Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (TUS) - 53rd Dai-al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra Community

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (TUS) is the second son of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA) and now, after the sad demise of Syedna Burhanuddin, is the leader of the world wide Dawoodi Bohra Community. He is the 53rd Dai-al Mutlaq in the line of Doat Mutlaqeen of the Dawoodi Bohras.

A brief profile of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is available here. You can also read more about the Dawoodi Bohra community in my blog here.

Lesser known facts about Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin are:

1. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is a descendent of:
• Imam Ja'afar us Sadiq (AS)
• Syedi Fakhruddin Shaheed (RA)\
• Syedna Qutubkhan Qutbuddin Shaheed (RA)
• and Syedi Abdulqadir Hakimuddin (RA)
2. He had performed the historic journey of Yemen in 1391 H/ 1971 AD to lay the foundation of Syedna Hatim (RA)'s mausoleum. The enemies in Yemen had turned up with guns to prevent the construction of the mausoleum but it was Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin who had fearlessly confronted them. It was after this journey that Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin had bestowed upon him the title of Aqeeq-ul Yemen.
3. During the historic restoration of Al-Jame-al-Anwar Mosque in Cairo it was Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin who had been entrusted with the cleaning of the Jame by Syedna Burhanuddin, a task which UNESCO was not willing to take up due to the excessive amount of trash dumped there.
4. After the restoration of Al-Jame-al-Anwar, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin was concerned about the type of lighting that could be used to adorn the Jame, at that time Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin had suggested lighting it with the designs used during the period of Imam Hakim (AS) called the Mishkat-al Anwar. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin had replicated that design in almost every Dawoodi Bohra Masjid since, such was the value of His suggestion for Syedna Burhanuddin. Below is an image of the Mishkat: 

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has also been instrumental in implementing many initiatives within the community such as:

1. Contributing to Qardan Hasana (Interest-Free Loans) scheme on every Friday
2. Nazafat - Keeping our masjids, houses, localities, community centres, kabrastan etc. clean. Taking care of overall cleanliness.
3. Faiz-ul-Mawaid-al-Burhaniya - Which imparts same quality of food to all community members throughout the world.

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has helped the community redefine its own identity in this modern era by making sure that we do not compromise our values but still accepting the new age. Unlike other claimants who want their community to forget values and just follow the world.

The Greatest Miracle of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin - Dawoodi Bohra One Nation

I had been planning to write this article for a long time but now, in the wake of the demise of our Moula - Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin - it seems more appropriate and relevant.

This is my humble tribute to Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA) -

The most basic observations to judge a person's ethnicity (country/region of origin) are:-
1. Appearance - Outfit, features etc.
2. Name - usually surname and occasionally the first name
3. Behavior - likes and dislikes, eating habits, etc.
4. Language/Accent.

For example, in India, you can guess if a person belongs to South, North, East or West India by their Appearance, Name, Language spoken or Accent or their Behavioral patterns.

If we take a more global example we can judge a person's place of origin - whether they are African, Latin, Asian etc. based on the same observations.

The Dawoodi Bohra community, though much smaller in number has created an identity of it's own, that is to say, that our appearance, our names, our language/accent, our likes and dislikes and especially eating habits give us a unique place in the world.

You can easily identify an 'apnawala' as we call each other in a crowd of hundreds or sometimes even when we are given a list of names.

And not just amongst ourselves people around the globe who have some knowledge of Dawoodi Bohras or our Dai can identify another Dawoodi Bohra.

Our dress - beard and 'topi' for men and 'rida' for women - have become our symbol. We can proudly say that Dawoodi Bohra has become a nationality of it's own and we are Dawoodi Bohra citizens.

But this great change, this great miracle is the result of the continuous hard work and perseverance of one Man, one Angel - Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin!!

But why is this the Greatest Miracle? Why is this so important?

The answer to this is simple. Usually, we find it difficult, almost impossible, to change the heart of one individual to accept something they are not accustomed to, but Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin has changed the hearts of millions to accept this new way of life.

Today we do see professionals going to office with beard and 'topi' or 'rida'. While the rest of the world is trying to gel together, to be indistinguishable, to hide their beliefs behind a modern outlook and moving away from their roots in doing so. We are trying to stand out in the crowd. We accept modernity but with our roots firmly in place. We are projecting ourselves through our beliefs. The world is accepting us now and this change has not taken place over a short period of time, it has taken 50 years of undeterred effort to bring about this change and the reason for this change is Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin! 

Moula has toiled and struggled so that we can go around the world with our identity in place, so that wherever we are our roots are firm.The world identifies Dawoodi Bohras as a peaceful group of people, they identify us through our Moula.

We saw a 'Sea of White' engulf South Mumbai to bid farewell to our Beloved Moula. These are the fruits being borne by the seeds that were planted by Him.

Let us then pledge that we will carry on these customs, we will announce ourselves to the world, we will walk on the path that our Moula has paved for us and not just paved, paved and adorned with flowers for us.

But we being mere mortals always require a guiding light, a helping hand to make us walk this path. And therefore, we request our 53rd Dai - Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin to always hold our hand and keep us firm in the path of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin.

May Allah ta'ala grant a long, healthy and prosperous life till the day of judgement to our Moula Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (TUS).

- Huzefa Mala.

Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin!!!

Date: 16th Rabi-ul-Awwal 1435.

Day: Jumoa.

The day started normally, as usual hundreds of things had been planned - related to work, related to Jumoa prayers, related to ta'abudat amals. But everything turned out to be useless. Every plan was a waste. Every moment was going to turn unbearable!

The most common prayer in the heart of every mumin - "Khuda Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Moula ni umre-sharif ne qayamat na din lag daraaz ane daraaz karjo!" This dua had to stop! This dua had to be altered! Because our Aqa, our Moula, our Father, our Hope, our Guiding Light, our Dai, our Sultan, our Qibla, our Savior, our Caregiver, our Shade in the Sun, our Teacher, our Protector, our Huzurala had left us to reach the Hazrat of Panjetan Pak (AS), to reach the Hazrat of Imam-uz-Zamaan, to reach the Hazrat of Syedna Taher Safiuddin, to reach Jannat-ul-Firdaus.

It seemed impossible, it seemed like a nightmare but we had to believe it. For as long as most of us mumin have been alive today we have had only one Moula, one Face to look up to, one Hand to ask for Help. How could this be possible!!

It is difficult to find words to express my grief! Grief is a very insignificant word in itself!

The next day our eyes had to witness the painful sight of Janaza of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. Still it was difficult to believe that it was Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin in that Janaza. These eyes would no longer witness the Noorani Chehra Mubarak of Burhanuddin Moula .

But NO!!

These eyes will witness the Noorani Chehra Mubarak of Burhanuddin Moula! These lips will pray for the long life of Our Moula. These hands will be folded in front of Our Moula, Our Moula Mufaddal Saifuddin (TUS). We do sajadat of shukr to Burhanuddin Moula for the azeem neamat of Moula Mufaddal (TUS), who is giving us the barakat of deedar of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin through his Noorani Chehra, who is giving us the neamat of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin's bayaan through his Voice, who is NOW - our Aqa.. our Moula.. our Qibla.. our Father.. our Hope.. our Guiding Light.. our Savior.. our Caregiver.. our Shade in the Sun.. our Teacher.. our Protector.. our Sultan.. our Huzurala.. our DAI!!

May Allah ta'ala grant afzalul jaza to our Moula Mohammed Burhanuddin in Jannat-ul-Firdaus, may Allah ta'ala grant a long, healthy and prosperous life till qayamat to his Mansoos and the 53rd Dai-al-Mutlaq Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (TUS) and may Allah ta'ala grant each and every mumin present today and born till the day of qayamat the sharaf of Ziyarat of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA) and Syedna Taher Saifuddin (RA)!!

Khuda sagla ne ane hamne Sabr ni taakat ata kare.

- Huzefa Mala.

Shit Engineers Say! - End Sem Q-tiyapa

Old memories... revisited!!

SharePoint Document Sets - not to be confused with FOLDERS

Document Sets - in my view is a very misunderstood and commonly misused entity in SharePoint.

The general perception about Document Sets is that they are Folders with a Welcome Page, but there is much more to it than just that.

A Document Set is a separate entity while a Folder, more or less, behaves as a location. Therefore, apart from grouping related items together a Document Set can also be treated as an item in a SharePoint Library. Therefore, all operations that are applied to a SharePoint Library item can be applied to a Document Set.

Below is a list of features of Document Sets:

• A Document Set contains a welcome page which can be used to give more information about what it contains. Web Parts can be added to the welcome page to give a snapshot of what the Document Set will contain.
• It can contain separate Metadata and Site Columns from the Library in which it is contained. Metadata and Site Columns can be shared by all documents in the Document Set or can be applied to individual documents.
• By creating Content Types inherited from Document Set, we can define default documents that will be created along with our new Content Type. Suppose, we define a Content Type for Sales Report then we can associate all Sales Reports templates with that Content Type. Each time a new Sales Report Document Set is created, all the templates will be created along with it and users can simply fill in those templates to generate their report.
• Workflows can be associated with the entire Document Set or individual documents inside the Document Set
• Versioning can be applied to the Document Set.
• Specific content types can be made allowable inside a Document Set.
• Unique permissions can be associated with a Document Set.

Below are a couple of features not available with a Document Set, when compared with a Folder:

• Document Sets cannot be nested i.e. Document Sets cannot contain Document Sets
• Document Sets, as the name clearly suggests, cannot be associated with SharePoint Lists.

To enable Document Sets within your site you need to activate the Document Set feature which is available at the site collection level.

Document Sets are not available with SharePoint Foundation 2010.

Below are certain links for further reading:

• http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/sharepoint-server-help/introduction-to-document-sets-HA101782466.aspx
• http://blog.knowledgelake.com/2011/08/why-document-sets-are-not-folders/

For limitations of Document Sets refer this link: http://www.sharepointanalysthq.com/2011/09/document-set-limitations-and-considerations-in-sharepoint-2010/

Configure LDAP Authentication for your SharePoint 2010 or 2013 site

Recently, I tried configuring LDAP authentication for my SharePoint 2013 application.

Obviously, in case of SharePoint 2013 we need to use Claims based authentication and we need to configure three configuration files:

• Security Token Service web.config
• Central Administration web.config
• The specific web application web.config.

There are many blogs explaining the details of these configurations. Here is an interesting link that explains stuff in detail - http://sharepointchick.com/archive/2010/05/06/configuring-claims-and-forms-based-authentication-for-use-with-an.aspx

However, there is one important task that you need to perform on your LDAP server to ensure that the authentication is successful. You need to give administrative permissions to the following accounts on your LDAP server:

• Security Token Service application pool account
• Central Administration application pool account
• Web application app pool account.

This simple task had me hung up for quite a few hours (or days, I can't really recollect).

The interesting thing here is that SharePoint does not give you the specific error that it cannot access the LDAP directory straight away. It throws in a lot of generic errors such as - User credentials cannot be authenticated, please check user name and password. And somewhere amongst these generic errors is hidden your real error that it cannot access the LDAP server objects for authentication.

Move/Change SharePoint 2010 Database Server

This, according to me, is a very possible and real -world scenario:

Your client (or your organization, for that matter) is planning to upgrade the databases, or the database architecture/topology and have come up with an entire new set of hardware which will host the databases and you are assigned the task of moving only the SharePoint databases to the new server.

Ordinarily, if this were a .NET application you would simply ask your DBA to backup/restore your databases and make changes to your connection strings in the config file and that's the end of that story. (Please note that I do not claim to be a .NET specialist and I apologize for hurting the sentiments of .NET developers if I have over-simplified the complexity of their task)

But, as I have said time and again "things are not that simple in SharePoint World"!

So, here's what Microsoft have to say about the method of achieving the database move from one server to another for SharePoint: SharePoint 2010 - Move all databases

In simple words, you need to apply an SQL alias to all your SharePoint servers in the farm, so that whenever a request for the "OLD" SharePoint Database server is sent from any SharePoint server it is redirected to the "NEW" Database server. Easier said than done!

To quote one of my colleagues - this is a very "weak" solution because -

1. The reference of the old database server is never removed
2. All logs and statistics mention  the old database server name.

To a person who has been newly introduced to the SharePoint farm and is debugging certain issue it is very confusing to figure out that the database server mentioned in the log files is just an alias and the actual database server is different. It could mess up his life and could potentially cause serious mental strain!

The other method is to re-create your farm and re-configure all services with the new database. Ofcourse, you would migrate the content of your Web Applications, residing in Content Databases, to the new server through backup/restores. Here is the link that sheds more light on this method. This is a possible solution if you are dealing with a small farm but if you have a multiple server farm with huge amounts of data residing in SharePoint, which has been crawled by the Search Services and User Profiles running into thousands then re-configuring all services might give you a nightmare.

I am going to concentrate on the former approach of applying aliases in this post. The steps to apply the alias and, therefore, effectively replace your database server are:

1. Restore databases to the new database server
2. Remove the SharePoint server from your farm
3. Apply the SQL alias using cliconfg.exe
4. Reconnect the SharePoint server to the same farm.

Below these steps are explained in detail, but before you do anything else, please make sure you have the passphrase for your SharePoint farm. The passphrase is required to re-connect the servers to the farm and if (like me) you had not initially setup your farm, there is very high possibility that you do NOT have the passphrase. Refer this post to set/change your farm's passphrase

Step 1 - Restore databases to the new database server -

• Stop all SharePoint related services on all servers (except the database server) in your farm. Also, stop the IIS service on your WFEs. This is to ensure that no changes will be made to the databases while backup is in progress
• Backup the SharePoint related databases
• Restore to the new server
• Start all the services

Step 2 - Remove SharePoint server from the farm -

• Logon to your server
• Run the SharePoint 2010 Products Configuration Wizard
• Disconnect the server from the farm (please know the passphrase before doing this)
• Let the wizard complete

Step 3 - Apply the SQL alias to your server -

• Open command prompt and type cliconfg.exe and the return key
• An SQL Network Utility will appear that will allow you to enter details of your alias
• Click on the Alias tab and click Add
• In the Network Libraries select TCP/IP
• Write the old database server name in Server Alias and new database server name in Server Name text box.
• Let the Dynamically determine port check box be selected (and select it if it is not already selected)
• Click OK
• Then click Apply and OK

Step 4 - Reconnect the SharePoint Server to the same farm -

• Again start the SharePoint 2010 Products Configuration Wizard
• Connect the server to an existing farm
• And in the database server name provide the name of the OLD database server and select the configuration database name from the dropdown.
• Enter your passphrase and continue through the next steps of your wizard to reconnect the server to the farm

Note that you will have to repeat steps 2 - 4 for each server in your farm.

Here is what happens next: If there are any configurational issues with any of your SharePoint services which have uptil now been suppressed, they will start surfacing after you have moved the database server. E.g. Search Topology, User Profile Synchronization etc. So, unless you claim to be a perfectionist at maintaining your farm, you will have to do quite alot of cleanup activity after your actual task is over. So, make sure you have taken a sufficient amount of downtime before you start this activity.