(Section Three) THE COMPASSIONATE Continued from Section Two AGA KHAN ARRIVES IN INDIA 1840 A.D. — A political refugee from Persia Professor Peter B. Clarke writes in the December 1976 issue of the British Journal of Sociology that in 1840, the first Aga Khan (Shah Hasan `Ali Shah) fled from Persia after an unsuccessful rebellion against the throne. The political refugee came to Afghanistan, accompanied by a few hundred of his horsemen, seeking the sanctuary of the British Raj. Before leaving Persia, the Aga Khan had sent his family to Iraq, fearing persecution from Emperor Muhammad Shah and his army. For the majority of Persians that were conforming to the Twelver Shi'ah persuasion of Islam, Iraq was a center of refuge. Having lost all his lands in Persia, the “adventurous
and romantic”
“Aga Khan” is not a title Many Ismailis regard “Aga Khan” to be a title conferred
upon Aga Hasan Ali Shah (Aga Khan I) by the late Shah of Persia. According
to Aga Khan III's own admission before Justice Russell at the Haji Bibi
Case (Bombay Law Reporter, 1908, Volume 11, p. 432) “['Aga
Khan'] is not a title but a sort of 'alias,' a pet name when Hassan Ali
Biographer Willi Frischauer records in The Aga Khans that Shah Hasan 'Ali Shah was known in Persia by the pet name of Aga Khan (great chief), which he adopted as his hereditary title. Dr. Daftary writes (p. 23) that “Aqa Khan” is the proper term for “Agha Khan.” 1851 A.D. — Attempt to acquire community properties Documents recorded with the High Courts of Bombay indicate that Aga Khan I, who was a kind of political prisoner of the British Government in Calcutta at the insistence of the Persian ruler Muhammad `Ali Shah, came to Mazagon (Bombay) in 1849. As soon as the Aga Khan moved his headquarters to Bombay, he aspired to take over the properties belonging to the Khojah community of Bombay. These properties were built long before the arrival of the Aga Khan, by the Khojah community with their own resources, as declared before the judiciary.
The above pronouncement tells us that Sunni Khojahs used to go to Khojah Jama`at khanas for worshipping. Obviously, Sunni Khojahs must be reciting Namaz of the Sunni Tariqah, in the Jama'at khanas, as a part of their worship. No Sunni Muslim would recite Du'a of the Ismaili Tariqah in which 'Ali is witnessed “Sahi Allah or Aliyyullah.” Today, the Khojah Jama'at khanas, the Khojah burial grounds, and the patriarchal Durgahs of the Khojahs have become the private property of Karim Aga Khan. Only the followers of the Aga Khan are allowed to enter these Jama`at khanas. The followers can only recite Ismaili Du'a and not the Islamic Salah (Namaz) in these Jama'at khanas. 1861 A.D. — Aga Khan admits “Khojahs are Sunnis” In the cause célèbre tried in the High
Court of Bombay before Sir Joseph Arnould in April and June 1866, and popularly
known as “The Khojah Case” or “Aga Khan Case,” a judgment document was
issued on 12 November 1866 and recorded in the Bombay High Court Reporter
(Volume 12, 1866, pp. 323-63). Going through that document we come across
a crucial remark made by Justice Arnould about an Exhibit, numbered 19,
that was filed by the Aga Khan's own Counsel during the trial. Exhibit
No. 19 tells us that until 1861 the converted Khojahs were Sunni Muslims,
according to Aga Khan's own admission.
In this paper Aga Khan expresses his desire to bring the Khojahs to conform to the practices “of the Imamujah creed of his holy ancestors,”....He states that having seen it in print that the Khojahs are Sunis [sic], and that a certain person (meaning himself) is “peremptorily inviting them to embrace the Imamujah creed,” he has prepared this paper....The paper ends thus. “Now he who may be willing to obey my orders shall write his name in this book...that I may know him.” The facts presented hereafter show that Aga Khan I and his family members were practicing the Ithna'ashri faith and that the concept of “Hazar Imam” was either missing or had not yet been developed. “Taziyadari” — “an obligatory duty” writes Aga Khan I The year in which Aga Khan invited Khojahs to join the faith of his ancestors, he published his autobiography in Persian. The book was entitled Ibrat-afza and was lithographed in Bombay in 1861. The narrative is in the first person and the work is written in simple prose, according to Professor W. Ivanow. In his autobiography, Aga Khan I, described his journey from Persia and the difficulties he had to face before reaching Bombay. Four years later, the autobiography was translated into Gujrati and published for Bawa Karim Dadji by Oriental Press, Bombay. Ibrat- afza is one of those rare books of which Ismailis of this age have no knowledge. In fact most of the Ismailis do not even know that Aga Khan I wrote his autobiography. Below is an English translation of an extract from the Gujrati translation. The selected portion is from the last page of Aga Khan's description of his journey from Gujrat to Bombay:
Aga Khan I has confirmed that in 1261 and 1262 A.H. (1845
and 1846 A.D.), he had “fulfilled the obligatory duties of Taziyadari.”
This statement would certainly make an Agakhani Ismaili look back into
the history of his Imams and ponder; if his forty- sixth Imam, Aga Khan
I, was a living Imam or if he was advocating the concept of an ever- living
“Hazar” Imam, then how could he have mourned for a dead Imam or participated
in the ritual of “passion play” (Taziyadari). And, that too with a conviction
that the rituals performed by him were the components of his obligatory
duties. To commemorate a dead Imam was to admit that the Imamate, which
in essence is spiritual and not physical, had not been passed on to the
next Imam and it died with the dead Imam.
Khalu Jama'at Eventually, Aga Khan I settled in a palace in Bombay together with his entourage. The palace was called “Aga Hall.” In his Memoirs, Aga Khan calls it “a place of pilgrimage” for his followers. In the servant quarters of the palace were settled the distant relatives of the Aga Khan and the descendants of the horsemen that accompanied Aga Khan when he arrived in India. These Persian-speaking relatives and ex-comrades of Aga Khan were known as “Khalu” and the community as a whole was known as Khalu Jama`at. Many of these Khalus used to work for the Aga Khan and look after his racehorses. Almost all of them received a pension or free quarter on Aga Khan's land in Bombay or Poona. In the course of time, many of these Persian-speaking Khalus “married Indian wives, many of them of Ismaili families,” writes Aga Khan in his Memoirs. In other words, Khalu families were not considered as “Ismaili families” by the late Aga Khan. As we shall observe in the following pages, Khalus were Ithna'ashries. Khalu families and the black dresses During the Second World War, the British military had taken over the Aga Hall and converted into a school in which I was studying. The English-speaking young Khalus, who were residing in the compound of the Aga Hall became friendly with the Ismaili students. They were often surprised at the strange beliefs of Khojah Ismailis for one of their fellow countryman. During the month of Muharram and the following ten days, almost all members of this Khalu Jama'at, with the exception of a few families that had intermarried with Ismailis, would wear black dresses. They would strictly observe the solemnity of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn in Kerbala. During these days of mourning, they would have no social entertainments or festivities. The closest relatives of the Aga Khan, with the exception of a couple of families, used to frequent the Mogul Imambaras of the Shi`ah Ithna'ashries in Bombay and Poona wearing black dresses. In those days no believing Ismaili would wear a black garment at any time of the year. Black was regarded as a symbol of the dissident Khojahs. Visiting Jama'at khanas or attending social functions wearing a black dress was a kind of taboo. Invocation of Fourteen Ma'sums The fact that the ancestors of Aga Khan I were practising Ithna'ashri faith is further attested by Dr. John Hollister in the following text. He writes in 'The Shi'a Of India' (p. 335), quoting an extract from one of the Ivanow's rare book, 'Tombs of Some Persian Ismaili Imams'(pp.53-54):
1. Ismaili historians have recorded that their thirty-fourth Imam was named Gharib Mirza but was known as Shah Mustansir bi'llah III. He was a son of Imam 'Abdu's salam. He died in 902 a.h. (1498 a.d.). 2. The term “fourteen ma'sums” refers to Bibi Khadija (the wife of the Prophet), Bibi Fatima (the wife of Imam 'Ali), and the twelve Imams of the Ithna'ashries. 3. Any one that invokes blessings upon “twelve Imams” has accepted the Imamate of Imam Musa Kazim and his descendants. Consequently, he has rejected the Imamate of Imam Ismail (the brother of Musa Kazim) and of his descendants as well. One has but to admit that such a person cannot be qualified as an “Ismaili” or as an “Imam of the Imami Nizari Ismailis.” In other words, Shah Mustansir bi'llah and his family members were “Twelvers” Shi'ahs and not Nizari Imami Ismailis. 1905 A.D. — Aga Khan III's frank admission In 1905, a suit was brought against Aga Khan III and some of his relatives by a widow named Haji Bibi. The widow was a daughter of Jungi Shah, an uncle of Aga Khan III. The petition was filed in the High Court of Bombay under Civil Suit No. 729. All extracts connected with the Haji Bibi Case quoted hereafter are reproduced from the Bombay Law Reporter (O.C.J. 1908, Volume 11. Justice Russell records in his judgment (p. 425):
1905 A.D. — Questions and answers in Kilwa, Tanganyika In 1905, a German officer arranged a meeting between Aga Khan III and a group of Khojahs in the port of Kilwa, Tanganyika, East Africa. At that time the territory was under the German rule. The group members were Khojah Shariff Noormohammed, Suleman Walji, and Haji Suleman Bhimji. An Ismaili named Hasambhai acted as an interpreter on behalf of the Aga Khan. The purpose of the meeting was to resolve some of the issues that the members of the Khojah community had raised during the Aga Khan's visit to Tanganyika. The questions asked by the group and the answers given by the Aga Khan at this meeting were published in a booklet. Below is the translation of one particular question and its answer, which appear on pp. 20-21: Shariff Noormohamed questions: Four years ago from now, in Savant 1952 (i.e., 1901 A.D.), during the month of Ramadhan, I was in Bombay. On the nights of 19th, 21st, and 23rd Ramadhan there were gatherings in the main Jamatkhana. At these gatherings you had placed Qur'an upon your head, asked the others to do so and did the Amal of Sabe-Qad'r. During these ritual the names of each of the Ithna'ashri Imams were taken ten times and thereafter Magfarat (forgiveness) was sought from Allah in the name of “Fourteen Ma'sums.” At that time you did not remember the Ismaili Imams. Please explain your reasons for this. The Aga Khan answers:
Shariff Noormohamed replies:
The Aga Khan rejoins:
Such an evasive response and remark by a person claiming to be a Mazhar (literally, copy, manifestation) of Allah and a Spiritual Father and Mother of his followers cannot but reflect adversely. It nevertheless clearly shows that Aga Khan III himself led and his followers participated routinely, in Ithna'ashriyya ceremonies and indeed Ithna'ashrism was practised by him and his community well into the first few decades of the 20th century. “Jangname” were read in every Jama'at khana Jangname (literally, narratives of war;
in Shi'ah terminology events describing the martyrdom of Imam Husayn in
Kerbala) that the Aga Khans had brought with them from Persia were translated
into the Sindhi language. These Jangname were recited in every Jama`at
khana of India and East Africa starting from 10th of Dhu'l-hijja until
the Chelum (the fortieth day of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn).
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, Bapu Missionary, father-in-law of missionary Abualy Aziz, used to sit on a wooden Takhat (raised platform) and do the recitation in the chief Jama'at khana of Bombay. Aga Khan — a murid of Mast 'Ali Shah Referring to a text from Ibrat-afza, the autobiography in Persian written by Hasan 'Ali Shah, Agha Khan Mahallati (ed. Husayn Kuhi Kirmani, Tehran, 1325/1946, p. 13), Farhad Daftary writes in 'The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines' (Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1990, p. 507):
In the Ismaili concept, “Hazar Imam” is the Supreme Authority and also a Mazhar (literally, copy, manifestation) of Allah. It is indeed surprising that an individual who had a god like status among his followers and was acknowledged as the fountainhead of all knowledge and all authority, was himself a follower and had a Master! Aga Khan no different from any other Syed In the famous Haji Bibi Case of 1905, Justice Russell has recorded the evidence of witness Gulam Hussein Alu Muraj (Bombay Law Reporter, p. 454) as under:
Nawroji M. Dumasia, an assistant editor of the 'Times of India', Bombay, is one of the few authors who have published books on the early history of the Aga Khans. In his Memoirs, Aga Khan addresses Dumasia as “a talented Parsee and a friend.” Dr. John Norman Hollister quotes an important passage from Mr. Dumasia's book 'A Brief History of the Aga Khan' pp.85-85 in his book The Shi'a of India (p. 366):
1. The quoted text tells us that the Aga Khan, after having got the control of the Khojah Jama`at Khana and the Council Hall in Bombay, was yet called “Pir Salamut” and not “Imam Salamut” by his followers. 2. That the Aga Khan had not corrected his followers during all these years shows that the Khojahs had accepted Aga Khan as a Sufi Pir (Master), which he was. In those days, there were many Ithna'ashri Sufi Masters in Persia who had their followers. Since the Aga Khan was an eminent follower of a Persian Sufi Master Mast `Ali Shah, he could have been very well accepted as a Sufi Pir (Master) by the Khojahs and hence was called “Pir Salamut.” 3. The quoted text records, “on the occasion of the Mohurrum” Aga Khan and his followers were attending “the solemn recitation of the legend of the great Martyrdom” in the Jama`at khanas of Bombay. This unequivocally proves that Aga Khan I and his followers were practising the Ithna'ashri faith. The practice of Rozakhani (reciting legends of the suffer ings of Imam Husayn and his family members at Kerbala) and Ziarat of the great Martyrdom even continued during the early years of my parents. 4. The quoted passage also tells us that the converted Khojahs were reciting “Nimaz” and Aga Khan I used to lead the “Nimaz.” My father- in-law tells me that his grandfather used to recite “Nimaz” (Namaz) in those days. The obvious question is, who abolished this practice of reciting Islamic Namaz from the Khojah Jama'at khanas and introduced the practise of reciting Du'a facing the photographs of Aga Khan? And, before the arrival of the Aga Khans, whose photographs were hung from the walls of the “Ismaili” Jama'at khanas, if there were any? Prior to the arrival of the Aga Khans, the Jama'at khanas were known as Khojah Jama'at khanas. Shi'ahs and Sunnis, both used to attend these places of worship, as declared by Sir Erskine Perry in his judgment. Bring forward an authority
such as invent a falsehood against Allah?” Holy Qur'an 18/15 Aga Khan's “Circular” disputed for twenty years As we have seen during the first phase of proselytization, the Hindus were converted to Khojah Sunni Muslim, by Pir Sadr-din and his descendants. The second phase started with Aga Khan I arriving in India. When he first came to India, he and the horsemen that accompanied him were practising the Shi'ah Ithna'ashriyya rites and rituals that their ancestors had observed in Persia. After having seen that the converted Khojahs were Sunnis, as acknowledged in his letter of invitation dated 20 October 1861, quoted previously, he extended an invitation to these Khojah Sunni Muslims to join the creed of his ancestors, that is to become Khojah Shi`a Ithna'ashries. It is very important to note that the invitation extended in 1861 by the Aga Khan I, was not to join the Nizari Imami Ismaili faith but to join the “Imamujah creed of his holy ancestors.” The converts of Pir Sadr-Din, the ancestors of the Agakhani Ismailis, did not immediately accept him as their religious leader. “The first Agha Khan established his religious authority in India after some difficulties,” records Dr. Daftary (p. 514). In 1845, prior to the date of this invitation, Aga Khan I had issued a “Circular” addressed to the Khojahs of India, asking them to change their religious ceremonies to Shi'ah Tariqah and ritual, to be performed by Shi'ah Maulvis and Sayyids instead of Sunni Mullahs. Alimohammad J. Chunara writes in Noorum- Mubin (p. 661) that some influential wealthy Jama'ati members opposed the order and said:
“Reciting Namaz with hands folded makes it null” Editor Jaffarali of a Gujrati monthly, Alamdar, writes in Noor-e-Haqq (Bombay, 1964, p. 27): A warning was issued by Aga Khan the third in a small booklet published in Gujrati in Bombay in Hijri 1312 [1895 a.d.], 'Khojah kom na mazhab na ketlak mul-tatwoh tatha kirya sabandhi nu nanu pustak' on the subject of the fundamental basic religious rites and ceremonies of the Khojah community. Aga Khan pronounced that reciting Namaz (Salah) with both hands folded and/or saying of “Ameen” after “Sura al-Hamd” during the Namaz, makes it null and void, except in the case of observing a Taqiyyah (dissimulation). The Shi'ah Muslims keep their hands on their sides while reciting their Namaz and the Sunni Muslims (except for those following the Maliki school of thought) recite with both their hands folded. This document confirms that when this booklet was published by the Aga Khan, the converted Khojahs were Sunni Muslims and had been reciting the Namaz in accordance with the Sunni Tariqah of Islam which necessitated issuance of such a warning. Aga Khan's greatest hour Below is an extract from the article “My Finest Hour” written by Aga Khan III for the British media and reproduced by his biographer Harry J. Greenwall in The Aga Khan (p. 46):
Always I must turn towards Mecca,....I am a very busy man, and it is on very few occasions indeed that I find myself in the Moslem mosques at Woking or in Paris. If I cannot go there, I simply kneel down wherever I happen to be.... 1. The Mosque at Woking being a Sunni Mosque, the Imam of the Mosque leads the prayers with folded hands. In accordance with the above warning the Namaz of that Imam and his followers would be null and void, yet Aga Khan preferred to go to Woking. 2. If Friday Noon Prayer was the greatest hour for the Aga Khan, then he should have directed his followers to pray at that time also. Unfortunately, the Ismaili Jama'at khanas all over the world are closed at noontime because there is no such thing as Noon Prayers in the Ismaili doctrine. 3. Aga Khan kept a small compass and recited his prayers facing Mecca. His followers recite prayers facing any direction they choose, preferably in front of a photograph of Aga Khan. 1864 A.D. — Sunni Mullah replaced with Shi'ah Mullah The documents filed in the famous “Khojah Case of 1866” reveal that two years before the case, in February 1864, Aga Khan I, removed the officiating Sunni Mullah from the old Khojah Mosque in Bombay and replaced him with a Shi`ah Mullah to perform the ceremonies according to Shi'ah forms. Notes: 1. If the converted Khojahs were Shi'ahs then they would not have hired a Sunni Mullah to officiate their religious ceremonies, especially in the city of Bombay where there has never been a shortage of Shi'ah Mullahs. 2. A Sunni Mullah will not recite and invoke blessings upon the names of “Twelve Imams” or “Hazar Imam,” hence the religious ceremonies of the Shi`ahs cannot be performed by a Sunni Mullah which often 'necessitates sending blessings upon these names. 3. Aga Khan had established his headquarters
in Bombay since 1849.
1866 A.D. — A turning point in history In 1866, a complaint was filed against Aga Khan and others in the High Court of Bombay. It is popularly known as the “Khojah Case.” In the judgement document, it is recorded:
1866 A.D. — Majority defeated, minority wins Justice Arnould recorded in his judgment document that there were between 13,000 to 15,000 houses or families of Khojah Muslims in the 1860s. Continuing a little further, he wrote that Aga Khan's Counsel had submitted, along with the previously mentioned Exhibit No. 19, a book of signature. The document also tells us that the said Exhibit ended thus: “Now he who may be willing to obey my [Aga Khan's] orders shall write his name in this book that I may know him.” The judgment document records that the book “was signed by some 1,700 males.” This clearly shows that only an insignificant minority, 1700 males out of 13,000 or 15,000 families of Khojahs, had shown their willingness to obey his orders. Raj's policy: “Divide and Rule” A question is often asked: Why did Justice Arnould, knowing the above facts, pass a judgment that would give Aga Khan the authority to command a community eighty-two percent of whose families or heads of families were not willing to obey his orders? Here are the plausible answers: 1. During the period of Imperial Colonial Rule, it was a well-known policy of the British Raj to “Divide and Rule.” With this court decree (issued by a British judge) the Colonial administration was able to separate a group of 15,000 Indian Muslims from their formidable international brotherhood, the Ummah. 2. By placing this newly separated community under the leadership of a staunch ally of the British, the Raj created a new religious party that would be friendly and cooperative with the administration. 3. The following submission, made by Aga Khan's Counsel before Justice Arnould and quoted in the judgment document appears to be a sort of indirect, circuitous reminder to one of the representatives of the British Government of India that a return favour was due.
Diamond Rattansi — an Ismaili scholar Diamond Rattansi is an Ismaili scholar from North America. Extracts from his works Islamization and the Khojah Isma'ili Community in Pakistan (Ph.D. dissertation, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Canada, 1987) and “The Nizari Ismailis of Pakistan: Ismailism, Islam and Westernism viewed through the Firmans: 1936-1980” are often quoted by university professors in their articles. On the subject of Justice Arnould's verdict Rattansi writes (p. 29):
Nearly three centuries before the birth of Prophet Muhammad, the Christian community was on the brink of dividing into two. A Christian scholar, Arius, advocated Arianism, which professed that the Father alone was really God and that Jesus was different from his Father and did not share in the being of “God the Father.” Bishop Alexander and his Church advocated Trinitarian beliefs. They excommunicated Arius and declared Arianism a Christian heresy. The theological rift became serious and divided the Christian community. The monotheism promoted by Arius gained widespread support and the Church began to lose ground. It is interesting to know who played a prominent part in deciding for the Christians their future: a pagan Emperor named Constantine (d. 337), who had nothing to do with Jesus Christ or Christianity. The Trinity document was drafted under his auspices in his Imperial palace by a Council. An Imperial Decree made that document a law of the land. The fate of one and a half billion Christians today, was sealed by a pagan Decree that was promulgated sixteen centuries ago by a pagan Emperor. A Christian judge seals the fate of Khojahs A similar situation arose in the middle of the nineteenth century within the Khojah community of India. Aga Khan advocated Shi'ahism, which would give him the needed authority to rule the community. The group that filed a suit with the British Courts advocated Sunnism, which would deny Aga Khan the role of a spiritual leader. The evidence recorded by the court very explicitly shows that only a small percentage of the Khojah Muslims was willing to take orders from the Aga Khan. A Christian judge appointed by the British Raj, who had nothing to do with Prophet Muhammad or Islam, decided for a community of Muslims whether their religious practices and beliefs should be regulated and dictated by a certain Persian “nobleman” or by the Sunnah (literally, custom) as practised by the Prophet of Islam. The fate of nearly one million Khojah Muslims today, was sealed by a British decree signed by a Christian judge in 1866. 1841 A.D. — Aga Khan's “Stout assistance” to the British In his Memoirs (p. 182) Aga Khan III recorded with pride the “stout assistance” rendered by his grandfather “to the British in their process of military and imperial expansion northwards and westwards from the Punjab” and “during the latter stages of the first Afghan War, in 1841 and 1842.” Today, this “stout assistance” for the expansion of Christian Raj in India is regarded by many scholars as a disservice to Islam. Willi Frischauer writes in The Aga Khans (Bodley Head, London, p. 48):
When Aga Khan I came to Sind from Afghanistan, he and his army weregiven shelter by Mir Nasir Khan of Sind. When Sir Charles Napier was about to attack the Mirs (Amirs), the Aga Khan had promised the Mirs his support. “When the British attacked Sind, the Aga Khan led his own cavalry regiment in the field by their [British] side. The campaign ended with the conquest of Sind...,” records Willi Frischauer (p. 48). After the conquest of Sind, Aga Khan helped the British subjugate Baluchi Mir Shir (Shermohammad) Khan. He sent his brother Muhammad Baqir Khan and his horsemen to help the British, records Dr. Farhad Daftary (p. 511). Aga Khan's betrayal was avenged by Mir Shir Khan. In 1843, the Mir and his cavalry attacked the camp of Aga Khan in the town of Zirukh (Sind) and pillaged his possessions. Noorum-Mubin records that seventy Ismailis died that night. The Aga Khan saved his life by fleeing on a horse in his night shirt in the darkness of night. During the flight, he fell off his horse, became unconscious and had to be carried away to Hyderabad by his followers. Ismailis respect those killed at Zirukh as martyrs. 1898 A.D. — Aga Khan's assistance to Jewish settlement In his Memoirs Aga Khan III recorded the personal assistance and services that he offered to his Zionist friend Haffkine, an eminent bacteriologist of Bombay. Professor Haffkine was a Soviet Jew and a strong proponent of the settlement of European Jews in the Holy Land. The Jewish professor had successfully convinced the Aga Khan that establishment of Zionism in Palestine was a good idea. Aga Khan writes (p. 151): “As Haffkine propounded it, I thought this sort of Zionism useful and practical.” In 1898, Aga Khan approached Sultan Abdul Hamid of the Ottoman Empire with a statement for the establishment of a Jewish settlement in Palestine. The statement was prepared by Rabbi Kahn, who was introduced to Aga Khan by Professor Haffkine. The scheme was turned down by the Sultan. The late Aga Khan, who had been claiming all along to have Arab blood in his veins, expressed his disappointment in these words:
Immediately after the Haji Bibi Case of 1905, Aga Khan dismissed the jurisprudent committees of the Khojah Community. These committees were operative in India from olden days and were known as “Khojah Joostis.” Aga Khan replaced these Joostis with “Shi'ah Imami Ismaili Councils.” The elected members of the Khojah Joostis were generally elderly members of the community, including Mukhi and Kamadia, and were selected by the Jama'at on the merits of their experience to resolve Jama'ati problems. The office-holders of the Ismailia Councils were now appointed by the Aga Khan. The democratic process was thus abolished. Since 1906, appointments for the posts of Local, Regional, Provincial, National, and World Councils have been hand-picked (nominated) by the Aga Khans. Recently, appeals by Ismailis have appeared in the local papers of Africa requesting the Aga Khan to restore the democratic process of election for these and other administrative posts in the community. 1910 A.D. — “Khojahs” become “Obedient Agakhanis” In 1910, Aga Khan promulgated a legally drafted “Shi'ah Imami Ismaili Constitution,” ordained under his seal. He made a strict Farman (religious pronouncement) to his Jama'at, commanding them to abide by the promulgated laws. In 1906, the democratic process of electing community leadership was abolished from the Khojah Jama'at. Now the nominated leaders of the Jama`at were obligated to decide the Jamati problems within the frame work of a constitution that was ordained by the Aga Khan. The essential role of the nominated members of the Aga Khan's “Shi`ah Imami Ismailia Councils” was and is to see that the Khojah Jama`at dutifully obeys the laws that are ordained by the Aga Khans from time to time. The Constitution of 1910 has been periodically revised and upgraded. The most recent one was ordained in Geneva on December 13, 1986. The opening article of this Constitution is entitled “Power and Authority of Mawalana Hazar Imam.” The opening clause reads: 1.1 Mawlana Hazar Imam has inherent right and absolute and unfettered power and authority over and in respect of all religious and Jamati matters of the Ismailis. “A warm supporter of British rule in India” Professor Alfred Guillaume writes in Islam (Cassell, London, p. 124):
We learn from the Aga Khan's Memoirs (pp. 285- 86) that following the Second Round Table Conference held in London in 1932, Aga Khan approached the Government of India and suggested that he might be given a territorial State so that he could join the company of Indian Maharajahs and Princes. The offer was, however, rejected by the Macdonald government and a story circulated that Aga Khan was deeply offended and that the Government of India disapproved of Aga Khan for having made such an approach. Harry Greenwall writes (p. 190) that on Monday, 23 July 1934, the matter was taken up in the British House of Commons when a question was asked of the Secretary of State for India by Major-General Sir Alfred Knox. The Secretary had nothing more to add to the answer given in the Indian Legislative Assembly. The land on which the Aga Khan had his eye was in the Province of Sind. Willi Frischauer writes in The Aga Khans (p. 116): “...the Aga Khan never completely abandoned the idea and his successor has been toying with it ever since his accession.” Aga Khan — a secret agent of the British Raj Harry Greenwall writes in The Aga Khan (p. 63):
... It was in 1913 that the Aga Khan was requested to undertake a very delicate and secret diplomatic mission to Cairo. The Khedive of Egypt was under grave suspicion. ...The Aga Khan's mission produced evidence that the Khedive was prepared, in the event of War, to support Germany. Sustained by the Aga Khan's evidence, the British Government decided on a master stroke. “These are our intercessors with Allah”
in the heavens or on earth? — Glory to Him! And far is He above the partnersthey ascribe (to Him)!” Holy Qur'an 10/18 When we shut our eyes to God's glory and goodness, and go after false gods, we give some plausible excuse to ourselves, such as that they will intercede for us. But how can stocks and stones intercede for us? And how can men intercede for us, when they themselves have need of God's Mercy? Even the best and noblest cannot intercede as of right, but only with His permission (X-3). To pretend that there are other powers than God is to invent lies and to teach God. There is nothing in heaven or earth that He does not know, and there is no other like unto Him. Please click HERE to read Section Four
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