The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims and philanthropist, has died at 88

PARIS (AP) — The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual person of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims astatine property 20 arsenic a Harvard undergraduate and poured a worldly empire built connected billions of dollars successful tithes into gathering homes, hospitals and schools successful processing countries, has died. He was 88.

His Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili spiritual assemblage announced that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV and 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, died Tuesday successful Portugal surrounded by his family.

His successor was designated successful his will, which volition beryllium work retired successful the beingness of his household and elder spiritual leaders successful Lisbon earlier the sanction is made public. A day has not been announced. The successor is chosen from among his antheral progeny oregon different relatives, according to the Ismaili community’s website.

Considered by his followers to beryllium a nonstop descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was a pupil erstwhile his gramps passed implicit his playboy begetter arsenic his successor to pb the diaspora of Shia Ismaili Muslims, saying his followers should beryllium led by a young antheral “who has been brought up successful the midst of the caller age.”

Over decades, the Aga Khan evolved into a concern magnate and a philanthropist, moving betwixt the spiritual and the worldly and mixing them with ease.

Treated arsenic a caput of state, the Aga Khan was fixed the rubric of “His Highness” by Queen Elizabeth successful July 1957, 2 weeks aft his gramps the Aga Khan III unexpectedly made him heir to the family’s 1,300-year dynasty arsenic person of the Ismaili Muslim sect.

He became the Aga Khan IV connected Oct. 19, 1957, successful Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, connected the spot wherever his gramps erstwhile had his value equaled successful diamonds successful gifts from his followers.

He had near Harvard to beryllium astatine his ailing grandfather’s side, and returned to schoolhouse 18 months aboriginal with an entourage and a heavy consciousness of responsibility.

“I was an undergraduate who knew what his enactment for the remainder of his beingness was going to be,” helium said successful a 2012 interrogation with Vanity Fair magazine. “I don’t deliberation anyone successful my concern would person been prepared.”

A defender of Islamic civilization and values, helium was wide regarded arsenic a builder of bridges betwixt Muslim societies and the West contempt — oregon possibly due to the fact that of — his reticence to go progressive successful politics.

The Aga Khan Development Network, his main philanthropic organization, deals chiefly with issues of wellness care, housing, acquisition and agrarian economical development. It says it works successful implicit 30 countries and has an yearly fund of astir $1 cardinal for nonprofit improvement activities.

A web of hospitals bearing his sanction are scattered successful places wherever wellness attraction had lacked for the poorest, including Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, wherever helium spent tens of millions of dollars for improvement of section economies.

His oculus for gathering and plan led him to found an architecture prize, and programs for Islamic Architecture astatine MIT and Harvard. He restored past Islamic structures passim the world.

Accounts disagree arsenic to the day and spot of Prince Karim Aga Khan’s birth. According to “Who’s Who successful France,” helium was calved connected Dec. 13, 1936, successful Creux-de-Genthod, adjacent Geneva, Switzerland, the lad of Joan Yarde-Buller and Aly Khan.

The grade of the Aga Khan’s fiscal empire is hard to measure. Some reports estimated his idiosyncratic wealthiness to beryllium successful the billions.

The Ismailis — a sect primitively centered successful India but which expanded to ample communities successful eastbound Africa, Central and South Asia and the Middle East — see it a work to tithe up to 10% of their income to him arsenic steward.

“We person nary conception of the accumulation of wealthiness being evil,” helium told Vanity Fair successful 2012. “The Islamic ethic is that if God has fixed you the capableness oregon bully luck to beryllium a privileged idiosyncratic successful society, you person a motivation work to society.”

He is survived by 3 sons and a daughter.

The Aga Khan volition beryllium buried successful Lisbon. The day was not released.