Another practice key to the formation of a transnational Ismaili sense of commonality and shared experience, and one that deserves more attention, is that of didar, which translate loosely from Persian as “audience” (as with a king), or “vision,” which for Ismailis is a peak experience and the subject of numerous narratives. Marsden (2005) writes that “‘catching a glimpse’ (deedar korik) of the Aga Khan is a moment when Ismailis feel themselves to be in the presence of ‘spiritual truth’ (haqiqat); and it is a religious event that is without comparison for Ismaili Muslims”. The didar consists of a formal religious ceremony in which the imam visits a certain area and addresses his adherents. During the address, the imam provides guidance and advice, often relating to the political situation of the community in a certain area, or to proper behavior, to his followers. For many Ismailis, it is a dream to be attained, a goal more valued than any other; this is the moment of contact with the imam, the holiest living person and the intermediary between God and humans. Ismailis see didar as a transformative and pivotal moment in their lives.
The didar narrative of a Badakhshani woman, Zuhro, demonstrates well the level of devotion and loyalty that is given to the imam. Zuhro is a member of an old Badakhshani elite and now works for the provincial government. She described with great emotion the didar as one of the highlights of her life, a peak experience. She waited on the airport tarmac for his arrival Upon seeing him she wept profusely and tried to hide. She searched for English words to say to him as he came to speak to her, and stumbling over her words, finally came out with “all the best!” Afterwards, however, she was struck with intense anxiety over the meaning of “all the best” and realized she didn’t know what she had said or what it meant. She was suddenly regretful. Ultimately, however, she expressed a sense of having received a blessing from heaven and an entirely extraordinary experience. Didar is also important because it is for Ismailis a religious experience unmediated, or less mediated, by institutional process and bureaucracy. For Zuhro, the didar was the “jewel of [her] life.”
Among the earliest texts discussing the Ismaili didar is the Pandiyat-i Jawanmardi, the advice of Imam Mustansir biillah II, dating from the late 1400s. This Imam emphasized the didar/voyage and audience as one of the most important religious duties and experiences (Daftary 1990: 469). In didar (as in Hindu darshan) it is significant both that the devotee see the imam and that the imam see his devotees; to the devotee it is a powerful blessing. Ismailis also believe that there can be a nonphysical didar, in which subjects’ can attain a mental or spiritual vision of the imam in his ideal form. This emerges out of the Ismaili division of the world into internal and external phenomena, as discussed in relation to tawil, zahir, and batin. Thus even Ismailis who are not able to receive the worldly didar can receive the blessing of an inner didar in which the Imam appears to them in their prayers. The Ismaili notion of a “physical didar” is thus contrasted with a didar in the mind’s eye; it is assumed that even Ismailis who do not have the privilege of a direct experience will be paid a spiritual visit by the imam. Ismailis in Tajik Badakhshan spoke frequently of their inner vision of the Imam, even during their long “isolation,” before his first official visit after the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Besides the subjective experience of didar, the ritual also has a wider global social significance. Narratives of the power of didar are found across Ismaili regional cultures, from Syria to the United Kingdom. It is described as fantastical, as a dazzling spectacle, by its witnesses. The ritual form followed is largely the same everywhere. For this reason, and because of its intensity, didar, like some of the other religious rituals discussed, is important in the formation of a shared Ismaili global identity and of Ismaili personal identity; as a public speech event, a face-to-face interaction between the imam and his subjects, didar is a critical discursive moment. It provides an unparalleled encounter in which Ismailis can formulate their own sense of themselves as Ismailis and a central emblematic symbol around which this subjective identity can be formed. But it has an even wider social implication in the transnational context. The experience, because of its intensity and uniformity, becomes a focal point not only within any given local Ismaili community but also across global Ismaili cultures. Thus, like other shared religious experiences, didar acts as a critical process in the formation of a global sense of connection and simultaneity.
Dr. Jonah Steinberg is a cultural anthropologist of the Indian Subcontinent and its diasporas. He received his BA from Swarthmore College and his MA and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and he has been a member of the University of Vermont (UVM) Anthropology faculty since 2006. His book, Isma’ili Modern: Globalization and Identity in a Muslim Community, was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2011. Based on his doctoral research in Pakistan and Tajikistan, the book deals with the dynamics of Himalayan villagers’ membership and participation in the transnational Isma’ili Muslim community.
Header image: Zulfiqar Ali Khan – The significance of October 23
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