How the Ismaili Imam teaches the Esoteric

Interpretation (ta’wil) of the Holy Qur’an

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Ismaili Gnostic
You see, my mission is situated on three levels. Firstly, religious: it concerns a symbolic
exegesis of the Qur’an: interpreting the Divine Word, the adapting the needs of each
community to the time; refashioning the law, constantly and relentlessly. Wherever one finds
an Ismaili community, there exists a commission of theologians that engages in this research.
But nothing is decided without me…. Our religion is esoteric, you understand. It is a perpetual
initiation.

Mawlana Hazar Imam (Translation)

Jeune Afrique Interview (1st), Anne Loesch (Paris, France), 15 October 1967
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/1436/)

The Ismaili Muslim tradition – today known as the Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah of Islam – has been
well-known through history for its emphasis on the esoteric or batin dimension of Islam. The early
Shi’i Imams taught that the Holy Qur’an and the practices of Islam had different levels of meaning –
such as the exoteric or zahir whose knowledge is available and visible to all people and the esoteric or
batin whose knowledge is available only to specific individuals who possess the insight and
understanding to perceive it. The Qur’an uses the word ta’wil when referring to the esoteric (batin) of
the Qur’an and proclaims in 3:7 that “No one knows it’s ta’wil except God and those who are firmly
rooted in knowledge (raskhun fi’l-‘ilm).” The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad also notes that Imam
‘Ali’s role is to offer the ta’wil of the revelation (tanzil) brought by the Prophet Muhammad (R. Shah-
Kazemi, Justice and Remembrance (h ps://books.google.com/books?
id=DQsseeu3eWEC&pg=PA23&dq=imam+ali+fight+the+ta%27wil&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HcyBVbPlKIKo-
QHHo4OYCA&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=imam%20ali%20fight%20the%20ta'wil&f=false)
23). This is why the Ismaili Constitution refers to Imam ‘Ali as “the first Imam to continue the ta’wil
and ta’lim of Allah’s Final Message and to guide the murids” (Preamble of the Constitu ion of the Shia
Imami Ismaili Muslims (h p://simerg.com/special-series-his-highness-the-aga-khan-iv/the-preamble-
of-the-constitution-of-the-shia-imami-ismaili-muslims/), Section B). Accordingly, the Imam Jafar al-
Sadiq has said (h p://ismaili.net/heritage/node/10629) that “We are the firmly rooted in knowledge
(raskhun fi’l-‘ilm) and we know it’s ta’wil.” The ultimate source of ta’wil or the esoteric interpretation of
the Qur’an is God Himself and He has inspired this special knowledge (‘ilm) in the Imams of the
Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt.

Throughout the history of the Ismaili Muslims, the function of teaching the ta’wil of the Qur’an has
been undertaken by the Ismaili Imams. In many cases, the Imams assigned and delegated the task of
instructing their followers in the ta’wil of the Qur’an to their highest ranking hujjats (deputy-proofs)
and da’is (missionaries). Thus, there are numerous texts and writings by these Ismaili luminaries that
teach the esoteric meaning or ta’wil of the Qur’an: The Esoteric Interpretation of the Pillars of Islam (Ta’wil
al-Da’a’im al-Islam) and The Foundation of Esoteric Interpretation (Asas al-Ta’wil) by Abu Hanifah al-
Nu’man; The Book of the Esoteric Interpretation of the Religious Law (Kitab Ta’wil al-Shari’ah) by Abu
Hanifah al-Nu’man and the Imam al-Mu’izz; The Secrets and Mysteries of the Speaker-Prophets (Sara’ir
wa Asrar al-Nutuqa) by Jafar ibn Mansur al-Yaman; The Book of the Boast (Kitab al-Iftikhar) by Abu
Ya’qub al-Sijistani; The Lectures of al-Mu’ayyad al-Din Shirazi (Majalis al-Mu’ayyadiyyah); The Face of
 q j f yy j yy yy f
Religion (Wajh-i Din) of Nasir-i Khusraw. The ta’wil of the Qur’an was historically taught in two forms
or mediums – as instruction (ta’lim) from the Ismaili Imams, hujjats and da’is and also as direct
spiritual inspiration (ta’yid) from the Imam of the Time. One of the principles of ta’wil is that there are
numerous levels of batin and ta’wil appropriate to each person’s spiritual capacity and knowledge,
right up to the supreme ta’wil, the batin al-batin (the esoteric behind the esoteric
(h ps://books.google.com/books?
id=50EBAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=ismaili+master+and+the+disciple+esoteric+of+the+esot
AGnkICABQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=inner%20dimension&f=false)), possessed only by
the Imam himself. In this respect, the Imam Jafar al-Sadiq once said (h ps://books.google.com/books?
id=gJChf3qXGUkC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=ta%27wil+seven+or+seventy+meanings&source=bl&ots
QHTsYDACA&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ta'wil%20seven%20or%20seventy%20&f=false)
“We can speak about a word in seven ways.” When he was asked about this, “Seven, O son of the
Messenger of God?”, the Imam replied: “Yes, [not only seven], but seventy.

In the present day, Mawlana Hazar Imam is the forty-ninth Imam of the Ismaili Muslims. During the
Imamat of his predecessor, the formal da’wah ranks of hujjat and da’i were abolished. Thus, the
function and role of teaching the esoteric interpretation or ta’wil of the Qur’an is now undertaken by
the Imam of the Time directly.

The Imam must direct Ismailis on the practice of their religion and constantly interpret the Qur’an
for them according to our theology. On the spiritual plane, the Imam’s authority is absolute.
Ismailis believe therefore that what the Imam says is the only true interpretation possible.

Mawlana Hazar Imam

L’Expansion Interview, Roger Priouret (Paris, France), March 1975
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/1732/)

Nevertheless, some people today have difficulty in seeing how the Ismaili Imam’s guidance and
teachings contain the esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of the Qur’an. In the minds of some, the words of
the Imam appear too mundane, ordinary or familiar; instead many expect the Imam to use exotic or
out of the ordinary language when he expresses the esoteric interpretation. Others expect the Imam
to quote specific Qur’anic verses and provide a textual reading of these verses in the manner of
modern Qur’an commentators (musafirun). As a result of these expectations, some erroneously
conclude that the present Ismaili Imam simply does not engage in the act of esoteric interpretation.
Nevertheless, upon closer examination of the Ismaili Imam’s verbal and practical teachings in light of
the Ismaili ta’wil expressed in past literature, one may be able to appreciate how the living Imam’s
statements do contain the esoteric meaning or ta’wil of the Qur’an.

There are at least six different ways by which the present Imam, Mawlana Hazar Imam, teaches the
esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of the Holy Qur’an to his murids and the world at large.

1. Speeches and Interviews

The Imam’s Speeches and Interviews contain various allusions (isharat) and indicators of the ta’wil of
the Qur’an. For example, when Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah explains the concept of monorealism
in his Memoirs 1, he is actually providing an esoteric commentary on the Shahahada (ila ilaha illa
Allah) and the Ayat al-Nur in the Qur’an (24:35); when Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni explains that
“diversity itself is a gift of the Divine” 2, he is offering a commentary on numerous Qur’anic verses
which speak of human diversity and features as the signs (ayat) of God; when the Imam explains how
“the Divine Intellect both transcends and inspires the human intellect” 3 and the human spirit must
be “guided and supported by the Divine Will” 4 , the Imam is commenting on Qur’an 2:87/42:52
which mention how God bestows His Spirit (ruh) and inspiration (ta’yid) upon human souls; when
the Imam speaks about how God is “ineffable and beyond being” 5 and how His “creation is not
static but continuous” 6, the Imam is explaining of Ismaili philosophical concepts – such as God
transcending being and non-being and God’s Command continuously emanating existence upon all
things – in very simplified form without any specialized language.

2. Guidance in Farmans

The Imam’s farmans contain numerous allusions and expressions of the ta’wil of the Qur’an. A
frequent but underappreciated example of this is whenever the Imam refers to his murids as “my
beloved spiritual children” and bestows his “paternal maternal loving blessings.” The Imam’s
reference to his “spiritual children” and himself as the “spiritual mother and father” amounts to an
esoteric commentary on Qur’an 33:6 (“The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own souls and
his wives are their mothers”) and Qur’an 4:1 (“your Lord who has created you from a Single Soul and
then created its Mate”) since the Prophet Muhammad and each succeeding Imam in every age is the
Single Soul and spiritual father of the believers and his “wives” or “mate” – according to the ta’wil,
this means the spiritual wives not physical wives – are the great hujjats of the Imam and the spiritual
mother of the believers. Similarly, when the Imam instructs his murids to engage in remembrance
(dhikr) by calling upon the Names of God, the name of the Prophet, the names of the Imams, and the
name of the Imam of the Time, the Imam is effectively giving an esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of
17:110 (“Call upon Allah or call upon al-Rahman. Whichever name you call – to Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names”) and 7:180 (“And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so invoke Him by
them.”). The ta’wil of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah is that God’s Names exist in two forms – the
verbal or inanimate names composed of le ers and spoken by speakers and the living noble names
composed of intellect and soul who are the living Prophets and Imams. Thus, calling upon the names
of the Imams is the esoteric dimension of calling upon the Names of God. In the past, Ismaili hujjats
like al-Mu’ayyad al-Shirazi and Nasir-i Khusraw explained such ideas – the concept of spiritual
parents and how the Imams are the ta’wil of God’s living Names – through the course of a long
philosophical explanation (see Nasir-i Khusraw, Wajh-i Din; Al-Mu’ayyad al-Shirazi, Majalis al-
Mu’ayyadiyyah). Today, Mawlana Hazar Imam speaks of the very same truths of ta’wil but in a more
simplified and practical language. Thus, Nasir-i Khusraw writes that “The sayings of the Imams
have ta’wil (esoteric interpretation), just as the Speech of God and [the sayings of His] Messenger
have ta’wil, because they are the witnesses of God over the people.” (Knowledge and Liberation, tr.
Hunzai, 113).

3. Ismaili Tariqah Rituals

The Imam has prescribed and authorized a number of Ismaili Tariqah rituals practiced in jamatkhana
and each of these rituals is the embodiment of the esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of a Qur’anic concept
or Pillar of Islam 7. For example, the very concept of jamatkhana as the House of the Imam is the
esoteric meaning (ta’wil) of the Hajj 8 to Makkah. The Ismaili Muslim prayer, Du’a, is the embodied
ta’wil of the Namaz or Salah 9. The du’a karavi ritual, also known as mubay’ah, is the embodied ta’wil of
ablutions (wudu’). The ethical and spiritual disciplines that the Imam enjoins on his murids are the
esoteric dimension of fasting (sawm) 10. All of this means that the esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of
hajj, salah, wudu’ (ablutions) and sawm (fasting) formerly explained by Ismaili Imams and hujjats in
the form of textual and verbal instruction (ta’lim) are today taught by the Imam of the Time to the
Jamat in the form of Tariqah rituals and practices.

4. AKDN and the Institute of Ismaili Studies Publications

The Imam of the Time shares esoteric knowledge and teachings through institutional activities. In
general, the activities of the Aga Khan Development Network are embodiments and practical
demonstrations of the Ethics of Islam. The Imam himself has said that “the ethics of Islam guide all
my activity” 11 and these Ethics are further manifested in the institutions the Imam establishes and
directs. The Institute of Ismaili Studies is an important institution because its research and
publication activities have published numerous translations and editions of Ismaili esoteric literature
wri en by the great Ismaili Imams, hujjats and da’is of the past. Many of the core esoteric Ismaili texts
– which were not accessible to even Ismaili murids in prior periods – have become available to all
Ismailis and the public at large due to the efforts of the Institute of Ismaili Studies. The patronage of
academic Ismaili studies began with Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah in the 1930s and has continued
in an accelerating pace under the Mawlana Hazar Imam who is the Chairman of the Institute of
Ismaili Studies Board of Governors.

Indeed, this momentous period in which the esoteric content of Islam and other faiths becomes
available to the masses had been foretold a thousand years ago 12 by the great Ismaili hujjats
including Nasir-i Khusraw and al-Mu’ayyad al-Shirazi. Thus, the Institute’s release and publication of
formerly inaccessible Ismaili ta’wil texts can be seen as another medium by which the Imam of the
Time teaches the esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) of the Qur’an to the entire world. Over a hundred
years ago, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah told the Jamat that they could learn the Qur’an and its
meaning by becoming “students of those who know its real meaning” through reading “the books of
our faith.” The books of the Ismaili faith are those works wri en by the Ismaili hujjats and da’is of the
past – as they were the ones who knew the real meaning of the Qur’an. These “books of our faith” are
among the publications and translation of the Institute of Ismaili Studies and the Jamat can find the
esoteric meaning of the Qur’an in these books:

If you want to learn the Qur’an, become students of those who know its real meaning. In this way
you will learn its real meaning. You are unaware of the many books of our Faith (din). Therefore
you have not studied most of them. If you study such books you will understand and no defect
will remain within you. Your intellect (‘aql) will guarantee you that your Faith (din) is true if you
read such works. This you will come to know.

Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (Jangbaar, India) 14 September 1899

5. Architectural Design

In recent years, the Imam of the Time has established architectural landmarks across the world such
as the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, the Aga Khan Museum, and the Ismaili Centres. The
architectural design of these buildings symbolizes and embodies the esoteric interpretation of Islam,
as the Imam himself has stated: “Buildings can do more than simply house people and
programmes. They can also reflect our deepest values; great architecture, like great art, captures
esoteric thought in physical form.” 13 The Imam has even wri en, regarding the Delegation of the
Ismaili Imamat, that “the building in a sense should be somewhat mysterious and visually nearly
esoteric.” He referred to the Delegation’s architectural design as “translating concepts that have a
context in our faith and our history, yet stride boldly and confidently ahead, into modernity; for
expressing both the exoteric and the esoteric” 14. A close reading of the Delegation building’s
architecture 15 shows how the design symbolizes Ismaili esoteric doctrines and ta’wil from the past:
the translucent rock crystal inspired dome of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat symbolizes and
represents the perfect souls of the Prophets and Imams illuminated by the Light of God as discussed
by Nasir-i Khusraw and Nasir al-Din Tusi.

6. Spiritual Inspiration (ta’yid)

The knowledge of the Imam of the Time is rooted not in physical books or verbal words, but rather,
in his luminous soul in the form of spiritual and luminous inspiration called ta’yid or the Holy Spirit.
God continuously bestows this spiritual inspiration (ta’yid) or light (nur) 16 upon the Imam’s pure
soul, as a result of which the Imam is the possessor of all esoteric knowledge (‘ilm). The Imam also
directs and bestows this ta’yid upon the souls of the murids of highest rank – called hujjats in the past.
In this respect, the souls of the hujjats can receive the ta’wil from the Imam through spiritual
inspiration (ta’yid) instead of verbal instruction (ta’lim). A medieval Ismaili text describes this spiritual
connection between the Imam and the hujjat as follows: “A path exists from the hujjat to the Imam,
he becomes aware by the divine support (ta’yid) of his heart.” (S. Virani, The Ismailis in the Middle
Ages, 74). The Ismaili murids at the spiritual rank of hujjat are taught the ta’wil of the Qur’an by the
Imam in the form of ta’yid and subsequently express the Imam’s ta’wil in the form of words as poetry,
prose, commentary, instruction (ta’lim) and other forms of discourse appropriate to the spiritual
capacities of the people.

The present Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, Mawlana Hazar Imam, teaches the esoteric interpretation
of the Qur’an to his murids and to the entire world in at least six different ways – in his public
speeches, in his farmans, in the Tariqah rituals he prescribes and authorizes, through his institutional
activities including the Institute of Ismaili Studies publications, through Islamic architecture, and
through the spiritual inspiration called ta’yid which reaches certain elevated souls. Recognizing the
esoteric interpretation of the Imam in these six mediums is important for all Ismaili Muslims. This is
because the present Imam told his murids to keep in mind that the Ismaili Tariqah is “an esoteric
branch of Islam” and that this esoteric meaning “is not there to everyone” but that “it is there to those
who are part of our Jamat.” The Imam has further stated that his murids “should be able to explain
the esoteric meaning” of parts of the Qur’an and that specific Qur’anic words “must represent to you
 g p p p y
a concept” (Bombay, November 22, 1967). The Imam of the Time continues to provide the ta’wil of the
Qur’an on a ongoing basis so that his murids always have access to the “correct” interpretation, as he
once stated in an irshad:

[W]e are, and will continue to seek out knowledge and understanding, particularly, from the
Quran, so that my murids can look forward to the future with interpretation which is correct…
and it is important that, as time evolves, we should continue under the guidance of the Imam to
seek clarity and understanding from the Quran-e-Shariff. And I want my spiritual children to
know that this is an endeavor which is being undertaken on an ongoing basis, and that guidance
will be given on a continuing basis.

Mawlana Hazar Imam (Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania), 17 August 2007

Footnotes

1. Chapter 2: Islam, The Religion of My Ancestors, The Memoirs of Aga Khan III, publisher??, 1954
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/1225/)
2. The Peterson Lecture, Annual Meeting of the International Baccalaureate (Atlanta, USA), 18 April
2008 (h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/8435/)
3. Faculty of Health Sciences of the Aga Khan University and Aga Khan University Hospital
Inauguration Ceremony (Karachi, Pakistan), 11 November 1985
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/3202/)
4. Address to the Enabling Environment Conference (Kabul, Afghanistan), 4 June 2007
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/8072/)
5. Address to the International Colloquium ‘Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur’an and its Creative
Expressions’ organised by The Institute of Ismaili Studies (London, United Kingdom), 19 October
2003 (h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/6815/)
6. Acceptance of the Charter of the Aga Khan University (Karachi, Pakistan) 16 March 1983
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/2817/)
7. The Seven Pillars of Islam: The Esoterics of Walayah, Ismaili Gnosis
(h ps://ismailignosis.com/2012/09/30/the-seven-pillars-of-islam-the-esoterics-of-walayah/)
8. Esoteric Hajj: From the Physical Ka’bah to the Living Imam, Ismaili Gnosis
(h ps://ismailignosis.com/2015/01/02/esoteric-hajj-from-the-physical-kabah-to-the-living-imam/)
9. The Esoterics (Batin) of Prayer: From Salah to Du’a’, Ismaili Gnosis
(h ps://ismailignosis.com/2013/03/03/the-esoterics-batin-of-prayer-from-salah-to-dua/)
10. Ramadan: From Physical Fasting to Spiritual Fasting, Ismaili Gnosis
(h ps://ismailignosis.com/2014/06/27/ramadan-from-physical-fasting-to-spiritual-fasting/)
11. Jeune Afrique Interview (2nd), Coumba Diop, ‘Ethics of Islam guides all my work’ (Mali or Côte
d’Ivoire), 19 September 2005 (h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/7529/)
12. Esoteric Apocalypse (Qiyamah): Isma’ili Muslim Perspectives on the “End of the World” (Part 1),
Ismaili Gnosis (h ps://ismailignosis.com/2012/12/24/esoteric-apocalypse-qiyamah-ismaili-muslim-
perspectives-on-the-end-of-the-world-part-1/)
13. Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Opening Ceremony (O awa, Canada), 6 December 2008
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/9151/)
14. The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Foundation Stone Ceremony (O awa, Canada), 6 June 2005
(h p://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/7314/)
15. The Delegation Decoded, Khalil Andani (h ps://ismailimail.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/the-
delegation-decoded-khalil-andani1.pdf)
16. Esoteric Thought in Physical Form: The Aga Khan Campus in Toronto, Ismaili Gnosis
(h ps://ismailignosis.com/2014/08/26/esoteric-thought-in-physical-form-the-aga-khan-campus-in-
 toronto/#section2)

2 COMMENTS

2 thoughts on “How the Ismaili Imam teaches the Esoteric

Interpretation (ta’wil) of the Holy Qur’an”
1.
AMEHDIBLOG
says:
April 3, 2018 at 7:35 am
The article is very interesting and informative. Thank you.
One should strive to know the Batin ie.’Tawil’. Only a very few of us have the knowledge and
such a grace from Allah- search out and connect with them.

REPLY
2. Pingback: From the Ismaili Community: What Does Mawlana Hazar Imam Do with the Religious
Dues (Zakat/Dasond) given by the Community? – The Muslim Times