A brief introduction
The Muslim community of Dawoodi Bohras traces its ancestry to early conversions to
Ismaili Shiism during the reign of the Fatimid caliph-Imam al-Mustansir (AS)
(AH 427-487/1036-1094 AD). When schisms occurred in the Ismaili "daawah" (mission) in
the eleventh and twelfth centuries in Egypt, the Ismailis in India followed the
Fatimid Tayyibi dawah of Yemen. Subsequently, this community split a number of times
to form the Dawoodi Bohras, Sulaymani Bohras, Jafari Bohras, Aliyah Bohras and
other lesser known groups.
Dawoodi Bohras use an arabicised form of Gujarati, called "Lisan al-Dawah", which is
permeated with Arabic words and written in Arabic script. Another distinctive
feature is their use of a Fatimid lunar calendar which fixes the number of days in each
month. There is a strong religious learning tradition amongst the Dawoodi Bohras,
their dais (leaders) usually being prolific writers and orators. The Dawoodi Bohras
number about a million and reside in Pakistan, India, the Middle East, East Africa
(since the 18th century) and the West (since the 1950s).
The 52nd Dai, His Holiness, Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, currently heads the Dawoodi Bohra
Jamaat (community). His Holiness is an accomplished scholar. He personally supervises
the curriculum
of the Arabic academy al-Jamiah al-Sayfiyah (which has two branches, one in Karachi, Pakistan,
and the other in Surat, India) where his followers can receive advanced religious training.
He is the author of several books on Ismaili religious thought and
has composed thousands of verses in Arabic on supplication and in praise of the Prophet,
Imams and Dais. He has received honorary doctorates from al-Azhar University (1966) and
from Aligarh Muslim University (1966). He has frequently visited Dawoodi Bohra centres all
over the world to personally imbibe Islamic values in his followers, a practice he has
continued even at an advanced age. He spends many hours each day attending to the
needs of the Dawoodi Bohras, who seek his advice on all aspects of life, even on
matters such as the choice of name for a newborn. His charitable endeavours, promotion of
institutes and trusts for educational and economic welfare, support of projects on
environmental issues and renovation activities have earned him international recognition,
including the highest civilian honours of Egypt (1976) and Jordan (1981).
(Adapted from an extract from the Oxford Encyclopaedia of the
Modern Islamic World, 1995.)
1. Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat of Boston
2. Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat of Ottawa
3. Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat of Toronto
4. Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat of Wasington D.C.