Giving Misaq to Dai is Wrong

[S. Insaf]

"Dai is prohibited to ascribe a single word of the Misaq towards himself " Warns Syedna Hatim in Tuhfat-ul-Qulub
The practices of oath of allegiance to Imam (Misaq), Raza and Baraat are prevalent only in Dawoodi Bohra sect. These practices are not found in any other Islamic sect. Hence these are not Islamic practices but self-introduced in Bohra sect for reasons of their own. They are also not as per the traditions of the holy Prophet Mohammad. Misaq for Imam was a political necessity of the time - not a part of even Ismaili tradition.
The reason for practice of Misaq for Imam was that the Shias in general were constantly targeted by Abbasi rulers as they were considered their political rivals. Among Shias the Ismailis had a definite aim to establish their political power along with religious mission. Many Ismaili Imam remained in hiding to the then prevailing hostile political situation. They are even today called Mastoor (Hidden). In such hostile circumstances Imams devised a clever strategy and started an underground movement. They created the post of Dais (propagandists) to spread Ismaili mission under disguise in the areas under them. Dais created post of two more functionaries to assist them in their activities. They were named as Mazoon and Mukasir. Imams also established a highly centralized structure which was also a political necessity to achieve their goal and establish political power.
The underground movement, the creation of the posts of Dais, Mazoons and Mukasirs were not the permanent features of Ismaili faith; they were strategic requirement to meet a specific political situation. Hence if that specific situation ceases the role of underground movement and posts of Dai, Mazoon and Mukasir should cease.
If at all, Dai is needed as a religious guide for the community then he should be kept limited to religious guidance only. He should not try to become the master of lives and properties of the Bohras. The community affairs must be decided by the community and they must remain accountable.
Two Islamic historians Maqrizi and Bagdadi have reproduce the original text of Misaq laid down by Imams. This Misaqnama had two parts. The first part had religious significance and the second part had political significance.
The first part giving a firm religious basis drawn from Qur'an begins with:

"The praise be to God who created all the creatures for his worship...and connected belief in His unity with obedience with the one whom He appointed His vice-regent on the earth……This covenant is a mark of respect and honour to Him. ….One that breaks it, God will punish him/her and one who fulfils what he/she promises, God will reward him/her. God took the Misaq from Adam and it continued……Say yes."

It had been made very clear that the practice of giving began to Allah Almighty started with the Prophet Adam indicating that all those who are going to guide or rule Allah’s creations should give an oath to Allah that they will be just, fair and kind to his subject. It has been given willingly and with one's own free will. It is not forced on anyone as that would be against Qura'n's instruction, La iqraha fiddeen (There is no compulsion in religion). Again if an individual is unjust and cruel only few people will be affected but if a ruler is unjust and cruel an entire community and nation will suffer.
In Imams time once a faithful gives this covenant to Imam, he/she now was required to maintain all religious as well as political secrets of the mission. Thus the second part began with:-

"And you will obey the Imam and anyone whom he orders you to obey, you will never defy him, never cheat him, never deceive him. ……..You will love whom he loves, and treat as enemy whom he declares as his enemy, fight him whom he fights with ……Say Yes."
"You will not establish contact with his enemy either through a letter, message, hint, signal, sign and inclination or trick whatever the reason or cause; Say yes."
"If anyone breaks the oath; whatever he owns from the property, assets, real estate, wealth, jewels, agriculture ………will be seized and distributed among poor and needy Muslims………All his wives will be treated as divorced……Say yes."

Thus we see by conditions in the first and second part of Misaq the absolute loyalty of supreme authority of Imam was established. There are two reasons in doing so, one because Imam was believed to be infallible and two to ensure the success of this underground movement for political end.
But the form of Misaq which Dawoodi Bohras are subjected to today is a version which had been adulterated and made harsh by 51st Dai, Syedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb making it an essential condition to be a member of Dawoodi Bohra Community.
Misaq is not practiced by any other sect of Islam except Dawoodi Bohras. As we have seen for our Imams it was a political necessity of a close-knit underground movement in the then hostile conditions.
Today even Dawoodi Bohras have freedom to practice their religion; there is no ambition to establish political power; the community is no longer functioning underground; today no longer exists the earlier mission of Dai, Mazoon and Mukasir to convert people of other faiths to Ismailism.
Today's text of Misaqnama is one that was altered by Sayedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb. It is un-Islamic as it is oppressive as it binds the followers to submit to a total surrender not to Allah but personally to Dai. Today's Misaq has made a civilised, decent, peace-loving and caring community barbaric, which for sake of Dai enjoys in harassing their blood relation, attacking women and children and stoning the dead bodies.
Justice Nathwani Commission Report rightly concluded about today's Misaq that:-
"The Misaq implies that only a slave, not of Allah but of Dai can be true Dawoodi Bohra! How can a human being with some sense of self-respect take such oath? He or she would be placed in position not only against the laws of the State but also against the laws of God! A Bohra can not tell the truth in a Court of law if he/she has to appear as a witness against the Dai." The report has been made public in 1980. 30 years have passed yet it has not been challenged by Syedna Burhanuddin Saheb. He would have made great hue and cry even if one para or one sentence in the report was wrong. He spent all the force at his command in trying to stop the Enquiry Commission, but once the report has been made public there is an absolute silence from his side.
Therefore the enforcing of the rigid conditions of today's Misaq and that too for Dai must be strongly opposed by every civilized Bohra. Similarly, the retaining the same centralised secretive structure of Dawat must also be strongly opposed.
The fact is that after the down fall of Fatemid rule and up to 50th Dawoodi Bohra Dai only the first part of the Misaq which has religious significance was taken by the Bohra priests and that too for Imam, merely as religious ritual. The Misaq was voluntary had only ceremonial value till then.
Late 51st Dai, Sayedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb had admitted in Bombay High Court that he had manipulated the text and added several passages in order to elevate Dai's status to that of Imam and enforce his unquestionable authority over his followers.
He introduced very harsh conditions in the text of Misaq making it an instrument of punishment. He made these changes despite the clear warning in Tuhfat-ul-Qulub by 3rd most revered Dawoodi Bohra Dai, Sayedna Hatim that: "The Dai is prohibited to ascribe a single word of the Misaq towards himself." Remember Sayedna Hatim was our third Dai after the Imam Tayeb went into seclusion and the Fatimid Empire had fallen down.
As Sayedna Taher Saifuddin moved unabashedly to build his financial empire he destroyed the spirit and norms of Ismailism giving it an authoritarian character which caused and is still causing many problems in the peace-loving community. There is no priesthood in Islam as religious functions can be performed by any ordinary qualified Muslim. There was no priesthood even in Dawoodi Bohra community till 50th Dai. The local Mullas and Amils were appointed and paid by the independent local Jamats who used to perform all the religious functions of the community including Moharram vaiz without interference of Dai.
But Syedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb introduced again a centralised structure and made it more and more authoritarian by introducing one more rigid condition of his Raza for everything that Bohras do. Ultimately he introduced a deadly weapon of Jamatkharij (its latest version Baraat). Thus the Ismaili mission has now become a Personality Cult and Dawoodi Bohra Syedna-worshipers.
His son and our present 52nd Dai Sayedna Burhanuddin has further taken the community away from Islam and Ismaili religion by declaring himself the owner of mosques and sole-trustee of community's property. Under his ownerships Bohra mosques have been reduced to a playground for organizing birthday functions, cutting cakes, serving jamans, arranging vadhavnis, kadambosi, najwa and salam functions, mass marriages, meetings of politicians, putting cinema screen, video shooting, fund collection and lottery draws. Now even musalla spaces are priced and reserved thus killing the very spirit of namaz. As recent incidents indicate this commercialization of religion has turned the Bohra mosques into battle fields.
Our Dai has given up the principle of accountability which is so central in Islam and which was followed by the holy Prophet (S.A.), Hazrat Ali(A.S.) and Panjetan Pak most vigorously.

In conclusion, I feel that having a huge stake in the system, the Dai and his family and their corrupt administration will not like to mend their ways as they care little about Islam and Ismailism. They have no concern for the suffering community and humanity.
A systematic organised opposition by the conscientious mumineen is the only way out. The victims alone are the savior. Let us march from Barbarism to civilization again. Let us move away from this madness towards sanity. Let us disregard Amils and be independent. Udaipur's Dawoodi Bohras have done it and they are much better lot today.

[Al Zulfiqar]

Bhai Saifuddin,

a very succint, precise and true depiction of the tyranny prevailing in our community. its only the apathy and cowardice of our people that prevents them from rising up against this blatant persecution and exploitation for the benefit of syedna's family. add to that the very cunning and systematic starving of real knowledge for the community, imposing censorship and secrecy, the whole elaborate system of exercising controls by way of raza, safai chitthis, ejamat cards, taxes, forms, qarzan hasanah schemes etc and the handing out of bogus titles whereby they create competition among frog-in-the-well fools, and you have a complete structure for slavery.

the whites enjoyed the fruits of slavery for several hundreds of years by imposing exactly similar restrictions and methods on the uneducated and impoverished blacks. but seeing the cowardly mental and moral state of bohras, albeit traders and educated professionals, one could safely venture to say that it might be thousands of years before they can muster up enough courage to throw out these scum who lord it over us.

[ultofanatic]

It does appear that other than by some divine intervention, nothing is going to happen to improve the current situation.

The human spirit, ever effervescent and buoyant, even in the face of tremendous hardship, will triumph. There will come a day for "hisaab kitaab". No atrocity will go unpunished.

"live by the sword and die it" - so shall it happen. Mark my words.