Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

The first thing that you should do is change your name.  You are not only using the name given by our beloved dai but the dai's very own name.  It is not difficult to change the name or your religious faith or the person you follow.  Noboby is forcing you to be a Dawoodi Bohra.  Why do you call yourself a Dawoodi Bhora when you know clearly that Dawoodi Bhora's follow syedna and all the 21 Imans. All shia muslim's believe in Imamuzaman and they all also believe that Imam is in 'parda' and will reveal himself.  Even other muslims have there own Imam. Are you a Hafeez-a-Quran and a scholar in Arabic or are you using some astray person's translation?  I know that not everybody in the 'royal family' is perfect.  As one suggestion change your web site name to something else.  So who do you exactly follow.  Just Allah and Prophet Mohammed?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Why do you call yourself Dawoodibohra?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Comment: The first thing that you should do is change your name.  You are not only using the name given by our beloved dai but the dai's very own name.  It is not difficult to change the name or your religious faith or the person you follow.

What do I need to do to convince you that ‘Burhan-uddeen’ (meaning giving proof or evidence for the deen) is my real name? Would you consider a copy of my passport or my driving license as good evidence? You tell me, and I will forward it to you! I don’t need to lie about anything, for I write nothing but the Truth from the Holy Quran! I fear no one, except My Lord and My Creator Alone; for He Alone deserves to be feared! We, as muslims, are commanded by Allah and His Messenger (saws) not to lie and always speak the Truth! And the truth is that my name is indeed as mentioned! The irony is that this name was given to me by your very syedna! Subhan Allah!

Your Comment: Nobody is forcing you to be a Dawoodi Bohra.

Allah has given each individual a free will and intelligence to choose the path he wants to attain salvation. No one can force someone to any deen, and true to your word; nobody is forcing me to be a Dawoodi Bohra. It is indeed the Mercy and Grace of Allah Who has guided us to read and understand the Quran. And it is indeed His Mercy Alone that he has guided us to leave all the other deens, and honored us to be muslims.

Your Comments: Why do you call yourself a Dawoodi Bhora when you know clearly that Dawoodi Bhora's follow syedna and all the 21 Imans. All shia muslim's believe in Imamuzaman and they all also believe that Imam is in 'parda' and will reveal himself.  Even other muslims have there own Imam.

We do not call ourselves Dawoodi Bohras or anything else for that matter. Allah has called the believers muslims, and we are proud and honored to be recognized by the name that our Lord and Creator has chosen for the believers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 78:Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should. He has chosen you for His service and has not laid on you any hardship in your deen. Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah had called you ‘Muslims” before this, and has called you (by the same name) in this Quran also, so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind. Therefore, establish the ‘salaat’ and pay the ‘zakaat’, and hold fast to Allah. He is your ‘Maula’: what an excellent ‘Maula’ and what an excellent Helper!

Allah has commanded the believers in the Quran to obey and follow only the Last Messenger of Allah (saws). All the other names, positions and titles have absolutely no authority from Allah. They are nothing but the inventions and hopes of man himself, and are thus not binding on the true believers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 66:Note it well that all the dwellers of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah. And those who invoke partners besides Allah, follow nothing but surmises and merely indulge in guess-works!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 66-68:On the Day their faces are rolled about on the Fire, they will say, “Would that we had obeyed Allah and His Messenger!” And they will say, “O our Lord, we obeyed our CHIEFS and our GREAT MEN, and they led us astray from the Right Path. O our Lord, give them a double chastisement and curse them severely”.

Your Comment: I know that not everybody in the 'royal family' is perfect.

No one is perfect, except the being of the One Who Created the heavens and the earth! Allah has sent us a Book which is a perfect guidance for mankind. If we follow the commandments of this Glorious Book of Allah, we will be guided aright. If we follow the ‘royal family’ or anyone else for that matter, we will be misled from the Straight Path. My only advise and humble invitation to you is to read the Message that your Lord and Creator has sent for your guidance. If after reading the Quran with understanding, you find out that what you have been following all your life is from the guidance of the Quran; then at least you can confirm that you are on the Right Path. But what if you find out that what the ‘royal family’ is guiding you towards, is against the very principles of the Holy Quran? Will you then believe in Allah or will you still take the word of the ‘royal family’?

Your Comment: As one suggestion change your web site name to something else. 

We were born into Dawoodi Bohra families and at various times of our lives, Allah guided us to read and the understand the Holy Quran. Today we are honored and privileged to be recognized by the name that Allah Himself has bestowed upon the believers: that is, muslims. Allah has commanded the believers to invite mankind to the Truth of Islam and that is all we intend to do. If you accept our invitation and read the Quran with understanding, fine. If you deny and reject our invitation, that is your prerogative. Our only duty was to invite you to Islam, and Allah is our witness, we have fulfilled our duty. To guide or leave someone astray is in the Power and Domain of Allah Subhanah Alone.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125:Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 29:Proclaim, “This (Quran) is the Truth from your Lord: now whosoever wills may accept it, and whosoever wills may reject it.” (As for those who reject it) We have prepared for such workers of iniquity a fire whose flames have encircled them. There, if they as for water , they will be given a drink like the dregs of oil, which will burn their mouths! What an evil drink, and what an evil abode!

Your Question: So who do you exactly follow.  Just Allah and Prophet Mohammed?

I swear by Him, Who Created everything that exists; we follow and obey only Allah and His Last Messenger (saws). We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah Subhanah Alone, and we bear witness that there is none worthy of being followed except the Last Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws).

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan