His Holiness Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was the 52nd incumbent to the office of al-Dai al-Mutlaq. His half-century era, beginning in 1965, saw a resurgence in the Dawoodi Bohra community’s sense of purpose and dedication to their faith. His teachings provided guidance for staying true to spiritual values while leading a fulfilling and meaningful life in the 21st century. Through his commitment to the welfare and uplift of the community and all of humanity, His Holiness transformed the lives of many.
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin strengthened the existing institutions of Dawat-e-Hadiyah and, in line with the requirements of the day and age, introduced new initiatives and established additional departments with the intention of further enriching the lives of community members. Prominent among the new departments was Faiz al-Mawaid al-Burhaniyah, the Dawoodi Bohra community kitchen initiative, which aims to provide at least one nutritious, hygienically prepared meal a day to every community household across the world.
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin revitalised the Bohras’ identity as a trading community, encouraging his followers to preserve their tradition of entrepreneurship and self-employment, coupled with an emphasis on adhering to Islamic tenets and business ethics, especially the prohibition of interest-bearing financial dealings. He institutionalised the Quranic concept of Qardan Hasana, or interest-free loans, to further the community’s economic development.
Likewise, Faiz Enayat Amakin al-Anwar, a scheme established in 2005, provides community members with housing at highly subsidised rates and facilitates home ownership through interest-free loans and grants—today operating under Dawat-e-Hadiyah’s Department for Welfare and Social Development. Syedna Burhanuddin also broadened the scope of the community’s administration to address issues which affect not just the community, but the world at large, such as establishing the Burhani Foundation for environmental research and conservation.
Redefining the community’s educational philosophy and fostering a renewed zeal in the pursuit of knowledge, he established educational institutes that blended traditional approaches to education with the best of contemporary methods and sciences. Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, a prestigious university with branches in Surat, Karachi, Nairobi and Mumbai, epitomises this philosophy, as do many schools throughout the worldwide Bohra community. The establishment of Mahad al-Zahra, a department devoted to the memorisation and study of the Holy Quran, in 1976, is the result of His Holiness’s dedication to Islamic education in the modern era.
Besides establishing centres for basic spiritual education in nearly every Bohra locality, in 1984 His Holiness founded the first of a chain of schools, known as MSB Educational Institutes, that provide holistic primary and secondary education; its students are enabled to creatively meet the challenges of higher education, career and society with their Islamic values strengthened.
