Oh Mawla Bapa, may you always remain this shining beacon in this chaotic world that has lost its fundamental bearings and is undergoing multiple upheavals, geopolitical change, climate disruption, wars, and socio-economic unrest -- a loving supplication by Mohez Nato.
This artistic work by Toronto's Karim Ismail states “Nur Mowlana Shah Rahim al Hussaini" in Kufi Kairouni, which is one of the oldest styles of Arabic calligraphy. This style is named after the historic city of Kairouan in Tunisia. It includes a rendition of the number 54 in Arabic signifying the 50th Ismaili Imam's 54th birthday. Calligraphy: Karim Ismail, Tooronto.
By MOHEZ NATO
By the Grace and Mercy of Allah, Ismailis from all corners of the world will come together on October 12, 2025, to celebrate the 54th birthday of their Beloved Hazar Imam, Mawlana Shah Rahim al Hussaini Aga Khan. This global unity in the Salgirah celebration is a testament to our shared devotion and spiritual bond with the Imam-of-the-Time. It will be his first birthday celebration in the Ismaili world, having succeeded to the Divine Throne of Imamat as the 50th Hereditary Imam on February 4, 2025.
On this joyous occasion, we offer our prayers for his good health, long life, and peaceful family happiness, surrounded by his children, Prince Irfan and Prince Sinan, and his family. On this auspicious day, may all his dear wishes come to fruition.
On this happy day, we will have affectionate and emotional thoughts, filled with sincere gratitude for our late Mawlana Shah Karim Shah.
We also extend our sincere and affectionate thoughts, filled with high regard and esteem, to all members of the Imam's family for their tireless commitment to promoting the numerous projects and works of the Imamat Institutions worldwide. Their efforts have not only benefited our local community but have also made a significant impact on a global scale, a testament to the power of our collective actions as a community of responsible, dignified Shia Imami Nizari Muslims, bearers of universal humanist values and projects.
With utmost humility, let us renew our unwavering devotion to his spiritual authority.
Oh Mawla Bapa, may you always remain this shining beacon in this chaotic world that has lost its fundamental bearings and is undergoing multiple upheavals, geopolitical change, climate disruption, wars, and socio-economic unrest.
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Kham, addresses youth of the Uganda Jamat at Kololo Jamatkhana in Kampala.Photograph: IPL / Akbar Hakim.
In this troubled, stressful and anxious world, we express our shukrana (thank you) and sincere gratitude for your tireless benevolence, your wise and enlightened Farmans and Hidayats -- instructions and guidance -- and your numerous diplomatic Interventions. These have fostered a sense of unity and tolerance within our globalised Jamat, making us now more than ever a fraternal and accepting "One Jamat".
All Farmans since the Takht-nishini in February 2025 have emphasised, on the one hand, the need to adopt best practices, to live according to the ethics of our faith, to take care of our physical and mental health, to maintain a balance between din (faith) and dunia (world), to continually educate ourselves and, on the other hand, to work and care for the well-being of all populations where our community lives.
What comfort and true inner peace we feel when Mawlana Hazar Imam reminds us that he is always with his Jamat. The Bayah (oath of allegiance) and the spiritual quest each of us embarks on strengthen the murid's bond with the Noor (Light) of Mawlana Hazar Imam. This intimate, personal quest, which is essential to the health of our soul, guarantees our material happiness, moral elevation, courage, and thoughtful discernment between what is right and what is wrong.
Let us express our gratitude to Mawlana Hazar Imam for his insightful and inspiring Farmans, which continue to flood our intellect. Through the Mercy of Allah, may his divine guidance lead us towards knowledge, discovery, recognition and wisdom. And may the source of Light from His Noor always enable us to elevate the sacred status of our soul, the cradle of the inner voice and divine consciousness!
On this blessed day of Salgirah, let us invoke the Grace of Allah and the spiritual support of Mowlana Hazar Imam, and commit ourselves, with humility, to leading a luminous existence —a way of life marked by integrity, brotherhood, solidarity, tolerance, and compassion.
Happy Birthday, Mawlana Hazar Imam, and Salgurah Mubarak to the entire Ismaili world and friends of the Ismaili community.
Date posted: October 11, 2025.
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About the author: Born and raised in Madagascar, Mohez Nato left for France in the late 1960s. After completing his PhD, he worked as a teacher-researcher in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Paris Sud XI from 1971 to 2011. Now retired, Mohez volunteers, teaching courses at French-speaking universities in Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Benin, Algeria, and Tunisia. He has served in the Ismaili community in numerous voluntary positions, for which he was bestowed with the title of Alijah by Mawlana Shah Karim, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV. We invite you to read his earlier pieces, Ode to the Imam of the Present Time, Laylat al-Qadr, and the Chelum of Mawlana Shah Karim, published in Barakah and Simerg.
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About the artist: Originally from Uganda, Karim Ismail lived in England before settling in Canada. By profession, he is a Pharmacist (retired). It was in England, in 1986, that he came across the artwork of a German Muslim, Karl Schlamminger (1935-2017), at the Ismaili Centre in London. Karl’s artwork on calligraphy and geometrics, had a profound effect on Karim. He is not only an active member of the literature counter at the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, and a regular contributor to Barakah and its sister website, Simerg, on festive occasions, but also a dedicated educator. Karim's commitment to art education is evident in his frequent conduct of calligraphy workshops for children at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.
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