The burial of Aga Khan IV has been set to be held on Sunday February 9th, 2025, in Egypt in a private ceremony, which will include his family, high-ranking members of the Ismaili community, officials from the Aga Khan Development Network, important people from the Portuguese government, and other world leaders. The death of an Imam sparks the end of an eras and his followers, who will look towards his successor for guidance, further cement this fact.
Following his father’s instructions, he will be succeeded by Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Al-Fatio, who becomes the 50th hereditary Ismaili Imam. Senior Ismaili community will render their pledge of loyalty to the newly appointed Imam in the special homage ceremony due to take place on February 11, 2025, in Lisbon. This closed ritual reflects allegiance to a new head of state, a practice that is thousands of years old in the Ismaili faith. Aga Khan IV was granted Imamat in 1957 at the age of 20 years, after the demise of his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, who served as Aga Khan III. During his later years, he worked as a champion for the disenfranchised globally.
Utilizing the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which provides jobs to over 80,000 people in Africa and Asia, Aga Khan IV made great strides in transformative initiatives revolving around healthcare, education, infrastructure, and economic growth. His endeavors helped enhance the living standards of millions of people from all walks of life and beliefs.
The Ismaili Muslim community is composed of approximately 15 million people dispersed across Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and North America. They are followers of the Ismaili faith, which is an influential branch of Shia Islam and is based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, his son-in-law, Ali, and Ali’s daughter, Fatima.
