The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims and a philanthropist, dies at 88

PARIS — The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of the world's millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries, died Tuesday. He was 88. His Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community announced that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV and 49th hereditary imam of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims, died in Portugal surrounded by his family. His successor was designated in his will, which will be read in the presence of his family and religious leaders in Lisbon before the name is made public. The successor is chosen from among his male progeny or other relatives, according to the Ismaili community's website. It said his burial and will-reading will be held in the coming days, followed by an homage ceremony. Considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and treated as a head of state, he was a student when his grandfather named him as successor to lead the diaspora of Ismaili Muslims, passing over his playboy father and saying his followers should be led by a young man "who has been brought up in the midst of the new age." Over decades, the Aga Khan evolved into a business magnate and a philanthropist, moving between the spiritual and the worldly with ease. Ceremonies were being held Tuesday in Ismaili communities in the U.S. and others were held elsewhere in the world Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called him "a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him a very good friend and "an extraordinarily compassionate global leader." Condolences poured in online from charity groups he supported, as well as the equestrian world, where he was a well-known figure. The Aga Khan was given the title of "His Highness" by Queen Elizabeth in July 1957, two weeks after his grandfather the Aga Khan III unexpectedly made him heir to the family's 1,300-year dynasty as leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect. He became the Aga Khan IV on Oct. 19, 1957, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on the spot where his grandfather once had his weight equaled in diamonds in gifts from his followers. He had left Harvard to be at his ailing grandfather's side, and returned to school 18 months later with an entourage and a deep sense of responsibility. "I was an undergraduate who knew what his work for the rest of his life was going to be," he said in a 2012 interview with Vanity Fair magazine. "I don't think anyone in my situation would have been prepared." A defender of Islamic culture and values, he was widely regarded as a builder of bridges between Muslim societies and the West despite — or perhaps because of — his reticence to become involved in politics. The Aga Khan Development Network, his main philanthropic organization, deals mainly with issues of health care, housing, education and rural economic development. It says it works in over 30 countries and has an annual budget of about $1 billion for nonprofit development activities. A network of hospitals bearing his name are scattered in places where health care had lacked for the poorest, including Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, where he spent tens of millions of dollars for development of local economies. The extent of the Aga Khan's financial empire is hard to measure. Some reports estimated his personal wealth to be in the billions. The Ismailis — a sect originally centered in India but which expanded to large communities in east Africa, Central and South Asia and the Middle East — consider it a duty to tithe up to 12.5% of their income to him as steward. "We have no notion of the accumulation of wealth being evil," he told Vanity Fair in 2012. "The Islamic ethic is that if God has given you the capacity or good fortune to be a privileged individual in society, you have a moral responsibility to society." The Ismaili community's website said he was born on Dec. 13, 1936, in Creux-de-Genthod, near Geneva, Switzerland, the son of Joan Yarde-Buller and Aly Khan, and spent part of his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya — where a hospital now bears his name. He became well-known as a horse breeder and owner, and he represented Iran in the 1964 Winter Olympics as a skier. His eye for building and design led him to establish an architecture prize, and programs for Islamic Architecture at MIT and Harvard. He restored ancient Islamic structures throughout the world. The Aga Khan lived at length in France and had been based in Portugal for the past several years. His development network and foundation are based in Switzerland. He is survived by three sons and a daughter and several grandchildren.