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"Title is a name indicative of eminence, affording special distinction to the holder. Every title appears to have meaning or derivation from a word expressive of quality and historical background. Likewise, Imam Hasan Ali Shah, the 46th Imam was the bearer of the title Aga Khan. Fateh Ali Shah, the Qajari emperor invested him in 1818 in Tehran. Henceforward, he and his successors became known by this title. How this title was invested? What is its origin and meaning?

"Five months after his arrival in Medina, it was the Prophet's next task to find shelter and livelihood for the men who had accompanied him from Mecca. In their own home-town many of them were prosperous, but now they were all equally destitute.

"The word ahl al-bayt occurs twice in the Koran: "The mercy of God and His blessing are on you, O people of the house, ..." (11:73). This verse refers to the people of the house of Abraham (Kashf al-Asrar wa Uddat al-Abrar, 4:416), and to the house of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "God desires only to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying (33:33)".

"According to Islamic law, the non-Muslims inhabited in the Islamic state were called ahlu dh-dhimmati (people of protection) or simply al-dhimma or dhimmis. They included the Christian, Jewish, Magian, Samaritan and Sabian. Ahl al-dhimma were prohibited in the Muslim state from holding public religious ceremonies, from raising their voices loudly when praying and even from ringing their church bells aloud.

"The word ahl means those who occupy with one the same tent, the family or inmates, relative, folk, kin, kinfolk, family, people, members, followers, etc. Under these meanings, the word ahl occurs 31 times in the Koran. According to another view, it is derived from ahala, meaning to demonstrate (the family). The word kitab, comes from the root word kataba, meaning to write down. The word kitaba occurs in the Koran for the Divine Books revealed to various prophets.

The headquarters of the Present Ismaili Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni was Geneva, Switzerland between 1957 and 1976. Then, in 1976, the Imam moved his headquarters, the Secretariat de Son Altesse l'Aga Khan, from Geneva to Paris, building two replica 17th century chateaux on a large wooded estate at Aiglemont, Gouvieus, north of Paris

The Prophet not only laid down the principle of the oneness of humanity, but he also put it into practice. The Arabs, who regarded themselves as a superior race, had a very strong race and colour prejudice. To all non-Arabs, they gave the name of ajam, which means dumb, and ajma means speechless animal or brute. The immediate task before the Prophet was, therefore, to blot out the race, colour and language prejudices from the Arab mind.

No less than 67 chapters of the Koran (56 Meccan and 11 Medinan) contain verses on the day of judgment. It is spoken of under various names, the most frequent of which is yaum al-qiyama or the day of great rising, which occurs 70 times in the Koran. Next to it is al-sa'a means the hour, and occurs 40 times, yaum al-akhir or the last day, which occurs 26 times, while al-akhira as meaning the future life occurs 115 times.

(continued)
Resurrection is quite consistent with present knowledge

The Arabic term akhlaq (pl. of khulq) for ethics does not occur in the Koran. There are however few words that suggest technical terminology for the ethics. The most prominent word for virtuous conduct is salih or other words from the root, which occur some 171 times in the Koran. The root appears in verbal forms: "Who does right (man salaha) from among their fathers, wives, and offspring" (40:8, 13:23).

"Nuruddin Muhammad, surnamed Ala, also called Ala Muhammad or Muhammad bin Hasan, was born around 550/1155 or 553/1158 in Alamut. He is also known as Muhammad II, and sometimes as Ziaruddin Muhammad. His mother related to the Buwahid family. Immediately upon his accession, he arrested Hasan bin Namavar and his relatives and sentenced them to death, who were responsible to kill the Imam's father.

The word a'lam (pl. a'lamun) means world or realm. In the technical language of the philosophers and the mystics, it is often connected with various nouns and adjectives to distinguish between the visible and the invisible world. From the point of view of the phenomenal determination, the cosmos is described by Ibn Arabi in several different cosmological and ontological schems, in each of which diverse existential aspects of cosmic quantities are depicted.

"Alamut is a historical fortress of the Nizari Ismailis. Its location in mountainous terrain lies about 100 km. Northwest of Tehran, and situated in the high peak of Elburz mountain. Alburz generally was pronounced as Elburz, is the name given to great mountain range, dividing the high plateau of Iran from the low lands of Caspian Sea. The original Iranian word Alburz is derived from two Zand words, signifying the high mountain.

"Alauddin Muhammad, or Muhammad III was born in 609/1213. He was succeeded by his father at the age of 9 years. The administration of the state affairs was governed by his gifted mother for about six years, which was the first instance when a woman administered at Alamut.

"Ali, the son of Abu Talib and the cousin of the Prophet was born on Friday, the 13th Rajab in the 28th year of A'am al-fil (the year of elephants) or 600 A.D. inside Kaba in Mecca. He was brought up under the subtle care and affection of the Prophet. Ali himself cherished the memory of his childhood by saying: "The Prophet brought me up in his own arms and fed me with his own morsel. I followed him, wherever he went, like a baby-camel which follows its mother.

The descendants of Ali bin Abu Talib, not by Fatima, but from other wives, are known as the Alids (Alawi). He had 18 sons, but 14 sons according to Tabari, and 11 sons according to Masudi.

"Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah made his debut as an educational reformer, and visited The Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh (high fort), about 79 miles south-east of Delhi, on November 22, 1896 and had a productive meeting with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), who was a great educationist and socialist. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had founded the Aligarh College on November 1, 1875, and was the vice-President of the College Fund Committee as well as its Honorary Secretary.

"The term lakab (pl. alkab) was also termed nabaz (pl. anbaz), and by form labaz, and later on it became lakab. The ancient Arabs excelled in inventing nasty alkab for their enemies, but the Koran (49:11) forbade them not to use pejorative sobriquets: "Do not scoff at each other or give each other derisory nicknames" (wala talmizu anfusakum wala tanabazu bi 'l-alkab).

"The year 1324/1906 marks the cleavage and culmination of Muslim politics in the subcontinent, when Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah led the Muslim delegation and met Lord Minto (1845-1914), the Viceroy of India from 1905, at Simla to demand the political rights of the Muslims of India.

Allah is the proper or personal name (ism dhat) of the Divine Being, as distinguished from all other names which are called asma' al-sifat or names denoting attributes. The word Allah occurs 2702 times in the Koran, such as Allahu 980 times, Allaha 592 times, Allahi 1125 times and Allahumma 5 times. It is also known as the greatest name of God (ism a'zam).

In Sindhi and Kutchhi, Allah Tohar or Allah Toahar means with the help of God or reliance on God. It was a common phrase the scribes wrote in the beginning of the manuscripts of the ginans in Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.

"Prince Aly Salomone Khan, the son of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was born at Turin in Italy on June 13, 1911. Because he was a delicate child, his father decided against sending him to experience the rigours of an English boarding school. He was entrusted to the care of a private tutor, Mr. C.M. Waddington, the former Principal of Mayo College for the sons of Princes in India. He finished his education at Lincoln's Inn, London, though he was not called to the bar.

The word umra is the plural of amir means chiefs, thus amir al-umra means chief of the chiefs. It was a title created by the Safavid ruler, Shah Ismail (d. 930/1524). Imam Abuzar Ali (d. 915/1509) married to Sabira Khatoon, the daughter of Shah Ismail, and he was granted the title of amir al-umra. Imam Murad Mirza (d. 920/1514) was also invested the same title.

"The word amr means authority, occurring 89 times in the Koran, which explains the meaning of authority (amr) in stage-wise. At first, it insists that the authority of giving decision is the sole prerogative of God: "The authority rests with none but God. He commands you not to surrender to anyone else than Him. This is right way" (12:40) and "Beware! Creation is His and authority is (also) His" (7:54).

Prince Amyn Muhammad, the younger brother of the Present Imam was born on September 12, 1937 in Geneva. His mother Princess Tajudawla (d. April 26, 1997) was the daughter of Lord Churston and the 7th Duke of Leinslter, the descendant of King Edward III of Great Britain. The early days of his infancy with his elder brother, were spent in Europe under the care of his parents and the personal supervision of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah.

The word ansar (pl. of nasir) means

There are many places around Mecca of this name, the best known is that between Mina and Mecca. It is a mountain-road, or a place difficult of ascent on a hill or acclivity. Here the Prophet had secret meetings with the men from Medina at the pilgrimage of the year 621 and 622 A.D. In 621 A.D., twelve persons from Medina were present and they gave the Prophet an undertaking known as the pledge of Aqaba and at the second in 622 A.D., seventy three and two women took oath of allegiance.

The word aql (pl. uqul) is derived from the verb aqala, meaning to keep back (a camel by tying it forelegs), to detain, confine, to be restricted, be reasonable, understand, have intelligence or realize. This implies that true reason and intelligence can only be realized by keeping back the lower self. In this contect, the aql keeps the human being steadfast on the straight path by preventing him from going astray.

"The word arab or arabah is probably derived from a Semitic root related to nomadism. In the Arabic language, the word arab (derived from i'rab), means those who speak clearly as contrast with ajam (those who speak indistinctly).

The word arsh occurred seven times in the Koran (7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4 and 57:4). It literally means a thing erected for shade or anything roofed. The royal court or the sitting place of the monarch is also called arsh on account of its eminence. Raghib writes in al-Mufridat fi Gharibi'l Koran that, "The arsh of God is one of the things which mankind know not in reality but only by name, and it is not as the imaginations of the vulgar hold it to be

The word asas literally means base or foundation, referring to the successor of the Prophet. The institution of the Imamate is a cornerstone and paramount position in Ismaili tariqah, and according to their theory, the seven millennial periods (adwar'i azam) form a part of a great cycle of 360,000 years. At its end, during the last period of 7000 years, there were six natiqs (speakers, pronouncers or law-givers), viz. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, the last Prophet.

The word sabab (pl. asbab) means reason or cause, and nuzul means revealed. The term marifah asbab al-nuzul is the knowledge about the reason of the revelation, i.e., knowledge about the particular event and circumstances that are related to the revelation of particular passage from the Koran. The Koran revealed piece by piece in the period of 22 years, 5 months and 24 days.

Ashab al-Suffa or Ahl al-Suffa was a group of the Prophet's Companions. The suffa or zulla (bench or banquette) was a long, covered portico or vestibule, which formed part of the mosque at Medina. This was the sole home of these men, and they spent their time in study and worship. They are sometimes said to have been as many as four hundred.

The word sifa'a (pl. sifat) is not found in the Koran, but the verbal noun wasf does appear once in 6:139, and the imperfect of the first form of the verb occurs 13 times in the sense of "to ascribe or uphold a description or to attribute."

"The Nizari Ismailis were designated with a misnomer, Assassins in mediaeval Europe. This is an abusive term that had been given a wide currency by the Crusaders and their occidental chroniclers, who had first come into contact with the Syrian Ismailis in the Near East during the early decades of the 12th century. Charles E.

The word award-burd means controlling of the breath. The Koran says, "I swear by the breath of the morning" (81:18). The Prophet said, "Do not abuse the wind, for the wind is the breath of God" (la tasubbur riha fa innaha min nafsir rahmani). The control of the breath was an early characteristic to practice irk in the Sufism. Abu Yazid al-Bistami (d. 874) is reported as saying, "For Gnostics, worship is observance of the breaths." Abu Bakr ash-Shibli (d.

"The word aya (pl. ayat) means sign, symbol, token or mark of distinction, thus it refers to the verse of the Koran. The word aya occurs 400 times in the Koran. The Koranic ayat are long as well as short. Among the longest aya is the one known as Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) and the short one is "inclining to blackness" (55:64).

According to the Koran: "God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all (His) creatures. Offspring, one from the other"(3:33-34). The word dhurriya means direct descendants, family or lineage. It occurs 32 times in the Koran in the context of the prophets, indicating that their mission was assigned to their direct descendants to carry on.