Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin Bin Syedna Zakiuddin ( ar, يوسف نجم الدين) (died on 18 Jumadil Ukhra 1213
AH/27 November 1798 AD,
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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
) was the 42nd ''
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 ...
'' (Absolute Missionary) 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 ...
sect of
Musta‘lī Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. He succeeded the 41st Da'i
Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin Bin Badruddin
Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin Bin Syedna Ismail Badruddin (died on 4 Safar 1200 AH/1787 AD, Burhanpur, India) was the 41st ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' (Absolute Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Ismaili Musta‘lī Islam. He succeeded the 40th ...
, to the religious post.
Family and early life
He was born in
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
in 1764 AD and was tutored by his father Syedna
Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin Bin Badruddin
Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin Bin Syedna Ismail Badruddin (died on 4 Safar 1200 AH/1787 AD, Burhanpur, India) was the 41st ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' (Absolute Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Ismaili Musta‘lī Islam. He succeeded the 40th ...
. His mother was Ratan Aai Saheba binte Syedi Khan Bhaisaheb. He had three brothers: Syedna
Abde Ali Saifuddin
Abdeali Saifuddin was the 43rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra. He was the son of 41st Da'i al-Mutlaq Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin III and the brother of the 42nd Da'i al-Mutlaq Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin. He was a Dai, scholar and poet and one of the ...
, Syedi Sheikh Adam Safiyuddin and Syedi Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin.
He married Manak Aai Saheba, daughter of Shaikh Mitha bhai bin Shaikh Adam Safiyuddin bin Syedna
Nooruddin. By this marriage, Syedna Yusuf had two daughters, Zainab Baisaheba and Hawwa Baisaheba.
Accession
Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin became Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1200 AH at the age of 23.
His period of Dawat was from 1200-1213 AH (1787-1799 AD). In 1204 AH, he visited
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
and initiated restoration of graves and mausoleums of previous Dais. In 1207 AH, he visited Dongam, where he erected a mausoleum of
Syedi Nooruddin. On route to Surat, he briefly stayed in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
during the tenure of Peshwa
Madhavrao II
Madhav Rao Bhat II (18 April 1774 – 27 October 1795) was the 12th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire in India, from his infancy. He was known as Sawai Madhav Rao or Madhav Rao Narayan. He was the posthumous son of Narayanrao Peshwa, murdered in 177 ...
.
During his time in office, the Da'wat office shifted from
Burhanpur
Burhanpur'' is a historical city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River and northeast of city of Mumbai, southwest of the state's capi ...
to
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 ...
.
Death
Syedna Yusuf died at the age of 36. He was the seventh Dai from the lineage of Maula Raja bin Maula Ali of the Bharmal clan. His grave is located in Qubba Najmiyah, Mazar-e-Saifee in Surat.
References
Further reading
*Daftary, Farhad, ''The Ismaili, Their History and Doctrine'' (Chapter -Mustalian Ismailism- p. 300-310)
*Lathan, Young, ''Religion, Learning and Science''
*Bacharach, Joseph W. Meri, ''Medieval Islamic Civilisation''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yusuf Najmuddin
Dawoodi Bohra da'is
Dawoodi Bohras
1764 births
1798 deaths
18th-century Ismailis