“Voluntary service to others is viewed as an integral part of daily life never as a burdensome obligation or an elective activity.
Service is a means for each individual to actualise Islam’s ethics of inclusiveness, of compassion, of sharing, of the respect for life, and of personal responsibility for sustaining a healthy physical, social and cultural environment.”
– Princess Zahra Aga Khan, keynote address at the conference of the International Association for Volunteer Effort
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, August 25 1998
The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) was created in 1970 as a global non-profit organization to promote and celebrate volunteering through national chapters. One of the chapters, the Wild Rose Foundation of Alberta, hosted a meeting of volunteers and volunteer organizations from August 23 to 27, 1998 in Edmonton, Canada. Around 2,800 delegates from close to 100 countries attended the five-day event which consisted of more than 214 workshops held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The conference was attended by then Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chretien and Alberta’s then Premier Ralph Klein. In her keynote address at the conference, Princess Zahra, who co-ordinates social development activities of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), spoke of the concept of service in the Ismaili tradition:
“Voluntary service to others is viewed as an integral part of daily life never as a burdensome obligation or an elective activity. Service is a means for each individual to actualise Islam’s ethics of inclusiveness, of compassion, of sharing, of the respect for life, and of personal responsibility for sustaining a healthy physical, social and cultural environment.”
Princess Zahra noted that whilst the importance of donations of time and money was widely recognised, the other two elements were not:
“Thought helps others to help themselves. Knowledge enables the educated to provide technical information to the less educated on how to meet their own needs better and serve others.
“Socialising young people to see voluntary service as an important part of everyday life is the key,” Princess Zahra declared, “and providing models, opportunities, programmes and appropriate incentives are the means.”
Extracts from
AKDN Press Release http://www.akdn.org/Content/531/
UNVolunteers http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/archive/unv-news/unv-news-september-1998/doc/unvs-executive-co-ordinator-addresses/print.html
Research by Nimira Dewji
- Mawlana Hazar Imam was gifted manuscripts on architecture of Andalusia, a Knowledge Society of its time
- Mawlana Hazar Imam Designates Ismaili Center Houston as Darkhana for US Jamat, the ninth Darkhana
- Imam Hasan ala dhikrihi’l-salam appointed Sinan as his deputy in Syria
- The arts of the Fatimids, Mawlana Hazar Imam’s ancestors, continue to inspire
- Rumi: “The light that lights the heart is the Light of God”
- Pir Sabzali: “Hearing the farman, their eyes brimmed over with tears of joy”
- Al-Tusi: “The ‘nass’ is not in order to make him an Imam; it is … so that people should recognise him as such”
More on Volunteering at Ismailimail Archives:
- Karim Chagani of Vancouver (Canada) recognized for his volunteer work
- Calgary’s Ismaili community came together to support victims of domestic violence
- Rai Kamrudin Abdulrasul Rashid on “The Concept of Service in Our Community and the Faith of Our forefathers”
- Sadruddin Noorani: Chand Raat of Rajab 1442 Hijri – February 12, 2021
- Kurla (Mumbai, India) Jamat Khana Volunteers Help Migrants With Water Distribution
- Canadian Ismaili Artists Step Forward to Support @AKDN Global Pandemic Relief Fund
- Ismaili Muslims Put Their Ethics Into Action During Ramadan
- Share Your Blessings: Covid-19 Recovery Drive Hosted by Ismaili Community of Houston
- Ismaili Community Donation for First Responders via @NTV_Houston
- Rahim Moosa: Engage locally and support – you might get more in return for what you give
- JollyGul.com: “Must Watch, Must Listen” January 2020 Dedicated to Ismaili Volunteer Corps (IVC)
- Karim Shivji and Zahra Visram: Workplace team captains from Bank of Montreal (@BMO) — the unsung heroes of corporate giving
- Ameer Keshavjee: @Calgaryherald Compelling Calgarian of 2019
- RAZAKAR (Volunteer) Song Dedicated to Ismaili Volunteer Corps (IVC)
More on Princess Zahra at Ismailimail Archives:
- Mawlana Hazar Imam Aga Khan V receives Uganda’s highest civilian honour and opens transformative new Aga Khan University campus in Kampala
- Uganda | Mawlana Hazar Imam Aga Khan V Arrived at Entebbe
- UK | Sport of Kings: Epsom honours His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in naming of 2025 Derby
- Canada | Concordia University to award Princess Zahra Aga Khan with an honorary doctorate at its spring 2025 convocation
- Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam wins International Service Excellence award
- Global: Why the World Celebrates His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV | Constellation of Honours: Over 300 Accolades from 55 Countries
- UK: Retrospective | Muslim Education: Historical 1957 London video interview of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Be the First to Know – Join Ismailimail
Get breaking news related to the Ismaili Imamat, the world wide Ismaili Muslim community and all their creativity, endeavors and successes.
Subscribe and join 17,000 + other individuals – Subscribe now!
Our Recommendations:
Ismailimail 