Syed Dadu, or Pir Dadu was a gifted vakil in Sind. He was born in 879/1474. He was an efficient scholar of Arabic and Persian and acquired high command in Indian languages. His lineage runs as Syed Daud bin Yasir bin Khair al-Din bin Mahr al-Din bin Gul Muhammad bin Hashim bin Moinuddin bin Aminuddin bin Buraqanuddin bin Shamsul wa Shak bin Quwwamuddin bin Syed Ali bin Muhammad bin Hussain bin Daud bin Zaid bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hamza bin Yousuf bin Hasan bin Sakhaudullah bin Abul Hasan bin Abdullah bin Ali Jawad bin Imam Zayn al-Abidin.

Lack of material does not enable to give a detailed account of the Ismaili influence after the death of Shah Tahir Hussain Dakkani on 956/1549 in Ahmadnagar, India. We do not have explicit details, whether his descendants continued the Ismaili mission in the cloak of Shi'ism or not. There are however certain strong indications that a lady ruler, named Chand Bibi was secretly an Ismaili, but her faith is shrouded in her political activities.

"The Hunza valley, a region within the Northern Areas of Pakistan, close to the border with China, reflects the dramatic terrain of the Karakoram Mountain Range, is inhabited by the Ismailis. Hunza was an autonomous feudal kingdom ruled by the Mir until 1974, when it became part of Pakistan's Northern Areas. The history of the Baltit Fort is not precisely known. It was only at the turn of the last century that occupying British forces, compiled written descriptions and some photographic records. According to the local traditions, ascertained by recent scientific testing, the fort was built eight hundred years ago and became a part of the dowry when a princess of Baltistan married the reigning prince of Hunza. More than 70 phases of construction were identified using archaeological techniques during the survey and conservation of the Fort. One of Baltit's earliest phases was dated by Carbon 14 tests and found to be more than 700 years old. The fort, which was described by C.P. Skrine in his Chinese Central Asia as the "most impressively situated mediaeval castle in the world," Until 50 years ago, it remained the residence of the Mirs of Hunza. The plan of the building indicates that it began with a nucleus of one or two fortified houses, which then evolved into a fort towering above the village. The second storey and part of a third were added at different moments over time. The top storey was modified by adding verandas, thus transforming the structure from a fort into a palace.

The word baiyat, occurring 14 times in the Koran is derived from ba'ya meaning sale and purchase, bargain or transaction. In Arabic the word yabi'u means to sell, ba'a means he sold, al-bai'u means sale and al-baya means sale and purchase. In Islamic terminology, the term baya refers to an agreement or undertaking between the master and his followers. Other synonymous expressions appearing in the Koran are al-ahd (13:19-20) and al-mithaq (33:7, 5:14). Thus, baya or baiyat means an agreement or spiritual undertaking between the Lord and his followers. When one swears an oath of allegiance (baiyat), he gets guarantee from his Lord.

"The first battle fought between the Muslims and the Meccans about 80 miles from Medina was that of Badr, lying on the Arabian Peninsula near the Read Sea coast. The date given for the battle is 17th, 19th or 21st Ramzan, 2 A.H./March 13, 15 or 17, 624 A.D. Badr is mentioned explicitly once in the Koran (3:123), but there are allusions to it in at least 32 other verses.

The Prophet had hardly breathed a sigh of relief in Medina when he was confronted with the series of military expeditions against the fronts of the heathen Meccans. Attack was apprehended every moment from without and treachery from within. Small detachments of the Qoraish of Mecca used to go out on marauding expeditions and scour the country right up to the outskirts of Medina. Once, one such party lifted camels from the very pastures of the town.

"The Koran (4:59) says: "O you who believe, obey God, and obey the Messenger and those of you who holds authority (ulul amr)"

Some tend to interpret ulul amr as the rulers. This interpretation is irrational as it is solely based on the twists of history. The majority of the Muslims have remained as a vassal of the monarchs and rulers, interpreting and reinterpreting Islam and the Koran to strengthen their own kingdom. The history of Muslims is replete with the names of rulers whose injustice, debauchery and tyranny have tarnished the name of Islam. If God were to order us to obey such kings and rulers, an impossible situation would be created for Muslims. The wretched followers would be condemned to the displeasure of God, no matter what they do. If they obey these rulers, they have disobeyed the Command of God: "Do not obey a sinner" (76:24). And if they disobey such rulers, they have again disobeyed the Command of God: "Obey the Muslim rulers" (if it would mean so). Therefore if we accept this interpretation, Muslims are condemned to eternal disgrace whether they obey or disobey their fallible (sinful) rulers. Also, there are Muslim rulers of different schools and persuasions. There are Shafi'is, Hanbalis, Malikis, Hanafis, as well as the Shi'ites and Ibadis. Now, according to this interpretation the Sunnis residing under an Ibadi king (like in Jordan) should follow Ibadi tenets; and those residing under a Shi'ites ruler (like in Iran) should follow the Shi'ites beliefs. Do these people have the conviction of courage to follow their professed interpretation to its logical end?

According to the Koran: "God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all (His) creatures. Offspring, one from the other"(3:33-34). The word dhurriya means direct descendants, family or lineage. It occurs 32 times in the Koran in the context of the prophets, indicating that their mission was assigned to their direct descendants to carry on.

Longmont, Colorado is the 13th largest city in Colorado. It is located 31 miles northwest of Denver. The name comes from Longs Peak, which is a mountain located in Colorado and mont from the French word meaning mountain.

According to the Koran: "God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all (His) creatures. Offspring, one from the other"(3:33-34). The word dhurriya means direct descendants, family or lineage. It occurs 32 times in the Koran in the context of the prophets, indicating that their mission was assigned to their direct descendants to carry on.

It was a dark and stormy night in Las Vegas. When I walked out of the casino, my partner said as he got into his car, "Do your best not to kill anyone tonight, Miller." I didn't bother to answer him because that would have been a commitment.

The war in Iraq has seen the lives of 4,000 Americans destroyed for political gain. Despite mass protests and vocal opposition to the war and the underlying reasons behind it, the powers that be have elected to pursue their personal agenda by proxy, spending lives like worthless dollars in a conflict that isn’t necessary and hasn’t been shown to be worthwhile.

Al Gore or John Kerry could have gone down several different roads to achieve the US objectives of controlling the oil reserves in Iraq. But without any leadership abilities, poor breeding, and being surrounded his entire life by some of the most sinister men on the planet, George W. Bush took the only road available to him.

One can tell exactly how much a US voter knows about his or her political party by what they read. As a registered Republican, I can tell you that the information that comes out of right-wing think tanks is far less valuable today than it would have been when the outhouse was the rule, not the exception.

"Prince Aly Salomone Khan, the son of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was born at Turin in Italy on June 13, 1911. Because he was a delicate child, his father decided against sending him to experience the rigours of an English boarding school. He was entrusted to the care of a private tutor, Mr. C.M. Waddington, the former Principal of Mayo College for the sons of Princes in India. He finished his education at Lincoln's Inn, London, though he was not called to the bar. He was fluent in a number of European and Oriental languages. He spoke English in the right Oxford accent, and talked and gave speeches in French with rich fluency.

Angels are generally most closely associated with Christianity, despite their origins in much earlier belief systems and cultures. Nevertheless, the angel has been important to the Christian faith since its conception, and there are almost 300 references to angels in the Bible in some 280 different verses, making it very much a feature of the religion.