The funeral ceremony for His Highness Prince Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, the 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, occurred Saturday morning at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, the 50th Ismaili Imam, and other members of Aga Khan IV’s family were present, alongside leaders of the Ismaili community and the Aga Khan Development Network, and international dignitaries. Amongst global leaders in attendance were President Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, and senior officials from Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The global Ismaili community assembled around the world in Jamatkhanas (places of worship and gathering) to witness the ceremony through a live transmission, and to pay tribute to their Imam’s extraordinary life of leadership and service.
His Highness’s casket was draped in a white cloth, with his personal standard embroidered in gold. It was carried into the ceremonial hall by volunteers from the Ismaili community, while prayers were recited invoking blessings on Prophet Muhammad and his progeny (peace be upon them). Following Muslim tradition, verses from the Holy Quran were recited and, thereafter, guests filed past the casket to pay their last respects.
Throughout his life, His Highness emphasized that Islam is a thinking, spiritual faith, that teaches compassion and tolerance and upholds the dignity of humankind. Guided by these ethical principles, he established the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies, working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest, most vulnerable parts of the developing world. He leaves a powerful legacy and platform for his successor, Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V.
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV will be laid to rest tomorrow, 9th February, at a private burial ceremony in Aswan, Egypt. He will be interred in the mausoleum of his grandfather, the late Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, until a new mausoleum is constructed as his final resting place on land adjacent to the existing structure.
