Mumbai/New Delhi:
Born on March 6, 1915 in Surat, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin was the 52nd Dai, or ‘Unrestricted Missionary’ of the Dawoodi Bohras.
He completed the recitation of the Quran in 1921.
In 1929, he escaped an accident when a bridge railing collapsed while travelling in Colombo; his vehicle was left hanging on one wheel.
At the early age of 15, he performed his first Hajj. He got the title of Burhanuddin at that age and received the designation of Haddiyyat (Shaikh) from the 51st Dai in 1931 and later was designated as ‘Mazoon’ in 1934.
Burhanuddin married Amatullah Aai in 1937. In 1961, he made a trip to Yemen to visit the earlier Dais of Yemen and consequently received the designation of “Mansurul-Yemen”. In 1965, he became the 52nd Dai on the death of his father Taher Saifuddin. He has seven sons and three daughters and all members of his family reside at Saifee Mahal, Mumbai.
On the occasion of Burhanuddin’s 100th birthday, a record-breaking 52,000 specially designed sparrow feeders were systematically distributed across the world, a feat registered in the Guinness World Record book.
Taking into regard the need for the redevelopment of a specific area in Bhendi Bazaar in Greater Mumbai where several communities coexist peacefully, Burhanuddin envisioned the upliftment of over 20,000 people. He formed a public charitable Trust by the name of Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT), which intends to turn this vision into reality.
Burhanuddin appointed his second son Syedna Aaliqadr Mufaddal Saifuddin as his successor in June, 2011.
