Barakah was launched to celebrate the late Aga Khan’s Diamond Jubilee, but this project has continued well past the Jubilee Year
By ABDULMALEK MERCHANT
(Publisher/Editor Barakah, Simerg and Simergphotos)
PUBLISHER’S NOTE (February 23, 2025): The Shia Imami Ismailis have a new Imam — Mawlana Shah Rahim Al Hussaini, who succeeded his late father, Mawlana Shah Karim (d. February 4, 2025), as the 50th Hereditary Imam. This page was created in 2017 as a dedication to the late 49th Imam and to celebrate his Diamond Jubilee. Henceforth, our focus will shift to Mawlana Shah Rahim. We are excited about this new phase in Ismaili history, which has been led and guided by the Imam-of-the-Time for 14 centuries since the time of Hazrat Ali, the first Imam, appointed to the position through Allah’s Divine Command.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE (August 22, 2018): The Diamond Jubilee Year of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, ended with the celebration of a magnificent Darbar in Lisbon on July 11, 2018. However, Barakah will continue to celebrate the 49th Imam’s glorious Imamat with special features and essays about him, and we look forward to our readers’ continued support in this momentous and exciting period in Ismaili history. For a complete list of articles on this website, please click Table of Contents.
ORIGINAL PUBLISHER’S NOTE
His Highness the Aga Khan, direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter, became the forty-ninth hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims at the age of twenty on 11th July, 1957.
Since his accession to the Imamat, His Highness has described his responsibilities as encompassing not only the interpretation of matters of faith, but also the social, cultural and economic spheres. This engagement, grounded in Islam’s message of the fundamental unity of din and dunya – spirit and life – and guided by the ethics of Islam that bridge faith and society, has led to initiatives that, since 1957, have had a profound impact on the lives of millions of individuals, without regard to their origin, gender or faith. His Highness the Aga Khan has guided the spiritual growth of his followers, and worked tirelessly for the well-being not only of Ismaili communities worldwide, but also the material progress of the broader societies in which they live. He has articulated that education, self-help, unity, tolerance and generosity, as well as the ethic of maintaining a balance between the spiritual and temporal, are elements which keep a community vibrant and lead to enlightenment and dignity.
On 11th July, 2017, Ismailis around the world, along with the wider societies within which they live, will celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the accession to the Imamat of His Highness the Aga Khan.
His Highness the Aga Khan: A Visual and Textual Celebration, 1957-2017
Over the course of the next several months, Barakah* will illustrate the remarkable and inspiring life of His Highness the Aga Khan through a unique project titled “His Highness the Aga Khan: A Visual and Textual Celebration, 1957-2017”, which will include rare photographs, eyewitness accounts, descriptive essays, in-depth articles, insightful interviews, detailed timelines, as well as audio and video recordings.
Barakah hopes to provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of the remarkable work that His Highness the Aga Khan has accomplished in all spheres of human endeavour. We hope that our readers’ perception and understanding of the unique nature of the Ismaili Imam and the Imamat will be strengthened through Barakah.
Date posted: 2017.
Last updated: July 27, 2026.
For links to all the pieces on this website, please click on Table of Contents or return to the Home Page.
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Copyright notice: The photo of His Late Highness Aga Khan IV shown above is reproduced under a licensing arrangement with Getty Images. Reproduction or distribution of the photo without prior written permission from Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
What is Barakah?
*Barakah is a word derived from the Arabic root b-r-k, and its most fundamental meaning is ‘Blessing’, conferred by the Divine upon humankind — a Divine Blessing with an intent to increase goodness to a thing. The Arabic word forms the logo design shown at the top of this page.
NOTE: This website, along with its sister sites Simerg and Simergphotos, is an independent initiative by Malik Merchant. It is not affiliated with any other organization or institution.
Barakah 
YA Ali Madad
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This is really insightful information. Thanks.
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It’s an exciting moment!
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I don’t particularly know or care as to source of funding for AKDN projects. All I know is the results which are undeniable. Hundreds of thousands of people have an improved quality of life because of access to education, healthcare, betterment of economic standing, housing etc.
For that AKDN should take a bow. The people who have benefited are not of any one religion, race or background. They have two things in common- being human beings and in need of help.
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Without financial resources provided by several Western countries, AKDN would NOT have achieved many of its objectives.
As AKF celebrates its 50th Anniversary, let us express our profound gratitude and deep appreciation to the North American and Western European Donor Aid Agencies.
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Abdulla, YOU HAVE GOT IT ALL WRONG.
It is because the AKDN was successful, and the West saw the evidence of that success that the West started contributing, not the other way round. You are putting the cart before the horse.
So, for your information, the AKDN was already successful, prior to the aid from the West.
Maybe, you should try and set up your own development agencies and see how you do. Of course, if you are not successful, don’t expect any help from the West.
But then misguided people like you who don’t appreciate what others do for the betterment of the world, never get very far. They are there just to criticise and enrich themselves but see everyone who is doing good in a negative light because they themselves cannot reach that pinnacle of goodness themselves.
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