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.
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
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