Holy Du'a
Encyclopedia
Holy Du'ā is the mandatory Nizari Ismaili
Nizari
'The Shī‘a Imami Ismā‘īlī Tariqah also referred to as the Ismā‘īlī or Nizārī , is a path of Shī‘a Islām, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam and form the majority...

 prayer recited three times a day, at dawn (Fajr
Fajr
The Fajr prayer is the first of the five daily prayers offered by practising Muslims. The five daily prayers collectively form one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the Religion according to Shia Islam.The Fajr prayer is mentioned by name in the...

), sundown (Maghrib
Maghrib
The Maghrib prayer , prayed just after sunset, is the fourth of five formal daily prayers performed by practicing Muslims.The formal daily prayers of Islam comprise different numbers of units, called rak'at. The Maghrib prayer has three obligatory rak'at. The first two fard rak'at are prayed...

) and evening (Isha'a
Isha'a
The Isha prayer is the night-time daily prayer recited by practising Muslims. It is the fifth of the five daily prayers– [islamic evening begins at maghrib]. The five daily prayers collectively are one pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Practices of the...

). Only Nizari Ismailis are permitted to enter the Jamatkhana during the recitation the Holy Du'a, however it can be performed in one's home or any other place as well. Each Holy Du'a consists of 6 Raka'ah
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...

s, totaling 18 Raka'ah
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...

 per day as opposed to the 17 of Sunni or Ithna'ashari Salah. Jamatkhana's are usually built facing the Qibla
Qibla
The Qiblah , also transliterated as Qibla, Kiblah or Kibla, is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah...

 in Makkah though Ismailis believe that "to Allah belongeth the East and the West" (Holy Qur'an 2:142). The Du'a contains two positions of prayer Qu'ood (sitting) and Sajada(done at the end of each raka'ah
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...

 and includes 5 Du'a e Qunoot (the posture where the hands are raised imploring Allah for blessings)Tasbih
Tasbih
A misbaha , subha , Tasbih , or tespih is a string of prayer beads which is traditionally used by Muslims to keep track of counting in tasbih....

 is used at various points during the Du'a and is kept in front of the person during the remainder of the Du'a. At the end of prayers one turns to one's neighbour and says "Shah jo Deedar" (may you be blessed with the deedar of your Lord). A major difference with other forms of Islamic prayer is that a male or female of any age who knows their Du'a may lead the ceremony, this emphasizes the utter equality of male and female in Nizari Ismailism.
The Holy Du'a is recited in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...



The Holy Du'a starts with Surah Fatiha and the last part raka'ah
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...

 contains Surah Ikhlas. At the end, after the utterance of "Shah jo deedar" to both sides, as a gesture of humility one takes the dust of the place where the murid
Murid
Murid is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' from the root meaning "willpower" or "self-esteem". It refers to a person who is committed to a Murshid in a Tariqa of Sufism. Also known as a Salik , a murid is an initiate into the mystic philosophy of Sufism. When the Talib makes a pledge to a...

 has done sajdah and rubs it on their face three times, following the example of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

 while simultaneously reciting the shahadah.

Towards the end of the Du'a a list of all the Nizari Ismaili Imams is read beginning with Ali and ending with the current Imam.
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