Aga Khan: The Spiritual Leader of Muslims Who Blended Religion, Business, and Philanthropy

Aga Khan IV, the Imam of the Ismaili Shia Muslims, passed away at the age of 88 on Tuesday, February 5, surrounded by family in Portugal. This wealthy philanthropist had a unique ability to blend religious themes with business relations and international development projects; initiatives that benefited not only Ismailis but also many individuals in the most deprived areas of Asia and Africa. Born on December 13, 1936, in Geneva, Switzerland, as Shah Karim al-Husayni, he succeeded his grandfather as the 49th Imam of the Ismailis at the age of 21. While studying history at Harvard University, he was unexpectedly chosen as the Imam, a situation he described as having changed his life overnight and introduced him to 'serious responsibilities towards millions of people.' Aga Khan IV founded one of the largest private development networks in the world, known as the Aga Khan Development Network, which invests in diverse fields from education and health to rural development, cultural initiatives, and micro-economics. These projects, executed in collaboration with governments, organizations, and local communities, have provided numerous educational and healthcare opportunities, as well as job and economic prospects for many disadvantaged individuals. In many of his interviews and speeches, Aga Khan identified the improvement of human quality of life and poverty alleviation as among the 'sustainable goals' of his projects. This Muslim leader, who sought to present a moderate version of Islam and religious tolerance, believed that helping the underprivileged through creating economic opportunities could prevent the spread of extremism. In a speech at Harvard University in 2015, he argued that in some of the poorest areas of the world, violence and terrorism 'stem from poverty' and that 'changing the foundations of quality of life and replacing despair with hope' could prevent a dangerous surge towards extremism. Karim Aga Khan always urged his followers and other leaders of this branch of Islam not to limit their assistance and support to Ismailis but to extend a hand to anyone in need. While there is no precise statistic on the population of Ismaili Shia Muslims worldwide, it is estimated that currently between 2.5 million to 15 million Ismailis live across the globe, from Asia and Africa to Europe and North America. However, the largest community of Ismailis resides in the 'Badakhshan Mountain' region of Tajikistan, which has an autonomous population of nearly 250,000, most of whom identify as Ismaili. The Aga Khan Development Network has invested in many charitable projects and businesses in this region and other parts of Tajikistan over the past 30 years. Nevertheless, Aga Khan faced serious challenges for the Ismaili community and his humanitarian development projects in many violence-stricken areas of the world. In one of the latest instances, the Tajik government confiscated several important assets of the Aga Khan Network, including a hotel, a private school, and a park in the unrest-prone Badakhshan Mountain region. With his selection as the Imam of the Ismailis, Aga Khan inherited not only the title but also a vast fortune, with his net worth estimated between $800 million to several billion dollars. In 2009, Forbes magazine listed Aga Khan among the 15 wealthiest leaders in the world, noting that this horse racing enthusiast owned '900 thoroughbred horses kept on farms in Ireland and France.' According to this report, Aga Khan was also a shareholder in two major horse racing betting companies in the UK and France. He owned a luxurious residence, a multi-million dollar yacht, and a private jet, although he himself rejected the notion of living a lavish lifestyle. Some of his opponents accused him of not being a pure and true Muslim due to this lifestyle. He was known for his high-level connections and had many photographs with world leaders, presidents, and royal families. Aga Khan was often seen with Farah Pahlavi, the former Empress of Iran, and Bernadette Chirac, the wife of the late French President Jacques Chirac, in Monaco in the summer of 2012. Aga Khan's private life, including the stories of his two marriages and divorces, was frequently covered in Western media. His first wife was a British woman named Sarah Croker Poll, who converted to Islam and changed her name to Salima Aga Khan. As a result of this marriage, she also acquired the noble title of 'Begum.' The couple, who had three children, separated after 26 years of marriage in 1995. Three years later, Aga Khan married a German woman named Gabriela Homi and became a father again at the age of 64 after two years. Gabriela, who also acquired the title 'Anara Begum Aga Khan' through this marriage, divorced Aga Khan in 2004. This couple finally officially separated in 2014 after a decade of legal disputes. A significant portion of Aga Khan's wealth was derived from the tithe (one-tenth of income or assets) that members of the Ismaili community pay to the Imam. His successor, who will be the next Imam of the Ismailis, has been specified in Aga Khan's will. This document will first be read in the presence of his family and religious leaders, after which the name of the next Imam will be publicly announced. No date has yet been announced for the reading of the will.