Mahad al-Zahra is the department and institution for the art of recitation and memorization of al-Quran al-Kareem in

Al Jamea tus Saifiyah Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah; Lisan al-Dawat: الجامعۃ السـیفیۃ; ur, جامعۃ سـیفیۃ, Jamea Saifiyah. is an Arabic academy dedicated to Islamic learning based in India, Pakistan, and Kenya. Established in Surat as ''Dars-e Saifee ...

, established by Syedna

Mohammed Burhanuddin Mohammed Burhanuddin (6 March 1915 – 17 January 2014) was the 52nd Dā'ī al-Mutlaq of Dawoodi Bohras. He led the community for 49 years in a period of social, economic, and educational prosperity; strengthened and re-institutionalized the f ...

History

The Mahad al-Zahra was first established in 1396H by Syedna

. Its name is derived from the name of

Fatima Al Zahra Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, t ...

, the daughter of Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

and its aim was to create an institution for the art of recitation, memorization and understanding al-Quran al-Kareem and its sciences. Syedna Mohammed Buhanuddin is quoted as saying: “I named It Mahad al-Zahra so that it may receive the barakat (blessings) and blessings of Moulatona Fatema al-Zahra, to whom this Dawat (call of guidance) is associated." In 1407H a language laboratory was further incorporated into the Mahad al-Zahra in the

campuses of

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

and

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

. This served to facilitate accurate and precise memorization of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

and its studies using state of the art equipment to facilitate a conducive atmosphere. It also served to improve the quality of recitation through training in tenor control and enhancement. On 19 November 1998 (29

Rajab Rajab ( ar, رَجَب) is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect" which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is re ...

1419 Hijri), the Mahad al-Zahra further expanded by constructing a larger institution in

Overview

Today, the Mahad al-Zahra is established in

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. Their largest numbers reside in India, Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa, and the Middle East, with a growing presence across Europe, North America, South ...

centres worldwide including

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Marol Marol is a locality in the suburb of the Andheri (East) in Mumbai, India. History The area has been inhabited for centuries, successively coming under both Portuguese and British rule. The village is filled with the Dawoodi Bohra community. Th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

. It also carries out training through schools, online e-learning programs, and summer camps. Along with Quranic studies, Mahad al-Zahra also undertakes poetry and recitation programs such as Saut al-Iman (established in 1400H), and is the head office for

Publications. The 53rd incumbent

Da'i al-Mutlaq The term Da'i al-Mutlaq ( ar, الداعي المطلق, al-Dā'ī al-Mutlaq; pl. , ) literally meaning 'the absolute, or unrestricted, missionary', is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has heade ...

, Syedna

Mufaddal Saifuddin Mufaddal Saifuddin () is the spiritual leader and 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of one million Dawoodi Bohras, a subgroup of the Tayyibi, Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam. He is the second son of the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq, Mohammed Burhanuddin, w ...

's son

Husain Burhanuddin Shahzada Husain Burhanuddin ( ar, شهزاده حُسين بُرهانُ ٱلدّين , Ḥusayn Burhānuddīn), also known as Husain Mufaddal Saifuddin, is the third and youngest son of Mufaddal Saifuddin, the current incumbent of the office o ...

has headed the Mahad al-Zahra from 1418H till date.

References

{{Reflist Quran Dawoodi Bohras