In the 19th century, the British Raj in India gave rise to reformist movements among both Hindus and Muslims. In 1906, a young man led a Muslim deputation to the Viceroy to request separate elections for the Muslims: this was Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan, better known as Aga Khan III. In 1908, he was elected President of the All India Muslim League, the first nationalist organisation for Indian Muslims. Born in Karachi in 1877, the Aga Khan was not yet eight when he became an Imam or spiritual guide to the Isma'ili Shi'i Muslims. His efforts for his community and others long remained unknown. The challenge the Aga Khan faced was how to guide a religious community with conservative traditions into the modern era, mainly through education and social welfare programmes. By reviving the humanist legacy of Islam, the Aga Khan was able to build a credo which was shared by all schools of Islam. When he died in 1957, the Isma'ili Shi'is had become an international community that had developed a capability to address contemporary issues while maintaining a close link with its religious and cultural heritage.
This French-language book is the first to propose a scientific approach to the Aga Khan's religious thought, placing it in its proper perspective by revealing how the Aga Khan responded to contemporary challenges. It will be of interest to both students and scholars of history, orientalism and Islamic thought and cultures, and to anyone interested in South Asia or in the fundamental issues of religion and modernity.