Sulaymani

Sulaymani Bohras (Sulaymanis) are a Musta‘lī Ismaili community that predominantly reside in Saudi Arabia (Najran), Yemen, Pakistan and India. They are also called Makrami. They number between several hundred thousand and one million in Saudi Arabia alone. They belong to Tayyibi Ismailis, which bifurcated into various Bohras including major group Dawoodi Bohra.

History

This Tayyibī Isma'ilī community is named after their 27th Dā‘ī, Sulayman bin Hassan, who ascended to this position after the death of the 26th dā‘ī muṭlaq, Dawūd ibn Ajabshah.

Sulayman ibn Hasan was Dawūd ibn Ajabshah's deputy in Yemen at the time of the latter's death. A heated dispute broke out because in India, as per the Sulaymanis, Dawūd ibn Qutub Shāh Burhanuddin claimed the position of Dā‘ī muṭlaq for himself and managed to win the support of the majority of the Indian Ṭayyibis. As per the Sulaymanis, Sulayman returned to India to claim the succession on the basis of the nass (explicit designation of succession by his predecessor) of Dawūd ibn Ajabshah. The heated succession dispute was brought before the Emperor Akbar at Lahore but before his claim and the dispute came to any conclusion, Sulayman died under mysterious circumstances in Lahore.