Encyclopedia of Islam

boat

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Further reading: George F. Hourani, Arab Seafaring in 

the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times

(Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995); 

Dionisius A. Agius, In the Wake of the Dhow (London: 

Ithaca Press, 2002).

Bohra

Bohras, whose name comes from the Gujurati 

verb “to trade,” are members of an Ismaili Shia 

community founded in Gujurat, i

ndia

, in the late 

11th century. The seat of the F

atimid

 

dynasty

,

then in c

airo

, dispatched the dawat, or religious 

mission, to western India to increase membership 

in this tradition of Islam. Early in the process, a 

disagreement concerning the identity of the 19th 

i

mam

 divided Ismailism; the Bohras believe that 

Mustali billah (d. 1101) was designated as the 

19th Imam, while the Nizari Ismailis believe that 

this authority was invested in Nizar (d. 1095). In 

1132, the 21st Imam from the line of Mustali bil-

lah, al-Tayyibi, became hidden from public. This 

line of Imams continues in secret to this day. Since 

al-Tayyibi’s concealment (

ghayba

), the community 

has been led by a series of chief dais (religious 

propagandists, missionaries); these leaders pos-

sess the title of dai al-mutlaq (cleric of absolute 

authority). The dai al-mutlaq is the chief religious 

figure of the Bohra community. He guides his fol-

lowers in both spiritual and worldly matters and is 

thought to be in contact with the Hidden Imam.

The largest community of Bohras is the Daudi 

Bohras, named after their 27th dai, Daud ibn 

Qutb Shah (d. 1612). They number about 1 mil-

lion, live throughout South Asia, East Africa, the 

Middle East, and the west, and are led by the 52nd 

al-dai al-mutlaq, Muhammad Burhan al-Din (b. 

1915), whose headquarters are in Bombay. Since 

succeeding his father to the office of dai in 1965, 

Burhan al-Din has initiated a number of changes 

in the religious and administrative aspects of the 

faith, emphasizing the congruence between Islam 

and modernity. He has built an extensive network 

of Bohra schools whose curricula include the 

combination of Islamic and non-Islamic subjects, 

he has mandated a distinctive dress code for the 

community, and he has helped to restore Fatimid 

relics and architectural sites in e

gypt

.

The Daudi Bohras retain a religious hierarchy 

similar to that of their Fatimid ancestors. The dai 

al-mutlaq, who is appointed by his predecessor, 

is responsible for filling positions in the dawat.

Local religious functions are performed by amils

(deputies/priests), community representatives of 

the  dawat. The Daudi Bohas also follow seven 

(rather than five) pillars of Islam, as articulated 

by Fatimid jurists. These are: 

walaya

 (love and 

allegiance) to God, the Prophets, the dais, and 

the Imams; tahara (ritual purity); salah (

prayer

); 

zakat (

almsgiving

); sawm (

Fasting

); 

haJJ

 (pilgrim-

age to Mecca); and 

Jihad

 (struggle).

Other Bohra communities retain doctrinal 

beliefs similar to those of the Daudi Bohras. 

The Sulaymani Bohras, who have approximately 

74,000 adherents, mostly in India and Yemen, 

follow a different line of dais and are named after 

their 27th dai, Suleyman ibn Hasan (d. 1597). The 

Aliya Bohras are named after Ali ibn Ibrahim (d. 

1637) and have approximately 5,000 adherents.

See also 

daawa

; i

smaili

 s

hiism

.

Jamel Velji