The affluence of Dawoodi Bohras of Gujarat and the Ismailies of Mumbai deconstruct the myth of Muslims as a poor and marginalised community, says Danish Reyaz
If taken on face value, it is hard not to stereotype the Dawoodi
Bohra community as ‘just your average Muslims’ – conservative, inward looking and, who knows, even fanatical. After all, isn’t that the most common, albeit erroneous picture that is painted to depict an average Muslim? But on a closer look you will realise that this community has learnt the fine art of maintaining a perfect balance between devoutly following the Islamic teachings and keeping pace with the ‘modern’ world.
The Dawoodi Bohras are an advanced lot in every sense of the word, be it social, educational, political, or financial. They have developed their business economy and a separate identity not only in Mumbai but across the world. And there are those who will vouch for this: you will not find a single beggar from this community anywhere in India. And what, you may ask, is the secret behind their development and prosperity? Education, which they consider extremely important, for both men and women, and their love and quest for knowledge which disallows them to keep looking inwards and fall out of pace with the rest of the world.
“Knowledge is our legacy. Hence, it is our duty to protect this legacy for the betterment of our community. The world is changing fast and, to live a respectable life, it is necessary for us to be aware of what’s going on around us; it is our duty to adapt to modern technology and industrial development,” says Syedna Burhanuddin.
The Bohras of India belong to a Shiite sect of Gujarati-speaking Muslims. During the reign of the 11th Fatimid Caliph in Egypt, this group made a lasting impact on the people of Egypt and Yemen. It should be worth noting that the earliest Caliphs were ‘Companions of the Prophet’ and were called Khulfa-e-Rashideen (rightly guided Caliphs). Consequently, the Caliphate shifted to Damascus (Umayyads), then to Baghdad (Abbasids), Egypt (Fatmids), and finally to Turkey under the Ottomans before the Caliphate was abolished by Kemal Ataturk in 1924. After coming to India, the Dawoodi Bohras converted Gujarati Vaishyas and Brahmins to Islam.
Dawoodi Bohra and Ismaili sects of Muslims today inhabit around 25 countries; their population in India is about one million. Asghar Ali Engineer, a prominent Islamic scholar and researcher who himself belongs to Bohra community says, “Over 1.3 lakh Dawoodi Bohras live in Mumbai while there are over one million of them living all over the world. There is a famous shrine of Dawoodi Bohras at Mohammad Ali Road in Mumbai where devotees come to pay homage. Also found in large numbers in Mumbai, Ismailis have an old Jamaat Khana at Kharak in Dongri where they perform their rituals.”
Even though the Dawoodi Bohras live all across the globe, yet they remain very close to each other and share a common streak – that of altruism. “We are an interconnected community. We help each other and do our best to help other segments of the society too,” claims Raghib Qureshi, media in-charge of Dawat-e-Hidaya, Badri Mahal. The large number of Bohra schools, colleges, hospitals, social and welfare institutions in Mumbai corroborate Qureshi’s statement.
“We were born here and we love this soil. Our predecessors, who were Vaishya and Brahmins, converted to Islam and made us aware of Islamic teachings. Syedna Mohammed Burhanudin Taash is our 52nd Imam who was knighted ‘Dai-e-Mutlaq’ (absolute preacher) in 1965 when he was 53. He was born on March 6, 1915, at Surat in Gujarat,” Qureshi told TSI.
On the other hand, Hazrat Ali was the first Ismaili Imam. The current Imam, Prince Karim Agha Khan, is the 49th. He was vested with this power on July 11, 1957, and completed his 50 years of leadership last year. His birthday (December 13) celebrations this year had to be cancelled following the tragedy that befell Mumbai on November 26.
Dr Nuruddin Hirani sheds some light on the history of Ismailis: “We came to Mumbai between 1801 and 1810. In the early 19th century, Agha Hasan Ali Shah arrived in India and settled in Mumbai. This attracted people from across the world who followed suit and settled in the area from Dongri to Rea Road. When our 48th Imam, Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah Agha Khan, migrated to Europe, people started migrating to other countries.”
It was a golden age for Ismailis in Egypt until the 19th century brought with it many changes for this community. “After his arrival in Mumbai, Agha Hasan Ali preferred social and welfare activities over other things. No doubt, Isamailis are a business community, but our Imam has been playing a leading role with respect to this issue as well. Agha Khan is not only our religious leader, he also guides us in worldly affairs,” Dr Hirani added. It is true that you will find Ismailis occupying most of the business centres in Mumbai. They have played a big role in setting up of the Development and Credit Bank. “When people from other counries came to India, they needed money and subsequently small welfare institutions such as Masalawala Society and Cooperative Banks were established. Gradually, as the society grew, it was converted to Development and Credit Bank, which has Nasir Manji as its current Chairman,” informed Dr Hirani.
The secret behind the success of Ismailis, as in the case of Dawoodi Bohras, is their focus on education. Says Dr Hirani, “Today, every Ismaili is well established because he never sidelines the importance of education. Sir Sultan Mohammad Agha Khan set up a girls’ school to make women literate. During the times of crisis we actively took part in the relief works. Roller Support Programme and Agha Khan Foundation helped Ismaili community in its growth and development.” The Dawoodi Bohras are more concerned for the preservation of their beliefs, traditions and culture than Ismailis, it is said. Yet, the determination of both these communities to keep moving ahead, even at a time when Islam is passing through a critical phase, serves as an inspiration to all.
If taken on face value, it is hard not to stereotype the Dawoodi
Bohra community as ‘just your average Muslims’ – conservative, inward looking and, who knows, even fanatical. After all, isn’t that the most common, albeit erroneous picture that is painted to depict an average Muslim? But on a closer look you will realise that this community has learnt the fine art of maintaining a perfect balance between devoutly following the Islamic teachings and keeping pace with the ‘modern’ world.The Dawoodi Bohras are an advanced lot in every sense of the word, be it social, educational, political, or financial. They have developed their business economy and a separate identity not only in Mumbai but across the world. And there are those who will vouch for this: you will not find a single beggar from this community anywhere in India. And what, you may ask, is the secret behind their development and prosperity? Education, which they consider extremely important, for both men and women, and their love and quest for knowledge which disallows them to keep looking inwards and fall out of pace with the rest of the world.
“Knowledge is our legacy. Hence, it is our duty to protect this legacy for the betterment of our community. The world is changing fast and, to live a respectable life, it is necessary for us to be aware of what’s going on around us; it is our duty to adapt to modern technology and industrial development,” says Syedna Burhanuddin.
The Bohras of India belong to a Shiite sect of Gujarati-speaking Muslims. During the reign of the 11th Fatimid Caliph in Egypt, this group made a lasting impact on the people of Egypt and Yemen. It should be worth noting that the earliest Caliphs were ‘Companions of the Prophet’ and were called Khulfa-e-Rashideen (rightly guided Caliphs). Consequently, the Caliphate shifted to Damascus (Umayyads), then to Baghdad (Abbasids), Egypt (Fatmids), and finally to Turkey under the Ottomans before the Caliphate was abolished by Kemal Ataturk in 1924. After coming to India, the Dawoodi Bohras converted Gujarati Vaishyas and Brahmins to Islam.
Dawoodi Bohra and Ismaili sects of Muslims today inhabit around 25 countries; their population in India is about one million. Asghar Ali Engineer, a prominent Islamic scholar and researcher who himself belongs to Bohra community says, “Over 1.3 lakh Dawoodi Bohras live in Mumbai while there are over one million of them living all over the world. There is a famous shrine of Dawoodi Bohras at Mohammad Ali Road in Mumbai where devotees come to pay homage. Also found in large numbers in Mumbai, Ismailis have an old Jamaat Khana at Kharak in Dongri where they perform their rituals.”
Even though the Dawoodi Bohras live all across the globe, yet they remain very close to each other and share a common streak – that of altruism. “We are an interconnected community. We help each other and do our best to help other segments of the society too,” claims Raghib Qureshi, media in-charge of Dawat-e-Hidaya, Badri Mahal. The large number of Bohra schools, colleges, hospitals, social and welfare institutions in Mumbai corroborate Qureshi’s statement.
“We were born here and we love this soil. Our predecessors, who were Vaishya and Brahmins, converted to Islam and made us aware of Islamic teachings. Syedna Mohammed Burhanudin Taash is our 52nd Imam who was knighted ‘Dai-e-Mutlaq’ (absolute preacher) in 1965 when he was 53. He was born on March 6, 1915, at Surat in Gujarat,” Qureshi told TSI.
On the other hand, Hazrat Ali was the first Ismaili Imam. The current Imam, Prince Karim Agha Khan, is the 49th. He was vested with this power on July 11, 1957, and completed his 50 years of leadership last year. His birthday (December 13) celebrations this year had to be cancelled following the tragedy that befell Mumbai on November 26.
Dr Nuruddin Hirani sheds some light on the history of Ismailis: “We came to Mumbai between 1801 and 1810. In the early 19th century, Agha Hasan Ali Shah arrived in India and settled in Mumbai. This attracted people from across the world who followed suit and settled in the area from Dongri to Rea Road. When our 48th Imam, Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah Agha Khan, migrated to Europe, people started migrating to other countries.”
It was a golden age for Ismailis in Egypt until the 19th century brought with it many changes for this community. “After his arrival in Mumbai, Agha Hasan Ali preferred social and welfare activities over other things. No doubt, Isamailis are a business community, but our Imam has been playing a leading role with respect to this issue as well. Agha Khan is not only our religious leader, he also guides us in worldly affairs,” Dr Hirani added. It is true that you will find Ismailis occupying most of the business centres in Mumbai. They have played a big role in setting up of the Development and Credit Bank. “When people from other counries came to India, they needed money and subsequently small welfare institutions such as Masalawala Society and Cooperative Banks were established. Gradually, as the society grew, it was converted to Development and Credit Bank, which has Nasir Manji as its current Chairman,” informed Dr Hirani.
The secret behind the success of Ismailis, as in the case of Dawoodi Bohras, is their focus on education. Says Dr Hirani, “Today, every Ismaili is well established because he never sidelines the importance of education. Sir Sultan Mohammad Agha Khan set up a girls’ school to make women literate. During the times of crisis we actively took part in the relief works. Roller Support Programme and Agha Khan Foundation helped Ismaili community in its growth and development.” The Dawoodi Bohras are more concerned for the preservation of their beliefs, traditions and culture than Ismailis, it is said. Yet, the determination of both these communities to keep moving ahead, even at a time when Islam is passing through a critical phase, serves as an inspiration to all.
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1 comment:
Hello, thanks for your post acknowledging our community - the Dawoodi Bohras.
I wanted to point out a few glaring errors in your post.
1) "Syedna Mohammed Burhanudin Taash is our 52nd Imam who was knighted ‘Dai-e-Mutlaq’ (absolute preacher)"
This is incorrect. Syedna Mohammed Burhanudin TUS is the 52nd Dai-Al-Mutlaq (meaning “representative”). This means he is the deputy of the Imam in seclusion. He inherited this authority from his father, Syedna Tahir Saifuddin, the 51st Dai, who was similarly nominated by his predecessors under the mandate of Imam Aamir AS (20th successor in the progeny of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his son-in-law Maula Ali AS).
Refer to http://www.sfjamaat.org/sf/arwa.html for detailed information.
2) “Asghar Ali Engineer, a prominent Islamic scholar and researcher who himself belongs to Bohra community…”
Asghar Ali Engineer has no present connection with the Dawoodi Bohra faith. He should not be associated with Dawoodi Bohras in any way.
Hope you take note of these. Best wishes.
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