Spiritual leader of the Ismaili Shia community was known for his development work around the world.
The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili Shia Muslim community and known for his development work around the world, has died in Lisbon aged 88.
According to the Aga Khan Development Network, an announcement to designate a successor to Karim al-Husseini, as he was known, will take place soon.
A successor will be chosen from the Aga Khan’s male progeny, according to Ismaili tradition.
The Aga Khan lived at length in France and had been based in Portugal in recent years. His development network and foundation are based in Switzerland. He will be buried in Lisbon. He is survived by three sons and a daughter and several grandchildren.
He was born on December 13, 1936, in Geneva and spent his early childhood in Nairobi, Kenya. He later returned to Switzerland, attending the exclusive Le Rosey School before going to the United States to study Islamic history at Harvard.
When his grandfather Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan died in 1957, he became the imam of the Ismaili Muslims, a branch of Shia Islam, at the age of 20.
I am deeply saddened by the news that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, has passed away. He was a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world.
I express my deepest condolences to His Highness’s family and the Ismaili community. pic.twitter.com/VvXCrq8zPQ
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 4, 2025
As Aga Khan – derived from Turkish and Persian words to mean commanding chief – he was believed by Ismailis to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, and his wife Fatima, the prophet’s daughter.
The Aga Khan was a defender of Islamic culture and values and was widely regarded as a builder of bridges between Muslim societies and the West despite his reticence to become involved with politics.
The multimillionaire also enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, characterised by private jets, superyachts and a private island in the Bahamas. He held British, French, Swiss, and Portuguese citizenship.
The Aga Khan Development Network, his main philanthropic organisation, deals principally with healthcare, housing, education, and rural economic development.
It claims to work in more than 30 countries, employing 96,000 people and has an annual budget of about $1bn for development activities. It helps to build schools and hospitals in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia.