Esoteric Significance of Nawruz in Ismaili Islam

Original Poetry and Commentary on Spiritual Spring Time Revival

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“Spring Time Revival” (3/20/21)

Spring time revival
is now in the air;
earthly renewal
occurs as a pair-
macrocosmic earth:
the ground that we stand on;
microcosmic earth:
where Mawlā puts his Hand on.
Mu’minīn are the earth,
esoterically speaking;
especially believers
spiritually seeking -
longing for His Light
which causes a revival;
all things come to life
upon Mawlā's arrival.
The outward form of Nawrūz
is a great day for celebration;
a symbolic reminder
of Nūrānī illumination.

-Khayal ‘Aly
3/20/21

As is abundantly clear, both in terms of content and visual imagery (in the image with the poem above), “Spring Time Revival” is about the deeper, esoteric understanding of Nawrūz or the spiritual significance of the start of Spring. Traditionally and communally celebrated exoterically on March 21st as the start of a New Year, Nawruz, which literally means “New Day”, is also seen as a symbol, especially by Ismaili Muslims who follow the living Shi‘i Imam of the time on his Haqiqati Tariqa, or the Esoteric Path of True Enlightenment. Written from this specifically “Ismaili” (i.e. Haqiqati) perspective, the above poem seeks to inspire us as it reminds us about the symbolic aspect of the return of Spring and of Nawruz and its observation, which in turn reminds us that this “great day” — which indeed is and always must be celebrated — has something to do with not just the revival of the outer (zahiri), “macrocosmic” earth, but the revival or renewal of the inner (batini), “microcosmic” earth.

Physically speaking, anyone and everyone — those who believe in God, those who don’t, and those who aren’t sure — can celebrate Nawruz; all can appreciate the return of the worldly Spring with its increase in daylight hours and the obvious, external transformation and enlivening of the exoteric, macrocosmic earth. Spiritually speaking, it is the esoteric, microcosmic earth — the earth of the “personal world” (‘alam-i shakhsi) — or the hidden, inner reality (of heart, soul and intellect) of a true believer (mu’min) which, when illuminated and revived by the “Spiritual Sun” or the “Sun of Religion”, can and will be celebrated as Nawruz — individually and personally — with immense appreciation, overflowing joy and abundant gratitude for their divinely granted, internal transformation and enlivening enlightenment.

Therefore, Ismaili murids (followers) of the Imam — for whom the poem was written — may happily and religiously observe Nawruz with their Jamat and with knowledge of both its exoteric or physical aspect and its esoteric or spiritual aspect. The exoteric Nawruz, or normal Spring time revival of the zahiri earth, occurs automatically and unwillingly, with the set movement of the earth and the ordinary light of the physical Sun. The esoteric Nawruz, or special Spring time revival of the batini earth, is something that occurs with consciousness, and willingly, in the sense that a mu’min has to prepare and work for it and their Lord has to grant it through the extraordinary Light of the Spiritual Sun, the “Manifest Imam” (Imam-i Mubin) in whom “all things” (kulla sha’yin) — spiritual and intellectual bounties and realities of gnosis (ma‘rifa) — are encompassed (36:12).

To all Ismaili brothers and sisters around the world, Nawruz Mubarak. May we all be blessed with the awareness that the scent of “Spring time revival is now in the air”.

May we all observe and appreciate the celebration of the communal, macrocosmic Nawruz, which, for those who have eyes to see, is like a symbol (mathal), sign (aya), proof (hujja) and reminder (dhikr) of a mu’min’s personal, microcosmic “New Day”.

May every Ismaili murid, each with our own individual, spiritual relationship with Mawla — whose Hand is upon our shoulders and whose Light revives, guides, and enlivens our souls — be inspired with the “spirit of faith” (ruh-yi iman) and be granted the soul of a “faithful spiritual seeker” (mu’min-i salik).

May the earth of the personal world of every mu’min-i salik longing for that great New Day — when their Haqiqati Nawruz and eternal Spiritual Spring will majestically arrive — be beautifully illumined and enlightened with the magnificent didar (vision) of Mawla’s Luminous Theophanic Manifestation (Nurani Tajalli).

Amin, Ya Rabb al-‘Alamin
Khayal ‘Aly
March 21st 2024

khayal.aly@gmail.com
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(khayal.aly; ismaili.poetry; khana_yi_khayr)

"I have made these Farmans to you, as a father, for your prosperity. You will benefit greatly if you follow [my Farmans], meaning, for you, [the real] Navroz, or the New Era, will begin."

Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah, Nairobi, March 21st, 1926
Kalam-i Imam-i Mubin, Vol. 2, Farman 273.

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Those who would like to learn more about the Ismaili esoteric understanding of Nawruz and further explore concepts mentioned in the “Spring Time Revival” poem and commentary above, may — rather, indeed will — find the following, abridged, edited version of Dr. Shafique N. Virani’s (fantastic-as-usual) article, “Spring’s Equinox: Nawrūz in Ismaili Thought”, informative and enjoyable. As it is abridged and includes minor edits (e.g. some words were capitalized), please refer to the original article (link included below) for a more complete reading and, especially, when citing any of its content.

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Spring’s Equinox: Nawrūz in Ismaili Thought

Shafique N. Virani

God is the One who sends forth the winds to stir up the clouds; then we drive them toward barren lands, giving life to the earth after its death. Thus is the Resurrection.

Qur’an 35:9

At the exact moment of the [vernal] equinox, the sun crosses the celestial equator, marking in the northern hemisphere when day begins to gain ascendancy over night, and light over darkness. The moment has had tremendous symbolic significance throughout history. . . . To the ancient Iranians, the return of spring was an annual symbol of the victory of light, which likely led Zoroaster (fl. perhaps ca. 1000 BCE) to remind his disciples:

Our ‘limited time’ will be succeeded by the ‘Time of Long Dominion’ (virtually eternity), with the world and all that is in it restored to the perfect state in which it was created by Ahura Mazdā . . . [The spring festival] could thus be renamed the ‘(festival of the) New Day’ which will eventually bring everlasting bliss; and so this observance could aid faith and deepen understanding of doctrine.

Similarly, both the Jewish Passover and the Christian Easter are festivals that occur during spring, and the date of the celebration is calculated with relation to the equinox. In Christianity, the coming of spring is thus intimately connected with the concept of resurrection, a concept shared with the passage from the Qur’an quoted above. Indeed, one of the most common names for Easter in Arabic is ‘īd al-qiyāma, feast of the resurrection.

Nawrūz in Muslim Cultures:

From the Day of the Covenant to the Day of the Resurrection Spring is a time of renewed life. The Qur’an thus compared the signs of spring, such as the revivification of barren lands by the life-giving rainclouds, to the Day of Resurrection. Given its natural as well as scriptural symbolism, and its importance in pre-existing religious traditions, the image of spring’s arrival also played a powerful role in Islamic cultures and literatures.

[. . .] The Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs celebrated Nawrūz with appropriate pomp and pageantry, as did the Fatimids and indeed numerous other Muslim dynasties. Certain Muslims, like al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111), frowned upon the prominence of Nawrūz customs, worried about their pre-Islamic origins. Others, however, cited supportive traditions. For example, al-Maqrīzī (d. 845/1442) connects the celebration of Nawrūz to the Prophet Abraham’s miraculous escape when the idolators threw him into a blazing fire (see Qur’an 21:68–69). The confrontation between the Prophet Moses and Pharaoh’s magicians is also said to have taken place on this day (20:59), and it is equally claimed that the ring of Solomon was recovered on Nawrūz.

[. . .] Perhaps the most striking interpretation tying Nawrūz directly to Muslim religious heritage is one found in Twelver Shi‘i works such as al-Majlisī’s (d. 1110/1699) Biḥār al-Anwār (‘Oceans of Lights’), which intimately connects the festival with significant events in the history and eschatology of the Abrahamic tradition and particularly episodes of importance to the Shi‘is. . . . Imam Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (d. 148/765) is reported to have said:

Nawrūz is the day God accepted the covenants of his servants to worship Him and not to associate anything with Him and to believe in His Prophets and Proofs and to believe in the Imams. It is the first day upon which the sun rose and the winds blew and the splendour of the world was created. It is the day Noah’s ark grounded upon Mount Ararat. It is the day God resurrected the thousands who had gone forth from their homes in fear of death: God said to them, ‘Die!’ then brought them back to life [Qur’an 2:243]. It is the day on which Gabriel came down to the Messenger of God. It is the day on which the Messenger of God bore the Commander of the Faithful ‘Alī upon his shoulder so that he could throw down and destroy the idols of the Quraysh from atop the Sacred House, and likewise Abraham. It is the day on which the Prophet ordered his companions to pledge allegiance to ‘Alī as Commander of the Faithful. It is the day on which the Prophet turned ‘Alī towards the valley of the jinn to take their pledge of allegiance. . . . It is the day on which our Resurrector (Qā’im) shall appear with his deputies. It is the day on which our Resurrector (Qā’im) shall triumph over the Antichrist (Dajjāl). . . .

Nawrūz in Ismaili Literature

The symbolism of spring in general, and of Nawrūz in particular, can be found in Ismaili literature spanning virtually every major historical period and is present in the literary heritage of the three principal linguistic groupings: the Arabic of the Islamic heartlands, the Persian of Iranian and Central Asian traditions, and the various South Asian languages of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. . . . Two prominent uniting themes permeate the three broad traditions, regardless of time period or language: vernal phenomena as metaphors for the blessing of the Imam of the time, and the sacralisation of the earth’s springtide finery by sublimating these symbols to convey knowledge of a spiritual world beyond sensory experience. The latter parallels in some ways the symbolic interpretation (ta’wīl) so central to Ismaili thought.

Ta’wīl (Symbolic Interpretation) and the Literature of Spring

The writings of Fatimid intellectuals…emphasise the importance of understanding the world and faith by maintaining a proper balance between their exterior, physical, literal and apparent forms (their ẓāhir) and their esoteric, spiritual, symbolic and intellectual realities (their bāṭin). The process of evincing the latter from the former is known as ta’wīl, or symbolic interpretation. […] While many Muslim exponents of ta’wīl employed it primarily to understand the anthropomorphic descriptions of God in the Qur’an, the Ismailis believed it was also to be applied to the canonical law (sharī‘a), to sacred history, and to the creation itself. None of the literature surveyed in this piece falls under the genre of ta’wīl or designates itself by this title, but it is clear that the ethos of seeking a deeper meaning behind the exoteric phenomena of spring permeates the examples explored.

Resplendent by Your Light: An Arabic Ode

Prince Tamīm (d. 374/984), a talented poet and the eldest son of the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mu‘izz (d. 365/975), envisioned a spiritual meaning in the signs of nature, seeing the source of their physical blessings in the Imam’s generosity, bounteous munificence and spiritual light:

In composing an ode in praise of you
Beautiful words spring to mind

But in praising someone other than you
My tongue falters, the words lie

For you are inherently gracious, exalted
Such gifts are innate to your very nature

Your right hand scatters blessed rain upon the creation
Your forehead is dawn itself, your face a glittering star

You are the illustrious one through whose light we are illuminated
Our beloved, for whom we would give our lives

Indeed, if the festival of Nawrūz is to be filled with joy
It is only through your light that it becomes resplendent

God’s blessings upon you, O son of the Prophet
For indeed you are a time-tested sword to fight life’s sorrows.

Words of Gnosis: Spring in South Asia

The gināns constitute a significant literary legacy of South Asian Ismailism. The most prolific author to whom these compositions are attributed is Pīr Ṣadr al-Dīn (fl. eighth/fourteenth century), a contemporary of Imam Islām-shāh. In consonance with Ismaili literature in both Arabic and Persian, the Imam, and particularly his arrival, are compared to the coming of spring. . . . In a Sindhi ginān, for example, the Imam, described as eternal spring, is depicted as the bridegroom whom every pure soul longs to wed:

The lord is the groom for every maiden soul
Spring eternal is the Imam
The sovereign king of all

In a Gujarati ginān, the Imam’s arrival from the west is lauded, an image juxtaposed with that of the rising sun, destroying the darkness of night. The metaphor echoes the ḥadīth of the Prophet Muhammad, often quoted in Fatimid literature, which says that the sun’s rising in the west signals the coming of the rightly guided one, the Mahdi. The Imam’s arrival is again celebrated as the coming of spring:

From the Western Land has arrived the lord
Vested in him are countless hopes
Shattered is the night, the sun has risen!
The Imam’s coming is the advent of spring
Flowers have blossomed, the season has bloomed

Another Sindhi ginān speaks in greater depth about the Imam’s arrival. . .the Pīr specifies that he is not speaking of vegetation, but of the believers bursting into bloom and becoming perfumed with the presence of the Imam.

[. . .] Brother, we are perpetually blissful, wed to the lord…Hail the advent of the Lord ‘Alī from the west. Recognise the supreme man, lord of light. . . . Serve none other than that very lord, my brother. Friend, never doubt in this. Hail the advent of the lord, as glorious as the risen sun! The Imam has arrived, friends, as the spring, and flowers have burst into bloom. By God, the believers blossom, redolent with fragrance.

A[nother] ginān. . .continues this symbolism. . . . Here, it is the word of the Guide that illuminates the soul, and the adoption of this word in the heart heralds the advent of spring. However, it is a spring in which not water, but divine light showers from the heavens:

Right now, at this very moment, comprehend this mystery
This mystery that lies within
On those who fathomed it, dawned the light of morn
Those on whom it dawned, tread upon the path
Without the Guide, how will you cross to the other shore?

A wondrous love we’ve found
Aches our heart, fretting about our soul
Day and night, contemplate the soul

The soul ponders the one
In whose devotion we are rapt
Those who seek in this world
The Guide they shall find
For thus is the command divine

With vigilance exult in the word of the Guide
For this is what illumines the pure soul
As when spring arrives and flowers burst into bloom
In the heart are showers of divine light

The imagery of spring in the earlier gināns sets the stage for a composition by Sayyid Fatḥ ‘Alī Shāh Shamsī (d. after 1206/1792) specifically about Nawrūz, which is recited annually by the South Asian Ismailis at the time of the festival. The Pīr describes his encounter with Imam Shāh Khalīl Allāh (d. 1232/1817) on the day of the festival. In the first verse, the Imam is tellingly described as lord of the resurrection. Considering the association of Nawrūz and spring with the revival of souls at the end of time, this epithet carries intriguing symbolic value. . . . Symbols of transformation abound, including that of the coming of spring. The author is dyed in the eternal colour of the master, his life-breath blossoms like a flower and the empty caskets are filled with pearls, which are a symbol of supreme knowledge in the Indian poetic imagination. Most importantly, the author’s ultimate desire is fulfilled when he is blessed with a vision of the lord in the form of pure light.

On the glorious day of Nawrūz
The most luminous Imam, lord of the resurrection, had gone hunting
This humble servant’s heart was filled with longing
His very life-breath remained at the feet of the Imam

I was bound to my lord in rapture by love
Being dyed in the master’s eternal colour
Such was the absorption of my thoughts in the lord of the resurrection
That the treasuries of truth overflowed with pearls

I strolled merrily with the lord
Obtaining the troves of both matter and spirit
The souls shall be saved
Of those who listen wholeheartedly to these words of gnosis

When a soul attains the mystic way
Its life-breath blossoms like a flower
Love envelops it in the fragrance of aloes and sandalwood
Pure as a swan, it lovingly glides along the lake

Shāh Khalīl Allāh was hunting near the citadel at the ring of fortresses
And graciously called for Fatḥ ʿAlī
My untold hopes were realised
The lord appeared eternally as light

Faithful brethren, venerate the lord with all your heart
Listen, O saints, such is the teaching of Sayyid Shamsī
Those who forget not the lord’s bounties
Shall never be touched by sorrow

The Spiritual Resurrection: Adorning a Persian Assembly

While spring-related imagery is prevalent in literature across much of the Muslim world, it should not come as a surprise that it is particularly pronounced in Persian-influenced areas, where the pageantry of the Nawrūz festival was fertile ground for the imaginations of creative souls. The same is also true of Persian Ismaili literature, in which images of spring in general, and Nawrūz in particular, abound. The Qur’anic juxtaposition of spring and the coming Resurrection inspired many poets. In Ḥasan-i Maḥmūd’s (d. 645/1246) Dīwān-i Qā’imiyyāt (‘Poems of the Resurrection’), written at Alamūt after Imam Ḥasan ‘alā dhikrih al-salām’s (d. 561/1166) declaration of the qiyāma or Resurrection about a hundred years earlier, he compares the Imam’s advent to the arrival of Nawrūz:

Like nature’s Nawrūz, like the world of bounties, thus came Ḥasan
Like hidden fortune, like the qibla of faith, thus came Ḥasan. . . . .

In the pre-eternal land, kingmaker was he
Ruler in the post-eternal realm, thus came Ḥasan. . . . .

Source of the light of guidance from a lord most great, sublime
Glory be! O glory be! O glory, thus came Ḥasan

In another composition, the poet is tempted to entrust to the wind a letter to convey to his beloved. He speaks of how the beauty of her face ushers spring into the soul’s garden. However, he jealously desists from entrusting the missive, lest the breeze stroke the recipient’s musky tresses while delivering it. Instead, he sets out himself to meet the beloved. . . . As the poem recounts the poet’s longing, we learn that the true beloved is none other than the successor of Ḥasan ‘alā dhikrih al-salām, Imam A‘lā Muḥammad (d. 607/1210), also known as Nūr al-Dīn, ‘the light of faith’. The poet takes advantage of this name when he introduces the beloved, whose light (nūr) ennobles his devotees while his fire (nār) torments his foes. In common with other Shi‘i writers, for whom the Prophets and Imams represent the face of God (wajh Allāh), i.e., those by whom God is recognised, Ḥasan-i Maḥmūd avers that the world abides by the existence of God’s representative, recalling the Prophetic declaration, ‘If the earth were bereft of an Imam for even a moment, it would be convulsed with its inhabitants’ (law khalat al-arḍ min imām sā‘a la-māddat bi-ahlihā). Time wonders when the Imam shall take his rightful place on the throne of the world, to which Intellect responds that this will occur ‘when the winds of spring’s triumph convey in the mist the fragrance of victory at the end of times.’

The world abides by God’s face, by his generosity
The gold of its existence, is assayed pure for all times

Sovereign of time and terre, Muhammad from whom
Their portion of light and fire, his friend and foe receive

[. . . ] The most thorough treatment of Nawrūz in extant Ismaili literature in any language probably occurs in the magnum opus of the learned Husayn b. Ya‘qūb Shāh (fl. eleventh/seventeenth century), scion of a family of Ismaili dignitaries. His hitherto unpublished Tazyīn al-Majālis (‘Adornment of Assemblies’), a blend of both prose and poetry, explores the spiritual dimension of commemorations such as Nawrūz.

[. . .] Throughout his treatise, he exhorts the believers to observe these occasions as opportunities for transformation… beyond simply celebrating the joyous advent of spring, in a manner typical of Ismaili luminaries, he wishes to explain subtleties of much more profound import. He informs the readers that Nawrūz is not simply when the sun enters into the constellation of Aries…and the transformation of the physical world with the arrival of spring. For the believers, the true Nawrūz occurs when their actions, deeds and very existence are transformed…. While the people of exterior forms take Nawrūz to be the time when fields are to be sown, the people of interior meaning realise that this world is the sowing ground for the next world, and act accordingly. Nawrūz is hence a time for abandoning the darkness of blind following (taqlīd) for the light of true spiritual search and realisation (taḥqīq)….

[Selected passages from the Tazyīn al-Majālis:]

[T]hose blessed with the good fortune of recognising the essence of our exalted lord, Ḥaḍrat-i Mawlānā (may his mercy encompass all!), must conduct themselves in a manner distinct and distinguished in every manner from the demeanour and lifestyle of negligent fools and the ignorant who have not realised the truth…. It has been said of the seekers of the world: al-dunyā jīfa wa-ṭālibuhā kilāb, ‘The world is a corpse and those who seek it are dogs,’ while of the faithful and seekers of God it has been said, al-mu’min ḥayy fi’l-dārayn wa-‘azīz ‘inda khāliq al-‘ālamayn, ‘The faithful are alive in both realms and are dear to the Creator of both worlds’. So how can the two bear any resemblance in their intimacy with the divine? According to sound traditions and limpid Qur’anic verses, proximity and glory are the lot of the faithful, while perfidy and depravity that of the hypocrites.

Rhymed couplets:

Those who seek the world are like dogs
How can such vileness be worthy of mercy?

Seekers of the world are more despicable than dogs
Seekers of the faith are intimates of the Just

I have penned these testaments to explain that the true Nawrūz is not the apparent one, marked by the Cusp of Aries. For the faithful, the actual New Day (rūz-i naw) is the day they mend their ways, transforming their behaviour and their very existence. In other words, a new day will dawn upon them when they exchange their iniquities and sins for virtues and noble deeds.

First: They must transform their heedlessness into consummate struggle, for a tradition states, al-dunyā mazra‘at al-ākhira, ‘this world is the sowing ground for the next world’. Those who don’t strive, who don’t sow the seeds of goodness, and instead while away their time in heedlessness, will be bereft of provisions and supplies for their journey.

Rhymed couplets:

Of faith’s root, struggle is the branch
So strive that from your goal you achieve your ambition

Whiling their time away, the heedless
For the road gathered no provisions of worship

Second: They must replace worldly attachments with love for Mawlānā, for it is narrated in a tradition, ḥubb al-dunyā ra’s kull khaṭi’a, ‘attachment to the world is the root of all evil.’ In another place it is said, ṭālib al-māl fi’l-dunyā ka’l-dūdat al-qazz. Ẓannatan sutratahā ta‘inahā wa’l-ladhī ẓannat ardāhā, ‘Those who seek the wealth of this world (thinking it will protect them) are like silkworms that suppose their cocoons will help them. But that very delusion is the cause of their destruction.’ Thus, seekers of this world have no portion of the riches of the next.

Rhymed couplets:

Be of faith’s folk, not a world-worshipper
For loving the world is the root of evil

Destroys faith does worldly wealth
Reducing acts of worship to dust. . . .

Sixth: They should supplant gossip with speaking well of others, for a tradition relates, al-ghība ashadd min al-zinā, ‘gossip is more loathsome than adultery’. Elsewhere the Qur’an enjoins, wa-lā aghtab baʿḍukum baʿḍan ayuḥibbu aḥadakum an yakula laḥm akhīh maytan, ‘Nor gossip against one another. Would one of you relish eating the flesh of his dead brother?’ (49:12). Hence the gossiper has no hope for divine mercy.

Rhymed couplets:

Train your tongue to speak well of others
That you may rejoice in the company of gnosis

Those who wag their tongues in gossip
Shall have no refuge from the wrath of the Wrathful. . . .

Ninth: They must exchange arrogance for submissiveness and humility, for a tradition states, aktharu ahl al-nār al-mutakabbirūn, ‘The arrogant form the majority of hell’s denizens.’ In addition, Mawlānā ‘Alī (may there be prostration and glorification at his mention!) declares, man takabbur ‘alā’l-nās dhall, ‘Those who arrogantly consider themselves greater than others will be abased (in the next world).’ Thus, the arrogant are not admitted to the sanctuary of divine splendour.

Rhymed couplets:

For the arrogant, honour is proscribed
Lost they shall be in the desert of abasement

Be humble with both great and small
That from divine wrath you may be saved

Sixteenth: They must exchange existence for non-existence, so that the gates of joy and forgiveness may be opened for them. This secret is the unspeakable mystery. It has been alluded to in the Qur’an and traditions in hidden narratives and silent tongues, and none can deny these words.

Rhymed couplets:

In the fire of unity, burn the ego of ‘I’ and ‘we’
Unleashing the arrow of lā, of ‘no (god but God),’ pierce the eye of multiplicity

From the whims of your existence, no escape is there
Cease to exist, that you may light your candle with faith

[. . .] The essence of this elaboration is that by acting contrary to the inclinations of your ephemeral nature and the desires of your carnal whims and lusts, you must transform your existence. In so doing, by divine mercy, you may discover Nawrūz, a new day. For indeed, how can all variety of dazzle and glitter, and wearing all manner of bright and colourful garments and ornaments bring about a new day (rūz-i naw)?

Poem:

The physical Nawrūz is brought about by a change of the year
The spiritual Nawrūz occurs but with the transformation of life itself

The Nawrūz of the people of verity lies in changing their actions
The Nawrūz of the people of falsehood lies in changing their clothes

Nawrūz is not something set to fade
Nawrūz is something safe from ever fading

These [worldly] types of Nawrūz become worn-out, to be replaced by new ones that follow in their footsteps. However, the mercy of the Sustainer is a Nawrūz that never ages and a lamp that is never extinguished by the bitter winds of renewal and degeneration. However, action and supplication are necessary to avail of His mercy (may He be exalted!). No affliction is averted without a prayer, for a tradition relates, lā yaraddu al-balā illā al-du‘ā, ‘Naught averts affliction save prayer.’ So long as the supplicants seek not to change their lives in the manner related, their souls will never attain the proximity of union.

Dear friends. . .Make your day new by His eternal grace, forsake the worn instincts of your former deeds, shun wicked acts, and with the hand of hope and courage reach out to gain proximity to the Lord, until Mawlānā (may he be exalted) by his immense grace and universal generosity exalts and ennobles you.

[. . .] Now, while you have some manner of control, burnish your hearts with the polishing rays of the righteous teacher’s guidance in hand so that they shine with the light of gnosis. . .let not your feet become shackled in the fetters of pride and vanity. . . .

Rhymed couplets:
Penned I a few verses from the word of God
For the folk at the Beginning, as a lesson. . . .

[. . .] If they learn, they shall become folk of spiritual states
Into union their separation shall be transformed

May Mawlānā make our sustenance the felicity of Nawrūz and deliver us all from this decrepit well of darkness and misguidance. Amen, O Lord of the Worlds, and peace be upon the folk of peace! [. . . .]

Afterword: The Glory of the Creation and the Glory of the Creator

[. . .] The study of Ismaili literature related with spring in general, and Nawrūz in particular, reveals that it was very much enriched by the diversity of cultures and customs in which it developed. . . . At the same time, a common, uniting ethos also permeated much of the literature, one attuned to seeking spiritual meaning from earthly phenomena. This Ismaili sentiment was shared with others, and is well-illustrated in a story about the famous mystic, Rābi‘a al-‘Adawiyya, related in the Tadhkirat al-Awliyāʾ (‘Memorial of Saints’) by Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ‘Aṭṭār (d. 618/1221), about whom almost nothing is known, but who was later claimed by both Sufi and Ismaili authors. It is an appropriate narrative with which to conclude, as it succinctly expresses many of the sentiments in the Ismaili literature examined in this study.

It was a glorious spring day and Rābi‘a was in her quarters. Her attendant outside was so overwhelmed by the vernal beauty that she cried out, ‘Mistress, come outside, come outside! Behold the glory of creation!’ To which Rābi‘a replied, ‘My dear, for once, come within, come within! Behold the glory of the Creator!’

Publication Information

Virani, Shafique N. “Spring’s Equinox: Nawrūz in Ismaili Thought.” Chap. 18. In Intellectual Interactions in the Islamic World: The Ismaili Thread. Edited by Orkhan Mir-Kasimov, 453-481. London: I.B. Tauris in association with Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2020.

Download link: www.academia.edu/41991484/Spring_s_Equinox_Nawrūz_in_Ismaili_Thought

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The Sacred Glory of our Lord the Present Imam⁽ᶜ⁾

The following YouTube video (which can be played right from this screen) is a recitation by Meher Angez of ‘Allamah Nasir al-Nasir Hunzai’s Urdu poem, “Mawlānā Ḥāzir Imām⁽ᶜ⁾ ki Shān-i Aqdas mēṅ” (The Sacred Glory of our Lord the Present Imam⁽ᶜ⁾). Under the video, you will find the Urdu lyrics and an English translation by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai and Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai.

In his poem, ‘Allamah Hunzai, a prolific author and Ismaili ‘Arif-i Kamil (enlightened sage and perfect knower of gnostic Truth), expresses an esoteric and spiritual understanding of Nawruz as the “cosmic New Day” (Nawroz-i ‘Alam) connected to the arrival of the 49th Ismaili Imam, the ‘Ali⁽ᶜ⁾ of the time, Nur Mawlana Shah Karim al-Husayni Hazir Imam⁽ᶜ⁾, who is the Supreme Spring and the living Supreme Name (ism-i a‘zam) through whom spiritual resurrection (qiyamat) occurs in the hearts of his lovers.

‘Allāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Naṣīr Hunzai, “Mawlānā Ḥāzir Imām⁽ᶜ⁾ ki Shān-i Aqdas mēṅ”, in Anwār-i Qiyāmat, trans. by Faquir Muhammad Hunzai and Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai as The Lights of Resurrection, 44-45 (click here for download link).

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT