Rahim Al-Hussaini was named Wednesday as the new Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world's millions of Ismaili Muslims. The 53-year-old succeeds his father, who died on Tuesday.

His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), passed away peacefully in Lisbon on 4 February 2025, aged 88, surrounded by his family. Prince Karim Aga Khan… pic.twitter.com/bxOyR0TyZr

Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, was laid to rest in Aswan, Egypt, on Sunday during a private ceremony. His death, which was announced on February 4, 2025, at the age of 88, has left the global Ismaili Muslim community in mourning. He was laid to rest in Aswan in accordance with his last wish.

At the age of 20, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini inherited the reins of a Shia Muslim lineage and used his entrepreneurship to become one of the world’s richest hereditary rulers.

The Aga Khan IV was often referred to as a philanthropist, but the description ignores the spiritual impetus for his work.

Considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the Aga Khan was a business magnate​ and philanthropist.

The Aga Khan IV was laid to rest on Sunday at a private ceremony in Aswan, Egypt. The death of Prince Karim – the 49th hereditary imam of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims – was announced Tuesday by the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community.