54th Dai al-Mutlaq Syedna Taher Fakhruddin

Al-Dai al-Ajall al-Fatemi Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS succeeds our most beloved and forever remembered Muqaddas Maulana Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA, as 54^th Dai of the Dawoodi Bohra community. As Moiz Imam said to Syedna Qadi l-Nu’man, “One Maula has passed away, but another Maula remains.” (Maulaka mada wa-maulaka baqiya). This year on the 27th of Muharram, the Urus Mubarak of Syedi Fakhruddin Shaheed RA in the Poconos, USA, Syedna Qutbuddin performed Nass on Syedna Taher as his successor and granted him the laqab Fakhruddin. Maulana Qutbuddin advised the witnesses to keep the Nass confidential and gave to their safekeeping his handwritten wasiyyat of Nass.

Beloved eldest son of Syedna Qutbuddin, Maulana Taher was born in Mumbai on 26^th Rabiul Akhar 1388H (21 July 1968), during the era of the 52^nd Dai Muqaddas Maulana Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, who gave him the mubarak name of his revered grandfather Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA. Syedna Burhanuddin bestowed on him many special blessings and honors, including haddiyyat. In his childhood and youth Maulana Taher had the azeem sharaf of taking regular sabaq with Maulana Burhanuddin.

Throughout Maulana Taher’s life, moreover, he received his father Maulana Qutbuddin’s continuous personal and special training in ilm-e Aal-e Mohammed and in the running and siyasat of Dawat affairs. For some years, Maulana Taher lived in Cairo, and studied Arabic and Quran memorization and recitation.

In secular institutions, Maulana Taher obtained an MA in Arabic literature from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and prior to that, he topped the cohort of Bombay University in his Arabic literature B.A.

Like Syedna Ismail Badruddin Bawa RA—on whose Urus mubarak this year Syedna Qutbuddin obtained wafaat and Maulana Taher became Dai— Maulana Taher also possesses acute business acumen, and is especially well versed in agricultural development and finance.

Syedna Fakhruddin performed selfless and tireless khidmat of Syedna Burhanuddin RA and his Mansoos and Mazoon Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA.

He delivered Ashara waaz in Thane for the first time at a notice of only three days at the young age of 20. Syedna Burhanuddin personally asked Syedna Fakhruddin three days before Muharram about his readiness to deliver waaz. Syedna Fakhruddin arazed that if it is Maulana’s farmaan I will be prepared. Syedna Fakhruddin also delivered waaz in Mohammadiyya, Ujjain, Rajkot and on the year of Syedna Burhanuddin’s 100^th Milad he delivered Ashara waaz in Karbala Mo’alla.

Syedna Taher was also at the forefront of the defense of Syedna Burhanuddin Aqa himself when communal forces tried to attack him in Bhendi Bazaar, and was fearless in taking the lead in his defense, and mumineen who were anxious but not knowing what to do then followed him and the danger on Burhanuddin Mola's person was averted. He served Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin - then Mansoos and Mazoon - diligently since a young age of 14, and later at only 18 years of age took on the full responsibility of managing all aspects of the Mazoon-e-Dawat's office and activities from khidmat of awraq (preparation for sermons), to organising social and other institutions, to managing events and audiences for mumineen. Syedna Qutbuddin referred many who came to him for advise to Syedna Taher Fakhruddin, on matters ranging from marriage counseling to business problems, to arbitrating in disputes. Syedna Taher has counseled thousands of mumineen in this manner through his more than 30 of years of khidmat, transforming and turning around the lives of many. All this in extreme and difficult circumstances when the Mazoon of Burhanuddin Mola was being maligned by people from within the family itself. There were manymareka where Syedna Taher was at the forefront in the defense of Syedna Qutbuddin when he was attacked, sometimes even physically, by his detractors.

In the two years since Syedna Burhanuddin’s wafaat in 2014, Maulana Taher has been in charge of Syedna Qutbuddin’s Fatemi Dawat’s administration in the United States, and has regularly led namaaz and conducted majlis in his home in Bakersfield, California, which have been internationally broadcast through YouTube. His Muharram waaz in both these past years have also been broadcast online, and thousands listened to the waaz and took from Maulana Taher’s bayaan the barakaat of Zikr Husain SA and Ilme Aale Muhammad SA.

May Allah Ta’ala grant Syedna Qutbuddin the jiwar of Panjetan Paak and Aimmat Fatemiyyeen in Jannaat un naeem, in the saff of the Duaat Mutlaqeen, in the shafeeq saya of Syedna Taher Saifuddin and Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. May He grant Syedna Qutbuddin afzalul jaza, from us, his humblest servants, and indeed, from the Dawat of Imamuz zaman SA.

May Allah ta’ala grant Maulana Taher, and all of us who will remember Syedna Qutbuddin in every single moment as long we live, sabr-e jameel.

May Allah ta’ala grant Syedna Taher Fakhruddin longest life till qiyamat, and the strength to perform Imamuz zaman khidmat. May Allah grant Syedna Qutbuddin qurratul ayn in his beloved son and successor.