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 Burhan:

Asalaam-u-Alaikum.

Who really is Syedena Mohammad Burhanuddin, the leader of Dawoodi Bohra. Is he a true Muslim? He seems to know all of Quran by heart, extemely pious, can speak many languages, holds an extreme and hightest authority in Bohra community and so has his ancestors. What must a muslim consider him as and where is he leading the Bohra community? Can I trust to be in the midst of the Bohra people as the most trustworthy and righteous muslim people than others?

Best Regars and God Bless.

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Answer:

Who is Syedna Mohamed Burhanuddin?

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.

Your question: Who really is Syedena Mohammad Burhanuddin, the leader of Dawoodi Bohra.

Syedna Mohamed Burhanuddin, the leader of the Dawoodi Bohra school of thought, is no more than a human being, and a creation of Allah Subhanah. Allah it is, Who gave him life, Allah it is, Who will cause his death, and to Allah Subhanah is his final return; where he will be called like everyone else to give a full accounting of the deeds that he has done in the life of this world.

Your question: Is he a true Muslim?

If one declares that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah Subhanah Alone, and believes in Prophet Mohamed (saws) as the Last and Final Messenger of Allah; then he is a muslim. It is not for other human beings to judge whether one is a good muslim or not; that decision will be made by Allah Subhanah on the Day of Judgement.

Your question: He seems to know all of Quran by heart, extemely pious, can speak many languages, holds an extreme and hightest authority in Bohra community and so has his ancestors. What must a muslim consider him as and where is he leading the Bohra community?

The Criteria for one being on the Straight Path is not whether one has memorized the whole Quran or not, or whether one looks extremely pious or not, or whether one can speak many languages or not, or whether one is a holder of high authority or not, or whether one’s ancestors were leaders or not…. The only criteria one has to use to determine whether one is on the Straight Path of Islam or not, is to see whether he is guiding from the Glorious Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

If he is guiding from these two sources of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), then he is guiding to the Straight Path of Islam. If he is guiding from any other source/s, other than the Quran and Sunnah; then he is guiding his followers astray.

Allah Subhanah Himself has declared that the Quran is the Criterion between Truth and falsehood. Thus if anyone wants to determine whether any person is on the Right Path of Islam or has gone astray; he must use the Glorious Quran as a Criterion to determine the Truth from the falsehood.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185:"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a perfect guidance for mankind and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the Right Way, and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

Your question: Can I trust to be in the midst of the Bohra people as the most trustworthy and righteous muslim people than others?

My beloved brother, read and understand the guidance and teachings of the Holy Quran. If after you have read the Quran, and find the Bohras or any other people following the edicts and commands of the Quran in their lives at all times; and fear Allah as He deserves to be feared; then these people are indeed worthy of being called the most trustworthy and righteous believers.

But if you find after reading the Quran, that the Bohras or any other people, are doing deeds against the edicts and commands of the Merciful; and fear others as they should fear Allah; then these people are not on the Straight Path.

Just because one is born in a deen or a way of life, or just because one found his fathers and fore-fathers following a way of life, or just because everyone else thinks or feels or is told that so and so are the most righteous people….does not make that deen or way of life the approved deen of Allah.

The only deen approved and accepted by Allah Subhanah is Al-Islam; as commanded by Allah Subhanah in His Glorious Quran, and as practiced and taught to the believers by the noble Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imran verse 19:Indeed, Islam in the ONLY right way of life in the sight of Allah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imran verse 85:And whoever adopts any other than this way of Islam, that way shall not be accepted from him and in the Hereafter, he shall be among the losers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Al Maidah verse 3:Today I (Allah) have perfected your deen for you and completed my Blessing on you and approved Islam as your way of life.

If someone formulates his own way of life, or if someone follows a way of life just because he was born into it, or just because he found his father following it, or just because the leader has memorized the Quran and speaks several languages, looks and dresses in a righteous way, or because he and his ancestors were chosen by men to be their religious leaders…… does not necessarily mean that they are on the Siraat-al-Mustaqeem! The believers are commanded to follow only Allah and His Messenger (saws) unconditionally; everyone else will be obeyed only if they follow the guidance and teachings of Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds? They are those, all whose edeavours in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed! Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him. Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection. Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

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