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Ginans (Urdu: گنان, Gujarati: ગિનાન; derived from Sanskrit: ज्ञान jñana, meaning "knowledge") are devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili Muslims.
Literally meaning gnosis, ginans are the devotional literature of the Nizari Ismailis of South Asia, spanning topics of divine love, cosmology, rituals, eschatology, ethical behavior and meditation. Ranging from three verses to hundreds of pages, ginans are attributed to the Pirs, who were second only to the Imams in the Ismaili hierarchy.[1]
It was originally an oral rendition mostly by Pirs, first among whom to come to South Asia was Pir Satgurnur in the 12th century. Ginans are composed in many languages of South Asia, especially Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Burushaski and many more. They are based on verses from the Quran. Like Ginans, Qaseedas are recited in Arabic, Persian or Tajik by Ismailis in Central Asia, Iran and Syria. Ismailis from the subcontinent recite these as well as Arabic and Persian qasidas which are recited before or after the prayer in the Jama'at Khana. Ginan Central[2] is a web portal developed at the University of Saskatchewan Library to safeguard Ginans and promote research and education.
Ginans are devotional hymns recited by the Nizari Ismaili communities in South Asia. The recitation of Ginans is not restricted to just Nizari Ismailis evidenced by the recitation of ginans by many established non-Nizari Ismaili singers such as Abida Parveen who recited the ginan Ya Ali Khub Majalis in the presence of the 49th present and living Imam of the Nizari Ismailis, His Highness Aga Khan IV,[3] the accessibility to view current transcripts and translations of ginans, and the academic literature written on ginans which is made accessible to the larger public.
Although ginans can be recited, studied, and listened to by non-Nizari Ismailis, Ginans hold a special role in the cultural practice and rituals of Nizari Ismailis, specifically the community of Khojas, a caste of South Asians of whom the majority now identify as Nizari Ismaili. The Khojas, contextualized by the history of these Ismaili Pirs and Sayyids, came to follow the Satpanthi tradition; Satpanth means “True Path.”
- ^ Virani, Shafique N. “Symphony of Gnosis: A Self-Definition of the Ismaili Ginān Literature.” Chap. 55. Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought. Edited by Todd Lawson, 503-521. London: I.B. Tauris in association with Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2005. www.academia.edu/36984287/Symphony_of_Gnosis_A_SelfDefinition_of_the_Ismaili_Ginan_Literature.
- ^ "Ginan Central: A Portal to the Ismaili Muslim Community's Ginanic Literature". ginans.usask.ca.
- ^ Kandjee (20 January 2009). "YA ALI KHUB MIJALIS - GOLDEN JUBILEE PROGRAM". Archived from the original on 2021-12-15 – via YouTube.