At exactly 2:02pm Kenyan time today, Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V, the 50th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, made his way inside the Ismaili Community Centre in Lisbon. He has walked the ornate grounds of the 18,000sqm complex before in his role as a member of the executive committee for several of the Aga Khan Development Network agencies and affiliated organisations.
But the short walk from the parking lot to the hall may as well have been his longest due to its significance. Flanked by his two children, Princes Irfan and Sinan Aga Khan, Prince Rahim was here to lead the 15 million Ismaili Muslims, and a larger global audience, in the funeral service of his father, His Highness Prince Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV.
A few minutes later, other family members streamed into the hall full of guests. Attention then turned to the nine volunteers who had the privilege of carrying the casket bearing the body of the late leader of the Ismaili Muslims.
The casket was draped in white cloth with the Aga Khan IV personal standard embroidered in gold.
It was a sober mood inside the hall, with the new leader of the Ismaili community visibly grief-stricken, notwithstanding his often restless young sons next to him.
The mourners, who included Portuguese President Rebelo de Sousa and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were invited to pay their last respects, the only process that took longer than the rest of the program. The ceremony was brief—35 minutes—and simple. There were no speeches except the call for prayers and the recitation of Koran verses, namely; Surat Al-Fatiha, Surat Al-Baqara, Surat Al-Nisa and, Surat Al Gafir.
The Shahada, or the Islamic declaration of faith was then recited as the casket left the centre, with Prince Rahim in the lead. Such prayers are central to members of the faith during such ceremonies.
“The Ismaili Muslim community comes together at times of sorrow and grief. While death is a sad time, it is also a soul’s reunion with the Divine. It is in this understanding of return to God that one finds consolation and solace at a time of severe loss and significant grief. Weeping and feelings of sadness are certainly considered normal, as these are signs of tenderness and compassion in the heart,” states Ismailimail.blog on the purpose of these prayers.
The funeral ceremony is also a time for members of the community to come together to offer comfort to the bereaved.
“As a community, we support each other in important ways at times of difficulty, sorrow and tragedy. One of these occasions is at times of death. We get together to prepare the body of the deceased, perform the final rights and pray for the soul of the deceased. We also ensure that the departed’s family members are looked after at this time of need so that their burden [or]sorrow is minimized,” the blog states.
Today, Aga Khan IV will be laid to rest at a private burial ceremony in Aswan, Egypt. “He will be interred at the mausoleum of his grandfather, the late Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah III until a new mausoleum is constructed that will serve as his final resting place on land adjacent to the existing structure,” stated a post-funeral ceremony statement on Saturday.
Beginning Tuesday, February 11, 2025, global attention turns to his successor, Prince Rahim, as senior leaders of the Ismaili community pay homage to their new head in Lisbon, Portugal, as per the announcement from the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat.
