Over 80,000 Bohras attend community leader’s sermons

Following an invitation extended by the government and the local Bohra community, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual leader of the Bohra community, arrived in Karachi on July 4 to host ‘Ashara Mubaraka’ congregations this year.

Over 80,000 Dawoodi Bohras from Pakistan and around the world are expected to attend the events. He delivered the first sermon of “Ashara Mubaraka” in Taheri Masjid, Saddar, on July 8.

A Dawn report states that Syedna addressed a majlis of “over 80,000 attendees” with Bohra members from diverse areas and professions gathered in Karachi for a single purpose — the remembrance and commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Husain.

Syedna elaborated upon a number of hadith by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which highlight the role of conviction and self-growth in the sermon.

For instance, he quoted the Prophet’s statement regarding the honeybee which “consumes only that which is pure, and gives back only that which is pure”.

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, 77, is currently serving as the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and present leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community. He is currently as a Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.

Bohra community trace themselves back to Fatimis who held the caliphate from 10th to 12th century.