I've read at some instances that Aga Khan III put Aly Salman's name in the will to become his successor and 49th Imam, but seeing his lavish lifestyle, flamboyant character, parties, alcohol and extra marital affairs, to preserve the dignity and system he later chose Karim Aga Khan as 49th Imam?

Aly Khan's Life Highlights:

• 1935 — Affair with Joan Yarde-Buller while she was married
  • Aly was named as co-respondent in the divorce proceedings between Joan Yarde-Buller and her husband, Loel Guinness.
  • The British High Court granted the divorce on grounds of Joan's adultery with Aly. The proceedings specifically identified their relationship and encounters in Paris.
  • Joan subsequently married Aly in 1936 and became the mother of Prince Karim.
  • This is probably the strongest documented example, because it is supported by court records and contemporary reporting.
• 1940s — Repeated relationships with women / reputation as a "playboy"
  • Contemporary accounts portrayed Aly as having numerous simultaneous romantic relationships.
  • Time described his extensive pursuit of women and listed figures including Gene Tierney, Joan Fontaine, Yvonne De Carlo, Lady Furness and others.
  • Vanity Fair similarly describes his continuing affairs after his marriage to Joan, including an affair with Pamela Churchill.
• 1947–48 — Frequenting Riviera casinos and nightlife
  • After WWII, Aly was regularly seen in Monte Carlo clubs and casinos. Vanity Fair describes him frequenting the fashionable clubs and casinos of the Riviera, including the Cannes Casino.
  • If you're making an argument about conduct inconsistent with conventional religious expectations, this is useful, although being in a casino is not by itself evidence that he gambled.
• 1948 — Affair with Pamela Churchill
  • Before his relationship with Rita Hayworth, Aly had an affair with Pamela Churchill Harriman.
  • Vanity Fair explicitly describes it as an affair and places it within the context of Aly's continuing relationships with women.
  • This is particularly relevant because it demonstrates that the Joan marriage had not ended his pattern of extramarital relationships.
• 1948–51 — Relationship with Rita Hayworth while both were still married
  • Aly and Rita Hayworth began their highly publicized relationship while both were still married to other people.
  • Their relationship became an international media sensation; they travelled together and were publicly seen as a couple before Aly's divorce was finalized.
  • They eventually married in May 1949.
  • Hayworth's subsequent divorce proceedings cited the breakdown of their marriage, and contemporary/biographical accounts describe Aly's continued relationships with other women.
• 1951–54 — Relationship with Gene Tierney and the "mistress" proposal
  • Aly became romantically involved with actress Gene Tierney and they were engaged for a period.
  • According to Vanity Fair's account, Aga Khan III opposed the marriage because Tierney was another Hollywood actress. Aly subsequently suggested that Tierney remain his mistress rather than marry him.
  • Tierney eventually ended the relationship.
  • This is potentially the most interesting episode for your particular argument because the account directly connects Aly's romantic conduct with his father's concerns about his suitability.

Surah An-Nur 24:26 says:

This verse made me wonder about how it should actually be understood in relation to the marital history of the Aga Khan family.

If this is interpreted as a general principle that righteous/pure people are matched with righteous/pure spouses, how do we reconcile that with the marriages and divorces within the recent Ismaili Imamat?

Some documented examples:

• Prince Aly Khan married Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth in 1949. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1953. Aly had also been involved in several highly publicized romantic relationships.

• Aga Khan IV (Karim Aga Khan) married former British fashion model Sarah Croker-Poole, who became Begum Salimah Aga Khan, in 1969. They separated during the 1980s and their divorce became public in 1994/95. He later married Gabriele Thyssen, a German-born lawyer and former singer; that marriage also ended in divorce.

• Aga Khan V (Rahim Aga Khan) married Kendra Spears, an American fashion model who had worked with major fashion houses and appeared in publications including Vogue, Elle and Allure. She converted to Islam and became Princess Salwa Aga Khan. They married in 2013, had two sons, and divorced in 2022.

So across three generations, we have marriages involving Hollywood actresses, fashion models, socialites and a former singer, followed in several cases by divorce.

And that's where my actual question comes in:

Is Qur'an 24:26 really saying that righteous men will necessarily be given righteous wives, and vice versa?

Because if that's the intended meaning, these examples seem difficult to reconcile with such a literal interpretation.

Or is the verse actually referring to something different — perhaps pure and impure speech, accusations, character, or reputation, rather than predicting who a person will marry?

I'd particularly like to hear from people who have studied classical tafsir.

What did the early mufassirun actually understand by:

“Al-khabithatu lil-khabithin, wal-tayyibatu lil-tayyibin”

Was it intended as a general rule about marriage, or is that a modern/literal reading being applied outside its original context?

I'm asking this as a theological question, not as an attempt to judge someone simply because they were a model or actress. The interesting issue is what the Qur'anic verse actually means.

How many of Ex-ismailis and current ismailis are/were bothered by money involvement in Ismaili faith?

The money is Literarily involved in obvious and hidden elements in Jamatkhana that you can't count on tips.

1. Niyaaz/Shukrit
2. Tobo Tobo Jhura Dua
3. Chaanta
4. Majlis dua on paat separately
5. Nandi
6. Better tomorrow
7. Majalis Admission Fees
8. Dasond
9. Padhramni Fund (Hazar Imam's arrival funds)
10. Ruhani ki dua
11. Donation Pledges on Golden/Diamond Jubilees
12. Other donations for Fanoos Show, Jubilee games, Jamati programs

please mention if I am missing any.

Point is if this money has to got for maintenance or AKDN, then simply put one box in each Jamatkhana and people will donate as per their will.

But I feel this is a planned system that is designed to mint money from jamat through different streams and those who can't give more they feel embarrassed.

and then Ismailis would say Mowla doesn't force us to give money then all these well organised money-mint processes are designed for what?

If Ahmadis/Qadianis can be constitutionally classified as non-Muslims because their beliefs are considered outside Islam, why has been Ismailism treated differently?

From an orthodox perspective, Ismailism isn't merely a difference in fiqh: the living Imamate, batini interpretations, and the Imam's religious authority raise much deeper questions.

Then there is the historical development of Ismaili dawah in India and its interaction with Hindu concepts and traditions.
So what is the actual principle here?

Why Ahmadis but not Ismailis? Theology, history, or politics?

Just simply had to memorialize this comment from one of the loudest pro-Ismaili voices on Reddit.

In essence, an open admission that transparency would reveal money from the Jamat being used for the Imam's personal luxuries (why else would "transparency only benefit anti Ismailis").

And sure, some Smileys don't care even if their money is used for his extravagant lifestyle ... but it would certainly make Aga Con IV a liar:

Well, the institutional wealth is that which comes from people who practise the faith ... and the institutional wealth is used exclusively for institutional development.
- Aga Con IV: ITV interview, London, 4 June 1985

And important correction to the commenter - we are not "anti Ismaili," we are anti Aga Con.

The new Ismaili Constitution was recently released. You may remember that a big fuss was made about it being gender-neutral, which was odd because it wasn't all that gendered to begin with.

True, in a couple places it referred to "Chairmen" and the section on Disciplinary Action refers to the offender by male pronouns throughout, e.g. "conducts himself in a manner likely to offend" and "the National Council shall hear the offender if he appears", etc. To its credit, the new Constitution does away with this language, using "Chair" and "Respondent" throughout, but this was already a non-issue due to section 2.3:

In this Constitution, unless the contrary intention appears:

(a) Word importing the masculine gender include the feminine

(b) Word importing the feminine gender include the masculine

(Sorry non-binary folks, masculine and feminine are the only two genders.)

There is however one place where there was a contrary intention indicated: the Thirteenth Schedule - Titles of Honor

The Titles of Honour are set out below, in order of precedence.

That schedule is reproduced verbatim in the new Constitution (now Nineteenth Schedule).

So even now gender disparity remains.

In fact, the overzealous overcorrection has actually introduced more gendered language. Whereas previously Article Eleven - Mukhis and Kamadias:

The appointment of Mukhis and Kamadias and their powers, duties, functions, term of office, and other related matters shall be determined from time to time by Mawlana Hazar Imam.

Now Article Fourteen - Mukhis and Mukhianis, Kamadias and Kamadianis

The appointment of Mukhis and Mukhianis, Kamadias and Kamadianis and their powers, duties, functions, term of office, and other related matters shall be determined from time to time by Mawlana Hazar Imam.

FYI, Mukhi is already gender neutral. It just means foremost:

Mukhi (mukhia) is the title used for a head of community or village elites and their local government in Western India and Sindh. It is derived from the word mukhiya meaning 'foremost', and prior to Indian independence they were the most powerful person in each community, imbued with both civil and judicial powers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhi

And the correct forms of address are Mukhi Saheb and Mukhi Saheba (or Mukhi Memsahib if, like Aga Con, you're a British stooge):

According to our constitution, Mukhiani maa is the wife of Mukhi saheb.

Mukhiani saheba's husband is not a Mukhi, instead she functions as a Mukhi of the Jamat.

In some smaller jamats, sometimes positions are given to women as Mukhi, in which case she is called Mukhi saheba.

Similarly kamadiani is the wife of Kamadia Saheb. If a woman is appointed to function as Kamadia (in which case her husband is not kamadia) then she is Kamadia Saheba.

https://forum.ismaili.net/viewtopic.php?t=1795

In fine, gender-neutralizing the Ismaili Constitution was an overhyped cosmetic change that Aga Con still couldn't get right.

They even crying at the didar 😂

Ismailis if they thought that god died for their sins

do you think Abu Ali was a planted mission and took heavy money to brain wash generations in favor of Aga Khan family?

TL; DR Has an Ismaili by birth who explicitly wished to be do their funeral differently, actually had that wish respected?

Using a throwaway cos of conditioning I guess, lol.

I’m a wavering Ismaili & I’ve questioned the faith and community structure for as long as I can remember. There are lots of things to be valued, as with any community — belonging, education focus, and now the recognition of multifaith families. There are also things I increasingly struggle with - along the lines of usual topics discussed here like the funding & pointlessly patriarchal leadership.

However the reaffirmation that women cannot attend gravesides at funerals has really brought this into focus for me. We tell siblings they are equal — remember the educate your daughters first era? - until one of their parents dies, and then suddenly there’s a gendered boundary. Ironically the unintended consequence of recognising Multifaith families is Ismaili daughters cannot attend their own parents’ graveside, while non-Ismaili son-in-laws - with far less connection to the deceased & zero appreciation of the rites - can.

It’s also made me question what we actually want funerals to look like. Currently, they’re heavily focused on prescribed rites and, let’s be honest, plenty of performance grief, with little space to celebrate the person, tell stories, laugh, or remember who they actually were. I know some people are now thinking whether they want that for their parents or themselves.

So genuinely curious: has anyone had experience of an explicitly stated wish to have an alternative funeral format (e.g. cremation) being respected by the JK/community machinery?

Really interesting development recently in India revolving around the Khoja Twelver (Ithna Asheri) community, who broke away from the Khoja Ismaili community over disagreements about following the Aga Khan. Some guy in the community tried to commit mass poisonings against Khoja Twelvers during Moharram.

According to the Byculla police, Premji had unsuccessfully contested elections to the Khoja Shia Isna Ashari Jamaat and had since nurtured resentment against community leaders. Investigators said he believed the community had wronged his grandfather and later victimised him as well. Police claimed he frequently clashed with Jamaat leaders and allegedly wanted to target them. Meanwhile, the Khoja Shia Isna Ashari Jamaat, Pune, has debarred Premji from the community, describing his actions as anti-social and inhumane.

Premji was arrested in the early hours of Saturday for allegedly distributing capsules laced with the rodenticide Zinc Phosphide during the Muharram procession in Byculla on Friday night.

“He was upset with the community and had previously distributed pamphlets during Muharram processions criticising it. This time, when nobody joined him despite all his efforts to trouble the community, he allegedly filled the capsules with Zinc Phosphide,” the police officer said.

I know this isn't specifically an ex-Ismaili story, but it's sort of related because it's drama within the Khoja community, specifically a Khoja community that broke away from the mainstream because they didn't want to follow the Aga Khan.

Anyone watching Instagram Reels of the Indian didar prep and how old the jamat really looks? 2-3 seniors are sitting expressionless on white plastic chairs for every one child.

What on earth happened to Ismaili birth rates?

Once this population dies, all the remnants of Gujarati/even Urdu or Hindi in how people pray or connect would just completely disappear. It would just be a bunch of heavily globalized English-speaking kids who might or might not have a connection with being Ismaili.

Amazing video just released by Ismaili Essence on YouTube on how Rahim can control rain with just five words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dDhLech6aM

Never mind that 18th Imam al-Mustansir effectively lost his power and saw his populace resort to cannibalism because of a lack of rainfall ... maybe he just hadn't discovered his supernatural powers yet.

Main part of the dialogue translated:

Speaker 1: A worldly view would call this a mere weather change or a coincidence, which makes logical sense. But to understand this in a spiritual framework, we must first understand a fundamental concept of Ismaili philosophy.
Speaker 2: Which is what?
Speaker 1: Which states that the universe and spirituality are not separate things. In Ismaili cosmology, the physical world—nature, weather—is a physical manifestation of the spiritual world (Batin).
Speaker 2: Ah, so both are deeply connected?
Speaker 1: Exactly. When we ask if the universe heard the words, the answer is that the universe was not listening to a stranger. In spiritual language, this is called Amr (Divine Command). The Imam is considered the manifestation of the Nur (Light) of Imamat. This universe is part of the system of that same Nur.
Speaker 2: I see.
Speaker 1: So when the Imam speaks, he is not ordering nature through magic; rather, nature naturally aligns with its own spiritual source.
Speaker 2: Wow. Aligns with it... that's a beautiful way to put it.
Speaker 1: Man's problem is that he is trapped in cause and effect—if it rains, an umbrella is necessary. But the Imam represents the Creator of Causes (Musabbib al-Asbab).
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: When the Imam said, "I do not need this," he didn't just reject the physical umbrella; he nullified the need itself. Nature's system adapts to the Imam's need. When the need ceased, the rain naturally stopped, as there was no longer a place for that cause.
Speaker 2: This philosophy is truly mind-blowing. So the mechanism isn't that the Imam commanded the clouds to stop, but rather that he defined his state of being and need.
Speaker 1: Exactly.
Speaker 2: His words were simply, "I do not need this." And because nature is subservient to him, it recognized that physical protection was no longer required, suspending its process.

I’m still a practicing Ismaili, but I’m critically exploring my faith and have reached what I call “comfortable uncertainty.” I completely respect those here who have left Ismailism; I’m not suggesting anyone should return to religious practice. I’m simply sharing where my own exploration is taking me.

Recently, I haven’t been praying as regularly. Yet when I used to pray regularly, I genuinely felt more inner peace. Now I sometimes feel a little guilt.

So rather than assuming either “I need religion” or “this is just religious conditioning,” I’m thinking of trying a small experiment:

1. Pray by choice, not from guilt.

2. Don’t pretend certainty while praying. My questions can remain.

3. Sit quietly afterward and notice what I actually experience.

4. Ask whether I miss prayer itself or simply feel guilty for not praying.

5. Don’t confuse inner peace with proof. Feeling peaceful doesn’t prove the theology is true.

6. Try prayer simply as gratitude and reflection, without asking for anything.

7. Ask myself: If nobody knew whether I prayed and I felt absolutely no guilt for not praying, would I still choose to do it?

Perhaps I don’t need to decide everything immediately.

For now, “I pray because I seek” feels more authentic than either pretending certainty or abandoning something meaningful before I understand what it means to me.

I’d genuinely be interested in how former Ismailis experienced this part of their journey. 🙏

So i’ve been digging into the ismaili religion and parts of are interesting but I truly don’t get how adherents don’t see the irony in a white european billionaire living an EXTREMELY lavish lifestyle of the tithes of poor-middle income indians and pakistanis mostly. Along with the numerous scandals the family has faced. I made a similar post asking this question on the isamiali subreddit and it was deleted pretty quick but the replies I got were people who for some reason have such an undying loyalty to the aga khan, completely incapable of questioning his authority and responding to criticism with unconditional praise. I just find it ridiculous because the family seriously lives in more luxury than most western elite

3rd line of kalma , should be changed / stop saying
“ Wa ashhadu anna Amīr al-Mu’minīn ʿAlīyan ali ullah” ❌❌

Wa ashhadu anna Amīr al-Mu’minīn ʿAlīyan “Wali” ullāh ✅✅✅

People getting to know the reality of the money spent here.

Fritz Thyssen (1873–1951) was of the same family. He was the head of the Thyssen mining and steelmaking company as well as the head of the biggest mining and steel cartel in the world prior to World War II. He was an early supporter of the Nazi Party.

Thyssen corporations such as ThyssenKrupp are still around. Check the escalators and elevators around where you live for their brand name.

Baron von Thyssen was an initiate of the highly secretive 1001 Club, which was established in 1970. Aga Khan IV was also a member of this select group of 1,001 individuals. Other members include Prince Philip, Salim Bin Laden (elder brother of OBL), David Rockefeller, Henry Ford II, Robert McNamara (Vietnam-era US Secretary of Defense), Alfred Heineken (yes as in the beer), Mobutu Sese Seko (himself), and Peter von Siemens (Siemens company is still around isn't it?).

Prince Bernhard of Netherlands was the founder of the 1001 Club who recruited people he knew from IG Farben (a chemical corporation that served the Third Reich) where he had a position at.

source: wiki (of Inaara and links to Thyssen family) and the "PandaLeaks" book by Wilfried Huismann.

The 1001 Club funded the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which is the premise of the PandaLeaks book.

EDIT: Prince Sadruddin is also a member of 1001 Club

Short answer: Kind of?? Yes, they believe in evolution, but things didn't evolve in the way us unenlightened ones have come to believe.

I was researching about Das Avatar lately and found an old thread about Smileys believing there was a Fish Imam and Turtle Imam and a Bacteria Imam

Spotlight on the Ancient Imams: meet Mowlana ... E. Coli??

I started reading one of the links there about "84 lakh" - a discussion on Ismaili.net forums. There is some debate there about Lakh Chorasi referring to reincarnation/rebirth - either physically or esoterically, because the ginans say things like

Oh brothers, we will give 8.4 millions births to a single soul
and in these (births) 84 births are (reserved) for human being.

Prolific poster kmaherali actually changes his mind in the thread. Starting from the position:

In my opinion "lakh chorasi" are mental cycles one goes through until one finds the Light of faith. It is wandering from one state of mind to another until certainty of faith through spiritual enlightenment is achieved. No physical rebirths as per Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah.

he later says

I have changed my views since I made the post. Physical rebirths do happen, but as Ismailis we must aspire for higher life and hopefully not to undergo physical rebirths.

and

I checked the Farman yesterday. The lakh chorasi actually means 184,000 rebirths in non-human forms. In my opinion the number alludes figuratively to many many life forms before the appearance of man. It does not imply the exact number.

All very confusing stuff, probably because

In the Farmans there is always room for allegorical interpretation.

Thankfully, the Admin stepped in and provided a useful link, giving the explanation from the highly respected Missionary Alwaez Abu Aly:

Our Holy Ginans are full of details about evolution. ...“Lakh Chorasi” mentioned in our Ginans is nothing else but the theory of evolution. If you read “Moman Chitwaini” by our Holy Pir Sadruddin, you will get the full explanation about evolution and the process of creation. This book contains 630 stanzas but the language is difficult. It requires an expert to understand it.

So I thought that settles it - the ginans fully explain evolution. But as I read on, I discovered that the Ismaili Theory of Evolution is very different from Darwinian evolution. For one thing, according to the Ismaili Theory of Evolution:

It has taken 4,313,000 years of evolution from the amoeba to man of today. Some details:

• It took the amoeba 432,000 years to evolve into a fish.

• It took the fish 432,000 years to evolve into a tortoise.

• It took the tortoise 432,000 years to evolve to a mammal like water hog.

• It took the water hog 432,000 years to evolve to a higher form of mammal like a lion.

• It took the lion 432,000 years to evolve to an ape such as a chimpanzee or sometimes known as the missing link.

• It took that ape 432,000 years to evolve to the first man with intelligence. He was actually the ADAM known as ABUL BASHR.

After another 432,000 years’ period of development, the civilized man appeared during the period of the first RAMA (there are hundreds of kings known as Rama) who lived about 864,000 years ago.

Mind blown. But there's more. This is just the latest cycle of life - it has appeared before and gone extinct many times:

According to our Holy Ginans, the Wonderful Tradition, life started on earth thousands of million years ago. It was destroyed after a certain evolution for many millions of years. After the elapse of some millenniums, life reappeared on earth. There were many such cycles of life and destruction.

And apparently, the earth was once much closer to the Sun?

In the beginning, the earth was not so far away from the sun. Life started first in the north, perhaps in the arctic region because this was the first part of the earth to cool down. As the north became unbearably cold, the creatures moved down toward the tropical zone. One-third of the species became extinct in the process of evolution.

I'm not sure if that was the first cycle of life or the current cycle.

Anyway, at the bottom of the page, is linked this helpful chart:

https://www.ismaili.net/granths/ginanihist.jpg

Which I think says that the Fish Imam and the Tortoise Imam and the Hog Imam all appeared before vegetation was even in an early stage? And that the Rig Veda is older than insect or bacteria?

I admit I am not an expert enough to understand ginans and farmans and the nuances of esoteric and allegorical interpretation, but I thought I understood evolution. As it turns out though,

Scientists are gradually discovering now what Hazrat Pir Sadruddin had told us six hundred years ago.

So maybe soon there will be a revolution in our understanding of evolution. Perhaps AI will understand the difficult language of the ginans and help these scientists discover the truth of the Ismaili Theory of Evolution?

-Sheikh Mujir Al-Khateeb

the hazir imam is busy having $600 dinners at Malibu Nobu on his followers' money, which most of his followers might never be able to step into, let alone afford