453)A Blog Constructed Within a Scaffolding of the Al Sijistani-Khusraw Cosmological Doctrine and, Everywhere I Turn, There is Blogpost Four Hundred..

Blogpost Four Hundred,

http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html

has turned out to be the high octane fuel that powers my now 453-post blog on the Link between Science and Religion in Islam. The post known as Blogpost Four Hundred has had numerous earlier incremental incarnations that have evolved with and grown this blog from its inception in March 2006 to the present, all detailed here:

http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/10/412blogpost-four-hundred-and-all-its.html

From the time one of our apex institutions, The Institute of Ismaili Studies,

http://www.iis.ac.uk/home.asp?I=en

began to churn out high quality, well-researched books after 1977 I became fascinated with Philosphical Ismailism, particularly those books that revealed fusions between the so-called "pagan" philosophy of the Greeks, notably Plato, Plotinus and Aristotle, and longstanding Shia Ismaili Muslim theological thoughts and ideas. Interestingly, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas did the same with early Christianity and Moses Maimonides with Judaism. I discovered the Ikhwan Al Safa and the Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist-philosopher-theologian-poets, the former operating in and around the Imamats of the 4th and 5th Shia Ismaili Imams, the latter around the 14th to 18th Shia Ismaili Imams. In keeping with my background and deep interest in Science(the Life Sciences in particular) I was always on the lookout for ways to connect these two interests and harmonise them into one cohesive whole:

http://www.iep.utm.edu/i/ismaili.htm

Concurrent to the above search I also studied and began a collection of Quranic Ayats, Prophetic Hadith, many speeches, interviews and irshads of our present Imam Aga Khan IV and some of his predecessor Imams like Aga Khan III, Imam Jafar As Sadiq and Imam Ali, excerpts of our well-known cosmologist-philosopher-poets of yesteryear like Abu Yakub Al Sijistani, Nasir Khusraw, Al Kirmani and finally excerpts from other well-known philosophers, scientists and scholars like Aristotle, Albert Einstein and Azim Nanji. My Blogpost Four Hundred is a collection of about one hundred excerpts and quotes by the above-mentioned, mostly Aga Khan IV, on the subjects of Knowledge, Intellect, Creation, Education, Science and Religion.

My blog is constructed and conceived within a scaffolding of the Al Sijistani-Khusraw cosmological doctrine(identifying the four wellsprings of knowledge: Intellect, Soul, Natiq and Asas), allowing for the discoveries of modern, empirical science to fit neatly into its overall structure. Abu Yakub Al Sijistani and Nasir Khusraw were Ismaili cosmologist-philosopher-theologian-poets who lived during the period of the 14th to 18th Fatimid Ismaili Imam-Caliphs in Egypt around a thousand years ago:

http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/284abu-yakub-al-sijistani-cosmologist.html

http://www.iep.utm.edu/k/khusraw.htm

http://www.iep.utm.edu/i/ikhwan.htm


My Blog has the following description:

"This blog contains my thoughts on the above, reflecting the tradition of Shia Ismaili Islam: The material universe is part of the structure of truth, the ultimate nature of which it is the goal of religion to reach(monoreality). Among other things this blog asks two questions, what is the universe made up of and how does it operate? The answer to these questions finds its way onto a continuum of knowledge ranging from rationally-acquired knowledge to transcendental knowledge of the divine.

The signature post of my blog, Blogpost Four Hundred, quotes by Aga Khan IV and others, forms a solid doctrinal underpinning to my blog.

Quote of the Blog:"The Quran itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation"(Aga Khan IV, Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007).

This is what drives my blog: The Prophet Mohammed said that the first(and only) thing that was originated, through the Divine Command or Will, by the Absolutely Transcendent God, was Intellect(Aql). Intellect(from which all else emanates) provides 'tayyid' or inspiration to Natiq(Speaking Prophet, of whom there were six great ones) and Soul; Natiq composes('talif') a scripture made up of words and sentences from this inspiration, and Soul composes('tarkib') a universe made up of matter from this inspiration. This is what forms the basis of the link between science and religion. The compositions of Natiq and Soul are equivalent(both called 'ayats' or 'signs') and each contains Intellect wrapped within it. The Asas(Founder) interprets('tawil') the compositions of the Natiq and Soul, unincorporating them to uncover Intellect in its pure glory."



And so the Blog continues.........

As I survey the universe around me and each new scientific discovery I am filled with indescribable awe, wonder and inspiration and cannot escape the realization that "Everywhere I turn, there is the Face of Allah" in immanence and transcendence.


Related posts:
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/easy-nashs-blogpost-four-hundred-updated-with-quotes-from-the-opening-of-the-delegation-of-the-ismaili-imamat/

http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/tag/easy-nash/



Easy Nash

The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)