The foundation of the Dawoodi Bohra faith is based on peace, love and humanity. The Dawoodi Bohras follow the Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi school of thought. Their faith is based on the belief in one deity; Allah Taʿala, in the Holy Quran as the word of Allah and in the sacred mission of the Prophets and their successors. They worship Allah for salvation in the hereafter by following the pillars of Islam and adhering to religious practices ordained by the sharia including reciting the Quran, the five daily prayers and fasting during the month of Ramadan.

It is a core belief of the Dawoodi Bohras to adhere to the imam of the time who is the righteous legatee of the prophet. When the imam chooses to seclude himself and retire from public view, his office is occupied by the al-dai al-mutlaq who, like the imam, preserves and protects the faith until his return. The Dawoodi Bohras follow the advice and pronouncements of the dai with unwavering devotion and attend to his call of living a life of piety, peace and harmony.

Belief in the ahl al-bayt (members of the Prophet Mohammed’s household) as the rightful successors of the Prophet and as guides of mankind is central to the faith of the Dawoodi Bohras. Their traditions, in common with all Shia muslims, proclaim that Mohammed was succeeded by his legatee, Ali bin Abi Talib, who explained and interpreted the revelation received by Prophet Mohammed. Imam Ali bin Abi Talib in turn chose his sons Imam Hasan and Husain as the first two imams to continue guiding the community of believers.

An integral article of the Dawoodi Bohra faith is that an imam descended from the Prophet through his grandson, Imam Husain, always exists on earth to continue the mission of guiding mankind. Son succeeding father, the imam, like the prophet, is believed to be sinless, inerrant, immaculate and sacred, the repository of prophetic knowledge and the final interpreter of religion.

The Dawoodi Bohra community have inherited a distinguished heritage and rich historical legacy which traces to the Fatimi imams, direct descendants of the Prophet Mohammed through Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, son in law of the Prophet, and Fatima, daughter of the Prophet and wife of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib.

The Fatimi imams, adopting their name from Fatima, functioned first from Medina, spreading over to North Africa and Egypt in later centuries. During the 10th – 12th centuries, they ruled over large parts of the Islamic world extending from North Africa in the west to as far as Pakistan in the east.

The Fatimi imams of every era protected their community and strengthened the religious traditions established by the Prophet. They were inspired leaders, great builders and also lofty thinkers, scholars and writers. Their eras saw unrivalled efflorescence of thought, art and culture. Reigning in glory in Egypt, they founded the city of Cairo, started the celebrated centre of learning, al-Azhar University, which is the oldest institution of its kind in the world and wrote into Egyptian history the unforgettable Fatimi era. Their great kingdoms fostered noble traditions of thought and philosophy, produced and guarded the immense wealth of literature, established the resplendent civilisation and pursued the wise way of life.

In 1132, the 21st in the line of the imams chose complete seclusion, and ever since, the imamat continues to be run in a line of succession from father to son. It is through belief in this line of succession that the Dawoodi Bohras are said to belong to the Shia Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi branch of Islam. Although the imamat is still functional in seclusion, the 20th imam had instructed his grand emissary, Sayyida Arwa bint Ahmed, the queen of Yemen, to establish the office of al-dai al-Mutlaq to represent the imams and lead the faithful.

The origin of the name ‘Dawoodi Bohras’ is interesting. The right of the 27th Dai Syedna Dawood bin Qutubshah to the office of dawa (mission) was contested by a certain Suleman and the dispute assumed serious proportions. The matter was ultimately submitted to the authority of the Emperor Akbar. He invited Syedna Dawood to Kashmir where the Emperor was encamping and after making necessary investigations, upheld the claim of Syedna Dawood and recognised him as the rightful 27th dai. Akbar’s farman (royal decree) giving this decision is still in the possession of the present Syedna. The followers of Syedna Dawood since began to be called Dawoodi, the term Bohra being a Gujarati word for traders and businessmen.

The al-dai al-mutlaq is the representative of the imam who has been deputised the role of leading the community through the times and administering their affairs, both secular and religious.

The dais have, in the last nine centuries, played a central role in moulding the lives of the Dawoodi Bohras and contributing to the progress of the community. They act as mentors and guides for the community. Their piety and disciplined life, erudition and scholarship, judicious guidance and leadership have defined the office of al-dai al-mutlaq.

The dais have steered the community through difficult periods and provided a sense of direction and purpose that have kept them united throughout history. The dais constantly devote themselves to the task of educating their people, ameliorating their condition, teaching them arts and sciences for their enlightenment and the development of their minds. They preach religion, virtue and devotion to Allah for the salvation of the soul. The community follows the directives of the dai and abides by his counsels in different spheres of life, engendering a fulfilling and meaningful life for the Dawoodi Bohras wherever they may reside.

The first dai, Syedna Zoeb bin Musa was appointed in 532/1138 in Yemen. By this time, the community of believers had become comparatively small in number, residing almost entirely in Yemen and India. They were no longer part of a flourishing empire, but a minority group practicing their faith in solitude. Isolated from the historical movements in the hub of the northern middle-east, they were neither the direct beneficiaries of the affairs of the Islamic world, nor victims of its calamities.

Twenty three dais operated from their mountain bases in Yemen for over four centuries. Despite the turbulence of the times, having to face the onslaught of persecuting armies, the dais persevered in their mission to lead the faithful and preserve the faith. They diligently taught their followers and wrote profusely to elaborate upon and elucidate the knowledge bequeathed to them by the imams.

In India, a sizable community of followers had existed since the 5th/11th century, even before the seclusion of the imam. After seclusion, they remained loyal to the dais in Yemen and the more eminent among them used to visit Yemen and stay with the dais for long periods, obtaining first hand knowledge of the traditions of their faith and observing how the affairs of the community were managed.

Then it was decided about 450 years ago to transfer the seat of the dawa, the administrative apparatus of the dai al-mutlaq, from Yemen to India. Apart from the ties of friendly intercourse, exchange of thought and culture and trade that had existed for centuries between India and Yemen, what settled the choice of this country was the devotion of the followers in India. Since then, the dai al-mutlaqs, deriving their authority from the Fatimi imams, have been functioning on Indian soil and guiding their followers to the good life, to loyalty and dedicated service to the land of their adoption and to peace, harmony and goodwill to all.