Lisan al-Dawat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lisan al-Dawat (Arabic: لسان الدعوة) , also transcribed as Lisan ud-Dawat, is the language of the Dawoodi Bohras, it literally means "the Language of the Dawat". In essence, it means the language that is spoken by the Sahib-e-Zaman. Presently, it is this language that is spoken by the present Da'i al-Mutlaq, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin.

It is a language that has its roots in Gujarati grammar but incorporates a heavy amount of Arabic, Urdu, and Persian. It is written in the Urdu/Arabic script. Some key works in Lisan al-Dawat are the nasihats (advice in poetry) written by Syedna Taher Saifuddin (R.A.), namely "Allah Ta'ala Nu Hamd Tu Karje" and "Biradar Tu Nasihat Sun".

It is said in Dawoodi Bohras circles that Lisan ud-Dawat is a bridge to Arabic.