Aga Khan IV

The Aga Khan IV is the eldest son of Prince Aly Khan (1911–1960), and his first wife, Princess Taj-ud-dawlah Aga Khan, formerly Joan Yarde-Buller (1908–1997), the eldest daughter of the British peer John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston.

The Aga Khan IV also had a half-brother, Patrick Benjamin Guinness (1931–1965), from his mother's first marriage, as Joan Yarde-Buller was previously married to Loel Guinness of the banking Guinnesses.

Prince Karim spent his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, where his early education was by private tutoring.

Prince Karim later attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, the most expensive boarding school in the world, for nine years where he ended up with, in his words, "fair grades".

Prince Karim was admitted to MIT and wanted to study science, but his grandfather, Aga Khan III, vetoed the decision and Prince Karim attended Harvard University, where he was elected a member of The Delphic Club and majored in Islamic history.

When his grandfather died, the young Prince was thrust into the position of the Aga Khan (IV).

A university student who was known to be humble by peers became the new Nizari Imam.

He said about it: "Overnight, my whole life changed completely. I woke up with serious responsibilities toward millions of other human beings. I knew I would have to abandon my hopes of studying for a doctorate in History".

Shah Karim al-Husayni (شاه كريم الحسيني; born 13 December 1936; known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV; ), is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis.

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13 December 1936, Prince Karim was declared healthy despite being born prematurely.

His brother, Amyn Aga Khan, was born less than a year later.

The Institution of Imamate has continued to present day with the Aga Khan IV as the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Community.

The Aga Khan is a business magnate with British and Portuguese citizenship, as well as a racehorse owner and breeder.

Aga Khan's net worth has been estimated over $13.3 billion.

Forbes describes the Aga Khan as one of the world's fifteen richest royals.

He is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world.

In 1949, his parents divorced in part due to Prince Aly Khan's extramarital affairs, and shortly after, Prince Aly Khan married American actress Rita Hayworth – with whom he had a daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the half-sister of Aga Khan IV.

He has held the position of Imam and the title of Aga Khan since 11 July, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III.

The Aga Khan claims direct lineal descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, who is considered an Imam by Nizari Ismailis, and Ali's wife Fatima, Muhammad's daughter from his first marriage.

Ismailis gave Ali and their Imams a near-divine status.

The origins of this concept lie in ancient Persian paganism.

His grandfather, Aga Khan III, states in his memoirs that the Shias had a "need (for) Divine guidance" after The Prophet of Islam's death, this need being fulfilled by the Imamate.

According to the Aga Khan III as mentioned in his memoirs, he has actual "Divine power, guidance, and leadership (authority)."

Since his ascension to the Imamate of the Nizari Ismailis in 1957, the Aga Khan has been involved in complex political and economic changes which have affected his followers, including the independence of African countries from colonial rule, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Takht nashini (installation of the new Imam) ceremonies occurred at several locations over the course of 1957 and 1958.

During this time, the Aga Khan emphasized to his followers the importance of fostering positive relations with different ethnicities – a message highly appropriate considering the racially tense atmosphere in East Africa at the time between blacks and South Asians.

During the Aga Khan's installation ceremonies in the Indian subcontinent, the Aga Khan stressed his commitment to improving the standard of living of Nizari Ismailis and encouraged co-operation with individuals of other religions.

He graduated from Harvard University in 1959, two years after becoming the Imam of the Nizari Ismailis, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (with Cum Laude honours) and his varsity H for the Harvard Crimson men's soccer team.

The young Aga Khan was a competitive downhill skier, and skied for Iran in the 1964 Winter Olympics.

Aga Khan IV enacted the Ismaili Constitution in Lisbon on July 13th 1998.

Aga Khan IV commonly refers to himself as the Spiritual Father/Mother of the Ismailis Muslims.

Although Aga Khan IV encourages his spiritual children to question in order to learn and understand their beliefs, values, and principles, as a formal policy he retains "the sole authority to determine all questions that arise regarding the meaning of their religion" - Ismaili Constitution Article One.

Following the death of his grandfather the Aga Khan III, Prince Karim, at the age of 20, became the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailis and Aga Khan IV, bypassing his father, Prince Aly Khan, and his uncle, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, who were in direct line to succession.

In his will, the Aga Khan III explained the rationale for choosing his eldest grandson as his successor (which marked the second time in the history of the Nizari Ismaili chain of Imamat that a grandson of the preceding Imam – instead of one of the sons of the preceding Imam – was made the next Imam):

"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."

In light of his grandfather's will, the Aga Khan IV has sometimes been referred to by Nizari Ismailis as the "Imam of the Atomic Age".

The will of the Aga Khan III added that the next Aga Khan, in the first several years of his Imamat, should look to the Aga Khan III's widow for guidance on general matters pertaining to the Imamat:

"I DESIRE that my successor shall, during the first seven years of his Imamat, be guided on questions of general Imamat Policy, by my said wife, Yvette called Yve Blanche Labrousse Om Habibeh, the BEGUM AGA KHAN, who has been familiar for many years with the problems facing my followers, and in whose wise judgment, I place the greatest confidence."

Upon taking the position of Imam, the Aga Khan IV stated that he intended to continue the work his grandfather had pursued in building modern institutions to improve the quality of life of the Nizari Ismailis.

Aga Khan IV became the first faith leader to address the Joint Session of the Parliament of Canada on 27 February 2014.