By ALNOOR JEHANGIR MERCHANT

Monday, January 21st, 1998, is etched in my memory and will remain with me always. The British Museum had organised a special evening ceremony for the opening of the exhibition of Islamic and Indian paintings from the collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan titled Princes, Poets and Paladins.

On this occasion, our 49th Imam, Mawlana Shah Karim Shah, his younger brother Prince Amyn, and other members of Mawlana Shah Karim’s family were also present. At the time, I was Senior Librarian at The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), London.

During the evening, Fahmida Suleman, who was on a joint curatorial internship at the IIS Library and the British Museum and had assisted the curator at the British Museum, Dr Sheila Canby, with various aspects of the exhibition, had mentioned about her wish to meet the Imam. As I had spoken to Mawlana Shah Karim earlier that evening, I thought it appropriate to introduce Fahmida to the Imam. We approached the Imam, who was in conversation with Prince Amyn and his family members, with a sense of both nervousness and excitement. The Imam was most gracious and pleased to meet Fahmida, and of her involvement with the curatorial aspects of the exhibition. [Today, Dr Fahmida Suleman is the Senior Curator of the Islamic World collections at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.]

Having, in late 1997, rejoined the IIS Library with the task of expanding its Ismaili collections, I had been thinking of developing a proposal for a ‘Museum of Ismaili Heritage’ and felt it would be worth seeking the Imam’s views on this. Responding to the idea during my meeting with him at the British Museum, Mawlana Shah Karim stressed that the Imam’s immediate priority was to assist and safeguard Ismaili communities in different parts of the world that were experiencing severe hardship and difficulties. However, the Imam did not consider the idea not worthy of attention, emphasizing that if a proposal was developed, it should have both a very strong, solid foundation and a long-term vision; all too often, the Imam remarked, proposals lacked one or the other. These words of Mawlana Shah Karim remained with me as I made my way to The Ismaili Centre, South Kensington; it was Lailat-ul-qadr, and during the rest of the night, I reflected upon the Imam’s words.

January 22, 1998: Mawlana Shah Karim, His Highness the Aga Khan IV, Visits the Institute of Ismaili Studies

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Tuesday, January 22nd, 1998 was also a very important and special day. The Imam was coming to the new premises of the Institute of Ismaili Studies at Grosvenor Gardens, Victoria, for the annual Board meeting. During a break, Mawlana Shah Karim visited the Library, and viewed a selection of rare documents and manuscripts, photographs, coins and seals. After viewing the exhibits, the Imam graciously accepted to write a message for the Library:

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Text of Mawlana Shah Karim’s message

“It is an inspiring moment to visit this library at such an important time in its history: from a small and frail past it is now growing into an historical and intellectual force — may this continue successfully. Aga Khan. 22nd January 1998.”

The previous evening’s remarks and the message of the Imam reverberated in my mind for several days. I shared my thoughts about the notion of a museum with Dr Duncan Haldane, the Head of the Library. Subsequently, over several months, we worked together on developing a proposal, and, in the autumn of 1998, submitted a document titled The Institute of Ismaili Studies Library: Towards a Museum of Ismaili Heritage to the Director’s office.

In December 1998, Dr. Shafik Sachedina, Governor at the IIS, requested that a condensed, shorter version of the proposal be prepared; subsequently a 12-page document was sent to Dr. Sachedina for submission to Mawlana Shah Karim.

A few weeks later, in early 1999, Dr. Sachedina informed us that the Imam had approved the proposal, guiding that it should not be limited to Ismaili heritage, but that it encompass all the arts of the Islamic world.

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With the acquisition of a bifolium from the Blue Qur’an, and a biconical bead from the Fatimid period — both from the collection of Rasool and Neema Verjee of Toronto, Canada — thus began the unique journey towards a museum of Islamic art that, fifteen years later, with Mawlana Shah Karim’s inspiration, guidance, commitment and support, culminated in the inauguration of the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, on September 12, 2014.

On a personal level, over the past decades, Mawlana Shah Karim has been my lighthouse, inspiring and guiding me in my work for the Imam-of-the-Time and the Imamat. And the words of our beloved 50th Imam, Mawlana Shah Rahim, on the occasion of his Takht-nishini in Lisbon on February 11, 2025, “…your Imam is with you, and you are with the Imam…” are beacons of light that continue to guide and inspire me.

Date posted: March 9, 2025.

Note: A version of this post appears on our sister website, Barakah, which is dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan.

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About the author: Alnoor Jehangir Merchant is a librarian, curator and independent researcher based in London. Between 1987 and 2012 – a period extending nearly twenty-five years – Alnoor was instrumental in developing the collections of the Library of The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), London, acquiring and cataloguing materials – rare books, manuscripts, documents, coins – relating to all aspects of Ismaili studies; these are now part of the Ismaili Special Collections Unit (ISCU). Alnoor served as Head of the IIS Library from 2009 to 2012.

Besides his extensive experience in Library operations, Alnoor played a significant role, over nearly two decades, in the acquisition of artefacts and manuscripts for the Ismaili Imamat, a majority of which are presently housed at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto.

Over the past decade, with his wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of Islamic studies and the cultures of Islam, Alnoor has advised museums, libraries and private individuals on artworks, manuscripts, rare books and coins relating to the Islamic world. Besides his research interests on various aspects of Ismaili history and material culture, Alnoor continues to be involved with work for the Ismaili Imamat and its institutions.

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