title of the imam or spiritual leader, of the Nizari Ismailite sect of the Khoja Ismaili community. Many Khojas are said to have immigrated to India from Iran in the nineteenth century.
Aga Khan I
(b. 1800, Persia [now Iran]; d. April 1881), personal name Hasan Ali Shah , imam or spiritual leader, of the Nizari Ismailite sect of the Shia Muslims. He claimed to be the direct descendant of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and Ali's wife Fatimah (Muhammad's daughter) and also from the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt.
Governor of the Iranian province of Kerman, he was highly favoured by Fath Ali Shah. The title Aga Khan (chief commander) was granted to him in 1818 by the Shah of Iran. Under Mohammad Shah, however, he felt that his family honour had been slighted and he rose in revolt in 1838. After his defeat, he fled to India seeking refuge under the British. He was granted a pension and he settled in Bombay (now Mumbai). He helped the Shia Muslim community in India to gain a greater sense of confidence and identity. Deputations from as far as Kashgar in China, Bokhara in Central Asia, Iran, the Middle East, and the African coast came to him for spiritual guidance. He encountered some opposition from a minority of his people, who contested the extent of his spiritual authority and challenged his control over the community's funds, but he won the ensuing lawsuit (1866).
Aga Khan II
(d. Aug. 1885, Poona [now Pune]), personal name Ali Shah , eldest son of the Aga Khan I. In 1881, he succeeded his father as imam or spiritual leader, of the Nizari Ismailite sect of Shia Muslims and, during his short -imamate, sought to improve the conditions of the community. He served on the Bombay Legislative Council and was elected president of the Muslim National Association in recognition of his educational and other philanthropic efforts for the benefit of Indian Muslims, Shia and Sunni alike.
Aga Khan III
(b. Nov. 2, 1877, Karachi, [now in Pakistan]; d. July 11, 1957, Versoix, Switzerland), personal name Sultan Sir Mohammed Shah , the only son of Aga Khan II. He succeeded his father as imam of the Nizari Ismailite sect in 1885.
Under the care of his mother, a daughter of the ruling house of Iran, he was given Islamic, Oriental, as well as Western education. In addition to attending diligently to the affairs of his own community, he rapidly acquired a leading position among Indian Muslims. He served as president of the All-India Muslim League during its early years and initiated the fund for raising the Muslim College at Aligarh to university status, which was effected in 1920.
He was knighted by the Queen for helping the Allies during World War I. An active participant in international politics, he played an important part in the Round Table conferences on Indian constitutional reform in London (1930-32). He also represented India at the World Disarmament Conference in Geneva in 1932 and at the League of Nations Assembly in 1932, and from 1934 to 1937. He was appointed president of the League in 1937. During World War II, he lived in Switzerland and withdrew from political activity. He was well known as a successful owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses, which are famous even today as the Aga Khan Studs.
Aga Khan IV
(b. Dec. 13, 1937, Geneva, Switzerland), personal name Karim Al-Hussain Shah , elder son of Prince Aly Khan by his first wife, the daughter of the third Baron Churston. -Educated in Switzerland and at Harvard University, he was chosen as successor to the imamate of the Nizari Ismailite sect by his grandfather, the Aga Khan III. He was only 20 when he succeeded his grandfather in 1957.
In the very first year of his reign, he initiated visits to his scattered Ismailite peoples. A strong leader, he encourages his followers to become citizens of the countries in which they reside and to leave countries where they face trouble and persecution. Known for his business acumen, he has extensive private holdings, including hotels, airlines in Italy and Spain, and newspapers in Kenya. Through organizations such as the Aga Khan Foundation, the imamate has funded aid agencies offering educational, health, and housing services in South Asia and East Africa. He founded the Aga Khan Development Network, which brings together a number of development agencies, institutions, and programmes that work primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development has invested in development programmes to promote manufacturing, tourism, and financial services.
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