Ismaili Dictionary & Encyclopedia

AdkiEncyclopedia Topic

More, much

Various Sources AdkoEncyclopedia Topic

Much, many, more

Various Sources ADLEncyclopedia Topic

The word adl means equity. It is used in the Koran in quasi-legal contexts, but elsewhere to mean being fair or fairness. The Koran employed the term adl but relatively rarely 14 times in the sense of justice or equity and in a much broader fashion, vide ta'dlin (6:70), adlun (2:48, 123, 282; 4:58, 85, 5:95, 106; 6:70, 16:76, 106:90, 49:9, 65:2) and li adli (42:15). While God's words are described as adl in 6:115.

Almost as important as adl is near synonym qist means giving fair measure. The root q-s-l appears in various forms and with various glosses, often linked to judging in judicial matter (2:282), sometimes as a mere synonym of adl (49:9), more generally as the virtue equity: "O you who believe! Be upright in equity (kunu qawwamina bi-l-qist) , witnesses to God" (4:135). God likewise will act with qist (21:47). The exact scope of qist is not spelled out in the Koran, rather, the term appeals to the sense of virtue latent in its listeners, inculcated by moral education and moral exemplars.

All Muslims believe that God is Just and that justice is one of the divine attributes of beauty (jamal). The basis of this belief is the Koranic negation of any possibility of injustice on the part of God, referring to Him as being Upright in Justice: "Verily, God wronged not even the weight of an atom" (4:40), "Verily, God wronged not mankind in anything

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AdoEncyclopedia Topic

In between, in the middle

Various Sources AdroEncyclopedia Topic

To cross over, adopt, act, start, walk, tread

Various Sources Adsath tirathEncyclopedia Topic

68 holy places of pilgrimage for Hindus

Various Sources AesiEncyclopedia Topic

Will come

Various Sources AgaEncyclopedia Topic

Lord

Various Sources AGA ABUL HASAN SHAH, 48e PIRName

Son of Aga Shah Khalilullah. He was Pir for 3 months and died while still an infant. He accepted Dash Boshi* while still in the crib.

Fils de Aga Shah Khalilullah. Il fut Pir durant 3 mois et mourut bébé. Il donnait le Dash Boshi* alors qu'il était au berceau.

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #162general AGA ABUL HASSAN ALI, 42è. PIRName

Son of Imam Qasim Ali, also known as Hassan Beg. Became Imam in 1780, named his brother Mirza Mohamed as Pir. Died in Mahalat, buried in Najjaf.

Fils de l'Imam Qasim Ali, également connu comme Hassan Beg. (1780 A.D.) devint Imam en 1780, nomma son frère Mirza Moh'd Pir. Mort à Mahalat, enterré à Najjaf.

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #138general AGA ALI SHAH, AGA KHAN II (1298-1302/1881-1885), 47TH IMAMEncyclopedia Topic

"Imam Aga Ali Shah, His Highness Aga Khan II was born in 1246/1830 at Mahallat, where he spent the first decade of his age. In the outset of 1256/1840, Imam Aga Ali Shah had been taken to Iraq, where he stayed a few years with his mother. Under the instruction of Iranian and Arab teachers, eminent for their piety and learning, he had been taught the oriental languages, and he achieved a reputation as an authority on Persian and Arabic literature, as a student of metaphysics and as an exponent of religious philosophy. He mostly spent his time at Baghdad and Karbala in hunting expeditions with the Iranian princes, notably in company with Zill al-Sultan, the eldest son of Shah Fateh Ali, who ruled for forty days in Iran.

During the late 1256/1840, the Qajarid regime allowed Imam Aga Ali Shah to take up temporary residence in Iran. His first marriage actualized with Marium Sultana in Iraq. From Karbala they had gone to Baghdad where they had a friendly meeting with Major Henry Rawlinson (1810-1895), the then British political agent in Turkish Arabia. He decided to take the family of Imam Hasan Ali Shah under his protection. Imam Aga Ali Shah and his mother Sarv-i Jahan Khanum (d. 1299/1882) and his wife Marium Sultana, reached Bombay in 1268/1852.

On succeeding to the Imamate in 1298/1881, Imam Aga Ali Shah maintained friendly relation with the British India that had been cemented by his father. He was granted the title of His Highness by the British government, which was officially informed to him by the then governor of Bombay on August 9, 1882.

The Qajarid king of Iran, Nasiruddin Shah (d. 1313/1896) had sent a message of condolence and sympathy to the Imam on the occasion of his father's death. Later, a robe of honour and the emblem of Iranian crown studded with diamonds were sent to the Imam as a sign of his relationship.

He was appointed to the Bombay Imperial Legislative Council from 1880 to 1885, when Sir James Fergusson (1808-1886) was the governor of Bombay. According to Naoroji M. Dumasia in The Aga Khan and his Ancestors (Bombay, 1939, p. 61), "The nomination to the Council in those days was a rare distinction bestowed only on men of outstanding ability and high social position." He discharged his responsibilities and onerous duties in a manner, which drew admiration of all. He was also the President of Mohammadan National Association at Bombay, and an honorary patron of the Western India Turf Club.

He was well concerned about the welfare of the Ismailis in India and spared no pains in raising the social status of his followers. Destitute members of the community received generous help from time to time at his hands. He also opened The Khoja Ismaili School at Bombay and elsewhere in 1882. It was perhaps a veritable beginning of a renaissance in Indian Ismaili community, whose tradition is continued till now in the world. He promoted educational and philanthropic institutions for the Indian Muslims with the cooperation of a certain Rahimtullah Muhammad Sayani, a most enlightened member of the community.

The Imam also generated his close contact with the Ismaili communities in Upper Oxus districts, Badakhshan, Samarkand, Burma and East Africa. The growing prosperity of the Ismailis and his own towering position, earned his prestige among the Muslim population of India.

The Imam used to visit interior Sind, notably in district Thatta. He liked the climate of Karachi, where he lived in Honeymoon Lodge. After his marriage with Lady Aly Shah in 1867, the Imam moved to Karachi most probably in 1871-72, where his son and successor was born in 1877. He also built a palace in Karachi at garden zone, known as pir'ji wadi (the fertile tract of the pir), which was converted to Aga Khan Gymkhana in 1940. The palace faced the park, then known as Government Garden, and later it came to be known as Gandhi Garden. He sought permission from Heavy Napier Bruce Erskine, the Commissioner in Sind (1879 to 1887) to build a gate of the park in 1882. The Imam bore its cost, where an existing plate indicates the donation of the space for the gate.

Like his father, the Imam was closely associated with the Nimatullahi Sufi order. Before going to India, he had generated close ties with Rahmat Ali Shah, the head of the Nimatullahis, who had been the guest of Imam Hasan Ali Shah in Mahallat in 1249/1833. Subsequently, the Imam maintained his relation with Rehmat Ali Shah (d. 1278/1861). He also tied relations with Munawwar Ali Shah (d. 1301/1884), the uncle and the successor of Rehmat Ali Shah. The Imam also entertained several notable Iranian Nimatullahis in Bombay, including Rehmat Ali's son, Muhammad Masum Shirazi, Naib al-Sadr (d. 1344/1926), the author of the Tara'iq al-Haqa'iq, who visited Bombay in 1298/1881 and stayed with the Imam for one year. Safi Ali Shah (d. 1316/1898), an eminent Nimatullahi also enjoyed the hospitality in 1280/1863.

The Imam wedded with Marium Sultana in Iraq, who died at Bombay after leaving behind two sons, Shihabuddin Shah (1268-1302/1851-1885) and Aga Nur Shah (1272-1302/1855-1885). These two sons had been brought up in Hasanabad at Bombay. Aga Nur Shah, aged 30 years, was a good sportsman. He once fell down from his horse while riding, and sustained serious injuries, which proved fatal, and his death took place three months before the death of his elder brother. The Imam appointed his elder son, Shihabuddin Shah as a pir on 1299/1882, who died at the age of 33 years on December 15, 1884.

The Imam's second wife belonged to a Shirazi family, and after her death, the third marriage was solemnized with Shamsul Mulk Lady Aly Shah.

The Imam was a skillful rider and great sportsman. He was very fond of hunting, but never made use of shelters in the hunting field for big game. Standing exposed to danger he took a sure and steady aim at wild animals. In this way he had bagged no less than forty tigers.

He died on Wednesday, August 17, 1885 of pneumonia contracted in a day's hunting near Poona. His body was brought to Bombay by train and shipped for interment in Najaf. Mukhi Kassim Musa (d. 1314/1896), the then estate agent, was entrusted its responsibilities from Bombay to Najaf.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA ALI SHAH, IMAMName

(1246AH/1830-1302AH/17 August 1885). 46th Pir, named by his father Imam Hassanali Shah. Named Pir Aga Shabuddin Shah in 1881 after being declared as the 47th Imam (4 year Imamat).

(1246AH/1830-1302AH/17 août 1885). 46e Pir, nommé par son père, l'Imam Hassanali Shah. Nomma Pir Aga Shabuddin Shah en 1881 lorsqu'il devint Imam. (4 années)

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #168general AGA AZIZ, 36è. PIR.Name

Son of Pir Mohamed Zaman. Sent Dais to Afghanistan and Turkestan. Died during the Imamat of Aga Hassanali Shah.

Fils de Pir Moh'd Zaman. Envoya des Dais en Afghanistan et Turkestan. Mourut durant l'Imamat de Aga Hassanali Shah I.*

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #143general AGA JEHANGIR SHAHName

Son of Imam Hassanli Shah*, also known as Jangi Shah.

Fils de l'Imam Hassanali Shah*, surnommé Jangi Shah.

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #375general AGA JHANGI SHAH Encyclopedia Topic

"He was the son of Imam Hasan Ali Shah. Marium Khanum, also called Khanum Baji, who died on May 21, 1894 was the third wife of Imam Hasan Ali Shah. She was the mother of Aga Jhangi Shah and Bibi Saheba, the wife of Suleman Khan.

Aga Jhangi Shah was also the father-in-law of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. He had two wives. The first died very soon, who was the mother of Zain al-Abidin Shah (d. 1894), who married to Malik Taj; and his daughter was Haji Bibi, the wife of Muchul Shah (d. 1903). The second wife of Aga Jhangi Shah was Khadija, who was the mother of Aga Shamsuddin Shah (d. 1901) and Shah Abbas (d. 1896), and a daughter, Shahzadi Begum, the wife of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah.

Aga Jhangi Shah resided in the bungalow at Mount Road, Bombay. He and Akbar Shah looked after the estates of the Imam soon after the death of Imam Aga Ali Shah in 1885. In 1893, the Imam summoned them and said, "I want to register all the properties in my name with the Collector and Municipal offices the estates of my grandfather inherited by my father, and those estates which came to my hand after my father's death." Both of them agreed and said that it was reasonable. On that time, Kassim Musa, the estate manager was also present. Thus, the registration of the documents took place in 1893. Aga Jhangi Shah was killed at Jeddah on June 1, 1898 with his son while they were returning from hajj. He had three sons, Zayn al-Abidin Shah, Shamsuddin Shah and Shah Abbas and two daughters, Haji Bibi and Shahzadi Begum.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN ACADEMYEncyclopedia Topic

The first of a planned network of Aga Khan Academies dedicated to expanding access to education of an international standard of excellence in Asia and Africa was inaugurated in Mombasa, Kenya on December 20, 2003 in presence of the President of Kenya, Mr. Mwai Kibaki. The network of Academies will feature a curriculum based on the framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB). At the centre of this approach is a broad education in the humanities from pre-primary years through to higher secondary. The Academies will also feature a robust system of international student and teacher exchanges between Academies in different countries as well as with allied schools, including Phillips Academy in the United States and the Schule Schloss Salem in Germany. Proficiency in at least two languages, with English as the medium of instruction, and progressive mastery of information technologies will also be hallmarks of the programmes. To ensure access regardless of socio-economic status or other limiting factors, admission to the Academy is merit-based and means-blind. "An education must equip students with the tools that enable them to adapt, and thrive, in a world characterized by change," the Imam has said. "In such an environment, technical proficiency is not enough. Education that prepares children for life must go beyond fundamental skills to stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity and honest inquiry. Advancement and development, both personal and societal, are dependant on these elements. Innovation and progress arise from the ability to approach a challenge in a new way and offer a solution."

The foundation stone of the second Aga Khan Academy was laid on June 25, 2004 in Maputo, Mozambique in presence of the President Chissano. In his speech, the Imam said, "A thousand years ago, my forefathers, the Fatimid Imam-Caliph of Egypt, founded al-Azhar University and the Academy of Knowledge in Cairo. In the Islamic tradition, they viewed the discovery of knowledge as a way to understand, so as to serve better God's creation, to apply knowledge and reason to build society and shape human aspirations."

In addition to Mombasa and Maputo, schools are planned for Nairobi in Kenya, as well as Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, Kampala in Uganda, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Antananarivo in Madagascar, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Mumbai and Hyderabad in India, Karachi in Pakistan, Kabul in Afghanistan, Osh in the Kyrgyz Republic, Khorog and Dushanbe in Tajikistan, Damascus and Salamia in Syria and Bamako in Mali.

The Academies will all feature residential campuses designed by renowned architects. They will have well-equipped laboratories for general science, physics, biology, chemistry, home science and computers, art and music rooms, a library and resource centre, a religion and culture room, a counseling facility, a design and technology workshop, student and teacher lounges, a theatre, a multipurpose hall and a cafeteria and dining area. Facilities for sports will include swimming pools, fields for athletics such as soccer, hockey and athletics. A gymnasium will typically house facilities for a variety of sports such as basketball, badminton, volleyball, squash and gymnastics. Other facilities might include tennis courts, a cricket pitch or an ice-skating rink, where appropriate.

Each Academy will incorporate a Professional Development Centre for teachers that focuses on professional development for teachers and curricular innovation at all affiliated institutions. Each Centre will function not only for the benefit of the Academy but extend modern teaching and learning methods to government and private schools locally and regionally.

These efforts are underpinned by the International Academic Partnership, which brings together the worldwide resources of the Aga Khan Education Services, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, USA, Aga Khan University's Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) in Karachi, Pakistan, and the Schule Schloss Salem, in Salem, Germany. Since its founding in 1993, the IAP has linked over 400 schools in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda and the United States.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA)Encyclopedia Topic

It was the Imam's own involvement in construction in developing countries during the 1960s and 1970s that evoked his concern with the deteriorating architectural heritage and inappropriate building practices in many Muslim societies. To sensitize those who build in the developing world to the unique heritage of Muslim history and architecture, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) was founded in 1977. The goal of the Award is to recognize outstanding architectural achievements in all the different cultures and communities of the Muslim world. It seeks to identify examples of excellence in all areas of building and design, including social housing, community development, restoration, re-use and area conservation, as well as landscaping and concern for the environment. Through its efforts, the Award hopes to encourage design concepts that successfully address the needs and hopes of Muslim communities today.

The Award is granted at the conclusion of a three year cycle of nomination, project documentation, screening and technical review. Screening and the final selection of winners of the $. 500,000 prize are carried out by an independent Master Jury appointed for each cycle. Since 1980, the Award has been attributed to a wide range of contemporary building projects, as diverse as the mud brick mosque in Yaama, Niger and the Institute due Monde Arabe in Paris. Along with individual buildings, Award-winning projects have also included social housing and community building schemes as well as restoration and urban conservation projects. A special Chairman's Award has been conferred twice, in recognition of the lifetime achievements of noted Muslim architects Rifat Chadirji and the late Hassan Fathy. Ceremonies to honour the winning projects and mark the close of each cycle have been held in historic setting selected for their importance to Islamic architecture: Shalimar Garden in Lahore (1980), Topkapi Palace in Istanbul (1983), Badi Palace in Morocco (1986), Saladin's Citadel in Cairo (1989), Registan Square in Samarkand (1992) and the Sultan's Palace (Kraton) in Solo, Indonesia (1995). A seminar to present the award-winning projects is organized following each ceremony. It provides a forum for the discussion of issues in contemporary architecture. The Award's concern with research and scholarship is reflected in its documentation process. Reviewing architectural interventions in the Islamic world according to rigorous documentary and technical criteria, the Award cycles have created an archive of contemporary projects.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE [ see AKDN ] Encyclopedia TopicEncyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN CASE - 1866Encyclopedia Topic

"Imam Hasan Ali Shah had to face periodical troubles from certain dissident members of his community. In 1243/1827, while the Imam was in Iran, a group led by Habib Ibrahim in Bombay refused to pay tithe and forced others to do so. The leaders of the Bombay jamat reported to the Imam in Iran at the end of 1244/1828. The Imam, in order to overcome this opposition, sent to Bombay as his agent, Mirza Abul Kassim, who was accompanied by the Imam's mother, Bibi Sarcar Mata Salamat (1744-1832) in 1245/1829. It was in the course of these proceedings that Mirza Abul Kassim filed a suit on behalf of the Imam against the dissidents in Bombay High Court. The suit, however, was not processed and withdrawn on July 22, 1830. The recusants were summoned in the Jamatkhana, which proved no responsive, and as such, Habib Ibrahim and eleven other persons had been outcast from the community in 1246/1830, who were then known as Bar Bhai (twelve brethren). After five years, in 1251/1835, they were re-admitted conditionally, but laid a root of a dissident group.

Imam Hasan Ali Shah arrived in Bombay on December 16, 1845. He had to leave Bombay for Calcutta, and returned to Bombay on December 26, 1848. Consequently, the Imam's absence for 18 months emboldened the dissident gang to engineer propaganda against him. When the Imam was yet in Calcutta, a fresh litigation, known as Sajan Mehr Ali Case was carried in 1263/1847, in which the question of the rights of female inheritance among the Ismailis was brought before the Supreme Court of Bombay. Sir Erskine Perry (1821-1893), the Chief Justice presided over the Khoja Inheritance Case of a certain Hirbai and Sonabai. In this case, the Imam was represented by his brother, Muhammad Bakir Khan (d. 1296/1879), who endeavoured to uphold the rule of inheritance according to the Koran. The dissident group, Bar Bhai was active in supporting the argument of the defendant. This case led to fresh feuds among the community. The Bar Bhai group began to broadcast aggressive propaganda against the Imam, and in view of their unwillingness to acknowledge the Imam's spiritual authority, they had been ex-communicated in 1264/1848. Henceforward, the basic issue of the tithe originated in 1243/1827 became submerged by the petty quibbles. The other issues challenged the Imam's authority, and claimed themselves as the Sunni Khojas, stressing that the Ismaili Khojas had been Sunnis since their conversion to Islam by Pir Sadruddin. They also built their own separate prayer-hall and graveyard in 1266/1850.

On November 13, 1850, a tragic event arose between the Ismailis and the Sunni Khojas in the prayer-hall in Bombay. On the last day of the commemoration of Muharram, four Sunni Khojas were killed, 19 of the Ismailis were tried in the criminal court and four were hanged on December 18, 1850.

On October 20, 1861, when the dissenting Khojas publicly joined the Sunni fold, the Imam issued a decree in which he expressed his desire to bring the Ismailis to conform to the practices of the Shi'a Imami Ismaili creed of his holy ancestors, regarding marriage ceremonies, ablutions, funeral rites etc. The decree ended thus, "He who may be willing to obey my orders shall write his name in this book that I may know him." Copies of the decree were kept at the house of the Imam's son in Bombay for signatures and were circulated in Sind, Kathiawar, Kutchh and Zanzibar. Except for handful persons in Bombay and Kathiawar, an almost unanimous acceptance was received from the Ismailis. The loyalty of the Ismailis for their Imam can be gauged from the reaction of the Bhuj jamat at Kutchh, who sent a letter dated January 2, 1862 in reply to the communication sent by the plaintiffs as illustrated by E.I. Howard to the Hon'ble Court. It reads: "We are upon the right side, but should His Lordship, the Imam ask for the signatures, we are ready to give thousand times a day. Whatever order comes from him, we are bound to obey." Observing the above letter, Justice Sir Joseph Arnold (1814-1886) remarked: "This is a very decided letter; at any rate, there can be no mistake about that." (cf. The Shi'a School of Islam and its Branches, Bombay, 1906, p. 93).

In the meantime, Mukhi Alarakhia Sumar and Kamadia Khaki Padamsi (d.1877) of Bombay Jamatkhana called a meeting on August 16, 1862. Habib Ibrahim and his son Ahmad Ibrahim and few others were also summoned, but none of them attended the meeting. Thus, a notice of 21 days was served to them, effective from August 23, 1862 but of no avail. At length, they all had been expelled from the Khoja Ismaili community forever.

The seceders erected The Reformers' Society, who refused to acknowledge the Imam as their religious head and tried to withhold from his properties dedicated to him by his followers, and finally filed a suit in April, 1866 against the Imam in the Bombay High Court. This case, generally known as The Aga Khan Case or The Khoja Case was heard by Sir Joseph Arnold (1814-1886). The Plaintiff of the case were Daya Mahomad, Mahomad Saya, Peer Mahomad Kassim and Fazal Ghulam Hussain with H.M's Advocate General as nominal complainant. The Defendants were the Imam, Mukhi Alarakhia Sumar, Kamadia Khaki Padamsi, Mahomad Peer Bhai, Nur Mahomad Rajpal, Ali Bhai Jan, Habib Ibrahim, Muraj Premji, Dharamsi Punja, Aasu Gangji, Dossa Ladak, Nanji Alloo and Mahomad Yousuf Murgay, qadi of the Mahomadans of the Town and island of Bombay. The court's proceedings lasted for 25 days after which the Judge settled down to examine and study the mountain of evidences and seek enlightenment in history. Sir Joseph Arnold had indeed a hard task sifting the evidence, separating facts from a lot of legal chaff. On November 21, 1866, Justice Arnold rendered a detailed verdict against the plaintiffs. The result was a lengthy and well argued judgment which decided, once for all, that the Khoja community "is a sect of people whose ancestors were Hindu in original, which was converted to, and has throughout abided in, the faith of the Shi'a Imami Ismailis, which has always been and still is bound by ties of spiritual allegiance to the hereditary Imams of Ismailis." This judgment unequivocally confirmed the Imam as the spiritual head of the Khoja Ismaili community and legally established the Islamic root and identity of the Shi'a Ismaili Muslims.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (AKDN)Encyclopedia Topic

It is a group of institutions working to improve living conditions and opportunities in specific regions of the developing world. The Network's institutions have individuals mandates that range from the fields of health and education to architecture, rural development and the promotion of private sector enterprise. Together they collaborate in working toward a common goal

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral Aga Khan Education Services (AKES)Encyclopedia Topic

The Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) provides schooling and other educational services in over 300 facilities in the developing world, ranging from day care center to higher secondary schools. With roots in the Ismaili community's traditions of educational activity, national service companies in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh now manage these schools and centers

The foundations of the system were laid by Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah during the first half of the twentieth century when over a hundred schools were established, mainly for the Ismaili community, in East Africa and South Asia. Under the leadership of the Present Imam, the schools began to broaden their intake of pupils and extend their academic range in the 1950s.

Today, AKES faces the same constraints as other providers of education in the developing world, whether public or private: population growth outstripping resources, educational costs increasing at a faster rate than income, poorly trained teachers, inappropriate curricula and in some areas, the low health and education to diminish these obstacles to educational access and achievement. To increase access, AKES has continued to create schools; in close collaboration with the Aga Khan Housing Boards and AKF, it has also supported community-based school construction. In the north of Pakistan, AKES has increased the number and range of facilities available to girls.

Programme to improve educational quality have been built into the AKES system since the early 1980s. Field-based teacher training was launched in the Northern Areas in 1983. School improvement experiments began at the same time in Sind province in Pakistan, where AKES introduced child-centered teaching methods, and in Tanzania, where new techniques for secondary school teaching in English, Mathematics and Science were implemented in Dar-es-Salam. AKES, Kenya has been the Network pioneer in the uses of computers in the classroom, while many Network initiatives in pre-school education began in AKES, India.

Supported by the Aga Khan Foundation, some of these experiments have been carried out in government schools as well as AKES institutions, so contributing to the improvement of education in the countries in which AKES operates. And with both the national service companies and the Aga Khan Foundation acting as relays, this body of experience in teacher development and school improvement is having impact throughout the Network. The Institute for Educational Development of the Aga Khan University has been created to provide a permanent institutional base that can sustain these and other initiatives in education.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN EDUCATION SERVICES [ see AKDN ]Encyclopedia Topic

AGA KHAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS [ see AKDN ]

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION [ see AKDN ]

AGA KHAN FUND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT [ see AKDN ]

AGA KHAN GYMKHANA [ see KHOJA PANJIBHAI CLUB ]

AGA KHAN HEALTH SERVICE [ see AKDN ]

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED)Encyclopedia Topic

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) carries out these Network activities in economic development. It looks for projects with development potential as well as financial viability and works to build them into companies with lasting institutional strengths. Its criteria for project design emphasize both technology transfer and local resource use; it seeks to harness both international experience and local know-how to the task of improving living standards in the developing world.

AKFED's approach emphasizes the importance of equity investment and partnerships in economic development. Through equity investment with partners from both the public and private sectors, it builds commitment to the long-term viability of projects in the third world. Collaboration with other international development agencies and with industrial leaders enables it to link foreign expertise and capital with local private initiative. AKFED's projects are designed to reach high standards of quality in technical achievement and in management. As in other areas of Network activity, the goal is to build strong institutions: capable of high performance, and contributing to the long-term development of the national, regional and international communities in which they operate.

AKFED's involvement in economic development includes the promotion of enabling environments for private sector enterprise in the third world. It does this through collaborative ventures bringing together private and public investors, and through the encouragement of legislative and fiscal structure favourable to private sector development.

AKFED provides an institutional umbrella for three groups of companies: Industrial Promotion Services, Tourism Promotion Services and a number of financial institutions in Africa and Asia.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS)Encyclopedia Topic

The Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) is one of the most comprehensive non-profit health care systems in the developing world. Building on the Ismaili community's health care efforts during the first half of the century, AKHS now provides primary health care and curative medical care in India, Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania and Syria. It includes five general hospitals, the Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan, six maternity homes and more than 230 health centers. Organized in national service companies in Kenya, Tanzania, India and Pakistan, these health facilities are also linked in internationally through network-wide strategies in human resource development, hospital management, nursing development and primary health care.

AKHS's primary health care programmes are designed to reach vulnerable groups in society, especially child-bearing women and young children, with low-cost medical technologies of proven effectiveness: Immunization, systematic prenatal care, aseptic deliveries and oral dehydration therapy for diarrhoeal disease. Experience with PHC within the Aga Khan Development Network, where AKHS works closely with both AKF and the AKU, has confirmed both the efficacy of primary health care in improving health status, and its cost-effectiveness.

In AKHS's approach to health services, primary health care and prevention are steps toward improved health status that must be linked to the availability of high quality medical care. To complement its work in primary health care, AKHS offers curative services in institutions ranging from dispensaries through health centers and maternity homes to full-service hospitals. At each level of care, AKHS's focus is on providing services that are needed and wanted by the community and upon building linkages within the system. It also aims to ensure a quality of care that significantly raises local standards. Quality control in laboratory diagnosis, good documentation in medical records, regular supply of pharmaceuticals and continuing education of nurses and doctors are some of the practices that AKHS emphasized in its approach to institutional development.

While strengthening its institutions and the links between them, each National Health Service Company joins government health services and other providers in building effective national health systems. Welding the national service companies into an international system is also an AKHS goal. Current projects with possible implications for the network as a whole include the introduction of selected clinical care interventions into PHC programmes in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, attempts to build regional referred arrangements in East Africa, and experiments with resource sharing within the AKHS, in the attempt to provide the very poor with better access to care. Many of these experiments involve close collaboration between the AKHS, AKF and the AKU.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN HISTORIC CITIES SUPPORT PROGRAMME [ see AKDN ]Encyclopedia Topic

AGA KHAN HOUSING BOARDS [ see AKDN ]

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN I [ see HASAN ALI SHAH, 46TH IMAM ] Encyclopedia TopicEncyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN II [ see AGA ALI SHAH, 47TH IMAM ]Encyclopedia TopicEncyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN III [ see SULTAN MUHAMMAD SHAH, 48TH IMAM ]Encyclopedia TopicEncyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN IV [ see KARIM AL-HUSAYNI, 49TH PRESENT IMAM-E-ZAMAN ]Encyclopedia Topic

AGA KHAN INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION SERVICES [ see AKDN ]

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN MUSEUMEncyclopedia Topic

Museums in the contemporary world have expanded their missions to become viable educational institutions, actively seeking to broaden their constituencies. Collections and exhibitions have become dynamic tools for instruction, debate and reflection, and for attracting large numbers to the cultural life of societies. They also act as catalysts for cultural exchange and communication, contributing to the development of civil society. It is with this perception of the new role of museums that The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has moved forward to include their establishment in its Education and Culture Programme. To this end, two museum projects were launched in 2003 with a mandate to oversee and co-ordinate the conceptualization, design, building and operation of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and the Indian Ocean Maritime Museum in Zanzibar.

It will present and promote knowledge of the diversity and breadth of Islamic art, through permanent and temporary exhibitions, with emphasis on Shi'a Islam and the Ismaili community in particular. The museum will be dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, display and interpretation of artifacts relating to the intellectual, cultural, artistic and religious traditions of Muslim communities, past and present. Artifacts will include ceramics, metalwork, and paintings covering all periods of Islamic history. Manuscripts in the collection will include the earliest known copy of Avicenna's Qanun fi'l- Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) dated 1052. In addition the museum will display works from the Imam's private collection, and from London's Institute of Ismaili Studies, Prince Sadruddin and Princess Catherine The Imam, Swiss-based collectors of 16th century Turkish, Mughal and Persian miniature paintings, have also expressed interest in making their collection part of the museum. The museum is, just off the city's Don Valley Parkway, about 25 minutes north-east of downtown. A music programme is planned, which will work to expand knowledge of the traditional music of Asia and the Islamic world, as well as their contemporary expression. The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto designed by the sublime Japanese modernist Fumihiko Maki will be the first of its kind in the English-speaking world. The museum will become a repository of historical materials related to the Ismaili community and house research programmes related to each one of the aspects of its institutional mission. It will also provide a space for permanent exchanges between the Islamic and the Western worlds on educational, cultural and socioeconomic issues.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN PROGRAM FOR ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE [ see AKDN ]Encyclopedia Topic

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Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN TRUST FOR CULTURE [ see AKDN ]Encyclopedia Topic

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Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA KHAN, TITLE OF Encyclopedia Topic

"Title is a name indicative of eminence, affording special distinction to the holder. Every title appears to have meaning or derivation from a word expressive of quality and historical background. Likewise, Imam Hasan Ali Shah, the 46th Imam was the bearer of the title Aga Khan. Fateh Ali Shah, the Qajari emperor invested him in 1818 in Tehran. Henceforward, he and his successors became known by this title. How this title was invested? What is its origin and meaning? We will discuss these points as under.

Aga Mohammad Khan (1742-1797) founded Qajar dynasty in Iran in 1796. He was succeeded by his nephew, Fateh Ali Shah (1771-1834), who ruled for 38 years and 5 months, and died on October 23, 1834.

Abul Hasan Shah, the 44th Ismaili Imam was succeeded by his son, Imam Khalilullah in 1780, who resided in Kahek. In 1815, he moved to Yazd, situated between Ispahan and Kirman on the route to Baluchistan and Sind. It was at Yazd that two years later, in 1817, the Imam became a victim of the intrigues of the Ithna Ashri ulema and lost his life in the course of a dispute between some of his adherents and the local shopkeepers. The Ismailis involved, took refuge in Imam's residence and refused to emerge. A certain Mullah Husayn Yazdi collected a hostile mob and attacked the Imam's house. In the ensuing uproar, Imam Khalilullah and several of his followers, including one Indian Ismaili, were murdered, and the Imam's house was plundered. The mother of Imam Hasan Ali Shah, who appears to have been a lady of vigorous character, came to the court to seek justice for her dead husband. Her pleading was immediately successful. The governor of Yazd, Haji Muhammad Zaman Khan was ordered to send Mullah Husayn and his accomplices to Tehran for punishment.

The death of Imam KhalilulIah took place by the end of 1817, and Fateh Ali Shah, the emperor invited his son and successor, Hasan Ali Shah. The Imam compromised with the situation for the interest of his followers and cemented close tie with the regime. In appreciation of Imam's policy, the emperor appointed him the governor of Mahallat and Qumm, and invested the honorific title of Aga Khan. Furthermore, as conclusive sign of honour, Fateh Ali Shah gave one of his daughters, Sarv-i Jahan Khanum, in marriage to the Imam. Henceforward, Imam Hasan Ali Shah became known as the Aga Khan.

The conferment ceremony had taken place in the palace, called Qasr-i Qajar in Tehran. Our sources fail to furnish details. J.M. Tancoigne however had seen the palace in 1807, describing its location four miles north of Tehran. William Price visited Tehran in 1817 and reports that it was halfway between Tehran and Shemran, surrounded by beautiful gardens. He also regarded it one of the most delightful residences in Iran. Sir Ker Porter (1777-1842) also visited Qasr-i Qajar in 1818; the year when Imam Hasan Ali Shah was honoured the title. He was full of admiration and writes that, "It stands on an eminently pleasant point of the adjoining mountains, being built on a detached and commanding hill, on the great slope of the Elborz. The edifice is lofty, and when seen from a distance, presents a very magnificent appearance." (vide Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, Ancient Babylonia during the years 1817, 1818, 1819 and 1820, London, 1821, p. 335)

It implies that Imam Hasan Ali Shah was the first Imam after the fall of Alamut, to have been officially recognized with his spiritual rights by the Iranian empire. He returned to Mahallat. Upon hearing his arrival from Tehran, the celebrated panegyrist Habib, also known as Qa'ani (1807-1854) addressed to the Imam with a qasida of fifteen lines (vide, Diwan-i Hakim Qa'ani Shirazi, ed. Mohammad Jafar Muhjub, Tehran, 1918, p. 180). It opening lines reads:

Eternal life in the world were necessary,
to sing one tenth of the AQA KHANs praises.
"The above verse most probably represents an early source documenting the term Aga Khan.

It was at the time when Mohammad Shah Qajar invaded Herat in 1837 that the Imam's title first appeared in the official correspondence of the British agents in Iran. Later, Sir Erskine Perry (1821-1893) of Bombay High Court processed the Khoja Inheritance Case in 1847 and declared: "The Ismailis have a belief on Aga Khan, who is a Persian nobleman, and is being widely remembered in the Indian history of this age."

Imam Hasan Ali Shah, the Aga Khan made his way from Persia to India in 1842, and cultivated close relation with the British, and "there his title was confirmed by the British who in turn enjoyed his support" (vide Encyclopaedia Americana, 1983, 1:327). The Imam's name was officially registered with the records of the Bombay Government since 1848 as His Highness Aga Khan Mahallati.

Richard F. Burton also introduced the title Aga Khan in his Sindh and the Races that inhabit in the valley of the Indus (London, 1851, p. 249). The source, however, applying the term Aga Khan and responsible to make him popular through out India and Europe was the verdict of Sir Joseph Arnold (1814-1886) in The Aga Khan Case of 1866 in Bombay High Court. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah also writes: "My grandfather had been confirmed in his rights and titles by a judgment of the Bombay High Court in 1866." (The Memoirs of Aga Khan, London, 1954, p. 9). Robert Grant Watson's History of Persia (London, 1866) also brought fame of the Imam in Europe as the Aga Khan.

It must be known that the term Senaga in Turkish means gentleman and agam means sir. Thus, aga or agha is a word originally came to use in eastern Turkey to mean elder brother, and sometimes in contrast to ini means younger brother, but Yakut suggests its meaning as father. In Ottoman empire of Turkey, agha (usually pronounced a ‘a or even a) was applied for chief’, master and sometimes landowner. It is also suggested that the Turkish agha is derived from Greek akha or akhai, which later on transformed as agha in eastern Turkey. The term is also used for chief servant of a household, and generally occurs in combination with many words. For example, carshi aghasi (market inspector), khan aghasi (inn-keeper), koy aghasi (village headman) and aghabey (elder brother). In Turkey, the Muslim landowners were chiefly known as aghas and the Christian landowners as gospodars, which clearly indicates that this term remained specific among the Muslims. The title agha gradually spread from Turkey to the Southern Kurdistan after the conquest of Baghdad by Sultan Murad IV in 1637. The word aga or agha introduced for the first time in Europe in 16th century. John Pory Leo (1570-1635) in 1601-2 in his History of Africa spelt it as agaes. In 1628, Kenelm Digby (1603-1665) in his Voyage to Mediterranean wrote as agaw.

As a title upto the reform period, it was given to many persons employed in government service, mostly in military. Most notables aghas of this kind were the yeniceri aghasi, or the chief officers of the Janissaries, who dominated Turkey from 1578 to 1625. In Ottoman empire, this title gradually became official both in military and administrative units. It was also borne by the principal members of the imperial household and the eunuchs controlling the Sultan’s harem. Grand vizir was titled agha, who also was crowned the word effendi with it, and was called Agha Efendimiz. After the abolition of the Janissaries in 1826, it became the custom to entitle aga or agha to illiterate officers upto the rank of kaim makam, the literate officers of same rank being addressed as efendi. Until the establishment of the Turkish Constitution, there existed military rank intermediate between those of yuzbashi and binbashi, called as kolaghasi, the commander of wing. The earliest inscription in India bearing the term aga dated 1606-7, has been discovered in 1910 by G. Yazdani. It is found in the Jami Masjid, Qaundhar Fort, Nanded district, which reads: "During the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah the Mosque was built during the governorship of Aqa, Aqa Murad."

Iran borrowed the word aga or agha from Turkey in the form of aga or aqa. Aga Mohammad Khan (1742-1797) founded Qajar dynasty in Iran. He divided his rule into two branches under the terms yukari bash (the higher) and ashaka bash (the lower). Yukari being the Turkish for higher and Ashaka for lower; and bash means "lord". Fateh Ali Shah, the second Qajar emperor belonged to the Ashaka (the lower). Hence Ashik akasi bashi was the presenter of petitions to the Qajar emperor. It is of Turkish derivation, ashik (threshold), aka (lord), si (of him) and bash (head). On the whole it means the threshold of his lord. The Qajar emperors made the aga or aqa a title for the noblemen, and aga khan (or aqa khan) was the honourable title reserved for highly noblemen, mostly the governors. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica (1:137), "as a title of respect, Aga has also been used for Islamic religious leaders, notably for the leader of the Ismaili sect of Shii Community."

It appears that the term aga (or aqa) is used as an epithet of the Imam in the ginans. For instance, Pir Sadruddin (1300-1416) says: Ali dhar ter’e umayo aga ham (O’Aga! I adore your Ali’s house), Aga-n’e top’e hira jagmag’e (Diamonds glitter on the cap of the Aga), Jot aga shah pir’ji jot vakhan’e (they eulogize the light of Aga Shah Pir) and Aga hun’ta toid’e toda tod (O’Aga! I am with you till last).

Syed Imam Shah describes: Aga dhan ho khudavand tera ra’j bhi sara (O’Aga, the Lord! Congratulations to Your creation which is also excellent).

Syed Fateh Ali Shah said: Aga tara charan’ni seva kanchan varshe’ji (O’Aga! the gold showers while serving at your feet)

Syed Ladha Shah said: Shah Mustansir billah aqa sharanna (I submit to Aqa Shah Mustansir billah)

The word khan or kan is also a Turkish title, was firstly used by the T’u-chuch, apparently as a synonym of kaghan, the later khakan – also the generic name of the Turkish ruler since the time of the legendary Afrasiyab. The Turks from the Juan-Juan, meaning supreme ruler borrowed the title kaghan, or khaghan. It was afterwards applied generally to subordinate rulers. Khakan is the Arabic form of Turkish kaghan. The title is first recorded in Muslim lands on the coins of the Karakhanids, or Ilek Khans during the 10th century in Turkey, who were also referred to in the contemporary Islamic sources as ai-Khakaniyya, or aI-Khaniyya. Under the Seljuks and Khawarazm rulers, khan dominated high title of the nobility taking precedence over malik and amir. In the form of ka'an, it was applied by the Mongols to the head of ulus. Ka'an, i.e., Khakan was reserved for Chengiz Khan in Karakorum. It was adopted by Ottoman sultans as title. Prof. Brown writes that, "The Khaqan is the title given to the king of Turan and the Turks. The word is, I believe, Mongol, and is identical with the alternative forms Qa'an and Khan." In Safavid Iran, the khan was a provincial governor of lesser rank than the beglarbegi, and higher than the sultan, the deputy governor. The Iranian historians however crowned Shah Ismail Safavi (1487-1524) as Khaqan-i Iskander-shan (the Prince like unto Alexander in state).

In India under the Turkish kings of Delhi, khan was the title of the principal nobles, chiefly those of Iranian or Afghan descent. In technical sense, it was used for a commander of ten thousand soldiers. Qalqashandi (d. 1418) writes that a khan commanded ten thousand soldiers, a malik one thousand and an amir one hundred in India. The Afghans did not adopt the purely Turkish term of khan for centuries After Malik Khan (d. 1227), and not until the Lodi sultans of Delhi kingdom (1451 to 1526) began to bestow such title upon their Afghan supporters. The earliest inscription in India bearing the term khan dated 1232 discovered in Hyderabad, Deccan, which reads: "The construction of this well renewed in the days of Iltumish as Sultan during the turn of the governorship of the late Malik Quttugh Khan Aibez" (A study of Muslim Inscriptions by V.S. Bendrey, Poona, 1944, pp. 94-95).

The term khan is reported to have brought by the Avars of Turkey in Europe during 6th century. The Avars probably spoke Mongolian dialect, and their rulers assumed the title of Khagan or Khan, which they borrowed from Ephthalites, or the White Huns of China. Afterwards in Europe, it became known partly through the Mongol invasions in the first half of the 13th century, appearing in Latin in the form of chanis or canis. Old French spelt it chan and cham. More especially appeared through the European missions to the Mongol court in the same century (1245-1255) and by the narrative of Marco Polo. In the original French text of the latter, the spelling kan, can or cham varies with kaan or caan, apparently intended to represent Tartar qa'an, the special title adopted by Oktai, the son of Chengiz Khan. Marco Polo applied kaan for Kublai Khan, the Chinese emperor.

Iran also adopted the term khan, which became common in all the provinces. John Malcolm (1769-1833) was in Iran in 1810, writes: "In the provinces especially khan meant originally what chief did in Scotland among the clans. Now-a-days, khans are as common in Tehran, as esquires are in London." In Iran, it was in courtesy applied to all men above the position of servant (beg), and the ladies were termed khanam, the feminine form.

Summing up the extant lexicons, we safely come to a conclusion that the word aga means lord, prince, nobleman, master or chief; whereas khan means master, head, owner, ruler or prince. Originally, the Turkish rulers combined agha and beg to make it Agha Beg – a new title for the highly reputed person. The Qajari rulers also followed the pattern in Iran and joined Aga and Khan together, making a title of Aga Khan or Aqa Khan for the nobleman.

The modern sources render the meaning of the Turko-Iranian word, Aga Khan as honorable chief, great lord, chief commander, lord chief, great chief or lord chief-viceroy. In the light of its origin and derivation, it should mean Honorable Chief Lord.

It appears that the title Aga Khan greatly influenced the Mughal empire in India. For instance, in the period of emperor Humayun, the daughter of Khawaja Abdullah Marwarid was known as Khanam Agha. The wife of Mu’nim Khan was known as Agha Kuka and the mother of Ibrahim Sultan Mirza was called Khanish Agha etc., vide, Humayun-nama (tr. Annette S. Beveridge, Lahore, 1974, pp. 128). The treasurer of the emperor Akbar bore the name Aga Khan, vide Muntakhabut Tawarikh (tr. W.H. Lowe, Karachi, 1976, 2nd vol., p. 218) by al-Badaoni. Emperor Jahangir gave a title of Khan Beg to the Vazir-ul-Mulk, vide The Central Structure of the Mughal Empire (Karachi, 1967) by lbn Hasan. One military general during emperor Aurengzeb is also traced out, known as Agha Khan who defeated the Afghans at Gandawak in 1667, vide, A Short History of Islam (Karachi, 1960, p. 547) by Sayyid Fayyaz Mahmud. One another Aga Khan reported to have flourished in the period of emperor Shah Jahan, and he died in 1670. His tomb is near the Mumtaz Mahal in Iajganj, vide An Oriental Biographical Dictionary (Lahore, 1975, p. 36) by T.W. Beale. Major T.W. Haig has also discovered in India an oldest inscription dating 4th October, 1624, which reads: "Her Highness Khanam Agha, daughter of Mir Maqsud Ali Tabataba... the tank which is situated in the vicinity of the market of Khairabad has been built by her." vide A Study of Muslim Inscriptions (Poona, 1944, p. 144) by V.S. Bendrey

It must be noted that the title Aga Khan was not an hereditary. When Imam Hasan Ali Shah died in 1881, his son, Ali Shah, succeeded him. The contemporary world, chiefly the Indians had identified the new Imam, Ali Shah as young Aga Khan and the term elder Aga Khan was given to Imam Hasan Ali Shah. It was in fact, a distinctive term for two Imams. The title His Highness the Aga Khan was so widely popularized that the terms elder Aga Khan and young Aga Khan melted away in usage, and the Aga Khan first and Aga Khan second came to be referred between 1881 and 1885. Neither Imam Hasan Ali Shah, nor Imam Ali Shah had ever declared to their successors as the bearers of the title Aga Khan.

Imam Sultan Mohammad Shah, the successor of Imam Ali Shah ascended in 1885, known as Aga Khan III. He was the first to regard this title as hereditary. His famous Will reads:- "I appoint my grandson Karim, the son of my son Aly Salomone to succeed to the title of Aga Khan and to be the Imam and Pir of all my Shi’a Ismailian followers."

There is a reason for making it hereditary. The early Qajar kings had invested the title Aga Khan to few other noblemen in Iran, but the practice seems to be discontinued during the rule of Nasirud-din Shah, who ruled from 1848 to 1896. The holders of the title Aga Khan were either died, or retired and they could not gain popularity in Iran. Hence, this title became a specific with the Ismaili Imams in India. The Aga Khan in a general sense was meant, the Imam of the Ismailis. If some holders of the title Aga Khan were alive; they could not achieve prominence in comparison with the Ismaili Imams. This changing time was responsible to let Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah to make it hereditary.

There is one another reason that the relation between Imam Hasan Ali Shah and the Qajar empire was restored and this friendship had also confirmed the title of Aga Khan, and the favorable time came in the period of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah to make it an hereditary. The Present Imam of the Shi’ite Ismailis is His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, who is widely known as the Aga Khan IV in the world, and none exists to be known as such.

It is very much difficult to trace out the persons bearing the title of Aga Khan during the empire of Qajar. One among them was Mirza Nuri Aga Khan who held the post of foreign affairs during the rule of Nasirud-din Shah from 1851 to 1857. Another Mirza Abdul Hussain Kirmani or Mirza Aga Khan (1854-1896) was an Iranian nationalist, also a son of Abdul Rahim Mashizi, and grandson of a close companion of Imam Hasan Ali Shah. In addition, the governor of Yazd was also called Aga Khan Irvani, from 1848 to 1849.

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddingeneral AGA SHAH HASSANALI, 45è PIRName

1220AH/1805-1298/1st May 1881. Son of Imam Khalilullah, married Sarwar Jehan* and had 4 sons: Aga Ali Shah*, AGA Jehangir Shah, Aga Jalal Shah* and Aga Akbar Shah*.

1220AH/1805-1298/1er mai 1881. Fils de Imam Khalilullah, épousa Sarwar Jehan*, eut 4 fils: Aga Ali Shah*, Aga Jehangir Shah, Aga Jalal Shah*, Aga Akbar Shah*.

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #373general AGA SHAH KHALILULLAH, 47è PIRName

(1269AH/1853-1302AH/1885). Son of Aga Ali Shah, known also as Shabuddin Shah. Named by his father in 1881. Author of "Risalat dar Haqiqat-i Din".

(1269AH/1853-1302AH/1885). Fils de Aga Ali Shah connu sous le nom de Shabuddin Shah. Nommé par son père en 1881. Auteur du "Risalat dar Haqiqat-i Din".

Heritage Dictionary of ismailism, entry #297general AgalEncyclopedia Topic

In front of, in the next world, ahead, leading, there, in the future, later, in future

Various Sources Agal dhareEncyclopedia Topic

Offer, present

Various Sources AgalthiEncyclopedia Topic

Beforehand, in advance

Various Sources AgamEncyclopedia Topic

Before time, in advance, before hand, incomprehensible, beyond comprehension, unreachable, inaccessible, beyond reach

Various Sources Agam vaniEncyclopedia Topic

Prediction, forecast, prophecy

Various Sources AgamiyaEncyclopedia Topic

Come to know, understood

Various Sources AganEncyclopedia Topic

Fire

Various Sources AgarEncyclopedia Topic

Aloes wood

Various Sources Agar chandanEncyclopedia Topic

Sandal-wood

Various Sources AghunEncyclopedia Topic

Far, ahead

Various Sources AgiyarmuEncyclopedia Topic

Eleventh (11th)

Various Sources AgiyoEncyclopedia Topic

Accepted

Various Sources AgloEncyclopedia Topic

Best, past, to come

Various Sources AgnanEncyclopedia Topic

Ignorant, unaware, illiterate

Various Sources AgniEncyclopedia Topic

Fire

Various Sources