Syedna Qutub Khan Qutbuddin as-Shaheed ( ar, سيّدنا قُطب خان قُطبُ الدِّين الشهيد, lit=Qutub Khan, the Axis of Faith, the Martyred) was the 32nd

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 ...

of the

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 ...

. He succeeded Kasim Khan Zainuddin bin Feer Khan. He was the first Da'i to be

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

for his faith, and in a manner that resembles the martyrdom of

Husayn ibn Ali Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

, and so his burial place, ''Mazar-e-Qutbi'', is referred to as ''Choti Karbala'' ().

Family

His father was 27th Dai Syedna

Dawood Bin Qutubshah Syedna Dawood Bin Qutubshah (born 23 Rabi-Ul-Awwal 946 AH/8 August 1539; died 15 Jumadil Akhir 1021 AH/1612 AD, Ahmedabad, India) was the 27th ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' (Absolute Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Musta‘lī Islam. He succeede ...

, his mother's name was Raani Aai Saheba binte Ali bhai bin Jiva bhai. He had two brothers: 29th Dai Syedna

Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin I Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin (died 2 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1041 Islamic calendar, AH/1633 AD; born 8 Safar-ul-Muzaffar 972 AH/15 September 1564 AD, Ahmedabad, India) was the 29th ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' of the Dawoodi Bohra. He succeeded the 28th Dai, Sheikh ...

, Miya Khan-ji and a sister called Habiba.

Early life

Syedna Qutbuddin was born in Ahmedabad during the era of the 26th Dai, Dawood ibn Ajab Shah, on the night of 30th Dhu al-Qadah 985 AH. During his youth, he accompanied his father, the 27th Dai, Dawood Bin Qutubshah to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

to the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jalal-ud-din Akbar, during the fitnah of

Sulayman bin Hassan The 27th Da'i al-Mutlaq of Ismailism according to the Sulaymanis. His becoming a Dai' as per Nass-e-Shareef of Sayyidna, Dawood Bin Ajabshah led to a schism with a group who did not accept him primarily in India and elsewhere in Arab lands. Th ...

. Akbar had summoned Qutub Shah to his court to address the dispute of succession raised by Sulayman, but ultimately issued a royal decree in Qutub Shah's favor.

Accession

Qutbuddin was close-confidant to his brother, the 29th Da'i,

Abd al-Tayyib Zakiuddin I Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin (died 2 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1041 AH/1633 AD; born 8 Safar-ul-Muzaffar 972 AH/15 September 1564 AD, Ahmedabad, India) was the 29th ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' of the Dawoodi Bohra. He succeeded the 28th Dai, Syedna Sheikh Adam Saf ...

. After his brother's death, Qutbuddin continued to serve the 30th Da'i,

Ali Shams al-Din IV Syedna Ali Shamsuddin bin Maulaya Hasan was the 30th Dai of the Dawoodi Bohras (died 25 Rabi-ul-akhir 1042 AH or 1634 AD, Yemen). He succeeded the 29th Dai Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin to the religious post. Syedna Shamsuddin became Da'i al-M ...

, who was based in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. Later, the 31st Da'i, Kasim Khan Zainuddin, appointed Qutbuddin as his ''Mazoon'' (second-in-command), and a while later, his ''Mansoos'' (successor).Khaza’in u Imam il Muttaqeen; By:Syedna Taher Saifuddin; 1372AH Qutbuddin became Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1054 AH (1646 AD). He held the office for 1 year and 8 months before he was slain on the order of

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

, the Mughal governor of Gujarat, on the grounds of heresy.

Martyrdom

In the month of Jumada al-Ula 1056 AH (1646 AD), false allegations of

rafida ''Rafida'' ( ar, رافضة, Rāfiḍah, Rejectors) is a term that broadly refers to Shīʿi Muslims who reject (rafḍ) the caliphates of the first two Rashidun, namely Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. Many Sunni scholars, however, have stated that the ...

(one who rejects the sunnat 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 ...

, introduces innovations viz. bidat, and practices exaggeration viz.

ghulat The ( ar, غلاة, 'exaggerators', 'extremists', 'transgressors', singular ) were a branch of early Shi'i Muslims thus named by other Shi'i and Sunni Muslims for their purportedly 'exaggerated' veneration of the prophet Muhammad (–632) and his ...

), were made to Abdul Qawi (called Abdul Ghawi too), an office bearer of the governorate. On 28 Jumada al-Ula, Shah Beg arrested Qutbuddin and Feer Khan Shujauddin.(Kitab al-Tadhkirah ; By: Syedi Hasan-ji Badshah ibn Syedi Shamas-Khan, fore father of Syedna

Taher Saifuddin Taher Saifuddin (4 August 1888 – 12 November 1965), also known as Tahir Sayf al-Din, was the 51st and longest serving Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. Saifuddin adapted the modernisation in Western and European ideas, and establishe ...

) Qutbuddin and Shujauddin spent the next twenty days in prison, meanwhile, Abdul Qawi instructed his scholars to peruse books ceased from Qutbuddin's personal library but was unable to discern anything

blasphemous Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

or apostastic. On 21 Jumada al-Akhir, Qutbuddin was summoned to an audience in front of Aurangzeb where Abdul Qawi asked him to enter guilty plea and

repent Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

for his sins in exchange for pardon. Qutbuddin retorted, "I am not ''rafzi'', nor were my forefathers. We are truly upon the sunnat of prophet

. I declare that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger. I read the

holy book Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

, I offer daily prayers, give

zakat Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ne ...

, fast in the holy month of

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, and perform

hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

to the

Bayt al-Allah The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

. I am a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. How is my blood legal for you to shed?" Abdul Qawi had a group of elites from the city sign their names to a false confession (''mehzara'') under duress. The confession was introduced as evidence but the judge demanded an in-person testimonial. On 26 Jumada al-Akhir, Abdul Qawi summoned two children from Qutbuddin's household who confessed under the false-pretense that Qutbuddin would be released. The judge instead issued a death sentence. On the morning of 27 Jumada al-Akhir 1056 H, Aurangzeb approved the execution order. Abdul Qawi had Shah Beg carry out the death sentence immediately.

Succession

Qutbuddin was succeeded by Feer Khan Shujauddin.

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 ...

, the current Da'i al-Mutlaq, is from his progeny.

Family

Early life

Accession

Martyrdom

Succession

References

Further reading