DUBAI: Sultan ul-Bohra, 53rd Dai el-Fatimi, Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, head of the world-wide Dawoodi Bohra community, has inaugurated the expanded and renovated al-Masjid al-Saifee in Deira.

The masjid, in the historic district of Deira, was first built almost 35 years ago, and was one of the first built by the Dawoodi Bohra community in the Gulf. In his brief address during the inauguration ceremony after maghrib prayers, Syedna described the difficulty with which the community, at that time still in its nascent stages in Dubai, came together to build the masjid each member contributing to its cause. During the emotional event, Syedna recalled his late father, His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, who worked tirelessly towards establishing the Dawoodi Bohra community in the UAE with over 50 visits to the country in his capacity as the Fatimi Dai and leader of the Dawoodi Bohras.

On Friday, Dr Saifuddin conducted a sermon for members of the community in the larger Burhani Masjid located in Al Qusais. Approximately 17,000 people were in attendance for the sermon with over 5,000 visitors from approximately 80 different cities flying in for the occasion from outside the UAE. The discourse was also relayed live from Burhani Masjid in Al Qusais to Saifee Masjid in Deira as well as several other mosques and community centres in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ajman.