Abdeali Saifuddin

Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin is the 43rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra. He is the son of 41st Da'i al-Mutlaq Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin and the brother of the 42nd Da'i al-Mutlaq Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin. He was a Dai, scholar and poet and one of the most venerated Dawoodi Bohra Dai's.

Life

He was born on 12 Safar 1189 Hijri, succeded the 42nd Da'i al-Mutlaq on 18 Jumada al-Thani 1213 Hijri, died on 9 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1232 Hijri and is buried in al-Qubbah al-Najmiyah in Surat. His masoluem his visited daily by thousands of pilgrims, especially on his death anniversary.

Legacy

• He Build the educational institute Al-Dars-al-Saifee (later renamed Al Jamea tus Saifiyah by Syedna Taher Saifuddin).
• He built the al-Masjid al-Moazzam in Surat in 1219 Hijri, which was later renovated by Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin in 1418 Hijri.
• During the Indian famines of 1813 (1228 Hijri), 12,000 Dawoodi Bohras travelling to Surat where he housed, fed, maintained and uplifted them them at his own expense.
• He made an important contribution to the development of Arabic in South Asia by developing a methodology which enabled students to quickly become proficient in Arabic. He was referred to by is comtemporaries as al-Moiyed al-Asghar (the second Moiyed) after the famous Isma'ili scholar and poet Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi.
• His major contributions comprise of systemizing the machinery of the Da'wah, including formalizing the cirriculum and setting out the rules and regulations of the Dawoodi Bohra teachings.

Works

His Diwan of poetry, compiled by his student Abdeali Imaduddin, comprises of over 500 poems in Arabic and is an integral part of the curriculum at Al Jamea tus Saifiyah. His also composed the famous work "Kika bhai jaldi parho" (Arabic: كيكا بهائي) in Lisan al-Dawat which is memorized by every single Dawoodi Bohra member.