The President H.E. Alhaj Ali Hassan Mwinyi was accorded a red carpet welcome at the Dar es salaam KSIJ Mosque on 4th October, 1991 (25th Rabil ul Awwal 1412 AH) when he arrived to grace a special occasion as Chief Guest of Milad-un-Nabii (SAWW) program organized by the Ithna Asheri Union Volunteer Corps (IUVC) in collaboration with the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Dar es Salaam.
The Program was well attended by several Muslim and other community members from mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. The program began with recitation of Quranic Verses by Sheikh Hashim Mussa of the Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania. The Chairman of Dar es salaam Jamaat, Alhaj Aliraza Kassamali Rajani delivered a welcome address which covered various activities being undertaken by the KSI Jamaat to uplift the general standard of living in the country irrespective of cast, colour or creed.
Alirazabhai mentioned that the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Community history in Tanzania (previously Tanganyika) and Zanzibar goes back to early 1800s, and the first Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Kuwwat Jamaat in East Africa was established in Zanzibar in 1881 and the first KSI Mosque at Kiponda in Zanzibar was formally opened in 1882. The KSI Community has been actively involved in building and maintaining Mosques and Madrassahs in the country and encouraging religious and secular education by promoting literacy amongst the children from a young age and providing qualified teachers to teach the religion of Islam in its purest form as guided by the Holy Qur’an and from the teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) and his progeny.
He said the Community’s Nursery and Secondary schools currently accommodate about 1100 students from different ethnicity and religions, he appealed to the President that the pending request for the establishment of a primary school be considered so that more Tanzanians can be avail good standard of education.
The Community’s dispensary, he said, serves over 100,000 patients in Dar es salaam at modest charges, the beneficiaries of which are mostly (about 75%) our indigenous African brothers. The President was assured that “No patient goes unattended for lack of money in our dispensary.” He said that to spread health services to the masses, the Community is aiming to open centres in remote areas, he said a health center will soon be opened in Temeke area of Dar es Salaam. He said health clinics and dispensaries have also been opened in Tanga, Arusha, Moshi and Bukoba whilst Songea and Singida are soon projected to have one.
Reference was also made to the medical and free eye camps by Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania, an institution under Africa Federation. Similarly, regular donation of shallow wells in remote areas where water is scarce, assistance towards various national catastrophes like the Rufiji and Southern Region floods and the Chairman emphasized that such endeavors are a moral and religious obligation in line with the teachings of Islam. He also pledged the Community’s support to the Government in its endeavors towards social services to our fellow Tanzanians.
Students of the Husseini Madrassah then recited a qasida which was followed by a lecture in Kiswahili by Alhaj Maalim Mohsin M. R. Alidina from the University of Dar es Salaam who was the Master of Ceremonies of the program. This followed recitation of Quranic verses by Alhaj Kassamali Rajwani. The Maulid and Qasida were recited by students from Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania celebrating the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWW).
An Address in Kiswahili was delivered by Sheikh Omar Mayunga, also of Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania. The next speaker was BALUKTA’s Sheikh Nuruddin Shaddully who blessed the occasion with Dua and Fateha after which presentations were made to the President.
The President was presented with Islamic books, a copy of the Holy Qur’an, Prayer Mat plus a pledge of a full sponsorship for one student to study Medicine at the University of Dar es salaam. A pledge was also made for a full cost for one person to go for Hajj and was then given a pecuniary donation of one million Tanzania shillings.
The President was not scheduled to speak but gave a delightful surprise to the congregation when he took to the mike and spoke for over 20 minutes. He expressed gratitude for the gifts and quoting a verse from the Holy Quran, he said it would have been unIslamic for him not to acknowledge what had been gifted to him. Citing each gift specifically, he said the books and the Holy Qur’an would help further increase his knowledge thereby helping him lead the Country better – whilst the Prayer Mat (Musallah), he said, was probably given to him to ensure that he regularly prayed. (President Mwinyi is known for his strict adherence to the five Pillars of Islam).
The President said the cash donation would go towards a special Fund launched to help small scale traders in the Country so that they are made self-sufficient. He related the adage that: rather than giving a needy person fish it is better to give him a net. This would make him independent and enterprising as his welfare would depend on how well he uses the net!
Alhaj Mwinyi also appreciated the full pledge for one person to perform Hajj and said he would give this opportunity to a person who would least have expected to travel to Makkah. On the scholarship, he said this adapted well to national efforts to increase the output of doctors. He said Tanzania currently has one doctor for every 26,000 people whilst the need is to have one doctor for every 10,000 people.
The President referred to the Ithna-Asheri Community as having lived in Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania for many years in peace and as respectful citizens. He said that businessmen of the Community are performing remarkable functions of making various public amenities available easily. He said that good guidance from elders had enabled the youths of the Community to be respectful unlike others who miss parental care and good guidance have opted to act carelessly thereby exposing themselves to a spate of social ills.
A final vote of thanks to end the occasion was made by Alhaj Mohamed Yusufali Somji, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Sub Committee of Mialdun Nabii (SAWW) on behalf of Ithna Asheri Union Volunteer Corps (IUVC).
Article Source: Federation Samachar Vol 26 (1), Jammadiul Awwal, November 1991
Photo Courtesy: Murtaza Jivraj (Kerbala) and Alhaj Aliraza Rajani of Toronto, Canada (Former President of KSIJ of Dar es Salaam for the term 1986 – 1994)
Article prepared by: Murtaza Jivraj (Kerbala) & Aunali Khalfan (VC – AFED)
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