Aga Khan (; ; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the

Imām Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, and provide religi ...

of the

Nizari Nizari Isma'ilism () are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismailis, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasise independent reasoning or ''ijtihad''; Pluralism (philosophy), pluralism— ...

Ismāʿīli

Shias Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...

. The current holder of the title is the 50th hereditary Imām, Prince

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

Rahim al-Hussaini,

Aga Khan V Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan (; born 12 October 1971), known as the Aga Khan V (), is a religious leader, businessman, and socialite best known as the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Nizari Isma'ili Muslims who claim descent from Muhamm ...

since 4 February 2025, who acceded to the Imamat upon the death of his father, Prince

Karim al-Hussaini,

Aga Khan IV Prince Karim al-Husseini (13 December 1936 – 4 February 2025), known as the Aga Khan IV, was the 49th Imamah, imam of Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Nizari Isma'ilism from 1957 until his death in 2025. He inherited the Imamate in Nizari doctrine ...

Title

The title is made up of the titles " agha" and "

khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

". The Turkish "agha" is "aqa" (Āqā) in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. The word " agha" comes from the

Old Turkic Old Siberian Turkic, generally known as East Old Turkic and often shortened to Old Turkic, was a Siberian Turkic language spoken around East Turkistan and Mongolia. It was first discovered in inscriptions originating from the Second Turkic Kh ...

and

Mongolian Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * ...

"aqa", meaning "elder men", and means something like "master" or "lord". "

Khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

" means king or ruler in Turkish and Mongolian languages. Combining the terms together the title means commanding chief, lord, or master. According to

Farhad Daftary Farhad Daftary (; born 1938) is a Belgian-born Iranian-British Islamic scholar who is co-director and head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. He was born in Brussels. Daftary rec ...

, a scholar at the Institute of Isma'ili Studies, ''Aga Khan''(...) 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.''" ' is an honorific title bestowed on Hasan Ali Shah (1804–1881), the 46th Imām of Nizari Ismai'lis (1817–1881), by the Iranian king

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irrevocable ceding of Iran's northern territories in the Caucasus, com ...

. The Aga Khan III noted in a famous legal proceeding in India that ''Aga Khan'' is not a title but instead an alias that was given to the Aga Khan I when he was a young man.

History

During the latter stages of the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

(1841–1842), Hasan Ali Shah and his cavalry officers provided assistance to General Nott in Kandahar Province and to General England in his advance from

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

to join Nott. For these and for other diligent efforts made by him in the service of the Empire, the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

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 Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

sect; it could even be used at some later stage to counterbalance the influence of the

Ottoman Caliph The Ottoman Caliphate () was the claim of the heads of the Turkish Ottoman dynasty, rulers of the Ottoman Empire, to be the caliphs of Islam during the late medieval and early modern era. Ottoman rulers first assumed the style of caliph in t ...

, the head of Islam as recognized by the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

sects. The Aga Khan was the only religious or community leader in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

granted a personal

gun salute A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world. Histo ...

. In 1866, the

Aga Khan Aga Khan (; ; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Imām of the Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ilism, Ismāʿīli Shia Islam, Shias. The current holder of the title is the ...

won a court victory in the High Court of Bombay in what popularly became known as the

Aga Khan Case The Aga Khan case was an 1866 court decision in the High Court of Bombay by Justice Sir Joseph Arnould that established the authority of the first Aga Khan, Hasan Ali Shah, as the head of the Khoja community of Bombay. The case was officially a ...

, securing his recognition by the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

as the head of the

Khoja The Khoja are a caste of Muslims mainly members of the Nizari Ismaʿiliyyah sect of Islam with a minority of followers of Shia Islam originating the western Indian subcontinent, and converted to Islam from Hinduism by the 14th century by the Pe ...

community. The Aga Khan is also the Pir within the

Ismaili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...

community. The Bombay High Court decision of 1866 recognized Aga Khan I as the hereditary

of Isma'ilis. In 1887, the

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India secretary or the Indian secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of ...

, acting through the

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

, formally recognized the title ''Aga Khan''.

List of Aga Khans

Five Ismāʿīli imāms have held this title: *

Aga Khan I Prince Hasan Ali Shah (; 1804 – 12 April 1881), known as Aga Khan I (), was the 46th hereditary imam of the Nizari Isma'ilis. He served as the governor of Kerman and a prominent leader in Iran and later in the Indian subcontinent. He was t ...

– Hasan Ali Shah Mahallati (1804–1881), 46th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (1817–1881) *

Aga Khan II Prince Aqa Ali Shah (; 1830 – 17 August 1885), known as Aga Khan II (), was the 47th hereditary imam of the Nizari Isma'ili Muslims. A member of the Iranian royal family, he became the Imam in 1881. He was the second Nizari Imam to hold the ti ...

– Shah Ali Shah (about 1830–1885), 47th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (12 April 1881 – 17 August 1885) *

Aga Khan III Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (2 November 187711 July 1957), known as Aga Khan III, was the 48th Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imam of the Nizari Isma'ili, Ism'aili branch of Shia Islam. He was one of the founders and the first permanent president of ...

– Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah (1877–1957), 48th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (17 August 1885 – 11 July 1957) *

– Prince Shah Karim Al-Hussaini (1936–2025), 49th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (11 July 1957 – 4 February 2025) *

– Prince Shah Rahim Al-Hussaini (born 1971), 50th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis (4 February 2025 – present)

References

Peter Sarstedt 1969 pop song "Your name is heard in high places, You know the Aga Khan. He sent you a racehorse for Christmas, And you keep it, just for fun, For a laugh..." From So Where Do You Go To, My Lovely. By Peter Sarstedt.

Title

History

List of Aga Khans

See also

References

Further reading