Prepared and compiled by MALIK MERCHANT
Page created: January 3, 2026, and last updated January 14, 2026, 01:02 AM EST: More links added to Visit Details. Please share this page with your family and friends in the UK.
Anchor Links: His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to the U.K.
Please visit this page frequently for updates on His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to the U.K. from February 1-5, 2026. For quick access to our stories posted on this page, please click on the following anchor links:
_________________
January 3, 2026: Message from the President of the Aga Khan Council for the UK
A special video message from Naushad Jivraj, President of the Ismaili Council for the United Kingdom Jurisdiction on the occasion of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s visit to the United Kingdom.
~~~~~~~~
jANUARY 1-2, 2026: Announcement of His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to THE u.k
In a Talika Mubarak (holy written message) read in Jamatkhanas in the UK and other parts of the world on January 1-2, 2026, Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, informed his Ismaili community (Jamat) that he will undertake an official visit to the U.K in February 2026. The Ismaili, the official website of the Ismaili community, reports that the visit will take place from February 1 to 5, and will include the Jamat of the Republic of Ireland. Mawlana Hazar Imam also told the Jamat about plans for a separate trip to Germany, for which dates will be announced later. To focus his attention on the Jamat in the U.K., Mawlana Hazar Imam does not wish members of the Jamat from other countries to travel to the U.K. during the visit.
~~~~~~~~
January 2, 2026: U.K. visit essential details
Following the announcement, the Ismaili Institutions in the U.K. published essential details and programs related to the visit. Please visit the following pages on the Ismaili website:
- U.K. Visit: Early Years Learning Resources
- U.K. Visit: Youth Learning Resources
- U.K. Visit: Adult Learning Resources
- U.K. Visit Accommodation
- U.K. Vsit: Time off Letters (for schools and employers)
- U.K. Visit: Curiosity and Wonder
- U.K. Visit: Searching for Light
- U.K. Visit: Didar day key information
- Didar: Tuesday, February 3, at ExCel London
- Youth Mulaqats: Monday, February 2, and Tuesday, February 3, at the Ismaili Centre London
- Interfaith Family Meeting: Tuesday, February 3, at ExCel London
- U.K. Visit: Your Stories, Our Gift: Your story matters. Share it with Princes Irfan and Sinan
- U.K. Visit: Expressions of Shukhrana (Gratitude and thanks)
- U.K. Visit: Kindness and Pledges
- U.K.Visit: Race to the Didar
- U.K. Visit: Resources
- U.K. Visit: Registration and Registration Eligibility
- U.K. Visit: Didar day key information (Jamati Didar at ExCel London)
- U.K. Visit: Call for Volunteers
- U.K. Visit: Auditions Update
- U.K. Visit Auditions (deadline January 9),
- U.K. Visit: Gratitude to Kindness – Gifts to Mawlana Hazar Imam
- U.K.Visit: Youth Programmes
- UK Visit: Wara (reciter) auditions (deadline January 9)
- U.K. Visit: Youth Mulaqat (Youth Didar at the Ismaili Centre, London)
- U.K. Visit: Inter-faith meeting
- U.K. Visit: Access Line for assistance
- U.K. Visit: Calendar of events (January 5 to February 1)
We also recommend that you click on the following links to learn about the special status of the Imam and other pertinent material on the Didar of the Imam-of-the-Time.
The visit to the UK will be the Aga Khan’s sixth to his spiritual children since becoming the Imam on February 4, 2025, following his recent visits to France, Kenya, Uganda, the USA and Portugal (click on the links for Barakah’s special coverage of the five trips).
We heartily congratulate the Jamat of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and share their excitement for this event. We are fully committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the visit, ensuring that our readers worldwide are well-informed, as we did with Mawlana Hazar Imam’s earlier visits.
~~~~~~
March 13, 2025: A background note
Within days of becoming the 50th Imam upon the death of his father, Mawlana Shah Karim, on February 4, 2025, His Majesty King Charles III conferred the title of His Highness to Mawlana Hazar Imam. This act continues a historic tradition where the Monarch bestows the title, symbolizing the enduring bond between the British Crown and the Ismaili community, dating back to the first Aga Khan.
The background details regarding the granting of the title of His Highness to Mawlana Hazar Imam and his immediate 4 predecessors, from Aga Khan I to Aga Khan IV, can be read under the story titled The King is pleased to grant the new Aga Khan the title “His Highness”.
________________________
Ginan: A perennial supplication to the Imam-of-the-Time from all his spiritual children worldwide
Transliteration
Eji, Aash Karine Ya Ali hun tere dar ubhi,
Kar jodine em mangu Ya Shah;
Dejo didar tusi mahavar datar Shah,
Hama tere charane lagu.
Translation
With hope I stand at Thy door,
O Ali! And sincerely beg of Thee;
Bless me with Thy Holy Didar,
O Great Lord and Benefactor!
At Thy Feet I fall to prostrate
and
O Exalted Islam Shah [Imam-of-the-Time]
Our Lord and Master of the Age,
To you our hearts devoutly supplicate,
O the Eternal King and Lord of our souls!
Grace us with your visit to the Indian Subcontinent
[The Imam’s base at the time was in Iran.]
O Ali! You are Eternal,
You are the Lord of Eternity.
You alone are the Knower of the End,
Of the End that has no End
(Verses from Venti Ginan and Anant Akhado composed by Pir Hasan Kabirdin)
Date posted: January 3, 2026.
Last updated: January 14, 2026 (more links added to visit details)
________________
Free subscription, feedback, TABLE OF CONTENTS AND SISTER WEBSITES
Please click SUBSCRIBE and enter your email address to receive update notifications from Barakah. Before you leave, remember that Barakah’s editor, Malik, is here to assist you. If you have any questions or feedback, please scroll down to leave a comment or send an email to mmerchant@barakah.com. Also, don’t miss the opportunity to explore the diverse and extensive content on Barakah’s Home Page or Table of Contents, with over 350 pieces dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat. And don’t forget to visit our sister websites, Simerg and Simergphotos. You can stay updated by following Malik on @Facebook, @X and @LinkedIn and by subscribing to Barakah.
