It is generally believed that a Da'i is as infallible as an Imam. Such a belief is certainly wrong.

As
far as the Ismaili beliefs go, there is no such belief about the infallibility of a Da'i. Only an Imam
after Nabi and Wasi is believed to be infallible.

But of late the powers that be have reinforced the belief that a Da'i is infallible or near infallible.
In fact, those who are well conversant with the D'awat-e-Hadiyah literature very well know that
in the whole history of the Fatimi D'awat a Da'i was never taken as m'asum (infallible).

Only much later after the seat of the D'awat was transferred to India from Yemen and some
dispute arose between the Da'i and one of his likely successors (who in fact claimed to succeed
as Da'i) that the doctrine of Da'i being kal-m'asum was invented to save the situation.

Now while inventing this doctrine they were aware that they cannot call a Da'i m'asum as Da'i
officiates while Imam is in seclusion and Imam is m'asum so there will be two m'asum at one
time which is improper. Therefore another doctrine of kal-m'asum ( i.e. like m'asum, though not
m'asum) had to be invented. It is not integral part of Ismai'li belief at all. It is a later invention to
suit the circumstances.

Today it has almost become part of our belief that the Da'i is not kal-m'asum but m'asum which
is totally uncalled for. We, therefore, would like to throw light on the qualification laid down for
a Da'i in the Risalah Al-Mujazah al Kafiyah fi Adab al-Du'at which has been compiled by
Syedna Ahmad bin Muhammad Nishapuri.

This Risalah is not available but Syedna Hatim had included it in his celebrated work Tuhfat al-
Qulub. So there cannot by any doubt about its authenticity. Also, Syedna Hatim was a Da'i of the
period of satr (i.e. when imam is in seclusion ) and the fact that he thought it necessary to include
this Risalah on the qualification of a Da'i itself shows that the Da'i must possess all these
qualifications even during the period of satr.

It is also obvious that if a Da'i does not possess these qualities he is not fit to be a Da'i. It is of
course not possible to recount all the qualities of a Da'i mentioned in the Syedna Ahmad bin
Muhammad Nishapuri's Risalah in this short piece but we will mention only the most important
ones.

Syedna Hatim says in his Tuhfat al-Qulub that we have included this Risalah at the end of the
book so that all Huded i.e. D'awat's office bearers, including Da'i, Ma'dhun and Mukasir should
acquaint themselves with these (qualities so that it may act as bridle (zimam).

It will seen that it is an important statement of Syedna Hatim. He wants to act these qualities as
bridle for all the hudud of the D'awat. The first important quality mentioned in this respect is the
way a Da'i calls people towards the D'awah. In this respect he refers to the Qur'anic verse
(16:125) call to the way of the Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in
the best manner. Surely thy Lord knows those who go aright. (emphasis added). It will be seen
that in this verse the emphasis is on wisdom and goodly exhortation (hikmah and mawazatul
hasanah).
This is extremely important qualification for any missionary in the world. You can convince
people only with knowledge, wisdom and goodly way of exhortation. Also a missionary must
argue, in the best possible manner. It would impress the respondent (i.e. mustajib) and incline
him towards accepting the call.

But if the Da'i is harsh, ill-informed and throws tantrums or resorts to coercion, it will put off the
respondent. He/she may even reject the call for D'awah. This qualification derived from the holy
Qur'an has been laid down in the Risalah because a Da'i has to see that people are attracted
towards the D'awah. It is basic function of a Da'i. We should remember that D'awah is not
merely an establishment it is a movement a mission in the way of Allah. However, the present
set up of the D'awah has become a powerful establishment flush with money.

The Da'i today is not at all accessible. He is more like a feudal monarch rather than a missionary.
A monarch enjoys power and is always trying to add to his power whereas a missionary
renounces power and arrogance associated with power and displays more and more humility.

The holy Qur'an also strongly denounces istikbar (i.e. arrogance of power). Firan is described by
the Qur'an as from amongst the mustakbirin and the holy Prophet is described as da'iilal haq
(caller to truth). Our present Da'i hardly behaves as a Da'i, as a missionary. He, therefore does
not accepts the Qur'anic way of preaching and convincing the people with wisdom and goodly
exhortations nor he argues in the best possible manner.

He, on the other hand, uses coercion like a feudal lord. His whole establishment called the
Kothar is a feudal establishment rather than a religious D'awah. Each member of this
establishment naturally behaves in a most arrogant way. All of us keep on experiencing it every
day.

Syedna Ahmad as reported by Syedna Hatim in his Tuhafat al-Qulub maintains that if a Da'i
does not call people by wisdom and goodly exhortations (but through coercion) then it would not
be Allah's D'awah but the D'awah of shaitan. These strong words themselves show how
necessary for a Da'i it is to use the Qur'anic way of preaching and calling people towards Allah's
way.

Syedna Ahmad then goes on to say that one who does not use hikmah and maw'azatul hasanah
(i.e. wisdom and goodly exhortation ) cannot be a Da'i at all. He fails to fulfill the most basic
qualification of being a Da'i. Then he quotes the Qur'anic verses (33:45-46 ), "O Prophet, surely
we have sent thee as a witness and a bearer of good news and warner, and as an inviter to Allah
by his permission and as a light giving sun."

Here the Prophet is described as a witness and his Da'i, by this logic, is also a witness and a
witness has to be just and trustworthy. Thus a Da'i who is not just (adil) and trustworthy (amin)
cannot be fit for being Da'i. And one who cannot give good news for this and the other world
(mubasshir) for the righteous through his profound knowledge and so he cannot act as a Da'i at
all.
Syedna Ahmad bin Muhammad also draws our attention to one more important aspect: a Da'i
who attributes to himself the attributes of God, he is guilty of shirk and is ignorant of tawhid I.e.
belief in unity of God. Such a person cannot be fit to be Da'i. We know from our own experience
that the preceding and the present Da'is (ie. 51st and 52nd) attributed themselves with attributes
of Allah like Qadi al Hajat etc. and make their followers perform sajda-e-ubudiyat before them
which is open shirk and hence they cannot be fit to be Da'i as per the Risalah of Syedna Ahmad
bin Muhammad Nishapuri.

Further on it is said in the Risalah that one who is incapable of bringing up his followers in the
knowledge of theology and knowledge of Allah (ulum-o-maarif) cannot claim to be Da'i.
Needless to say, the present hierarchy of Fatimi D'awah calling itself the Kothar is totally
unconcerned with such knowledge. It is wallowing in luxury and is preoccupied with
accumulation of wealth and inculcating blind belief. Such people can hardly remotely qualify for
the august office of Da'i who is summoner to the way of Allah his Prophet and his family (ahl al-
bayt).

According to the Risalah under discussion, a Da'i must be properly equipped with three types of
siyasat: siyasat-e-khassa, siysat-e-hamma and siyasat-e-amma.

Siyasat-e-khassa is control of one's self. One should abide by all the shariah injunctions,
practice what is good and keep away from what is forbidden. One should refrain from evil and
should imbibe all that Allah attributes to m'umin in the Qur'an. In fact a Da'i has to be much
more than a m'umin as he is to lead all of them along the straight path.

Siyasat-e-hamma is the control over one's own household, one's staff and servants. A Da'i has to
see that his staff is properly trained in all the good qualities, is cultured and refined in every way.
It should have abiding interest in and knowledge should keep away from lowly things and
turpitude of character. It should be exemplary in its behaviour towards others.

The messenger of Allah has also said that one who trains people of his household properly will
go to jannah along with them. Thus it behoves a Da'i that he should train people from his
household and his staff properly and cultivate interest in knowledge and refine their behaviour.
Again we know from our experience how the members of the Kothar behaves with us and how
knowledgeable and refined they are. In fact, they are rude and violent towards the m'uminin.
Thus ultimately it reflects on the Da'i and his abilities.

Siyasat-e-amma pertains to control of common people. One who is successful in this type of
siyasat takes care of common peoples' requirements, their material and spiritual well-being. A
successful Da'i should give attention towards cultivating the common people, making them
happy and fulfilling their economic needs and refining them spiritually. He should prevent them
from what is forbidden by the shariah and induce them to acquire more and more spiritual merits.

One who cannot conduct the affairs of siyasat-e-khassa, souasat-e-hamma and siyasat-e-amma
cannot be fit to lead the affairs of D'awah. Then Syedna Ahmad bin Muhammad Nishapuri goes
on to enumerate common requirements of a Da'i. He says:
  A Da'i should be brave, generous, shrewd of sound opinion and capable of leadership.
 A Da'i should be very just in managing the affairs of his people.
 A Da'i should be mujahid completely in control of himself, as he is required to lead
people in the way of Allah.
 A Da'i should be like a doctor (tabib) with compassion towards the patient and he should
be able to cure their (spiritual ) disease.
 A Da'i is like a washerman as he removes the dirt of sins from people's soul. Thus he
should have expertise of a washerman.
 A Da'i should be capable of leading his people through darkness of night walking through
thick forest since he is like a leader leading people along sirat-e-mustaqim.

It is highly necessary that a Da'i should be merciful and compassionate towards his followers as
Allah says in the Qur'an that we have sent into thee (O Prophet) but as mercy for the world. Like
the Prophet a Da'i should also be merciful. Allah also describes m'uminin in Qur'an as
compassionate among themselves, thou seest them bowing down prostrating themselves seeking
Allah's grace and pleasure( 48:29).

When the m'uminin are compassionate among themselves, a Da'i has to be compassionate. A
Da'i must follow Allah for his mercy. The Prophet also despite people's refusal to follow him and
his persecution at their hands did not give up mercy for them. Punishing others is not a good
quality. Allah also does not punish to the fullest extent as the Qur'an says,"If Allah had punished
people for their iniquities, no one would have been left on the face of earth, but he respites them
till an appointed time" (16:16), thus Allah shows consideration towards sinners and Da'i should
also show mercy towards them.

A Da'i according to Syedna Ahmad bin Muhammad Nishapuri, should be generous and not
miserly. Allah does not like miserliness and he says that those who are miserly and advise others
to be miser and try to hide what Allah has given to them with his grace, we have prepared painful
punishment for them. Thus to be miserly is inviting Allah's punishment.

When ordinary man is required not to be miserly what of a Da'i who is to lead others. If a Da'i is
miserly his followers will also become miserly and thus the needy and the poor will ultimately
suffer. It is incumbent on a Da'i that he should spend generously on the needy and work for their
welfare. The Prophet has also said that Allah has not created any Wali but on generosity.

A Da'i should also be truthful and courteous and lenient. If a Da'i is not truthful others will not be
and whole system will be affected. Also courtesy and softness is part of one's iman. One must
show these qualities. A Da'i should also be of sound opinion and a good administrator. The
D'awah cannot be run without sound administration.

A Da'i should also fulfill his word. This too is very important for good behaviour. If a Da'i is
found unfaithful to his words, his followers too would refuse to abide by their word and whole
system will be corrupted. A Da'i should also be able to keep secrets because of running the
system of D'awah through thick and thin one must be able to keep secrets.
It is also necessary for a Da'i that he should not be revengeful, prejudiced and quarrelsome. A
respondent, for lack of sound knowledge and experience may be lacking in these qualities but a
Da'i has to take care of such situations. A Da'i should also be capable of easily pardoning others.

A Da'i should have a sweet tongue and be highly courteous. He should also be an eloquent
speaker, in order to influence others. Also, a Da'i should be very patient and capable of facing
acute difficulties. If a Da'i has no patience and looses temper easily, people will run away from
him. Thus Allah says in the Qur'an, "And hadst thou (ie. Prophet) been rough, hard-hearted, they
would certain have dispersed from around thee. So pardon them and ask protection for them and
consult them in (important) matters"(3:158), thus Allah requires his messenger also to be
forgiving and patient, not rough and hard-hearted.

A Da'i should be courageous and independent. One who does not show courage in times of
hardship and cannot take independent decisions in complex situation cannot be capable of
running the affairs of D'awah. It is also necessary for a Da'i to have highest respect for the ulama
from different fields of life. He should also be aware of their needs and requirements. He should
be a great friend of the ulama. He should spend most of his time with them. It will benefit the
Da'i and increase his own knowledge. Allah says in the Qur'an that he raises the status of those
who believe and those who have been given knowledge. It is also in the interest of a Da'i to keep
away from mischievous elements who can create severe problems for him.

It is also necessary that a Da'i should not be man of worldly temptations as temptation is root of
many an evil. It is narrated from Amirul Mœminin Maulana Ali (A.S.) that when he was asked
what is Din, he replied taqw and when he was further asked what is corruption of Din, he replied
tama' (i.e. temptation). Thus a Da'i must keep away from all worldly temptations.

It is also emphasised in the Risalah that the D'awah is for Imamuz Zaman and that the Da'i
should not ascribe it to himself. The misaq should also be attributed to Imamuz Zaman, and
never to Da'i himself. Then the text of the misaq is given, which goes like this:

He should bind the respondent (mustajib, i.e. one who gives misaq) to belief in Allah, his angels,
his apostles, the Prophet, the Imams and the Imamuz Zaman and that he would believe in Islam
both manifestly and otherwise. And that he would not reveal the secrets of the faith to those who
do not deserve it. And that he would not be untrustworthy to the faithful and that he should
befriend those whom Imams befriend and should be hostile to those whom Imam declare hostile
and keep away from enemies of Imams. (This was the text of the misaq).

Further Sayedna Ahmad adds, it is expected of the Da'i that he should be easily accessible to the
people. He should keep his door open for others and he should not remain hidden from people so
that both opponents and supporters can have access to him. If people cannot have access to him
they will hate him. It is, therefore, also necessary that his ushers (darbans) should be polite and
courteous. They should be pious and friends of m'uminin and should be respectful towards them.
If they come at a time when they cannot be ushered in, they should keep talking to them politely
until it is time to usher them in.
It is also necessary for a Da'i to do justice to all the believers and protect them from oppressors
and tyrants. And if the believers develop differences among themselves he should resolve them
in a wise manner. He should not allow the m'uminin to quarrel among themselves.

It is also necessary for a Da'i to take care of his companions. He should go and inquire about his
health if one of the companions falls ill or should provide for the wife and children of one who
goes out of town for work and when he returns from his travel he should give all his due. These
are the things which bring pleasure to the faithful. According to the Hadith of the Prophet the
best thing after salat is to put happiness in the mind of a m'umin.

We have recounted above some of the qualifications laid down for a Da'i by Syedna Ahmad bin
Muhammad Nishapuri in his Risalah mentioned above and which has been included by Syedna
Hatim in his Tuhfat al-Qulub. It will be seen that these qualification are most important for a Da'i
if he wants to be successful and if he wants to reach and call people towards Islam.

However, we see that the present Da'i hardly fulfills any of these qualifications. He and his
whole set-up negate all these qualifications and precisely for this reason we see today that the
community is facing schism. The Da'i and Nizam-e-D'awat are quite indifferent towards the
issues raised by the reformists. Had the Da'i fulfilled these qualification there would have been
no need for the reform movement.

The reformists want these qualities to be imbibed by the Da'i so that its affairs will become
smooth and unity and solidarity of the community will be strengthened. Today the whole
machinery of D'awat has become coercive. It's very spirit of simplicity, renunciation,
truthfulness, compassion and rectitude has been lost.

It is our wish that Bohras should read this write-up carefully and give a deep thought to it. Deep
and sincere reflection is as meritorious as ibaadat. It will restore the community its spiritual
health.