The urs mubarak (death anniversary) of al-Dāʿī al-Ajal Syedna Ismaʿil Badruddin RA is of special significance to Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah. It was he who took an oath to provide physical nourishment to all those who sought knowledge from the Dāʿī were he to be bestowed the honour of the august office of al-dāʿī al-mutlaq. His legacy of feeding students has endured for centuries with each dāʿī in the unbroken succession of Duʿāt upholding the tradition as a matter of utmost resolve.
His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS today upholds this tradition of his forefathers by providing meals to all the students in the four campuses of Aljamea, in addition to faculty members and their families.
The occasion of the urs mubarak is commemorated by the preparation of tharīd al-baraka, a dish whose origin dates back to the forefathers of the Prophet Mohammed SAW. What was then a savoury mix of bread and meat served by Maulana Hashim AS to the pilgrims of Mecca, is today a sweet dish made from crumbled chapati dough and nuts served in tandem with a savoury mutton curry. The tradition is so widespread that not only is such a meal prepared across all four campuses of Aljamea, but through the auspices of FMB (the Dawoodi Bohra community kitchens), to nearly every Dawoodi Bohra household worldwide.
The Marol campus celebrated the tradition of tharīd al-baraka with a special display of the tharīd on a tall conical layer dish. The occasion was also chosen as a platform to recognise the efforts of 15 students who have taken the initiative to form a dana (morsel; grain) committee that sees to the proper distribution of excess food and curbs wastage with the aim of zero food waste, not even a dana.
The Nairobi, Surat and Karachi campuses also commemorated the occasion with special preparations of tharīd and recollections of the many bounties received at the hands of the Duʿāt.
