empowering millions
Current Affairs 2023
The Dawoodi Bohra Muslims are a global community tracing their heritage to the Fatimi Imams in Egypt. Guided by their spiritual leader, they value faith, education, women’s empowerment, and care for the environment. The community believes in the ahl al-bayt and follows the Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi school of thought. Inheriting a rich historical legacy from the Fatimi imams, the Dawoodi Bohras strive for a balance of religiosity and modernity, promoting peace, love, and humanity.
Feb 11, 2023
3 min read
Dawoodi Bohra Muslims are a distinct community that can trace its heritage back to the Fatimi Imams in Egypt. The community has a rich historical legacy that extends over centuries, and the Fatimi imams were known to be inspired leaders who helped protect and strengthen the religious traditions established by the Prophet Mohammed. The Dawoodi Bohra community is now guided by the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq, His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. Today, the Dawoodi Bohras are a thriving community of highly educated and successful individuals with a global presence spanning over 40 countries.
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The community is united by a set of principles that emphasize the importance of faith, education, women’s empowerment, engagement with other religions, physical health and well-being, and care for the environment. The Dawoodi Bohras are law-abiding citizens who maintain cordial relationships with governments around the world and aim to foster mutual understanding and prosperity for all.
At the core of the Dawoodi Bohra faith is the belief in the ahl al-bayt, the members of the Prophet Mohammed’s household, as the rightful successors of the Prophet and as guides of mankind. The community follows the Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi school of thought and worship Allah with the goal of salvation in the hereafter by following the pillars of Islam and adhering to religious practices. The Dawoodi Bohras believe in the existence of an imam descended from the Prophet through his grandson, Imam Husain, who serves as the rightful legatee of the Prophet and the repository of prophetic knowledge.
The Fatimi imams have a long and rich history, having functioned from Medina and later spreading to North Africa and Egypt. During the 10th-12th centuries, the Fatimi imams ruled over a vast empire that extended from North Africa to as far as Pakistan, and their reign saw an unrivaled flourishing of thought, art, and culture. The Fatimi imams founded Cairo, established the oldest institution of learning in the world, al-Azhar University, and left a lasting impact on the world through their contributions to art, philosophy, literature, and civilization.
The Dawoodi Bohra community has inherited a distinguished heritage from the Fatimi imams and is proud of its rich historical legacy. With its unique blend of religiosity and modernity, the Dawoodi Bohras contribute positively towards the development and prosperity of the places where they live. Their faith, based on peace, love, and humanity, is a guiding light that helps them lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, and their commitment to the imam of the time helps them maintain a strong connection to their spiritual roots.
Based on inputs from Dawoodi Bohra Portal
Image: Narendra Modi/Twitter
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