Syedna Dawood Bin Maulai Ajab Shah Burhanuddin (died on 27 Rabi ul Aakhir 999 AH AH/1591 AD) in Ahmedabad,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

, India was the 26th ''

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, Sout ...

branch of Musta‘lī Islam. He succeeded the 25th Dai Syedna

Jalal Shamshuddin bin Hasan Syedna Jalal Shamshuddin bin Hasan (died on 16 Rabi-ul-akhir 975 AH/1568 AD in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India) was the 25th ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' (Absolute Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohra branch of Musta‘lī Ismaili Islam. He was the first Ismaili ...

to the religious post.

Life

Syedna Dawood was born in the year 1523. After acquiring elementary education in Ahmedabad, he travelled to Yemen for further studies under Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin I. Upon returning to Ahmadabad, he served under Syedna

. In 1574, under persecution from Mohammad bin Taher Neherwali and local governor Meer Jahan, Syedna Jalal left Ahmadabad to

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...

. In 1583, he moved to

Kapadvanj Kapadvanj (Karpat – Vanjiyam or "The Land of Textile") is a town as well as one of the Taluka of the Kheda district in the Gujarat India. It is located on bank of river Mohar. It is 65 km away from Ahmedabad and 93 km away from Vado ...

and stayed over there for 3 months. During his tenure, some of the lost fortresses in Yemen were recaptured. Burial sites of previous dais were also identified in Hisne Afeda in 1578. Syedna Dawood's health declined after his leg was injured by a nail. He died at the age of 67.

Succession controversy

Syedna Dawood became Da'i al-Mutlaq in 975 AH /1539 AD. His period of Da'awat was from 975-999 AH/ 1568-1591 AD (23 Years). As per Dawoodi and Alavi Bohra's Syedna Dawood bin Maulai Ajab Shah conferred Nass upon 27th Dai Syedna Dawood Bin Qutubshah, whereas

Sulaymani The Sulaymani branch of Tayyibi Isma'ilism is an Islamic community, of which around 70,000 members reside in Yemen, while a few thousand Sulaymani Bohras can be found in India. The Sulaymanis are sometimes headed by a '' Da'i al-Mutlaq'' from ...

's believe the ''nass'' was conferred upon Syedna

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. Tho ...

Gallery

File:Grave 26th Dai Dawood bin ajab shah.jpeg

Life

Succession controversy

Gallery

References

Further reading