Nawab A'lia Shams al-Muluk (abt. 1843 - 1938)

Born about 1843 in Isfahan, Iran

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 5 Feb 1938 at about age 95 in Baghdād, Iraq

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Biography

Nawab A'lia Shams al-Muluk is Notable.

Birth
Nawab A'lia Shams al-Muluk was born about 1843 in Isfahan, Iran (one source states she was age 24 at marriage in 1867 ^[1]). She was the daughter of Mirza Mohammad Ali Khan Nezam Al-Duleh, a nobleman, and Khorshid-Kolah Khanum Shams Al-Duleh, a daughter of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran and Taj ol-Dowleh, his 42nd wife. ^{[2] [3] [4]} (See the Research Notes below for more about discrepancies in her name)

Marriage
In 1867, Shams al-Muluk married Aqa Ali Shah, the eldest son of Hasan Ali Shah, Aga Khan I the 46th Imam of the Ismailis, a branch or sect of Shia Islam. ^{[5] [3]} The Nizari Ismaili recognized the Aga Khan as the living, hereditary Imam, a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

Shams al-Muluk came to be known as Lady Ali Shah. ^{[3] [4] [1] [5]}

They had three sons, two of whom died in infancy. ^{[6] [5]} Their only surviving son was Sultan Muhammad Shah, the future Aga Khan III, born in 1877. ^{[3] [6]}

In 1881, Aqa Ali Shah became Imam of the Ismailis upon the death of his father. He also inherited his father's title of Aga Khan. He was the second Nizari Imam to hold the title Aga Khan. ^[3]

Widow
Lady Ali Shah's husband died from pneumonia in 1885 at Poona, Maharashtra, India, (known as Pune nowadays) after an imamate (leadership) of only four years. He was buried in the family mausoleum in Najaf on the west bank of the Euphrates in Iraq. ^{[3] [6]}

Her husband was succeeded by their son Sultan Muhammad Shah, who became Aga Khan III. Her son was only eight years old when he was installed in Bombay as head of the Ismaili community. His nominal guardian was an uncle, but the most important influence on his upbringing was that of his mother. Lady Ali Shah took charge of the management of their estates and properties and continued to administer them until 1893 when her son took over at the age of 16. ^{[7] [6] [5]}

Once her son was able to fully assume his responsibilities, Lady Ali Shah continued to live in India and was known for her charity work. While the Aga Khan III was away from India during the First World War, Lady Ali Shah was tremendously active in his stead. ^[4]

In her book Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans, Anne Edwards writes:

...[Lady Ali Shah] had been the linchpin of her son's Imamate. It was Lady Ali Shah who, through her personal staff, kept her son's name constantly before his followers, and it was she who, after the war's end and until the late twenties, insisted that he pay frequent visits to India to see his people. ^[8]

In 1932, Lady Ali Shah visited England. She was given an audience by King George V and Queen Mary in Buckingham Palace where the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, was bestowed upon her. ^{[1] [4] [9]} She returned to England in May 1935 with her son to attend the Silver Jubilee of King George V. She then travelled to Paris to attend the civil wedding of her grandson Aly Khan to Joan (Yarde-Buller) Guiness. She returned to London to be present on June 13th for the Court Ball, the last event of the Jubilee celebrations. During the evening, she was spotted by Queen Mary who motioned for Lady Ali Shah to join the Queen on the dais, as the king had been feeling unwell and had left the ballroom. The Queen then invited Lady Ali Shah to sit on the empty throne beside her where she sat for the remainder of the evening. ^[8]

Despite her failing health, Lady Ali Shah continued to serve her community. In the 1930s, she also visited Syria, Palestine and Iran. ^[4] She was present at her son's golden jubilee celebrations in Bombay in 1936.

Death
Lady Ali Shah was taken seriously ill in November, 1937. She died on 5 February 1938 in Baghdad, having arrived for a visit the previous month. She was buried at Najaf next to the tomb of her husband, as per her will, and in presence of thousands of people. ^{[4] [1]}

Research Notes

Spelling of name
Lady Ali Shah's name is spelled many ways in the various available sources:

• Nawab A'lia Shamsul-Muluk ^{[2] [1]}
• Shams al-Muluk ^{[3] [5]}
• Shamsul Mulk ^[4]
• Shams ol-Molouk ^[10]

Usually Shams refers to a personal name based on Arabic shams 'sun' and Shamsul meaning “Sun Light.” Nowadays, Shamsul usually refers to a male name.

The last name "al-Muluk" exists and was the one cited by noted historian Farhad Daftary in his book The Ismāʿı̄lı̄s: Their History and Doctrines. ^[5]

Al-Mulk (Arabic: الملك, lit. 'the Sovereignty', 'the Kingdom') is the 67th chapter (surah) of the Quran, comprising 30 verses.

On the web page for the Order of the Crown of India, she is referred to as "Begum Mariam Sultana, Lady Ali Shah" ^[9]

• Begum is an honorific for Muslim women of high social status, accomplishment, or rank.
• So why was she referred to as "Mariam Sultana"? Sources state that her husband's first wife was named "Maryam Sultana". This sounds like there may be some conflating (mixing) of the identities between the two women. Perhaps the website in question is mistaken?

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Mentioned in a history of the Ismaili imams: “LADY ALI SHAH” in Section 79 of Chapter VIII of “History of the Ismaili Imams Tarikh-e Imamat” by Al-Waez Alijah Hasan Husayn Nazar Ali, http://www.amaana.org/history/history7.htm, (accessed March 21, 2024).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Mentioned in Wikipedia for son: Wikipedia contributors, "Aga Khan III," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aga_Khan_III&oldid=1209938179 (accessed March 21, 2024).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Mentioned in Wikipedia for husband : Wikipedia contributors, "Aga Khan II," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aga_Khan_II&oldid=1208919755 (accessed March 20, 2024).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6} Biographical entry: First Ismaili Electronic Library and Database (https://www.ismaili.net/), "Shamsul Mulk Lady Ali Shah", https://www.ismaili.net/histoire/history08/history819.html, (accessed March 21, 2024).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5} Daftary, Farhad (1990). The Ismāʿı̄lı̄s: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42974-9 paperback, pages 518-519.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Memoirs of Aga Khan III: H.H. Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III, The Memoirs of Aga Khan: World Enough and Time, (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1954), 367 pages. Available online at Ismaili.net: “The Memoirs of Aga Khan - Full Book” (http://heritage.ismaili.net/node/30601), Part One: CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH - III. Boyhood in India, (http://heritage.ismaili.net/node/30605), accessed 4 April 2024.
7. ↑ Mentioned in Encyclopaedia Iranica entry for son: Encyclopaedia Iranica online edition, (https://www.iranicaonline.org/), “Āqā Khan III”, H. Algar, Originally Published in print as Vol. II, Fasc. 2, pp. 170-175: 15 December 1986, Last Updated: 5 August 2011, (https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aqa-khan-title#pt3), accessed 22 March 2024.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Edwards, Anne (1995). Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans. New York: William Morrow & Company, pages 124-129, ISBN: 0-688-08838-4.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Wikipedia contributors, "Order of the Crown of India," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Order_of_the_Crown_of_India&oldid=1213026495 (accessed March 22, 2024).
10. ↑ Mentioned in Wikipedia for grandmother: Wikipedia contributors, "Taj ol-Dowleh," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taj_ol-Dowleh&oldid=1163225788 (accessed March 22, 2024).

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q75406938