 |
Among the Shias
of South Asia the
Ithna-Asharis
are in the majority
while the Khojas
and Mustaali or Must'ali
of Western South Asia
belong to the two
internal divisions
of the Isma`ili
group of Muslims -
the Nizaris (Khojas)
with Satpanth Ismaili
and the the Musta‘lis
(Bohras or Bohri)
with Tayyibi Ismaili.
The
Bohras are subdiveded
into three main sects:
Dawoodi,
Sulaimani
and Alavi.
Sulaimani Bohra are a subsect of Ismaili
Mustaali. They are
mostly concentared
in Yemen and Najran
province of Saudi
Arabia. The Mustaali
group of Isma`ili
Muslims are so named
because they accepted
the legitimacy of
the Fatimid caliph
Al-Musta'li, after
Mustansir, and not
Nizar, whom the Aga
Khan group or Nizaris
consider as their
Imam. This group is
also referred to as
the Taiyabi or Tayyibi
group, named after
the last Imam recognized
by them, Taiyab abi
al-Qasim. Originally,
there was a distinction
between Taiyabi Mustaalis
and Hafizi Mustaalis
(who recognized the
Fatimid rulers of
Egypt between 1130-1169
as legitimate Imams,
not Taiyab abi al-Qasim).
However the Hafizi
Mustaali view lost
all support after
the downfall of the
Fatimid dynasty in
Egypt, and current-day
Mustaalis are Taiyabis.
In 1592, a leadership struggle caused
the Taiyabi Mustaalis
to be split into Sulaimani
(sometimes formerly
also called Makramis)
and Dawoodis.
The Sulaimani Bohra
(named after their
27th Dai Sulaiman
bin Hassan) are mainly
concentrated in Yemen,
while the Dawoodi
Bohras are strongest
in Pakistan
and India. After the
death of Da'ud b.
'Adjabshah, the 26th
da'imutlaq, in 999/1591,
the succession was
disputed. While in
South Asia Da'ud Burhan
al-Din was established,
Da'ud b. Adjabshah's
representative in
the Yemen, Sulayman
b. al-Hasan al-Hindi,
claimed to have been
designated successor
by the deceased da'imutlaq.
The dispute was not
resolved and led to
the permanent schism
between the Da'udi
and Sulaymani factions
which accepted separate
lines of da'is in
1592. Among the Sulaymanis,
whose cause had only
few adherents in South
Asia, the position
of da'imutlaq in 1050/1640
passed to the Yemenite
Ibrahim b. Muhammad
b. Fahd of the Makrami
family, in which it
has remained since
with few interruptions.
The Makrami da'is
established themselves
in Nadjran, Najran
in Saudi Arabia, where
they were supported
by the Banu Yam. Before
1131/1719 they conquered
the Haraz region in
the Yemen and held
it against all attempts
of the Zaydi imams
to expel them. The
Da'i al-Hasan b. Hibat
Allah (d. 1189/1775)
conquered Hadramawt
and unsuccessfully
fought the rising
Su'udi dynasty in
Central Arabia. From
Haraz the Makramis
were expelled in 1289/1872
by the Ottoman general
Ahmad Mukhtar Pasha,
who took their fortress
'Attara and killed
the Da'i al-Hasan
b. Isma'il Al Shibam
al-Makrami. The present
da'imutlaq of the
Sulaymanis is Jamal
al-Din 'Ali b. al-Husayn
al-Makrami, who succeeded
his father in 1939.
Besides the Banu Yam
in Nadjran, the people
of the Jabal Maghariba
in Haraz are Sulaymanis.
Page Last Updated:
Wednesday, April 02, 2008 23:27:15 -0400
|
|
