Renowned researcher and historian Aqil Abbas Jafri believes that Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III, besides being the 48th Imam of the Ismaili community, was also an active leader of the Pakistan Movement.
Aga Khan III was born on November 2, 1877, in Karachi and assumed the position of Imamat in 1885 after the passing of his father, Aga Khan II, Ali Shah. When he passed away in 1957, his tenure as Imam was the longest among all previous Ismaili Imams. He is buried on the banks of the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. He also played a significant role in international politics. He was one of the founders of the All India Muslim League and served as its president from 1907 to 1913.
Due to his efforts, MAO College Aligarh was granted university status, and he also served as its pro-vice chancellor. (17)
Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III played a crucial role in the freedom movement!
Aga Khan III was aligned with the thoughts and philosophy of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and was among the supporters and founders of Aligarh University alongside him. He worked tirelessly to collect funds for the university and frequently donated large sums from his personal income. He is regarded as an important intellectual of Islamic modernism and the Aligarh movement.
He believed that there was no contradiction between religion and modernity. As a key leader of the independence movement, he urged the Muslims of the subcontinent to embrace modernity; however, he opposed blind imitation of Western society.
He believed that increasing engagement with the West would be beneficial for Muslim society as a whole. Intellectually, he was open-minded toward Western philosophy and ideas and believed that engagement with Europe could lead to a revival and renaissance within Islamic thought. (18)
In 1930, when the Round Table Conferences commenced in London, Sir Aga Khan III represented the Muslims of the subcontinent. In 1937, he was elected president of the General Assembly of the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations.
Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III had four marriages. His eldest son, Mehdi, would have been his successor if he had survived. His second son, Prince Ali Khan, was born on June 13, 1911. In 1936, at the age of 21, Prince Ali Khan married, and from this marriage, Prince Karim Aga Khan, the 49th Imam of the Ismaili community and the father of the current Imam, Aga Khan V, was born. Prince Ali was a globally renowned figure whose opinions were attentively heard by leaders worldwide.
In September 1959, as Pakistan’s representative at the United Nations, Prince Ali Khan supported Algeria’s struggle for independence, aligning with Pakistan’s foreign policy. Shortly afterward, the Government of Pakistan appointed him as Pakistan’s ambassador to Argentina. However, before he could assume this position, Prince Ali Khan passed away in a traffic accident in Paris on May 12, 1960. (19)
Aga Khan V starts Imamate
At the beginning of February this year, Prince Rahim Aga Khan officially assumed his position as the 50th hereditary Imam in a historic ceremony at the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon, Portugal. This ceremony was attended by global leaders of the Ismaili community and symbolized the formal transition of Noorani leadership following the passing of his father, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.
During the ceremony, Ismaili leaders from around the world reaffirmed their spiritual devotion to the new Imam, continuing the legacy of their faith. This significant event was broadcast live to Jamaat Khanas in more than 35 countries, allowing Ismaili communities worldwide to participate virtually.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a large group of institutions and agencies actively engaged in providing crucial social, economic, and cultural development services across different parts of the world. The AKDN institutions can broadly be categorized into the following areas:
The development institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network work to improve the quality of life in underprivileged areas by supporting education, healthcare, financial services, and infrastructure development. These include the Aga Khan Foundation and Aga Khan Health Services.
The educational institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network provide both primary and higher education, aiming to deliver high-quality education to children and youth in disadvantaged regions. These institutions include Aga Khan University, Aga Khan Education Services, and the University of Central Asia.
These institutions promote cultural understanding and the preservation of historical sites and monuments. Key institutions include the Aga Khan Museum and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Under the leadership of Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the economic development institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network work to foster financial growth by promoting businesses, microfinance, and job creation in various communities. These include the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, and the Aga Khan Microfinance Bank.
The humanitarian and welfare institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network provide assistance during emergencies and natural disasters.
Focus Humanitarian Assistance and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat are dedicated to human welfare and work tirelessly in this field.
For example, in December 2022, the Aga Khan Development Network donated 20,000 desks to public secondary schools in Mozambique, a decision made in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Development. In March 2022, during the inauguration of the Aga Khan Academy in the city of Matola, Maputo Province, the government of the Republic of Mozambique prioritized improving public education standards, including enhancing school facilities.
The enthronement of Prince Rahim Al-Husseini as Aga Khan V was a moment of mixed emotions for Ismailis around the world. Similar emotions were evident in Prince Rahim Aga Khan himself, who is now known as Aga Khan V.
This is because the passing of Prince Karim Aga Khan was not an event that could easily be forgotten. His contributions will be remembered forever, and the Ismaili community will always cherish their late spiritual leader. At the same time, there was joy in the enthronement of Prince Rahim Aga Khan as Aga Khan V, an event of undeniable significance and hope for humanity.
