RECREATION CLUB INSTITUTE [ see ISMAILI TARIQAH BOARD ]

The Koran directs man's attention to the phenomena of nature and the facts of history, as they reveal the power of God and His wisdom. Man is invited to look at and reflect upon the grandeur of the heavens, the beauty of the earth, the freshness of dawn, the glory of sunset and the terrifying force of the wind as it sweeps over the open spaces of the desert. Pointedly, it asks: "Are not these marvelous?

The word religion comes from Latin relegere or the French religiun meaning to bind or a state of life bound by holy orders or the pattern of belief. The Arabic word for religion is or milla or din, which is briefly defined as under:

Milla : It means dictate, occuring 15 times in the Koran. It has special reference to the prophet through whom the religion is revealed.

The phrase al-hurriyah al-diniyyah means freedom of religion. One of the manifestations of personal liberty is the freedom of the individual to profess the religion of his or her choice without compulsion. Everyone in the society must have freedom to observe and to practice their faith without fear of, or interference from, others.

The word takfir means accusing someone of being a disbeliever, and takfir al-muslim is an attribution of disbelief to a Muslim. The Islamic Shariah forbids the attribution of disbelief, blasphemy or heresy to a Muslim.

The central theme in the Koran is the requital of human deeds by divine justice both in this world and the world to come. For those who do good deeds, God gives him some reward on earth and a far greater reward in the hereafter. Unbelievers and evildoers can be punished on earth and have to undergo eternal chastisement in the hereafter. The ultimate separation of the two groups will take place on the day of judgment.

The word riba comes from the verbal root raba meaning to grow, increase, addition or excess. It refers to an addition over and above the principal sum lent. In economics, it refers to that surplus income, which the lender receives from the borrower, over and above the principal amount as a reward for waiting or parting with the liquid part of his capital for a specific period of time.

ROZA [ see SAUM ]

"The term ruh (pl. arwah) is derived from the verb raha meaning to go away, leave, begin or set out. Derived from this root are rawwaha (to refresh, relax, rest); arwaha (to release, relieve, soothe); istarwaha (to breathe, smell, be refreshed, to calm, happy, glad); rih (wind), etc. It literally means soul, spirit or breath of life. The word ruh in different derivatives occurs 21 times in the Koran.

"In 1322/1904, an enthusiastic group of the young Ismailis had formed the Young Ismaili Vidhya Vinod Club (or V.V. Club) at Bombay for literary and other communal activities. The Vidhya Vinod Club was the center of the patrons of literature and they discussed burning topics of the day from different angles. They arranged lectures on varied subjects on every Saturday.

In the 17th Jodilo of Pir Shams, Ramsang Raja is portrayed as being the king of Beth Nagar a place where Pir Shams along with his disciples Vimras and Surbhaan were denied permission to enter.

City in Maghreb which was conquered from the Aghlabites by Dai as-Shii and handed overto Imam Mahdi in 910.

(14/15e S.) One of the 19 children of Pir Hassan Kabirdin.

(10th Century) Poet converted to Ismailism. He was born in Rodak near Samarkand. Composed1 300 000 verses, the Abbasides blinded him due to this adherence to the Ismaili faith. For detailed English text on Rodaki click here

Son of Tara Rani and Raja Haristchandra Kunvar* Rohidas was sold after the dethronment of his father, King Harichandra.

(14 Century?) One of the 6 brothers of Pir Sadardin.