榴莲视频官方

Students and researchers at the IIS, particularly those studying Satpanth Ismaili traditions will remember with great admiration and affection an esteemed scholar, Zawahir (Noorally) Moir, who passed away in London on 9th February 2024 at 91.

Zawahir Moir in her home
Zawahir Moir in her home. Photo from Hussain Jasani.

Zawahir was born in Karachi in 1933. She obtained a BA in Arabic and Islamic Culture from in 1956, where she went on to study for her masters in Islamic History in 1958. After completing her studies, she received a scholarship from His Highness the Aga Khan to pursue her MA from the (SOAS) in London. After completing her MA, she returned to Karachi and joined the then Ismailia Association for Pakistan for almost 15 years before returning to London in 1979. Once back in London, she worked at IIS, cataloguing Khojki manuscripts in its collection. Even after leaving the IIS, she continued to teach Khojki to interested IIS students. She participated in multiple international conferences in France, Iran, India, Pakistan, and the UK.

Zawahir Moir speakign at a conference in 2006
Zawahir speaking at the Devotional Expressions of South Asian Muslims Conference organised by the IIS in Nov 2006.

Zawahir鈥檚 contributions to research on Satpanth Ismaili history and literature have left a lasting impact on the study of the Indian Ismaili tradition. Professor Ali Asani, a scholar of Ginanic studies and a member of the IIS鈥 Board of Governors, acknowledged, 鈥淲e are all indebted to Zawahir Moir for her pioneering studies on the Satpanth Ismaili tradition鈥︹. On hearing the news about Zawahir鈥檚 passing away, Zayn Kassam, the Director of IIS, exclaimed,

I find myself filled with gratitude for Zawahir鈥檚 presence鈥攆or the person she was, and the many, many contributions she made in training students in reading Khojki, the study of 驳颈苍腻苍蝉, and for her fine scholarship on the subject.

There is hardly any contemporary scholar of Ginanic studies who has not benefited from her academic advice and support. She often mentioned how Gulshan Khaki requested her assistance in reading and deciphering some Khojki Ginan manuscripts preserved at the then Ismailia Association for Pakistan (now ITREB Pakistan). In her diary, she mentions how Professor Azim Nanji benefitted from the first cataloguing work of 110 Khojki manuscripts that she carried out in Karachi. She often fondly spoke about Professor Ali Asani鈥檚 visit to Karachi as a graduate student studying at Harvard and their continued association for decades. While remembering her contribution, writes, 鈥Zawahir Moir, a much beloved scholar, laid the foundation for work on Khojki manuscripts with her painstaking work on the first catalogue of Khojki manuscripts鈥.

cover page: Catalogue of Khojki Manuscripts
Catalogue of Khojki Manuscripts, compiled by Zawahir Moir and published by the Ismaili Association for Pakistan, 1971.

The list of researchers who benefited from her expertise, academic advice and generosity in sharing manuscript copies and materials is too long to be recounted here. Dr Wafi Momin highlighted: 鈥She was a great person and always selflessly supported students and younger scholars in their research and scholarship.鈥 He added the importance of acknowledging 鈥渉er important contributions, and especially the support and learnings, both formal and informal, she provided to IIS students in a number of areas, Khojki [script], South Asian Ismaili tradition, and Ginans.鈥 On hearing the news, Dr Laila Halani wrote: 鈥渟he has spent a considerable amount of her time helping IIS students study Khojki so that we had enough scholars to read and analyse the Khojki manuscripts in our collection.鈥

Zawahir鈥檚 published works continue to guide students of Ginanic studies. She has published widely in this area, making significant contributions, especially on the history of the lives of the Satpanth pirs (saint-teachers), and on the period of the arrival of the first Aga Khan to India. Further, the book she co-authored with her friend and colleague , (1992), was a major intervention in the study of Satpanth literature. Not only did it provide a translation and analysis of several poems from the corpus of 驳颈苍腻苍 literature into English for the first time, its critical introduction also assessed the history, philology, and prosody of the Ismail 驳颈苍腻苍 literature in pathbreaking ways.

The scholarly accomplishments of Zawahir Moir and the care she and her husband had for their students and colleagues are noted by many who would visit her to learn more about 驳颈苍腻苍s. As Christopher Shackle writes in the book that was produced in her honour, (2010), 鈥楳artin and Zawahir鈥檚 wonderfully embracing and hospitable attic flat in Hampstead鈥 must, over the years, have been the scene of more 驳颈苍腻苍ic interchanges than any other home in London.鈥 Another close friend of Zawahir, the late Dominique Sila-Khan, similarly notes in her (1997), 鈥淭he growth of the field of 驳颈苍腻苍 studies owes so much to Zawahir Moir鈥檚 ability to succor others, to her encouragement of their efforts, and her consistent willingness to share knowledge without looking for personal returns or even due acknowledgement鈥.

Zawahir and Martin Moir in the Garden of Life at the Aga Khan Centre
Zawahir and her husband Martin enjoy the Garden of Life in the Aga Khan Centre, London (2021). Photo from Hussain Jasani

Her contribution to the field is not limited to two major Catalogues of the Khojki work (unpublished) but numerous articles that she contributed to academic journals, edited volumes and community publications.

Zawahir was working closely with scholars of Ismaili studies in the 1960s and 70s. Wladimir Ivanow, a Russian orientalist and leading pioneer in modern Ismaili studies, regularly communicated with her and relied on her support during his stay in Karachi. In September 1968, when approached by Dr Farhad Daftary to help him with his research on the history of Ismaili Imams, Ivanow requested Zawahir to put Dr Daftary in touch with Bernard Lewis. She participated in the historic conference that was held in Paris in 1975. The conference deliberations led to the establishment of 榴莲视频官方 of Ismaili Studies in 1977.

Her enriching life stories and deep commitment to the poetic traditions of South Asia, and especially the Ismaili 驳颈苍腻苍s, will continue to inspire the researchers. The maxim 鈥榯hose who love us never leave us鈥 will remain ever true for us in our memories of Zawahir. Although she now rests, the legacy of her scholarly work, and her enthusiastic spirit, will continue to shape the field of Ismaili Studies in the years to come.鈥疶he South Asian Studies Unit at the IIS will dedicate a panel in her honour at its upcoming conference, Listening in Many Tongues: Multilingual Interpretive Communities that will be held at the AKC, London (21-22 October 2024).

May her soul rest in Eternal Peace.鈥

Note: Those interested in knowing more on her life and works can refer to 鈥渁 bio-bibliography of Zawahir Moir鈥 put together by Wafi Momin, her student and now the Head of the Ismaili Special Collections Unit at the IIS, in (2010).

Zawahir Moir with Hussain Jasani
This tribute was lovingly compiled by Hussain Jasani, head of the South Asian Studies Unit, and Imran Visram.

Some Tributes that we have received from colleagues in the field and students:

Tazim Kassam

associate professor, Syracuse University

鈥淚n 1979, before I left for fieldwork in India, she patiently showed me how to read and analyse the Khojki script and its variations and shared her deep knowledge and love of the 驳颈苍腻苍s. Even after retiring from the IIS, she generously mentored dozens of students, several of whom went on to work on Satpanth and related literature. Her publication, Ismaili Hymns from South Asia: An Introduction to Ginans, co-authored with Christopher Shackle and republished by Routledge in 2015, remains a classic reference text for the history, translation and analysis of 驳颈苍腻苍s. In 2010, a festschrift edited by Francoise Mallison and Tazim R. Kassam, Ginans: Texts and Contexts, was published in her honour in recognition of her seminal work and dedication to the study of 驳颈苍腻苍s. She will always remain an inspiration to us as we continue to honour her work by keeping alive scholarship on this wonderful poetic and performative tradition of Ismaili Muslims in South Asia.鈥

William Hofmann

research associate, IIS

鈥溾 Her pioneering scholarship in the field of Ismaili studies and particularly on South Asian Ismaili 驳颈苍腻苍s have influenced generations of academics and seekers of knowledge. Although I did not know her personally, her careful and critical work on the Ismaili manuscript tradition and in exploring the contexts and symbology of the 驳颈苍腻苍s (e.g. with Christopher Shackle and Dominique Sila-Khan) have influenced my own, and it is to her that we owe a great debt in the field of Islamic studies in general and Ismaili studies in particular.鈥

Shafique N Virani

associate professor, University of Toronto

Zawahir bai was a legend. Kind, thoughtful, and forever generous with her knowledge, she touched many people. I fondly remember countless delightful conversations sipping hot cups of chai with Zawahir bai and her husband Martin in their living room. Few can claim to have contributed as much as she did to the study of Khwajah Sindhi (Khojki) manuscripts and their legacy. We will miss her dearly. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun.

Naureen Ali

cataloguer and Adlib system officer

Along with being a trailblazer in many respects, Zawahir was a well-spring of knowledge as well as generosity. It was her passion for her work that led her to teach students voluntarily as she wanted students to continue to learn this endangered script (Khojki). Because of this generosity, what was to be a course I took out of interest turned into something I can contribute to through my work every day. If it wasn鈥檛 for her, my life would have gone a different path altogether. Her warmth will be dearly missed.

Qays Batada

GPISH, 2024

Zawahir Moir鈥檚 impactful research and contributions to 驳颈苍腻苍s and Satpanth have been transformative for the field. Although I never had the privilege of being her student, her work has significantly shaped the direction of my own research on the Khambhat Gupti Jamat. The invaluable insights and perspectives she provided on the Imamshahi community of Pirana have been instrumental in laying the groundwork for my thesis. Zawahir鈥檚 unwavering dedication to scholarship and her impact as a mentor to countless academics will continue to inspire future generations.

Sahista Chawdawala

alumnus, IIS

Zawahir ma鈥檃m, your dedication to teaching the Khojki script has illuminated my path and sparked a profound passion for cultural preservation and linguistic understanding within me. Your wisdom and guidance have been a shining light of knowledge, motivating me to walk in your footsteps and evolve as an educator. I am eternally grateful and hold immense respect for you as a teacher. All the moments spent together will be cherished forever.

Semina Halani

translation officer, IIS

She was the epitome of intellectual humility, an inspiration for the continuous search for knowledge, and an inexhaustive source of dedication to serving others 鈥 a tremendous loss not just to the academic world but to humanity in general. She touched everyone鈥檚 lives in so many ways and at so many different levels. As one of the pioneers in the field of Ginanic studies, she set an important stepping stone for many of us who share similar interests and aspirations. Her simplicity, authenticity, humility, her continuous search for knowledge and dedication toward her students have inspired us. She has left this legacy which needs to continue through us in various ways. With prayers that she is now at peace and is in a better place.

Imran Visram

DPhil candidate, University of Oxford

After moving to England, I began to regularly visit Zawahir to learn from her. Initially, I organised these visits with a group of my classmates so that we could study Khojki, the historic and sacred script of the 驳颈苍腻苍 literature, with her. Over time, however, I began to foster a close friendship with her, and would frequent her home to hear about her life and research. Stories would surface in our conversations about the time that she spent cataloguing Khojki manuscripts in Karachi, or about her fond memories of attending the childhood birthday party of Princess Zahra Aga Khan. She would additionally share from the vast knowledge that she had acquired over her lifetime on South Asian poetics, which was truly all-encompassing: in one conversation she would quote from a lyric of Pir Satgur Nur, in the next she would draw from a stanza of Shah Abdul Latif.鈥he knowledge she imparted upon her students and her love for the Ismaili 驳颈苍腻苍s will continue to shape research on Indian Ismailism, and encourage the study of 驳颈苍腻苍 literature, for years to come.