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MATA SALAMAT

Encyclopaedia of Ismailism by Mumtaz Ali Tajddin

The word mata salamat means mother of peace. This is a unique title awarded only to three mothers of different Imams during last thirteen hundred years, such as Sarcar Bibi Marium Khatoon, Lady Aly Shah and Umm Habibeh.

In 1157/1744, a daughter Bibi Marium Khatoon, was born at his uncle's home, known as Bibi Sarcar Mata Salamat, with whom the marriage of Imam Khalilullah Ali was solemnized in 1218/1803 at Mahallat, and she gave birth of Imam Hasan Ali Shah. In 1245/1829, Imam Hasan Ali Shah awarded her the title of Mata Salamat and sent her in India when she was about 85 years old with Mirza Abul Kassim to remove the internal disputes of the community. She went to live at Kera, Kutchh in 1246/1830, where she expired at the age of 88 years in 1248/1832. She had been interred in Najaf, but her memorial still exists in Kera. On December 2, 1903, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah visited Kera and told to the local Ismailis to perpetuate the memory of the place where she laid her feet and breathed her last.

Shamsul Mulk, the daughter of Mirza Ali Muhammad Nizam ad-Dawla, the grandson of Muhammad Hussain Khan Ispahani, the Prime Minister of Shah Fateh Ali Qajar (d. 1250/1834) of Iran; was born in Ispahan. Imam Aga Ali Shah married to Shamsul Mulk in 1283/1867, who became known as Lady Aly Shah in British India. Soon after the death of Pir Shihabuddin Shah in 1884, Imam Aga Ali Shah conferred upon her the title of Mata Salamat in Bombay. She expired on February 5, 1938 at the age of 90 years and was buried at Najaf next to the tomb of her husband

Mlle Blanche Yvette Labrousse, the fourth wife of Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah was born on February 15, 1906 in Sete, near Marseilles. She married to Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah at the age of 39 years on October 9, 1944 in Switzerland. In 1946, Imam awarded her the title of Mata Salamat during the Diamond Jubilee in Dar-es-Salam, and also named her Umm Habibeh in 1954 and repeated the title of Mata Salamat. She expired on July 1, 2000 at Le Cannet, south of France at the age of 95 years.

In her interview in Hello on February 24, 1996, the editor writes, "In 1954, the Aga Khan awarded his wife a rare honour accorded only three times in 13 centuries, the title of Mata Salamat of the Ismaili community."


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