Alavi Bohras

A branch of Musta‘li Tayybi Ismailis (Bohras) in South Asia.

The Alavi Bohras follow a different line of succession to the Da’udi Bohras from the 28^th da‘i al-mutlaq, Shaikh Adam Saifuddin, through the lineage of his grandson Shams al-Din ‘Ali b. Ibrahim (d. 1046 H / 1637 CE). The schism took place in Ahmedabad, India, after the demise of Shaikh Adam Safiyuddin. The new Tayyibi Bohras named themselves Alavi after the name of their 29^th da‘i al mutlaq, ‘Ali b. Ibrahim, and founded a community distinct from the Da’udi and Sulaymani Tayyibi lines.

Three da‘is later, in 1110 AH / 1699 CE, the seat of the Alavi da‘wa was moved from Ahmedabad to Vadodara, India, which, except for a brief interlude in Surat in 12^th AH /18th century, remains their headquarters to the present time. The centre in Vadodara has a library of 600 Ismaili manuscripts, some up to 500 years old. Their present da'i (Saiyedna) Haatim Zakiyuddin is the 45^th in succession.

The Alavi Bohras are a close-knit community mainly concentrated in Vadodara with smaller groups scattered in Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and other towns in India. Some are also settled in Europe, the United States and in the Middle East.