Religious Activities in Africa

Travelogue

Religious Activities in Africa

Haji Abd al-Habib Attari

My journey began on 14^th February at around 4 am, heading to Doha on Qatar Airlines. The flight from Pakistan to Doha is approximately 2 hrs 45 mins. Therefore, the flight arrived at 7 am in Doha, according to Pakistani time, as there is a two-hour time difference between Doha and Pakistan. There was a flight for Nairobi after 12 hours, so, I rested for a while and also met Islamic brothers. The flight from Doha to Nairobi was approximately 5 hrs 30 mins. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه  After offering Maghrib, I left on the flight at approximately 6 pm and arrived at approximately 12 am at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya.

Islamic brothers were there to receive me, and we went to visit an Islamic brother at his home. The Islamic brother was insistent on a visit to Nairobi’s Faizan-e-Madinah, so we went there around 2:30 am at night. It is located in a beautiful area called Parklands. 1100 metres of land was purchased for it, and it is now complete. It has an area for prayer, facilities for washing and shrouding the deceased, and a women’s centre. After visiting Faizan-e-Madinah, we rested for a while.

Today, I had to catch a flight to Mombasa. At 12 pm, the Pakistani ambassador arrived. A Sunnah-inspired speech was delivered in his presence, and I had the honour of mentioning pearls of wisdom concerning ShaꜤbān and showing a presentation on Dawat-e-Islami. Thereafter, we went to a nearby area of Nairobi called Jero. Some Prophetic devotees have donated an acre of land close to it. I visited the area, and there was a Madrasa-tul-Madinah there. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه  I was very happy to see that children who had studied under Dawat-e-Islami had now become teachers and Madani scholars. They were now teaching these African children. I spent some time with these children, and as my flight to Mombasa was at 5:30 pm in the evening, I left for the airport from there. There is a one-hour journey between Nairobi and Mombasa. I offered Maghrib prayer after arriving at Mombasa airport, and then I met the Islamic brothers. After some time, there was a grand Sunnah-inspired gathering arranged, which  I was to participate in. There were various personalities present and Islamic brothers from different departments. There, I had the honour of delivering a speech on the virtues of sending ṣalāt upon the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. As it was the 5^th of ShaꜤbān, I also made mention of Imam Ḥasan رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ and Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ. Following that, a presentation on Dawat-e-Islami was shown, and then there was an opportunity to meet and greet.

The following day, Friday 16^th February, I had the honour of delivering a speech before the Friday prayer at a large masjid in the city called Masjid Shaykh Nūrayn. The Friday prayer is attended mostly by African brothers, therefore I spoke in English, اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه. I spoke about the virtues of Friday prayer and the merits of ShaꜤbān al-MuꜤaẓẓam, in particular the 15^th of ShaꜤbān. After the prayer, there was an opportunity to meet and greet Islamic brothers, and then I rested for a while. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه  At night, there was a grand gathering in Memon Villas, which was a large and important gathering in the history of Mombasa. A large number of Memon and other community leaders attended as well as noble scholars, many African brothers, students, and members of the Memon community. There was a ceremony for the presentation of certificates to students completing Quran memorisation, so I mentioned the virtues of the noble Quran and some exegeses of Surah al-Baqarah and Sūrah Sabaˈ. I also mentioned the importance of gratitude to Allah Almighty and etiquette with parents. At the end, gifts were also presented to the noble African Quran memorisers and those that had complete nāẓirah. After this, it was time to rest.

In the afternoon, on Saturday, 17^th February, I went to Jamia-tul-Madinah Kanz al-Īmān where there is also a Madrasa-tul-Madinah. It is the old Markaz of Dawat-e-Islami in Mombasa. When we arrived there, we witnessed a surprising scene as hundreds of students on both sides of the road greeted us with great fervour. In that crowd, we reached the building. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه It is a 6-floor structure. There, I delivered a lecture on etiquette with parents and teachers, the needfor Dawat-e-Islami’s work and the necessity and importance of spreading the message of Islam across Africa. The lecture was also simultaneously translated into Swahili. After this, I visited the homes of old responsible brothers of Dawat-e-Islami for supplications. At night, there was a gathering of Mombasa traders and personalities on the roof of the home of an Islamic brother. There, I had the privilege of delivering a speech on the fortunate people that will receive the shade of the ꜤArsh of Allah Almighty. As it was Saturday, we collectively watched Madani Muzakarah and a presentation on Dawat-e-Islami was also shown. At the end, there was a collection of donations for the land being purchased for Dawat-e-Islami’s Dar al-Madinah in Mombasa. By the time all of these activities had been completed, it was midnight.

At 4am on Sunday, 18^th February, I took a flight back to Nairobi, arriving there at 5:30 am. I offered Fajr prayer in congregation at Faizan-e-Madīnah, and then there was an opportunity to rest between 7 am and 11 am, as I had a speech at 11 am. Here on Sundays, the gathering before Ẓuhr is quite successful. There were many Islamic brothers and also Islamic sisters seated in a separate veiled place. I had the privilege of delivering a speech on the virtues of charity. Straight after the speech, I had to leave for the airport, as I had to catch a flight at 2:30 pm for Kampala, Uganda. I arrived in Uganda at approximately 4 pm in the evening, and by the time we reached the accommodation it was Maghrib. After refreshing myself, I participated in a grand gathering in JāmiꜤ Masjid Kalolo after ꜤIshāˈ. There was a ceremony for the distribution of certificates to children of Jamia-tul-Madinah and Madrasa-tul-Madinah. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه I had the honour of delivering a speech in English on the virtues of the Night of Salvation and those that are deprived of forgiveness on it.  In this, I tried to give the mindset of good etiquette with parents, condemnation of alcohol and avoidance of fornication and other sins. After the gathering, certificates were distributed. I had a two-day schedule in Kampala, Uganda.

On the following day, Monday 19^th February, after Ẓuhr, the noble scholars, imams, and leaders of Islamic organisations gathered, and there was an excellent opportunity to meet and greet. I delivered an introduction to Dawat-e-Islami and presented them food with my own hands, acting upon the practise of Amir Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ. The noble scholars were very happy. The weather was pleasant here; from time to time, there is rain. The High commission of Pakistan also invited us to a meal at its residence. A presentation on Dawat-e-Islami was shown and there was a discussion of Dawat-e-Islami’s role in presenting a positive image of Pakistan. At the end, I extended an invitation for them to visit the International Madani Markaz in Pakistan. After this, I returned to my accommodation and rested for a while. Thereafter, there was a Sunnah-inspired speech amongst some Ugandan businessmen. I delivered a speech on expressing gratitude to Allah Almighty in every state, in which I gave the mindset to assist poor Muslims. At the end, a presentation on Dawat-e-Islami was shown and I made clear that we intended to open a grand Faizan-e-Madinah in Uganda soon and made the attendees form intentions for that purpose.

Here, our flight was quite late as well. I had to go at 4 pm in the evening to Nairobi. Then, after a two hour stay, I had to leave for Tanzania. This was quite an exhausting journey.

In the morning, at 9:30 am, on Tuesday, 20^th February, I arrived at Dar al-Salam Airport in Tanzania. It was quite a long journey and I was fairly exhausted, so I rested until Ẓuhr.  At night, there was a grand Sunnah-inspired gathering at the Kachi Memon Organisation attended by many Islamic brothers and also Islamic sisters in segregated, veiled seating. Alongside praise of Allah Almighty and Prophetic odes, there was a speech on the loftiness of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and much mention of Madinah.

In the afternoon of Wednesday, 21^st February, we went to meet Islamic brothers in Tanzania and arranged Madani halqas in their homes. We also met an engineer in relation to construction of Faizan-e-Madinah in Tanzania and had some personalities make intentions to donate towards it. At night, I had the honour of delivering a speech in the Sunnah-inspired gathering in Dar al-Salam, Tanzania’s grand masjid. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه I introduced Surah al-QāriꜤah, the terrors of the Day of Judgement and preparation for it. After the speech, I had the felicity of attending another Madani halqah where brothers from Marasa, India expressed great love and اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه  there was food and discussion.

The following day, Thursday 22^nd February, was our final day and the schedule was quite tough. I had to leave by ship for Zanzibar at 7 am in the morning. This is an Island, which is treated as a separate country. There is no need for a separate visa for it, but passports are stamped when visiting it. It has a different leader and parliament and is an amazing place with a separate history. A thousand years ago, when Yemeni traders arrived there, through their blessings, so did Islam,. Islam spread here in such a way that the approximately 1 million 200,000 combined population in this region is 99% Muslim. There are ancient masājid here and the place has a great Islamic history. Zanzibar also boasts centuries old architecture, which has protected status. If a structure becomes worn out, it is propped up with wood to preserve the cultural heritage. Zanzibar presents a picture of Islamic culture and magnificence. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه There are close to 700 masājid here and Dawat-e-Islami is also very active here. Many masājid have zeli nigrans. The ship takes about 2 hours to reach Zanzibar. When I arrived, Islamic brothers were waiting to welcome us.

Thereafter, I rested for a while. After Ẓuhr, there was a Sunnah-inspired gathering and surprisingly 90-95% of the brothers in attendance were African. Here, I had the honour of speaking about supplication, rights of parents, trusts of people, rights of people and avoiding sins in solitude. A preacher of Dawat-e-Islami simultaneously translated my speech into Swahili. After this, ṣalāt and salām, remembrance of Allah Almighty, and an ode to the Crown of the Saints, Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه were performed in a beautiful manner. It was an amazing scene. After this, we had to leave for the ship, as it would depart at 4 pm. We deliberately avoided eating; there is a pearl of wisdom for our readers here. When undertaking a sea journey, it is better to consume less food, as when ships sway in the sea, one can become nauseous. Something of this kind happened to us as the ship swayed a lot on the return journey. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه We were tranquil as we had recited the supplication for sea travel: بسم اللہ مجرھاومرسھاان ربی لغفور رحیم By the mercy of Allah Almighty, we arrived safely in Dar al-Salam, Tanzania, at 6pm.

We offered ꜤAṣar prayer, freshened up and then offered Maghrib prayer. Thereafter, we met up with Islamic brothers. On this day, there was a Sunnah-inspired weekly gathering. Haji Amin delivered a Sunnah-inspired speech at Faizan-e-Madinah. After the gathering, we had an opportunity to participate in a meet and greet and a meal at the home of a personality. I also encouraged intentions in relation to the construction of Faizan-e-Madinah. Following this, the Prophetic devotees from Marasa had made arrangements again, and I had the honour of returning there. I had the opportunity to offer a supplication at a Madrasah run by a sayyid and thereafter, there was an opportunity to meet and greet, which continued until about 1 am. As this was the final night, many Islamic brothers wanted to meet me. The deputy of the Grand Mufti of Tanzania was also present whom I had the honour to meet. Following this, I went to the accommodation at around 2 am and took some rest. Thereafter, I arose and offered Fajr prayer. I had to leave at 9 am for the airport. As traffic is very heavy in Dar al-Salam, Tanzania, one should leave early when traveling anywhere and in particular, when heading to the airport.

اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه Departure for Karachi via Doha is at 11:45 am. There is a stay of some 3-4 hours at Doha. I supplicate that Allah Almighty accept this journey in his court, grant reward for acts of goodness in it and pardon any mistakes through His grace.

اٰمِیْنْ بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّٖن صلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہ ِوَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ