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Ismail K. Poonawala in his study at his Los Angeles home.

Ismail K. Poonawala

Bohra scholar who speaks truth to power

by Shaukat Ajmeri ● Mar 8, 2013 Back

On a cool December morning I knock on the door of a house in a posh Los Angeles
county. A diminutive man opens the door. He is Ismail K. Poonawala, former
professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at UCLA. There is renovation going on in the
house, Prof. Poonawala apologises for the mess. We make small talk as he gives me a
tour of his study, it is lined with books on three sides, the fourth is held up by glass
doors overlooking the Pacific Ocean in a distance.
We retire to the kitchen, it’s warm and cozy, and talk over a cup of tea. Prof.
Poonawala speaks with a certain gravitas, an attitude that comes from five decades
of researching, writing and teaching. He is most famously known for his
monumental work on translating and editing Daaim ul Islam. Written by Qadi
Noman, the 10th century Ismaili jurist and historian, Daaim is the book of fiqh for
Ismailis. For Dawoodi Bohras it is second only to the Quran as a source of Islamic
law and guidance.

I remind him that the Dawoodi Bohra clergy does not consider his version of Daaim
as authentic. Prof. Poonawala chuckles knowingly, and quips, “Okay, let them
publish the authentic version, then.” When Daaim was published 10 years ago,
Bohras were forbidden from reading it, but not everyone obeyed. “Whenever I visit
my publisher in Mumbai,” he adds wistfully, “they tell me, ‘Professor, it’s people in
white clothes who mostly buy your books’.”

Originally translated by Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee, Daaim was completely revised and
annotated by Prof. Poonawala. In fact, it almost never came to be published. “Asaf
Fyzee was my elder but we were more like friends,” Prof. Poonawala says, “and just
before his death when I was visiting him in Mumbai, he requested me to complete
this work he had undertaken. I said, ‘I do not promise but I’ll do what I can.’” This
was 1981. More than 20 years would pass before the translation saw the light of day.
The saga leading to its publication deserves a book of its own. It was a true labour of
love. Daaim is much in demand today and has gone into a fifth print, thanks mainly
to the disobedient men in white clothes.

Like father like son

Prof. Poonwala caught the bug of Islamic learning from his father Mulla Kurban
Hussain, an Islamic scholar in his own right. He had studied in Deoband and other
Muslim/Sunni seminaries, and was well versed in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. He also
studied in Saifee Daras in Surat, and was awarded the title of al-Faqih al-Jayyid, but
unlike the clergy he used his learning for the educational development of Bohras. He
started a primary school and slowly brought it up to the secondary level. He also
regularly contributed articles to the Gujarati magazine Naseem-e-Sehar, a popular
monthly which was widely read in the 40s and 50s. He would hold evening classes at
his house to teach Arabic and Islam and other deeni stuff. The house took on the
appearance of a madrassa.
In this atmosphere, suffused with learning and scholarship, the young Poonawala
grew up. The foundation of his future calling as a scholar of Arabic and Islam was
probably laid during those formative years. But it was not just the yearning for
scholastics alone that he inherited from his father. He also imbibed from him the
quality of critical thinking.

It seems his father was aware of the antics of Sayenda Taher Saifuddin and the
money scandals that plagued the Kohtar at that time, and was secretly guiding the
reform movement. All this did not escape the notice of young Poonawala who began
to sense that all was not well with the community, and increasingly grew suspicious
of religion and especially of the Bohra religious establishment.

When he was in high school his father passed away suddenly, leaving him alone to
grapple with the doubts that had taken hold in his mind. Determined to find answers
for himself he joined the Ismail Yusuf College of Bombay University to study Arabic
and Islam.

“During that time in 1953,” Prof. Poonawals says, “along with two of my friends (one
of them being Zainuddin Vali) I started writing weekly articles in Mumbai Samachar
citicising the highhandedness of the Bohra establishment as well as social customs
which were outdated and oppressive. One such custom, for example, was Iddat
which required even an old widow to be completely isolated in prison-like
conditions for four and a half months. From my studies I found out that this was not
an Islamic practice, but was probably influenced by Indian or Hindu customs.”

Autonomy of jamat was another issue they wrote about. Then, as now, jamat
committees were handpicked by the local amils, “and those appointed were so called
“chamchas” or yes men. We wanted some kind of democratic procedure to elect
committee members,” Prof. Poonawala adds. “Financial transparency was also a big
problem. There was no accountability for all the dues and fees that were collected
from the people and from various gallas. We knew that that money was not being
spent on the welfare of community, so we wanted to know where the money was
going.”

Killing philanthropy
“The other issue was public charity, the two mosques in Godhra,” he says, “were
built by philanthropists who made money through lumber trade. Our musafikhana,
jamatkhana and many other community assets were built by such rich families.”

This was true of every town and city where Bohras lived. Rich families would
generously give their wealth for the welfare of the community. But such charitable
work was frowned upon by Sayedna Taher Saifuddin. “Mullaji told these rich
sethiyas,” Prof. Poonawala adds, “you cannot do charity on your own, give me the
money and I’ll do it. But of course he would pocket most of the money and little, if at
all, was given to the people.”

The Sayedna saw private acts of charity as a threat to his prestige. Having assumed
the role of Ilha ul-ard (Lord of the World) of Bohras he could not allow lesser mortals
to become benefactors and steal the limelight from his halo. Slowly and shrewdly his
administration manipulated its way into all the trusts and associations in India,
Pakistan and East Africa, and either dissolved them or brought them under his direct
control. Many rich families that opposed his moves were ex-communicated and
publicly denounced for daring to challenge his authority. That was the beginning of
the end of charity among Bohras, and that shameful legacy continues to this day.

“Let me stress,” adds Prof. Poonawala, “that the issues we raised were about social
and administrative matters. We were not questioning religion or the religious
authority of the Dai.” Nonetheless, the clergy would portray all dissent as “enmity
against dawat” and increasingly and desperately tried to keep Bohras in line. While
the majority complied, Sayedna Taher Saiffudin continued to face challenges from
educated Bohras right from the time he took office. That opposition culminated into
the first reformist conference, the Bagasra Sammelan in 1957. Prof. Poonawala and
friends attended it. Noman Contractor was the leader of the movement. “We were
the pioneers of the reform movement and we were there when history was being
made,” he adds proudly.

When he left India soon after the conference, the reform movement had gained a
real momentum. Those were heady times and there was a sense of euphoria,
reformists thought they would see the results in a few years. But that was not to be.
“My departure,” adds Prof. Poonawala, “marked the end of my active participation
in the reform movement. But my heart and mind were always with the cause, and I
kept in touch with friends and reform activities.
He went to Cairo first to master Arabic, because “all our source books are in Arabic
and it made sense to learn the language if I wanted to understand Islam. There I had
the good fortune of meeting Husayn al-Hamdani. He was from the well-known
Hamdani family, had studied in London and was fluent in Arabic, Persian and
German. He was a very progressive thinker like Zahid Ali and Asaf Fyzee – the other
two great Bohra scholars who were educated in the West. They all eventually
returned to India and tried to educate the community but the community was not
ready to accept them.”

Scholars under attack

Prof. Poonawala speaks fondly and admirably of these scholars. He rues the fact the
Bohra establishment not only shunned them but also tried to discredit them. “Zahid
Ali remained unaffected by the attacks of Mullaji,” says Prof. Poonawala, “as he lived
away in Hyderabad. He wrote two major works Tarikh-e Fatimiyyin-e Misr (History
of the Fatimid Egypt) and Hamare Ismaili mazhab ki haqeeqat aur uska nizam (Our
Ismaili madhhab's true origins and its organization) in an attempt to describe our
history and its origins objectively as depicted by the historians and awaken the
Bohras from the clutches of the religious establishment. It is a critical evaluation of
Shiite Bohras' history and their belief system. If he had not been in Hyderabad I
suspect Mullaji would have made an attempt on his life and gotten rid of him.

“Asaf Fyzee was a Sulaimani

Bohra from the prominent
Tayyebali family,” adds Prof.
Poonawala, “which
participated in India’s freedom
movement. Mullaji of course
could not touch him. He was a
leading expert in Islamic and
Ismaili law in India, principal
of the Law College in Bombay
and later was appointed Vice
Chancellor of Jammu and Some of the books of Ismail K. Poonawala.
Kashmir University. He was
also India’s ambassador to Egypt.
“These Bohra scholars,” adds Prof. Poonawala, “were my idols. I wanted to follow in
their footsteps. Husayn al-Hamdani became my mentor. He taught in Surat College,
then in Ismaili Yusuf College, Bombay. He later migrated to Pakistan and was
appointed as Cultural Attache to Pakistani Embassy in Cairo. He was also granted
Yemeni citizenship by the Zaydi Imam/ruler of Yemen. In Cairo he was invited by Dr.
Taha Husayn, a famous dean of Arabic literature and Minister of Education to teach
Fiqh al-lugha (philosophy of a language) and Persian language and literature at the
Teacher's Training College attached to the Cairo University. This was a big deal. To
appreciate it you have to know that Arabs normally don’t appoint non-Arabs to teach
them their own language. This was a great achievement not just for him but for the
whole community. But instead of embracing him, our religious establishment ex-
communicated and attacked his family.

“This came about because Husayn al-Hamdani’s father Faizullah Hamdani was a
classmate of Mullaji, they grew up together in Surat. Faizullah Hamdani knew what
Mullaji was up to, and was the first one to testify against him in the Chandabhai
Gulla case. Mullaji returned the favour by attacking the Hamdani house and
boycotting the family.”

Husayn al-Hamdani knew Prof. Poonawala’s father and was glad to discover that the
son too possessed progressive outlook and was open to new ideas. He persuaded him
to take up Ismaili studies, for he thought that Ismailis had an obligation to study
their own heritage which was misunderstood by other Muslims. Prof. Poonawala
says he is greatly indebted to his teacher for inspiring him to study Ismailism. He
wrote his dissertation on Syedna Khattab bin Hasan, the Mazun of the first Tayyebi
Dai ul Mutlaq, Sayedna Zoeb bin Moosa.

“My thesis,” adds Prof. Poonawala, “started with the satr period and what came to be
known as silsilat u duat al mutlaqeen (the chain of Dais). With the help of Husayn al-
Hamdani I edited Khattab’s diwan, it was considered a major secret book of Dawah.
In olden times Dai’s permission was needed to study such works. But that system
was not meant to deny knowledge but to make sure that students were properly
prepared to receive it.

“Also, there were certain secrets that could not be revealed to the uninitiated. But
like everything else, our clergy has distorted this requirement into one of denial and
control. They don’t want people to know the truth. Our important religious literature
is hidden away. Khattab’s book was found in our reformist Ismaili collection.
Khattab was not only a poet and a literary figure but also a warrior. My goal was to
reconstruct his life - a life full of family tragedy, drama, betrayal and religio-political
wars of the time.”

Absolute power
The thesis was published by the most celebrated press in Cairo called Dar al Maarif
in 1967. Khattab, according to Prof. Poonawala, was one of the key figures in
supporting and promoting the Ismaili-Tayyebi Dawah in Yemen. Without Hurratal
Malika Arwa, Sayedna Zoeb bin Moosa and Khattab bin Hasan the fledgling Tayyebi
Dawah would not have survived those turbulent times.

“Hurratal Malika,” continues Prof. Poonawala, “was given the highest rank of Hujja
of Yemeni Dawah by Imam Mustansir. After the death of Imam Amir and occultation
of Imam Tayyeb, she created the seat of Dai al Mutlaq. This was necessary for the
betterment of the community. Because the community was there – and in the
absence of the Imam –a leader was needed to keep it together. Yes, it is true that Dai
ul Mutalq could be interpreted as one having absolute power but it is not a blank
cheque. There are certain qualities and qualifications to becoming a Dai.”

Not surprisingly, the last two Dais have been using this title - and the authority that
comes with it – to do as they please but if one looks at recent history, their claim to
being Dai al Mutalq are misplaced. “It is well known,” adds Prof. Poonawala, “that
the 46th Dai Syedna Mohd. Badruddin died in 1840 without explicitly appointing his
successor. So what was to be done in this situation? This was similar to what
Hurratal Malaika faced when Imam Tayyeb went into hiding. The community was
there and it needed a leader. So after Sayedna Badruddin’s death, four leading
scholars got together and appointed Syedna Abdulqadir Najmuddin, the then
Mukasir, as the new Dai. Please note that he was appointed as Dai al Nazim, a
caretaker Dai, and not as Dai al Mutlaq.”

This is a controversial issue, and widely murmured among those who know Bohra
history. But their number is dwindling, much to the delight of the clergy which
violently suppresses inconvenient truths. The most famous victims of this violence
are the four learned sheikhs who were booted out of the jamea in the early 70s.
“Sheikh Ahmed Ali Raj and other three ustads,” says Prof. Poonawala, “dared to raise
this topic and see what happened. But the interesting thing is that Yusuf Najmuddin
admitted in an article in Dawn newspaper of Karachi that his was father was Dai al
Nazim, not Dai al Mutlaq. It is all there if you care to check, but nobody cares in our
community. Also you must know that history is always written by the victors.
Saddam is gone but the history of Iraq is being written by USA, Shaitan al Buzurg
(the great satan). Similarly, our dominant clergy is writing our history.” And also
rewriting our doctrine, one might add.

After finishing his studies in Cairo, Prof. Poonawala went to the University of
California in Los Angeles to do his PhD in Islamic studies. Like his idols he always
wanted to go to the West because according to him whatever may be its faults, the
West is the “Makkah of religious scholarship as far as research and methodology are
concerned.” At UCLA the leading Orientalist Gustave Edmund von Grunebaum was
his teacher. His dissertation was on Qadi Noman and his Al Urjuza al Mukhtara on
the question of Fatimid Imamat. He edited and wrote a critical introduction to the
Urjuza. The dissertation was published by the McGill University in Canada, where
Prof. Poonawala also taught for three years. From there he moved on to Harvard
where he worked on the most ambitious project of his career: The Biobibliography of
Ismaili Literature.

Against the grain

“I finished this work in two years,” he adds, “and it was published by UCLA in 1977.
This in my view is a major contribution to Ismaili studies. The book includes a brief
sketch of every major Ismaili literary figure, with reference to all the sources –
ancient as well as modern. What is also notable is that for the first time extant
Ismaili books were listed with information about their location - in public libraries
around the world or in private collections. This Biobibliography is the starting point
for anyone interested in Islmaili studies. Now I’m in the process of revising it as new
material and sources have come to light. It will take another year or so to get it
published.”

Prof. Poonawala’s has written a number of scholarly books and tens of articles about
Ismailis, the Quran and the early intellectual history of Islam and shiism as well as
about modern challenges to Islam. He continues to research and write, but at a more
relaxed pace now that he’s free from the demands of academia. Having undergone
multiple bypass surgeries, he takes life easy nowadays. “I’ve proved the prognosis of
my doctors wrong,” he says, “and I’m still here, by the grace of God.”

Fiercely independent in thought, he does not cater to the masses or follow any
particular intellectual fashion or faction. He is not afraid to go against the grain of
accepted belief, and expresses views that at times border on the iconoclastic. But
that does not bother him. That is the job of a scholar. He knows what he is talking
about. Pursuit of knowledge, informed by reason and objectivity, is its own reward.
In the introduction to the revised edition of the Bibliography he intends to take a
critical look at our Ismaili heritage.

“Unless we look in the mirror,” he says, “we will not know who we are. In my latest
article on a debate among Ismaili scholars in 9th and 10th century Iran, we can draw
a conclusion that applies not only to Bohras but to the rest of the Muslim world as
well: That there is a total break in the Muslim personality. What I mean is, we as
Muslims are very good at adopting Western science and technology and other
material advances, but are slow to adopt Western values of democracy, equal rights
and social progress.

“As Muslims who are we, what have we produced, how have we contributed to the
betterment of the world? You can’t just keep talking about our glorious past. Yes,
medieval Islam produced brilliant philosophers and inventors and contributed to
world civilization. But the question is what have modern Muslims contributed?
Absolutely zero. Nothing.

“The Saudis,” he adds, “and other so-called Muslim leaders are self-centered.
Muslims have been ill-served by their leaders and misled by traditional mullahs who
keep them tied down to the past and to the literal text. There is no correlation
between Muslim beliefs and the world in which they live. This is why we have to
reinterpret Islam if it is to have any meaning.”

The fundamental message

The word reinterpretation in the same sentence as with Islam raises the hackles of
conservative Muslims? What does it mean? “That is a good question,” Prof.
Poonawala says, “and it was answered more than 150 years ago by Mohammed
Abduh, the Egyptian Islamic reformer. He said one should differentiate between the
usool, the fundamental principles of Islam and other secondary matters.  The
fundamental principles are the belief in tawheed, in the Prophet, in aakihra etc. The
secondary matters are to do with law, social relations and day to day affairs. When
we talk about reinterpretation we’re not referring to the usool but to the secondary
matters.”

So sunna, the traditions of the Prophet, is a reliable guide on these secondary

matters? “How do you define sunna,” Prof. Poonawala asks, “sunna is a common
term in Arabic which means customary law, but the sunna as in traditions came into
being almost 200 years after the Porphet’s death. The source of the sunna is hadith,
and hadith is controversial. Most of them are concocted. Let me give an example of
Sahi Bukhari which Sunni Muslims consider as the second most important authority
after the Quran.

“Bukhari compiled hadith in the second half of the third Islamic century. Leaving
aside the repetitions, there are around 3,000 traditions mentioned in Sahi Bukhari
selected out of nearly half a million, half a million. No one can prove the authenticity
of a single hadith with absolute certainty,” he adds. He advises Muslims to forget the
hadith, just as Goldziher and other western scholars have advocated. Instead of
discussing the nitty-gritty of hadith literature he exhorts us to go back to the original
source, the Quran and concentrate on its fundamental teachings. 

“The traditional ulema,” he

says, “do not understand the
original teachings. They just
harp on rituals and sunna. The
fundamental message of the
Quran is socio-economic
justice and equality of human
beings. The great Fazlur
Rahman and other scholars
have written about it at length. Ismail K. Poonawala at work.
The Meccan revelations are
passionate about establishing justice and equality, declaring all men as equal.
There’s no difference between white and black or rich and poor. This fundamental
message is tied to the concept of monotheism, that there is One God. The Prophet
called for One God, one humanity. This is the essential message.

“Unfortunately this was forgotten immediately after the Prophet’s death,” Prof.
Poonawala adds. “As he closed his eyes Muslims started quarreling about leadership.
They said the leader has to be a Quraish, and thus Abu Bakr and his followers came
to violate the fundamental principle of Islam. I’m not trying to defend Ali’s rights,
that is another issue. Let’s assume that the Prophet would have preferred Ali to
succeed him, but I have my reservations about the concept of Imamat. What is the
guarantee that three, four generations down the line the Imamat would have
produced good, righteous leaders.

“Look at the Fatimid history of Imams. We Bohras recite the names of all the Imams
after each prayer. In my recent article on the poet prince Tamim, the eldest son of
Imam Moiz, I wrote that he lived a life of affluence and amusement and loved wine
and song. He was passed over twice for succession because of these reasons. Among
Fatimid Imams, the first four or five were good leaders. But Imam Hakim was a big
problem.” Porf. Poonawala realises he’s treading a sensitive territory, but insists,
“These are historical facts. As time went by the institution of Imamat degenerated,
and the Imams became puppets in the hands of their military commanders. Look at
your history.”

Reason and intellect

But aren’t Ismaili Imams supposed to be infallible, perfect human beings? “The
infallibility,” adds Prof. Poonawala, “of the Imam is a concept, it is only a theoretical
adjunct, and it grew out of the circumstances and needs of the times. You have to
analyse those circumstances. Infallibility is not an article of faith. The Quran
repeatedly emphaises that it has given humankind intellect and reason. They should
use reason. The Quran lays more stress on reason than anything else. But do you see
any use of reason and intellect among Bohras? Or even among Muslims, for that
matter?

“They can’t depend on amils and mullahs to understand relgion," he adds, "truth will
not be given to them on a platter. Our real history is never told in our waaz. The
same kind of ignorance applies to other Muslims also. In juma khutba mullahs talk
about Abu Bakr and Umar with exaggerated praise. Unless Muslims are willing to
give up their misguided beliefs, unless they stop worshipping personalities nothing
will change.”

Hero-worshipping is ingrained among Bohras. The near-divine reverence arrogated

by the last two Dais has been historically reserved for the Imams, they being the
lynchpin of Ismaili belief system. Prof. Poonawala knows that Islamili history is
riven with hero-worshipping of the Imams, and he found ample evidence of it in his
research. But what fascinated him most was the early intellectual history of Ismailis.
They produced great scholars from the 9th to 11th centuries. They encouraged
rational thought, just like the Mu'tazilas of earlier period who were influenced by
Hellenic rationalism. Ismaili intellectuals employed Neoplatonic ideas of the Greeks
to advance their understanding of Islam. Those ideas appealed to their spiritual
mind.

“But all that philosophy,” Prof. Poonawala adds, “is quite irrelevant now. Ismailism
promoted rationalism, but of course within limits, the Imams and the basic tenets
were beyond criticism. For more than 200 years Ismailism flourished, as opposed to
Sunni Islam, because with the help of rationalism Ismailis could explain religion in
rational terms. This made a lot of sense to educated people and they were
increasingly attracted to Islmailism.”

Among Ismaili scholars, he has great regard for Qadi Noman and Abu Yaqub
Sijistani. “Qadi Noman,” he says “was a great figure. His contribution to the Ismaili
cause is incalculable. The Ismaili doctrine of the pre-Faitimd era that he inherited
was very dynamic and revolutionary, but once the Fatimid empire was established,
that dynamism was diluted for it was not easy to put revolutionary ideas into
practice. Qadi Noman ‘adjusted’ the doctrine for the purposes of empire. A brilliant
jurist, he served for more than 50 years under four Fatimid Imams and became a
close confidant of Imam Moiz. But let us keep in mind that he was a servant of the
Imams after all, he achieved his high position because he served his masters well.
His work must be understood within the context and requirements of the empire.

“Now we are facing a different situation,” he continues, “the Fatimid empire has
disappeared, so we’ve to examine Qadi Noman's work in a different light, and re-
evaluate its relevance to our times. The same applies to other aspects of Islamic
history. Apart from the core fundamental principles, the usool, everything has
historical and cultural specificity - laws, social customs etc. We must understand this
specificity and re-examine everything. This is what I mean by reinterpretation of
religion.

Dumbing-down of Bohras
“Qadi Noman was a great mind,” Prof. Poonawala adds, “but I do not agree with
everything he wrote. His work cannot be accepted in its entirety. This is why I
admire the reconciliation between religion and philosophy in the works of Sijistani.
He was not officially an Ismaili but converted to it later in life. He was a very learned
man and he is the one who brought Neoplatonic ideas to Islamic and Quranic
principles. This I pointed out in my book  Kitab al-Maqalid al-Malakutiyya (The Book
of the Keys to the Kingdom).”

Our Dais of earlier times were also very learned, but as time went by their learning
and intellect also declined. The result of this is for all of us to see. The dumbing-
down of Bohras has proceeded hand in hand with their increasing inability to use
reason. The same can be said other Muslim sects, too. “For Muslims to make a mark,”
says Prof. Poonawala, “they have to come to a common understanding of the
fundamental teachings of the Quran. The minor differences – such as how you pray,
and what you include or exclude in your azan etc. – should be cast aside. Even the
Quran says it does not have a monopoly on sending believers to heaven. It says:

‘Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabians,
whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their
reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.’ (Sura
2:62)

“It is clear from this that if you believe in one God and believe in the hereafter and
do good deeds towards your fellow humans, irrespective of caste, colour, race then
there is nothing you should fear. This is the basic message of the Quran - moral order
and socio-economic justice. Now look at the Muslim world, where is social justice,
economic justice? Justice disappeared soon after the Prophet’s death. The way war
booty was distributed by the Caliphs was unfair so let’s not talk about the ideal
Islamic government or the golden period of Islam.”

Heads in the sand

Given the state of the Bohras yoked as they are with the stubborn and exploitative clergy,
and with the Imam in hiding, does it mean this is the end of the road, end of the Fatimid
Dawat as we know it?
“See this is the thing,” says Prof. Poonawala, “the Sayedna and his administration
have their heads in the sand. They must understand that the times have changed. If
they want to be relevant now and in the next generation, they will have to reinvent
themselves. The brainwashing cannot go on forever. And people too must come out
of their slumber. They have to educate themselves.”

“I was in Yemen last June,” he says, “they have a grand mausoleum for Sayedna
Hatim, it’s like a mini Taj Mahal. Why did they build this? What for? This kind of
extravagance draws unnecessary attention. Other Muslims view this as khurafat
(legends), bid'a (innovation). Similarly, their dress and dhadi and topi make them
stand out, and that’s why they became easy target in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat. And
now when the whole world is condemning Modi our Sayedna is befriending him and
showering him with cash.”

So what is the solution? What is the way out for Bohras? Prof. Poonawala shakes his
head. He admits there is no easy solution. “People must educate themselves, they
must think, and think objectively.” But he knows that Bohras have gone far too deep
into the Kothar-induced hypnosis to wake up anytime soon. He despairs over the
future of our community, but cannot emphasise enough that we must go back to the
source. The Quran is the touchstone, what the Dais and Imams say and do have to be
judged against the teachings of the Quran. There is so much enlightened research
being done about Islam and so much is being written but Bohras are just not
interested. Looking at Bohras and the Muslim world in general he wonders whether
the Prophet’s mission, started 1400 years ago, will ever be realised.

“The Prophet was a genius", says Prof. Poonawala, “in a number of ways. Muslims do
not give him much credit for what he did, and unjustifiably attribute his qualities to
God. For 23 years he lived a life of uncertainty and challenges. It was the Quranic
imperative for him to succeed. His mission was to improve the quality of human life
in this world, not in the hereafter. But people will not be convinced so he had to use
the best means available. He used religion. It was the currency of the time, and God
was feared by all, so he preached his mission through the agency of God. People do
not accept anything unless they are made to fear something. This was as true then as
it is now.

“In one lifetime no human being has achieved what the Prophet has achieved. The
Arab society at that time was far worse than Bohras. They were backward and
ignorant, immersed in tribal wars, and the rich were exploiting the poor. The
Prophet wanted to change all that. This is what Muslims have forgotten, the Meccan
chapters of the Quran which time and again exhort believers toward justice and
compassion.

“Islam means,” he continues, “to submit oneself to the will of God. When misfortune
comes you must accept it and not raise doubt whether there is God or not. This is the
real meaning and understanding of Islam. It is not easy to live in this world,
suffering and pain are part of the human condition. When young people die, and
when children are killed it does not make sense. In such a situation you wonder
what kind of God would bring about such devastation. But no matter what happens
your trust in God must not waver. That is the real Islam, and not the belief in five
pillars or seven pillars.

“Yes zakat and namaz are important and they are there for the benefit of society,
they make you a better person. It has nothing to do with your faith in God which is
easily shaken at the first sign of trouble. When your mind is not in prayers then
there is no use for running five times a day to the mosque.”

Prof. Poonawala knows that for most people it’s just the outward show of piety that
matters. He has read enough of history to know that humans will always be humans:
imperfect. Yet we must do what we have to. “I’ve devoted my life to the study of
Islam,” he says, “and as long as I live I’ll continue to do what I love doing. It’s been a
good life, and personally rewarding, too. I’ve no regrets. Those who are interested in
my work will be able to access it and benefit from it. That thought gives me
satisfaction.”

He makes light of his achievements. Never seeking fame and publicity, he has quietly
and wisely allowed his work to speak for him. And it does speak volumes, literally.
Self-effacing he maybe but mealy-mouthed he is not. He speaks truth to power, and
like other great Bohra scholars is an important daaim (pillar) of our intellectual
tradition. In May this year UCLA is going to honour him for his contributions to
Ismaili studies. Well-known and celebrated by the world but shunned by his own. As
I leave him that afternoon I cannot help mulling over this sad irony. 

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