From Fatimid Cairo to Yemen
The Tayyibi Ismaili mission originated in the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt (969-1171 CE). The Fatimid Imams — descended from the Prophet through Fatima al-Zahra, Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and the Ismaili line to Ismail — ruled from Cairo as both Caliphs and Imams.
When the Imam al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah was assassinated in 1130 CE, the succession question split the community. Those who accepted his infant son al-Tayyib — and the regency of al-Hurra al-Malika (Queen Arwa) of Yemen — became the Tayyibis. The seat of the dawat (mission) transferred to Yemen under her patronage, and Yemen became the intellectual center of Tayyibi Ismailism for centuries.
The Arrival in Gujarat
The Tayyibi mission reached Gujarat (western India) in the late 11th century CE, initially through the missionary work of Syedna Abdulla ibn Masood al-Wakeel. The Gujarati merchant class — already oriented toward trade and administrative networks — proved receptive to the Ismaili da’wa. The community took the name Bohra from the Gujarati word for trade/trading.
Over subsequent centuries, the Bohras developed a distinctive synthesis: Arab Fatimid theological inheritance, Gujarati language and culture, and South Asian social customs adapted through the dawat’s guidance.
The Dai al-Mutlaq and Community Structure
When the hidden Imam al-Tayyib entered seclusion (paralleling but distinct from the Twelver occultation), authority was vested in the Dai al-Mutlaq — the absolute vicegerent, authorized to guide the community in the Imam’s name. The line of Dais is unbroken: the 53rd in succession is Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (b. 1946).
The community is organized around the Dai, with a structure of appointed mazoons, mukasirs, amils, and shaikhs serving in different capacities across the community.
See also: Dai Al Mutlaq, Ahl Al Bayt, Seerah Fatima Zahra, Seerah Jafar Al Sadiq, Seerah Husayn Ibn Ali, Hajj Philosophy