Of both his spiritual and temporal stature personified, His Highness Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan-IV (1936-2025) was the spiritual leader of 15 million Ismailis across the world and an enabler of the people living in distress.
He calibrated through and fused ‘two worlds’ with much ease and grace. Vanity Fair has so aptly underlined that he ‘bridged so many divides—between the spiritual and the material; East and West; Muslims and Christians’. Through his institutions he empowered communities across the world.
It was no less than a phenomenon to lead a community at the age of 20 as its spiritual leader, and initiating philanthropic network (AKDN) later to deal with the issues of health care, education, housing, electricity, clean drinking water, rural socio-economic and infrastructural development. What Kenya’s president remembered him after his death, as ‘an extraordinary leader who went beyond what seemed impossible to help the vulnerable’ describes his role in uplifting millions of people worldwide.
For him, the Islamic ethics is that if God has given you the capacity or good fortune to be a privileged individual in society, you have a moral responsibility to society. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau remembered him as an extraordinary man of vision, faith and generosity, and UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in the troubled world. He’s regarded as a builder of bridges between Muslim societies and the west.
Aga Khan-IV advocated the Islamic ethics of pluralism. He said that pluralism doesn’t mean the elimination of difference but the embrace of difference…that a genuine sense of pluralism is the indispensable foundation for human peace and progress. He was the defender of Islamic culture and values. He encouraged dialogue, and guided his followers to keep warm rapport with Ismaili and non-ismaili communities. He was an exemplar of charitable deeds, and considered them to be the part of his responsibilities. His initiative of AKDN continues to uplift the poorest and vulnerable people across 30 countries. The empire of banks, insurance companies, luxury hotels and agro-industrial businesses were not an end in itself but the means to help others in need.
The bottom line of his leadership style was ethical. He championed ethical leadership. His role in faith matters and chairman of boards of AKDN and other entities are what define his calibration of both spiritual and temporal worlds, and his vision of running a network of institutions. His stewardship benefited communities in development, peace building, discourse on cosmopolitan ethics, to bring positive human change and an ecology of culture, and the business of Aga Khan Development Network. He invested a significant time and energy in nurturing good.
Aga Khan-IV triggered the moral action of his followers, and contributed to the culture and ethical behaviors in society and institutions. He established institutions and affiliates of AKDN to deliver different services: both philanthropic and humanitarian, and conducting research on Islam and its interpretations. The AKU in Pakistan, UCA and IIS are few among many other centers across the regions. And the award for architecture and renovation of historic sites. It provides for innovative architectural designs combining Islamic traditions with modernity.
Almost a decade after its establishment, AKDN started to work in northern areas of Pakistan and Chitral. It has been supporting and working with the communities to improve their quality of life and the development of remote rural areas. With the establishment of village organizations, AKRSP started working with the community on link roads, electricity, canals, water supplies, fruit processing and skill development. It has been working on local value chains and green projects. The areas which were initially receptive to AKDN interventions in Chitral were to fetch more opportunities for development. The village organizations were also meant to introduce cash saving. This piloting was contributing to public having basic amenities, to fight against hard times in their lives and empowerment of people in society. The agencies of AKDN in Chitral have been transformative with changing needs and priorities.
Still there are the remote areas of Chitral where Aga Khan health centers continue to provide basic health and maternity services, and schools deliver education of optimum quality with public institutions. AKDN affiliates are working on SDGs including climate resilience and adaptation. Hundreds of people from Chitral are employed with these entities. The organizations under the umbrella of AKDN have shared activities with public and government in uplifting people from poverty, provision of basic amenities, accelerating prosperity and employability, community-led development works, and fostering social capital in the area.
The global leadership of Aga Khan-IV accounts for a legacy in bridging divides in the world, peace building, defending the Islamic culture and values, support and uplifting of vulnerable communities, bringing positive human change, and demonstrating a compassionate culture and values in society.
