qur’an-e-kareem is the divine book revealed by Allaah Ta’aala upon Rasoolullaah [saws]. Being the divine book and words of the Lord of Universe, it contains lots of ambiguous and unclear verses (aayaat) whose explanation is very much necessary to get to the essence of Ilaahi message. Among 114 surah of Qur’an, 29 are such which contains broken words (huroof-e-muqatta’aat), which contains distinct and powerful hidden meaning and hikmat. These words being divinely broken and independent in nature, it contains deep meaning known to Allaah and his representatives only who are appointed by Him through the propagation of Nass.  Allaah says, WAMA YA’LAMO TAAWEELOHU ILLALLAAH WAR RAASEKHUNA FIL ILM, which means, the Taweel (esoteric meaning) of Qur’an is only known to Allaah and those who have highest status in Knowledge and they are Nabi, Wasi and Imaam [as]. Allaah Ta’aala has made Qur’an the silent Book while its guardians are eloquent speaking book of Allaah. There is nothing said in Qur’an which could not be understood provided that it should be acquired from Imaam-e-Haqq. Imaam [as] is the custodian of this divine book as they only know the reality and facts of the message revealed in Qur’an. Many words like Imaamim Mubeen, Kitaabim Mubeen, Siraatum Mustaqeem, used in Qur’an doesn’t mean only the Qur’an (the silent book) itself, but it reveals the walaayat of its custodian and guardian i.e. Imaam [as].

•  Circle comes into existence only by its centre and its boundary line, similarly Deen-e-Islaam is like a circle, in which boundary line (hadd) is the ahkaam -do’s and don’ts of the shari’at and the centre is Imaam uz-Zamaan (as) who controls the whole religion by his divine Ilm (knowledge), Noor (light) and Nass (appointment as an Imaam). This spiritual status and divine knowledge of the Imaam also acts as a centre and reason for the origin of all kind of knowledge in this world. Qur’an and Imaam acts as a pair and both collectively form the corpus that sets a code of conduct and character for a believer. Imaam is there as a speaker for Qur’an and states for what and how it is meant, while Qur’an gives concrete and enough proof for the authority of Imaam and his infallibility.  Qur’an being the only one book which will remain unaltered till the Last Day, in the same way Allaah Ta’aala has appointed only one Imaam or custodian of the Qur’an at a time whose authority and appointment will remain unchanged till the Day of Judgement. Qur’an being a divine book, the appointment and nature of its custodian has to be divine.  One is silent (book) and the other is vocative (imaam) i.e. there is sukoon (without motion) in the former and harkat (motion) in the latter.  The huge factory of this universe works on this very principle that to get work done one should be stationary and the other should be active with motion.  This is true for a pen-paper, clouds-earth, male-female, tongue of a speaker-ear of a listener, wheel-road and also Imaam-Qur’an.  Mufeed (with harkat) is always above the mustafeed (with sukoon).  Allaah Ta’aala has designed His holy Da’wat on the basis of mufeed and mustafeed where every darajah gives divine benefit to the one who is below.