Cause of death Cardiac arrest Name Mohammed Burhanuddin | Style His Holiness Term 1965–2014 | |
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Grandchildren Jafar us Sadiq Mufaddal Saifuddin Grandparents Mohammad Burhanuddin, Abdullah Badruddin Similar People Mufaddal Saifuddin, Taher Saifuddin, Khuzaima Qutbuddin, Abdullah Badruddin, Syed Ahmad Khan | ||
Predecessor Syedna Taher Saifuddin |
Syedna mohammed burhanuddin
Mohammed Burhanuddin (Arabic: سیدنا محمد برھان الدین; 6 March 1912 – 17 January 2014) was the 52nd Dā'ī al-Mutlaq of Dawoodi Bohras, a subgroup within the Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam. He was appointed as the 52nd Dā'ī al-Mutlaq at the age of 52 in 1967. He was the longest living Dā'ī al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra community. Compared to those of his predecessor, Burhanuddin's policies were aimed at Islamization of his sect.
Contents
- Syedna mohammed burhanuddin
- Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA Milad 1427H
- Early life
- Literary works
- Activities
- Awards and honors
- Death
- Succession
- References

Burhanuddin was presented the highest national civic honors by the leaders of Egypt and Jordan. He was the first Dā'ī al-Mutlaq to visit Europe and America.

Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA Milad 1427H
Early life

Burhanuddin was born to Taher Saifuddin and Aaisaheba Husaina Aaisaheba in Surat in the Indian state of Gujarat. At the age of twelve, he survived a car accident in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where his vehicle got hung on one wheel. He was educated by his father, Taher Saifuddin.
Literary works
The following are a list of Rasāʾil Ramaḍāniyya composed by Mohammed Burhanuddin . Each Risalah is given a title gematrically equivalent to the Hijri year of its publication:

1. 1385H - Hikmat al-Ghaybah al-Haqiqiyyah (حكمة الغيبة الحقيقية)
2. 1385H - Isteftah Zubad al-Ma'arif (استفتاح زبد المعارف)
3. 1386H - Fuyoodhaat al-Jannah (Arabic: فيوضات الجنة)
4. 1387H - Salaam Nadhrah al-Na'eem (سلام نضرة النعيم)
5. 1388H - Zaat al-Noor (ذات النور)
6. 1389H - Zuhoor Majd al-Fatimiyeen (ظهور مجد الفاطميين)
7. 1390H - Barakah Sibghah Allah (بركة صبغة الله)
The following Risālas were each composed during the corresponding year but were posthumously published under the 53rd Dāʿī, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin:
8. 1391H - Nashr al-Khayr نشر الخير.
Activities
Burhanuddin issued a dress code, calling for male Bohras to grow a beard and wear a white topi and kurta, and for females to wear a burqa. This Islamization countered a trend toward assimilation into the larger (Hindu-oriented) culture of their neighbors that was prevalent under his predecessor, Taher Saifuddin.
In October 1999, Burhanuddin was elected Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, a position that his father also held. He is credited with expanding the two century old Arabic university Al Jamea tus Saifiyah. In 1983, a new campus of "Al Jamea tus Saifiyah" was built in Karachi by him. He built "Burhaniyah Business Counselling Centre" in Mumbai to provide modern business solutions. He built Raudat Tahera, a mausoleum of his father Taher Saifuddin in Mumbai, India. It is unique for its kind, having the entire Quran inscribed on its inner white walls in letters of gold and with precious stones. It was inaugurated in 1975 by the erstwhile President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
In 1998, he constructed the Mahad al-Zahra institute for memorization and recitation of the Quran.
Mohammed Burhanuddin is credited with the establishment of community kitchens to provide meals twice a day to the Dawoodi Bohra families, thus providing free time for women to pursue economic, educational or religious activities. The community kitchens don't discriminate between the privileged and the underprivileged sections, both getting the same "good quality and hygienically-prepared" food, while the community members have the provision of paying for their own family, and for sponsoring those who cannot afford it.
Mohammad Burhanuddin is also credited with conceptualizing and establishing Saifee Hospital in Mumbai. The hospital is a state-of-the-art, multi-specialty, 250-bed hospital dedicated to providing modern medical care. It was inaugurated in 2005 by Dr. Manmohan Singh, the erstwhile prime minister of India.
Awards and honors
Death
Burhanuddin died of cardiac attack at his home Saifee Mahal in Mumbai on 17 January 2014. The Bohra community announced a 40-day mourning period in respect of the departed leader. He was buried at Raudat Tahera Mausoleum in Bhendi Bazar, Mumbai beside his father Tahir Saifuddin. His second son Mufaddal Saifuddin led the "Namaz-e-Janaza" (funeral procession) of his father at the Saifee Mosque. Half mast of Flag and state honor was given by Indian Government during his funeral.
The day after his death, a crowd of supporters assembled outside his residence to pay their respects; when the gates were opened to let them in, a human stampede ensued, killing eighteen people. A commemoration service held one year after Burhanuddin's death drew an estimated three lakh people to Mumbai; two townships were built specially to accommodate them.
Succession
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, died in January 2014. As per the tenets of the sect each predecessor is required to nominate his successor prior to his death. His death sparked a succession crisis where two rival claimants emerged for the title of 53rd Dā'ī al-Mutlaq: his son, Mufaddal Saifuddin, and his half-brother, Khuzaima Qutbuddin, who was previously Mazoon of the Dawoodi Bohra.
The challenge created a divide in the community with the vast majority aligning with Mufaddal Saifuddin whilst a small number aligned with Khuzaima Qutbuddin. Mufaddal Saifuddin assumed control of the Dawoodi Bohra administration and infrastructure. He is largely accepted as the Bohras' leader by government and other public bodies. The UK Charity Commission has stated in writing, that "our view is that His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is the current incumbent of the office of Dai al-Mutlaq."