Sulaimani Bohra
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Sulaymanis are a Mustaˤlī Ismaili community that predominantly resides in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan and India.
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This Tayyibī Isma'ilī community is named after their 27th Dāˤī, Sulayman b. Hassan, who succeeded to this position after the death of the 26th Bohra Dāˤī Mutlaq, Dawūd b. Ajabshah.
Sulayman b. Hasan was Dawūd b. Ajabshah's deputy in Yemen at the time of the latter's death and a heated dispute broke out because in India, Dawūd Burhanu d-Dīn Qutb Shāh claimed the position of dāˤī mutlaq for himself and managed to win the support of the majority of the Indian Tayyabis. Sulayman returned to India to claim the succession on the basis of the nass (explicit designation of a succession by his predecessor) of Dawūd b. Ajabshah. The heated succession dispute was brought before the Emperor Akbar at Lahore, but before any of his claim and dispute came to any conclusion, Sulayman died under mysterious circumstances.
The great majority of the Tayyabi Ismailis in Yemen and a small group of Indian Tayyabi Ismailis upheld the succession rights of Sulayman b. Hasan. Henceforth the Sulaymanis and the Dawūdis followed different duˤāt (dāˤīs).
Sulayman b. Hasan was succeeded by his elder son, Jaˤfar b. Sulayman. During his youth, Safī ud-Dīn Muhammad b. al-Fahad, belonging to the influential Makrami family of the Yemeni Isma'ili tribe of Yam, ran the affairs of the Sulaymani daˤwah as mustawda "acting dāˤī". He was later designated as 29th Dāˤī Mutlaq after Jaˤfar b. Sulayman.
The Sulaymani daˤwah headquarters was transfered to Najran in northeastern Yemen when the 31st Dāˤī, Ibrāhīm b. Muhammad b. Fahad was appointed by ˤAlī b. Sulayman.
[edit] Yemen & Najran
In Yemen, the Sulaymanis were supported by the powerful Banū Yam who, like the bulk of the Yemeni Isma'ilis, had sided with Sulayman b. Hasan and the Sulaymani cause. Sulaymani duˤāt ruled Najran independently, usually from Badar.
The Sulaymani duˤāt fought battles with local [Zaydi]] Imāms who ruled Yemen after expelling the Ottomans in 1045/1635. During the dāˤīship of Hibatullah b. Ibrahim al-Makrami, the Zaydis formed a pact with the Sulaymanis which allowed the latter to control Haraz.
In the mid 12th/18th century, the Sulaymanis, led by their duˤāt, were able to take control of the Mikhlafu s-Sulaymani, which adjoins the Red Sea. Later, they went on to conquer Hadramawt in 1170/1756 and attained political power in that area. It was at this time that they were faced by the rising power of the Saˤūdī family of Central Arabia. In the mid 12th/18th century, it lay under the banner of the powerful Muhammad b. Saˤūd; this marked the the beginning of the Wahhabi State in Central Arabia.
By 1202/1788, all of Najd had been conquered by ibn Saˤūd's son and successor, ˤAbdu l-ˤAzīz, who was successful in repelling three expedition sent against him by the Sulaymanis. However, in 1288/1871 the Ottomans reoccupied Yemen and curtailed the power of the Zaydi Imāms and expelled the Sulaymanis from Haraz. The 42nd Dāˤī, al-Hasan b. Ismail ash-Shibam al-Makrami, was killed at this time and their fortress at Attara was destroyed. It was this event that marked the end of the political power of the Sulaymanis and the Makrami dynasty in Yemen.
Sulaymani duˤāt and their community in Yemen withstood much hostility from the Zaydis; after accepting a peace settlement with the Saˤūdīs, their duˤāt moved permanently to Najran.
In the 20th century, ˤAbdu l-ˤAzīz II became king of Saˤūdī Arabia and war broke out with Yemen over a boundary dispute. After defeating the Zaydi Imam Yahyá, the demarcation of the boundaries was drawn up and Najran, seat of the duˤāt, was apportioned to Saˤūdī Arabia. Though times were turbulent, the 46th Dāˤī, ˤAlī b. Muhsin, used all of his diplomatic skill and foresight to handle this dispute carefully, conferring with King ibn Saˤūd and Imām Yahyá.
The 47th Dāˤī was an Indian, Ghulam Husayn, who visited Yemen and Najran twice but died unexpectedly. The 48<su>th Dāˤī was Sharīfu d-Dīnu l-Husayn b. Ahmadu l-Makrami, who eventually died in Ta'if.
In recent years, after a long illness, the 51st Dāˤī, ash-Sharīfī Husayn b. Isma'ilm died on 2 June 2005. He was succeeded by al-Faqrī ˤAbdullāh b. Muhammad al-Makrami.
The total number of Sulaymanis currently are around 300,000, mainly living in Najran, Saudi Arabia. Beside the Banu Yam of Najran, the Sulaymanis are in the eastern district of Haraz in the northwest of Yemen, among the inhabitants of the Jabal Maghriba and in Hawzan, Lahab and Attara, as well as in the district of Hamdan and in the vicinity of Yarim.
[edit] Indian Subcontinent
After the death of ˤAli b. Sayyidna Sulayman in 1088, the Sulaymani moved the daˤwah's headquarters to Najran and the Subcontinent's mission remained in the hands of Hassan Khan b. ˤAbdu l-Malik, who was appointed by Dāˤī Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Fahad.
The first mansūb "representative", or Dāˤī Hind wa Sind "missionary to India and Sindh" was Dawūd b. Ahmad. He was appointed by the 32nd Dāˤī Mutlaq. The second mansūb was Dawūd b. Fīr. Later, the responsibilities were taken away from him and Dawūd b. Babu was appointed mansūb. Mansūbs were appointed separately for Sind during the time of Sulayman and thereafter by Jaˤfar & ˤAli b. Sulayman. The last mansūb in Sind was Shīr Muhammad.
In recent times, during the dāˤīship of Ghulam Husayn, his brother Fathullāh become 16th Mansūb Hind wa Sind (1341-1355 AH). He died in Baroda and the 19th Mansūb, Muhammad Husayn b. Shamsu d-Dīn was appointed (1355-1360H.). The 20th Mansūb was Muhammad Ishaq b. Muhammad Ibrahim (1356-1376 AH). He was appointed by Husayn b. Ahmad and his time in office was quite eventful. The daˤwah began to expand, with many new buildings being constructed under his watch; the old mosque was rebuilt in Hyderabad, cooperative banks were established and many young Sulaymanis began to migrate heading to Gulf States, Saudi Arabia and to Western Countries.
After the death of Muhammad Ishaq, Muhammad Shakir Ziˤa b. Walī Muhammad and Nasru l-Lāh b. Hibatu l-Lāh became the 21st & 22nd Mansūbs, appointed simultaneously by ˤAlī b. Husayn. Muhammad Shakir Ziˤa b. Walī Muhammad was a renowned poet and scholar in Arabic, Persian & Urdu and was sent to Lucknow to study at Nadvatu l-Ulama under the guidance of Mawlana Shibli Naumani. He stayed there for four years and later sent to Najran with Fathu l-Lāh. after returning to India, he decided to travel to Bangkok in Thailand; he was the Amil of the Jamaat in Bangkok for many years. Lter he moved to Japan to help his father's business and stayed in Japan for some time. In Kobe, he helped to establish the first mosque there and was twice elected the president of the Japanese India Club. When he returned to Baroda, he was made Amil of Baroda by Muhammad Ishaq.
In India there are between three to four thousand Sulaymanis living mainly in Baroda, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Surat. In Pakistan there is a well established Sulaymani community in Sind, some five to six thousand Sulaymanis live in rural areas of Sind. These Ismaili Sulaymani communities have been in Sind from the time of the Fatimid Imām Muˤizz li Dīn Allāh when he sent his duˤāt to Sind. The rest reside in Karachi.
There are also some 900-1000 Sulaymanis scattered around the world; mainly from Indian Subcontinent, they are found in greatest numbers in the Persian Gulf States, USA, Canada, Thailand, Australia, Japan and UK.
In 1973, after the visit of 49th Dāˤī Mutlaq, ˤAlī b. Husayn, to India, Mumbai became a new daˤwah center for all regions aside from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, replacing Baroda.
Sulaymanis residing in India are a progressive community, theyhave surpassed other Indian Muslims in fame & sttatus. There official day to day language was gradually changed from Gujarati to Urdu and all their religious lectures, lessons and correspondence are conducted now in this langauge,apart from Namaz and religious gatherings, there is no special dress code, no cumpalsory obligation of anypayments, donations and other religious obligations are voluntary.
Most of these changes occured during the dai'ship of Ghulam Husayin who was a eminent scholar, author of many books and an able administrator. His younger brother Syed Fathullah was his righthand man,mihself a well known scholar as well as his Mansoob in India. During the time of these two able and well loved brothers the Sulaymani community transformed into a modern and progressive society. Today Sulaymanis have their own Mosques, Qommunity Halls, Cemeteries, Religious Schools, Co-Oparative Banks, Medical centres and other welfare & social organizations. The two Mansoobs currently residing in India are 24th. Mansoob Syed Abdullah b. Hibatullah and 25th Mansoob Syed Ibrahim Ziaee b. Muhammad Ishaq.
