Where did the Alavi Bohras originate?
Alavi Bohras
Vadodara is the birthplace of 28th, 29th and 30th Alavi Da'is who migrated and did Da’wat in Ahmedabad from 1021-1047 AH/1612-1638 AD. It was the place called Fakhri Mohalla near Gendi gate in the Walled city area where all 3 of them lived. Till date this mohalla is populated by Alavi Bohras. During the time of 26th Da'i al-Mutlaq Saiyedna Dawoodji Burhanuddin bin ‘Ajabshah (d. 997 AH/1589 AD) when Muzaffar Shah III ruled Gujarat, Saiyedi Musanji bin Taaj saheb (d. 986 AH/1578 AD) of Vadodara was martyred in the Mandvi gate when he invited Saiyedna saheb to inaugurate the mosque which he had built after returning from Hajj, avoiding Salaahuddin the then governor of Muzaffar Shah III. The mosque named Fakhri masjid is the oldest Bohra mosque in Vadodara where Alavi Bohras today offer daily prayers.
Dawoodi Bohra
The Dawoodi Bohra sect is a Shia sect also referred to as the Tayyabī Musta'lī Ismā'īlī sect. The Isma'ilis were split from the now mainstream Ithna Ashari Shias over the succession issue of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq. The Isma'ilis took Isma'il bin Jafar as their Imam whereas the Twelvers (Ithna Ashari Shia) took Musa Kazim bin Jafar Al-Sadiq as their Imam. The Ismailis split into Druze and mainstream Isma'ilis due to a succession issue and further down the line they again split into Nizari and Musta'ali branches. Bohra evaluated in India had link to Fatimid through Yemeni Queen Arwa from the time of Imam Mustansir era. The Musta'ali branch to which Dawoodi Bohra trace their legacy continued until the 21st Imam Al-Tayyab, who went into occultation (hiding). His direct descendant is considered as the current Imam and remains in seclusion. While the Imam is in seclusion, the governance of the sect has been entrusted to the Da'i al-Mutlaq (Vicegerent /Unrestricted Missionary). Splinter groups of the Bohras have subsequently emerged over the succession dispute of the preceding Da'i.