Category: Shia Muslims in the World
Continuing to talk about the traditions of the Isma’ili Khojas, we reach their divorce, organization, and business that we are going to discuss in this article. Divorce In the Isma’ili Khoja community, divorce is not allowed without the jamaat’s permission, and the jama’at usually requires the consent of both parties to permit […]
Learning about Ismaili Khojas Customs is vital due to the significance of this ethnic group from India and Pakistan, previously a Hindu trading caste founded in the fourteenth century. They follow the Agha Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili sect. Khojas are the major Muslim trading caste in western India. The Khojas of Punjab […]
‘Raudat’ means garden while ‘Tahera’ means pure. Raudat Tahera is a white marble mausoleum that houses the tombs of two spiritual leaders of the Dawoodi Bohras, Taher Saifuddin and his son and successor Mohammed Burhanuddin, the 51st and 52nd Dāʿī al-Mutlaqs of the Dawoodi Bohra Ismaili Shia Muslims[1]. Opened in 1975, this Dawoodi Bohras holy […]
Continuing to talk about the culture and traditions of the Dawoodi Bohra Shia Muslims, we reach their food and business and some important religious rituals that matter among the community members: Cuisine The Dawoodi Bohras are famous for their culinary reputation. Joining one another for meals is a particularly well-known Bohra custom and therefore they […]
Dargah is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, usually a Shia saint or dervish. Shias often visit the shrine for Ziyarat, a term associated with religious visits and “pilgrimages”. Dargahs are often associated with the pilgrims’ eating and meeting rooms and hostels. They usually include other buildings for community purposes, such as a mosque, meeting rooms, Islamic religious schools […]
The Iftar traditions among Dawoodi Bohras is unique and different from many other customs during the month of Ramadan. While most Muslims break their fast with dates and water, the Bohra community starts all edibles – even sweets – with a little salt which they believe gives protection from numerous illnesses. Each year and every […]
The Nizari Ismailis are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizaris, along with Twelvers, adhere to the Jaʽfari school of jurisprudence. The Aga Khan, is the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizaris. The global seat of the Ismaili Imamate is in Lisbon, Portugal. The Nizari Ismailis have had their own complex history and separate doctrinal development. The circumstances of […]
History and Demographics of Sulaymani Tayyibis The Sulaymani branch of Tayyibi Isma’ilism is an Islamic community, of which around 70 thousand members reside in Yemen, while a few thousands of Sulaymani Bohras can be found in India. The Sulaymanis are headed by a Da’i al-Mutlaq from the Makrami family. “Da’I Mutlaq” is the absolute, or unrestricted, missionary who is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma’ilism. A […]
Bohras are a subset of Tayyibi, Ismaili branch of Shia Islam. The Bohras trace their heritage to the Fatimid Caliphate, named after Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, and so veneration of the Fatimid Imams and Muhammad’s family is central to their faith. In western India, the Ismaili converts, mostly of Hindu descent, are known as Bohras, a name believed to have been derived from the Gujarati […]
The Muslim community in South Asia is composed of the majority Sunni and the minority Shi’i sects. Shi’is are divided into two major groups: the larger Twelver and the smaller Isma’ili sect. The Bohra sect and Khojas are sister subsects of the Isma’ili branch. Among the Bohras there are several divisions—Daudi, Sulaymani, Aliya, and Mahdibaghwalla, […]