View source for Aga Khan

{{short description|Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias}}
{{about|the hereditary title|the current incumbent|Aga Khan V|other uses}}

{{more citations needed|date=November 2018}}

{{EngvarB|date=November 2018}}
{{use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox monarchy
|royal_title        = Prince Aga Khan
|realm              = the Imamate of the [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizari]] [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīli]] [[Shia Islam|Shias]]
|native_name        = {{langx|fa|آقاخان}}<br/>{{langx|ar|آغا خان}}
|border             = <!-- Optional. Accepted values: provincial / federal / imperial -->
|coatofarms         =
|coatofarms_article =
|type               = other3<!-- Please do not change the value in the "type" field from "other3" -->
|his/her            =
|image              = Aga Khan V.jpg
|caption            =
|incumbent          = [[Aga Khan V|Rahim al-Hussaini]]
|incumbentsince     = 4 February 2025
|other              = <!-- Optional. Other caption below incumbent's name instead of enthronement date. -->
|first_monarch      = [[Hasan Ali Shah]]
|last_monarch       = <!-- Optional. -->
|formation          = 1817
|abolition          = <!-- Optional. -->
|residence          = <!-- Optional. -->
|appointer          = <!-- Optional. -->
|pretender          = <!-- Optional. -->
}}'''Aga Khan''' ({{langx|fa|آقاخان}}; {{langx|ar|آغا خان}}; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'')<ref name="DaftaryIsmailis2ed2">{{Cite book |last1=Daftary |first1=Farhad |author-link1=Farhad Daftary |title=The Ismāʻı̄lı̄s: their history and doctrines |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-511-35561-5 |edition=2nd}}</ref> is the [[hereditary title]] of the spiritual leader and [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imām]] of the [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizari]] [[Isma'ilism|Ismāʿīli]] [[Shia Islam|Shias]], a branch of [[Islam]] with approximately 12{{endash}}15 million followers worldwide. The Aga Khan serves as both the religious head and temporal leader of the Ismaili community, providing spiritual guidance and overseeing extensive [[Aga Khan Development Network|development and humanitarian]] work across [[Asia]], [[Africa]], and other regions where [[Ismailism|Ismailis]] live.

The title, which means "Great Leader" or "Grand Commander," has been passed down through a hereditary line for over 150 years, with each Aga Khan believed by his followers to be a direct descendant of the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] through his daughter [[Fatimah]] and son-in-law [[Ali]]. Unlike many other Islamic leadership positions, the Aga Khan's authority combines religious interpretation with significant involvement in education, healthcare, cultural preservation, and economic development.

The current holder of the title is the 50th hereditary Imām, Prince [[Shah]] Rahim al-Hussaini, [[Aga Khan V]], who acceded to the Imamat on 4 February 2025 upon the death of his father, Prince [[Shah]] Karim al-Hussaini, [[Aga Khan IV]], who had led the community for nearly 68 years. The succession was formalized through his father's will, and he was granted the style "His Highness" by [[Charles III|King Charles III]], continuing a tradition dating back to the first Aga Khan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-10 |title=The King is pleased to grant the new Aga Khan the title “His Highness” |url=https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2025-02-10/the-king-is-pleased-to-grant-the-new-aga-khan-the-title-his-highness |access-date=2025-07-19 |website=www.royal.uk |language=en}}</ref>{{Ismailis|Ismaili History}}

==Title==
The title is made up of the titles "[[Agha (title)|agha]]" and "[[Khan (title)|khan]]". The Turkish "agha" is "aqa" (Āqā) in [[Persian language|Persian]]. The word "[[agha (title)|agha]]" comes from the [[Old Turkic language|Old Turkic]] and [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] "aqa", meaning "elder men",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/aga|title=the definition of aga|website=Dictionary.com|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707020835/http://www.dictionary.com/browse/aga|archive-date=7 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nisanyansozluk.com/?k=a%25C4%259Fa&x=0&y=0|title=imla|website=www.nisanyansozluk.com|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722111512/http://www.nisanyansozluk.com/?k=a%C4%9Fa&x=0&y=0|archive-date=22 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and means something like "master" or "lord". "[[Khan (title)|Khan]]" means king or ruler in Turkish and Mongolian languages.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge History of China|last=Fairbank|first=John King|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1978|pages=367}}</ref> Combining the terms together the title means commanding chief, lord, or master.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=February 6, 2025 |title=Aga Khan IV to be buried in Egypt on Sunday |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/aga-khan-iv-be-buried-egypt-sunday-2025-02-06/ |website=Reuters}}</ref>

According to [[Farhad Daftary]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_person.asp?ID=8&type=auth |title=The Institute of Ismaili Studies |url-status=dead |access-date=2 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512113401/http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_person.asp?ID=8&type=auth |archive-date=12 May 2013  }}</ref> a scholar at the [[Institute of Ismaili Studies|Institute of Isma'ili Studies]], ''Aga Khan''<ref>[[Farhad Daftary|Daftary, Farhad]] (2011), [https://books.google.com/books?id=sf9fAwAAQBAJ&dq=Dhani+Pir&pg=PT169 "A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community", I.B. Tauris & Co., 416 p., pp. 1–2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231194233/https://books.google.fr/books?id=sf9fAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT169&lpg=PT169&dq=Dhani+Pir&source=bl&ots=es8PVBVjUN&sig=AXx4_ZQ55glORlv7FROEWZXCHfk&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjknebX7dbWAhXBJcAKHbXJDKAQ6AEIUjAM#v=onepage&q=Dhani%20Pir&f=false |date=31 December 2018 }} {{ISBN|978-1845117177}}</ref><ref name=Honorific>(...) H.H. the Aga Khan 'who is known amongst his followers by the following names: "''Hazarat Mowlana Dhani Salamat Datar, Pir Salamat, Sarkar Saheb, Huzur Pur Nur, Dhani Salamat, Hazar Imam, Dhani Pir, Aga Khan.''" '</ref> is an honorific title bestowed on [[Aga Khan I|Hasan Ali Shah]] (1804–1881), the 46th Imām of [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizari Ismai'lis]] (1817–1881), by [[Qajar dynasty|the Iranian king]] [[Fath-Ali Shah Qajar]].<ref name="DaftaryBib">{{cite book | title=Ismaili Literature: A Bibliography Of Sources And Studies| last=Daftary |first=Farhad |author-link=Farhad Daftary |year=2004| publisher=Institute of Ismaili Studies|isbn=978-1-850-43439-9}}</ref> The Aga Khan III noted in a famous legal proceeding in India that ''Aga Khan'' is not a title but instead an [[Pseudonym|alias]] that was given to the Aga Khan I when he was a young man.<ref name=Honorific/><ref name="haji bibi">{{Cite web|last1=Russell|first1=Justice|author-link1=Bombay High Court|title=Haji Bibi vs H.H. Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, 1 September 1908|url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1531123/|website=indiankanoon.org|publisher=Indian Kanoon|access-date=14 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714111159/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1531123/|archive-date=14 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The '''[[Noorani family]]''' is a term used to refer to the immediate family of the [[Aga Khan]].<ref name="rferl_2012">{{cite news |last1=Najibullah |first1=Farangis |title=Five Things To Know About The Aga Khan |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/aga-khan-explainer/24686969.html |accessdate=2 January 2020 |work=[[Radio Free Europe]] |date=24 August 2012}}</ref>

==History==
During the latter stages of the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] (1841–1842), [[Hasan Ali Shah]] and his cavalry officers provided assistance to [[William Nott (British general)|General Nott]] in [[Kandahar Province]] and to [[Richard England (British Army officer, born 1793)|General England]] in his advance from [[Sindh]] to join Nott.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://heritage.ismaili.net/node/18053 |title=Ismaili History 807 - The Aga Khan I in Afghanistan |publisher=Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D. |language=en |access-date=22 May 2025}}</ref> For these and for other diligent efforts made by him in the service of the Empire, the [[British Raj]] recognised him as a "Prince"; it was not an uncommon practice for the British to consolidate their hold on India by handing out similar titles liberally to any large landowner or tribal chieftain with local influence who made himself useful to them.

The Aga Khan was exceptional in that, while it was the local tribal influence that had enabled him to serve the British and gain their favour, his claim to nobility was based upon his claim to leadership of an entire sect of Islam. Imperial Britain saw great possibilities in having under their control and patronage the head of a major [[Shia]] sect; it could even be used at some later stage to counterbalance the influence of the [[Ottoman Caliph]], the head of Islam as recognized by the [[Sunni]] sects. The Aga Khan was the only religious or community leader in [[British India]] granted a personal [[gun salute]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Table of Personal Salutes, 11 Gun Salutes |journal=The India Office and Burma Office List for 1945 |year=1945 |page=43 |quote=Table of Personal Salutes, Salutes of 11 Guns }}</ref>

In 1866, the [[Aga Khan I|Aga Khan]] won a court victory in the [[Bombay High Court|High Court of Bombay]] in what popularly became known as the [[Aga Khan Case]], securing Aga Khan I's recognition by the [[British government]] as the [[Imamate in Nizari doctrine|Imām]] of the Isma'ilis/[[Khoja]] community.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=Juan Ricardo |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/25380111 |title=Roots of north indian shīʻism in Iran and Iraq : religion and state in Awadh, 1722–1859 |date=1989 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-562326-6 |oclc=25380111}}</ref> The Aga Khan is also the [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir]] within the [[Nizari]] [[Ismaili]] community.

In 1887, the [[Secretary of State for India]], acting through the [[Viceroy of India]], formally recognized the title ''Aga Khan''.<ref>{{Cite web|first= Dr Ramesh Kumar |last=Vankwani|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/216352-The-Aga-Khans-legacy|title=The Aga Khan's legacy|work=[[The News International]]|language=en|date=14 June 2017|accessdate=2 June 2022}}</ref>

==List of Aga Khans==
Five Ismāʿīli imāms have held this title:
*[[Aga Khan I]]&nbsp;– Hasan Ali Shah Mahallati (1804–1881), 46th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (1817–1881)
*[[Aga Khan II]]&nbsp;– Shah Ali Shah (about 1830–1885), 47th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (12 April 1881&nbsp;– 17 August 1885)
*[[Aga Khan III]]&nbsp;– Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah (1877–1957), 48th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (17 August 1885&nbsp;– 11 July 1957)
*[[Aga Khan IV]]&nbsp;– Prince Shah Karim Al-Hussaini (1936–2025), 49th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (11 July 1957&nbsp;– 4 February 2025)
*[[Rahim Aga Khan|Aga Khan V]]&nbsp;– Prince Shah Rahim Al-Hussaini (born 1971), 50th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (4 February 2025 – present)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-05 |title=Rahim Al-Hussaini is named the new Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims |url=https://apnews.com/article/aga-khan-rahim-alhussaini-8efb5353df62fd6f452ca2935507483c |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Imamate in Nizari doctrine]]
*[[Imamate in Shia doctrine]]
*[[List of Ismaili imams]]
*[[Nizari Ismaili state]]
*[[Noorani family]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
*"Les Agas Khans", Yann Kerlau, Perrin 2004

{{Aga Khans}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aga Khans| ]]
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[[Category:Religious leadership roles]]
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