Wine into Water: Ismaili Imamat’s Guidance on Alcohol Consumption

 

Aga Khan IV with a table full of champagne and wine.

Aga Khan, who claims to be a Muslim leader and a self-proclaimed direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), owns a chain of luxury 5-star hotels known as Serena Hotels (www.serenahotels.com) where alcohol is openly sold in the bars of these hotels.

For a list of hotels owned by Hazar Imam where alcohol is sold openly, click here.

Teradata Magazine Q4 2014 cover featuring the Berry Bros. case study.

Recently, Britain’s oldest wine retailer, Berry Bros. & Rudd, featured in the Teredata magazine’s edition of Q4, 2014 mentions it’s proud history by mentioning it’s largest customer. Among the top three of them, is none other than the Aga Khan. Here are the pages from the Berry Bros. case study which is titled Cheers to the Customer. It is mentioned that “The traditional British wine retailer builds a solid customer base by serving many famous patrons, including the British royal family under King George III. Other prominent customers in Berry Bros. & Rudd’s history include William Pitt the Younger, Aga Khan and Lord Byron.

The website of Berry Bros. & London also mentions that:

“We are Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, established in the 17th century. Our flagship store has been located at 3 St James’s Street, London since 1698 when it was founded by the Widow Bourne in London. A supplier to the royal family since the reign of King George III, historic customers have included Lord Byron, William Pitt the Younger and the Aga Khan.”

Below are the pages of the 2014 Teradata case study which proudly introduce Berry Bros. & Rudd’s largest customers.

Berry Bros. Case Study Page 2. Among the four largest of their customers, is Aga Khan.

The complete Teradata Q4 2014 magazine can be downloaded here.

Other evidences of Aga Khan III exhibiting his love for wine and champagne are provided below with references:

“I am so holy that when I drink wine, it turns to water.”

(Lokhandwalla, S. “Islamic Law and Ismailis”. p.162, footnote 16. Citing Greenwell (1952). His Highness Aga Khan)

“He neither smokes nor drinks hard liquor such as cocktails, only wine.“

Greenwall, H. J. (1952) His Highness the Aga Khan. p.52

“Tell me, how is it that you can drink this wine; I thought your religious principles prevented you drinking wine.” The Aga Khan looked at me and he said : “You see, I am so holy that as soon as I drink the wine it turns to water.“

Greenwall, H. J. (1940) I hate to-morrow. p.255.

Also quoted in Group, Diagram Little Giant Encyclopedia of Toasts and Quotes p.66

“The Aga’s 21st birthday party waxed gayly until 5 a.m. at the Savoy Hotel and the spiritual ruler of 20 million Ismaili Moslems kept the champagne flowing to the end for the 300 guests.”

“Aga Khan Dates Mexican Beauty”. Beaver Valley Times. 16 December 1957.

“I last saw the Aga Khan in January, at the Aqua Santa Country Club in Rome. He came in a wheelchair, accompanied by an attractive nurse with whom he shared a bottle of wine. I remembered the story Somerset Maugham told us, of the day the Aga Khan drank champagne in his house. Maugham asked if drinking spirits was not against his religion. The Aga Khan replied that as a god he passed a miracle just as the wine touched his lips, and turned it into water.“

Lyons, L. “Aga Khan – Avid Pleasure Seeker”. St. Petersburg Times. 17 July 1957.

“He was chairman of the British Indian delegation to the Round Table Conference in London; presided over the All-India, All-Parties Moslem Conference; led the Indian delegation to the League of Nations five times and served as the organization’s president. To mark his election to the presidency he gave the biggest party in Geneva’s history – 3,000 guests and 2,500 bottles of vintage champagne.“

“It must be with some difficulty that those who know the sporting Aga Khan of the days at the races and the nights at the champagne parties (he is reputed to have drunk nothing but champagne for many years), are able to associate him with the Aga Khan who prays for an hour a day and ministers to the spiritual needs of the millions of Ismailis who believe him to be divine.”

McKeown, R. “Those Incredible Khans of Cannes”. Ottawa Citizen. 21 January 1956.

“On September 13, 1937, the Eighteenth Assembly had celebrated the opening of the magnificent new Assembly Hall. The League Palace cost $15,000,000. The new Council Chamber was decorated with murals by Sert, donated by the Spanish Republic, depicting the liberation of mankind from tyranny, intolerance, and injustice. Aga Khan supplied 2,500 bottles of champagne.”

Schuman, F. L. (1948) International Relations. p.324.

Reportedly offered to drink champagne with Hitler:

“The Khedive of Egypt, who is also here, had agreed with him that on the day when the Fuehrer puts up for the night in Windsor, they would drink a bottle of champagne together“

Shirer, W.L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. p.751

At the wedding of Prince Aly Khan, son of Aga Khan III and father of Aga Khan IV:

Among stores sent to Prince Aly’s Riviera Chateau in the last few days are 600 bottles of champagne and 40 huge lobsters.

“Dense Crowd at Hayworth Wedding”. The Age. 28 May 1949.

Zahra Aga Khan breaking a bottle of champagne on her boat’s rudd.

 

Zahra, daughter of Aga Khan, smoking Camels with some Whisky. This photograph was taken at Paddy Miles and Allegra Fitzgibbons’ Wedding in November 1996.