Hyderabad, Feb. 6 -- Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V has been named as the 50th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. The announcement comes after the unsealing of the will left by his late father, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, who died in Lisbon, Portugal on February 4. He was aged 88.

The Ismailis claim that Prince Rahim Aga Khan V is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) through his daughter, Hazrat Bibi Fatima, and the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Hazrat Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam and the first Shia Imam (this claim is however disputed and not accepted by other sects).

A message on the Aga Khan Development Authority's Facebook page said, "Throug...