Doctor Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin () ( Abul-Qaid Johar Mohammed Burhanuddin ) (born March 6, 1915)[1] is the 52nd Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq (Dai, or Unrestricted Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohras. The Dawoodi Bohras are a sub group within the Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam.
| Dr. Mohammed Burhanuddin | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 6, 1915 Islamic calendar: Rabi-ul-akhar 20, 1333 AH (age 100) Surat, Gujarat, India |
| Occupation | 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras |
| Successor |
Aliqadr Syedi Mufaddal Saifuddin [2][3] |
| Children | Seven sons (Qaidjohar Ezzuddin, Mufaddal Saifuddin, Malekul Ashtar Shujauddin, Huzefa Mohiyuddin, Idris Badruddin, Qusay Vajihuddin, Ammar Jamaluddin) and three daughters |
| Parents | Taher Saifuddin |
| Part of a series on Shī‘ah Islam |
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| Ali · Ḥassan · Ḥusain as-Sajjad · al-Baqir · aṣ-Ṣādiq Ismā‘īl · Muḥammad Abdullah /Wafi Ahmed / at-Taqī Husain/ az-Zakī/Rabi · al-Mahdī al-Qā'im · al-Manṣūr al-Mu‘izz · al-‘Azīz · al-Ḥākim az-Zāhir · al-Mustansir · Nizār al-Musta′lī · al-Amīr · al-Qāṣim |
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| Nizārī · Aga Khan IV Dawūdī · Dr. Burhanuddin Sulaimanī · Al-Fakhri Abdullah Alavī · Ṭayyib Ziyā'u d-Dīn |
Contents |
Burhanuddin was born in Surat, Gujarat, India. He was appointed to be the future Dā‘ī at the age of 19 by his father, the previous Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq, Taher Saifuddin. Burhanuddin succeeded his father, upon the latter's death,[4] when he was 53 years of age. He has seven sons and three daughters and all members of his family reside at Saifee Mahal, Mumbai.[5]
Burhanuddin completed recitation of the Quran in 1921.[6] At around the age of 13,[7] 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 misaq. He received the designation of hadiyath (Sheikh) from 51st Dai at the age of 17[8](1931 A.D.) and later designated as mazoon at the age of 20.[9] He became hafiz at age of 21[10](1935 A.D.) and married Amatullah Aai two years later.[5][11]
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[12](1965 A.D.) he became 52nd Dai on death of his father Taher Saifuddin.[5]
Burhanuddin organised Ashura (Imam Husain's) function at various locations and addressed the gathering of Dawoodi Bohra (invited from all over world):[5]
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 Bohra followers, intent on congratulating their leader, attended the functions in Mumbai in his presence on this occasion.[13]
Ailing Burhanuddin appointed his second son Syedi Mufaddal Saifuddin as his successor in June 2011 during his London stay.[2][3]
Burhanuddin supervises the curriculum of the Arabic academy Al Jamea tus Saifiyah 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 Surat, India which is a leading theological University for Dawoodi Bohras. It was founded in 1814 by the 43rd Dai Abdeali Saifuddin.
In 1920, Dr. Taher Saifuddin 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.[14]
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 Tahera, the mausoleum of his father Taher Saifuddin in Mumbai, India. The mausoleum has the entire Qur'an 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, the first Shiah Imam and fourth Sunni Caliph.
In 1980, he completed the renovation and restoration of the Mosque of al-Ḥākim in Cairo and since then, several other Fatimid 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 martyrdom of Muhammad's grandson, Husayn ibn Ali at Karbala in the seventh century.
Burhanuddin also contributed towards the renovation of the Saifee Hospital 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.
Burhanuddin has been awarded [15]:
- 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 University in India 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 Egypt, Mubarak.
- Title of 'Star of Texas' by Texas
Burhanuddin has been involved with several notable projects including:
Under his direction, his followers in Yemen constructed the mausoleum of Sayedna Hatim and a mosque in Hutaib Mubarak,mausoleum of Syedna Ali Shamshuddin Bin Abdullah in Shareka and of Syedna Idris 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.[15]
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 Karachi 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 Jose, Houston, Dallas, Irving and Richmond Hill have accorded him an Honorary Citizenship and Keys to their cities.
In August 2005, he inaugurated a mosque in the United States in Fremont, California. President George W. Bush congratulated him for this in a letter from the White House. [1].
Related photo gallery:
| Preceded by Syedna Taher Saifuddin |
Dā'ī al-Mutlaq 1965-Present |
Succeeded by Appointed successor:Syedi wa Molayi Mufaddal bhaisaheb Saifuddin saheb TUS.[2][3] |
![[1]](http://malumaat.com/pics/sanfrancisco1426/letter_from_president_bush_usa.jpg){kind=link}