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In the wake of 1945, as the smoke cleared from the most devastating conflict in human history, the world faced a choice: continue the cycle of total war or build a platform for permanent diplomacy. The result was the United Nations (UN).
While many view it today as a complex bureaucracy, its founding was driven by five urgent, practical necessities.
1. Correcting the Failures of the Past
Before the UN, there was the League of Nations. Established after WWI, the League was well-intentioned but fundamentally flawed—it had no military power, and key nations (including the U.S.) didn't participate. The UN was designed to be a "League with teeth," featuring a Security Council capable of enforcing its decisions through sanctions or collective military action.
2. Preventing the "Scourge of War"
The primary mandate of the UN is collective security. The founders wanted to ensure that no single nation’s aggression could go unchecked. By creating a forum where every country has a seat, the goal was to move conflict from the battlefield to the debating chamber.
3. A Universal Standard for Human Rights
The atrocities of the 1940s revealed a terrifying truth: without international oversight, a state could commit unspeakable crimes against its own people. The UN was established to codify Human Rights as a global priority, leading to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights—a document that remains the gold standard for justice today.
4. Stability Through International Law
From maritime trade routes to the prosecution of war crimes, the world needs "rules of the road." The UN established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle legal disputes between states, providing a framework for international law that prevents minor disagreements from escalating into regional wars.
5. Solving the Root Causes of Conflict
The founders recognized that war is often a symptom of deeper issues: poverty, hunger, and inequality. Through branches like the WHO (Health), UNESCO (Culture/Education), and the IMF/World Bank, the UN was tasked with fostering economic and social progress to create a world where war becomes unnecessary.
The Reality Check: A Mixed Legacy
For your blog readers, it is worth noting the tension in the UN's design:
The Veto Power: The five permanent members of the Security Council (U.S., UK, France, China, Russia) hold veto power, which often leads to political gridlock during major crises.
Sovereignty vs. Intervention: The UN constantly walks the line between respecting a nation’s independence and intervening to prevent humanitarian disasters.
Conclusion: The UN was not created to "lead humanity to heaven," as second Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld famously said, but "to save humanity from hell." It remains the world's most ambitious experiment in collective survival.
Call to Action (CTA):"In an era of rising regional conflicts, do you think the UN's 1945 structure is still fit for the challenges of 2026?"
For centuries, a fascinating
historical puzzle has perplexed scholars and spiritual seekers alike: Who was
the mysterious “Shams” who transformed Jalaluddin Rumi from a conventional
scholar into history’s most celebrated poet of divine love? The confusion stems
from the fact that three distinct historical figures named “Shams” lived during
roughly the same period, each with connections to Tabriz, Sufism, and spiritual
leadership.
This article examines the
evidence surrounding:
1. Shams Tabrizi
(1185–1248) — The famous Sufi mystic traditionally recognized as Rumi’s teacher
2. Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad
(c. 1230–1310) — The 28th Nizari Ismaili Imam
3. Pir Shams Sabzwari
(c. 1244–1356) — The Ismaili missionary buried in Multan, Pakistan
The
overwhelming consensus in Persian literature and academic sources identifies Shams
Tabrizi (also called Shams al-Din Mohammad) as Rumi’s spiritual mentor.
Their legendary meeting occurred in Konya around 1244 CE, when Shams challenged
Rumi’s scholarly approach to spirituality, leading to an intense companionship
that transformed Rumi from a jurist and theologian into an ecstatic poet of
divine love.
Key
Evidence:
•Rumi’s monumental work Divan-i Shams-i
Tabrizi is explicitly dedicated to him
•Tradition holds that Shams taught Rumi in
seclusion for periods of forty days before fleeing to Damascus
•He retired to Khoy (now in West Azerbaijan
Province, Iran), where he died and is buried
Shams
Tabrizi emphasized finding God within oneself and dissolving boundaries between
teacher and student, lover and beloved. After his mysterious disappearance
(possibly murdered by jealous followers around 1247–1248), Rumi channeled his
grief into thousands of verses where Shams is invoked as a symbol of the divine
beloved.
Imam
Shamsuddin Muhammad was the 28th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili community, born
during the period of Mongol invasions. He succeeded to the Imamat in 1257 after
the execution of his father, Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah, by the Mongols. His
life was marked by concealment (taqiya) to evade persecution.
Key
Characteristics:
•Known as Agha Shams in Syria and Shah
Shams in India
•Also referred to as Shamsu’l Haq in
Iranian poems
•Adopted the guise of a Sufi mystic and worked as
an embroiderer, earning the nickname Zarduz
•Settled near Tabriz in Azerbaijan, where he was
sometimes called “Shams Tabriz” due to his radiant presence
The
Chronological Problem:
Imam
Shamsuddin Muhammad was allegedly born around 1230–1250 CE, while Shams Tabrizi
died in 1248 CE. This timeline makes it chronologically impossible for the
Ismaili Imam to have been Rumi’s teacher, as he would have been an infant or
not yet born when Shams Tabrizi died.
Pir
Shams Sabzwari (also called Shamsuddin Sabzwari Multani) was an Ismaili
missionary who traveled extensively to spread the faith in regions including
Badakhshan, Tibet, Kashmir, Punjab, and India. He settled and is buried in
Multan, Pakistan.
Sources
of Confusion:
•His name “Shams” and missionary work led to him
being confused with Shams Tabrizi in some South Asian traditions
•His tomb in Multan has sometimes been
erroneously linked to Shams Tabrizi
•He composed Ginans (devotional hymns) that
narrate his travels and spiritual teachings
Important
Distinction: No direct ties between Pir Shams and Rumi are documented.
Their lives barely overlapped, and they operated in different spiritual and
geographical spheres.
Research by scholars such as Shafique
Virani reveals that the epithet “zarduz” (the embroiderer) was originally
associated with Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad, who worked as an embroiderer
while living anonymously in Tabriz. This detail somehow transferred to
biographies of Shams Tabrizi, who was actually a weaver and basket-maker by
trade.
This transference indicates that
biographers may have conflated the two figures, transferring details from the
Ismaili Imam’s secretive life to the more famous Sufi mystic.
Within the Ismaili tradition,
there exists a belief that Shams Tabrizi, the teacher of Rumi, was himself an
Ismaili. Aga Khan III is recorded to have stated at the Evian Conference
in 1952 that “Shams Tabriz was Ismaili,” while clarifying that “Rumi was not an
Ismaili though pupil of an Ismaili.” Some Ismaili sources also explicitly
describe him as an “Ismaili Iranian Sufi mystic.”
However, these claims do not
resolve the fundamental chronological issues:
•Rumi was born in 1207 CE
•Shams Tabrizi died in 1248 CE
•Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad’s Imamate began in 1257
CE
The weight of historical
evidence clearly supports Shams Tabrizi as Rumi’s true spiritual
inspiration:
1.Chronological Consistency: Shams Tabrizi
(1185–1248) was alive during Rumi’s formative period (Rumi was born in 1207),
while Imam Shamsuddin would have been too young or not yet born.
2.Literary Evidence: Rumi’s Divan-i
Shams-i Tabrizi explicitly names Shams of Tabriz, and the poetry describes
their relationship in intimate detail.
3.Geographical Consistency: Shams Tabrizi
was from Tabriz and traveled to Konya where he met Rumi, while Imam Shamsuddin
was associated with Azerbaijan and the Alamut region.
4.Academic Consensus: Mainstream Persian
literary studies and historical sources consistently identify Shams Tabrizi as
Rumi’s teacher.
The Ginans
attributed to Pir Shams preserve memory, devotion, and identity—but not modern
historiography. His life story exists on a spectrum from plausible historical
reconstruction to hagiographic legend.
Most Reliable
Elements:
•Missionary activity in Multan, Punjab, and Sindh
(strong historical grounding)
•Use of vernacular languages (Sindhi, Multani,
Gujarati-like dialects)
•Cultural adaptation of teaching (use of Indic
cosmology, Bhakti-style devotion)
•Travel within northwestern India along
documented trade and pilgrimage routes
Legendary
Elements:
•Journeys to Tibet and remote Himalayas (no
Tibetan or Central Asian sources mention him)
•Miraculous conversions and supernatural acts
(standard hagiographic motifs)
•The “Fourteen Regions” mission (likely symbolic
of universality rather than literal travel)
•The famous Gujarat Navratri Garbi episode
(plausible but stylized—Pir Shams allegedly joined Hindu festival dances,
composed 28 garbis, and converted participants)
1. Similar names: All three are called “Shams”
(Arabic for “sun”)
2. Tabriz connections: Both Shams Tabrizi and
Imam Shamsuddin were associated with Tabriz
3. Sufi-Ismaili overlaps: Imam Shamsuddin
disguised himself as a Sufi mystic 4. Transfer of biographical details:
The “embroiderer” epithet moved from the Imam to the Sufi mystic in later accounts
5. Hagiographic expansion: Communities often
magnify founding figures, leading to legendary accounts that obscure historical
facts
The evidence overwhelmingly supports Shams
Tabrizi (1185–1248) as the historical figure who inspired Rumi. The
chronological impossibility of Imam Shamsuddin Muhammad (c. 1230–1310)
serving as Rumi’s teacher, combined with the explicit dedication of Rumi’s Divan-i
Shams-i Tabrizi to the mystic from Tabriz, makes the case clear.
The confusion between these figures is a rich
example of how history, hagiography, and oral tradition can intertwine over
centuries. The Ismaili Imam’s life and epithet became entangled with the
biography of Rumi’s famous teacher, while Pir Shams Sabzwari’s missionary work
in South Asia created additional layers of confusion.
For readers of Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules
of Love, the novel draws on the established tradition of Shams Tabrizi as
Rumi’s teacher. While the book takes creative liberties, it follows the
mainstream historical narrative rather than the Ismaili Imam theory.
The “forty rules” themselves are attributed to
Shams Tabrizi in the novel, reflecting the traditional association of these
spiritual teachings with the famous Sufi master. Whether these rules
historically originated with Shams Tabrizi or represent later Sufi wisdom
compiled under his name, they capture the essence of the transformative
relationship that changed Rumi—and through him, millions of readers across
centuries.
Key Timeline for Reference:
•1185: Shams Tabrizi born in Tabriz
•1207: Rumi born in Balkh
•1244: Rumi meets Shams Tabrizi in Konya
•1248: Shams Tabrizi dies in Khoy
•1256: Fall of Alamut; Imam Rukn al-Din Khurshah
surrenders to Mongols
Sources: Academic Persian literature
studies, Ismaili historical texts (including Noorum Mubin), Ginanic traditions,
and scholarly works by Shafique Virani, Asani, and Nanji.
The Difference Between Intellectual and Ritualistic Faith
Faith can take many forms, but among the most significant distinctions is that between intellectual faith and ritualistic faith. This difference reflects how individuals engage with their religious beliefs—whether through thoughtful understanding or adherence to tradition.
The Qur’anic Emphasis on Intellect
The Qur’an consistently encourages the use of reason, reflection, and critical inquiry. Terms such as tafakkur (contemplation), tadabbur (reflection), and aql (reason) underscore the importance of intellect in the spiritual journey.
Qur’an 2:164 urges believers to “reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth.”
Qur’an 6:57 promises that God will "show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth."
Qur’an 39:18 praises those “who listen to the Word and follow the best of it; those are the ones Allah has guided, and those are people of understanding.”
These verses reveal that faith in Islam is not meant to be blind, but informed, dynamic, and deeply rooted in rational thought.
Intellectual vs. Ritualistic Faith
Intellectual faith is grounded in reasoning, critical reflection, and personal understanding of religious teachings. It encourages believers to seek knowledge, question assumptions, and integrate their faith with contemporary knowledge and ethical concerns.
Ritualistic faith, on the other hand, prioritizes traditional practices, external expressions of devotion, and communal conformity. It emphasizes rituals, ceremonies, and often defers to religious authorities without critical engagement.
Key Differences:
Intellectual Faith
Ritualistic Faith
Based on reason and reflection
Based on tradition and repetition
Encourages critical inquiry
Relies on prescribed rituals
Values autonomy and personal understanding
Emphasizes community conformity
Open to reinterpretation and change
Focused on preserving tradition
Integrates faith with modern knowledge
Often resists modern reinterpretations
The Ismaili Perspective: Faith Anchored in Intellect
The Ismaili Muslim tradition, under the guidance of the Imam of the Time, exemplifies an intellectual approach to faith. His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV has consistently emphasized the harmony of faith and reason:
“The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends the use of the intellect, and I have always maintained that one of the greatest challenges facing Muslims today is the reconciliation of faith with the modern world.”
— H.H. Aga Khan IV, Speech at the 2006 IIS Conference
The Role of the Imam
In Ismaili theology, the Imam is both a spiritual guide and a source of intellectual leadership. His guidance ensures that the faith remains dynamic, relevant, and responsive to the evolving needs of society. The Imam continuously encourages critical thinking, lifelong learning, and ethical engagement with the world.
“Education has been the key to human progress throughout history, and it is the most important investment we can make in the future.”
— H.H. Aga Khan IV, Speech at the Foundation Ceremony of the Aga Khan University, 1983
Hallmarks of an Intellectual Faith in the Ismaili Context
Integration of Faith and Reason: Ismaili thinkers like Nasir Khusraw and al-Kirmani historically engaged deeply with philosophy and science, harmonizing revelation with reason.
Ta’wil (Interpretation): Esoteric interpretation of the Qur’an encourages believers to look beyond the literal and discover deeper meanings.
Commitment to Education: Institutions like the Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia promote intellectual inquiry and leadership.
Global Engagement: Ismailis are encouraged to address contemporary challenges—ethical, environmental, and technological—with faith-based values.
Pluralism: Respect for diverse perspectives is central, reflecting the Quranic emphasis on unity in diversity.
“The real challenge is not the clash of civilizations, but the clash of ignorance.”
— H.H. Aga Khan IV, Address at the Enabling Environment Conference, Nairobi, 2003
Conclusion: Toward a Thoughtful Faith
An intellectual faith does not diminish the value of rituals, but seeks to understand their deeper significance. It asks: Why do we believe what we believe? and How can our faith help us improve the world around us?
As the Aga Khan IV said:
“Faith without knowledge is blind. Knowledge without faith is incomplete.”
— H.H. Aga Khan IV, Speech at Harvard University, 2008
“That intellect is what separates Man from the rest of the physical world in which he lives. And as we develop not only our primary education but also our secondary education, I hope that my Jamat will find great happiness in reading the new books that we will make available on the history of thought, the history of faith within Shia Islam. 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. Of that I am certain.
MHI, 17 August 2007
Let us, therefore, strive to cultivate a faith that is not only heartfelt but also thoughtful—one that inspires us to learn, reflect, and act meaningfully in our communities and beyond.
One of the greatest assumptions about Islamic history is that the Five Pillars were already set and in place at the time of the Prophet's death in 632 CE. However, most changes to these Islamic rituals came from small differences among minority Muslim groups. The major beliefs of the Pillars were already in place, taking the shape of the life and beliefs of the Prophet Muhammad.
The history of the five Arkan is closely tied to the history of Islam itself. The Shahadah was the first thing that the Prophet Muhammad preached, and it is the foundation of all Islamic beliefs. The Salah was also established early on in Islam, and it is one of the most important practices in the religion. The Sawm was first required during the month of Ramadan in the second year after the Hijrah, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. The Zakat was also established during this time, and it is one of the most important pillars of social justice in Islam. The Hajj was not required until the sixth year after the Hijrah, but it has since become one of the most important pilgrimages in the world.
The five Arkan have been practised by Muslims for centuries, and they continue to be essential for Muslims today. They are the foundation of Islam, and they are essential for Muslims to follow in order to be considered Muslim.
CODIFICATION - Sahih Muslim (Arabic: صحيح مسلم, romanized: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim) is a 9th-century hadith collection and a book of sunnah compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued books in Sunni Islam after the Quran, alongside Sahih al-Bukhari.
The Five Pillars are alluded to in the Quran, and some are even specifically stated in the Quran, like the Hajj to Mecca. However, the difference in the practice of these traditions is accepted in Islam of the Five Pillars, but this does not mean they have all existed since the life of Muhammad. The evidence of differences shows pillars have not always been consistent with what they are today, so it has taken many years for the Pillars to get to their current and classic form.
The Five Pillars of Islam (arkān al-Islām أركان الإسلام; also arkān ad-dīn أركان الدين "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on the basic details of the performance and practice of these acts, but the Shia do not refer to them by the same name (see Ancillaries of the Faith, for the Twelvers, and Seven pillars of Ismailism). They are: Muslim creed, prayer, charity to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.
Pillars of Shia Islam
Twelvers
Twelver Shia Islam has five Usul al-Din and ten Furu al-Din, i.e., the Shia Islamic beliefs and practices. The Twelver Shia Islam Usul al-Din, equivalent to a Shia Five Pillars, are all beliefs considered foundational to Islam, and thus classified a bit differently from those listed above.[34] They are:
In addition to these five pillars, there are ten practices that Shia Muslims must perform, called the Ancillaries of the Faith[35] (Arabic: furūʿ al-dīn).
Zakat: Almsgiving, similar to Sunni Islam, it applies to money, cattle, silver, gold, dates, raisins, wheat, and barley.
Khums: An annual taxation of one-fifth (20%) of the gains that a year has been passed on without using. Khums is paid to the Imams; indirectly to poor and needy people.
Salah: Unlike Sunni and Twelver Muslims, Nizari Ismailis reason that it is up to the current imām to designate the style and form of prayer.
Zakat: with the exception of the Druze, all Ismaili madhhabs have practices resembling that of Sunni and Twelvers, with the addition of the characteristic Shia khums.
Sawm: Nizaris and Musta'lis believe in both a metaphorical and literal meaning of fasting.
Hajj: For Ismailis, this means visiting the imām or his representative and that this is the greatest and most spiritual of all pilgrimages. The Mustaali maintain also the practice of going to Mecca. The Druze interpret this completely metaphorically as "fleeing from devils and oppressors" and rarely go to Mecca.[37]
Jihad "Struggle": "the Greater Struggle" and "the Lesser Struggle"
General Overviews
There are many basic, introductory texts that incorporate discussions of the five pillars into the big picture of Islamic history, using Muhammad’s lifetime and basic foundational practices as a springboard for broader discussion of the development of faith and practice over time and space, including as a matter of cultural production.
Almost as soon as the Arab armies of Islam conquered new lands, they began erecting mosques and palaces and commissioning other works of art as expressions of their faith and culture. Many aspects of religious practice in Islam also emerged and were codified. The religious practice of Islam, which literally means "to submit to God", is based on tenets that are known as the Five Pillars (arkan), to which all members of the Islamic community (umma) should adhere.
Imām Muslim -Imām Muslim's full name is Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjāj ibn Muslim ibn Warat al-Qushayri al- Naysaburi (206-261 AH/821-875 AD).- meticulously collected 300,000 hadith and after a thorough examination of them retained only 4000, the genuineness of which were fully established. He prefixed to his compilation a very illuminating introduction, in which he specified some of the principles in which he had followed in the choice of his material. Imam Muslim has to his credit many other valuable contributions to different branches of Hadith literature, and most of them retain their eminence even to the present day.
Central to faith and practice in Islam are the five pillars outlined in the Hadith of Gabriel, recorded in Sahih Muslim: witnessing (shahadah), the five daily prayers (salat), almsgiving (zakat), fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the hajj pilgrimage. The declaration of faith (shahadah) that marks entrance into the Muslim community of believers (ummah) is intended to be expressed through adherence to the other four pillars. Although all of the pillars are required of the individual Muslim, they also have a collective dimension, thus demonstrating Islam’s emphasis on individual responsibility and accountability on the one hand and community building and solidarity on the other. Despite agreement on the importance of the five pillars, there is no absolute consensus on their ritual performance. It should be noted that jihad is not one of the five topillars, although some have given it an unofficial status of being the “sixth” pillar.
The Five Pillars of Islam were not formally codified at a single moment by a specific person, but rather crystallized gradually through the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and were later systematized by early Islamic scholars. Here's a breakdown of their codification:
1. During the Lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE)
The practices of the Five Pillars were established during Muhammad’s life, based on revelations in the Qur'an and the Prophet’s actions (Sunnah).
For example:
Prayer (Salah) was commanded in the Qur’an and modeled by the Prophet.
Zakat and fasting in Ramadan (Sawm) were mandated in Medina.
Hajj was reformed after the conquest of Mecca in 630 CE.
The Shahada emerged as the core creed early in the Meccan period.
But the concept of "Five Pillars" as a structured set was not named during his lifetime.
2. Codification by Early Islamic Scholars (8th–10th centuries CE)
The formulation of the Five Pillars as a structured framework came after Muhammad’s death, during the period when Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) was being developed.
This took place in the Abbasid era, as scholars began to systematize Islamic law and theology.
Key moments:
Hadith literature was central to this codification. One of the earliest and most famous hadiths:
Hadith of Gabriel (reported in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari): The angel Gabriel asks the Prophet about Islam, and he replies by listing the five pillars.
Scholars like Imam al-Shafi‘i (d. 820 CE), Imam Malik, and others used these hadiths to define and teach the pillars systematically.
The concept was further popularized in legal and theological texts across the four Sunni schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanbali).
3. Sunni and Shia Perspectives
Sunnis universally recognize the Five Pillars as core practices.
Shia Islam, while accepting the same acts (e.g., prayer, fasting, pilgrimage), frames them within a broader set of “branches of religion” (Furu‘ al-Din) that also includes jihad, amr bil maʿruf (commanding good), and nahi ʿan al-munkar (forbidding evil).
Thus, while the five acts were practiced from the beginning, their labeling as “pillars” (Arkan al-Islam) was a later scholarly development, not a divine decree or formal announcement by a caliph or ruler.
Summary
Period
Event
Description
610–632 CE
Life of Muhammad
Practices of the Five Pillars instituted through Qur’an and Sunnah
8th–9th century CE
Hadith compilation
"Five Pillars" term appears in Hadith of Gabriel and others
9th–10th century CE
Islamic legal theory
Scholars formalize the Pillars in legal and educational texts
Ongoing
Sunni and Shia theology
Pillars accepted, but framed differently across sects
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