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The Ismaili Centers The main Shia Ismaili Centers are the places for Ismaili Shia Muslims to gather together and hold various cultural, religious and educational gatherings. These Centers are a type of the traditional ‘Jamatkhanas’, a place of gathering that existed among the Muslim societies throughout the Islamic history. The main purpose of these centers […]
Introduction An ‘Hawzah’ or ‘Hawzah Ilmiyah’ is an educational center of the Ithna Asheri Shias where religious studies and research is undertaken in the context of Islam. Although most prominent ithna asheri Islamic seminaries are located in Najaf and Qom, some smaller hawzahs are also present in cities like Mashhad, Isfahan, Karbala, Beirut, Lucknow and […]
A look into the most important centers of Ithna Asheri Shia Muslims across the world The Ithna Asheris The majority of Shia Muslims across the world belong to the Shia Ithna Asheri group or the Twelvers, deriving their name from their belief in the twelve Imams. About 85% of all the Shias across the globe […]
The Ithna-Ashariyya Muslims who follow the Twelve Imams compose the largest group of Shia, existing in large numbers in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Bahrain, with smaller numbers in many other Muslim-majority countries as well as minority communities in North America and Europe. They are referred to as Twelvers or Ithna-Ashariyya because of their […]
The most important Ismaili center in the UK is the Agha Khan center, a place where the Ismailis hold events for their social, cultural, and religious gatherings. It was established in 1951 at Kensington Court, London, United Kingdom but later a new place was acquired for building the new center at King’s Cross. It also […]
The Cemevis Introduction According to this branch of Shiism, the cemevis are Alevi houses of worship that have significant importance in Alevi Islam. A cemevi literally means “a house of gathering” that usually is a place for gatherings of Alevis where men and women hold the traditional worship ceremony called ‘cem’, a paradigm of Prophet […]
Origins of Pilgrimage among Shias Pilgrimage among Ismailis can be seen as a part of Shia pilgrimage which begins with the story of Karbala, an event largely focused on the sacrifice of bodies and the miracles associated with the martyrs. Stories about his head and its miraculous powers reflect the reverence Shi‘i Muslims have for […]
Ashura is a light to guide mankind from darkness to clarity and a safe ship in every horrible storm knowing this the importance of Ashura celebrations is undeniable. This wonderful event is a portray of excellence of spirit and ethics, mysticism, love, faith, purity, social integration and privacy protection as well as all precious beliefs […]
Ismailism is a sect of Shia Islam who believe the son of Imam Jafar (AS), Ismail ibn Jafar as the successor to him. Ismailis rose to power in Egypt during the 10th and 12th centuries during the rule of Fatimid Caliphate, where Muharram celebration and Azadari of Imam Hussain (AS) became a common practice among […]
The Alevis is a sect of Shia Islam who follow the teaching of Twelve Imams and the mystic Haji Bektash Vali. They are mainly based in Turkey and follow rituals and beliefs that are similar to that of the Twelver Shias like the importance of the family of Propet (PBUH), mourning in the month of […]