Syedna Qutub Khan Qutbuddin as-Shaheed () was the 32nd

Da'i al-Mutlaq (; pl. , ) is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the occultation (Islam), seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imamate in Ismaili doctrine, Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Q ...

of the

Dawoodi Bohra 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 re ...

. He succeeded Kasim Khan Zainuddin bin Feer Khan. He was the first Da'i to be killed for being Muslim, and in a manner that resembles the death of

Husayn ibn Ali Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 Common Era, CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alids, Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abd a ...

, and so his burial place, ''Mazar-e-Qutbi'', is referred to as ''Choti Karbala'' ().

Family

His father was 27th Dai Syedna

Dawood Bin Qutubshah Syedna Dawood Bin Qutubshah (born 23 Rabi-Ul-Awwal 946 AH/8 August 1539; died 15 Jumadil Akhir 1021 AH/1612 AD, Ahmedabad, India) was the 27th ''Da'i al-Mutlaq'' (Absolute Missionary) of the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Musta‘lī Islam. He succeede ...

, his mother's name was Raani Aai Saheba binte Ali bhai bin Jiva bhai. He had two brothers: 29th Dai Syedna Abduttayyeb Zakiuddin I, Miya Khan-ji and a sister called Habiba.

Early life

Syedna Qutbuddin was born in Ahmedabad during the era of the 26th Dai, Dawood ibn Ajab Shah, on the night of 30th Dhu al-Qadah 985 AH. During his youth, he accompanied his father, the 27th Dai, Dawood Bin Qutubshah to

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

to the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jalal-ud-din Akbar, during the fitnah of

Sulayman bin Hassan The 27th Da'i al-Mutlaq of Ismailism according to the Sulaymanis. The Sulaymanis believed he became a Dai' as per the " Nass" of Syedna Dawood Bin Ajabshah while those who did not accept this (primarily in India and elsewhere in Arab lands) wer ...

. Akbar had summoned Qutub Shah to his court to address the dispute of succession raised by Sulayman, but ultimately issued a royal decree in Qutub Shah's favor.

Accession

Qutbuddin was close-confidant to his brother, the 29th Da'i, Abd al-Tayyib Zakiuddin I. After his brother's death, Qutbuddin continued to serve the 30th Da'i, Ali Shams al-Din IV, who was based in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. Later, the 31st Da'i, Kasim Khan Zainuddin, appointed Qutbuddin as his ''Mazoon'' (second-in-command), and a while later, his ''Mansoos'' (successor).Khaza’in u Imam il Muttaqeen; By:Syedna Taher Saifuddin; 1372AH Qutbuddin became Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1054 AH (1646 AD). He held the office for 1 year and 8 months before he was slain on the order of

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

, the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

governor of Gujarat, on the grounds of heresy.

Death

In the month of Jumada al-Ula 1056 AH (1646 AD), false allegations of

rafida () refers to those Shia Muslims who reject the legitimacy of the caliphates of Abu Bakr (), Umar (), and Uthman (), in favor of Ali ibn Abi Talib (), the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In particular, the term appears ...

(one who rejects the sunnat of

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

, introduces innovations viz. bidat, and practices exaggeration viz.

ghulat The () were a branch of history of Shia Islam, early Shi'a Islam. The term mainly refers to a wide variety of List of extinct Shia sects, extinct Shi'i sects active in 8th- and 9th-century Kufa in Lower Mesopotamia, and who, despite their somet ...

), were made to Abdul Qawi (called Abdul Ghawi too), an office bearer of the governorate. On 28 Jumada al-Ula, Shah Beg arrested Qutbuddin and Feer Khan Shujauddin.(Kitab al-Tadhkirah ; By: Syedi Hasan-ji Badshah ibn Syedi Shamas-Khan, fore father of Syedna

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 ...

) Qutbuddin and Shujauddin spent the next twenty days in prison, meanwhile, Abdul Qawi instructed his scholars to peruse books ceased from Qutbuddin's personal library but was unable to discern anything

blasphemous Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

or apostastic. On 21 Jumada al-Akhir, Qutbuddin was summoned to an audience in front of Aurangzeb where Abdul Qawi asked him to enter guilty plea and

repent Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen ...

for his sins in exchange for pardon. Qutbuddin said: Abdul Qawi had a group of elites from the city sign their names to a false confession (''mehzara'') under duress. The confession was introduced as evidence but the

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

(judge) demanded an in-person testimonial. On 26 Jumada al-Akhir, Abdul Qawi summoned two children from Qutbuddin's household who confessed under the false-pretense that Qutbuddin would be released. The judge instead issued a death sentence. On the morning of 27 Jumada al-Akhir 1056 H, Aurangzeb approved the execution order. Abdul Qawi had Shah Beg carry out the breathing immediately. According to accounts, his body was found near the shore, and Dawoodi Bohras came across it due to a sweet scent emanating from it.

Succession

Qutbuddin was succeeded by Feer Khan Shujauddin.

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 ...

, the current Da'i al-Mutlaq, is from his progeny.

Family

Early life

Accession

Death

Succession

References

Further reading