Nāndi is a

Nizari Nizari Isma'ilism () are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismailis, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasise independent reasoning or ''ijtihad''; Pluralism (philosophy), pluralism— ...

Isma'ili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the ...

ceremony during which food offered to the Imām-e Zamān is sold off at auction to people attending the

Jamatkhana Jamatkhana or Jamat Khana (from , literally "congregational place") is an amalgamation derived from the Arabic word ''jama‘a'' (gathering) and the Persian word ''khana'' (house, place). It is a term used by some Muslim communities around the w ...

(the Ismaili place of worship). The money obtained through the sale of Nāndi is sent to the Imām by a group of people from the Ismaili community (Jama'at) given that responsibility. The people in charge of selling the food are volunteers from the Jama'at, they announce what is on the plate and members of the Jama'at put their hands up to buy it. The preparation of the food is done at home and it is brought to the Jamātkhāne, the

Mukhi Mukhi (''mukhia'') is the title used for a head of community or village elitesIndia's Villages. Development Department, West Bengal, 1955 and their local government in Western India and Sindh.Peasant Pasts: History and Memory in Western India. Vin ...

(Ismaili minister) mentions the food during a blessing and tells the congregation that it has been offered to the Imām and the benefits of it are for the whole Jamāt, the food is known as "Mehmāni." If no physical Mehmāni has been brought to the Jamātkhāna then a symbolic plate called the "Mehmāni plate" can be touched during the Du'a Karavi ceremony, this serves as a substitute for physical food. The offering of Mehmāni and buying and selling of Nāndi are not mandatory on

s, only

Holy Du'a Holy Du'ā (archaically transliterated ''Doowa'') is the mandatory Nizari Isma'ili prayer recited three times a day: Fajr prayer at dawn, Maghrib prayer at sundown and Isha prayer in the evening. Each Holy Du'a consists of 6 rakat, totaling 18 p ...

, Dasond and following the

Farmān A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' comes ...

s of the Imām are mandatory. Nāndi is symbolic and supplementary. It is said that the early Muslims gifted Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

with food however he then distributed it to the poor. In the Ismaili mosques, Ismailis receive the food and donate money which is then used for charity.

References

Further reading