The following letter is reproduced as received:
THE RISE AND FALL OF JAMIAT TRANSVAAL (FORDSBURG)
Att:
Respected:
Maulana Abbas Ali Jeena, Maulana Ayoob Kachwee and Maulana Abbas Ali Zubair Ali.
It’s really upsetting to me to see an organisation that held such prestige, being in the condition it is in now.
The rise and fall of the Jamiat of Fordsburg has a very similar trajectory to the political landscape of our era.
This is what I’ve noticed:
The golden era
The era of great luminaries, who were steadfast on the way of the pious predecessors.
This era included among others,
°Hazrat Maulana Waliyillah Sahib
°Hazrat Maulana Hathurani Sahib
°Hazrat Hafez Abdur Rahman Mia Sahib
°Hazrat Maulana Zubair Ali Sahib
°Hazrat Ml Mohammed Mia Sahib
°Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Sanjalwi Sahib
(رحمة الله عليهم)
This group of Ulama served the Deen with diligence and established many Islamic institutes for meagre remuneration. They did not water-down the Deen to please anyone.
May Allah Ta’ala reward them and grant them lofty statuses in the Hereafter.
The silver era
This era consisted of the Ulama from Mia’s farm (Waterval Islamic Institute). Although they had an uncomfortably close relationship with the Apartheid government, they never compromised on any injunction of the true Shariah. They served the Ummah with diligence and established the entire Maktab syllabus and system for the (former) Transvaal area.
They also held firm to the way of the pious predecessors.
May Allah Ta’ala also reward them and grant them all Jannatul Firdows.
Junk status era
Very similar to the political landscape, the Jamiat has been reduced to junk status, due to the actions of some of the ‘faces’ of the organisation.
– Mol Ebrahim Bham,
some of his actions that contributed to reducing the organisation to junk:
appearing on TV alongside strange women, closing our Masjids before any lockdown and lying that he didn’t close it, encouraging gaps in the Saffs, but posing shoulder to shoulder for a photoshoot , allowing women’s voices and pictures to be flaunted on radio and TV which adds to the immodesty and indecency of our times, being silent on Shiasm, encouraging attendance to the world cup and making Istikhfaaf of Jummah ‘only one Jummah’
– Mol Zaheer Ragie:
Actor on ITV and being at the forefront of ‘rescuing’ Itv (Iblees TV) from business failure. Accusing senior Ulama of being ‘holier than thou’, lying about his Ustads and colleagues on Radio and offering no proper apology. Inviting and hosting M. Tariq Jamil to sow the seeds of Shiasm-acceptance in SA. Recent alleged claims of manipulating poor Palestinians financially. Very embarrassing!
– MS Ravat:
The disgrace and embarrassment of his Asatiza ie. Mf Boda and Utaads of Azadville Madressa. TV actor and gives deviated persons a platform on his show, feminists, Homosexual activists etc. Openly mixes with na-mahrams and feels no shame.
Recent alleged mismanagement of Masjid funds is saddening. It’s also alleged that his uncle, Abu Bakr Ravat also called him to account for embezzlement of some funds, this could be confirmed with him.
His recent ‘fault-line’ Bayaan is also an insult to his Asatiza.
Is it true that Nurul-Islaam Musjid was funded partly by the Shia Iranian regime? Is this maybe the reason they’re silent on Shiasm from that Mimbar?
I also would like to ask the Respected leadership of the Jamiat the following:
– Are there any senior Memon or Urdu-speaking members of the Jamiat? Some claim this is a racist and biased organisation and senior members have only been Surti for 95 years.
– Why is the Jamiat very tight-lipped on Shiasm, Gulenist movement, LGBTQIA, feminism, modernism among other deviations? Is it due to the Jamiat tight-roping between pleasing donors and the government masters?
– If the Jamiat doesn’t declare Shiasm as Kufr, and if the Jamiat gives a Kaafir Shia my Zakat, accepting them as Muslim, will my Zakaat be discharged?
– Does the Jamiat condone open mixing of the genders? All the ‘faces’ of the Jamiat openly pose and appear in mixed gatherings?
– Is it true that the Tasheel syllabus has been revised not to include any hints to the harms of Shiasm?
-Is the Jamiat run by the Respected ‘Presidency’ or by the ‘faces’? Does the ‘Presidency’ condone all the deviated acts of the ‘faces’? Is the ‘Presidency’ merely ceremonial, to maintain a face of ‘credibility’.
– Will the ‘Presidency’ allow the organisation to continue slipping into junk and undo all the good work of their predecessors? Is the ‘Presidency’ not aware or does it condone all these deviated acts that aren’t in conformity with the Shariah and the way of the Ulama e Deoband.
– The Shaikhul Hadith of Azaadville wrote a letter to the Jamiat many years ago, maybe a decade ago, was that advice acted upon at all, or thrown out?
I openly call on the Respected ‘Presidency’ of the Jamiat to reflect on the above and provide some feedback soonest.
I chose the open route, as the private discussion route provides little, irrelevant or no feedback at all.
(Name and e-mail address omitted)
16/07/1442
28/02/2021
(this email was sent to the Jamiat mailboxes as well)