Mukasir al-Da'wat Shahzada Malekulashter Shujauddin is the third son of Mohammed Burhanuddin II, the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq of

Dawoodi Bohras The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community r ...

, a branch of Tayyabi

Mustaali Musta'li Isma'ilism () is a branch of Isma'ilism named for their acceptance of al-Musta'li as the legitimate ninth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir Billah (). The Nizari the other living branch of Ismailism, ...

Ismaili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...

Shi'a Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Personal life

Malekulashter was born on 2 May 1948 (23

Jumada al-Thani Jumada al-Thani (), also known as Jumada al-Akhirah (), Jumada al-Akhir (), or Jumada II, is the sixth month of the Islamic calendar. The word ''Jumda'' (), from which the name of the month is derived, is used to denote dry, parched land, a lan ...

1367 ھ) to Mohammed Burhanuddin and Aaisaheba Amatullah. Naqiyah, Shujauddin's daughter, is married to

Husain Burhanuddin Shahzada (title), Shahzada Syedi Husain Burhanuddin (), also known as Husain Mufaddal Saifuddin, is the third and youngest son of Mufaddal Saifuddin, the incumbent Dua't al-Mutlaqin, 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq. He is a Qāriʾ and an honorary member of ...

, the youngest son of

Mufaddal Saifuddin Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin () is the spiritual leader, the 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of more than one million Dawoodi Bohras, a subgroup of the Tayyibi, Musta'li, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam. He is the second son of the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq, M ...

. Naqiyah runs the Rawdat al-Quran School in South Bombay.

Career

Shujauddin was one of the witnesses of ''private nass'' by Mohammed Burhanuddin, his father, on Mufaddal Saifuddin, his brother, in 2011 in London. Shujauddin was appointed as one of the four rectors of

Aljamea tus Saifiyah Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah is an Arabic academy dedicated to Islamic learning based in India, Pakistan, and Kenya. Established in Surat as ''Dars-e Saifee'' by Abdeali Saifuddin, Abde'Ali Saifuddin, it was after extensive renovation () and expansion ...

() on 20 Rajab al-Asab 1439 ھ corresponding to 5 April 2018 by Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq. Shujauddin is the head of ''Tolaba ul-Kulliyat il-Mumenoon'', a volunteer-run community-service organisation of Dawoodi Bohra students, established by his grandfather 51st Dai al-Mutlaq

Taher Saifuddin Taher Saifuddin (4 August 1888 – 12 November 1965), also known as Tahir Sayf al-Din, was the 51st and longest serving Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. Saifuddin adapted the modernisation in Western and European ideas, and establishe ...

. As of 2020, ''Tolaba'' has around 5000 members in 133 locations world-wide. In recent years, Shujauddin has presided over ''Ashara Mubaraka'' sermons in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

and

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

. Shujauddin was appointed in the position of Mukasir by the 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq, Mufaddal Saifuddin, on 18

Dhu al-Hijja Dhu al-Hijjah (also Dhu al-Hijja ) is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. Being one of the four sacred months during which war is forbidden, it is the month in which the '' Ḥajj'' () takes place as well as Eid al-Adha (). T ...

1445H (24 June 2024).

Lineage

Shujauddin is a direct descendant of the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Prophet

Mohammed Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

, who was himself a descendant of the Prophet

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

, through an unbroken chain of noble and august ancestry. His heritage to the Prophet Mohammed traces back through the Prophet's daughter, Fatima al-Zahra, and her husband

Ali ibn Abi Talib Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...

. From Fatima and Ali, the line continues through their son, Imam

Hussein Hussein, Hossein, Hussain, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein, Hussin, Hoessein, Houcine, Hocine or Husain (; ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N (), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or ...

, and the subsequent Imams in the

tradition up to the fifth Imam,

Ja'far al-Sadiq Ja'far al-Sadiq (; –765) was a Muslim hadith transmitter and the last agreed-upon Shia Imam between the Twelvers and Isma'ilis. Known by the title al-Sadiq ("The Truthful"), Ja'far was the eponymous founder of the Ja'fari school of Isla ...

. Shujauddin's ancestors include Mir Mahamad Ali,

Fakhr al-Din Shaheed Syedi Fakhruddin Shaheed is the 11th-century holy Ismaili, Fatimid, mustaali saint who was first Ismaili martyr, martyred during missionary work among Bhils local tribal in Rajasthan and buried in Galiakot, India. The mausoleum is the most ve ...

Abd al-Qadir Hakimuddin Syedi Abdul Qadir Hakimuddin (1665-1730 AD) was a Dawoodi Bohra saint. He is buried in Burhanpur, India. His tomb complex 'Dargah-e-Hakimi' includes mosques, gardens, and visitor accommodations. Early life He was born in the period of 34th Da ...

Khanji Pheer Syedi Khanji Pheer was an Indian Ismaili Dawoodi Bohra saint. He lived in the 17th century. His family settled in Udaipur, coming from Gujarat during Udaipur's establishment. He was titled Saheb-e-Hiqmatul-Marefat (master of religious philosophy an ...

and Syedi Lukman who were direct descendants of

North America

In 1978, Shujauddin visited the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

for the first time as a representative of his father, Burhanuddin, to establish an official '' jamaat'' for the Dawoodi Bohra community. In 1996, Shujauddin's father inaugurated ''Mohammedi Masjid'' and presided over Milad al Nabi in Houston. Since then, Shujauddin resides in Houston and made Houston as his second home, and leads the Dawoodi Bohra community of the United States. Apart from Houston, Shujauddin also frequently visits

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Plano and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 2001, on invitation extended by Shujauddin, his father presided over ''Ashara Mubaraka'' in Houston. Over 10,000 Dawoodi Bohras from around the world gathered for the occasion. Later in 2015, Shujauddin's invitation for ''Ashara Mubaraka'' to be held at the newly renovated ''Mohammedi Masjid'' in Houston was accepted by his brother 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq, Mufaddal Saifuddin, and the event attracted around 25,000 members of the community from world over.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shujauddin, Malekulashter 1948 births Living people Dawoodi Bohra da'is 21st-century Ismailis Muslim clergy Clergy from Houston