Are you interested in learning more about your faith? Would you like to be better equipped to respond to others’ questions about our tradition, our community and its practices? Are you looking for a resource that you can review on your time?

The Literature Centres at all Jamatkhanas are pleased to offer new modules in the Secondary Curriculum. 

The series of modules that make up the Curriculum are excellent learning tools for all Jamati members. The modules cover the study of Islam in general, and the Shia Ismaili tradition in particular.

Please visit the Literature Centre to review and purchase these modules.

Faith & Practice In Islamic Traditions – Volume 1 and 2

The module on Faith and Practice in Islamic Traditions examines the dimensions of religious meaning and practical expressions in a community of faith. These aspects are approached from a variety of perspectives by exploring the significance of faith, worship, devotion, ethics, religious practices, prayer, and spaces of gathering and worship in Muslim communities.

A central part of volume one is devoted to understandings of tawhid and nubuwwa in Islam, and the significance of the principle of imama for Shia Muslims. The first volume also includes a study of selected facets of faith, including ibadat, divine love, and the concepts of zahir and batin in esoteric traditions of Islam.

Volume two extends the study by focusing on the practice of the faith in Islamic traditions. Among the topics covered are the origins and development of selected rites and practices in Muslim history, the diverse forms they have taken in Muslim communities, and the meaning given to them in the practice of the faith.

The content of the two volumes draws upon a rich selection of sources including relevant passages from the principal sources of the Qur’an, hadith, the teachings of past Imams, and the Farmans and speeches of Mawlana Hazar Imam and Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah. They are also acquainted with explanatory texts and poetry of Ismaili da‘is and pirs, together with related material reflecting the esoteric views of other Islamic traditions such as Sufism.  

The Qur'an and its Interpretations – Volume 1

This new module engages readers in a study of selected facets of the Qur’an al-Sharif, beginning with its revelation in the seventh century and leading into its diverse interpretations and expressions in Muslim history. Among the themes and concepts examined are revelation, authority and guidance; faith, ethics and social justice; and creation, spiritual quest, and the hereafter. The module also considers various positions on the Qur’an as a source of guidance which emerged in Islamic traditions, based on different understandings of authority. This aspect is examined in greater detail in the context of Shia Islam and the principle of Imamat.  One aspect explored is the development of the study of the Qur’an through disciplines and methods which evolved over time, including the application of tafsir and ta’wil to its contents.