Libas al-Anwar Burhanuddin issued a
dress code, calling for male Bohras to grow a beard and wear a white
topi and
kurta, and for women to wear a colorful two piece
abaya, known formally as a Rida. This Islamization countered a trend toward assimilation into the larger culture of their ancestors that was also prevalent under his predecessor, Taher Saifuddin and the previous Du'at before them. The history of this culture can be traced back to the medieval Fatimid dynasty in Egypt.
Al-Jame al-Anwar In 1980 CE/1401 AH, the Al-Hakim mosque was extensively refurbished in white marble and gold trim by Mohammed Burhanuddin. Remnants of the original decorations, including stucco carvings, timber tie-beams, and Quranic inscriptions were restored as part of the renovations. His intent to restore the ancient Al-Hakim Mosque as a place of worship in contemporary times necessitated a lighting solution that provided this important functionality to the mosque and did so in a manner that paid tribute to the Fatimid tradition of illumination and its aesthetics. The miraculous emergence of the mishkat or small lantern from the niche of the richly decorated façade of Al Jami al Aqmar provided that solution. The niche in which the lantern motif was found has also been compared to the mihrab niche of Al Azhar mosque, the same also now found in Al-Hakim mosque, which has a central motif that resembles a large lamp or lantern.
Educational contributions In October 1999, Burhanuddin was elected Chancellor of the
Aligarh Muslim University, a position that
his father also held. He is credited with expanding the two century old Arabic university
Al Jamea tus Saifiyah. In 1983, a new campus of "Al Jamea tus Saifiyah" was built by him in Karachi. He built the "Burhaniyah Business Counseling Center" in Mumbai to provide modern business solutions. It was inaugurated in 1975 by the erstwhile President of India
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. In 1976, he established a facility exclusively dedicated to the study of arts and sciences of the Quran.
MSB Schools MSB (also known as
Al Madrasa Tus Saifiya Tul Burhaniyah) was founded by Burhanuddin in 1984, with its first two branches in
Mumbai, India and
Nairobi, Kenya. It is accredited with the
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education and is operated under the purview of the office of the
Dai al-Mutlaq of the
Dawoodi Bohras. The institute has branches in 25 cities across
India,
Pakistan,
East Africa, and the
Middle East.
Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah On the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary, Mohammed Burhanuddin established a third campus of the institute of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in Nairobi, Kenya. Two years later, his son Mufaddal Saifuddin, announced the dedication of yet another campus of
Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in Marol (Mumbai) on his behalf. The construction of each campus is centered around a masjid, with all buildings oriented towards the Kaaba in Mecca. All four campuses have integrated green building techniques and observe environmental friendly operations. The buildings have been designed to utilize sunlight and facilitate natural ventilation as much as possible, and avoid dependency on artificial methods that consume great amounts of electricity, for e.g. solar water heating systems have been used in the dormitories of the Surat campus. A layout of coconut trees planted along the perimeter of the Karachi campus’ sports field mitigates waterlogging not only in Jamea but also in the surrounding homes. Recycling, compost facilities, motion sensor lighting and paper reduction policies are also applied in all four campuses.
Al-Multaqa al-Fatemi al-Ilmi In the year 1978, Burhanuddin held a historic Islamic conference in Surat where he called upon delegates of the community centers to adhere to the time-tested traditions of their faith while also embracing the beneficial ‘new’ with the advent of scientific advancements. Amongst his important messages to the community was to renounce the practice of
riba (). The congregation initially started in Surat and was thereafter held in Mumbai, Karachi, Nairobi and Dar es salaam between 1978 - 1988. The first gathering at Surat in 1978 was held in Iwaan al-Barakat () of
Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah. Burhanuddin laid down seven principles in this meet to develop social, educational and economic fervor amongst his followers. In 1984, on the twin occasions of the 100th birth anniversary of his father, Taher Saifuddin and the 1400th birth anniversary of
Husayn ibn Ali, Muhammed's grandson; Burhanuddin laid down another set of principles similar in spirit to the ones established before with the added emphasis of
Qardan Hasana (), which are interest-free loans. The abolition of
riba from an institutional level and to certain extents on an individual level is considered to be the highlight of these meetings.
Community kitchens Burhanuddin established community kitchens (viz.
Faiz al-Mawaid al-Burhaniyah) to provide meals everyday to the
Dawoodi Bohra families, thus providing free time for women to pursue economic, educational or religious activities. The community kitchens don't discriminate between the privileged and the underprivileged sections, both getting the same "good quality and hygienically-prepared" food, while the community members have the provision of paying for their own family, and for sponsoring those who cannot afford it.
Medical aid , then
Prime Minister of India, speaks at the inauguration of Saifee Hospital on 4 June 2005. Seated on the podium are
Vilasrao Deshmukh,
Mohammed Fazal, and Burhanuddin.
Saifee Hospital Burhanuddin conceptualized and established
Saifee Hospital in Mumbai, a state-of-the-art, multi-specialty, 250-bed hospital. It was inaugurated in 2005 by
Dr. Manmohan Singh, the erstwhile prime minister of India. During the inauguration, Dr Singh said: "The Bohra community has made a noble and significant contribution to society at large in constructing the Saifee Hospital and I too pray and hope that it benefits all sections of our society" The main vision of the hospital is to provide preventive, curative and holistic care to individuals from every strata. The hospital consists of 2574 beds and is a multi-speciality healthcare destination. It has 44 ICU beds, 9 Operational Theatres and conducts approximately 10,000 surgeries in a year. It has been certified by ‘The International Standards Organisation’ (ISO) and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The official website of the department has an online Doctor's directory which enlists the name of all doctors of the community who are providing their services free of charge. As of 15 December 2019, a total of 2549 doctors have been registered with the department. The ratio of doctors with respect to the total members of the community is 1:300.
Memorisation of the Quran Burhanuddin emphasized ‘memorising the entire Quran’. There are several examples where Burhanuddin has announced this idea on an international level, for example on the occasion of completion of 1400 years of Quranic revelation on Mohammed (1387 H), and in the International Islamic Conference on Aspects of Islamic Studies at Albert Hall, London (Meherjaan al-Alami al Islami 1976 CE) he addressed this desire in his speech. Subsequently, in that same year, a Quranic institute by the name of Mahad al-Zahra was established by him. The main objectives of this institution is to facilitate learning of the art of recitation, memorization and understanding of the Quran and its sciences. Mohammed Burhanuddin had inaugurated Mahad al-Zahra, Karachi in the year 1404H, during his birthday celebrations there. In 1415 H, he delivered a sermon where he stressed upon the memorisation of the Quran and directed the students of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah to commit the entire Quran to memory. In the following year 1416 H, Husain Burhanuddin, the grandson of Mohammed Burhanuddin memorised the entire Quran and since then this initiative has taken traction tenfold. In the year 1418 H/ 1998, Burhanuddin laid down the foundation for a new branch of Mahad al-Zahra in Surat (India). The new facility provides the ideal environment of comfort and peace for the students engrossed in the demanding memorisation process. This institute also houses an audio studio where various recordings have been taped. The entire Quran has also been recorded and distributed via CDs and lately, through the internet. Students of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah memorise the Quran under this institution and render teaching services to community members residing in different parts of the world. In H 1433 / C.E. 2013, a kindergarten named Rawdat al-Quran al-Kareem (RQK) was established in Mumbai with the aim of nurturing young pupils in the light of the Quran. ==Ashara Mubaraka==