This is a list of Dai of the Dawoodi Bohra. The

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community re ...

are a sect of

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

, whose leader is the Dai. According to

Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...

( Taiyabi, Mustali,

Ismaili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...

) tradition, after the death of Imām Al-Amir, al-Malika al-Sayyida (Hurratul-Malika) instituted the

Da'i al-Mutlaq (; pl. , ) is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the occultation (Islam), seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imamate in Ismaili doctrine, Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Q ...

to run the

da'wah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Grammat ...

from Yemen in the name of Imām Taiyab abi al-Qasim. This article gives short history and the list of the

Dā'īs, their Mawazeen/Mukasir (associates) and The Walī-ul-Hind (Indian Walīs) ("representatives" or "caretakers" when the Dais were seated at Yemen).Ismaili their history and doctrine
Farhad Daftary - 1992 -

Short History

The Dā'īs

Al-Malika al-Sayyida (Hurratul-Malika) was instructed and prepared by Imām Mustansir and following Imāms for the second period of ''satr''. It was going to be on her hands that Imām Taiyab abi al-Qasim would go into seclusion, and she would institute the office of Dā'ĩ al-Mutlaq. Syedna Zoeb bin Moosa was first to be instituted to this office, and the line of Taiyabi Dā'ĩs that began in 1132. The second da'i mutlaq, Ibrahim Al-Hamidi (1151–1162), became the real founder of the tayyibi esoteric doctrine, which he elaborated especially in his Kitab kanz Al-walad (Book of the child's treasure). The position remained in his family until 1209, when it passed to Ali ibn Muhammad of the Banu Al-Walid Al-Anf family, which held it for more than three centuries with only two interruptions. The political power of the Yemenite da'is reached a peak during the long incumbency of Idris Imad Al-Din ibn Al-Hasan, the nineteenth da'i mutlaq (1428–1468). He is also the author of a seven-volume history of the Ismaili imams, Kitab uyun Al-akhbar (Book of choice stories) and of a two-volume history of the Yemenite da'is, Kitab nuzhat Al-akhbar (Book of story and entertainment), as well as works of esoteric doctrine and religious controversy. While the Yemenite da'is had been able to act relatively freely with the backing or protection of various rulers during the early centuries, they usually faced hostility from the Zaydi imams and in the sixteenth century suffered relentless persecution. Until the 23rd Dā'ī, the center of the dawat was in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. In 1539 the twenty-third da'i mutlaq appointed an Indian, Yusuf ibn Sulayman, as his successor, evidently in recognition of the growing importance of the Indian tayyibi community. Yusuf came to reside in the Yemen, he died and was buried there. Because of the intense persecutions against the dawat by the Zaydi rulers of Yemen, the 24th Dā'ī Yusuf designated Jalal Shamshuddin in India as his successor, and the center of the dawat then moved permanently to India. The 25th Dā'ī also died in 1567 CE, and is buried in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled 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 ...

, India, the first Dā'ī to have his mausoleum in India. After the death of Da'ud b. 'Adjabshah, the 26th da'imutlaq, in 999/1591, the succession was disputed. While in India Da'ud Burhan al-Din was established, his followers were called

there after. The Dawoodi da'is continued to reside in India, where the great majority of their followers live. The da'wa generally was able to develop freely. Their present Dai is 53rd and his residence is now in Bombay. The largest concentration of Bohras is found in Gujarat. Outside Gujarat, Daudi Bohoras live in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya pradesh state and, in many of the big cities of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Burma, and the East Africa. In the Yemen the Daudi community is concentrated in the Haraz mountains

The Walī-ul-Hind

Up to the 23rd Dā'ī, the

center was at

; for India, a "Walī al-Hind" (representative/caretaker for India) was designated by the Dā'ī to run the dawat in India. The Wali- ul -Hind were champions of the Fatimid dawat in India, who were instrumental in maintaining & propagating it on instructions of the Dā'ī at Yemen, and it is because of them that the Fatimid dawat was able to survive the persecutions in Cairo and Yemen. Moulai Abadullah
www.geni.com/people/Maulai-Abdullah. was the first Walī al-Hind in the era of Imam Mustansir (427–487 AH). Abdallah (Ismaili missionary to Gujarat), Abadullah (originally named Baalam Nath) and Syedi Nuruddin (originally named Roop Nath) went to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, to learn, and went to India in 467 AH. Moulai Ahmed was also their companion. First Dā'ī Zoeb appointed Maulai Yaqoob (after the death of Abdallah (Ismaili missionary to Gujarat), Abadullah), who was the second Walī al-Hind of the

dawat. Moulai Yaqoob was the first person of Indian origin to receive this honour under the Dā'ī. He was son of Moulai Bharmal, minister of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Solanki King Siddhraja Jaya Singha (Anhalwara,Patan) (487–527 AH/1094–1133 CE). With Minister Moulai Tarmal, they had honoured the Fatimid dawat along with their fellow citizens on the call of Moulai Abdullah. Moulai Fakhruddin, son of Moulai Tarmal, was sent to western

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and Syedi Nuruddin went to the

Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...

(death: Jumadi al-Ula 11 at Don Gaum,

Aurangabad Aurangabad (), officially renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023, is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, India). One Dā'ī after another continued until the 23rd Dā'ī in Yemen. Persons were appointed to the position of Walī al-Hind one after another in India. A list of them is also given below along with the relevant Dā'īs. In the generation of Moulai Yaqoob, Moulai Ishaq, Moulai Ali, Moulai Hasan fir continued one after another as Wali-ul-Hind. Moulai Hasan Fir was fifth Wali in the era of 16th Dai Abadullah (d.809 AH/1406 AD) of Yemen. Walī -ul-Hind Moulai Jafer, Moulai Abdul Wahab, and Moulai Qasim Khan bin Hasan (11th Walī al-Hind, and who died in 950 AH/1543 CE in

) were last three upto 23 rd Dai. Because of the intense persecutions against the dawat by the Zaydi rulers of Yemen, it was transferred to India from Yemen when the 23rd Dā'ī Syedna Mohammed Ezzuddin designated Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin ibn Sulaiman as his successor (and, thus the 24th Dā'ī) in

Sidhpur Siddhpur, also spelled Sidhpur, is a Town, municipality and headquarter of Sidhpur taluka in Patan district, in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is a historical place located on the bank of the endorheic Saraswati River, which is probably a r ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

, India. Yusuf went to reside in the Yemen, he died and was buried there. Before his death 24th Dā'ī Yusuf designated Jalal Shamshuddin as 25th Dai in India as his successor, who was also last Walī -ul-Hind under the 24th Dā'ī Yusuf for 20 years. The center of the dawat then moved permanently to India.

Photo gallery

Wali –ul-Hind File:Moulai Abadullah khambhat.JPG, Roja Moulai Abadullah, Khambhat File:Hasan Pir Shaheed Mazar.jpg, Hasan Pir Shaheed Mazar, Denmaal, gujrat File:Roja Moulai Raj bin Hasan, Ahmedabad.jpg, Roja Moulai Raj bin Hasan, Moulai hasan bin Moulai adam, Ahmedabad File:Grave Moulai Raj bin Moulai Hasan, Wali -ul-Hind, ahmedabad.jpg, Grave Moulai Raj bin Moulai Hasan, Ahmedabad File:Grave wali -ul-Hind, ahmedabad.jpg, Grave Moulai Hasn bin Moulai adam, ahmedabad File:Grave Syedi Qasim bin Hasan, Ahmedabad.jpg, Grave Syedi Qasim bin Hasan, Ahmedabad

List of Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra

Dua't Yemeniyah (1138 – 1539 CE)

Dua't Hindustaniyah (1539 - Present)

Prominent Dai's resting places From Yemen to Mumbai File:Syedna Hatim Rauza 1.jpg, Mausoleum Syedna Hatim,Yemen File:Mausoleum Syedna Idris,Yemen.jpg, Mausoleum Syedna Idris,Yemen File:Mausoleum Syedna Jalal Shamsuddin.jpeg, Mausoleum Syedna Jalal Shamsuddin, ahmedabad File:Mazar e Qutbi Ahmedabad.jpg, Mazar e Qutbi, Ahmedabad File:Mazar e Noor Mandavi.jpg, Mazar e Noorani, Mandvi, Gujarat File:Mazar e Najmi Ujjain 2.jpg, Mazar e Najmi in Ujjain File:Mausoleum Dawoodi Bohra Duwat, Burhanpur era.jpg, Mazare Hakimi, Burhanpur File:Mazar e Saifee Surat.jpg, Mazar e Saifee Surat File:Raudat Tahera Mumbai.jpg, Raudat Tahera, Mumbai