Aga Khan V

His Highness
Prince Rahim Aga Khan V
NPk
آقا خان پنجم‎
50th Imam of Nizari Isma'ilism Muslims
Tenure4 February 2025 – present
PredecessorAga Khan IV
BornShāh Rahim al-Husayni
(1971-10-12) 12 October 1971 (age 53)
Geneva, Switzerland
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2013; div. 2022)​
Issue
  • Prince Irfan Aga Khan
  • Prince Sinan Aga Khan
Relatives
HouseFatimid
FatherAga Khan IV
MotherSalimah Aga Khan
ReligionNizari Isma'ilism Shia Islam
Part of a series on Islam
Isma'ilism
Ismail lion calligram
Concepts
Seven Pillars
Musta'lism and Nizarism
Branches/sects

States

People

Centers

Other

Early leaders
Incumbent leaders
Islam portal

Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan (Persian: رحیم آقا خان;‎ born 12 October 1971), known as the Aga Khan V (Persian: آقاخان پنجم), is the 50th Imam, or Hazar Imam, of the Shia Nizari Isma'ili Muslims. He is the second of the Aga Khan IV's four children, and succeeded his father upon his death in February 2025. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, he has been actively involved for many years in the governance of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

Early life and education

Prince Rahim Aga Khan was born on 12 October 1971, in Geneva, Switzerland. He is the eldest son and second oldest of three children born to the Aga Khan IV (Prince Karim Al-Husseini) and his first wife Princess Salimah Aga Khan (née Sarah Croker-Poole), a British former model.[1][2][3][4]

Prince Rahim was educated in the United States, receiving his secondary education at Phillips Academy Andover, Massachusetts (1990), and graduating from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in comparative literature in 1995.[2][5][6] In 2006 he completed graduate studies in management and administration in Barcelona, Spain, at the IESE Business School University of Navarra.[5][7]

In 2010, he established the Aga Khan Brown Workshop series at the Watson Institute.[8]

Career

Prince Rahim has been actively involved in the governance of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), where as of 2020 he chaired the AKDN Environment and Climate Committee.[9]

As of 2019, Prince Rahim sat on either the Board or Executive Committee for several of the AKDN's agencies and affiliated structures, including the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, and the Aga Khan University Foundation.[10]

Prince Rahim travels regularly to oversee programs and other projects of the Aga Khan Development Network.[11][12]

Following the death of the Aga Khan IV, on 4 February 2025, Prince Rahim was named the fifth Aga Khan and the 50th hereditary imam of Isma'ilism, as prescribed in his father's will.[13] His formal inauguration will be held on 11 February 2025.[14]

Titles and honours

The titles Prince and Princess are used by the Aga Khans and their children by virtue of their descent from Shah Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty. The title was officially recognised by the British government in 1938.[15]

Author Farhad Daftary wrote of how the honorific title Aga Khan (from Agha and Khan) was first given to Aga Khan I at the age of thirteen after the murder of his father: "At the same time, the Qajar monarch bestowed on him the honorific title (laqab) of Agha Khan (also transcribed as Aqa Khan), meaning lord and master." Daftary additionally commented, "The title of Agha Khan remained hereditary amongst his successors."[16]

The style of His Highness was formally granted to the Aga Khan V by King Charles III on 10 February 2025.[17]

Honours

Personal life

Prince Rahim married Kendra Irene Spears on 31 August 2013 in Geneva.[20] They have two children: Prince Irfan (b. 11 April 2015)[21] and Prince Sinan (b. 2 January 2017).[22] In 2019, he bought a house in Unstad in Vestvågøy Municipality, Norway.[23][24] The couple divorced in February 2022.[25]

References

  1. ^ "AKDN, Prince William to launch environmental prize". DAWN.COM. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b Henley, Jon (5 February 2025). "Rahim al-Hussaini named as 50th Aga Khan after death of father". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  3. ^ Khalip, Andrei (5 February 2025). "Aga Khan IV's son Rahim named Ismaili Muslims' new spiritual leader". Reuters.
  4. ^ Saleem, Sadiq (5 February 2025). "Aga Khan IV Age, Died, Net Worth, Education, Successor, Children and Family". The Educationist Hub. Archived from the original on 6 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b Lusa (5 February 2025). "Rahim Aga Khan é o novo líder da comunidade ismailita". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Rahim Al-Hussaini is named the new Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims". AP News. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  7. ^ "El príncipe Rahim Aga Khan V nombrado el 50º líder espiritual de los ismaelitas". SWI swissinfo.ch (in European Spanish). 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Islam and the Humanities", Watson Institute
  9. ^ "AKDN Partners with Prince William to Launch Earthshot Prize". TOLOnews. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ "University of Washington and Aga Khan University sign agreement to further population health, research, service and education". UW News. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  11. ^ "New Aga Khan Medical Centre Helps Strengthen Pakistan's Health System". PAMIR TIMES. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Prince Rahim and Portuguese President meet in Lisbon". ASIA-Plus. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  13. ^ "New Aga Khan named as Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini". BBC News. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Ismaili Muslims bid goodbye to late Aga Khan". France 24. 8 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  15. ^ Edwards, Anne (1996). Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans, New York: William Morrow. ISBN 0-00-215196-0
  16. ^ Daftary, Farhad (2007). The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-35561-5.
  17. ^ "The King is pleased to grant the new Aga Khan the title "His Highness"". Royal.UK. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  18. ^ "Prince Rahim Agha Khan honoured with Pakistan's top civilian award". Daily Pakistan Global. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Prince Rahim Aga Khan conferred with 'Nishan-i-Pakistan' award". Dunya News. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  20. ^ "The wedding of Prince Rahim and Miss Kendra Salwa Spears". TheIsmaili.org. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  21. ^ "The Ismaili". 14 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Prince Sinan". the.Ismaili. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  23. ^ Johansen, Bente H. (12 July 2020). "Prins Rahim Aga Khan kjøpte hus i Lofoten – nå skal det renoveres". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  24. ^ "Prins får grønt lys for å renovere «surfebolig» i Lofoten". e24.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 12 July 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  25. ^ "Die Liebe zwischen Prinz Rahim Aga Khan und Prinzessin Salwa ist zerbrochen". MSN (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 5 February 2025.