As part of its Diamond Jubilee series of publications, the 鸟大大影院 has released the first English translation and a new Persian edition of the聽memoirs of Aga Khan I. The Persian text has been edited using the original manuscript and previously published editions in Persian, and translated into English by聽Dr Daniel Beben听补苍诲听Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor. The book has an insightful foreword by聽Dr Farhad Daftary聽and a comprehensive introduction by聽Dr Daniel Beben, providing a detailed historical background and analysis of the events relevant to the life of聽Aga Khan聽I.
The text of the聽鈥業brat-afz膩聽as a primary source is particularly significant in terms of three distinct contexts: the Niz膩r墨 Ismaili Imamat; power politics at the contemporary Q膩j膩r court of Persia with its strong Sufi underpinnings; and the evolving relations between聽Aga Khan聽I and the British in India. The memoir provides insights into the Aga Khan鈥檚 move from Persia to India and details the journey he and his companions made in the middle of the 19th century. It begins with a brief account of his childhood and the relationship the Ismaili聽Imamat聽had with the Qajar dynasty, before exploring the tensions that arose between the two, and the final departure of聽Aga Khan聽I from Persia. The book details the subsequent settlement of聽Aga Khan聽I in India, which effectively moved the Seat of the Niz膩r墨 Ismaili聽Imamat聽there in 1851, after being in Persia for more than seven centuries.
The introduction to the memoir provides audiences with valuable contextualisation on the relations between the Ismaili聽Imamat聽and the Qajar kings and the Nimatullahi Sufi order. Closer ties were established between the聽Imamat聽and the Qajars as a result of the marriage of聽Aga Khan聽I with Fath Ali Shah鈥檚 daughter, after the murder of Shah Khalilullah, the 45th Ismaili聽Imamat, in Yazd. Upon the submission of the grievances of the Imam鈥檚 widow to the Qajar monarch, the next Ismaili聽Imam, Muhammad Hasan al-Husayni, also known as Hasan Ali Shah, was given the title 鈥楢ga Khan鈥 by the king. The king then gave his daughter in marriage to the Ismaili聽Imam聽and returned the estates of Mahallat and聽Qum聽to the聽Imamat.
Speaking about the significance of the book, co-editor and co-translator, Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor said:
The 鈥業brat-afz膩 is particularly important because it is one of the first pieces of primary literature about the modern period in Ismaili history. Moreover, the text of the memoirs captures some of the key doctrinal aspects of the Ismaili community, namely the foundations of the authority of the Imam as it is anchored in prophetic traditions and verses from the Qur鈥檃n. It also gives historical details about the interactions of the Ismaili Imamat with his contemporaries among political figures of Persia and India. If we take into account the purpose of the writing of this book, it is evident that it is not a comprehensive narrative of the departure of Imamat from Persia to India and the subsequent events in India, even though it provides valuable details from the perspective of the Ismaili Imam.
The 鈥業brat-afz膩 also enables readers to better understand the intimate relations of the Ismaili聽Imamat聽with the Nimatullahi Sufi order of the time. At various points throughout the narrative there are paragraphs which speak about the spiritual authority of the Ismaili聽Imam, contextualising the role of the聽Aga Khan聽not simply as a Qajar prince, the son-in-law of the Qajar monarch, but also as a descendant of the Prophet through his daughter,聽Fatima聽and his son-in-law, Ali. In the opening of the memoir, the聽Aga Khan聽alludes to his lineage and the grounds of his authority in the following terms:
Blessings be on the rightful executors and the true saints, generation after generation, who are in every one of the ages and eras, the referents of this blessed verse: 鈥極h you who believe! Obey God, and obey the Apostle, and those among you who possess authority.鈥 And the content of the hadith: 鈥榁erily I am leaving among you two weighty things, and if you hold on to them you will not go astray after me: the book of God and my progeny/household. They are two outstretched ropes and they will not break and will not be cut until the Day of Judgment, until the two join me at the pond in the hereafter鈥, is a tradition that applies specifically to their generous existence.鈥 (p. 77).
This Diamond Jubilee publication which sheds light on the life of聽Aga Khan聽I will be of interest to both a general reader and the scholarly community. It is an integral part of the scholarship on Ismaili studies in modern times and the history of the聽Imamat聽and the Ismaili community in the modern period
