SIJILL A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF FATEMIDAWAT.COM
Mumineen are hereby requested to maintain calm during the proceeding of the trial.
ANNOUNCEMENT & AMAL DETAILS: 43rd Dai Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin RA Urus Majlis On the auspicious occasion of the Urus of Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin RA, Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin TUS will preside over Urus Majlis at Darus Sakina, Thane, at 6pm on Wednesday 12th Zil Qada (26th August), followed by Namaaz and Salawaat Jaman, Inshaallah. Shehzada Taher bhaisaheb will preside over Urus Majlis in Bakersfield on Wednesday 12th Zil Qada (26th August) at 6.30PM PST (Thursday 27th August 6.00AM IST). The Majlis will be available to view live and for replay. Those who are unable to attend should gather and pray Khatmul Qur’an on the niyyat of Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin RA and then pray the Qasida Mubaraka “Saiful huda saiful imam-ishshaheer” composed by Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA in the shaan of Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin RA. Mumineen should also recite Salaam written in Dawat-ni-Zaban by Shz. Dr. Tahera baisaheba in which she has done zikar of Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin’s shanaat and the historic events in his reign. The PDF of the Qasida and Salaam are available on fatemidawat.com. HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY
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SERIES:43 Dai Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin RA– Excerpt from Shz Dr. Abdeali bhaisaheb MA Thesis (From Sijill 30) The history or akhbaar of Dawat provides invaluable lessons for the present. Our challenge is to learn from these lessons. History defines the present. Al-akhbaar-u-anwaar: history illuminates. It is our pleasure to present a biographical article about the 43rd Dai al-Mutlaq Syedna Abdeali SaifuddinRA. The article is an excerpt from the MA Thesis written by Shz. Dr. Abdeali bhaisaheb on the “Meaning of Love in the Poetry of Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin”. The excerpt currently being featured presents a brief biographical sketch of the life of Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin and an introduction to his Diwaan (collection of Qasidas). Here is an excerpt from the full article: “Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin was born in 1188AH/1774AD into a distinguished family. His father, Syedna Abduttayyib Zakiuddin, was the forty-first dā‘ī muṭlaq of the Ṭayyibī Fāṭīmid-Ismā‘īlī Da‘wat now with its centre in India. He was only twelve when his father died. He was then brought up by his elevenyears elder brother and forty-second Dā‘ī, Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin in Surat. Syedna Najmuddin himself was a great scholar. He trained and educated Syedna Saifuddin in the tradition and learning that was the treasured inheritance of the Fatimid-Ismaili community. He also appointed tutors for his younger brother. In this way Syedna Saifuddin gained, at a very early age, a deep understanding of the FatimidIsmaili tradition of knowledge which was, even in India, learnt in Arabic. This gave him a firm grasp of the Arabic language and its literature, to which he combined the study of the great masters of poetry
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like Imra ul-Qays, al-Mutanabbī and Ibn Hānī… …During his brother’s time as Dā‘ī, Syedna Saifuddin was deeply involved in the running of Da‘wat affairs and now, on his death, became Dā‘ī muṭlaq himself. He was faced with huge challenges during his time as Dā‘ī…With his successor, Syedna Muḥammad Ezzuddin, he trained a devout student of his, Syedi Abdeali Imaduddin. It was Syedi Imaduddin who later compiled the poems of his benefactor. Syedna Saifuddin established an Academy of learning at Surat and called it ‘DarseSaify.’ Students came to it from all over India and also the Yaman. When Syedna died in 1232/1817, he had been Dā‘ī for nineteen years, and during that time had trained hundreds of students now well versed in the tradition of learning and literature of the Fatimid-Ismailis. He had reorganised with great vision, strength, precision and care, the running of the Da‘wat community, and had established, reinforced and revitalised the tradition of learning in the FatimidIsmaili community. He was only fortythree when he died. The full article is available on FatemiDawat.com
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