By Mohib Ebrahim

Refresh your minds with marvels of wisdom because minds too get tired as your bodies do. — Hazrat Ali

These attractively-formatted thematic charts provide selected quotes from several speeches and interviews for easy-to-digest, one page synopses of some the Aga Khan’s key insights and advices, theme by theme, making them ideal teaching aids, seminar handouts, general references or as informative posters on jamatkhana notice boards. Please see here for suggestions on how you can increase awareness of the thematic charts among your jamats.

Charts for additional themes are published every one to two months. Subscribe to NanoWisdoms Quote and Reading Service to be informed as they are published.

Also available, in the Thematic Quote Browser, is our ever growing collection of extended quotes from Facebook organized by theme together with PDF copies. These attractively formatted PDFs are just one or two pages long, making them ideal for posting on jamatkhana or other notice boards also.

All published thematic charts aggregated into one PDF

Be sure to re-download the aggregate PDF file as it is updated when new thematic charts are published. Individual charts may be viewed or downloaded below.

1. Pluralism

Draws attention to fundamental truths about pluralism, the dangers of not embracing pluralism and how to foster it.

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2. Leadership

Summarises qualities necessary for effective leadership, the vision behind the Aga Khan Academies and necessary characteristics of Muslim leadership to bring about “a revival in Muslim thought.”

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3. Press and Media

Highlights challenges, opportunities and criticisms facing the press and media.

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4. Volunteering

Stresses the professionalisation of volunteers and the necessity of sharing one’s time and knowledge.

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5. Cultural Homogenisation

Draws attention to the trend towards a homogenised, global mono-culture and cautions of the need to balance global and local identities.

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6. Individual Enterprise

Explains that a fundamental requirement of sustainable development is to support the individual.

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7. Seismic Resistance

Reminds us of the seismic risks faced by large segments of the Ummah and offers solutions on how to influence rural construction towards safer building practices.

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8. Enabling Environments

Explains the principles, characteristics and purpose of the Enabling Environment for development and progress.

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9. Freedom and License

Warns against the unacceptable value of unrestrained freedom without responsibility taking hold across both personal and professional facets of Western society.

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10. Economics & Development

Explains the rationale and need for engaging in for-profit economic activity in concert with traditional development programmes.

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11. Dignity

Highlights some of the many facets of human dignity and the ethical imperative to restore and uphold the dignity of the disadvantaged.

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12. Ismailism

Highlights some fundamental tenets, ethics and principles of Ismailism.

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13 Imamat

Explains some fundamental principles of the Imamat.

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14 Modernity and Tradition

Highlighted are the Aga Khan’s unequivocal rejections that Islam is incompatible with the modern world but cautions against abandoning tradition in the face of modernity on the one hand or adhering uncritically to the past on the other.

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15. Merit and Meritocracy

Highlights the value and validity of merit based society, encouraging the trend towards it, but warns Muslim leadership against the unbridled pursuit of merit due its potential to further marginalise the disadvantaged.

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16 Democracy

Draws attention to challenges democracy faces and offers some solutions in addressing these.

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17 History: Islam

Highlights some of Islam’s contributions to human civilisation which permanently moved mankind forward.

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18 Healthcare

Draws attention to healthcare principles often overlooked and highlights lessons learned from AKDN’s long term engagement in healthcare.

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19 Inspiration from Faith

Explains how faith was the inspiration behind Islam’s greatest accomplishments a millennium ago, is the inspiration for the Imamat’s activities today and will necessarily be the source of Islam’s progress in the future.

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20 Women

Emphasises that Islam’s ethics underscore the equality of women, highlights the efforts undertaken by AKDN to improve the status of women in society and notes that long standing cultural traditions make such changes sensitive issues.

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21 Islam: Din and Duniya

Illustrates how Islam’s most fundamental principle governs a Muslim’s life.

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