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Jama'at Khana

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Not to be confused withMusallah.
A Jama'at Khana inNishapur,Razavi Khorasan Province,Iran.

JamatkhanaorJamat Khana(fromPersian:جماعت خانه,literally "congregational place" ) is an amalgamation derived from the Arabic wordjama‘a(gathering) and the Persian wordkhana(house, place). It is a term used by someMuslimcommunities around the world, particularlysufiones, to a place of gathering.[1]Among some communities of Muslims, the term is often used interchangeably with theArabicwordmusallah(a place of worship that has not been formally sanctified as amasjid[2]or is a place that is being temporarily used as a place of worship by a Muslim). TheNizārī Ismā'īlīcommunity uses the termJama'at Khanato denote their places of worship.[3]

The Jamatkhana as a place of gathering and prayer[edit]

While themasjid(literally: the place of a Muslim'ssujoodor prostration before God) ormosque(in English) is the term used by the Qur'an to denote the primary space ofsalaat(communal Muslim prayers), a range of spaces for Islamic communal purposes can be currently found throughout theMuslimworld.[4]Some are concentrated within particular geographic regions while others are in use by specific communities. Some of these include:husayniyyas[5](also known asashurkhanas,[6]imambaras,[7]matams,[8]ortakyehsinIran[9]) used by Ithna ‘Ashari Shi‘i communities;khanqahs,[10]ribats,[11]takyas[12]andzawiyas[13]used by mystically-oriented Muslim communities commonly referred to asSufis;thecemevi[14]of theTurkishAlevis;thecemxane[15]of theKurdish Alevis;and themajlisandkhalwasof theDruze.[16]ForNizārī Ismā'īlīs,the primary space of religious and social gathering is theJamatkhana.[3]The termJamatkhanais also used to refer to spaces used by a number of other Muslim communities with bases inSouth Asia,such as theChistiSufitariqa,[17]and various branches of theMusta’li Ismailicommunity[18]including theDawoodi BohrasandAlavi Bohras.

TheChistiSufitariqautilizes theirJamatkhanasas a meeting space for conversation and counsel with thepiror teacher.[citation needed]The Shi‘i Bohra Ismaili communities use the term to designate their space for social gatherings andcommunal meals.[3]It is customary amongst many Musta’li Ismaili communities in South Asia and their diasporas to have aJamatkhanain the same complexes as theirmasjids.[citation needed]While the latter is the primary site for formal religious activities of the different branches of Bohra Ismailis – including the Da’udi, Sulaymani, and Alevi – theJamatkhanaacts as a site for less formalized religious gatherings, weddings, feasts and other events aligned with special days. Among Sunni Muslims known asMemons,the termJamatkhanais used to denote a space for cultural gatherings and special occasions.[19]Spaces designated asJamatkhanascan also be seen inMughalcomplexes, such as that of theTaj MahalinAgra.[citation needed]

The Jamatkhana in Nizārī Ismā'īlīsm[edit]

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Main article:Nizārī Ismā'īlī

The exact origins of the use ofJamatkhanain theNizārī Ismā'īlītradition are not as yet clear. However, communal memory, oral traditions and individualGinans(Indo-Muslim religious poems) narrate that Pirs Shams (fl. between 13th and 15th centuries)[20]and Sadr al-Din (fl.14th century),[21]emissaries appointed by theIsmailiImaminPersiaand sent to theSouth Asiain the service of the faith, established the first such spaces for the nascentNizārī Ismā'īlīcommunities inSindh,Punjab,Kashmir[22]and China[23]during their lifetimes.Jannatpuri,a long composition known as agranthand belonging to the genre of theGinans,by Sayyid Imamshah (d. after 1473) situates one of the earliest of theseJamatkhanasto a place by the name of Kotda, which is thought to be in modern-daySindhin Pakistan.[24]The same composition also mentions that the village headman, themukhi(Sanskrit:mukhya) was closely associated with theJamatkhanaas an official.[24]

Earliest Jamatkhanas[edit]

The Jamatkhana was a space particular to several localized Ismaili communities of theSouth Asia,primarily in delta regions.[25]It was subsequently adopted by a wider range of Indian Ismaili communities in subsequent decades and centuries.[citation needed]These diverse groups, each with their own histories, identities and social organization identified themselves using various names such as Momin (or Mumna),[26]Shamsi,[27]Khoja[28]and Gupti.[29]Collectively, these communities adopted the practice ofSatpanth(lit. true path), a designation for Shi‘i Ismailism of this period in the Subcontinent which included communal congregation in theJamatkhana.[30]

The term seems to have come in use to designate the place ofSatpanthireligious gathering fairly late, possibly not until the last decades of the 18th or early years of the 19th centuries.[Note 1]The most common term used in theNizārī Ismā'īlīginansto refer to these spaces is the termgat.[Note 2]

See also:Cem Evi

Evolution of the Jamatkhana[edit]

By the mid-19th century, asNizārī Ismā'īlīcommunities migrated from towns and villages to urban centres throughout the Indian Ocean littoral, thekhanaseems to have become a distinct space housed in a separate structure, usually located within amohalla,or enclave, ofSatpanthibelievers.[citation needed]Several of the oldest extant examples ofJamatkhanasgo back to this period.[citation needed]Most, however, have subsequently been renovated and added to, to accommodate the changing functional needs and ritual practices of thejamats(congregation) that they serve.[citation needed]The oldest of these urban structures can be found in places such as Gwadar (present day Pakistan), Zanzibar and Bombay (present day India).[citation needed]More modest examples that date from this period can also be found throughout Kutch and in Jerruk in interior Sindh, the residence of Aga Khan I upon his arrival to theSouth Asia.The architecture and organization of these spaces tell us that there was no single architectural template or model of theJamatkhana,but rather each was constructed based on a series of circumstances including such things as location, cultural environment, architectural practices of the period and resources available. The variations from oneJamatkhanato the next also gives us clues to the nature of practices, the use and allocation of space and the nature and function of social relationships. Some of these were due to the cultural milieu in which theJamatkhanaswere situated while others followed general traditions of pietic and religious culture, which in turn informed rules of decorum and etiquette within these spaces.

In 1870, the Bombay Jamatkhana in Khadak became the firstJamatkhanaassigned as adarkhana.[Note 3]The term, was initially used to designate the chief residence of the Imam. In later years, however, it came to stand for the principalJamatkhanain a national context. Today, eight countries haveDarkhana Jamatkhanasin theNizārī Ismā'īlītradition. These include India, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Canada, Pakistan, England and Portugal.[31]

Jamatkhana as the Centre of Nizārī Ismā'īlī Practice[edit]

IringaJamatkhana inTanzania.

While theJamatkhanainitially began as a space of congregation specific toSatpanthicommunities, it eventually was adopted by Ismaili communities with different geographic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and historical experiences who before this congregated in spaces with different trajectories and nomenclatures.[32]During the seven decades of Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah, Aga Khan III’s (d. 1957) Imamat, formal relationships with Ismaili communities living in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, the Northern Areas of Pakistan, Persia and Syria, were strengthened.[33]

Ismailis of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, namely Chitral, Ghizr, Gilgit, Hunza, as well as the border regions of China, were some of the first communities to adopt theJamatkhanainto their ritual life. But these Jamat Khana's were not open spaces like the other Jamat Khana's, due to political restrictions, the followers use to meet at a designated house and perform all the rituals. They use to practice their faith in hiding.i.e. they we called the gupti community.

The seeds of these institutions were planted in 1923 when a missionary by the name ofRamzanali Sabzali(d. 1938) was sent to these various communities by Aga Khan III.[Note 4]Jamatkhanas were also introduced in Syria in the period of the 1940s.[citation needed]It was not however, until the tenure and leadership of the present Imam of the Ismailis, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan (b. 1936) that similar spaces were also introduced in Iran (1960s), Afghanistan (1960s and 2001) and Tajikistan (2009).[34]In parts of Iran, spaces referred to askhane-ye kolon[35]andkhanqah[36]preceded theJamatkhana.

Nizārī Ismā'īlī Centres[edit]

Main article:Ismaili Centre
Ismaili Centre in Dushanbe.

In 1979, the foundation stone was laid for what was to becomethe first ‘Ismaili Centre’in London's South Kensington neighbourhood.[37]The high-profile building which was opened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013; r. 1979–1990) in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan in April 1985 was an important chapter in a new era of Ismaili presence in Europe.[38][39]Several months later in August,another Ismaili Centrewas opened in Vancouver's Burnaby district (Canada) by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (1939–2024; r. 1984–1993).[Note 5]Each architecturally unique, these purpose built centres constructed by internationally reputed architects occupy prominent places in their respective cities and include, in addition to the central prayer hall, spaces to facilitate intellectual and social gatherings, meeting rooms, educational facilities, libraries, gardens and water features. The buildings were not only meant to act as symbolic markers of the Ismaili community's presence in England and Canada, but also as an ambassadorial bridge which would continue to help them develop and maintain relationships with other faith groups and civil society organizations.[41][42]

In 1998, thethird such ‘Ismaili Centre’was opened in Lisbon, Portugal.[43][44]The Centre draws inspiration from regional influences of the Moorish architectural heritage such as the Alhambra in Granada as well as that of other Muslim cultural forms such as that of Fatehpur Sikri in India.[45]In particular, the interplay and combination of outdoor and indoor spaces gave the building a different aesthetic and feel from the other Ismaili Centres that had been designed two decades earlier, further demonstrating how time and space influence contemporary Ismaili religious architecture.[46]

The first Ismaili Centre in the Middle East was opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 26, 2008, by the Aga Khan in the presence of senior members of the ruling family of Dubai.[47]The centre, built on land donated by the Shaykh Mohammed b. Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai's ruler in 1982, is the first such Centre in the Middle East.[citation needed]The building draws its inspiration from Cairo'sFatimid architectureheritage, a dynasty founded by the Aga Khan's forefathers and previous Imams of theNizārī Ismā'īlīcommunity in the tenth century.[48][49]

AnIsmaili Centre in Dushanbe,the capitalofTajikistan,firmly located in the Persian-speaking Muslim world, reflects and marks the centuries of Ismaili presence in Central Asia and surrounding regions.[50][51]Opened on October 12, 2009, by Republic's President, Emamoli Rahmon and the Aga Khan, its architecture blends a diverse range of artisanal and craft traditions of the region and draws upon as inspiration of the grand courtyards of Samarkand and Khiva in Uzbekistan as well as the tenth century Samanid mausoleum.[citation needed]Technical innovations include earthquake resistant roofing which transfers structural stress, a heating and air conditioning system based on water source heat pumps and a heat recovery wheel for energy efficiency.[52]

The second Ismaili Centre to be built in Canada, theIsmaili Centre, Toronto,was opened in 2014 in Toronto's Don Mills area[53]and follows the pattern of earlier buildings, representing functionally and symbolically the presence of Ismaili communities in Europe and North America. The Ismaili Centre in Toronto is the largest such centre in the English-speaking world.[54]The Toronto Ismaili Centre shares its grounds with theAga Khan Museum,both of which sit in theAga Khan Park.[55]

Further Ismaili Centres, in various stages of development will follow shortly: centres inHouston, Texasand Los Angeles, California are being planned.[56]

See also[edit]

  • Gymkhana,Anglo-Indian term derived from the Persian word Jamat-khana

Notes[edit]

  1. ^The prefix‘jamat’does not seem to appear in front of the term‘khana’amongst theNizārī Ismā'īlīsin oral renditions or the earliest written texts. The first reference in the English language to theJamatkhanaappears to be in relation to a court case filed against the Khojas of Bombay by Aga Khan I in 1829, but which was later dropped, suggesting the term was in circulation by that point. SeeAga Khan Case,pp. 352, 363, 363a. The termdarkhanaas applied to aJamatkhanaand not simply the Imam’s residence was first seen in usage in 1870 when it was applied to aJamatkhanain Bombay’s Khadak district. Amongst the Imamshahis, the term‘khana’is still used to designate the space used for congregational practices of the community. The term‘Jamatkhana’is absent from their discourses. The termgatjamatreferring to the congregation who gathered in this communal space can be found in manyginans.
  2. ^One of the most commonly recitedginansthat includes this reference is “Gat Maa(n)he Aavine” (Come to the Space of Communal Congregation) attributed to Pir Sadr al-Din in the KhojaNizārī Ismā'īlītradition and Sayyid Imamshah in the Imamshahi tradition. Numerous otherginansalso make reference to the‘gat’as the congregational space of the community and the importance of the rituals that take place within it.
  3. ^However, it is possible that the term was in use somewhat earlier. In Kahak, Iran, there are a number of gravestones which speak about one “Kamadia Datardina Wandani of Darkhanajamat”who came to visit the Imam. The Gujarati-language Khojki inscription places Wandani’s death in 1803. See Ivanow, W. “Tombs of Some Persian Ismaili Imams,” Journal of the British Bombay Royal Asiatic Society, New Serial, Vol. 14 (1938), pp. 58-59. In the contemporary period, the Ismaili Centre, London was dedicated as the firstdarkhanaon April 24, 1985 upon its opening.
  4. ^The diary of Missionary Sabzali, posthumously endowed with the title ofpirby Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah, is extant. It was first published in Gujarati as “Alijah Missionary Sabzalibahi’ni Musafar,” in the weeklyIsmaili(Bombay) between February 17, 1924 and December 5, 1926. A significantly edited version of the text was also published serially in theIsmaili Crescent(Dar es Salaam) between January 8, 1967 and April 2, 1968. This again was reproduced in the fortnightly community magazinePaigham(Karachi) between February 15, 1967 and April 15, 1970 and again in theIsmailibetween March 21 and October 6, 1967. This version culminated in the publication of the serialisation of the journey as a book printed by the Ismaili Printing Press in Bombay in 1968, entitledPir Sabzali’ni Madhaya Asia’ni Musafari.”A version prepared by Sabzali’s personal secretary, Ramzan Ali Alibhai first appeared in thePlatinum Jubilee Bulletin(Bombay) between July 15 and October 1, 1953 and was edited by Jafar Ali H. Lakhani. An English translation is available online as “Voyage of Pir Sabzali in Central Asia,” translated by Mumtaz Tajddin
  5. ^The Foundation Stone Ceremony was conducted on July 24, 1982 and the building was officially opened on August 23, 1985.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^Azim Nanji and Razia Nanji,The Penguin Dictionary of Islam(London: Penguin, 2008), s.v.jamat khana.
  2. ^Fiqh of Masjid & MusallaArchived2011-10-19 at theWayback Machine
  3. ^abcSami Nasib Makarem,The Doctrine of the Ismailis(Beirut: The Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 1972), 70.
  4. ^Renard, John.Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality and the Religious Life of Muslims.University of California Press, 1996, pp. 168-175
  5. ^Deeb, Lara.An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi‘i Lebanon.Princeton University Press, 2006, p. P. 144.
  6. ^Pinault, David.The Shiites: Ritual and Popular Piety in a Muslim Community.Palgrave Macmillan: 1992, p. 80.
  7. ^Das, Neeta.Architecture of Lucknow: Imambaras and Karbalas.B. R. Publishers 2008.
  8. ^Fuller, Graham E. and Rend Rahim Francke.The Arab Shi‘a: The Forgotten Muslims.Palgrave Macmillan: 2000, p. 122–123.
  9. ^Aghaie, Kamran Scot.The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi‘i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran.University of Washington Press, 2004.
  10. ^Peters, Francis E. The Monotheists: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Conflict and Competition – Vol. 2 – The Words and Will of God.Princeton University Press: 2003, p. 278-279.
  11. ^Bonner, Michael David.Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice.Princeton University Press, 2008., p. 136.
  12. ^Norris, H. T. Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society Between Europe and the Arab World.University of South Carolina Press: 1993.
  13. ^Mojuetan, Benson Akutse.History and Underdevelopment in Morocco: The Structural Roots of Conjunture.Lit Verlag: 1995, p. 41.
  14. ^Sökefeld, Martin.TheAleviMovement in Germany and in Transnational Space.Berghahn Books: 2008, pp. 144-177.
  15. ^Deniz, Dilşa (December 2015)."The Path: Dızgun Bawa, As an Example of Relation between Belief and Life Style"(PDF).Religious Inquiries.4(8): 63–82 – via Religious Inquiries.
  16. ^Abu-Izzeddin, Nejla M.The Druzes: A New Study of their History, Faith and Society.E. J. Brill: 1993.
  17. ^Mohamed, Malika.The Foundations of the Composite Culture in India.Aakar Books: 2007, p. 179.
  18. ^Roy, Shibani.The Dawoodi Bohras: An Anthropological Perspective.B. R. Publishing: 1984, p. 77.
  19. ^"Cutchi Memon Jamat of North America - Cutchi Memon Students' Circle, Mumbai".
  20. ^Kassam, Tazim R.Songs of Wisdom and Circles of Dance:Hymnsof theSatpanthIsmailiSaint, Pir Shams.SUNY Press: 1995.
  21. ^Asani, Ali.Ecstasy and Enlightenment.I. B. Tauris: 2002, p. 33.
  22. ^Daftary, Farhad.The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines.2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. 443.
  23. ^Pir Shams. “Mansamjhani,” (Khojki Script). Khoja Sindhi Press, 1912, p. 259, v. 4.
  24. ^abSayyid Imamshah,Jannatpuri.Gujarati Languagecomposition written printed in the Khojki Script by Lalji-Bhai Devraj, Bombay: 1905, v. 84
  25. ^Bovin, Michel.Ismaeliens d’Asie du Sud: Gestion des Heritages et Productions Identitaires.Editions l’Harmattan: 2008, p. 85.
  26. ^Ali Asani.Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia.I. B. Tauris: London, 2002, p. 2.
  27. ^See for example, Dominique-Sila Khan’sCrossing the Threshold: Understanding Religious Identities in South Asia.I. B. Tauris: London, 2004, p. 47.
  28. ^Azim Nanji.TheNizārī Ismā'īlīTradition in the Indo–Pakistan Subcontinent.Delmar: NY, 1978.
  29. ^See for example, Domique-Sila Khan’sConversion and Shifting Identities: Ramdev Pir and the Ismailis of Rajasthan.Manohar, Delhi: 2003, p. 54.
  30. ^Azim Nanji.TheNizārī Ismā'īlīTradition in the Indo–Pakistan Subcontinent.Delmar: NY, 1978.
  31. ^See Aga Khan IV, “The Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims”, Article 10 and Schedule 6. Original version in 1986 and revisions in 1998.
  32. ^Daftary, Farhad.The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines.second ed. Cambridge University Press: 2007, p. 474.
  33. ^SeeMemoirs of Aga Khan:World Enough and Time.Cassel & Company, London: 1954 and reprinted as:World Enough and Time: The Memoirs of Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan IIIin 2 Volumes as part of the series, “Karachi Under the Raj 1843-1947,” Dawn in collaboration with the Trustees of Mohatta Palace Museum and Pakistan Herald Publications, 2005. In the reprint, see for example, “Chapter VIII: The Islamic Concept and My Role as Imam,” pp II:1-39 and “Chapter XIV: My Recent Travels,” pp. II:177-189.
  34. ^Daftary, Farhad.The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines.2nd Edition. Cambridge University Press, pp. 494-496.
  35. ^Muʿizzi, Maryam. “The Ismailis of Iran: From the fall of Alamut up to the present time with a particular reference to the contemporary period”, MA thesis, Department of History, Mashhad University, Mashhad, 1992-3.
  36. ^Keshavjee, Rafique. “The Quest for Gnosis the Call of History: Modernization Among the Ismailis of Iran,” Unpublished PhD Thesis. Harvard University, 1981, p. IV:10.
  37. ^"Foundation Ceremony of the Ismaili Jamat Khana and Center London U.K."
  38. ^"His Highness the Aga Khan in the United Kingdom to mark Golden Jubilee visit - Aga Khan Development Network".
  39. ^Photographs and the speech by Margaret Thatcher
  40. ^"Bruno Freschi, Architect of the Ismaili Centre in Burnaby, in Conversation with Simerg".Simerg - Insights from Around the World.8 April 2009.
  41. ^Daryoush Mohammad Poor,Authority without Territory: The Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili Imamate(New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014), p. 137.
  42. ^"About the Ismaili Centres".The Ismaili.Retrieved17 June2016.
  43. ^"Speech".iis.ac.uk.
  44. ^"Aga Khan and President Sampaio speak on faith and civil society - Aga Khan Development Network".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-24.
  45. ^Richardson, Phyllis. “Ismaili Centre, Lisbon, Portugal,”New Sacred Architecture,pp. 86-91. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2004. Also see Meade, Martin, "Islam in Iberia".Architectural Review(March 2003)
  46. ^"Architectural Record".
  47. ^Opening of the Ismaili Centre Dubai which includes links to speeches, press releases and photographs covering the event
  48. ^"Foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Dubai - Aga Khan Development Network".
  49. ^"Aga Khan announces first Ismaili Centre in Middle East - Aga Khan Development Network".
  50. ^"Foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ismaili Centre - Aga Khan Development Network".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-24.
  51. ^"Aga Khan announces first Ismaili Centre in Central Asia - Aga Khan Development Network".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-24.
  52. ^"Press Release: First Ismaili Centre in Central Asia Opens".The Ismaili.
  53. ^"Opening of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto".
  54. ^"Aga Khan to establish major academic and cultural center and museum in Canada - Aga Khan Development Network".
  55. ^"The Museum and Site".
  56. ^"About the Ismaili Centres".The Ismaili.

External links[edit]

The Ismaili Centres Website[1]

  1. ^"Ismaili Centres: The Ismaili Centres".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-10-12.
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