Prince Rahim al-Hussaini formally accedes as Aga Khan V in Lisbon

Prince Rahim al-Hussaini formally accedes as Aga Khan V in Lisbon

Prince Rahim al-Hussaini has formally acceded as the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community, taking the title Aga Khan V at a ceremony in Lisbon on February 11, 2025.

The supplied report from Islamabad Post says the accession ceremony took place at the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon, Portugal, where leaders of the community offered their spiritual allegiance on behalf of Ismailis around the world. The event was livestreamed to Jamatkhanas in more than 35 countries, extending the ceremony to a global audience.

The accession followed the death of his father, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV. In his address, Rahim Aga Khan paid tribute to his late father and thanked his family for their support. He also thanked the governments of Portugal and Egypt for the arrangements that followed the death and burial of Aga Khan IV.

The ceremony matters because it is the formal assumption of authority by the present living spiritual leader of the worldwide Ismaili community. The source explains that the rite includes religious recitations, the presentation and wearing of insignia of office and the pledging of allegiance by community leaders on behalf of the faithful. It is not simply a private family moment; it is the public constitutional and spiritual transition for the community.

In his inaugural remarks, Rahim Aga Khan said he would dedicate his life to the spiritual and material well-being of the Jamat and spoke about the need to balance worldly and spiritual concerns. The report says he emphasised universal themes of peace, tolerance, inclusion and support for people in need.

He also urged Ismailis to be loyal and active citizens in the countries where they live and to lead by example on climate change. The supplied extract says he pledged to keep continuity and stability while advancing change at a measured pace, and that he would sustain constructive relations with governments and partners, continuing the approach associated with his father’s long leadership.

Because the source is a community report rather than a broad wire service account, this article limits itself to the facts it directly supports. Even so, those facts show a clear and significant transition: the Ismaili Imamat has passed formally to Prince Rahim, with the community marking the change through a ceremony that linked tradition, public allegiance and a statement of future intent.

The Lisbon ceremony also symbolised continuity across generations. By speaking publicly for the first time to the international Ismaili community, Aga Khan V set out themes that are likely to define the early shape of his leadership: stability, service, pluralism and constructive engagement with the wider world.

The ceremony’s livestream to more than 35 countries gave the transition a deliberately global frame, reflecting the reach of the Ismaili community and the administrative reality of a faith whose followers are spread across continents. The address also positioned the new Imam as a steward of continuity rather than rupture, which is likely to shape expectations of his leadership in the months ahead.