Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V named new spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims

Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V was on Wednesday named the 50th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims following the death of his father, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, who died in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday at the age of 88, in accordance with historical Shia Imami Ismaili tradition.

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Born on 12 October 1971, Prince Rahim is the eldest son of the late Prince Karim Aga Khan and his first wife, Princess Salimah.

Prince Rahim was educated at the Phillips Academy Andover and graduated in 1995 from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature.

Prince Rahim Aga Khan V is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter, Hazrat Bibi Fatima, and the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Hazrat Ali, the fourth Rightly Guided Caliph of Islam and the first Shia Imam.

Throughout their 1,400-year history, the Ismailis have been led by a living, hereditary Imam.