July 18, 2012 - Photographs shared by Dr Reshma and Mr Aziz Merchant
Related from TheIsmaili.org: Prince Amyn and Singapore Minister open Aga Khan Museum exhibition
Related from AKDN.org: “Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum” Exhibition Opens in Singapore
All related Ismailimail - Singapore Exhibit
All related Ismailimail Malaysia Exhibit
restless heart
mind wanders far
across the ocean blue
just thinking of you
*
night falls... blending into the colors of day
twilight's music floats upon the wind, coming my way
a night rose beckons me
for I am the author of it's destiny
*
beyond mortal words
entwined souls shall be heard
whispered kisses of breath
slips e're so slowly into silent depth…
ASTRONAUT Edgar Mitchell's epiphany struck when he looked out the window of his spacecraft at the Earth, Moon and Sun, surrounded by an infinitely vast universe.
Suddenly it came to him that the molecules and cells of our bodies must have had their origin in those faraway stars.
It was at that moment an overwhelming realization of the interconnectedness of all life dawned on him.
A very small town by the name of Amir Pir is the setting for a photo essay about the town's Ismaili connection going back 170 years to the 46th Ismaili, Shah Hasan Ali Shah, Aga Khan I (a.s.). Gulshan Chunara and Salina Hasan respectively provide the text and photos for this intriguing historical piece...Click for Photos
Were it not for thee I would not have created the heavens.
Images from Wikimedia Commons
I am astounded at the rich diversity of sacred architecture around the world. In his work Islamic Art and Spirituality, Dr. Nasr discusses that the primary purpose of sacred architecture is to allow us to reconnect with the original sacred nature of the God‘s creation – His handiwork is holy, and the earth and heaven as He made them are the most sacred. The role of the holy site, then, is less to call heaven to earth and more to remind us to look beyond the veneer of impermanence and fleeting banality which we have placed over primordial nature. The first and most holy of temples is the universe, and our structures of worship are built – when they are built by those pleading for heavenly guidance and direction, and consecrated by the faithful – to give us respite from the overwhelming wash of temporal mortality, and to return us to our transcendent and primordial connection with the Divine.
All ground is sacred, we just need help to remember this.
By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
(CNN) --Pope Francis has challenged his flock of 1 billion Catholics not to be “starched Christians” who chat about theology over tea.
He’s been taking his own advice.
Since his election in March, Francis has delivered sharp and unscripted remarks on everything from homosexuality to atheism to his unlikely election to the seat of St.
By Christophe De Roquefeuil – CAIRO
With its shaded courtyard and quiet library, Cairo's Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies is an oasis of research, aimed at fostering Islamic-Christian ties in a country riven with political and religious tensions.
The internationally-reputed IDEO institute aims to encourage not just study, but dialogue between the religions, in a context where "Islam can be scary and where a country like Egypt is trying hard to find its democratic voice," director Jean-Jacques Perennes said.
by Josh Graves
Dr. Amir Arain is a good friend of mine. We’ve worked together on several projects during the four years I’ve lived in Nashville, Tenn.
Amir is a top neurologist at Vanderbilt Medical Center and a leading professor at Vanderbilt University. He also happens to be the spokesman on matters of faith and culture for the Nashville Islamic Center.
THE perennial philosophy assures us that compassion is far from a gushy sentimentalism, or an intellectual idea.
More than a gut feeling, it is rather a universal, non-sectarian, non-dual energy — the primal oneness undertone of Life.
The Voice of the Silence declares it to be foundational heart energy, “the LAW of LAWS.”
We already share, as humanity, the core values of caring for others less fortunate.
