Mufaddal Saifuddin

A young Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin (bottom right) with his father, Mohammed Burhanuddin (right), and grand father, Taher Saifuddin (left) c. 1950.

Mufaddal Saifuddin was born on 20 August 1946 (23 Ramadan 1365 A.H.) in Surat, India,[13] and was given the name Aali Qadr Mufaddal (Arabic:عالي قدر مفضل, Abjad value 1365, which corresponds to his Islamic year of birth) by his grandfather Syedna Taher Saifuddin. His kunya is Abu Jafar us Sadiq and his laqab is Saifuddin.[14]

During the era of his grandfather Taher Saifuddin, he began the recitation of the Quran in Saifee Villa, Colombo.[15] He received much of his spiritual tutelage from his father, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin and his father-in-law Yusuf Najmuddin (QR)[16] the rector of Al Jamea tus Saifiyah. In 1969 he graduated from Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah with the al-Faqih al-Jayyid degree (the Distinguished Jurist).[14] In 1971 he was conferred with the degree of al-Aleem al-Baari' ( the Outstanding Scholar).[14]

He married Jawharatusharaf Najmuddin, daughter of Yusuf Najmuddin (QR), on 1 January 1970[17][18].

At 22 years of age, his father Burhanuddin designated him as his successor by performing nass (appointment by designation) on him in 1969, following that, in 2005 and 2011.[19][20]

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin often accompanied his father Mohammed Burhanuddin, meeting heads of state and notable personalities. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin was appointed Amirul Hajj by his father Burhanuddin in 1390 AH (1970 CE). After Hajj, he travelled to Karbala, Najaf, Syria, Misr and Yemen. In Yemen, he laid the foundation for the 3rd Da'i al-Mutlaq's Hatim's mausoleum. After that journey Burhanuddin bestowed upon him the honorific title Aqeeq-ul-Yemen in 1391 AH/1971 AD.[21]

Saifuddin's father, Mohammed Burhanuddin, conceived the Bhendi Bazaar Redevelopment Project and a public charitable trust named the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust[25] was created on 23 January 2009 with an initial corpus provided by settlors Shahzada Qaidjoher Ezzuddin and Shahzada Abbas Fakhruddin.[26] The first phase was inaugurated by Saifuddin on 18 May 2016. "About 250 dilapidated buildings in Bhendi Bazaar will be replaced with 17 new towers with wide roads, modern infrastructure, more open spaces and highly visible commercial areas." This ambitious philanthropic enterprise "aims to rehabilitate 3200 families and 1250 business which are currently living in poor conditions." It is expected to reach completion by 2020.

On Mohammed Burhanuddin's posthumous 103rd Birthday, Saifuddin donated INR 103.53 crore (US$15.53 million) to the Qardan Hasana (interest free loan) Scheme[27] (interest free loan fund for the Dawoodi Bohra community) in the name of his father.[28]

On 19 July 2016 Saifuddin met Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and expressed interest in investing in Egypt. Saifuddin also donated 10 Million Egyptian Pounds (US$621,553) to the Long Live Egypt Fund (Tahya Misr),[29] matching his own donation from 2014.[1]

On 14 October 2016 a local community led by Saifuddin donated TZS 545 million toward earthquake relief efforts in Tanzania.[30]

In September 2019 Saifuddin met with President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka and donated LKR 10 million (US$53,553) to National Kidney Fund of Sri Lanka to enhance facilities and improve welfare and preventive care for patients impacted by chronic kidney disease.[31] In the same month, Saifuddin made a "significant contribution" to the Relief Fund of Chief Minister of Maharashtra to aid with rehabilitation efforts post 2019 Indian floods.[32]

Through the Burhani Foundation[33] Saifuddin has launched environmental awareness campaigns[34] such as the tree-planting[35] and bird feeding campaigns such the "Save our Sparrows" initiative.[36]

To reduce food wastage, Saifuddin introduced a regulation to strictly limit the number of dishes served in any community, social or personal gathering where Dawoodi Bohras are present. This was launched under the motto of ek kharaas, ek mithaas, no israaf (one savoury, one desert and no wastage).[37]

To ensure that not a single community member goes hungry, Saifuddin has actively expanded worldwide the community kitchen scheme,[38][39] named Faiz al-Mawaid al-Burhaniyah[40] (Arabic:فيض الموائد البرهانية). Everyday, a Tiffin or Thali consisting of a fully prepared and cooked meal is delivered to each Dawoodi Bohra community household free-of-cost.[41]

In December 2016 Saifuddin initiated a social 'Upliftment Program' (Arabic: رفع مستوى معيشة مؤمنين‎, romanized: Rafo Mustawa Maishate Mumineen, lit. 'Raise the standard of living of mumineen'), to improve the living standards of his community members.[42] Over 4,100 volunteers from India, East Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East were spread out over 200 towns and cities.[43] The 5-day upliftment drive consisted of free renovation of houses, planting of trees and shrubs, upgrading sanitation of community properties and grounds, building playground and sports facilities, dental hygiene and vaccination camps, a sports day and a community breakfast on New Year's Day.[44]

He has also launched a global initiative named Project Rise to help improve the lives of people that are marginalized, neglected or living in poverty. In partnership with government bodies and local organizations around the world, Project Rise’s upliftment programs span a range of policy areas, including healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, environmental responsibility and conservation, and education. These initiatives are activated during natural disasters such as COVID-19 pandemic [45]

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has been recognized in the following awards and accolades:[54]

Year & Date	Country	Award & Honour
26 June 2014	United States	Certificate of Commendation at Tampa, Florida
3 March 2015		RESOLUTION CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE
6 March 2015		Certificate of Appreciation - By the Mayor City of Bakersfield
7 March 2015		SENATE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION- For the inauguration of the Palo Alto Masjid in California
9 March 2015		ONTARIO, California - Certificate of Appreciation
12 March 2014		CERTIFICATE OF SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION by the U.S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
23 October 2015		Key to the City of Houston, by the Mayor of Houston Annise Parker.[55]
9 September 2015	Pakistan	Governor of Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan conferred an honorary doctorate degree upon Mufaddal Saifuddin in a convention organized by University of Karachi (KU) at Governor House.[56][57]
2015 & 2018	India	Mufaddal Saifuddin, was elected as Aligarh Muslim University's new Chancellor on 11 April 2015.[58][59][60][61] He was re-elected as the Chancellor for a second term on 2 December 2018.[62][63]
2014 to 2020	Jordan	Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin was named one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the years 2014,[64] 2015,[65] 2016,[66][67] 2017,[68] 2018,[69] 2019[70] & 2020.[71]
23 June 2014	Madagascar	He was awarded the Grand-Croix de Ceuxième Classe in Madagascar .[72]
18 August 2014	Egypt	President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received Mufaddal Saifuddin on his first visit to Egypt since he took office. Saifuddin donated 10 million pounds for the Long Live Egypt Fund".[73][74]
2015	India	He was awarded the "Global Peace Award" for 2015 "In recognition of his outstanding contribution in the promotion of human rights and social justice".[75] He was also awarded a Lifetime Global Patronship Of All India Council Of Human Rights, Liberties And Social Justice (AICHLS).
28 February 2016		He launched the poster of "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao"[76] under the theme "Mai Tulsi Tere Angan Ki" during his presence in Islamic Cultural Centre New Delhi[77] on 28 February 2016[78] and in Al Jamea tus Saifiyah University on 4 May 2016.[78]
29 August 2015	Tanzania	During his visit to Moshi, Tanzania, Mufaddal Saifuddin was presented the "Key to Moshi - The Land of Kilimanjaro" by the Mayor Japhary R Michael on 29 August 2015.[79]
August 2015	Egypt	on the invitation of the Government of Egypt, Mufaddal Saifuddin participated in inauguration ceremony of the new Suez Canal.[80] Saifuddin commented that "The Suez Canal is the miracle of mankind which should be venerated rightfully."[81]
20 April 2017	Kenya	he was awarded The Second class: Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart by President Uhuru Kenyatta on the inauguration of the Al Jamea tus Saifiyah campus in Nairobi.[82]
30 September 2017	Pakistan	he was presented the "Key to Karachi" by the Mayor of Karachi, Hon. Waseem Akhtar.[83]
30 April 2018	Singapore	A new species of orchid (a crossbreed between Bangkok Fancy and Adisakdi White) was named as Dendrobium HH Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin.[84]
13 January 2019	Sri Lanka	he was presented the "Key to City of Colombo" by the Mayoress of Colombo, Hon. Rosy Senanayake on 13 January 2019

A list of Risalah composed by Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, or started by Syedna Taher Saifuddin and Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin and completed by Mufaddal Saifuddin:

Saifuddin presides over an Ashara Mubaraka gathering at Mohammedi Masjid, Houston, 2015 (1437H).

Ashara Mubaraka refers to a period of ten days of Muharram at the beginning of the Islamic year dedicated to the remembrance of the grandson of Muhammad, Imam Husayn ibn Ali. Although all Dawoodi Bohra communities across the world commemorate this event locally, a global event is led by the Dai al-Mutlaq in a location he selects with the divine inspiration of the Imam, to which large numbers of community members travel from across the globe. the Da'i al-Mutlaq delivers ten wa'az (lit. 'sermons') on Islamic philosophy, history, liturgy, expository, horatory over 9 days: One wa'az each day for 8 days starting 2nd Muharram and two on the final day of Ashura, the 10th of Muharram.The Ashara waaz by the Dai al-Mutlaq is, on occasion, broadcast to various venues around the world.The host city from where the Dai al-Mutlaq delivers his waaz, at times, attracts 100,000 to 200,000 azadar-e Husayn (lit. 'mourners of Husayn').Arrangements are made to provide them with free accommodation, transportation, and meals.

List of cities Saifuddin led Ashara Mubaraka at as Dai al-Mutlaq

City	Country	Continent	Gregorian Year	Islamic Year	Start Date	End Date	Attendees
Surat[107]	India	Asia	2014	1436	25 October	2 November	200,000[107]
Houston[108]	United States	North America	2015	1437	14 October	22 October	25,000[108]
Dar es Salaam[109]	Tanzania	Africa	2016	1438	3 October	11 October	32,000[110]
Karachi[111]	Pakistan	Asia	2017	1439	22 September	30 September	65,000
Indore[112]	India		2018	1440	12 September	20 September	210,000
Colombo[113][114]	Sri Lanka		2019	1441	1 September	9 September	28,000