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Dawoodi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohras

Dawoodi Bohras are the main branch of the Bohras (a Musta'li subsect of Ismaili Shi'a Muslims) based in India. Their spiritual leader is Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. He is known as the Da'i al-Mutlaq and is the 52nd Da'i in an unbroken chain of Da'is. The Bohras believe that the 21st Imam, Imam Taiyab abi al-Qasim (a direct descendant of Muhammad via his daughter Fatima_Zahra) went into seclusion and established the offices of the Da'i al-Mutlaq, Madhun (common usage: Mazoon) and Mukasir. The Da'i al-Mutlaq is the Imam's vicegerent, with full authority to govern the Dawoodi Bohra community in all matters both spiritual and temporal. During the Imam's seclusion, the Da'i al-Mutlaq is appointed by his predecessor in office. The Madhun and Mukasir are in turn appointed by the Da'i al-Mutlaq. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin has appointed Syedi Khuzaima Qutbuddin as his Madhun, and Syedi Husain Husamuddin as his Mukasir. A fundamental belief of the Dawoodi Bohras is that the presence of the secluded Imam is guaranteed by the presence of the Dai-al-Mutlaq.

Fatimid Origins

After the seclusion of the 21st Fatimid Imam in Egypt, Queen al-Hurra al-Maleka, by the instructions of the secluded Imam, annointed the first Da'i in Yemen in the mid-twelfth century A.D. The Fatimid Dawat (state) was to remain headquartered in Yemen, India and Pakistan (Sindh) under the leadership of the Da'i al Mutlaq. After acute persecution from the Sunni majority in Yemen, the Dawat was shifted to India and some followers also relocated. However, a large population of Dawoodi Bohras remained in Yemen and do so today. Some Bohras' ancestors were converts from Hinduism in Gujarat, India. Their conversion was the result of the work of some Fatimid missionaries from Egypt and Yemen which took place before the seclusion of the 21st Fatimid Imam. The converted were largely from the Hindu middle and upper castes such as Vaishya, many of whom were engaged in trade and commerce. Later, indigenous converts undertook the missionary activities in other contiguous regions such as the areas that today constitute Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Contemporary Dawoodi Bohras

The Dawoodi Bohras are a very closely-knit community who seek advice from the da'i in both spiritual and temporal matters. While the majority of Dawoodi Bohras have traditionally been traders, it is becoming increasingly common for them to become professionals. Within the Indian Subcontinent many choose to become Doctors, and in the Far East and the West, a large number now work as consultants or analysts as well as a large contingent of medical professionals. Dawoodi Bohras are encouraged to educate themselves in both religious and secular knowledge, and as a result, the number of professionals in the community is rapidly increasing. Unlike many other sects of Islam, Dawoodi Bohras believe that the education of women is equally important to that of men, and many Dawoodi Bohra women choose to enter the workforce. Today there are approximately one million Dawoodi Bohras. The majority of these reside in India and Pakistan, but there is also a significant diaspora resident in the Middle East, East Africa, Europe, North America and the Far East. The ordinary Bohra is highly conscious of his identity and this is especially demonstrated at religious and traditional occasions by the appearance and attire of the participants. Dawoodi Bohra men wear a traditional white three piece outfit, plus a white and gold cap (called a topi), and women wear the rida, a distinctive form of the commonly known burka which is distinguished from other forms of the veil due to it often being in colour and decorated with patterns and lace. Besides speaking the local languages, the Bohras have their own language called Lisan al-Dawat. This is written in Arabic script but is derived from Urdu, Gujarati and Arabic. Remembrance of Imam Husain AS (Grandson of Prophet Mohammed)'s martyrdom is an essential part of every Bohra community activity. Every year the head of the community Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin delivers religious discourses for 9 days during the days of Aashurah and these are attended by a large number of community members.

Contributions to the Community At-Large

The Bohras originated from Fatimid Egypt and thus their cultural mores are based on the practices of the Fatimid Imams. This is further found in the myriad constructions that the Bohras have carried out around the world all of which feature Fatimid influences from the mosques and buildings of Cairo. Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin undertook the complete renovation and restoration of the Mosque of the Imam Al-Hakim in Cairo, a project UNESCO had considered but did not undertake. In June 2005, the Dawoodi Bohra community built Saifee Hospital in Mumbai, India. The hospital is one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in the entire country, and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh on June 4, 2005. At the inauguration, the Dawoodi Bohra community was commended by the Prime Minister during a [http://pmindia.nic.in/hs04jun2k5-1.pdf speech] delivered by him.

Current Notable Official Events

In August 2005, His Holiness inaugurated another new mosque in the United States - in Fremont, California (metropolitan San Francisco) and was congratulated by various officials and dignitaries from local, state and the United States governments. President George W. Bush also congratulated His Holiness in a letter from the White House [http://malumaat.com/pics/sanfrancisco1426/letter_from_president_bush_usa.jpg].

External links and references

- [http://www.mumineen.org/ Mumineen.org] - The most comprehensive online source of information related to Dawoodi Bohras
- [http://www.malumaat.com/ Malumaat.com] - A Dawoodi Bohra news website most frequented by Bohras on the Indian Subcontinent.
- [http://www.dawoodi-bohras.com/ Progressive Bohras] - Challenging the cult of Sayedna and his corrupt regime. Category:Ismailism

Mustaali

The Mustaali (Arabic مستعلي) group of Ismaili Muslims are so named because they accepted the legitimacy of the Fatimid caliph Al-Musta'li, after Mustansir, and not Nizar, whom the Aga Khan group or Nizaris consider as their Imam. This group is also referred to as the Taiyabi or Tayyibi group (Arabic طيبي), named after the last Imam recognized by them, Taiyab abi al-Qasim. Originally, there was a distinction between Taiyabi Mustaalis and Hafizi Mustaalis (who recognized the Fatimid rulers of Egypt between 1130-1169 as legitimate Imams, not Taiyab abi al-Qasim). However the Hafizi Mustaali view lost all support after the downfall of the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt, and current-day Mustaalis are Taiyabis. In 1592, a leadership struggle caused the Taiyabi Mustaalis to be split into Sulaimanis (sometimes formerly also called Makramis) and Dawoodis. The Sulaimanis (named after their 27th Dai Sulaiman bin Hassan) are mainly concentrated in Yemen, while the Dawoodi Bohras are strongest in India. Later, there was a further split between Dawoodi Bohras and Alavi Bohras in India. Category:Ismailism

Ismaili

The Isma'ili (Arabic الإسماعيليون, Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmâ'iliyân) branch of Islam is the second largest Shi'a community, after the Twelvers who are dominant in Iran.

Location

The Ismailis are found primarily in the Indian subcontinent, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and East Africa but have in recent years emigrated to Europe and North America. The Ismailis and Twelvers both accept the same initial Imams from the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and therefore share much of their early history. However, a dispute arose on the succession of the Sixth Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq. The Ismailis became those who accepted Ja'far's eldest son Ismail as the next Imam, whereas the Twelvers accepted a younger son, Musa al-Kazim. A branch of the Ismaili known as the Saaabiyin or Seveners held that Ismail's son, Muhammad, was the seventh and final Imam (a belief inaccurately but commonly ascribed to Ismailis as a whole). There is still a small Sevener Ismaili community in parts of Saudi Arabia to this date. In the face of persecution, the bulk of the Ismailis continued to recognize imams who secretly propagated their faith through missionaries (da'is) from their bases in Syria. However by the 10th century, an Ismaili Imam, Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (previously Sa'id bin Husayn), had emigrated to North Africa and had successfully established the new Fatimid state in Tunisia. His successors subsequently succeeded in conquering much of North Africa (including the prized Egypt) and parts of Arabia. The capital for the Fatimid state hence shifted to the newly founded city of Cairo. from which the Fatimid Caliph-Imams ruled for several generations. A group of followers of the 16th Imam, Hakim bi-Amr-Allah broke away from the mainstream Ismailis to form the Druze religion. A more fundamental split amongst the Ismaili occurred on the dispute of which son should succeed the 18th Imam, Mustansir. Mustaali, his younger son, was installed as Imam in Cairo with the help of Vizier Badr al-Jamali. However, Mustansir's elder son Nizar contested this claim and was imprisoned; he gained support from an Ismaili da'i based in Iran, Hasan as-Sabbah. Sabbah is noted by Western writers to be the leader of the legendary Assassins. The Fatimid state eventually collapsed after Mustaali's successor Amir was assassinated, but Mustaali Ismaili held that Amir had left a son named Tayyib who had gone into seclusion and that the imamate continued in his progeny during this time. They also regarded a succeeding chain of Yemeni da'is as representatives of the imam. In time, the seat for one chain of dais was transferred to India as the community split several times, each recognizing a different da'i. Today the Dawoodi Bohras, which constitute the majority of the Mustaali Ismailis accept Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin as the 52nd da'i. The Dawoodi Bohras are based in India. While lesser known and smallest in number, Alavi Bohras accept as the 44th "da'i" : Da'i-e-Mutlaq, H.H. Saiyedna Abu Haatim Taiyeb Ziyauddin Saheb (TUS). There has been, in recent years, a reapprochment between the Yemeni Mustaalis and the followers of the da'i based out of Mumbai. The Bohras are noted to be the more traditional of the two main groups of Ismaili, maintaining rituals such as prayer and fasting more consistently with other Muslim and Shi'a sects, although a reformist movement has emerged within the sect challenging the authoritarian Dawoodi Bohra clergy. The largest part of the Nizari Ismaili community today accepts Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as their 49th Imam. The 46th Imam, Aga Hasan Ali Shah, fled Iran to the Indian subcontinent in the 1840s after a failed coup against the Shah of the Qajar dynasty. Aga Hasan Ali Shah settled in Bombay in 1848. The Aga Khan was recognized as the legitimate Imam over Shia Ismaili Muslims in Bombay through a legal case at the Bombay high Court in 1866. The Judge in this case, Sir Joseph Arnold, ruled that the Khoja Muslim community was Ismaili (and not Sunni), that the Aga Khan was its leader, he was due the traditional tithes of the community and that community property belonged to his Imamate. The Aga Khans have been in contact with various Nizari Ismaili communities around the world and several have accepted them as their Hazar Imam or 'Present Imam'. Deputations came to Mumbai to receive the Imam's guidance from as far afield as Kashgar in China, Bokhara in Central Asia, and all parts of Iran and the Middle East.

History(accuracy questioned)

See History of Ismailism After the death of Uthman the Islamic state remained without a Caliph for three days. Ali refused to accept the Caliphate. But he was compelled by the people overwhelmingly to take the leadership to save them from disintegration. Mowla Ali was born on the thirteenth of Rajab twenty-two years before Hijra (A.D. 600) inside the sacred house of Ka'ba. No one else has been born in the House of Allah ever since its foundation by Prophet Ibra'hi'm (Abraham). His mother Fatima bint Assad (not to be confused with Fatima bint Muhammad, Ali's wife), daughter of Asad bin Ha'shem, said that he did not cry after birth, nor did he open his eyes. He refused to be fed until after three days when the Holy Prophet arrived and took him caressingly in his arms. He opened his eyes and smiled at the Holy Prophet who then gave his tongue into his mouth. Ali sucked the moisture of the tongue. Ever since they remained together in all walks of life only to be separated physically at the death of the Holy Prophet. Short in physical structure but robust, Ali was born bald with thick hair at the back of his head and at the temples. Thick eyebrows, over his large and heavy eyes, meeting together above his straight nose, and thin lips gave an impressive look no one could resist. The Holy Prophet said that to look at Ali's face was an act of worship. Ali was never defeated in a war or a combat throughout his life. His physical strenght was beyond human comprehension. He removed from the hinges the strong doors of the Khyber fort with a single jolt of his hand. Later, seven strong men with Abu Ra'fe', the famous strongman, could not lift even an inch from the ground one of the corners of the door. When asked about his wonderful display of strength, in removing the doors, Ali replied that it was his divine power.

Sub-sects

- Sulaimani, also part of the Mustaali group.
- Dawoodi Bohras, the largest Mustaali group.
- Alavi Bohras, the lesser known, the smallest Mustaali group.
- Nizari Ismailis, the largest Ismaili group today. (See next few headings for information this group and its beliefs).
- Carmathians

Mustaali groups: Dawoodi Bohras, Alavi Bohras

:See main articles at Dawoodi Bohras, Alavi Bohras.

History of the Nizari Ismaili community in the 20th century

Under the leadership of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, the first half of the twentieth century was a period of significant development for the Ismaili community. Numerous institutions for social and economic development were established on the Indian sub-continent and in East Africa. Ismailis have marked the Jubilees of their Imams with public celebrations, which are symbolic affirmations of the ties that link the Ismaili Imam and his followers. Although the Jubilees have no real religious significance, they serve to reaffirm the Imamat's world-wide commitment to the improvement of the quality of human life, especially in the developing countries. The Jubilees of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, are well remembered. During his 72 years of Imamat (1885-1957), the community celebrated his Golden (1937), Diamond (1946) and Platinum (1954) Jubilees. To show their appreciation and affection, the Ismailis weighed their Imam in gold, diamonds and, symbolically, in platinum, respectively, the proceeds of which were used to further develop major social welfare and development institutions in Asia and Africa. On the subcontinent of India and Pakistan, social development institutions were established, in the words of the late Aga Khan, "for the relief of humanity". They included institutions such as the Diamond Jubilee Trust and the Platinum Jubilee Investments Limited which in turn assisted the growth of various types of cooperative societies. Diamond Jubilee Schools for girls were established throughout the remote Northern Areas of what is now Pakistan. In addition, scholarship programmes, established at the time of the Golden Jubilee to give assistance to needy students, were progressively expanded. In East Africa, major social welfare and economic development institutions were established. Those involved in social welfare included the accelerated development of schools and community centres, and a modern, fully-equipped hospital in Nairobi. Among the economic development institutions established in East Africa were companies such as the Diamond Jubilee Investment Trust (now Diamond Trust of Kenya) and the Jubilee Insurance Company, which are quoted on the Nairobi Stock Exchange and have become major players in national development. Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah also introduced organisational forms that gave Ismaili communities the means to structure and regulate their own affairs. These were built on the Muslim tradition of a communitarian ethic on the one hand, and responsible individual conscience with freedom to negotiate one's own moral commitment and destiny on the other. In 1905 he ordained the first Ismaili Constitution for the social governance of the community in East Africa. The new administration for the Community's affairs was organised into a hierarchy of councils at the local, national, and regional levels. The constitution also set out rules in such matters as marriage, divorce and inheritance, guidelines for mutual cooperation and support among Ismailis, and their interface with other communities. Similar constitutions were promulgated in the Indian subcontinent, and all were periodically revised to address emerging needs and circumstances in diverse settings. Following the Second World War, far-reaching social, economic and political changes profoundly affected a number of areas where Ismailis resided. In 1947, British rule in the Indian subcontinent was replaced by the two sovereign, independent nations, of India and Pakistan, resulting in the migration of at least a million people and significant loss of life and property. In the Middle East, the Suez crisis of 1956 as well as the preceding crisis in Iran, demonstrated the sharp upsurge of nationalism, which was as assertive of the region's social and economic aspirations as of its political independence. Africa was also set on its course to decolonisation, swept by what Mr. Harold MacMillan, the then British Prime Minister, aptly termed the "wind of change". By the early 1960s, most of East and Central Africa, where the majority of the Ismaili population on the continent resided (including Tanganyika, Kenya, Uganda, Malagasy, Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire), had attained their political independence. This was the world in which the present Aga Khan acceded to the Imamat in 1957. The period following his accession can be characterised as one of rapid political and economic change. Planning of programmes and institutions became increasingly difficult due to the rapid changes in newly-emerging nations. Upon becoming Imam, the present Aga Khan's immediate concern was the preparation of his followers, wherever they lived, for the changes that lay ahead. This rapidly evolving situation called for bold initiatives and new programmes to reflect developing national aspirations. In Africa, Asia and the Middle East, a major objective of the Community's social welfare and economic programmes, until the mid-fifties, had been to create a broad base of businessmen, agriculturists, and professionals. The educational facilities of the Community tended to emphasise secondary-level education. With the coming of independence, each nation's economic aspirations took on new dimensions, focusing on industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture. The Community's educational priorities had to be reassessed in the context of new national goals, and new institutions had to be created to respond to the growing complexity of the development process. In 1972, under the regime of the then President Idi Amin, Ismailis and other Asians were expelled, despite being citizens of the country and having lived there for generations. The Aga Khan had to take urgent steps to facilitate the resettlement of Ismailis displaced from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and also from Burma. Owing to his personal efforts most found homes, not only in Asia, but also in Europe and North America. Most of the basic resettlement problems were overcome remarkably rapidly. This was due to the adaptability of the Ismailis themselves and in particular to their educational background and their linguistic abilities, as well as the efforts of the host countries and the moral and material support from Ismaili community programmes. Spiritual allegiance to the Imam and adherence to the Shia Imami Ismaili tariqah (persuasion) of Islam according to the guidance of the Imam of the time, have engendered in the Ismaili community an ethos of self-reliance, unity, and a common identity. The present Aga Khan continued the practice of his predecessor and extended constitutions to Ismaili communities in the US, Canada, several European countries, the Gulf, Syria and Iran following a process of consultation within each constituency. In 1986, he promulgated a Constitution that, for the first time, brought the social governance of the world-wide Ismaili community into a single structure with built-in flexibility to account for diverse circumstances of different regions. Served by volunteers appointed by and accountable to the Imam, the Constitution functions as an enabler to harness the best in individual creativity in an ethos of group responsibility to promote the common well-being.

The Nizari Ismaili community today

Like its predecessors, the present constitution is founded on each Ismaili's spiritual allegiance to the Imam of the time, which is separate from the secular allegiance that all Ismailis owe as citizens to their national entities. The guidance of the present Imam and his predecessor emphasised the Ismaili's allegiance to his or her country as a fundamental obligation. These obligations discharged not by passive affirmation but through responsible engagement and active commitment to uphold national integrity and contribute to peaceful development. In view of the importance that Islam places on maintaining a balance between the spiritual well-being of the individual and the quality of his life, the Imam's guidance deals with both aspects of the life of his followers. The Aga Khan has encouraged Ismaili Muslims, settled in the industrialised world, to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programmes. In recent years, Ismaili Muslims, who have come to the US, Canada and Europe, mostly as refugees from Asia and Africa, have readily settled into the social, educational and economic fabric of urban and rural centres across the two continents. As in the developing world, the Ismaili Muslim Community's settlement in the industrial world has involved the establishment of community institutions characterised by an ethos of self-reliance, an emphasis on education, and a pervasive spirit of philanthropy. From July 1982 to July 1983, to celebrate the present Aga Khan's Silver Jubilee, marking the 25th anniversary of his accession to the Imamat, many new social and economic development projects were launched, although there were no weighing ceremonies. These range from the establishment of the US$ 300 million international Aga Khan University with its Faculty of Health Sciences and teaching hospital based in Karachi, the expansion of schools for girls and medical centres in the Hunza region, one of the remote parts of Northern Pakistan bordering on China and Afghanistan, to the establishment of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Gujarat, India, and the extension of existing urban hospitals and primary health care centres in Tanzania and Kenya. These initiatives form part of an international network of institutions involved in fields that range from education, health and rural development, to architecture and the promotion of private sector enterprise and together make up the Aga Khan Development Network. It is this commitment to man's dignity and relief of humanity that inspires the Ismaili Imamat's philanthropic institutions. Giving of one's competence, sharing one's time, material or intellectual wherewithal with those among whom one lives, for the relief of hardship, pain or ignorance is a deeply ingrained tradition which shapes the social conscience of the Ismaili Muslim community.

The "Hashishin" issue

Please read: The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma‘ilis by Farhad Daftary Daftary, Farhad, The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Ismailis. London: I. B. Tauris, 1994. ISBN: 1 85043 705 X (HB) ISBN: 1 85043 950 8 (PB) Synopsis Since the 12th century fantastical tales of the Assassins, their mysterious leader and their remote mountain strongholds in Syria and northern Iran have captured the European imagination. These legends first emerged when European Crusaders in the Levant came into contact with the Syrian branch of the Nizari Ismailis, who at the behest of their leader were sent on dangerous missions to kill their enemies. Elaborated over the years, the legends culminated in Marco Polo’s account according to which the Nizari leader, described as the ‘Old Man of the Mountain’, was said to have controlled the behaviour of his devotees through the use of hashish and a secret garden of paradise. So influential were these tales that the word ‘assassin’ entered European languages as a common noun for murderer, and the Nizari Ismailis were depicted not only in popular mythology but also in Western scholarship as a sinister order of ‘assassins’. In recent decades new scholarship on the history of the Ismailis has established the extent to which older Western accounts have confused fact and fantasy. In view of the very different picture of Ismaili history that has now emerged, Farhad Daftary’s book considers the origins of the mediaeval Assassin legends and explores the historical context in which they were fabricated and transmitted. How did they persist for so long, and in what form did they come to exert such a profound influence on European scholarship? Daftary’s fascinating account ultimately reveals the extent to which the emergence of such legends was symptomatic of both the complex political and cultural structures of the mediaeval Muslim world and of Europeans’ ignorance of that world. The book will be of great interest to all those concerned with Ismaili studies, the history of Islam and the Middle East, as well as the mediaeval history of Europe. Also included as an appendix is the first English translation of the French orientalist Silvestre de Sacy’s famous early 19th century “Memoir on the Assassins and the Etymology of their Name”.

External links

- [http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/islam/shia/index.html Graphical illustration of the sects of Shi'a Islam]
- [http://www.amaana.org/history/history1.htm History of Imams from the "Nizari" point of view.]
- [http://www.iis.ac.uk Institute of Ismaili Studies]
- [http://www.mumineen.org Dawoodi Bohras]
- [http://www.akdn.org Aga Khan Development Network]
- [http://www.ismaili.net/html/ First Ismaili Electronic Library and Database]
- [http://www.alavibohra.org Alavi Bohra: The Smallest Sect of Ismaili Mustaali Faith]
- [http://www.ismailiconnect.com Ismaili Connect: Ismaili Information / Discussion / Community Site]

References

- The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines; Farhad Daftary; Cambridge University Press, 1990
- A Short History of the Ismailis: Traditions of a Muslim Community; Farhad Daftary; Edinburgh University Press, 1998 Category:Shi'a Islam Category:Ismailism ja:イスマーイール派

Muslim

A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also pronounced Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. Literally, the word means someone who has submitted/surrendered himself or herself to the will of God.

Definition

Most Muslims accept as a fellow Muslim anyone who has sincerely pronounced the Shahada, a ritual declaration of submission to God and assertion that Muhammad is the last prophet. Muslims describe many Biblical figures, such as Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus), as Muslims because they submitted completely to God.
- For a list of Muslims, see List of Muslims.
- For a list of different Muslim sects and divisions, see Divisions of Islam.

Etymology

The singular form of the word Muslim comes from the Arabic plural form 'Al-Muslimīn, from the tri-consonantal root SLM, also found in the words Islam and salām. The plural form is instanced in the Qur'an, 22:79, Al-Hajj.

Pronunciation and spelling

Until around the late 1980s, the word was commonly spelled Moslem. The spelling has since fallen into disuse. Muslims do not recommend this spelling because it is often pronounced "mawzlem," which sounds somewhat similar to an Arabic word for "oppressor" (Za'lem in Arabic). The word is pronounced "Mus"-lim in Arabic, but some English dictionaries allow both "Mus"-lim and "Muz"-lim. The word is written "Muslim".

Other words for Muslim

Many English-language writers used to call Muslims "Mohammedans" or "Mahometans," meaning "followers of Mohammed," but this terminology is considered incorrect and insulting, because Muslims believe it implies that they worship the prophet Muhammad, contrary to the fundamental principles of Islam itself. This terminology is seen as too similar to Christians as followers and worshippers of Christ. In addition, Muslims believe that the religion of submitting to God (Islām in Arabic) existed long before the birth of Muhammad, making all the prophets before him "Muslims." English writers of the 19th century and earlier sometimes used the words Mussulman, Musselman, or Mussulmaun. Variant forms of this word are still used by many Indo-European languages. These words are similar to the French, Spanish, and Italian words for "Muslim."

Disputes

The Ahmedi sect consider themselves Muslim, and an agnostic or atheist of Islamic background may refer to themselves as a cultural Muslim; however, most mainstream Muslims disagree with both these classifications, since they conflict with the conventional religious definition of Islam.

Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin

The 52nd Vicegerent Of The Fatimid Imam

His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq of the largest group of Musta'li Ismailis, the Dawoodi Bohras. Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was born on the March 6, 1915 in Surat, Gujarat, India. He was appointed to be the future Da'i al-Mutlaq at the age of 19 by his father, the previous Da'i al-Mutlaq, Dr Syedna Taher Saifuddin. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin succeeded his father upon the latter's death 53 years later. Burhanuddin's era has been marked by a remarkable and successful fusion of traditional values and modern advances. Thus his community the Dawoodi Bohras is seen faithfully adhering to the principal tenets of Islam such as love for mankind, charity, brotherhood, peace, prayer and fasting.

Education, Culture & Upliftment For Men & Women

Burhanuddin has emphasized education and modernization for both men and women of the community. There is an imbibed quest for knowledge amongst both sexes. This includes religious education as well as secular study in universities throughout the world. Thus, the Dawoodi Bohra community now has numerous men and women doctors as well as other professionals throughout the world. Burhanuddin's era has also been marked by a spectacular and widespread programme of construction of mosques, mausoleums and community buildings in centres throughout the world. There is, for example Raudat Tahera, the mausoleum of his father Syedna Taher Saifuddin in Mumbai, India. The mausoleum contains the only example of the entire Qur'an being engraved in the walls of a building anywhere in the world. It has been done in gold leaf in marble with gems encrusted in the 'Bismillahs' (the opening verses of each individual chapter of the Qur'an). In 1980 the renovation and restoration of the mosque of Al-Hakim in Cairo was completed by him, and since then several other Fatimid era masjids of Cairo have been restored to their former glory. In the wake of this endeavour Bohra communities across the world have sought to build their own masjids in their hometowns and Bohra masjids have been constructed as far afield as North America, Europe, Africa and Australia. These community centres and places of worship and congregation have fostered both a local and worldwide sense of togetherness and brotherhood which is seen most vividly in the annual gathering to commemorate the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammed's S.A. grandson, Hussain A.S. at Karbala in the seventh century. Burhanuddin has also contributed greatly to the society at large as is exemplified by contributing towards re-establishment of the Saifee Hospital in Mumbai, India in June 2005. The community gathers in its tens of thousands to hear nine days of sermons by Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the event taking place in a different city each year. Elsewhere the commemoration also takes place in every Bohra centre across the world with sermons given by appointed priests to local communities.

Ambassador Of Peace

Burhanuddin has been widely acknowledged by many Governments and NGOs for promoting peace in the world and spreading the message of brotherhood and respect for humanity. Wherever he travels, His Holiness makes it a point to emphasize to his followers the importance of respect and love for the country of which they are citizens. His Holiness has been recognized wherever he has traveled as an Ambassador of Peace and a true embodiement of Islam. His Holiness also emphasizes brotherhood and friendship amongst all religions around the world. In August 2005, Burhanuddin inaugurated another new mosque in the United States - in Fremont, California (metropolitan San Francisco) and was congratulated by various officials and dignitaries from local, state and the United States governments. President George W. Bush also congratulated His Holiness in a letter from the White House[http://malumaat.com/pics/sanfrancisco1426/letter_from_president_bush_usa.jpg]. Also present were officials from various religious organizations from the local community.

External links and references

- [http://archive.mumineen.org/publications/oup/syedna.html OUP Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World: Sayyidna Muhammad Burhanuddin]

Da'i al-Mutlaq

The term Da'i al-Mutlaq (Arabic الداعي المطلق) literally means "the absolute or unrestricted Da'i", where a Da'i is a "missionary" or caller to Islam (i.e. a person who engages in Dawah). Traditionally in Ismaili Islam, the term Da'i has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imams. According to Taiyabi Mustaali Ismaili tradition, before the last Mustaali Imam, Taiyab abi al-Qasim went into seclusion, his father the 20th Imam al-Amir had instructed Queen al-Hurra al-Maleka in Yemen to annoint a vicegerent after the seclusion — the Da'i al-Mutlaq, who as the Imam's vicegerent has full authority to govern the community in all matters both spiritual and temporal. Among the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Mustaali Ismailis, His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is considered the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq, and vicegerent of the secluded Fatimid 21st Imam. During the Imam's seclusion, the Da'i al-Mutlaq is appointed by his predecessor in office. The Madhun and Mukasir are in turn appointed by the Da'i al-Mutlaq. This title is also used among the Alavi Mustaali community to refer to their leader (in the Persian form "Da'i e-mutlaq"), for similar reasons. Category:Ismailism

Taiyab abi al-Qasim

According to Taiyabi Mustaaali Ismaili Muslims, Taiyab abi al-Qasim (or Tayyib, Arabic طيب) was the 21st and last Fatimid Imam (or hereditary leader of the Muslim community in the direct line of Ali ibn Abi Talib). He was the son of the 20th Fatimid Imam, Mansur al-Amir Bi-Ahkamillah (the ruler of Egypt from 1101-1130). According to Taiyabi Mustaali tradition, before Imam Taiyab went into seclusion, his father the 20th Imam al-Amir had instructed Queen al-Hurra al-Maleka in Yemen to annoint a vicegerent after the seclusion, the Da'i al-Mutlaq, who as the Imam's vicegerent has full authority to govern the community in all matters both spiritual and temporal. The Hafizi Mustaali Ismailis were those who continued to accept the legitimacy of the Fatimid rulers of Egypt between 1130-1169, not Taiyab abi al-Qasim.

Muhammad

: "Muhammad" is a common Muslim male name. For other prominent people called Muhammad, see Muhammad (disambiguation) Muhammad (, also transliterated Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhammed, and sometimes Mahomet (Latin Mahometus), following the Latin or Turkish), is believed by Muslims to be God's final prophet sent to guide mankind with the message of Islam. Non-Muslims generally consider him to be the founder of Islam. According to traditional Muslim biographers, he was born ca. 570 in Mecca (Makkah) and died June 8 632 in Medina (Madinah); both Mecca and Medina are cities in the Hejaz region of present day Saudi Arabia. Literally, Muhammad means "highly praised" in Arabic.

Summary

Born Muhammad ibn Abdullah, he is said to have been a merchant who traveled widely. Muslims believe that in 610, at about the age of forty, while praying in a cave called "Hira" near Mecca, he experienced a vision. Later, he described the experience (to those close to him) as a visit from the Angel Gabriel, who commanded him to memorize and recite the verses sent by God which were later collected as the Qur'an. Gabriel told him that God (Allah) had chosen him as the last of the prophets to mankind. He eventually expanded his mission as a prophet, publicly preaching a strict monotheism and predicting a Day of Judgement. He did not completely reject Judaism and Christianity, two other monotheistic faiths known to the Arabs; he said that he had been sent by God in order to complete and perfect their teachings. Many of his neighbors resented his preaching, and persecuted Muhammad and his followers. In 622, he was forced to flee from Mecca and settle in Yathrib (now known as Medina) with his followers, where he was the leader of the first avowedly Muslim community. War between Mecca and Medina followed, in which Muhammad and his followers were eventually victorious. The military organization honed in this struggle was then set to conquering the other tribes of Arabia. By the time of Muhammad's death, he had unified Arabia, spread Islam throughout the Arab Peninsula, and launched expeditions to the north, towards Syria and Palestine. Under prophet Muhammad's immediate successors the Islamic empire expanded into Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, North Africa, and Iberia. Later conquests, commercial contact between Muslims and non-Muslims, and missionary activity spread Islam over much of the globe.

Sources about Muhammad's life

The sources available about Muhammad's life are the Qur'an, the sira biographies, and the hadith collections. While the Qur'an is not a biography of Muhammad, it does provide some information about his life. The earliest surviving biographies are the Life of the Apostle of God, by Ibn Ishaq (d. 768), edited by Ibn Hisham (d. 833); and al-Waqidi's (d. 822) biography of Muhammad. Ibn Ishaq wrote his biography some 120 to 130 years after Muhammad's death. The third source, the hadith collections, like the Qur'an, are not a biography per se. In both the Sunni and Shia belief, they are the accounts of the words and actions of Muhammad. Some skeptical scholars (Wansbrough, Cook, Crone, and others) have raised doubts about the reliability of these sources, especially the hadith collections. They argue that by the time the oral traditions were being collected, the Muslim community had fractured into rival sects and schools of thought. Each sect and school had its own sometimes conflicting traditions of what Muhammad and his companions had done and said. Traditions multiplied, and Muslim scholars made a strenuous effort to weed out what they felt were spurious stories. Traditionalists rely on their efforts while the skeptics feel that the question must be revisited. Muslim and non-Muslim scholars alike agree that there are some inauthentic traditions concerning the life of Muhammad in the hadith collections. Most of these traditions are acknowledged by Muslim clerical authorities to be weak; only a few hadith collections are considered reliable. A very small minority called the "Quran Alone Muslims" consider all hadith as unreliable. However, the historicity of the biographical material about Muhammad presented in the summary above is not generally contested. Traditionalists, both Muslim and non-Muslim, paint a much more detailed picture of Muhammad's life.

Muhammad's life according to Sira

Muhammad's genealogy

According to tradition, Muhammad traced his genealogy back as far as Adnan, whom the northern Arabs believed to be their common ancestor. Adnan in turn is said to be a descendant of Ismaeel (Ishmael), son of Ibrahim (Abraham) though the exact genealogy is disputed. Muhammad's genealogy up to Adnan is as follows: Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (Shaiba) ibn Hashim (Amr) ibn Abd Manaf (al-Mughira) ibn Qusai (Zaid) ibn Kilab ibn Murra ibn Ka`b ibn Lu'ay ibn Ghalib ibn Fahr (Quraish) ibn Malik ibn an-Nadr (Qais) ibn Kinana ibn Khuzaimah ibn Mudrikah (Amir) ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Ma`ad ibn Adnan. (ibn = "son of" in Arabic; alternate names of people with two names are given in brackets.) His nickname was Abul-Qaasim, "father of Qaasim", after his short-lived first son.

Childhood

Muhammad was born into a well-to-do family settled in the northern Arabian town of Mecca. Some calculate his birthdate as April 20, 570 (Shia Muslims believe it to be April 26), and some as 571; tradition places it in the Year of the Elephant. Muhammad's father, Abdullah, had died before he was born and the young boy was brought up by his paternal grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, of the tribe of Quraysh. Tradition says that as an infant, he was placed with a Bedouin wetnurse, Halima, as desert life was believed to be safer and healthier for children. At the age of six, Muhammad lost his mother Amina, and at the age of eight his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib. Muhammad now came under care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new leader of the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe, the most powerful in Mecca. Mecca was a thriving commercial centre, due in great part to a stone temple (now called the Kaaba) that housed many different idols. Merchants from different tribes would visit Mecca during the pilgrimage season, when all inter-tribal warfare was forbidden and they could trade in safety. While still in his teens, Muhammad began accompanying his uncle on trading journeys to Syria. He thus became well-travelled and knowledgeable as to foreign ways.

Middle years

Muhammad became a merchant and one of his employers was Khadijah, a rich widow then forty years old. The young twenty-five-year old Muhammad has impressed Khadijah and she proposed to him in the year 595. By Arab custom, minors did not inherit, so Muhammad had received no inheritance from either his father or his grandfather. Ibn Ishaq records that Khadijah bore Muhammad five children, one son and four daughters. All of Khadija's children were born before Muhammad received his first revelation. His son Qasim died at the age of two. The four daughters are said to be Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah. The Shi'a say that Muhammad had only the one daughter, Fatima, and that the other daughters were either children of Khadijah by her previous marriage, or children of her sister.

The first revelations

Muhammad had a reflective turn of mind and routinely spent nights in a cave (Hira) near Mecca in meditation and thought. Muslims believe that around the year 610, while meditating, Muhammad had a vision of the Angel Gabriel and heard a voice saying to him (in rough translation) "Read in the name of your Lord the Creator. He created man from something which clings. Read, and your Lord is the Most Honored. He taught man with the pen; taught him all that he knew not." (See surat Al-Alaq for a fuller account.) The first vision of Gabriel disturbed Muhammad, but his wife Khadijah reassured him that it was a true vision and became his first follower. She was soon followed by his ten-year-old cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Abu Bakr, whom Sunnis assert to have been Muhammad's closest friend. Until his death, Muhammad reportedly received frequent revelations, although there was a relatively long gap after the first revelation. This silence worried him, until he received surat ad-Dhuha, whose words provided comfort and reassurance. Around 613, Muhammad began to spread his message amongst the people. Most of those who heard his message ignored it. A few mocked him. Some, however, believed and joined his small group.

Rejection

As the ranks of Muhammad's followers swelled, he became a threat to the local tribes and the rulers of the city. Their wealth, after all, rested on the Kaaba, a sacred house of idols and the focal point of Meccan religious life. If they threw out their idols, as Muhammad preached, there would be no more pilgrims, no more trade, and no more wealth. Muhammad’s denunciation of polytheism was especially offensive to his own tribe, the Quraysh, as they were the guardians of the Ka'aba. Muhammad and his followers were persecuted. Some of them fled to Abyssinia and founded a small colony there. Several suras and parts of suras are said to date from this time, and reflect its circumstances: see for example al-Masadd, al-Humaza, parts of Maryam and al-Anbiya, al-Kafirun, and Abasa. In 619, both Muhammad's wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib died; it was known as "the year of sorrows." Muhammad's own clan withdrew their protection of him. Muslims patiently endured hunger and persecution.

Isra and Miraj

Some time in 620, the prophet Muhammad told his followers that he had experienced the Isra and Miraj, a miraculous journey said to have been accomplished in one night. In the first part of the journey, the Isra, he is said to have travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem. In the second part, the Miraj, Muhammad is said to have toured Heaven and Hell, and spoken with earlier prophets, such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muslims believe that the Jerusalem mosque known as the Masjid al-Aqsa is built over the site from which Muhammad ascended to Heaven.

Hijra

By 622, life in the small Muslim community of Mecca was becoming not only difficult, but dangerous. Muslim traditions say that there were several attempts to assassinate Muhammad. Muhammad then resolved to emigrate to Medina, then known as Yathrib, a large agricultural oasis where there were a number of Muslim converts. By breaking the link with his own tribe, Muhammad demonstrated that tribal and family loyalties were insignificant compared to the bonds of Islam, a revolutionary idea in the tribal society of Arabia. This Hijra or emigration (traditionally translated into English as "flight") marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. The Muslim calendar counts dates from the Hijra, which is why Muslim dates have the suffix AH (After Hijra). Muhammad came to Medina as a mediator, invited to resolve the feud between the Arab factions of Aws and Khazraj. He ultimately did so by absorbing both factions into his Muslim community, and forbidding bloodshed among Muslims. However, Medina was also home to a number of Jewish tribes (whether they were ethnically as well as religiously Jewish is an open question, as is the depth of their "Jewishness"). Muhammad had hoped that they would recognize him as a prophet, but they did not do so. Some academic historians suggest that Muhammad abandoned hope of recruiting Jews as allies or followers at this time, and thus the qibla, the Muslim direction of prayer, was changed from the site of the former Temple in Jerusalem to the Kabaa in Mecca. Non-Muslim settlements within Muslim territories were taxed rather than expelled. Muhammad drafted a document now known as the Constitution of Medina (ca. 622-623), which laid out the terms on which the different factions, specifically the Jews, could exist within the new Islamic State. In this system, the Jews and other "Peoples of the Book" were allowed to keep their religions as long as they paid tribute. This system would come to typify Muslim relations with their non-believing subjects and that tradition was one reason for the stability of the later Muslim caliphate or Khilafah. In this, the Islamic empire was more tolerant than the other great powers of the area, the Byzantine and Sassanid empires, which were actively hostile to any religions or sects other than the state-sponsored religions (Orthodox Christianity and Zoroastrianism).

War

Relations between Mecca and Medina rapidly worsened (see surat al-Baqara). Meccans confiscated all the property that the Muslims had left in Mecca. In Medina, Muhammad signed treaties of alliance and mutual help with neighboring tribes. Muhammad turned to raiding caravans bound for Mecca. Caravan raiding was an old Arabian tradition; Muslims justified the raids by the state of war deemed to exist between the Meccans and the Muslims. Secular scholars add this was also a matter of survival for the Muslims. They owned no land in Medina and if they did not raid, they would have to live on charity and whatever wage labor they could find. In March of 624, Muhammad led some 300 warriors in a raid on a Meccan merchant caravan. The Meccans successfully defended the caravan and then decided to teach the Medinans a lesson. They sent a small army against Medina. On March 15, 624 near a place called Badr, the Meccans and the Muslims clashed. Though outnumbered more than 3 times (1000 to 300) in the battle, the Muslims met with success, killing at least forty-five Meccans and taking seventy prisoners for ransom; only fourteen Muslims died. This marked the real beginning of Muslim military achievement.

Muhammad's rule consolidated

To the Muslims, the victory in Badr appeared as a divine authentication of Muhammad's prophethood, and he and all the Muslims rejoiced greatly. Following this victory, after clashes, and the breaking of a treaty that risked the security of the city state, the victors expelled a local Jewish clan, the Banu Qainuqa. Virtually all the remaining Medinans converted, and Muhammad became de facto ruler of the city. After Khadija's death, Muhammad married again, to Aisha, the daughter of his friend Abu Bakr (who would later emerge as the first leader of the Muslims after Muhammad's death). In Medina, he married Hafsah, daughter of Umar (who would eventually become Abu Bakr's successor). These marriages sealed relations between Muhammad and his top-ranking followers. Muhammad's daughter Fatima married Ali, Muhammad's cousin. According to the Sunni, another daughter, Umm Kulthum, married Uthman. Each of these men, in later years, would emerge as successors to Muhammad and political leaders of the Muslims. Thus all four of the first four caliphs were linked to Muhammad by marriage. Sunni Muslims regard these caliphs as the Rashidun, or Rightly Guided. (See Succession to Muhammad for more information on the controversy on who the first caliph should have been).

Continued warfare

In 625 the Meccan general Abu Sufyan marched on Medina with 3,000 men. The ensuing Battle of Uhud took place on March 23, ending in a stalemate. The Meccans claimed victory, but they had lost too many men to pursue the Muslims into Medina. In April 627 Abu Sufyan led another strong force against Medina. But Muhammad had dug a trench around Medina and successfully defended the city in the Battle of the Trench. Many of the Muslims believed that Abu Sufyan had been aided by sympathizers among the Medinans, the Jewish tribe of the Banu Qurayza. As soon as the battle was over, the Muslims turned upon the Banu Qurayza. After the Banu Qurayza were defeated, all the adult men were beheaded by the order of Saad ibn Muadh, an arbiter chosen by the Banu Qurayza. The remaining women and children were taken as captives or for ransom. Some critics of Islam feel that this was unjust; Muslims believe that this was necessary. The matter is discussed at greater length in the article on the Banu Qurayza. Following the Muslim's victory at the Battle of the Trench, the Muslims were able, through conversion and conquest, to extend their rule to many of the neighboring cities and tribes.

The conquest of Mecca

By 628, the Muslim position was strong enough that Muhammad decided to return to Mecca, this time as a pilgrim. In March of that year, he set out for Mecca, followed by 1,600 men. After some negotiation, a treaty was signed at the border town of al-Hudaybiyah. While Muhammad would not be allowed to finish his pilgrimage that year, hostilities would cease and the Muslims would have permission to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in the following year. The agreement lasted only two years, however, as the Meccans broke the treaty in 630. As a result, the prophet Muhammad marched on Mecca with an enormous force, said to number 10,000+ men. The Meccans submitted without a fight, and thus, there was no bloodshed. The prophet Muhammad promised a general amnesty to all the Meccans and ensured them that no harm will be done to them. Most Meccans converted to Islam, as a result of this, and Muhammad destroyed the idols in the Kaaba. Henceforth the pilgrimage would be a Muslim pilgrimage and the shrine a Muslim shrine.

Unification of Arabia

The capitulation of Mecca and the defeat of an alliance of enemy tribes at Hunayn effectively brought the greater part of the Arabian peninsula under Muhammad's authority. This authority was not enforced by any formal governments, however, as he chose instead to rule through personal relationships and tribal treaties. Hunayn The Muslims were clearly the dominant force in Arabia, and most of the remaining tribes and states hastened to convert to Islam.

Muhammad as a warrior

For most of the sixty-three years of his life, Muhammad was a merchant, then a prophet. He took up the sword late in his life. He was a warrior for ten years. Much criticism has been leveled at Muhammad for engaging in caravan raids and wars of conquest. Critics say that his wars went well beyond self-defense. Muslim commentators, however, argue that he fought only to defend his community against the Meccans, and that he insisted on humane rules of warfare.

Muhammad's family life

From 595 to 619, Muhammad had only one wife, Khadijah. After her death he married Aisha, then Hafsa. Later he was to marry more wives, for a total of eleven (nine or ten living at the time of his death). Some say that he married his slave girl Maria al-Qibtiyya, but other sources speak to the contrary. Khadija was Muhammad's first wife and the mother of the only child to survive him, his daughter Fatima. He married his other wives after the death of Khadija. Some of these women were recent widows of warriors in battle. Others were daughters of his close allies or tribal leaders. One of the later unions resulted in a son, but the child died when he was ten months old. His marriage to Aisha is often criticized today citing traditional sources that state she was only nine years old when he consummated the marriage. (See Aisha for a discussion of other, conflicting, traditions). Critics also question his marriage to his adopted son's ex-wife, Zaynab bint Jahsh, and his alleged violation of the Qur'anic injunction against marrying more than four wives. For further information on Muhammad's family life and consideration of these criticisms, see Muhammad's marriages.

Companions of Muhammad

The term companions refers to anyone who met three criteria. First, he must have been a contemporary of Muhammad. Second, he must have seen or heard Muhammad speak on at least one occasion. Third, he must have converted to Islam. Companions are responsible for the transmission of hadith, as each hadith must have as its first transmitter a companion. There were many other companions in addition to the ones listed here. List in alphabetic order:
- Aamir
- Abdullah ibn Abbas
- Abdulrahman
- Abu Bakr
- Ali
- Bilal the Ethiopian
- Hamza
- Sa'd
- Sa'eed
- Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas
- Salman the Persian
- Suhaib the Roman
- Talha
- Umar
- Uthman
- Zubair

The death of Muhammad

After a short illness, Muhammad died around noon on Monday 8 June 632, in the city of Medina at the age of sixty-three. According to Shi'a Islam, Muhammad had appointed his son-in-law Ali as his successor, in a public sermon at Ghadir Khumm. But Abu Bakr and Umar intrigued to oust Ali and make Abu Bakr the leader or caliph. The majority Sunni sect dispute this, and say that the leaders of the community conferred and freely chose Abu Bakr, who was pre-eminent among the followers of Muhammad. However it happened, Abu Bakr became the new leader. He spent much of his short reign suppressing rebellious tribes in the Ridda Wars. With unity restored in Arabia, the Muslims looked outward and commenced the conquests that would eventually unite the Middle East under the caliphs.

Muhammad's descendants

Middle East. The mosque now contains the tombs of Muhammad and the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab]] Muhammad was survived by his daughter Fatima and her children. (Some say that he had a daughter Zainab, who had borne a daughter, Amma or Umama, who survived him as well.) In Shi'a Islam, it is believed that Fatima's husband 'Ali and his descendants are the rightful leaders of the faithful. The Sunni do not accept this view, but they still honor Muhammad's descendents. Descendents of Muhammad are known by many names, such as sayyids, syeds سيد, and sharifs شريف (plural: ِأشراف Ashraaf). Many rulers and notables in Muslim countries, past and present, claim such descent, with various degrees of credibility, such as the Fatimid dynasty of North Africa, the Idrisis, the current royal families of Jordan and Morocco, and the Agha Khan Imams of the Ismaili branch of Islam. In various Muslim countries, there are societies that authenticate claims of descent; some societies are more credible than others.

Muhammad's historical significance

Before his death in 632, Prophet Muhammad had established Islam as a social and political force and had unified most of Arabia. A few decades after his death, his successors had united all of Arabia, and conquered Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Armenia, and much of North Africa. By 750, Islam had emerged as the spiritual counterpart to the two great monotheistic belief systems, Judaism and Christianity, and as the geopolitical successor to the Roman Empire. The rest of North Africa had come under Muslim rule, as well as the entire Iberian Peninsula and much of Central Asia (including Sind, in the Indus Valley). Under the Ghaznavids, in the tenth century, Islam was spread to the mainly Hindu principalities east of the Indus by conquering armies in what is now northern India. Even later, Islam expanded peacefully into much of Africa and Southeast Asia. Islam is now the faith of well over a billion people all over the globe, and is the second largest religion of the present day.

Muslim veneration of Muhammad

Image:Muhammad callig.gif|The name "Muhammad" written in Arabic calligraphy. Many Muslims believe that Islam prohibits art depicting humans or animals; much Islamic art is decorative calligraphy or arabesque (abstract pattern). Image:Miraj2.jpg|A 16th century Persian miniature painting celebrating Muhammad's ascent into the Heavens, a journey known as the Miraj. Muhammad's face is veiled.

All Muslims feel a great love and veneration for Muhammad, and express this feeling in many ways.
- When speaking or writing, Muhammad's name is preceded by the title "Prophet" and is followed by the phrase, Peace be upon him, or Peace be upon him and his descendents by Shias; in English often abbreviated as "(pbuh)" and "pbuh&hd", or just simply as "p".
- Concerts of Muslim and especially Sufi devotional music include songs praising Muhammad (see Muslim music, Qawwali).
- Some Muslims celebrate the birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid) with elaborate festivities. Others do not, believing that such festivities are modern innovations.
- Criticism of Muhammad is often equated with blasphemy, which is punishable by death in some Muslim states.
- Muhammad is often referenced with titles of praise.
- Muhammad's relics, such as his grave, his sword, his clothing, even strands of his hair, are revered by some.
- Even non-iconic representations of Muhammad are traditionally discouraged. From the 16th century however, Persian and Ottoman art frequently represented Muhammad in miniatures, albeit with his his face either veiled, or emanating radiance (see e.g. Siyer-i Nebi).
- Beyond the stories accepted as canonical by Islamic scholars of hadith, or oral traditions, there are many folktales praising Muhammad and recounting miraculous stories of his birth, upbringing and life.

References

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- Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3310
- Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64
- Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 65

External links

;Non-sectarian biography
- [http://www.pbs.org/muhammad Public Broadcasting System program on Muhammad]
- [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553918/Muhammad_(prophet).html/ Encarta Encyclopedia]
- [http://31.1911encyclopedia.org/M/MA/MAHOMET.htm 1911 Encyclopedia article of Muhammad] ;Muslim biographies
- [http://www.al-sunnah.com/nektar/ Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)- Memoirs of the Noble Prophet]
- [http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MH_LM/default.htm The Life of Muhammad] Muhammad Husayn Haykal Translated by Isma'il Razi A. al-Faruqi
- [http://www.islamonline.net/English/In_Depth/mohamed/1424/index.shtml Islamonline]
- [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/prophet/ About Muhammad]
- [http://www.muhammad.net/ Muhammad Biography and more] ;Critical perspectives:
- [http://www.answering-islam.org.uk/Books/Jeffery/historical_mhd.htm The Quest for the Historical Mohammed]
- [http://debate.org.uk/topics/theo/muhbiog.htm Trends in Biographies of Muhammad] ;Other
- [http://www.usna.edu/Users/humss/bwheeler/swords/swords_index.html Swords of the Prophet Muhammad] Category:Muslims Category:Arab people Category:Islamic prophets Category:Islam Category:570 births Category:632 deaths Category:Revolutionaries ko:무함마드 ms:Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. ja:ムハンマド・イブン＝アブドゥッラーフ simple:Muhammad th:มุฮัมมัด

Fatima Zahra

Fatima Zahra also called Fatemeh Al Zahraa or Az-Zahra () was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his first wife Khadija. She was born in Mecca, northwestern Arabia, around 614 (Shi'a tradition) or 606 CE (Sunni tradition) and died in Medina in 632, soon after her father Muhammad's death. In 624, she was married to her father's cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was one of Muhammad's lieutenants and later, the fourth caliph, or leader of the Muslims. (Note that this is controversial; Shi'a Muslims believe that Ali was the first legitimate caliph.) Fatima had two sons by Ali, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, and two daughters, Umm Khultum bint Ali and Zaynab bint Ali. The two major Muslim groups, Shi'a and Sunni, generally agree on this much, but give very different detailed accounts of her life.

The Sunni view of Fatima

According to Sunni historians, Fatima was the youngest of the four daughters whom Khadija bore to Muhammad. She died of natural causes and was buried privately. Sunni historians do not accept as authentic the accounts of her injuries and miscarriage at the hands of Umar and his men. Sunnis regard her as a loving and devoted daughter and wife, a sincere Muslim, and an exemplar for Muslim women. They also call her Al-Zahra, the Lady of Light. The Khamsa, an amulet popularly believed to ward off evil and widely used in the Maghreb, represents the Hand of Fatima.

The Shi'a view of Fatima

According to Shi'a Muslims, Fatima was Muhammad's only daughter. Tales that he had other daughters by Khadija were spread by Sunni controversialists, who wished to deny Ali the distinction of being Muhammad's only son-in-law. She was very close to her father. Her children, his grandsons Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn, were very dear to him. However, Muhammad's young wife, Aisha, disliked both Fatima and Ali; she envied their relationship with her husband, she was jealous of Muhammad's high regard for the deceased Khadija, and she had a grudge against Ali for his refusal to defend her when she was accused of adultery. When Muhammad died, Aisha and her father Abu Bakr intrigued to grab the leadership of the Muslim community. Muhammad had wanted Ali to succeed him, the Shi'a say, but his wishes were ignored. After Abu Bakr assumed leadership, he asked the Muslims to swear allegiance to him, as was the Arab custom of the time. Ali and his followers refused; they were called the Rafidi, or refusers. They were harassed and threatened by Abu Bakr's supporters. According to the Shi'a, Umar al-Khattab was one of Abu Bakr's most zealous supporters. He led a party of armed men against Ali's house in Medina and called for Ali and his men to come out and swear allegiance. He would burn the house down if they did not submit. Ali refused to come out and Umar and his men pushed into the house. Fatima was standing behind the door, and when the door was pushed open suddenly, she was crushed between the wall and door. This caused severe injury. She was pregnant at the time and she miscarried of a son whom the Shi'a call Al Muhsin. She later died of her injuries and was buried at night, secretly, by Ali. He did not want Abu Bakr and Umar, whom he blamed for his wife's death, to attend her funeral. Shi'as regard Fatima as the greatest woman who has ever lived, the leader of all women in Paradise, the pattern of female virtue. She was the wife of the first Shi'a Imam and the mother of the second and third, and the ancestress of all the succeeding Imams.

Titles

- Al-Zahra (The lady of light)
- Al-Batool (The pure one)
- Al-Tahira (The virtuous)
- Al-Siddiqa (The truthful)
- Al-Afzal al-Nisa (The most supreme of the women)
- Al-Azhra (The chaste)
- Al-Zakiyah (The chaste)
- Al-Mardhiah (The one who pleases God)
- Al-Radhiah (The gratified)
- Al-Mubarakah (The blessed)
- The Lady of Paradise

Who is right?

As noted in other articles about early Islamic history, our only sources for these events are oral traditions that were written down more than one hundred years after the events they purport to recount. The Sunni have their traditions, the Shi'a have theirs. It is extremely difficult to judge which is more trustworthy. See the article on Historiography of early Islam. Also see Succession to Muhammad for further discussion and references.

External links

- [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/history/biographies/sahaabah/bio.FATIMAH_BINT_MUHAMMAD.html A biography of Fatimah.]
- [http://www.balagh.net/english/ahl_bayt/fatima_the_gracious/index.htm Fatima The Gracious (as viewed by The Shia)] Category:606 births Category:614 births Category:632 deaths

Da'i al-Mutlaq

Vicegerent

Vicegerent is the official administrative deputy of a ruler or head of state. (Latin: vice (in place of) + gerens (governing).) A common blunder is to use the word "viceregent" instead.

Notable vicegerents

- Thomas Cromwell, vicegerent of Henry VIII, appointed 1535 Category:Titles

Syedi Khuzaima Qutbuddin

Syedi Khuzaima Qutbuddin is the son of Syedna Taher Saifuddin and was appointed to the office of Mazoon by the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. According to Dawoodi Bohra belief, the Dai, Mazoon and Mukasir are living proof of the presence of the Fatimid Imam in seclusion. This proof is evident in the Misaaq (oath of allegiance) given to the Dai, usually during age 15 for both men and women of the Dawoodi Bohra faith.

Syedi Husain Husamuddin

Syedi Husain Husamuddin is the son of the 51st Da'i al-Mutlaq His Holiness Dr. Syedna Taher Saifuddin. Syedi Husamuddin was appointed to the office of Mukasir by the present His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (TUS) after the death of the previous Mukasir al-Dawat Syedi Saleh Safiyuddin.

Gujarat

Gujarat (ગુજરાત in Gujarati) is the most industrialized state in India after Maharashtra and is located in western India, bordered by Pakistan to the northwest and Rajasthan to the north. Its capital is Gandhinagar, a planned city close to Ahmedabad, the former state capital and the commercial center of Gujarat. The state of Gujarat was created on May 1, 1960, out of the northern, predominantly Gujarati-speaking portion of Bombay state. The southern, predominantly Marathi-speaking portion of Bombay state became Maharashtra. Gujarat has become one of the fastest-growing states in the country; Gujarat had an average per capita income of Rs. 9,289.10, compared to Rs. 6400, the average for all Indian states. Gujarat has given India three of the most prominent leaders in the independence movement: Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Morarji Desai. Gujaratis have also been leaders in the arts and the sciences; Vikram Sarabhai, a Gujarati, was the father of India's space program. They are, however, mostly noted for their entrepreneurial spirit.

Administrative divisions of Gujarat

See article, Districts of Gujarat Gujarat comprises of 25 districts. The districts are : districts

Geography

Gujarat is the westernmost state of India. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, by the state of Rajasthan to the north and northeast, by Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by Maharashtra to the south and southeast. The relief is low in the most part of the state. The climate is mostly dry, and even desertic in the north-west. Gujarat has about 1600 km of coastline and it is the longest coastline of all Indian states. This coastline includes the Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Cambay. The major cities in Gujarat are Ahmedabad, Vadodara (Baroda), Surat, and Rajkot. Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state and the sixth largest in India. Other important cities in the south of Gujarat are Nadiad, Anand Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Navsari, Vapi, and Valsad; in the north are Jamnagar, Bhuj and Dwarka. Gujarat is home to several National Parks, including Gir Forest National Park (Girnar), near Junagadh, Velavadar National Park in Bhavnagar District, Vandsa National Park in Bulser District, and Marine National Park on the Gulf of Kutch in Jamnagar District. The last remaining Asian lions, famous for their dark black manes, live in Girnar. There are also a number of wildlife sanctuaries and nature preserves, including Anjal, Balaram-Ambaji, Barda, Jambughoda, Jessore, Kachchh Desert, Khavda, Nal Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar, Paniya, Purna, Rampura, Ratanmahal, and Surpaneshwar.

History

Situated on the western coast of India, the name of the state is derived from Gujjaratta, which means the land of the Gujjars. It is believed that a tribe of Gujjars migrated to India around the 5th century. The history of Gujarat, however, began much earlier. Settlements of the Indus Valley Civilisation, also known as the Harappan Civilisation, have been found in the area now known as Gujarat. Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch, served as ports and trading centres in the Maurya and Gupta empires. After the fall of the Gupta empire in the 6th century, Gujarat flourished as an independent Hindu kingdom. The Maitraka dynasty, descended from a Gupta general, ruled from the 6th to the 8th centuries from their capital at Vallabhi, although they were ruled briefly by Harsha during the 7th century. The Arab rulers of Sind sacked Vallabhi in 770, bringing the Maitraka dynasty to an end. A branch of the Pratihara clan ruled Gujarat after the eighth century. In 775 the first Parsi (Zoroastrian) refugees arrived in Gujarat from Iran. The Solanki clan of Rajputs ruled Gujarat from c. 960 to 1243. Gujarat was a major center of Indian Ocean trade, and their capital at Anhilwara (Patan) was one of the largest cities in India, with population estimated at 100,000 in the year 1000. In 1026, the famous Somnath temple in Gujarat was destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni. After 1243, the Solkanis lost control of Gujarat to their feudatories, of whom the Vaghela chiefs of Dholka came to dominate Gujarat. In 1292 the Vaghelas became tributaries of the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri in the Deccan. In 1297 to 1298 Ala ud din Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, destroyed Anhilwara and incorporated Gujarat into the Delhi Sultanate. After Timur's sacking of Delhi at the end of the 14th century weakened the Sultanate, Gujarat's Muslim governor Zafar Khan Muzaffar asserted his independence, and his son, Sultan Ahmed Shah (ruled 1411 to 1442), established Ahmedabad as the capital. Cambay eclipsed Bharuch as Gujarat's most important trade port. The Sultanate of Gujarat remained independent until 1576, when the Mughal emperor Akbar conquered it and annexed it to the Mughal empire. It remained a province of the Mughal empire until the Marathas conquered eastern and central Gujarat in the 18th century; Western Gujarat (Kathiawar and Kutch) were divided among numerous local rulers. Kutch Kutch Portugal was the first European power to arrive in Gujarat, acquiring several enclaves along the Gujarati coast, including Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The British East India Company established a factory in Surat in 1614, which formed their first base in India, but it was eclipsed by Mumbai after the British acquired it from Portugal in 1668. The Company wrested control of much of Gujarat from the Marathas during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Many local rulers, notably the Maratha Gaekwads of Baroda (Vadodara), made a separate peace with the British, and acknowledged British sovereignty in return for retaining local self-rule. Gujarat was placed under the political authority of Bombay Presidency, with the exception of Baroda state, which had a direct relationship with the Governor-General of India. From 1818 to 1947, most of present-day Gujarat, including Kathiawar, Kutch, and northern and eastern Gujarat were divided into dozens of princely states, but several districts in central and southern Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Broach (Bharuch), Kaira, Panch Mahals, and Surat, were ruled directly by British officials.

Indian Independence Movement

The people of Gujarat were the most enthusiastic participants of India's struggle for freedom. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, K.M. Munshi, Narhari Parikh, Mahadev Desai, Mohanlal Pandya and Ravi Shankar Vyas all hailed from Gujarat. It was also the site of the most number of popular revolts, including the Satyagrahas in Kheda, Bardoli, Borsad and the Salt Satyagraha. See Also: List of Gujarati Freedom Fighters

Post Independence

After Indian independence and the partition of India in 1947, the new Indian government grouped the former princely states of Gujarat into three larger units; Saurashtra, which included the former princely states on the Kathiawar peninsula, Kutch, and Bombay state, which included the former British districts of Bombay Presidency together with most of Baroda state and the other former princely states of eastern Gujarat. In 1956, Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra, and parts of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh in central India. The new state had a mostly Gujarati-speaking north and a Marathi-speaking south. Agitation by Marathi nationalists for their own state led to the split of Bombay state on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970. In Gujarat a few new towns have been established since Indian independence in 1947. Most of these are more like settlements established near existing urban centres. Gandhidham, Sardarnagar and Kubernagar are three rehabilitation towns more of refugee settlements than self-sufficient towns. The last two now form part of the city of Ahmedabad. Ankleswar and Mithapur were two of the earlier industrial towns established in Gujarat. A complex of three small townships for the oil refinery, the Fertilizer Factory and Petro-chemicals plant also came up near Baroda. Kandla is the only new port town established in the State. Gujarat was hit with a devastating earthquake on January 26, 2001 at 9:00am claiming a staggering 20,000 lives, injuring another 200,000 people and severely affecting the lives of 40 million Gujaratis. The economic and financial loss to Gujarat and India was deeply felt for years to come. It was also the site of one of the worst outbreaks of communal violence between Hindus and Muslims, which left over 1,000 people dead.

Politics

Gujarat is governed by a Legislative Assembly of 182 members. Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) are elected on the basis of adult suffrage from one of 182 constituencies, of which 13 are reserved for scheduled castes and 26 for scheduled tribes. The term of office for a member of the Legislative Assembly is five years. The Legislative Assembly elects a speaker, who presides over the meetings of the legislature. A governor is appointed by the President of India, and is empowered to summon, prorogue, and dissolve the Legislative Assembly, and to address the House after every general election and the commencement of each year's first session of the Legislative Assembly. The Leader of the Legislative Assembly is the leader of the majority party or coalition in the legislature (Chief Minister), or his or her designee. The Leader sets the dates of the legislative sessions, and decides what business is to be transacted in the legislature and what order it is taken up. The administration of the state is led by the Chief Minister. After independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress party (INC) ruled the Bombay state (which included present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra). Congress continued to govern Gujarat after the state's creation in 1960. During and after India's State of Emergency of 1975-1977, public support for the Congress Party eroded, but it continued to hold government until 1995. In the 1995 Assembly Polls, the Congress lost to the BJP and Keshubhai Patel came to power. His Government lasted only 2 years. The fall of that government was provoked by a split in the BJP led by Shankersinh Vaghela. BJP returned to power in 1998 state assembly polls and has won most of the subsequent polls. In 2001, following the loss of 2 assembly seats in by-elections, Keshubhai Patel resigned and handed over power to Narendra Modi. The BJP retained a majority in the 2002 election, and Narendra Modi has since served as Chief Minister of the state. As of 2004, key figures in Gujarat politics are: # Narendra Modi, Chief Minister (BJP) # Shankersinh Vaghela, MIP representing Kapadvanj constituency; Indian Government Textile Minister (INC). # Keshubhai Patel (BJP) # Sureshbhai Mehta (BJP) Main article: Chief Ministers of Gujarat Following are the Chief Ministers of Gujarat. (They are ordered by the date from which they took office for the first time)
- Dr. Shri Jivraj Narayan Mehta
- Balwantrai Mehta
- Hitendra K Desai
- Ghanshyambhai C. Oza
- Chimanbhai J Patel
- Babubhai J Patel
- Madhavsinh F. Solanki
- Amarsinh Chaudhary
- Chhabildas Mehta
- Keshubhai S. Patel
- Sureshchandra R. Mehta
- Shankersinh L. Vaghela
- Dilipbhai Ramanbhai Parikh
- Narendra Modi

Economy

It is one of India's most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India's average. Major resources produced by the state include cotton, peanuts, dates, sugarcane, and petrol. Surat, a city by the Gulf of Khambat, is a hub of global diamond trade. Much of its diamond trade is controlled by a handful of families professing the Jain faith. Also on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometers southeast of Bhavnagar, is the Alang Ship Recycling Yard, the

Dawoodi Bohras

Fatimid Origins

Contemporary Dawoodi Bohras

Contributions to the Community At-Large

Current Notable Official Events

See also

External links and references

Mustaali

Ismaili

Location

History(accuracy questioned)

Sub-sects

Mustaali groups: Dawoodi Bohras, Alavi Bohras

History of the Nizari Ismaili community in the 20th century

The Nizari Ismaili community today

The "Hashishin" issue

External links

References

Muslim

Definition

Etymology

Pronunciation and spelling

Other words for Muslim

Disputes

See also

See also

Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin

The 52nd Vicegerent Of The Fatimid Imam

Education, Culture & Upliftment For Men & Women

Ambassador Of Peace

See also

External links and references

Da'i al-Mutlaq

Taiyab abi al-Qasim

Muhammad

Summary

Sources about Muhammad's life

Muhammad's life according to Sira

Muhammad's genealogy

Childhood

Middle years

The first revelations

Rejection

Isra and Miraj

Hijra

War

Muhammad's rule consolidated

Continued warfare

The conquest of Mecca

Unification of Arabia

Muhammad as a warrior

Muhammad's family life

Companions of Muhammad

The death of Muhammad

Muhammad's descendants

Muhammad's historical significance

Muslim veneration of Muhammad

See also

References

External links

Fatima Zahra

The Sunni view of Fatima

The Shi'a view of Fatima

Titles

Who is right?

See also

External links

Da'i al-Mutlaq

Vicegerent

Notable vicegerents

Syedi Khuzaima Qutbuddin

Syedi Husain Husamuddin

Gujarat

Administrative divisions of Gujarat

Geography

History

Indian Independence Movement

Post Independence

Politics

Economy