“The Dawoodi Bohras, a unique Muslim denomination who have found the core of their religious beliefs largely compatible with modern ideology. Combining orthodox Muslim prayer, dress and practice with secular education, relative gender equality, and Internet use, this community serves as a surprising reminder that the central values of modernity are hardly limited to the West.” These are lines from the book ‘Mullahs on the mainframe: Islam and modernity among the Dawoodi Bohras’ written by Jonah Blank, an anthropologist and journalist which delves into the minutest details of this community.

Who are these people you see; men dressed in white kurta and pajamas with gold-rimmed caps and women in colourful ‘ridas’ wrapped up in a fervour these days; people who can be seen gathered in the streets of Karachi to catch a glimpse of their spiritual leader, His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin? Syedna Burhanuddin Saheb is in Karachi as State Guest and the Dawoodi Bohras are caught in a frenzy to celebrate their spiritual leader’s 93rd birthday.

The Dawoodi Bohra denomination is included in the world Muslim Ummah. The community traces its spiritual heritage from the Prophet Hazrat Mohammed SAW and Hazrat Ali SA, and continuing through their successors, the Fatemi Imams, who functioning first from Medina, spread over to North Africa and Egypt in the succeeding centuries.

The great kingdoms these Imams founded, the noble traditions of thought and philosophy they fostered, the immense wealth of literature they produced and guarded, the resplendent civilization they established and the wise way of life they pursued, with Islam and the Holy Quran being the bedrock; the fountainhead of all knowledge, have all come to be known as ‘Fatimi’ after Hazrat Fatima SA the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet SAW and the consort of Hazrat Ali SA, thus linking two venerable personalities together.

After a glorious reign in Egypt, having to their credit the founding of the city of Cairo, starting the renowned University of Al-Azhar, the Fatemi Imams wrote into the Egyptian history the unrivalled Fatemi era. From Egypt, the center of Fatemi authority and activity was shifted to Yemen in Arabia. The 20th Imam decided that the time had come to keep away from the public eye, and made elaborate preparations for seclusion at the appropriate moment and also for preservation and continuation of the Fatemi tradition, from Yemen. For this, the institution of the vicegerent of the Imam, who was to function as sole deputy of the Imams in seclusion, was established. The vicegerent came to be known as the Dai-al-Mutlaq who carries on the mission in the name of the Imams. This institution continues till today in the name of His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the 52nd Fatemi Dai-al-Mutlaq. In the year 1539 the transfer of the Fatemi Dawat took place from Yemen to India.

These shifts have left an indelible impression of Fatemi culture and heritage on the history of several continents and lands the Imams and Dais have graced. In each a considerable following settled down to carry on the traditional Fatemi way of life. Thus the community spread and diversified.

The Bohra denomination is the grouping of believers on the basis of the voluntary acceptance of a faith and a code of beliefs, tenets, conduct and way of life; peoples of many nationalities and colour under one religious banner, accepting the benevolent leadership and guidance of their Dai-al-Mutlaq. Each community member is free to choose to remain within the fold or opt out. There is no room for, confusion, doubt or even compulsion. Membership is not inherited by birth. The child after reaching puberty has to receive the religious oath of fealty (Misaq) to be enrolled as a follower. The Dai-al-Mutlaq is constantly in touch with the believers; he is the catalyst who preserves the identity of the denomination. Neither materialism nor heresay is allowed to weaken the spiritual will of a Dawoodi Bohra.

It is due to the personal involvement of the Dai-al-Mutlaq in the lives of the followers, possessing the intuition of sensing difficulties or anticipating spheres of greater opportunity by advising, encouraging and assisting the followers, that the community has spread and flourished.

Today, through the nine decades of his life, Syedna Mohammd Burhanuddin, the 52nd Dai-al-Mutlaq, has inspired and educated, counseled and nurtured his followers. The love and devotion that the Dawoodi Bohras have for him becomes amply evident, be it in a gathering of thousands who jostle for a glimpse of the serene countenance, or seek personal audience with him. This love so much a part of religion is mutual, as Syedna TUS reiterates, “I know you love me dearly but I, your father, love you even more. You belong to me and I to you.”

The modern age has destroyed or weakened many religious groups and regimes. Economic changes, new social forces and fresh ideas all combined to challenge authority. But the Dawoodi Bohra community has withstood all and continues not only to maintain its identity but grows stronger in faith.

Jonah Blank further goes on to note about the community, after spending a protracted period of time with the community members, “… the Bohra clergy has attempted—with great success—to establish a communal identity that is at once universally Islamic and unique to the denomination. Moreover, it has done so not by rejecting modern or Western ideas and technologies, but by embracing them: the Bohras have used modernity as a tool to reinvigorate their core traditions.”

“The Bohras uphold most aspects of Islamic orthopraxy faithfully. In all matters of prayer, dress, physical comportment, and even avoidance of financial interest, they seem to be highly conservative. At the same time they eagerly adopt any and every aspect of Western culture which does not fall into the sphere of forbidden. Far from displaying the anti-Western attitudes sometimes found among other revivalist groups, Bohras proudly send their children to Britain or the USA for education, exhibit greater gender equality than most communities of the sub continent, and have become internet pioneers uniting members of their far flung denomination into a world wide cyber congregation.

Is this unusual? But there is no reason that it has to be. Most aspects of ‘modern’ society that the Bohras reject are not really modern at al. The Bohra clergy urges the faithful to renounce alcohol, drugs, and promiscuity. But are these truly the hallmarks of modern society? People all over the world have been brewing alcohol, ingesting all manner or narcotics, and engaging in every conceivable sexual practice since the dawn of recorded history. Rejection of these practices is anti modern only if modern society is defined solely by its vices.

The Dawoodi Bohras shatter stereotypes about traditionalist Islam today. As a community of upto 1 million devout Shia whose faith whose faith is every bit as fundamental to them as it is for Afghans, Saudis, or Iranians, they present an example that must be taken seriously. While adhering faithfully to traditional Islamic norms, the Bohras eagerly accept most aspects of modernity, strongly support the concept of pluralist civil society, boast a deeply engrained heritage of friendly engagement with members of other communities, and have a history of apolitical quietism stretching back nearly a thousand years.”