Aga Khan IV
Shah Karim al-Hussaini, known simply as Aga Khan IV, was the 49th Imam of Nizari Isma'ili Shia Islam from 1957 until his death in 2025. He inherited the Nizari imamate and the title of Aga Khan at the age of 20 upon the death of his grandfather, the Aga Khan III. During his Imamate, he was also known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Isma'ili followers.
Al-Husseini's net worth was estimated at over US$13.3 billion by Vanity Fair in 2013. Forbes included al-Husseini in its list of the world's fifteen richest royals, though he held no political sovereignty or territorial authority. The designation referred to his hereditary role as Imam of the Nizari Ismailis, not to any formal royal or monarchical status. He was the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world.
Early life and education
Karim al-Husseini was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13 December 1936, the eldest son of Aly Khan and his first wife, Taj-ud-dawlah Aga Khan. His mother was the eldest daughter of the British peer John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston.He was declared healthy despite being born prematurely. His brother, Amyn Aga Khan, was born a year later in 1937. In 1949, his parents divorced in part due to his father's extramarital affairs, and shortly after, his father married American actress Rita Hayworth—with whom he had a daughter, Yasmin Aga Khan, the half-sister of al-Husseini.
He also had a half-brother, Patrick Benjamin Guinness, from his mother's first marriage, as Joan Yarde-Buller was previously married to Loel Guinness of the banking Guinnesses.
Karim spent the years during World War II in Nairobi, Kenya, where his early education was through private tutoring. He later attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland for nine years where he achieved, in his words, "fair grades". He was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he wanted to study science, but his grandfather, Aga Khan III, vetoed the decision. Instead he attended Harvard University, where he was elected a member of The Delphic Club and majored in Islamic history.
When his grandfather died, he was thrust into the position of the Aga Khan. At the time of his accession to the Imamate in 1957, Karim was a university student. Reflecting on the transition, he later stated that he had to set aside plans for further academic study in order to assume his new responsibilities as Imam. He graduated from Harvard University in 1959, two years after ascending the Imamate, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and his varsity H for the Harvard Crimson men's soccer team.
He was a competitive downhill skier, representing Great Britain at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962 and then Iran in the 1964 Winter Olympics.
Succession and appointment as Imam
After the death of Aga Khan III in 1957, Shah Karim al-Husseini was appointed as the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili community at the age of 20. His designation was made through the will of his grandfather, bypassing his father, Aly Khan, and his uncle, Sadruddin Aga Khan. This was the second recorded instance in Nizari Ismaili history where a grandson, rather than a son, was named as Imam.The will cited "fundamentally altered conditions in the world" as part of the rationale for selecting a younger successor:
"In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world has provoked many changes, including the discoveries of atomic science, I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Nizari Ismaili community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age, and who brings a new outlook on life to his office."This statement was later used by some within the community to frame al-Husseini as an "Imam of the Atomic Age," a phrase that has appeared in various publications but has no official doctrinal status. The will also recommended that the new Imam, during his early years in the role, consult his grandmother, Om Habibeh Aga Khan, on general matters.
Nizari Ismaili Imamate
Karim al-Husseini became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims in 1957 following the death of his grandfather. Installation ceremonies were conducted at multiple locations between 1957 and 1958, during which he spoke about issues such as interethnic and interfaith relations.In 1972, the government of Uganda, led by President Idi Amin, expelled people of South Asian origin, including many Nizari Ismailis, giving them 90 days to leave the country. Following this, Karim al-Husseini contacted Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, which resulted in Canada accepting a significant number of displaced Ismailis. He also coordinated efforts to assist Ismailis displaced from Tanzania, Kenya, and Myanmar with resettlement in other countries, primarily in Asia, Europe, and North America. Most of the initial resettlement problems were overcome rapidly by Nizari Ismailis due to their educational backgrounds and high rates of literacy, as well as the efforts of the host countries, along with support from Nizari Ismaili community programmes.
Al-Husseini encouraged members of the Nizari Ismaili community in industrialised countries to support development initiatives in regions with significant Ismaili populations. Karim al-Husseini described the role of the Imam as involving both religious interpretation and attention to the social welfare of the community. He has emphasized the importance of engagement between Ismaili communities and the broader societies in which they live.
He was among the Shia signatories of the 2004 Amman Message, which addressed the inclusion of various denominations of Islam within the Muslim community.
During the 2006 controversy surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's lecture, Karim al-Husseini expressed concern over deteriorating interreligious relations and suggested the situation presented an opportunity for dialogue about religion and reason
When he was asked about his view on the consumption of alcohol in a 1965 interview with The Sunday Times, al-Husseini said, in line with Muslim teaching:
Our belief is that the thing which separates man from the animals is his power of thought. Anything that impedes this process is wrong. Therefore, alcohol is forbidden. I have never touched alcohol. But this, to me, is not a puritan prohibition. I don't want to drink. I've never wanted to drink. There's no pressure being placed on me by my religion.
In 2014, Karim al-Husseini became the first faith leader to address a joint session of the Parliament of Canada.
To mark the 25th anniversary of his Imamate from 1982 to 1983, several development projects were initiated, including the establishment of the $450 million Aga Khan University with its Faculty of Health Sciences and teaching hospital based in Karachi, Pakistan, expansion of schools and healthcare facilities in the Hunza region of northern Pakistan, and the establishment of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Gujarat, India.
The 50th anniversary of his Imamate was observed from 2007 to 2008, during which Karim al-Husseini made official visits to various countries and met with government officials to discuss ongoing and future initiatives. During this period, the Golden Jubilee Games, a sports event for Nizari Ismailis, was organized in Kenya and later continued in other locations. During his visit to Houston in Texas, he announced the establishment of the Ismaili Center Houston.
The 60th anniversary of his tenure was observed from 2017 to 2018, marked by various events including concerts and arts festivals. In 2018, the Henrique de Mendonça Palace in Lisbon was designated as the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat.
Ismaili Constitution
In 1986, al-Husseini promulgated a constitution for the Nizari Ismaili community, which was amended in 1998. The document outlines the governance structure and the role of the Imam within the community.Business activities
Thoroughbred horse racing
Al-Husseini's racing horse businesses brought in considerable income. He owned and operated the largest horse racing and breeding operation in France, the French horse auction house, Arqana, Gilltown Stud near Kilcullen in Ireland, and other breeding/stud farms in Europe.He operated a large horse racing and breeding operation at his estate Aiglemont, in the town of Gouvieux in the Picardy region of France – about 4 kilometres west of the Chantilly Racecourse. In 1977, he paid £1.3 million for the bloodstock owned by Anna Dupré and in 1978, £4.7 million for the bloodstock of Marcel Boussac. He was said to be France's most influential owner-breeder and record winner of The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks.
Al-Husseini owned Gilltown Stud near Kilcullen, Ireland, and the Haras de Bonneval breeding farm at Le Mesnil-Mauger in France. In March 2005, he purchased the Calvados stud farms, the Haras d'Ouilly in Pont-d'Ouilly and the Haras de Val-Henry in Livarot. Haras d'Ouilly had been owned by such horsemen as the Duc Decazes, François Dupré, and Jean-Luc Lagardère.
In 2006, he became the majority shareholder of French horse auction house Arqana.
On 27 October 2009 it was announced that Sea the Stars, regarded by many as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, would stand stud at his Gilltown Stud in Ireland.
His unbeaten homebred filly, Zarkava, won the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His homebred colt, Harzand, won the 2016 Epsom Derby and the 2016 Irish Derby.
Al-Husseini was the lead owner of Shergar, the Irish racehorse that was kidnapped from Ballymany stud farm in County Kildare, Ireland, by masked men in 1983 and held for ransom. He and the other co-owners refused to pay a ransom, and the horse was not recovered. Following the abduction of Shergar in 1983, al-Husseini, law enforcement, and members of the public suspected the Provisional Irish Republican Army, although the group denied involvement. In 1999, former IRA member Sean O'Callaghan claimed in his autobiography that the IRA had carried out the abduction. Shergar had become a prominent symbol in Ireland, and the incident prompted public backlash, including among individuals sympathetic to the republican cause.