The Dawoodi Bohra community traces its spiritual heritage from Prophet Mohammed and his Vasi Amirul Mumineen Moulana Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet, and continuing through their successors, the Imams, who, functioning first from Medina, spread over to North Africa and Egypt in the succeeding centuries.

Imam Al-Mehdi Billah set out for North Africa and established his religious kingdom in Tunisia and the adjacent territories. Three Imams succeeded him and the fourth, the celebrated Imam Al-Moiz Le-dinillah, established his seat of authority in Egypt.

The great kingdoms these Imams founded, the noble traditions of thought and philosophy they fostered, the immense wealth of literature they produced and guarded, the resplendent civilisation they established and the wise way of life they pursued have all come to be called Fatimi after Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Mohammed and the consort of Imam Ali, thus linking two venerable personalities together.

The Fatimi Imams, reigning in glory in Egypt, founded the City of Cairo, started the renowned centre of learning, Al Azhar University, which is the oldest institution of its kind in the world to exist to this day, and wrote into Egyptian history the unforgettable Fatimi era. This period and its unrivalled efflorescence of thought, art and culture owe everything to the Fatimi Imams who were inspired leaders, great builders and lofty thinkers, eminent scholars and writers.