During the era of Doat Mutlaqeen (RA), Sulaiman, the grandson of the 24th Dai, Syedna Yusuf Najmuddin (RA), was in Yemen. He pledged allegiance to the 27th Dai Syedna Dawood bin Qutubshah (RA) who was in Ahmedabad. Three years later, he made the claims that he was the successor of Syedna Dawood bin Ajab shah (RA). He even managed to corrupt the scribe of Syedna Dawood bin Ajab Shah (RA) and forge a document of nass. He persecuted mumineen in Yemen and later, came to India to spread dissidence. Unable to find any believers to his false claims, he resorted to bribing government officials and, with their help, oppressing mumineen. He even went to the court of Emperor Akbar. Ultimately, his falsehood was exposed, and he died a horrific death. Syedna Dawood bin Qutubshah (RA) returned victorious from the court of the Emperor Akbar and his noor shone brightly as ever.
A similar incidence occurred during the era of Syedna Abdut taiyeb Zaikuddin (RA). Ali bin Ibrahim, the grandson of Syedna Zakiuddin’s (RA) predecessor, Syedna Shaikh Adam Safiuddin (RA), after swearing allegiance to Syedna Zakiuddin (RA) for more than 30 months made false claims to the position of Dai al Mutlaq. He went to the court of Emperor Akbar’s son Jahangir and tried to gain the sympathy of his nobles and courtiers by projecting himself as a victim. Like his father, Syedna Zakiuddin (RA) also had to travel to the court of the Mughal Emperor and he emerged victorious. These enemies of Dawat misused their kinship to the Dai to gain their ill motives.
In more recent times, when Syedna Taher Saifuddin (RA) ascended the throne of Dawat at the young age of 28, the enemies tried to disprove his position as a Dai al Mutlaq by misusing knowledge, money, political clout and a judicial process which had no understanding of how the Dawat works. They filed one case after another, but lost each of them. Those who boasted enormous wealth turned paupers and those who misused knowledge perished and died accursed deaths.
While Maula calls towards the good in thought, word and deed, and strives to make his followers forsake worldly pleasures for the sake of their spiritual upliftment, the enemy, on the other hand, calls towards sin, moral corruption and hedonistic way of life. People with similar inclinations join them, whereas people destined to respond to the call of Maula, never fail to do so. Once, a Nizari (follower of Nizar, the renegade brother of Imam Musta’li (SA)) argued with the 26th Dai, Syedna Dawood bin Ajab shah (RA) about the righteousness of Nizar against Imam Musta’ali (SA). Syedna Dawood bin Ajabshah (RA) offered a simple argument which led to the Nizari pledging allegiance him. Syedna Dawood (RA) said, “You assert that Nizar was right; while I assert that Imam Musta’li (SA) was. Both are not present today, but we, their representatives, are. Let’s look at our situations. I am a man of knowledge, lofty deeds and I am appointed by nass. Whereas, what do you have? You eat haram and drink liquor. So if we are to infer from what is present on what is not present, it becomes evident that Imam Musta’ali (SA) was the true Imam and Nizar was wrong.”
