Ginans are hymns or religious lyrics of the South Asian Nizari Ismaili communities (known as “khojas”).
Did you know that :
- The term “ginan” comes from the Sanskrit word “jnan” which means “knowledge” or “wisdom”.
- The number of ginans that have been composed is estimated to be several hundred. Some are of a very short length, consisting of as few as four verses, while the long ones are made up of several hundred verses.
- The ginans are composed of words from several languages, such as Sanskrit, Gujarati, Punjabi, Sindhi, Arabic and Persian.
- They were recited orally, and came to be transmitted through a special script called Khojki.
- Some themes of the ginans refer to a wide range of subjects: some are religious stories, while others teach important moral lessons. Some ginans refer to religious festivals and ceremonies and others refer to divine love and devotion.
The verses here are from a ginan attributed to Pir Shams. The ginan expresses the Pir’s desire for the didar of his Lord (saheb).
‘Aba Teri Mahobata Lagi, Mere Saheb’
Now that I am in love with you, my Lord,
My heart is stricken now with love for you.
Let eye look into eye,
Now that I am in love with you, my Lord.
Lift the veil, let us come face to face.
Show your gently smiling face, my Lord,
Now that I am in love with you, my Lord.
For your face I am all athirst, my Lord,
Grant me the gift, that gift of your sight,
Now that I am in love with you, my Lord …
Hand-tooled leather bookbinding, South Asia, date unknown. The intricate geometric and floral designs on this leather bookbinding were painstakingly made by hand. Special manuscripts such as the Qur’an, the Kalam-e Mawla of Hazrat Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) and the ginans were bound and preserved in such beautiful bindings.
In his talk, Alwaez Hussain Jasani of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, explains some key themes addressed in the ginans as well as their Islamic inspiration through the use of vocabulary and images borrowed from the local Hindu context. Listen to this talk if you would like to learn more
A Qasida is a poem of a certain length in Arabic, Persian or Turkish. In the religious tradition of Arabic and Persian speaking Ismailis, the Qasida refers to religious and devotional poetry.
Did you know that :
- A typical Qasida could be a hundred or more verses long.
- Qasidas use the same rhyme throughout the poem. In Arabic, Persian or Urdu as well as other languages, there are many more possible rhymes, and poets showed their skill and their love of language by using them with great inventiveness.
- Poets have written Qasidas on deeply religious themes, beginning with praise of the Prophet (s.a.s) and the Imams, but also on Sufi mystical subjects.
- Qasida remains the poetic form still considered the noblest and the most prestigious of all in Islam
Qasida «Ali Goyam Ali Joyam » by Sabir Kirmani
Morning and Night, besotted am I,
I invoke Ali, I seek Ali
In green expanses, in rose-garden, in desert,
I invoke Ali, I seek Ali
Ali is my soul, Ali is my spirit.
Ali is the repose of my life
Ali is the recitation on my tongue,
I invoke Ali, I seek Ali
Ali the first, Ali the last
Ali the batin (spiritually present), Ali the zahir (physically present)
Ali the pure, Ali the zahir
Divan of Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw, Iran, 19th century
Odes or qasidas of Sayyidna Nasir-i Khusraw, such as “The Excellence of ‘Ali”, were written and compiled together in his Divan.
This page from a 19th-century copy of the Divan comprises an illuminated floral headpiece and is skilfully inscribed in black, coloured and gold inks.
In his talk, Dr. Elnazarov of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, traces the historical context and the place occupied by the qasidas in the devotional ceremonies of the Ismailis of Central Asia. Listen to this talk if you would like to learn more
