Alavi Bohras
The Alavi Bohras are a Tayyibi Musta'lavi Isma'ili Shi'i Muslim community from Gujarat, India. In India, during the time of the 18th Fatimid Imam Al-Mustansir Billah around 1093 AD in Egypt, the designated learned people who were sent from Yemen by missionaries under the guidance of the imam established a da'wah in Khambhat.
After the division of the Musta'lid community, the Yemenite Da'wah followed their 21st imam, the son of 20th Imam Al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah in the succession of Fatimid Imams of Egypt, At-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim as their Imam of seclusion, and the Bohras are the modern descendants of Tayyibi Da'wah established from Khambhat, Patan and Sidhpur in the 5th century Hijri and also the immigrants from Yemeni Tayyibi Da'wah.
Subsequently, splits occurred at various instances in the mainstream Bohra community regarding the spiritual appointment in the succession of the representative of the Imam us Satr or Da’i in Ahmedabad between 1422 and 1640 AD. Two major splits during this period resulted in the formation of three major groups of Bohras: Alavis, Dawoodis and Sulaymanis.
History
After the death of the legatee of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Ali in 40 AH, his son Hasan became the first Imam and this institution of Imamat i.e. succession of al-A'immat al-Faatemiyeen-الائمۃ الفاطمیین continued from father to son till the 21st Imam. This 21st Fatimid Imam At-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim went into seclusion from Egypt in 528 AH, in Yemen under the guidance of Al-Hurrah Al-Malikah Arwa bint Ahmad from 532 AH, one da'i succeeded another through the tradition of nass: the exclusive spiritual appointment, until the 23rd Da'i i.e. from 1st Da'i Zoeb bin Saiyedi Moosa till 23rd Da'i Mohammad Izzuddin. In Sindh and India too Wali-ul-Hind ولي الھند were appointed by these Du'aat دعاۃ one after another until Wali-ul-Hind Ja'far, Abd ul Wahab and Qasim Khan bin Hasan. The last three wali were of great help in the era of the 21st to 24th Da'i i.e. Husamuddin, Shamsuddin, Izzuddin and Najmuddin. It was during this time when the seat of Da'wat e Haadiyah was transferred to India from Yemen, that the 23rd Da'i ul-Mutlaq الداعي المطلق Muhammad Izz al-Din I performed Nass on Yusuf Najmuddin I in Sidhpur, Gujarat, India.Due to constant harassment and persecution by the local Zaydi Shi'a ruler in Yemen, the 24th Da'i, Yusuf Najmuddin I, shifted the whole administration of the Da'wat Haadiyah to India but continued to live in Yemen in the last years of his tenure and died there in Taibah. See Al-Mutahhar for further information. The 25th Da'i Jalal Shamshuddin bin Hasan was first Da'i to die in India and he was torch-bearer in establishing the representation of the Imam of the Time from the progeny of Muhammad though he stayed for only 4 months on the Seat of Da'wat ; his mausoleum is in Ahmedabad, India. As mentioned his tenure as a Da'i al-Mutlaq was very short but he played a pivotal role as one of the most trusted person from Hudood and as a Mazoon during the period of 23rd and 24th Da'i.
Following the death of the 26th Da'i Dawoodji Burhanuddin bin Saiyedi Ajabshah in 997AH/1591AD in Ahmedabad, there was a dispute as to who was to succeed him. Sulayman bin Hassan, the grandson of 24th Da'i Yusuf Najmuddin I, was wali in Yemen and claimed the succession, supported by the other Yemeni Bohra. However, the Indian Bohra denied his claim of nass, declaring supporting documentation to be forged. The two factions separated, with the followers of Sulayman becoming the Sulaymanis, and the followers of 27th Da'i Dawoodji Burhanuddin bin Qutubshah becoming the Dawoodi Bohra.
After the death of the 28th Da'i, Sheikh Adam Safiuddin, in 1030 AH/1621 AD, a small faction of Alavi Bohra in Ahmedabad recognized his grandson Ali bin Ibrahim who was Mazoon, Mansoos and treasurer of Kutub e Da'wat, as his successor and got separated in 1030 AH from the majority Dawoodi Bohra who believed in Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin I, and Alavi Bohras followed a separate line of Du'aat residing mainly in Vadodara where they have their own locality. Ali was supported by his uncle and secured very few followers. Ali never carried his protest to the court of Mughal Emperor Jahangir to declare him as a legitimate Da'i. Unverified accounts of this episode could be found in many publications. But Ali ordered his associate Hasan Badruddin in 1031 AH/1622 AD to go to the Mughal court in Lahore to meet Jahangir to complain on his behalf about the atrocities meted upon Alavis in Ahmedabad by their opponents. The help came and the lives of Alavis became better than before. This relief was short-lived and again the harassment sprung up more fiercely. Hasan Badruddin went again to Lahore for the same reason and then traveled to Kashmir to meet Emperor Shah Jahan in 1046 AH/1637 AD, the year of Ali's death. Hasan Badruddin was not present at the time of the burial of Ali.
Ali, the 29th Alavi Da'i was born in the walled city of Vadodara in Fakhri Mohalla, when 27th Da'i Dawoodji bin Saiyedi Qutubshah was alive in Ahmedabad. His father Ibrahim died during his childhood. He was Hafiz ul-Qur'an in a tender age and when his grandfather 28th Da'i Sheikh Adam Safiuddin brought him to Ahmedabad for further studies in Uloom-e-Da'wat in the Majlis of 27th Da'i, by seeing face of Ali, 27th Da'i gave glad-tidings بشارۃ to 28th Da'i that, "This son will become the Light of your Eyes, so educate him as he is going to become the man of great acclaim"
Holding that the era of Muhammad had come to an end, a group of Alavi Bohras seceded in 1178 AH/1764 AD during the da'iship of 36th Da'i Shamsuddin Hameeduddin in Vadodara. Because of their abstention from eating meat they were called Nagoshias. They followed their separate line of leaders for the next 100 years. In 1310 AH/1892 AD, 41st Alavi Da'i Jivabhai Fakhruddin summoned their elders and after explaining them the realities of Shari'at he respectfully accepted them and took them into the fold of Alavi Bohras.
Meaning and origin of Bohras
In India, during the time of the 18th Fatimid Imam, Al-Mustansir Billah around 486 AH/1093 AD, the designated learned people who were sent from Yemen by the celebrated missionaries under the guidance of the manifest Imam established the foundation of Isma'ili-Tayyibi Da'wat in the region of Gujarat. It was the result of their perseverance and efforts that people started believing and accepting the Isma'ili-Tayyibi principles and gradually the mission of Yemen gave birth to a new community in India – The Bohras. The succession of those designated learned people who worked as deputies of the missionaries of Yemen came to be known as Wulaat ul-Hind in India. They were all in close contact with the spiritual authority of Yemen i.e. the Da'i al-Mutlaq after the seclusion of the 21st Imam, At-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim from Egypt.In Ahmedabad between 825 and 1050 AH/1422-1640 AD the mainstream Bohra community got divided into 3 major groups. Among them, Alavi Bohras, who are mainly traders and merchants, are patriotic, peace-loving and harmonious people. The word ‘Bohra-بھرۃ or Vohra or Vohorwu or Vyavahar' itself indicates maintaining healthy relations and is derived from the Gujarati word ‘vohorvu’ or ‘vyavahar’, which means "to trade". Secondly its name reflects the characteristic of "al-Jamaa'at ul-Baaherah – الجماعۃ الباھرۃ" meaning the extraordinary brilliant community with full of life and love. Their cultural and social upbringing is such that the values of peace and prosperity are in their blood and they do not believe in social discord or religious conflicts. Some of the groups or clans of Sunnis in Gujarat who also are traders and do not belong to the mainstream Bohras have adopted the name of Vohra or Vora, owing to the fame and respect of the "Bohra" name. But they do not follow the basic doctrines and customs of the Isma'ili-Tayyibi Bohras. The early Indian converts of the 11th century AD during the reign of 18th Fatimid Imam Al-Mustansir Billah consisted of a single group of Isma'ili Bohras owing allegiance to the missionaries who conveyed spiritual orders of manifest Imam'' to common believers in Yemen and India.
Certain Isma'ili Tayyibi terminology
Spiritual mission
- دعوۃ – Da’wat is a call, mission, invitation or summons related to divinity or spirituality towards the unity and oneness of Allah. The mission is of Truth and the truth could never be separated from the Almighty. It existed before this material world and will be there after its annihilation. It is the Mission of Truth, the Bridge towards Salvation, an Arc of Guidance, the Light showing the Point of Return, the Way to Heavens, the Proof of Imamat-امامۃ and an institution to attain ranks as per the deeds. It also refers to the hierarchy of ranks within the rightly guided religious organization called ad-Da’wat ul-Haadiyah-الدعوۃ الھادیۃ. The one who calls is called Da’i-داعي or Haadi-ھادي who is divinely appointed by his predecessor. Everyone who heads Da’wat right from the first prophet Adam until Muhammad, his progeny and their deputies are called Da’i with the same aim, guidance and directives. Da’wat is for Unity and Peace. Outwardly it is in the form of Islam and inwardly it is Imaan-ایمان. Today, 45th Da’i al-Mutlaq Saiyedna saheb is the deputy of the Da’wat of Imaam uz Zamaan-امام الزمان, the hidden imaam from the lineage of 21st Imam Abul Qasim At-Tayyib.
The Da'wat is organized hierarchically, in line with the particular importance accorded to hierarchism and step by step designation in Fatimid Isma'ili thought carried forward in its Tayyibi branch in Yemen and India called as Tayyibi Isma'ilism, continuing down to the present time. Indeed, there is a close analogy between the terrestrial hierarchy of the Fatimid Da'wat organization with its highest ranks of Naatiq, Asaas and Imam, and the celestial or cosmological hierarchy developed during the period of the Fatimid Caliphate and strictly followed by the missionaries in India today.