While it is difficult to put an exact estimate to the size of the Dawoodi Bohra community in the country, Raghib Qureshi, a spokesperson for the community, estimates there are roughly five lakh Dawoodi Bohras across India, nearly 1.25 lakh of whom are based in Mumbai. "They were traditionally businessmen who dealt in glass and hardware. But the community has diversified significantly in recent times. Many Dawoodi Bohra members are now into IT, chemicals and electronics too," he told TOI.
Dawoodi Bohra men wear a traditional white three-piece outfit and a white gold cap, while the women wear the rida, a distinctive form of the burkha. It's different from the common veil in that it can be coloured and with patterns. The spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community is called Al-Dai-al-Mutlaq (summoner with comprehensive authority). A closely-knit community, Dawoodi Bohras seek advice from the Al-Dai-al-Mutlaq in all matters spiritual and temporal.
Historically, the community goes back a long way. After Prophet Muhammad's death in 632, a dispute arose over his succession. While the Prophet's close companion Abu Bakr was declared the first caliph, a section of Muslims felt the Prophet's successor should have been Hazrat Ali as he was from Ahl-ul-bait (Prophet's bloodline). Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, was eventually made the fourth caliph, but the Shiat-e- Ali (followers of Ali later called Shias) felt the Caliphate was not the right order of succession and followed the Imamate, Hazrat Ali being their first imam. Those who believed in the Caliphate were called Sunnis. The Shias further split after the death of the sixth imam, Imam Jaffer Sadiq. One group followed Imam Muse Kazim till Imam Mahdi who, they believe is in occultation (ghaibat). For this group of Shias, the imamate stopped at the 12th imam.
The other group of Shias followed Hazrat Ismail as their seventh Imam and were called Ismaili Shias. The Dawoodi Bohras believe that the 20th Imam, Mansur Al-Amir, instructed his grand emissary Syeda Arwa Binte Ahmad to establish the office of the Al-Dai-al-Mutlaq. The Al-Dai-al-Mutlaq who is the representative of the Imam enjoys full authority to govern the Dawoodi Bohra community and choose his successor. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was the 52nd Al-Dai-al-Mutlaq. He anointed his second son Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin as his heir-apparent, making him the 53rd Al-Dai-al Mutlaq.
(With inputs from Madhavi Rajadhyaksha)
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