Dawoodi Bohra ( Arabic/Urdu: داؤدی بوہرہ) is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. The Dawoodi Bohra trace their belief system back to Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam and Zaydi Shia Islam. This prompted the shift of Dawoodi Bohras to India. The word Bohra itself comes from the Gujarati word vehru ("trade") in reference to their traditional profession, while the term Dawoodi refers to their support for Dawood Bin Qutubshah in the 1592 leadership dispute which divided the Tayyibi sect, creating the Dawoodi Bohra.
The spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community is the Dāʿī l-Muṭlaq (Arabic: داعي المطلق "Unrestricted Missionary"), currently Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. The Dai serves as the earthly representative of the Imam, believed to be currently in occultation.
Dawoodi Bohras have a blend of cultures, including Yemeni, Egyptian, African, and Indian. In addition to the local languages, the Dawoodi Bohras have their own language called Lisānud-Dā‘wat ("language of the Dā‘wat") which is written in Perso-Arabic script and is derived from Urdu, Gujarati and Persian. The Dawoodi Bohra community is known worldwide for their various projects, including philanthropic efforts, hospitals, schools, and renovations and restorations of Islamic and Shi'a Islamic landmarks. They have a very small, tight-knit community made up of approximately one million adherents worldwide, with the majority of adherents residing in India. There is also a large community in Karachi, as well as a significant diaspora population in the Middle East, Europe, North America, the Far Eastand and East Africa.
Read more about Dawoodi Bohra: History, Present Activities, Customs, Religion, Family Tree of Dai, Further Reading