Over the course of more than half a century, Syedna Mohammed Buhanuddin RA visited London and the United Kingdom 79 times. His father and naas, Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA, established Anjuman E Saifee UK in London, making it the first jamaat in the West.
Syedna Mohammed Buhanuddin RA first visited London in Jamad al Ula 1379H (November 1959) as Ma’zoon e Dawat, bringing a message of guidance and hope from Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA. Throughout his visit, Maula RA met with mumineen, ambassadors, and officials, and presided over a reception in which he urged mumineen to remain steadfast on the path of Islam and to remain loyal to the land in which they reside.
In Jamad al Ukhra 1394H (July 1974), Maula RA traveled to London for the first time as the 52nd Dai al Mutlaq, a historic first visit by a Dai to the West, spanning 52 days in total. In his irshadaat to the mumineen of the UK, Maula RA stated:
“Ours is a minority community which is spread out and settled in every part of the world. We have successfully persevered, over the centuries, our identity through an understanding and application of our traditional philosophy and culture to our daily life…the United Kingdom has not become through the force of historical circumstances and exigencies, the land of adoption of a considerable number of our followers. It is incumbent upon them to give thanks to Allah and to always specifically bear in mind their obligation to their country of adoption as individuals and as a community. Besides, unswearing loyalty they must live here with full confidence, motivated always by a desire and intention through conduct and action to prove worthy members of the society and worthy citizens of the United Kingdom.”
Burhanuddin Maula RA spent countless days, weeks, and months showering the mumineen of London and the UK with barakaat, as his mansoos Syenda AaliQadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS continues to do leading up to Ashara Mubaraka 1444H in London, the first Ashara Mubaraka held in the UK.