Aga Khan

Aga Khan (Persian: آغا خان ) is the hereditary title of the Imam (spiritual and general leader) of the Nizārī Ismā'īlī, a sect of the Shi'a Ismaili branch of Islam which formed in 1094 when the followers of an-Nizār split away from the Mustaˤliyya (followers of Nizar's younger brother al-Musta'li).

History

Works on the origins of the Ismailis by serious scholars are rare as theirs is a closed community discouraging detailed inquiry into basic facts of the religion.^{[citation needed]}

In 1818 the title of Aga Khan was bestowed upon Aga Hasan Ali Shah, the 46th Imam of the Ismailis, by Fath Ali, the Shah of Persia. Etymologically the title combines the Turkish military title Agha with the Turkic, Mongolian and Persian/Pashto polyvalent title Khan, so it means roughly "Commanding Chief". In Persia's Qajar court protocol, Khan (and Amir) was commonly art of commanders of armed forces and provincial tribal leaders which ranked fourth in precedence amongst the eight title classes for non-members of the dynasty.

The Aga Khan was formally recognised by the British Raj in 1877. The Aga Khan became the only religious or community leader in British India granted a personal gun salute; all other salute dynasties were either rulers of Princely States, or Political Pensioners holding ancestral princely titles in states abolished by the Raj.

Aga Khan III, Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah, was one of the founders of the Muslim League in 1906.

Incumbent

The present Aga Khan IV became Imam of the Shi'a Imami Ismaili Nizari on July 11, 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan (Aga Khan III). He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shi'a Imami Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet's daughter. The title His Highness was granted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1957, and His Royal Highness by the Shah of Iran in 1959. See [1].

Philanthropy

The Aga Khan, heir to the family fortune and a society figure, is founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks in the world. Its partners include numerous governments and several international organizations. AKDN agencies operate in social and economic development as well as in the field of culture.

The network includes the Aga Khan University (AKU), the University of Central Asia (UCA), the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS), the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM), and more. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA)is the largest architectural award in the world. In addition, FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, an affiliate of the AKDN, is responsible for emergency response in the face of disaster. Recent examples include the massive earthquake in Pakistan {AKDN earthquake response) and the South Asian Tsunami.

He is also the Chairman of the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), which he founded in 1977.

Significant recent or current projects led by the Aga Khan include the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamate on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Canada, the Global Centre for Pluralism (GCP) in Ottawa, Canada, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, the Al-Azhar Park ([2]) in Cairo, Egypt, and a network of full IB residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies (AKA}. See [3]

Awards

The Aga Khan has been recognized by several national and international organizations for his service to humanity. Recent examples of note include the 2005 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy, the 2005 Die Quadriga and the 2005 Vincent Scully Prize. He was also recently named Honorary Companion of the Order of Canada, one of only five non-Canadians ever to receive this honour. See [4]

List of those who have held the title of Aga Khan

Aga Khan I = Aga Hasan Ali Shah = HH Shah Hasan Ali Shah Mehalatee Aga Khan I (1800-1881), 46th Imam (1817-1881)
Aga Khan II = HH Ali Shah Aga Khan II (about 1830 - 1885), 47th Imam (12 April 1881 - 1885)
Aga Khan III = HRH Prince Sultan Mohammed, (1877-1957), 48th Imam (17 August 1885 - 1957)
Aga Khan IV = Karim Aga Khan = HH Prince Aga Khan IV = Prince Karim Al Husseini (b. 1936), 49th Imam of the Ismailis (from 11 July 1957)

Sources and references