Dawoodi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohra (Fatimid Shia Islam)

Overview

In brief

The Dawoodi Bohras — about a million worldwide, concentrated in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Mumbai — are Shia Muslims of the Fatimid Musta'li (Tayyibi) Ismaili tradition: descendants, through Yemeni missionaries, of the Fatimid caliphs of Cairo who trace themselves to the Prophet through his daughter Fatima. Bohra comes from Gujarati vohrvu — "to trade": this is a merchant community whose mosques, kitchens, and schools run with legendary organisation.

How they came to India: in 1067 CE, the 18th Fatimid Imam sent the Dai Abdullah from Yemen to Khambhat (Cambay), Gujarat — the first Indian mission. When the 21st Imam went into seclusion (1132), his representatives — the Dai al-Mutlaq — led from Yemen for four centuries; in 1567 the seat crossed to India (Ahmedabad → Jamnagar → Ujjain → Burhanpur → Surat → Mumbai). A 1589 succession split (adjudicated before Emperor Akbar in 1597) gave the majority line its name: followers of Dawood bin Qutubshah — Dawoodis.

Leadership today: the 51st Dai (Taher Saifuddin, moderniser), 52nd (Mohammed Burhanuddin, 1965–2014), and 53rd — Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (acceded January 2014; upheld by the Bombay High Court, April 2024). The 51st and 52nd rest together in Mumbai's Raudat Tahera mausoleum (Bhendi Bazaar) — Fatimid-Cairo motifs, the whole Quran in gold on its walls.

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In more detail

Distinctive life: white-and-gold mosques; men in white kurta-topi, women in the colourful rida veil; the Al Jamea tus Saifiyah academy (Surat, with campuses abroad) training clergy and scholars; Faiz al-Mawaid al-Burhaniyah — community kitchens delivering daily meals to Bohra homes worldwide; mass marriages (Rasm-e Saifee); and a business ethic that made Bohras proverbial traders from East Africa to Texas.

Belief: reverence for the Fatimid Imams in seclusion, obedience to the Dai, Quranic prayer with Ismaili interpretation, and intense devotion to Karbala — Muharram majlis gatherings are the year's devotional peak.

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Visiting Respectfully

In brief

• Raudat Tahera (Mumbai) receives visitors; modest dress, quiet conduct, no photography inside without permission.
• Bohra mosques welcome guests outside prayer times; ask the caretaker.
• Do not reduce the community to its controversies: internal legal disputes (2014–24 succession) were settled in court; press coverage of private practices should be read with care and multiple sources. This entry records heritage, not polemics.

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DivineLens presents perspectives from within this tradition, curated for authenticity. For personal spiritual direction, advanced study, or questions about tradition-specific practice, we recommend finding a qualified teacher in Islam. Our Advisory Council reviews all content for theological accuracy.

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Known Limitations

1. Sulaimani and Alavi Bohra sister-communities (smaller, Yemen/Gujarat centred) deserve their own entries.
2. The 1589 and 2014 successions are summarised from public records; community members hold settled views this entry does not adjudicate beyond reported judgments.
3. Bohra cuisine, rida craft, and business history each merit dedicated entries.

Recommended reviewers: A Dawoodi Bohra scholar and a historian of Ismailism in South Asia.