Doctor
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (
Abul-Qaid Johar Mohammed Burhanuddin ) (born March 6, 1915) is the 52nd
Dā‘ī l-MuṭlaqThe term Dāʻī al-Mutlaq literally means "the absolute or unrestricted missionary". In Ismā'īlī Islām, the term dāʻī has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imāms, and the Daʻwa or "Mission" is a clerical-style organisation. "The Daʻwa" was a term for the...
(Dai, or Unrestricted Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohras. The Dawoodi Bohras are a sub group within the
MustaaliThe Musta‘lī Ismā'īlī Muslims are so named because they accept Al-Musta'li as the nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir...
,
Ismaili' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
Shia branch of
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Biography
Burhanuddin was born in
SuratSurat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
,
Gujarat,
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was appointed to be the future Dā‘ī at the age of 19 by his father, the previous Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq,
Taher SaifuddinSyedna Taher Saifuddin was the 51st Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq and led the Dawoodi Bohras community from 1915 to 1965...
.
Burhanuddin succeeded his father, upon the latter's death, when he was 53 years of age. He has seven sons and three daughters and all members of his family reside at Saifee Mahal,
MumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Burhanuddin completed recitation of the Quran in 1921. At around the age of 13, he escaped an accident when bridge railing collapsed while on travel in Colombo, where his vehicle got hung on one wheel. He got
lakab of Burhanuddin at age of 15 on his occasion of
misaqMisaq/Mithaq is an Arabic and Persian word meaning covenant.-In religion:Misaq is a strict oath of allegiance taken by the Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra faith from his followers so as to pledge their absolute loyalty to the Imām and Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq. Similar to a bar mitzvah, followers must be a...
. He received the designation of
hadiyath (Sheikh) from 51st Dai at the age of 17(1931 A.D.) and later designated as
mazoon at the age of 20. He became
hafiz at age of 21(1935 A.D.) and married Amatullah Aai two years later.
Much later (1381 AH) he made a trip to Yemen to visit the earlier Dais of Yemen and consequently received the designation of "Mansural-Yaman". At the age of 53(1965 A.D.) he became 52nd Dai on death of his father
Taher SaifuddinSyedna Taher Saifuddin was the 51st Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq and led the Dawoodi Bohras community from 1915 to 1965...
.
Burhanuddin organised Ashura (Imam
HusainHusain is a common Arabic name especially among Muslims, because of the popularity of Hussein bin AliGrand son of Muhammadhe said .....al husain o mini wa ana minal hussain* Adrian A...
's) function at various locations and addressed the gathering of
Dawoodi BohraDawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...
(invited from all over world):
- Surat (1997,2000,2005)
- Mecca (1969)
- Cairo (1980 and 1981)
- Karachi (1977, 1983, 1987, and 1996),
- Nairobi (1984 and 1998)
- Darussalam (1990)
- Mombasa (2008),
- Mumbai (2009, 2010 and 2011),
- Indore (2002)
- Houston (2001),
- Colombo (1970, 1991, 1999, 2007, and 2008)
- Dubai (2004),
Burhanuddin's 100th birthday (as per AH) celebrated on Rabiul Aakhir 20th 1432 AH which fell on 25 March 2011. On this historic year staggering numbers of his
Dawoodi BohraDawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...
followers, intent on congratulating their leader, attended the functions in Mumbai in his presence on this occasion.
Ailing Burhanuddin appointed his second son Syedi
Mufaddal SaifuddinSyedi Aaliqadr Mufaddal Bhaisaheb Saifuddin is the second son of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin 52nd Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. Syedi Aali Qadr Mufaddal Bhaisaheb Saifuddin is also the Mansoos to the office of Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras after Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin...
as his successor in June 2011 during his London stay.
Education, culture and work for men and women
Burhanuddin supervises the curriculum of the Arabic academy
Al Jamea tus SaifiyahAl Jamea Tus Saifiyah is an Islamic Arabic Academy located in Surat, India. It was founded as a theological University for Dawoodi Bohras in 1814 ADby the 43rd Dai Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin and named it as ‘Daras-e-Saifee”...
and has emphasized education and modernization for both men and women of the community. The quest for knowledge includes religious education as well as secular study in universities throughout the world.It is an Islamic Arabic Academy situated in the heart of
SuratSurat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
,
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
which is a leading theological University for
Dawoodi BohraDawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...
s. It was founded in 1814 by the 43rd
DaiDai can mean:* Dai people, one of the 56 recognized ethnic minorities of China* Dai , ethnic tribe of Chin, Myanmar* Dai County, in Shanxi, China* Dai , a state during the Spring and Autumn Period...
Abdeali Saifuddin.
In 1920, Dr.
Taher SaifuddinSyedna Taher Saifuddin was the 51st Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq and led the Dawoodi Bohras community from 1915 to 1965...
transformed this institution into a university that also promoted education for Bohra girls. The university has seen tremendous expansion and now has state-of-the-art facilities and a competent International Baccalaureate Office (IBO) with acceptance worldwide.
His era has also been marked by a widespread programme of construction of mosques, mausoleums and community buildings in Bohra centres around the world. There is, for example, the
Raudat TaheraRaudat Tahera is the mausoleum of the celebrated Dr. Syedna Taher Saifuddin, 51st Dai al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras community whom he guided from January 1915 to his death in November 1965. He was succeeded by his son, the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq Dr...
, the mausoleum of his father
Taher SaifuddinSyedna Taher Saifuddin was the 51st Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq and led the Dawoodi Bohras community from 1915 to 1965...
in
MumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
,
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The mausoleum has the entire
Qur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
engraved on its four walls. This has been done in gold leaf on marble with precious gems encrusted in all the 'Bismillahs' (the opening verses of each individual chapter of the Qur'an). He has also made a contribution to the holy shrine of
Ali' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
, the first
Shiah ImamThe Ismaili view on the Imamah differs from the Twelver Shi'a view, in particular because the Imam in Ismailism is the Noor of God . Ismailis believe that the Noor of God is present in the Imam, and that there is only a Ẓāhirī difference between each one...
and fourth Sunni
CaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
.
In 1980, he completed the renovation and restoration of the
Mosque of al-ḤākimThe al-Hakim Mosque is a major Islamic religious site in Cairo, Egypt. It is located in "Islamic Cairo", on the east side of Muizz Street, just south of Bab Al-Futuh...
in
CairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and since then, several other
FatimidThe Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
era mosques of Cairo have been restored. In the wake of this endeavour, Bohra communities across the world have sought to build their own mosques in their hometowns and Bohra mosques have been constructed as far afield as North America, Europe, Africa and Australia. These community centres and places of worship have fostered both a local and worldwide sense of togetherness and brotherhood which is seen most vividly in the annual gathering to commemorate the
martyrdomThe Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10...
of
MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
's grandson,
Husayn ibn AliHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
at
KarbalaKarbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
in the seventh century.
Burhanuddin also contributed towards the re-establishment of the
Saifee HospitalThe Saifee Hospital is a State of the art, modern hospital built in Charni Road region of Mumbai, India. It has 33 specialised departments, more than 400 doctors and 295 beds....
in Mumbai in June 2005.
He delivers nine days of sermons every year, the event taking place in a different city each time. Elsewhere, the commemoration also takes place in every Bohra centre across the world, with sermons given by appointed priests to local communities. He also gives scholarships to students in India. He has developed a Trust in Mumbai for this purpose and many Dawoodi Bohra students have been assisted.
Awards and accomplishments
Burhanuddin has been awarded :
- Degree of 'Doctor of Islamic Sciences’ by the Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt on March 13, 1966.
- Degree of ‘Doctor of Theology’ by the
Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
in
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on October 17, 1966.
- Degree of 'Shahadat-e- Taqdeer' by Ahlul Bait University, Karbala, Iraq
- Title of 'The Star of Jordan' by government of Jordan
- Title of 'The Vishaul Nile' (order of Nile) by then-President of
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Mubarak.
- Title of 'Star of Texas' by Texas
Burhanuddin has been involved with several notable projects including:
- The Raudat Tahera
Raudat Tahera is the mausoleum of the celebrated Dr. Syedna Taher Saifuddin, 51st Dai al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras community whom he guided from January 1915 to his death in November 1965. He was succeeded by his son, the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq Dr...
in Mumbai.
- The repair and renovation of the Mosque Al Jame ul Anwar.
- The repair and renovation of the Mosque Al Aqmar in Egypt.
- The gold plating of Maulana Ali's Zaree in Najaf.
- The gold plating of Maulana Abbas e Alamdaar's Zaree in Karbala.
- The construction of Rasul Husain(Cairo)Zarih in Egypt.
- The Mukalafat-al-Rasool next to Rasul Hussain, where some of the Imams are buried.
- The construction of Maulatena Zainab's Zaree in Egypt.
- The construction/renovation of The Grand Mosque of Kufa.
- The renovation of the maqsurah (musoleam) of Imam Husayn
- The construction of Saifee Hospital in Mumbai (India)
Under his direction, his followers in Yemen constructed the mausoleum of
Sayedna HatimSyedna Hatim Bin Ibrahim al-Hamidi was the third Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Taiyabi Musta‘lī Bohra Islam...
and a mosque in Hutaib Mubarak,mausoleum of
Syedna Ali Shamshuddin Bin Abdullah Syedna Ali Shamshuddin Bin Syedna Abdullah ’ , Shareka in Yemen was the 18 th Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Musta‘lī Islam. He succeeded, the 17th Dai Syedna Hasan Badruddin Syedna Abdullah to the religious post.Syedna Ali became Da'i al-Mutlaq in 821AH /1411AD...
in Shareka and of
Syedna IdrisSyedna Idris Bin Syedna Hasan , Shibaam, Yemen) was the Nineteenth Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Taiyabi Musta‘lī Bohra Islam. He succeeded the 18th Dai Sayedna Ali Shamsuddin to the religious post...
in Shibam. He also undertook projects for providing water and electricity to the faiz and town. The roads to ziyarats in Yemen were made more accessible to vehicles by him.
In 1976 Burhanuddin addressed enlighten gathering in the historical Royal Albert hall, London and in 1982 he addressed International Islamic Seminar at Colombo.
He was elected as the Chancellor of the Muslim University of Aligarh by the Court of the University in its meeting on October 3, 1999. On April 26, 2000 he visited Australia and became the first Da'i al-Mutlaq to have traveled to five continents.
In June 2004 Mohammed Burhanuddin was conferred a Doctorate of Literature (Honoris Causa) by the Governor of
KarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
at a ceremony held at the Karachi University. He has also been honored by the highest civilian ranks of Jordan and Egypt.
The cities of
San JoseSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, Houston, Dallas,
IrvingIrving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
and
Richmond HillRichmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
have accorded him an Honorary Citizenship and
Keys to their cities.
In August 2005, he inaugurated a mosque in the United States in
Fremont, CaliforniaFremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
. President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
congratulated him for this in a letter from the White House.
http://malumaat.com/pics/sanfrancisco1426/letter_from_president_bush_usa.jpg.
Other Fatimid architectural contributions
- Renovated Lulua Mosque
The Lulua Mosque is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt, that was built in 1015-16 AD. It is thought that it was constructed during the reign of al-Hakim. The mosque partially collapsed in 1919, but was later rebuilt by the Dawoodi Bohra....
, Cairo
- Renovated Aqmar Mosque
The Aqmar Mosque is one of the few remaining mosques in Cairo, Egypt that have been built in the Fatimid era under vizier al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi during the caliphate of Imam al-Amir, son of Mustansir. The mosque is located along north Muizz Street, with several significant monuments located next to...
, Cairo
- Renovated Juyushi Mosque
The Juyushi Mosque was built in Imam Mustansir era under Badr al-Jamali in 1085 AD. This is one of historical mosque of Egypt of Fatimid Caliphate era....
, Cairo
- Mosque Imam Abadullah
Ahmad al- Wafi is the eighth Ismaili Imam . He was surnamed al-Wafi. As the Imam, he was the supreme spiritual leader of the Ismaili community from his appointment till his death...
, Salamia, Syria
- Zarih Ja'far at-Tayyar, Jordan
- Zarih, Sayyeda Ruqayya, cairo
- The burial place of Husayn's head in Askelan,Israel
Related photo gallery:
See also
- Dawoodi Bohras
- Venues of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin during the past Ashara Mubarakah/Ashura
- Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
- Shia
- Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
- Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
External links and references