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The Biography of Abu Aly Alibhai Aziz, Dr., Missionary is written by Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali in his book 101 Ismaili Heroes Volume 1.

The Waez of Abu Aly can be listen at www.nizariismaili.com after Sign in. also download from the Download Section.

The passing of Dr. Rai Missionary Abu Aly Aziz has brought great pain and a severe sense of loss amongst my family and ismaili friends. (Admin www.nizariismaili.com)

Abu Aly Alibhai Aziz, Dr., Missionary

(b. 1919)

Varas Amir Chand (1837-1911) sprang from a noble family of gupti Ismailis in Punjab. He was employed in a governmental department in Amritsar and retired in 1880. He inherited land from his forefathers, and became one of the most famous landlords in Punjab. In 1882, Imam Aga Ali Shah appointed him Kul Kamadia for Punjab, Frontiers and few regions near Afghanistan. He performed his duties with such marked distinction that during his first visit to Amritsar in 1897, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed him Mukhi on January 1, 1897 with a title of Varas for Punjab and Frontier province, including the regions lying on the borders of Afghanistan. He also travelled with the Imam in Sialkot between January 2, 1897 and January 11, 1897. Varas Amir Chand visited Bombay several times. His last visit took place in the middle of 1908 and gave valuable and informative statements twice in court during the Haji Bibi Case on July 28 and July 29, 1908. He is also credited to have converted a portion of the depressed class to Ismailism, as well as helping them financially to run their cottage industry.

In 1911, he died at the age of 74 years. Varas Amir Chand was also consigned to collect the tithe from village to village. His task pushed him to indulge in a daily meticulous procedure, which consisted of washing his hands and fingers. And one meritorious illustration, whose equal seems to have not yet came on record, was that he made a secret will to a certain person that after the ritual bath of his dead body, he must wash his hands and fingers at least thrice with soap, so that no smell emaning from the Imam?s coins remained before interment.

Varas Amir Chand?s son Bhagvandas mostly served the local jamat in Amritsar. His son Panalal was however much active, who kept the torch of service burning.

On January 20, 1914, the Imam summoned about eight prominent leaders of the gupti jamats of Punjab at his residence in Poona, in which Panalal, the father of Abu Aly was also included to discuss the revelation of the gupti Ismailis as Muslims in Punjab.

There was a minor group of Hindus in Kabul, headed by Bairam Diyal, who professed the Ismaili faith secretly. The local Ismailis in Afghanistan, however, knew them well and deposited their tithe to them, who in turn remitted it to the Imam in Iran, then in Bombay. In 1915, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah sent a special message through Panalal, asking them to wear Muslim costumes and assume Islamic names. The Imam?s call created a salutary effect upon the people and Mukhi Fakir Chand in Kabul was the first one to apply the Imam?s recommendations. With the efforts of Panalal, the Ismailis in Kabul received a new lease of life and immersed themselves into Islamic traditions through Ismailism.

On November 18, 1916, the Imam commanded them once again to submit to their faith publicly and to abandon the Hindu customs by assuming Muslim names. On that juncture, the Imam gave new names to these eight leaders, including the names of their fathers and children. Abu Aly?s father, Panalal was named as Ali and his grandfather, Bhagvandas became known as Aziz. Alibhai Aziz also dedicated all of his time to serve the community. He was selected as a member of The Aga Khan Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee from Punjab, whose first meeting was held on October 12, 1935 in Aga Hall, Nesbit Road, Bombay.

Abu Aly, the son of Alibhai Aziz, the world-renowned senior missionary was born in Amritsar, India on August 21, 1919. His early education started at the age of 4 years at a Hindu private nursery school, conducted by a Brahmin pandit. He then attended a private Primary School located in the Government High School in Amritsar, and finally followed the science stream in Saint-Xavier College, Bombay. He also attended a Madressa to study the Koran and Hadith at the age of 7 years as an extra-curricular activity. He also studied architecture, agriculture and law, notably the Islamic jurisprudence.

His religious education started the moment he could sit in his grandfather?s lap, the sage Kamadia Aziz Ali. In Bombay, he had the opportunity to expand his knowledge by interaction with missionaries, such as Pir Sabzali (1884-1938), who was his mentor from childhood, Chief Missionary Hussaini Pir Muhammad Asani (1878-1951), Ibrahim Jusab Varteji (1878-1953), Alibhai Nanji 893-1978), Sayed Muhammad Shah (d. 1945), Sayed Munir (1882-1957), Sayed Mustaq Ali Didar Ali and many others.

Due to his linguistic skills, he was called upon to serve in the civil and military censor office. Incidentally, W. Ivanow (1886-1970) recommended his name to handle the task of scanning the public mail. Thus, he had the privilege of having worked across the table with W. Ivanow for five years during the Second World War (1939-1945).

In 1938, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah commanded him to join the Ismaili Mission at the Recreation Club Institute, Bombay, and within a short time, he acquired the necessary skills and attained great proficiency in mission field.

He played a key role in the arrangement of the Diamond Jubilee of the Imam in 1946 and participated in different committees. The Imam selected him to recite the ginan after the recitation of a Koranic verse by a Syrian Ismaili on March 10, 1946 in Bombay. The Imam graciously graced him with a special robe of honour and a golden turban.

The first ?Ismaili Mission Conference? was held in the auditorium of the Aga Khan High School, Dar-es-Salaam to discuss the religious education and the training of the missionaries and teachers. The Imam inaugurated the Conference on July 20, 1945 and told the delegates that the Africans should no longer rely on missionaries from abroad, but produce its own manpower in their Mission Centre.

Soon after the Diamond Jubilee, the Imam ordered Abu Aly in Bombay to take over the charge of the Mission Centre as its Principal. He came to East Africa in July, 1946 and was destined to attend the Diamond Jubilee Celebration on August 10, 1946 in Dar-es-Salaam. According to the wish of the Imam, the Mission Centre was opened on May 10, 1947 at Dar-es-Salaam under the administration of the Ismailia Association for Africa, Mombasa. Alijah A.G. Abdul Hussain, the President of the Ismailia Provincial Council, Dar-es-Salaam, performed its inauguration ceremony. This Mission Centre took the standing of a college, producing several trained missionaries and religious teachers.

*)He was the President of the Muslim Association for Tanganyika for 3 years (1950-1953). When Tanganyika liberated on December 9, 1961, the Prime Minister Rashidi Kawawa invited the Muslim ulema and scholars to assist the government in including the Muslim law to the New Constitution of Tanganyika. One of them was Abu Aly in Dar-es-Salaam, known as Shaykh Abualy A. Aziz. He also exhorted Islamic education for two years (1962-63) in the course for Adults Programme under the University of Dar-es-Salaam.

The first Conference for reviewing the rites and ceremonies with the members of the Executive Council for Africa was held on January 10, 1964 in Mombasa at Count Fateh Ali Dhalla?s residence. Dewan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, Count Ghulam Hussain Ismail, Wazir Madatali Count Mulji Nazarali and Wazir Abdul Malek R. Kassim Lakha attended it. Missionary Abu Aly was also invited, including Missionary Ghulam Ali Shah, Alijah Ghulam Hussain Juma Haji, Jaffer Ali R. Budhwani and Noor Mohammad Rehmatullah. It was followed by another Conference on September 24, 1964.

During the gracious visit of Hazar Imam in India at the end of 1967, he was requested to deliver waez to the jamats, who were extremely touched by his words. The Mukhi and Kamadia of Darkhana jamat, Bombay sent their report to the Imam on December 27, 1967, to which he replied:

January 6th, 1968
My dear Mukhi and Kamadia:

I have received your letter of 27th December, and I give my most affectionate paternal maternal loving blessings to all my beloved spiritual children of the Bombay Darkhana Jamat.

I am very happy to hear that my jamats of Bombay and Suburbs took a keen interest in the waez given by Missionary Abooali in various Jamatkhanas.

Kindly convey my best paternal maternal loving blessings to Missionary Abooali for his devoted services during his visit to India.

You should find out from the Ismailia Association of Tanzania whether Missionary Abooali could tour to India every year for at least a month, if not two months, and then communicate the Association?s answer to me.

He also attended the grand Waezeen Assembly in Bombay inaugurated on December 10, 1967, and presided by Itmadi Ghulam Ali S. Morani, the then President of the Ismailia Association for India. He delivered informative lectures and dealt with the question/answer session on December 16, 1967. The President prepared the report of the assembly and sent it to the Imam on January 10, 1968. The Imam replied as follows:

He also attended the grand Waezeen Assembly in Bombay inaugurated on December 10, 1967, and presided by Itmadi Ghulam Ali S. Morani, the then President of the Ismailia Association for India. He delivered informative lectures and dealt with the question/answer session on December 16, 1967. The President prepared the report of the assembly and sent it to the Imam on January 10, 1968. The Imam replied as follows: January 29th, 1968
My dear President:

I have received your letter of January 10th, and I have read your report with much interest.

I am happy to hear that the Waezeen Assembly held on the 10th December at the Dharkhana Jamatkhana was well attended by my spiritual children and I give my best loving blessings to all my beloved spiritual children who participated in the Waezeen Assembly.

I give my best paternal maternal loving blessings to the following missionaries for their devoted services to my India jamat:

Missionary Kassim Ali M.J.
Missionary Abooali
Missionary Noormohomed Rahimtullah
Missionary Noordin Amlani.

Missionary Abu Aly A. Aziz is a global itinerant and has travelled extensively. He visited Tajikistan in 1995, where 72 years before him, the famous Missionary Pir Sabzali (1884-1938) had set foot in 1923. There is perhaps not a single Jamatkhana in the world where he has not delivered a waez. Behind all his success is his personality, so attractive that he won the hearts of millions who have never even seen him, but have only known his incomparable services for the Imam and jamats. In his missionary framework, he is seen as a creative, courageous, and patient. He is ambitious, but does not let himself be blinded by his personal interest. He labours for his faith not for own sake. With his talent and invaluable services, he was blessed with the titles of Alijah, then Rai.

Missionary Abu Aly A. Aziz is a global itinerant and has travelled extensively. He visited Tajikistan in 1995, where 72 years before him, the famous Missionary Pir Sabzali (1884-1938) had set foot in 1923. There is perhaps not a single Jamatkhana in the world where he has not delivered a waez. Behind all his success is his personality, so attractive that he won the hearts of millions who have never even seen him, but have only known his incomparable services for the Imam and jamats. In his missionary framework, he is seen as a creative, courageous, and patient. He is ambitious, but does not let himself be blinded by his personal interest. He labours for his faith not for own sake. With his talent and invaluable services, he was blessed with the titles of , then .
He started his mission career at the age of 11 years. His life now bridges a long span of 83 years, in which more than ten thousand lectures, speeches, and deliveries are on record to his credit. Ever since the taperecorder appeared commercially at the beginning of 1950, his lectures and speeches have been preserved which are in tune of about 3000 audiocassettes, circulating around the world among the Ismaili jamats and to some extent among other communities.

He also uses his poetic skills to lyrically express in Urdu his ardent love for the Imam. He is gifted with a vivid intellect, with a conspicuous literary talent. Being a man of literary genius, he gained the opportunity to carry on his literary pursuits and became a frequent contributor to different periodicals. No less than a trenchant writer, he published 19 books and booklets and some more are forthcoming. He is well versed in English, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Gujrati, Punjabi, Kutchhi, Hindi, and Swahili. His famous works are Jashan-i Golden Jubilee (Urdu, 1936), Radde Batil (Gujrati, 1947), Anant Akhado (Gujrati tr.1947), Zahoor-i Haq (Gujrati, 1948), Mazhab-i Ismailia (Gujrati, 1948), Religious Correspondence Course - three volumes (Gujrati, 1948), Divine Gems (English and Kiswahili, 1955), Fuhari Ya Islam (Kiswahili, 1956), Ismaili Dharmic Course (Gujrati, 1957), Christianity from its own Sources (English, 1961), Pork-Its Prohibition in Islam (English, 1961), Ghadir-i Khum (Gujrati, 1969), A Brief History of Ismailism (English, 1974), etc.

He is well versed in the literature of the ginans and steeped in the Ismaili philosophy and history. The most significant feature of his waez delivery is that he provides the materials to the jamat in accordance with the demand of the time and is so lucid that the listeners remain attentive for many hours. Those who have heard him on a platform are aware of the brilliance of his unmatched oratory.

After spending almost 40 years in East Africa, he now lives in Vancouver, Canada. His mission, which he has started at the age of eleven years, still continues. He also spends time replying to his many well-wishers? letters.

Missionary Abu Aly believes that a man is never too old to learn. It is good news to know that he obtained his doctorate degree of Ph.D. on April 30, 2001 from the Senior University International, Wyoming, U.S.A. after studying for 29 months. His thesis, Miracles and Gnosis, described the life and work of Pir Satgur Nur in 200 pages.

It is through his own effort that he rose from a very humble position in life to the summit of greatness. May Mawlana Hazar Imam grant him a long life, health and courage to serve the world Ismaili community more and more till his last breath, Amen.

It is with profoundest sadness, sorrow and pain that I wish to inform my spiritual brothers and sisters that Missionary Abualy (88 ½ years of age) departed this world 4th May 2008 around 10:15 am PST in Vancouver. The passing away of this intellectual giant of the 20th Century da`wa is indeed a tremendous loss for the jamats around the world in general, particularly for the Indian Subcontinent, Africa and North America Jamats. My family, friends and admirers of Missionary Abualy beseech Almighty Allah to bless the departed soul with the very best of the next world. Ameen.

Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali is an Ismaili scholar, He has written many books on history and culture of Islam and Ismailism, The Meaning of "Aga Khan" is taken from his popular book Encyclopedia of Ismailism, must read about his other books 101 Ismaili Heroes, and articles on Islam.

The Meaning of "Aga Khan"

As is universally acknowledged, the conferment of a title is a mark of distinction recognizing performance, achievement, eminence and excellence. A title, be it civil or military, temporal or ecclesiastical, denotes a designation of class, stature and dignity. By the same token, all titles do have basic meanings and background in their conferment.

We, the Ismailis associate ourselves deeply with the name or rather the title "Aga Khan" and we are so much used to being addressed by our beloved Imam as ?Yours affectionately? - ?Aapke Pyare? - ?Shafqat ke Saath? - ?Tamaro Mamtarru? Aga Khan that we seldom pause to think of how the title of ?Aga Khan? to our last four Imams came to be, or what it really means.

This essay attempts to describe how and when the title was invested in our 46th Imam, Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah; and what its origin and meaning are.

In l742, Aga Mohammed Khan founded Qajar Dynasty in Persia and became the first king in l796. He was murdered shortly afterwards in 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fateh Ali Shah who ruled for over 38 years.

Mowlana Shah Khalil Allah ascended the throne of Imamat in 1792 and soon after his accession, he transferred the seat of Imamat from Kirman to Kahak. Imam Shah Khalil Allah married Bibi Sarkara who gave birth to our 46th Imam, Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah.

In l815, Mowlana Shah Khalil Allah moved to Yazd, situated between Isphahan and Kirman on the route to Baluchistan and Sindh. Perhaps, the Imam was motivated to do this by his desire to be near the followers from the sub-continent who frequently made pilgrimage to see their Imam in Persia.

It was at Yazd two years later in l817 that the Imam became a victim of the intrigues of Ithnasheri Ullema and lost his life. One Mulla Husain Yazdi collected a mob and attacked the Imam?s residence. In the ensuing encounter, Mowlana Shah Khalil Allah and several of his followers were brutally murdered.

Mowlana Shah Khalil Allah had very good relations with the second Qajar ruler, Fateh Ali Shah. At the time of moving to Yazd, Shah Khalil Allah had left his wife, Bibi Sarkara and the children in Kahak to live off the family holdings in the Mahallat area. However, familial disputes left the family unprovided for. Out of the frustrations of the hardships that the family had to face, Bibi Sarkara, mother of Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah who was quite young at the time pleaded in the Qajar court in Tehran for justice for her husband?s murder.Her pleas were accepted favourably. The instigators of Mowlana Shah Khalil Allah?s murder were punished even though after a fashion, Fateh Ali Shah gave the young Imam more lands in Mahallat area; and offered one of his daughters , Sarv-i-Jahan Khanum in marriage to Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah.

At the same time, Fateh Ali Shah appointed him as governor of Qum and bestowed upon him the ?honorific? title of "AGA KHAN". Actually, more correctly it is AQA KHAN even though commonly it has come to be referred to as "Aga Khan".

Thenceforth, Imam Hasan Ali Shah became generally known as Aga Khan Mahallati. And the title of Aga Khan became hereditary. Bernard Lewis write that" in l8l8, the Shah of Persia had appointed himgovernor of Mahallat and Qum, and had given him the title of "Aga Khan". It is by this title that he and his descendents are usually known." The investiture took place in the grand palace of Qasr -e-Qajar.

The title thus bestowed was a singular honour that the Ismaili Imam had earned on the basis of his illustrious descent and station. In fact, Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah was the first Imam after Almaut to have received official cognizance of his spiritual role by the Persian Empire.

Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah - Aga Khan I arrived in India from Persia in l842. He is known to have rendered commendable services to the British. For example, in Sindh, he placed his cavalry at their disposal and endeavoured to convince the Talpur Amir of Kalat, to cede Karachi to the British. Due to the co-operation extended by him, the whole of Sindh was annexed to become British India. In Baluchistan also, the Aga Khan I helped the British militarily and diplomatically.

For his services and support thus rendered to the British, he received government protection in British India as the spiritual head of the Ismailis, which strengthened his position and helped him in the exercise of his authority. In recognition of his services and support to the British government, he was awarded the title "HIS HIGHNESS" in l844. From then on, Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah was called "His Highness the Aga Khan." This conferment also suggests the acceptance and recognition of the chief lordship of the "Aga Khan".

When Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah, the Aga Khan, returned to Mahallat, the celebrated panegyrist called Qa?ani composed a qasida the opening lines of which read:

"Eternal life in the world would be required to sing one tenth of the Aqa Khan?s praises."

The said qasida is an early source containing the words "Aga Khan" implying that this was the first time in history for this term, "Aga Khan" to be documented.

Having learnt how the Imam became the recipient of this unique title, let us now try to understand its meaning.

In Ottoman Empire, the word ?agha? was used to mean chief or master. It is also believed that this Turkish word is derived from Greek, ?akha? or ?akhai? which later came to be used as ?agha? in Turkey.

Iran borrowed the word ?aga? or ?agha? from Turkey. The Qajar emperors made ?aga? or ?aqa? a title for nobility, and ?Aga Khan? (or Aqa Khan) was the title denoting honour reserved for noblemen of lofty standing, mostly the governors. Encyclopaedia Britannica defines it as "a title of respect, Aga has also been used for Islamic religious leaders, notably for the leader of the Ismaili sect of Shia community."

Most works, dictionaries and lexicons in various languages have defined the word ?aga? or ?aqa? or ?agha? as a great lord, master, commander, chief, a title signifying respect, dignity, status, great wealth and influence.
And now, the word ?khan? generally, people tend to associate the word ?khan? with Pathans who mostly use this as surname. The word ?khan? is also a Turkish title. Under the Seljuk rulers ?khan? signified a high title of nobility taking precedence over ?malik? and ?amir?.
?Ka?an? was adopted by Ottoman sultans as a title. In India, ?khan? was the title of the eminent nobles mainly of Persian or Afghan descent. It is said that a khan commanded ten thousand soldiers, a malik one thousand and an amir one hundred! Actually, the Afghans did not adopt the Turkish term, ?khan? for centuries and not until the odhi sultans of Delhi began to bestow such a title upon their Afghan supporters. Persia also adopted the term ?khan? - In the provinces especially, ?khan? meant originally what ?chieftain? meant in Scotland among the clans.

The Reader?s Digest Encyclopaedic Dictionary notes:"Aga Khan", title given to Hasan Ali Shah. Turk ?aga? master; ?khan? ruler, king" Again, according to the various dictionaries and encyclopaedias, the meaning of ?khan? is given as an emperor, a king, a prince, a governor, a great lord and master, a supreme ruler.

Originally, the Turkish rulers combined the terms Agha and Beg - ?Agha Beg? - a title awarded to a person of high repute and standing. The Qajar rulers followed a similar pattern in Persia. They joined ?Aga? and ?Khan? or ?Aqa Khan? and awarded this supreme title to our ?supreme nobleman?.

To the world at large, our beloved Imam-e-Zaman addressed as the Aga Khan is popularly identified as a nobleman, a prince, a philantropist - whose development network extends world wide. But to the Ismailis, the Aga Khan is much more. There cannot be a better definition than the one recorded by Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah in his Memoirs when he speaks of his illustrious ancestry: "My grandfather was as I am and have been for close on seventy years, the hereditary Imam or Spiritual Chief of the Ismaili sect of the Shia Muslims. He was a Persian nobleman, closely related to the then reigning dynasty in Persia, but also in his own right the most princely blood in the Islamic world, for our family claims direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and his beloved son-in-law Ali: and we are also descended from the Fatimite Caliphs of Egypt."

In proclaiming Mowlana Shah Karim as his successor, he willed:"?I appoint my grandson Karim?, to succeed to the title of AGA KHAN and to the IMAM and PIR of all Shia Ismaili followers."

Accordingly, Mowlana Hazar Imam, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV has said:"Since my grandfather, the late Aga Khan died, I have been the bearer of the Noor, which means Light and has been handed down in direct descent from the Prophet."

The abstract of this article therefore, is not to say simply that ?Aga Khan? is a title awarded to the Imam of the Ismailis. In the words of Pir Sadardin,

Aga ne tope hira jagmage
Janniye to oobho gokul mahen lo qanji.

Therefore, ?Aga? is Ali, the Chosen One, and the Exalted. He is our
Spiritual Lord, our Aqa - e- Do Jahan. He is our Aga Khan! And when he
says:"Yours Affectionately, Aga Khan" he means "Yours Affectionately,
Ali!"

Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali is an popular Ismaili Scholar, He has written many books on history and culture of Islam and Ismailism, Abu Abdullah As-Shii is taken from his popular book 101 Ismaili Heroes, must read about Other Ismaili Occasions, Ismaili Imams, Ismaili history, culture and Tradition.

Abu Ali Sina

"Abu Ali ibn Sina, Ibn Sina or Avicenna, known in the West as Prince of Physicians, was born in 370/980 in the village of Afshana near Bukhara. He was an encyclopeadist, philosopher, physiologist, physician, mathematician, astronomer, logician and poet. He gained the titles of Shaikh al-Ra"is (leader among the wise men) and Hujjat al-Haq (proof of God), displayed a remarkable aptitude for learning from an early age. His father Abdullah hailed from Balkh and was in the service of the Samanid court. During the rule of Nuh bin Mansur (366-387/976-997), Abdullah was posted to Bukhara as a revenue collector. Ibn Sina can be described a very gifted child prodigy and learnt the Koran at the age of 10 years, and also mastered the logic and mathematics. Next he embarked upon the fields of physics, metaphysics and medicine, and at the age of 16 years he was well steeped in all the sciences of his days.

At about this time, through out Iran, particularly in the vicinity of Bukhara and the eastern regions, the Ismaili mission and proselytism were at their height. Abdullah and his sons also embraced Ismailism and their residence had become the rendezvous of the Ismaili mission. Ibn Sina learnt logic and mathematics from his teacher an-Natili, mysticism from Ismail al-Sufi and medicine from Isa bin Yahya, but it cannot be ascertained who had taught him philosophy. Dr. Abdul Muid Khan, however, writes in Some Aspects of the Arabian Writings of the Philosopher Ibn Sina (cf. Islamic Culture, Deccan, vol. xxv, Oct., 1951, pp. 28-9) that, "His teachers in philosophy are not known to us. His contact with the preachers of Ismaili doctrine then in full swing in Persia, seemed to have attracted the study of philosophy. When one reads his epistles on metaphysics, he appears no more than a Muslim scholastic with tendencies of Ismailites." Ibn Sina himself also writes in his autobiography that, "My father was one of those who had responded to the Egyptian propagandists (the Fatimids); he, and my brother too, had listened to what they had to say about the Spirit and the Intellect, after the fashion in which they preached and understand the matter. They would therefore discuss these things together, while I listened and comprehended all that they said."

At the age of 17 years, Ibn Sina was invited to treat the Samanid ruler, Nuh bin Mansur, who was lying seriously ill and the court physicians had given up all hope. Ibn Sina was able to cure him. On his recovery, Nuh bin Mansur wished to reward him, but the young physician only desired permission to use his library. Thus he obtained the privilege of access to the royal library.

In 332/943, a widespread massacres of the Ismailis was conducted in the time of Nuh I bin Nasr II (331-343/943-954), impelling the Ismailis to exercise taqiya. Hence, Ibn Sina also had to take the mantle under constraint and did not divulge his faith. Since his father and brother were publicly known as the adherents of the Ismailism, therefore, he felt nothing wrong to show them as the Ismailis in his autobiography, but exercised precaution for himself. He however had to face many troubles. Dr. T.J. Boer writes in The History of Philosophy in Islam (London, 1961, p. 148) that, "From the very first, of course, he had many enemies, and they were more noisy in their demonstration than his friends. Poets cursed him: theologians either chimed in with him, or tried to refute him."

His achievements would have been shrouded into mist had he divulged his inclination towards Ismailism. A.J. Arberry writes that, "Even during his lifetime, Avicenna was suspected of infidelity to Islam; after his death accusations of heresy, free thought and atheism were repeatedly levelled against him." (op. cit., p. 6) According to Avicenna Commemoration Volume (Calcutta, 1956, p. 8), Ibn Sina was tolerant and liberal in his religious pursuit. Even in his own time, the people questioned Ibn Sina"s faith and considered him a heretic. He condemned such an imputation in a well-known Persian quatrain:-

Kufar chun mani ghazaf wa asman nabud, Mohakam tar az iman man iman nabud.

Dar dahr chun man yaki wa aw ham kafar, pas dar hama dahr yak musalman nabud.

"It is not so easy and trifling to call me a heretic. No belief in religion is firmer than mine own. I am the unique person in the whole world. And if I am a heretic, then there is not a single Muslim anywhere in the world."

Soon after the collapse of the Samanid rule in 389/1001, Ibn Sina left Bukhara for Gorganj, where he frequented the society of the Ismaili thinkers, and cultivated friendship with the scholars. In those days, Mehmud of Ghazna was spreading his conquests and was eager to add Ibn Sina to the galaxy of talented and learning. He wrote to the ruler of Khawarazm, demanding the intellectuals to be sent to his court. Ibn Sina preferred to throw in his lot with the Iranian princes rather than risk the capricious patronage of the fanatical ruler.

His first refuge was Gorganj in northern Khawarazm, which was in the principality of Qabus bin Washmgir (366-371/976-981), the Zayrid prince of Tabaristan. He also went to Ray in 405/1014 when Iran was dominated by the Buawahid dynasty. Ibn Sina spent some time at the court of Fakhr ad-Dawla (387-420/997-1029) in Ray and then set out for Hamadan to meet another member of this dynasty, called Shams ad-Dawla (d. 412/1022). Ibn Sina also treated him and became so great favourite at the court that he was promoted to the rank of vizir, a position he efficiently administered for several years until the ruler"s death in 412/1022.

His fortune took a reverse turn and upon his refusal to continue to work as a vizir, he was consigned to prison. He however managed to escape by taking advantage of a siege of Hamdan and then incognito in the mantle of a darwish. During his wandering, he proceeded to Ispahan, where he came to the attention of the ruler, Ala ad-Dawla. When Ala ad-Dawla was defeated in a battle by the troops of Ghazna in 425/1034, the books of Ibn Sina were also carried off by them and were placed in one of the libraries of Ghazna, until they were destroyed by fire. Ibn Sina enjoyed a long period of respite and peace in Ispahan, which lasted for 15 years.

Ibn Sina died in 428/1037 of colic of which he had been a specialist and was buried at Hamdan. With the brief span of 58 years, Ibn Sina was able to produce an astounding number of works, relating to logic, medicine, physics, mathematics, astronomy, theology, psychology, ethics, politics, mysticism etc. He was a man of enormous energy and some of his works were actually dictated on horseback while accompanying the ruler in the battles. His great efficiency in writing can be judged from the fact that he composed his one book in a single night.

His influence in the West started penetrating palpably since the time of Albert the Great, the famous saint of St. Thoman Aquinas. Domenico Gundisalvi (d. 545/1150) had written De Anima, which is richly a wholesale transportation of Ibn Sina"s doctrines. M. Gilson writes in this context that, "The De Anima attributed to Gundisalvi marks the point of insertion of Avicennaism into the Christian tradition." (cf. The Legacy of Islam ed. J. Schacht, London, 1974, p. 382). Similar is the case with the medieval philosophers and scientists, Rober Grosseteste and Roger Bacon. Duns Scotus and Count Zabarella, the late medieval commentators of Aristotle, also bear testimony to Ibn Sina"s enduring influence. Dr. S. van den Bergh in his Averroes Tahafat al-Tahafut (London, 1954) traced the influence of the ideas of Ibn Sina down to the modern times. In sum, the influences of Avicennism got stronger in the West than Augustiniasm.

It is generally believed that Ibn Sina was the author of no less than 238 works. Of his works the best-known masterpiece is first al-Qanun fi"t-Tibb, the epitome of Islamic medicine, compiled in about a million words. Sir W. Osler regards it as "medical Bible for a longer period than any other book," vide Evolution of Modern Medicine (Yale University Press, 1921, p. 98). William Harvey puts him in the same category as Aristotle and Cicero. It was translated into Latin by an Italian Gernard of Cremona (1114-1187) at Toledo. Its Arabic text was published in Rome in 1593. This comprehensive treatise continued to be a textbook of Medicine in the Universities of St. Louis and Montpellier, until 1657. It appears that for well over 600 years no medical book ever written had been studied so thoroughly over such a long period. At Montpellier, a great centre of medical studies, the treatise of Ibn Sina included in the official syllabus set in 1340 for medical degrees. At the Universities of Leipzig and Tubingen as early as 1481, the medical curriculum included the al-Qanun fi"t-Tibb. Ferriar in his textbook of medicine quoted Hippocrates 140 times, ar-Razi and Galen 1000 times while he quoted Ibn Sina 3000 times. The course of studies at the University of Vienna in 1592 and the University of Frankfurt-on-Oder were mainly based on the al-Qanun fi"t-Tibb. Thus, Ibn Sina held his own at Montpellier and Louvain down to 1657.

The second is his monumental encyclopaedia, Kitab al-Shifa. It marks the high point of Peripatetic philosophy in Islam and contains important chapters on logic and mathematical and natural sciences. It was translated into Latin during 6th/12th century under the title of Sufficientia. It contains a logic of which only twelve folios out of one hundred and sixty-nine, have been translated; physics including the natural sciences, psychology, cosmology and finally metaphysics. In 1951, the Egyptian government and the Arab League set up a committee in Cairo to edit Kitab al-Shifa. Some parts of it have already been published.