People are leaving the Friday mosque
Itsandra Mdjini
This
Tuesday, 6th September 2022, we commemorate the 46th
anniversary of Al Habib Omar Bin Sumeit’s death who was the first Mufti of Comoros.
Every year, many people from Comoros and overseas, especially East Africa,
gather in the city of Itsandra Mdjini to pray and visit his mausoleum. There
was an exception during the last two years because of the restrictions due to
the covid-19 pandemic. Only people from Itsandra Mdjini were allowed to
commemorate in 2020 and 2021. This year, the usual crowd gathers in the Friday mosque
of the city, including the president of the republic, the Grand Mufti and many
religious, social and political dignitaries of the country. Some delegates
representing the Muslim brotherhood of Kenya and Tanzania also attended the
commemoration ceremony.
After the
swalat al ansr prayer in the Friday mosque, the believers started by reading
the Koran (hitmat) and some religious prayers and poems (kaswida) as usual. It
is now the turn of Grand Mufti fundi Abubakar Jamalilail to deliver his speech
in Comorian language. Al Habib Omar was born on 28 Dhul – Hajj 1303 of the
Islamic calendar which corresponds 24 September 1886 in Itsandra Mdjini. His
mother is named Fatma Moilim Shandze from Dzahani Tsidje and his father is from
Hadramaout in Yemen, he said. According to the Grand Mufti, the young Al Habib
travelled to Zanzibar when he was 6 years-old to live with his father who
worked as cadi (Islamic judge). He received there instruction and a religious
education from his father Abubakar and sheikh Abdillah Bakathir, the founder of
Okotrani school in Zanzibar and Toihir Bin Abdillah Bin Soumeit, the uncle of
his father.
His life of preacher
After two
years in Zanzibar, he went to Hadramaout in Yemen when he was 8 years-old.
After his studies, Al Habib went back regularly to Zanzibar and Comoros to
preach daanwa (adoration prayer). He also travelled to Diego Suarez in the
great island of Madagascar in order to teach, educate, preach and do his business.
He then left Madagascar to return to Zanzibar after the death of his father.
The sultan of Zanzibar, Said Barghash appointed him cadi of Pemba. After a
couple of years, he returned to Zanzibar and became the head of the cadis.
During his vacations, Al Habib took the opportunity to regularly visit Hadramaout
and Mecca.
‘’ I used to
live in his house in Zanzibar when I left Comoros at the age of 10 to go to
study there. My roommate was called Cheikh Abdallah from Bangoi Nkuni.” After a
couple of years, Al Habib sent him to Yemen in a boat, the Mufti said in a
short interview after the ceremony. Mufti
Abubakar has a picture with Al Habib as a souvenir when he was in Yemen. He was
standing while the young Abubakar was sitting. There was also Mustapha Abu Numeya
on the picture, the young brother of Mohamed Anloui, the son -in- law of Al Habib.
Anloui passed away three years ago. Abu Numeya
lives in the sultanate of Emirates right now.
Believers are visiting Al Habib mausoleum
Back to Comoros
“We have to
be thankful of president Cheikh and prince said Ibrahim who have sent an air
Comores plane to bring him and his family in Comoros after the 1964 revolution
of the island of Zanzibar,” the Mufti said. “We have to start to prepare right
now the 50th commemoration ceremony of his death which will be held
in 2026 by inviting many people from Africa and the Arab world,” he concludes
by showing a 40 pages booklet relating al Habib biography written in Arabic
language.
Mouigni Baba
is the cadi of Lamu Island. It is a port and city situated in the Indian Ocean.
It is a part of the East African country of Kenya. It is located approximately
150 miles from Mombasa and 80 miles from Malindi in the southern east of Kenya.
Mr. Baba was the second person to deliver a speech. ” it is an opportunity in these kinds of ceremony
to teach, and tell everybody who was Al Habib Omar and what were his good deeds”
he says. Lamu has become a major center for the study of Islamic and Swahili
cultures since the 19th century. Moreover, the city has trained many
Comorian Islamic scholars under the leadership of Mr. Baba and others before
him. The ceremony was closed with the usual reading of another Duan prayer by
the whole audience and a visit to the mausoleum located next to the mosque.
Other commemoration ceremonies continue to be held in many cities and villages
of the Comorian archipelago.
Al Habib good deeds
After the
revolution in Zanzibar, he left the island of Zanzibar like many Comorians and Arabs.
He decided to stay in Yemen. Then, he came back in his beloved country on the
request of president Said Mohamed Cheikh who was the president of the Council
of government under the French administration. Al Habib was welcome in Comoros
and accommodated in the government palace which was renamed Dar Sadat. It is
located between the CNDRS museum and the new ministry of Finance building. The old
building is now the head quarter of the judicial police in Moroni. Then, he
moved to Itsandra Mdjini where he spent the rest of his life. The first Mufti
of Comoros passed away in February 1976 during the revolutionary regime of
President Ali Soilih. He had built mosques and tanks in many villages in his
country, especially in Ngazidja. He taught many young students, advised
religious and political leaders in his country. May Allah reward his good
deeds!
Chami Mouzawar
Contributing
writer
