About Read & Reflect Series
Read & Reflect is a new publication series by the The Institute of Ismaili Studies designed to make Islamic, including Ismaili, intellectual and cultural heritage accessible to general, non-specialist readers.
Each title in the series introduces a focused topic through short, beautifully crafted chapbook style publications that are easy to read and carry. The series brings together original texts, English transliteration, translation, audio recitation, and reflective essays to support understanding, learning, and personal engagement.
Over time, the Read & Reflect series will expand to cover a wide range of themes, including texts, figures, ethics, poetry, history, and devotional traditions, with future editions planned in multiple languages and accessible formats such as audio and podcasts.
Thoughtful, portable, and inclusive, Read & Reflect invites readers to pause, learn, and reconnect with living traditions in everyday moments.
Know Your Qasidas
Discover Ismaili devotional poetry through text, translation and recitation
Translation and Commentary by Daryoush Mohammad Poor
Know Your Qasidas is the first title in the Read & Reflect series, introducing qasidas, devotional compositions central to the spiritual and cultural life of many Ismaili communities, particularly those that are part of Iranian and Central Asian traditions. Each qasidaA polythematic poem originating in pre-Islamic Arabia. It has come to refer to any poem of a certain length in Arabic, Persian and Turkish literatures, often including the eulogy of… More is presented in its original language, with an English transliteration, translation, and a short explanatory essay. QR-linked audio renditions enable readers to listen to and follow the recitation.
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