Death of a legend: Bohra community members bid farewell to spiritual leader

Representatives of the community are planning to leave for India to attend the funeral.

KARACHI: Grief-stricken men and women with gloomy faces streamed out of the huge wooden gates of Taheri Mosque in Saddar.

They, the people of the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat, had just offered prayers for their spiritual leader, Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, who passed away in Mumbai, India, on Friday.

“Our leader considered Pakistan a land of pure as Muslims struggled to get an independent country. Yet, they are still fighting amongst themselves,” said Mansoor Jack, a spokesperson for the community, as he stood on the street named after Burhanuddin.

A man came and embraced him. “He used to be worried about the situation in Karachi. He would often ask why Karachi isn’t the way it once was,” Jack said speaking about the 102-year-old deceased leader.



Clad in a traditional white kurta and pajama and a gold threadwork cap, Jack recalled that their leader built mosques in places where there were no houses of worship, such as Australia and Finland.

Representatives of the community said that many of them were planning to leave for India as soon as possible to attend the funeral of the 52nd Dai’al-Mutlaq.

With tears in his eyes, Hussain Ibrahim Kaka praised Burhanuddin for his services rendered towards Islam. He demanded a chartered PIA plane and visas so that they could be a part of the last rites.

A female mourner, who took part in the special prayers and Quran Khawani, said Burhanuddin was like a fatherly figure for the community.

“Whenever I would listen to his sermons, I would be spiritually elevated. Also my faith would be strengthened,” she said, as volunteers of the Burhani Ambulance Corps and police officials stood on guard.

Members of the Bohra community in Karachi have decided to keep their businesses shut for the next three days. Zahid Hussain said that a lot of people had wanted to leave the country but Burhanuddin would always advise them to stay back and be loyal to the country. “He is a big loss for our community. Whichever country he would go to, he would always get state protocol.”

Political leaders also expressed grief over the death. Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Altaf Hussain said that Burhanuddin was a beacon of light for everyone. He loved humanity and spent his entire life preaching humanity and brotherhood.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2014.