“None of us would have imagined that years ago, the athaan and the kalimah would be called out on these dusty dunes.” These were the words of Imam Adam Philander, in praising the development of Islam in the Nkanini community at Masjidu Allahu Akbar in Khayelitsha.

The masjid, a tiny, self-effacing structure, was the venue for VOC’s second Ahlan Wa Sahlan outreach on Sunday, which drew mostly children from the locality. More than 100 musallees cramped into the sacred space, while the women and girls were placed in a marquee. Barring the spacing issue, the Ramadan spirit was one of fervour and delight, as locals participated in the khatam and thikr programme.

VOC staffers who joined the outreach were moved by the scale of poverty in the area but also encouraged by the enthusiasm of the locals, many of them reverts.

Despite adversity, and the prevailing socio-economic challenges in Khayelitsha, Masjidu Allahu Akbar has made enormous strides in bringing Islam to Nkanini. The well-known imam from Nurul Latief masjid in Macassar has been instrumental in shaping the role of the masjid.

“When VOC approached us, we thought it would be best to bring them to ‘shantytown’. Often, there is no water. And occasionally the electricity goes off. In the background you hear, the music booming. But Alhamdullilah, the call of Allah is being called out every day,” he told the audience.

The masjid has no ceiling, plush carpets, or proper ablution facilities and can be numbingly cold in winter but the spirit of Islam is all embracing.

“People have to go to a central point to fetch water. We leave the tap open for the entire day and it fills up the drum. We are not always fortunate to open the tap to see the water flow,” said Imam Philander.

“If you look behind the masjid, most of the houses are wooden, iron structures. We call it ‘4 by 4s’. The whole family stays in these small houses and there is no toilet. The toilets are all stacked and concentrated together…

“These are the conditions of the people. Irrespective, Allah’s name is still called out!”

Shaykh Shahied Silwana from Masjid Al Akbar said the establishment of the masjid took many years, but finally, it has become the centre of the community.

“We run a soup kitchen for two days only, because we don’t get much [financial] support. Imam Adam Philander assists us quite a bit, trying to fix the toilet and other things.”

Shaykh Silwana said the masjid was the bedrock of the community, providing a place of learning and spiritual development.

“People don’t understand what Islam is about. They only understand the Christian way. The community is only now starting to understand the importance of the mosque. I’m trying to explain [to local residents] that Islam is a religion for us…we are here because of our forefathers…

“[I explain] our religion is similar in terms of marriage and burying someone when they pass away. When I explain this then people understand. “

Asked about how the masjid is perceived by non-Muslims, Shaykh Silwana said:  “When someone has a tavern and plays music, I will go there and ask them to put the music down. So we work together with others in the community.”

Residents broke their fast with soup, water and dates, and later tucked into a hearty stew provided by Gift of the Givers, including fruit and food packs to take home. Pick ‘n Pay sponsored residents with bread. All musallees were given Islamic reading material as well.

 

AWS coordinator Prof Ebrahim Arnold commended the sterling efforts by Imam Adam Philander and his group, as well as the local community for keeping Islam alive in Khayelitsha. But with Cape Town still divided along race and cultural lines, Arnold stressed the importance of social cohesion.

“18 years ago, when we started the programme, the imam of a Khayelitsha masjid we visited said Islam is not about the theory, but about brotherhood, love, tolerance and expression of concern for others. It’s important that we should not just visit these areas during Ramadan but our interaction should be much more frequent, InshaAllah.”

VOC heads to the Masjidul Jumuah in Mitchells Plain on Sunday 11th June. VOC