Aga Khan (1877-1957) Came From A Very...

Aga khan (1877-1957) came from a very illustrious family, which has left its mark in the
pages of history. The history of the Aga Khan family in India begins from the year 1842,
when his grandfather, Aga Khan, Aga Hassan Alyshah reached with his band of followers
from Kandhar, as a political refugee, and later settled in Bombay. He was succeeded by his
eldest son, Alyshah Aga Khan II, who met an untimely death in 1895.
Aly Shah was succeeded by his son, Sultan Mohammed Shah, as Agha Khan III, at the age
of seven. Educated in both traditions, the Aga Khan showed special aptitude for philosophy,
theology and Persian poetry.

In his presidential address to the Mohammadan Educational Conference, held in Dehli in
1902, he promoted the idea of establishing a great central Muslim University at Aligarh.
In 1906, Sir Aga Khan led the Simla deputation and very adequately represented the Muslim
demands for separate electorates, later reflected in the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909.
When All-India Muslim League was established in 1906, Aga Khan was elected its first
President and continued to hold this post until 1912, when he submitted his resignation.
On January 1929, All-Parties Muslim conference, which met in Dehli with Aga Khan in the
chair, made efforts to forge unity amongst the two warring parties of the Muslim league (the
Shafi Group and Jinnah Group.) In his presidential address the Aga Khan advised Muslim
leaders to sink their differences and to join hands.
In the Round Table conferences held in London 1930-1932, His Highness the Aga Khan
played his cards remarkably as a skillful negotiator and a far-sighted statesman. In 1932,
Aga Khan was nominated to represent India at the League of Nations and was unanimously
elected President of the League of Nations in July 1937.
At the age of eighty, he died on July 11, 1957 in Geneva.
Sultan Muhammad Shah was born in 1877 at Karachi. At the age of eight he lost his father
Aly Shah, the Aga Khan II, and assumed the title of Aga Khan III, thus becoming the
hereditary spiritual leader of the Ismaili sect. Too young to cope with the responsibilities as
the head of the Ismaili Muslims he was ably assisted by his mother in religious and financial
affairs. Aga Khan learnt Arabic and Persian from well-known teachers. He also studied
theology, philosophy and Persian poetry. In 1902, at the age of 25, he was appointed a
member of the Imperial Legislative Council, thus becoming the youngest member of the
council.
Aga Khan, like many other great Muslim leaders, realized that the main cause of Muslim
backwardness was their negligence towards education. He worked towards increasing
Muslim education by not only increasing his grant to M. A. O. College, but also by
generating funds for a Muslim University. By his efforts 3 million rupees were collected,
which helped in laying a solid foundation of Aligarh University.
Aga Khan also greatly contributed towards the political cause of the Muslims of the Indian
subcontinent. He led the Muslim delegation to Simla in 1906 where the Muslims, for the first
time, put forward their demand for a separate electorate. He was elected the first president
of All India Muslim League in 1906, an office that he held till 1912. Aga Khan was a man of
vision and was of the opinion that the reform scheme introduced by the British would be
beneficial to the Muslims. He wrote a book on the need of reforms for the Muslims, known
as "India in Transition", which was published in 1918.
During the Khilafat Movement, Aga Khan struggled to control the breakup of the Caliphate
by taking up the issue at international forums. Aga Khan wrote letters to the "Times of
London", pleading the case for continuation of the Caliphate. He also led a delegation of
Indian Muslim leaders to the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George. Aga Khan continued to
work for the cause of the Muslim on every front. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for
Peace in January 1924 because of his work for maintaining peace between Turkey and the
western powers after the peace agreement.
He was president of the All Parties Muslim Conference held in 1928-29. In 1930-33, he went
as chairman of the Muslim delegation to the Round Table Conferences. In 1932, he
suggested a pact of minorities, which facilitated the announcement of the Communal Award.
He was nominated to represent India at the League of Nations in 1932, where he continued
to work until the outbreak of the World War II. He was an excellent statesman and was
elected President of the League of Nations in July 1937. He was the only Asian to have been
appointed to this high office. During the World War II, Aga Khan was forced to live in
Switzerland and was unable to actively participate in the affairs of the Muslims of India.
Pakistan's creation owes a great deal to the hard work of Aga Khan. After the creation of
Pakistan, Aga Khan remained a friend and a well-wisher of Pakistan. Aga Khan fell ill in 1954
during his visit to Dhaka and from then on struggling with ill health, died on July 11, 1957
of a heart attack in Switzerland. He was buried in Egypt. After his death, he was succeeded
by his grandson, Aga Khan the IV.

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Aga khan (1877-1957) came from a very illustrious family, which has left its mark in the

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