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

The Aga Khan, a Harvard undergraduate who at the age of 20 became the spiritual head of the world's millions of Ismaili Muslims and invested billions of dollars in tithes to build schools, hospitals, and homes in underdeveloped nations, passed away on Tuesday. His age was 88.

The 49th hereditary imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims, His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan, passed away in Portugal with his family by his side, according to a statement from his Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community. His will named his successor, and before the name is made public, it will be read in front of his family and Lisbon's religious authorities. No specific date has been set.

The successor is selected from among his male offspring or other family members, as per the Ismaili community's website.

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who is regarded by his followers as a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, was a student when his grandfather chose the young man "who has been brought up in the midst of the new age" to lead the Shia Ismaili Muslim diaspora instead of his playboy father.

The Aga Khan transitioned between the spiritual and the material worlds with ease, becoming a humanitarian and economic tycoon throughout the years, Indian Express reported.

While his death was reported late in Europe and the Middle East, ceremonies were already taking place in Ismaili communities across the United States on Tuesday. Condolences came in online from charities he supported and the equestrian community, where he was a well-known figure.

“An extraordinarily compassionate global leader,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, calling him a very good friend. “He will be deeply, deeply missed by people around the world.”

Queen Elizabeth bestowed the title of "His Highness" to the Aga Khan in July 1957, two weeks after his grandfather, the Aga Khan III, suddenly appointed him heir to the family's 1,300-year dynasty as leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect.

He was crowned Aga Khan IV on October 19, 1957, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the same place where his grandfather had his weight in diamonds matched by donations from his followers.

He had left Harvard to care for his dying grandfather and returned 18 months later, accompanied by an entourage and a strong 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.”

He was widely recognised as a bridge-builder between Muslim societies and the West, despite — or maybe because of — his reluctance to engage in politics.

The Aga Khan Development Network, his main philanthropic organisation, focuses on health care, housing, education, and rural economic development. It claims to work in more than 30 countries and has an annual budget of over $1 billion for nonprofit development initiatives.

A network of hospitals bearing his name can be found in regions where health care was lacking for the poorest, such as Bangladesh, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, where he invested tens of millions of dollars in local economic development.

The size of the Aga Khan's financial empire is difficult to measure. Some accounts place his personal wealth in the billions. The Ismailis, a group that originated in India but has since spread to huge communities in East Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East, believe it is their obligation 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.”

According to the Ismaili community's website, he was born on December 13, 1936, in Creux-de-Genthod, near Geneva, Switzerland, as the son of Joan Yarde-Buller and Aly Khan, and spent some of his youth in Nairobi, Kenya, where a hospital now bears his name.

He rose to prominence as a horse breeder and owner, and he competed for Iran in the 1964 Winter Olympics as a skier. His passion for architecture and design inspired him to establish an architecture prize and Islamic architecture schools at MIT and Harvard.

He restored historic Islamic structures around the world. The Aga Khan spent a significant amount of time in France and has spent the last many years in Portugal. His development network and foundation are headquartered in Switzerland.

The Aga Khan will be buried in Lisbon. The date was not disclosed. He is survived by three sons, one daughter, and several grandchildren.