Lisan al-Dawat
Encyclopedia
Lisan al-Dawat , also transcribed as Lisan ud-Dawat, is the language of the Dawoodi Bohras, an Ismaili
Shia Muslim
community. The name of the language itself is an Arabic term that means "the Language of the Dawat
". The Dawah refers to the Ismaili
missionary order headed by the Imam
of the era.
There are only around 1 million Dawoodi Bohras worldwide, and thus only around 1 million speakers of this unique language and culture.
Dawoodi Bohras have a blend of cultures, including Yemeni, Egyptian, African, Pakistani, and Indian. They speak Lisan al-Dawat in addition to their local languages; the language is written in Arabic script and derived from Urdu, Gujarati, and Arabic.
It is a language that has its roots in Gujarati
grammar
but incorporates a heavy amount of Arabic
, Urdu, and Persian
. It is written in the Arabic script. Some key works in Lisan al-Dawat are the nasihats (advice in the form of poetry) written by Syedna Taher Saifuddin, the previous Dai al-Mutlaq. Some of the famous nasihats recited regularly by Bohras are "Allah Ta'ala Nu Hamd Tu Karje" (Always remember to thank God) and "Biradar Tu Nasihat Sun" (My brother, listen to this advice).
Many in the Dawoodi Bohras community look upon Lisan al-Dawat as a bridge for their Gujarati community to Arabic
, the language of the Quran.
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
Shia Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community. The name of the language itself is an Arabic term that means "the Language of the Dawat
Dawah
Da‘wah or Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite"...
". The Dawah refers to the Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
missionary order headed by the Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the era.
There are only around 1 million Dawoodi Bohras worldwide, and thus only around 1 million speakers of this unique language and culture.
Dawoodi Bohras have a blend of cultures, including Yemeni, Egyptian, African, Pakistani, and Indian. They speak Lisan al-Dawat in addition to their local languages; the language is written in Arabic script and derived from Urdu, Gujarati, and Arabic.
It is a language that has its roots in Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
but incorporates a heavy amount of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Urdu, and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. It is written in the Arabic script. Some key works in Lisan al-Dawat are the nasihats (advice in the form of poetry) written by Syedna Taher Saifuddin, the previous Dai al-Mutlaq. Some of the famous nasihats recited regularly by Bohras are "Allah Ta'ala Nu Hamd Tu Karje" (Always remember to thank God) and "Biradar Tu Nasihat Sun" (My brother, listen to this advice).
Many in the Dawoodi Bohras community look upon Lisan al-Dawat as a bridge for their Gujarati community to Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, the language of the Quran.