Greetings! O Emperor of the realm of faith and world

Just over five hundred years ago, an Ismaili pilgrim from Khurasan undertook the long and tortuous journey to far-off Anjudan to fulfill his life’s greatest longing – to behold the vision of his beloved Imam. Mawlana Abd al-Salam had just passed away, and murids from far and wide braved the dangerous voyage to pledge their allegiance and reaffirm their bayat on the occasion of the takht nashini of Imam Gharib Mirza. The Khurasani pilgrim, as the representative of his jamat, composed a touching poem to mark the Imamat Day of the new Imam. Praying on behalf of all the Ismailis the world over, the humble murid wrote:

“As-salam ay Badshah-i din o dunya as-salam!” “Greetings! O Emperor of the realm of faith and world; I come from Khurasan to behold your face. No worship accompanies me as a companion that I may be worthy of pardon. All I have is a soul imperfect, sins and transgressions galore. Despite such worthless goods, I long for your grace, hoping that through me you may forgive the trespasses of your servants – one and all. As you are the sovereign and governor of all creation, this being testified to by the Quran itself, your proper name has been made manifest to all the faithful. You are Shah Gharib and Mustansir, the inheritor of Shah Salam!”