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:

Dear brother Burhan:

Asalaam-u-Alaikum.

Has the Bohra leader Syedna Burhanuddin ever visited any of the Middle Eastern countries other than for Haj, such as Saudi Arabia and acutally preached to his followers? Followers gathering around the airports and on streets, etc. and is Matam permitted in the Middle East?

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Best Regards and God Bless.

(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:

Did Syedna visit Middle East?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever 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.

To the best of our knowledge, the Syedna has indeed visited almost all of the Middle Eastern countries several times. There are Bohra Jamaat Khaanas and Markaz in almost all the Middle Eastern countries, and the Syedna has most probably preached his followers in these places.

To the best of our knowledge, there is no prohibition of doing Matam in any of the Middle Eastern countries.

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 in Islam,

Burhan