Taher Saifuddin

Syedna Taher Saifuddin (سيدنا طاهر سيف الين, 4 August 1888 – 12 November 1965) was the 51st Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras, a sect within Shia Islam. He was the son of the 49th Da'i al-Mutlaq Mohammed Burhanuddin, whose family lineage can be traced back to Syedi Fakhruddin Shaheed.
During his reign, Taher Saifuddin RA grew ever more interested in Western and modern ideas, and over the course of it, he established a far-reaching modernisation of the Bohra community. This sets him apart from both his predecessor and his son and successor, both of whom have pursued policies of Islamization and a strong focus on tradition rather than modernization.

Saifuddin was born to Mohammed Burhanuddin and Aaisaheba Amatullah Aaisaheba on 4 August 1888 in Surat, British Raj (now in the Indian state of Gujarat).

Taher Saifuddin name recorded at Aqsa Mosque tomb

Saifuddin became the 51st Da'i al-Mutlaq in the year 1915. He rebuilt or repaired many monuments of Fatemi Imams, Da'i al-Mutlaq and other prominent structures and artifacts.

He was the Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University for four consecutive terms. He was made honorary chancellor of this university, which had only few Bohra students, in 1953, after a series of "strategic donations" that bought him much goodwill in Congress circles, having earlier been accused of supporting the Muslim League before the independence in 1947. He also visited Karachi Pakistan to bless Dawoodi Bohra there.

Sultan Saifuddin contributed vast sums of money to towards the refurbishment of mosques and shrines. He along with the Nizam of Hyderabad were among the few Indian Muslims to contribute towards the renovation of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem: Sultan Tahir Saif al-Din is said to have come from India with one hundred and fifty of his followers...At the Jerusalem station he was welcomed by the Mufti and other Sheikhs of the Supreme Moslem Council and a number of Arab notables including Ragheb Bey Nashashibi. A troop of Arab boy scouts paraded in his honour and there were two bands from Moslem institutions...The sultan was reputed to be a man of great wealth who had made substantial contributions to the religious and political funds of the Arabs of this country. Sultan Saifuddin also gifted the internal curtains which were kept in the Kaaba for decades to King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia in 1354AH, with whom he kept warm relations.

He also constructed Ghurratul Masajid (Saifee Masjid) in Mumbai, al Mahal al Saifee for pilgrims in Mecca, the Zarih of Ali Ibn Abi Talib in Najaf and Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala and Cairo, the mausoleum of Qutubuddin Shaheed and Fakhruddin Shaheed. He also made and donated the Kiswah of the Kaaba.

According to Reformists, Taher Saifuddin drew harsh criticisms for claiming to be “Elahul-Ard” (God on this earth) in Bombay high court when a case was filed against him challenging his authority [1] he also claimed in the high court that he is accountable to no one and that he is master of the soul, mind, body and properties of his followers. He made it compulsory that every Bohra should call him/herself as “Slave of Sayedna” (Abd-e Sayedna(male) / Amat-e Syedna(female)) and perform “Sajda-e ‘Ubudiyat” (Prostration of Obedience) in front of him. He also claimed that he is “Qur’an-e Natiq (speaking Qur'an) and that the Quran in the present book form is a dead book. Taher Saifuddin called himself “Da’i-ul-Mutlaq” (Absolute Da’i) and Sultan of the Bohras. He introduced an unconditional oath of allegiance (Misaq) which is compulsory for every Bohra to offer to the Da’i. The harsh conditions in Misaq made it an instrument of punishment. He started a practice of “Jama’at kharij” (excommunication).

Bohras on the other hand claim that Saifuddin never claimed to be God on Earth. This is further supported by court records, where Judge Marten who presided over the case in 1921 clearly states in Point 36 that it was the lawyer of Saifuddin who wrongly stated that the Dai was God on Earth. Saifuddin himself reprimanded his own lawyer for making the erroneous claim. Bohras similarly reject the allegations above as simple fabrications, for example, the Misaq has been dated by al Maqrizi (a Sunni Shaf'i historian) to the days of the Fatimid Caliphate, not something that was introduced by Saifuddin.

Taher Saifuddin married Aaisaheba Husaina Aaisaheba, who was also from the family of Da'i al-Mutlaq. He also had two other wives and multiple children. One of them, Mohammed Burhanuddin who later became the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq of Dawoodi Bohra community.

Saifuddin died on 12 November 1965 in Matheran, Maharashtra, India. His mausoleum is known as Raudat Tahera located in Mumbai, and was constructed by his successor, Mohammed Burhanuddin.