Rahim al-Hussaini named new Aga Khan after father's death

Rahim al-Hussaini has been named the new Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of millions of Ismaili Muslims, the community said.

This development followed the death of his father, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, who passed away in Lisbon at the age of 88.

Hussaini, the former Aga Khan, was known for his immense wealth and development work around the world.

The Aga Khan is the hereditary spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslim community, a branch of Shia Islam.

The Aga Khan V was designated in his father’s will “in accordance with historical Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim tradition and practice,” the community said on its website.

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He is the 50th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. The Aga Khan is considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He is treated as a head of state and accorded nearly divine status by the Ismaili community.

Ismailis are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers.

Early life and education

The new Aga Khan was born in October 1971. He is the eldest son of Aga Khan IV and Sarah Croker Poole, a British model. His parents divorced in 1995, and his father later married German singer Gabriele Thyssen.

He grew up in Geneva and Paris. He studied literature at Brown University in the US and business in Barcelona before joining the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The AKDN, the Aga Khan’s main philanthropic organisation, focuses on healthcare, housing, education, and rural development. It operates in over 30 countries with an annual budget of around $1 billion for nonprofit initiatives.

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The Ismaili sect was originally predominant in India but later expanded to large communities in East Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East. Followers consider it a duty to tithe up to 12.5% of their income to the Aga Khan.