Aga Khan embodied cosmopolitanism and compassion

A wave of sorrow swept through the Shia Ismaili community on Tuesday night as news of the passing of Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, and founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, was announced.

- Linah Baliga

MUMBAI: He died in Lisbon, Portugal, aged 88.

There are over 15 million Shia Ismaili followers in 35 countries across the globe. In India, the concentration is mainly in Gujarat, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Aga Khan IV's office numbered his followers in India as a few thousands without sharing the exact figure.

Prince Karim Aga Khan was a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad through the latter's daughter, Hazrat Bibi Fatima, and the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Hazrat Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam and the first Shia Imam. He was the eldest son of Prince Aly Khan and Joan Yarde-Buller, and grandson and successor as Imam of the late Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III.