Visit to Kenya, Mozambique and Malawi (Dec 2024)
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Introduction
Over the past few years, I have visited Malawi several times and have had the honour, al-Ḥamdulillāh, of being involved in the management of a Darul Uloom as well as some Muslim schools and Maktabs. Some details of these visits have featured in earlier travelogues. Malawi is neighboured by several countries including Mozambique which is uniquely located to the east, south east, south and south west of Malawi. Having visited several countries in this part of Africa including Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, it has long been my desire to visit Mozambique.
However, Mozambique has a length of 2,300 kilometres with three major cities, the capital Maputo located in the south, Beira in the centre and Nampula in the north. The distance between Maputo and Beira is approximately 1000km and the distance is similar between Beira and Nampula. Most of the Asians reside in Maputo but there is a sizeable community in Beira as well as Nampula. Many airlines fly into Maputo including Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines. The options to Beira and Nampula are however limited. Ethiopian Airlines flies into Beira and Kenya Airways flies into Nampula. There is also a direct Airlink flight from Johannesburg to both Beira and Nampula on some days of the week. There are also internal domestic flights on LAM Mozambique Airlines which are not always reliable.
As my time is limited and I have some people to meet in Nampula, the only viable option is Kenya Airways, an airline famous for delays and cancellations. Unlike Ethiopian Airlines which I normally use for travel to Malawi, Kenya Airways does not fly from Manchester. I thus take the risk and travel on Tuesday 3 December 2024 on the 1.40pm KLM airlines from Manchester to Amsterdam which is delayed by 45 minutes, use the Aspire Lounge in Amsterdam which is good, and thereafter board the 7.35pm Kenya Airways to Nairobi which is thankfully empty.
Arrival into Kenya
The Kenya Airways flight from Amsterdam arrives into Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 6am the following morning, Wednesday 4 December. The onward flight to Nampula via Lilongwe is at 12.20pm so I decide to visit Nairobi city. British passport holders need to apply for an ETA (electronic travel authorisation) in advance. The cost is $107 for first time visitors and $34 for those who have visited Kenya before. There is a queue at the immigration desks and I finally exit the airport at 7am. This is my first time in Kenya although I have transited here once in May 2022.
Kenya
The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa, which is bordered to the north by South Sudan and Ethiopia, to the east by Somalia and the Indian Ocean, to the south by Tanzania, and to the west by Lake Victoria and Uganda. Its capital and largest city is Nairobi, while its oldest and second-largest city is the major port city of Mombasa. Mombasa was the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate, which included most of what is now Kenya and southwestern Somalia, from 1889 to 1907. The country’s population is approximately 55 million people. Official statistics suggest that 10% of the population is Muslim and 80% is Christian. This figure is disputed by many Muslims who suggest that the percentage of Muslims is much higher. Most Muslims live in the coastal province. Their origins vary and they comprise of different ethnic groupings, Arabs and people of mixed Arab-African descent, Somalis and some other nomadic groups, along with recent migrants from South Asia. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states:
“Kenya, country in East Africa famed for its scenic landscapes and vast wildlife preserves. Its Indian Ocean coast provided historically important ports by which goods from Arabian and Asian traders have entered the continent for many centuries. Along that coast, which holds some of the finest beaches in Africa, are predominantly Muslim Swahili cities such as Mombasa, a historic centre that has contributed much to the musical and culinary heritage of the country. Inland are populous highlands famed for both their tea plantations, an economic staple during the British colonial era, and their variety of animal species, including lions, elephants, cheetahs, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses. Kenya’s western provinces, marked by lakes and rivers, are forested, while a small portion of the north is desert and semidesert. The country’s diverse wildlife and panoramic geography draw large numbers of European and North American visitors, and tourism is an important contributor to Kenya’s economy.”
Mawlānā Yāsīn of Nairobi
Mawlānā Yāsīn receives me at the Airport. He is originally from Kutch in the Indian state of Gujarat and studied at the famous Binori Town seminary in Karachi for ten years and graduated in 1990. He fondly recalls his teachers most of whom were martyred over the years. His great-grandfather migrated from Kutch to Kenya via boat in 1870 for business. He runs a small institute in Nairobi near the Airport which provides a four-year course and boarding to 100 students. The full dars niẓāmī course does not work here according to Mawlānā. He also operates a school for 110 day pupils. Most Muslims follow the Shāfiʿī school, although there has been a heavy Salafī influence as a result of students studying in Saudi Arabia. The currency is 130 shillings to one US dollar.
Great Rift Valley and other landmarks
I request Mawlānā Yāsīn to show me the city and also his institute. He is worried because there are only a few hours as we have to return to the Airport by 11am and the traffic of Nairobi is horrendous, something my dear friend Ḥājī ʿAbdur Rashīd Geloo of Blackburn had also warned me about. However, I insist and we head to the city on the Nairobi Expressway which circumvents the morning traffic.
The Expressway toll road was completed in 2022 and connects the Airport with the city centre and further up to the city’s Westland area.
Alhamdulillah visited Nairobi, Kenya. This is a drive on the Nairobi Expressway. pic.twitter.com/7JMmhZYHlp
— Dr Yusuf Shabbir (@ibn_shabbir) December 6, 2024
The city is very developed with many skyscrapers overlooking the city. I did not think that Nairobi would be this developed. It is more developed than Addis Ababa. We pass the Parliament and other buildings and continue north west towards the border with Uganda. Mawlānā Yāsīn mentions that the former US President Barrack Hussein Obama was from Western Kenya and that his brothers are Muslims.
At 8.15am, we arrive at the Great Rift Valley View Point. This is 60km from the Airport. A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where the Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift.
Mawlānā Yāsīn explains that this is a geological wonder of Kenya and that once upon a time this area was flat, there was no valley or mountains here, and that eventually Africa will split. The geology.com website states:
“The East African Rift System (EARS) is one of the geologic wonders of the world, a place where the earth’s tectonic forces are presently trying to create new plates by splitting apart old ones. In simple terms, a rift can be thought of as a fracture in the earth’s surface that widens over time, or more technically, as an elongate basin bounded by opposed steeply dipping normal faults. Geologists are still debating exactly how rifting comes about, but the process is so well displayed in East Africa (Ethiopia-Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania) that geologists have attached a name to the new plate-to-be; the Nubian Plate makes up most of Africa, while the smaller plate that is pulling away has been named the Somalian Plate. These two plates are moving away from each other and also away from the Arabian plate to the north. The point where these three plates meet in the Afar region of Ethiopia forms what is called a triple-junction. However, all the rifting in East Africa is not confined to the Horn of Africa; there is a lot of rifting activity further south as well, extending into Kenya and Tanzania and the Great Lakes region of Africa.”
The Encyclopaedia Britannica states:
“East African Rift System, one of the most extensive rifts on Earth’s surface, extending from Jordan in southwestern Asia southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique. The system is some 4000 miles (6400 km) long and averages 30–40 miles (48–64 km) wide. The system consists of two branches. The main branch, the Eastern Rift Valley (often called the Great Rift Valley, or Rift Valley), extends along the entire length of the system. In the north the rift is occupied by the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba. It continues southward along the Red Sea and into the Ethiopian Denakil Plain to Lakes Rudolf (Turkana), Naivasha, and Magadi in Kenya. The rift is less obvious through Tanzania, because the eastern rim is much eroded, but it continues southward through the Shire River valley and Mozambique Plain to the coast of the Indian Ocean near Beira, Mozambique. The western branch of the system, the Western Rift Valley, extends northward from the northern end of Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) in a great arc that includes Lakes Rukwa, Tanganyika, Kivu, Edward, and Albert. Most of the lakes in the rift system are deep and fjordlike, some with their floors well below sea level. The plateaus adjacent to the rift generally slope upward toward the valley and provide an average drop of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600 to 900 m) to the valley floor. In some places, such as the Gikuyu and Mau escarpments, the drop averages more than 9,000 feet (2,700 metres). The rift has been forming for some 30 million years (as Africa and the Arabian Peninsula separated) and has been accompanied by extensive volcanism along parts of its length, producing such massifs as Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.”
Return to Nairobi
After the brief visit to the Great Rift Valley, we return to Nairobi city. The weather is perfect at this time of the year, with an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Fuel is not cheap here, it is £1 per litre. I ask Mawlānā Yāsin about the specialities of the country. He mentions flowers as well as tea and coffee. He also mentions that Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri (b. 1365/1946) visited Kenya and was hosted by him.
Imām Mohammad Mosque and Madrasah
At 9.30am, we arrive at the Imām Mohammad Mosque and Madrasah in the Embakasi area of Nairobi close to the Airport. This is the institute established by Mawlānā Yāsīn who named it after the great Ḥanafī jurist, Imām Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī (d. 189/805).
There is a beautiful small Masjid within the complex as well as the institute with boarding facilities and the school.
This institute was originally established in another area of the city in 1994 and was burnt down. Thereafter, it relocated here in 2003. We interact with some of the Ḥifẓ students and listen to their recitation. The 100 boarding students enrolled on the Islamic studies programme do not attend the school. The school serves other students. Mawlānā Yāsīn’s local experience is that both cannot operate side by side. This institute receives some support from Imdadul Muslimeen, run by my very dear friend Ḥājī ʿAbdur Rashīd Geloo.
We eat breakfast at Mawlānā’s house within the complex. The water melon is mouthwatering. The fresh apple and pomegranate juice is refreshing, and the samosas remind me of home. Mawlānā is amazed as are others that I do not drink tea or coffee. Although it is our first meeting, Mawlānā makes me feel at home and it feels as though we have known each other since a long time. Allah Almighty bless him for his warmth and hospitality.
Mawlānā ʿAbdurraḥmān, country director of Al-Imdaad Foundation
Whilst at the institute, Mawlānā ʿAbdurraḥman Iskandar, the country director of Al-Imdaad Foundation arrived from Mombasa. The distance between Nairobi and Mombasa is nearly 500km and the journey takes eight hours by car. I had requested Mawlānā not to travel the long distance to meet me, however he insisted. He graduated from Darul Uloom Zakariyya in Johannesburg, South Africa and is responsible for all of Al-Imdaad Foundation’s programmes in Kenya. We discuss the importance of Maktabs as well as the economic empowerment of scholars and Imāms project funded by a friend, through which 200 scholars and Imāms have already been supported in Kenya.
We bid farewell to Mawlānā Yāsīn and continue the discussion with Mawlānā ʿAbdurraḥman as he drops me to the Airport.
Mawlānā is half Omani and half Yemeni, and mentions that Mombasa has many Yemeni origin Muslims. As we approach the Airport, the National Park comes into view. It was the first national park established in Kenya in 1946 and has an area of 45 square miles. The animals therein include lions, gazelles, black rhinoceroses, giraffes, various species of antelope, and zebras, as well as reptiles and hundreds of species of birds.
From Kenya to Mozambique
The 12.20pm Kenya Airways to Nampula via Lilongwe departs on time. Kenya is currently three hours ahead of the UK and one hour ahead of Malawi and Mozambique. The flight to Lilongwe is empty and the seats are comfortable. The flight arrives into Lilongwe, Malawi at 1.35pm and thereafter into Nampula at 3.30pm. As the plane descends, the beautiful and eye-catching mountains of Nampula become visible. The Airport in Nampula is small but the process is extremely slow. British passport holders can obtain visa on arrival for 650 metical ($10 USD) at an office upstairs. To avoid wasting time, it is advised to obtain visa in advance if possible.
Another issue is the customs. I have a refurbished laptop in my suitcase in a box that was sent to me for our Darul Uloom in Malawi. The customs officer insists that I need to pay $100 in customs because it is in a box. He himself suggests that in future it should not be placed in a box and thereby duty will be avoided. Communication is also a challenge, because Portuguese is the country’s official language and English is not commonly understood. Although the airport is small with only two or three flights daily, it is extremely slow. Thankfully, Brother Ashraf a local of Nampula comes inside the terminal and assists me.
Mozambique
This is my first time in Mozambique, a south-east African country with the third longest coastline in the Indian Ocean, covering a total distance of 2700km. It is bordered to the north by Tanzania, to the east by the Mozambique Channel, which separates it from the island of Madagascar, to the south and southwest by South Africa and Swaziland, to the west by Zimbabwe, and to the northwest by Zambia, Malawi, and Lake Nyasa.
Its population exceeds 34 million of which approximately 20% are Muslim based on official statistics. The Muslims predominantly live in the North and the coastal areas. This is because Muslim traders first arrived in the coastal areas approximately 1000 years ago. Later, the former port city of Sofala, which became famous for its trade in ivory, timber, slaves, gold and iron and much of the rest of coastal Mozambique was part of the Kilwa Sultanate between the 12th century until the Portuguese conquest in 1505. In fact, the country continues to be named after the Arab trader Muṣā ibn Bīq Raḥimahullāh who it is suggested lived in the Island of Mozambique and perhaps also played a role in governing the area.
The website of the Government of Mozambique states,
“The Bantu people settled in Mozambique about 2,000 years ago, setting up the great Mwenemutapa Empire. By about 900 AD, trading links had been forged with India, Persia, and China and above all with the Arab world, with gold being the major lure for the merchants. It was this precious metal that first attracted the Portuguese to Mozambique, Vasco da Gama landing here on his way to India in 1498. The Portuguese then set up their first trading post in 1505, exporting gold and challenging Arab domination. By the late 17th century, ivory had replaced gold as the main export, while some 50 years later slaves became the major attraction. Mozambique was governed from Portuguese India (Goa) until 1752, when it was brought under control from Lisbon. In the early part of the 20th century, vast tracts of land were rented to and administered by private companies. Agriculture became the main activity, creating huge numbers of poor rural black workers, while a policy of white supremacy was pursued. Repression and exploitation provoked a backlash which led to the growth of the independence movement and the founding, in 1962, of freedom organisations like Frelimo. Armed struggle led to independence on June 25, 1975. A 17-year-long civil war broke out between government forces and Renamo, a conflict resolved in 1992 by the Treaty of Rome. Multi-party elections were held in October 1994 with Frelimo emerging as victors. Mozambique joined the commonwealth in 1995, and is now building on its stability by promoting foreign investment and tourism.”
The current political situation however is concerning. In October two months ago, the ruling party, Frelimo, claimed to have won the presidential election. The election was marred by allegations of rigging and the killing of opposition supporters, prompting protests across the country. These protests have intensified. Brother Ashraf explains that there were riots in Nampula city earlier this morning.
Nampula
My host in Nampula is brother Moḥsin Iqbāl, a relative of a friend. He runs several successful businesses in the country and is involved with various religious and charitable projects. He arrives at the Airport and we head to the city. Nampula is the third-largest city in the country after Maputo and Matola. It is located approximately 200km from the coast. The city is diverse, with the native eMakhuwa population being the largest group but with a visible Indian, European, Chinese, Lebanese, Somali, and Nigerian population. Some estimates suggest that 75% of the people here are Muslims. In the 1900s, some Arabs migrated here and married locally. More recently, Somalis have also migrated here. On our way, we pass Masjid Mohammed Lamine Sharif, the beautiful Masjid established by the Somalis.
At 5pm, we arrive at a large multi-story house recently purchased by a friend for some of his relatives. Four families will reside in the four flats and the ground floor will be used as shops by the families or leased for rental income. The property was purchased from a Lebanese businessman Khalīl ibn Aḥmad who is also on site to meet us. He mentions that there is a small community of 100 Lebanese people in Nampula and that many of his relatives and associates have been affected by the Israeli aggression on Lebanon.
Masjid al-Khalīl
Our next stop at 5.45pm is brother Moḥsin’s residence which is opposite Masjid al-Khalīl, the main Masjid established by his father, Ḥājī Muḥammad Iqbāl who continues to serve as its President. This is the main Deobandī and Tablīgī Masjid in the city, under which a Darul Uloom also runs. This new building of the Masjid was constructed eight years ago. The Maktab on site serves 100 children whilst the Darul Uloom in the outskirts of the city serves 186 pupils.
We perform Magrib Ṣalāh at the Masjid and observe that it is led by an indigenous African Imam. This is in contrast with Malawi where the Imāms in the Masjids established by the Asians are generally Asians. The interaction between the African and Asians is also much more positive compared to Malawi. The vast majority of the people follow the Shafīʿī school. After Ṣalāh, I meet with the Vice President of the Masjid, brother Muḥammad Sājid who is an active member of the Tablīg effort, he highlights that this Masjid is also the Tablīgī Markaz of the area.
Meeting with ten Imams
After Magrib Ṣalāh, we meet with ten local Imāms who have benefited from Al-Imdaad Foundation’s ʿUlamāʾ economic empowerment programme. The Imāms serve in different Masjids in Nampula and surrounding areas. They all graduated from local institutes in Mozambique and most are Shāfiʿīs whilst some are Ḥanbalīs. Some of these Imāms operate shops whilst others are operating money transfer businesses. The Imāms confirm that the country is named after Mūsā ibn Bīq Raḥimahullāh.
Mufti ʿĀṣim Ṣāḥib
After meeting with the Imams, I meet with Mufti ʿĀṣim Ṣāḥib, who is one of the leading scholars here. He graduated from Khayr al-Madāris in Pakistan in 1995 and has been in Mozambique since 1997. He is the lead Imām for Masjid al-Khalīl and is also the founder of the Darul Uloom which is currently located 11km from the city. He mentions that the missionary movement is strong here.
Dinner and rest
We perform ʿIshāʾ Ṣalāh in Masjid al-Khalīl at 7.30pm. This is followed by dinner at brother Moḥsin’s residence where a variety of dishes are on the menu. The prawns of Mozambique are famous. The cashew nuts are also famous and brother Moḥsin Bhai kindly gifts me cashew nuts, some without the skin and some with the skin which are ideal for roasting. After dinner, we visit some relatives of a friend of mine. Interestingly, some elderly Asians do not speak their mother language, they speak Portuguese.
At 10.30pm, brother Moḥsin checks me into the New Hotel, which is owned by a Muslim. Reflecting on the few hours in Nampula, the Muslim community is established and the city is reasonably developed, much more than I had envisaged. Watching Bollywood unfortunately seems to be common here.
Visit to Imāms businesses
The following morning, Thursday 5 December, we begin with a visit to the businesses of several Imāms we met yesterday. They include an Imam who has a clothes shop in the Bombeiros Market within the city. Due to the current political turmoil, businesses have been affected and the market is empty.
At 9.45am, we arrive at Mutotope, a thirty-minute drive south east of Nampula. This is where another Imām resides and operates a grocery shop further to the support from Al-Imdaad Foundation. The Foundation donated to him approximately $800 and he makes a monthly profit of $100. This is in addition to the salary he receives from his job as an Imām of a Masjid in town. The philosophy behind this project is to empower Imāms and scholars so that they stand up on their own feet and live a decent life, whilst continuing to serve the Dīn with energy and passion. As we depart from Mutotope, we notice a small Masjid Umm Kulsum made from clay.
It is also mango season, so there are hundreds of mango trees visible.
Colégio Politécnico de Moçambique
We return to Nampula and meet with brother Afzal at the Colégio Politécnico de Moçambique. This is an educational institute that serves 1000 students between the ages of 7 and 18, with monthly fees of 4000 metical. This is $60 USD based on the official bank rate, although the black-market rate for USD to metical gives you 15% more. (In Malawi, it is worse, the official rate for the USD to Kwacha is 1720 whilst the black-market rate is 3200). The college is well established. Al-Imdaad Foundation work closely with brother Afzal and his assistant brother Juneco to deliver their charitable programmes in this region.
From Nampula to Island of Mozambique
Brother Moḥsin arrives at the College and we depart at 10.30am towards the Island of Mozambique. There are no strikes planned today otherwise it would not be possible to travel. Prior to leaving the city, we visit a property within Nampula for potential purchase for some poor families.
On the outskirts of Nampula in Mutava Rex Memoria, we meet with another Imām who I met yesterday. He is operating a money transfer business funded by Al-Imdaad Foundation and also serving as Imām of a Masjid nearby and also a teacher of Ḥifẓ al-Quran at a nearby Darul Uloom. His monthly profit from the business is $50.
A short while after departing from Nampula, we arrive at a crisps factory run by brother Moḥsin and his family. The crisps are sold locally in the country. The average salary here is £120 per month. This appears to be higher than the average salary in Malawi.
We are now on the way to the Island of Mozambique. The distance between Nampula and the Island is 181km. The single road is in a good condition without any potholes. The route is very scenic through beautiful mountains.
At 12.40pm, as we arrive near the Island and the coast, brother Moḥsin takes me to a salt mine which belongs to him.
Thereafter, we meet with Mawlānā Sulaymān a graduate of Maʿhad al-Rashīd in Chipata, Zambia who takes us to a village 16 Junho where a Masjid is being constructed under the supervision of Mufti Mufti ʿĀṣim Ṣāḥib. This is on the right side of the main road when travelling to the Island.
We then proceed to the nearby village of Sanculo again to the right side of the main road, where Mawlānā Sulayman has selected fifty poor people in advance. We distribute 2000 metical ($30) to them and they are extremely appreciative.
This is a Muslim majority region. Brother Moḥsin suggests that the population of Muslims in this region is 99%. The scarf is commonly worn.
The Island of Mozambique
At 1.30pm, we cross over the Mozambique Island Bridge. This is a unique and spectacular 3.4km bridge that connects the Island to the mainland over the Indian Ocean. It was built in 1967 and it has one lane with several bays so that two-way traffic can operate.
We travelled to the Island of Mozambique, where the population is 99% Muslim. There is a 3km bridge between the Island and the mainland. Muslim traders arrived to this region approximately 1000 years ago. In fact, Mozambique is named after Musa ibn Beeq an Arab merchant. pic.twitter.com/cEWyfrfwOc
— Dr Yusuf Shabbir (@ibn_shabbir) December 21, 2024
My main purpose of visiting the Island is that it is home to the oldest Mosque in Mozambique, and it is suggested that Mūsā ibn Bīq Raḥimahullāh was based here and the island was named after him, and thereafter the whole country was named after him. It is also suggested that the first Muslims arrived here. The Island is famous for its rich history and sandy beaches and is a popular tourist destination. It also features on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica states:
“Island of Mozambique, small coral island located at the mouth of Mossuril Bay in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean. It is administered as part of Nampula province, northern Mozambique. Until 1898 the island’s fortified town of Moçambique served as the capital of Portuguese East Africa. The island and its natural harbour were used by Arab merchants as a maritime trading centre from the 10th to the late 15th century. The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who landed on the island in 1498, claimed it for Portugal. Four years later he returned with Portuguese settlers, who built the first fortress, St. Gabriel (1507–08; no longer standing). The town assumed prominence in Portugal’s campaign to take over trade with India and the East Indies. The later fort of St. Sebastian was begun in the mid-16th century and is distinguished by its Italian Renaissance architecture; it withstood attack by the Dutch in 1607, and its massive walls still stand. The relative importance of the island decreased after the decline in the slave trade in the mid-19th century and the opening of the Suez Canal (1869). By 1907, the colonial government was transferred to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), and in the mid-20th century, Moçambique’s maritime trade was largely diverted to the new port of Nacala, on the mainland coast farther north. A bridge has linked the island to the mainland since 1967. The architecture on the island shows diverse Arab, Indian, and Portuguese influences while maintaining an unusual visual homogeneity. This architectural unity is mainly the result of using over several centuries the same building materials (primarily locally quarried limestone, indigenous wood, and palm leaves) and similar structural plans (including a preponderance of symmetrical, six-roomed, rectangular structures with flat roofs). Other notable buildings on the island include the chapel of Our Lady of the Ramparts (1522), the church of Our Lady of Mercy (1635), the neoclassical hospital (1877), the symmetrical quadrilateral town market (1887), an impressive 19th century Hindu temple, a 19th century mosque, and St. Paul’s Palace (1674), which served as the governor’s residence from 1763 until 1935 and was later converted into a museum. The Island of Mozambique was designated a World Heritage site in 1991. UNESCO launched an international campaign to conserve and restore the island’s architectural heritage in 1997. The port town remains a commercial and fishing centre but has little industrial activity. Pop. (2007 prelim.) 48,839.”
The oldest Mosque on the Island
We enter the Island and pay the bridge toll of £0.30. The Island is approximately 3km long and between 200 and 500 metres wide. Most historical buildings including the oldest Mosque are located on the island’s northern end. There are seven Mosques on the island. We pass the Mohamedia Madresa School (Madrasah Muḥammadiyyah) that was established in 1923.
Thereafter, we arrive at the oldest Mosque of the Island and perform Ṣalāh here.
The oldest Masjid on the Island of Mozambique, built several hundred years ago. pic.twitter.com/3xnB9aO2fU
— Dr Yusuf Shabbir (@ibn_shabbir) December 23, 2024
Although the Masjid needs some repairs, the atmosphere is serene with the beautiful water of the ocean visible from the windows.
There is some information about the Masjid in Portuguese on display in the Masjid, which has been translated for me by Umm Yūsuf Āmujī as follows:
“On the Island of Mozambique there is the first mosque built in the country. It is assumed that this construction took place in the 13th century or long before this century. Proofs are: Our Muslim ancestors unanimously stated that this mosque was the first to be built in this country. When on March 2, 1498, the ships of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama arrived next to the Island of Mozambique, already the believers of the Islamic religion here had their mosque, which is why it is from this historic island that Islam started and spread throughout the national territory. The chronicler of Vasco da Gama himself said: ‘When I arrived on the Island of Mozambique I found a Mosque of Taipa and Terrace and the residence of the Sheikh.’ The residence would be the house currently belonging to Combinado Pesqueiro. S. Francisco Xavier, who was in the Mozambique line from late August 1541 to early March 1542, says in a written letter from Goa on September 20, 1542: ‘Before we could move to these parts of India, we arrived at an island called Mozambique, where we wintered five very large ships, on which island we were six months, where the King of Portugal has a fortress. On this island there is a place of Portuguese and another of Moors.’ At the time, Muslims were called Moors. The mosque is next to the post office and was in full operation until the end of the 19th century or early this (20th) century. What is certain is that the mosque was totally abandoned. The reasons for abandonment are not certain but there are several possibilities. The mosque terrace was completely in ruins, becoming a place of garbage, bathrooms and kitchens of neighbouring houses. Recently, God Our Lord enlightened the Muslim Brotherhood Cadria Bagdad, who had all the dirt removed, namely from the bathrooms. Today, even in the state of ruin, there is the permanence of five congregation Ṣalāh and there is a Quranic school with about forty students of both sexes. Today, we are turned to Allah in the hope that it also enlightens someone to have the idea of sponsoring this work to recover this first mosque in Mozambique. All Muslims in the province of Nampula should feel proud, because in this province there is the first mosque built in the country. Abdurrazaque Assane Jamú.”
We drive around the Island, observe the fort and other historic buildings and also pass the Muhipiti Hotel, which I understand is the best hotel on the Island.
Meeting with Ḥājī Muḥammad Iqbāl
We depart from the Island via the bridge and travel towards Chocas beach in Mossuril district where Brother Moḥsin’s father, Ḥājī Muḥammad Iqbāl is currently residing. On route, we stop at Muchelia where Brother Moḥsin’s salt factory and salt mines are located.
Approximately two hundred families have moved somewhere in this region from the north where it is suggested that a Daesh linked group is fighting against the Government. This has resulted in several hundred thousand people relocating. Some local Muslims in Nampula are cynical and attribute this to the discovery of oil and gas in Northern Mozambique and the deliberate attempts of some international players to remove Muslims from those areas, Allah knows best.
At 3.15pm, we arrive at Chocas beach, 40km north of the Island. This beach is better than the beach at the Island with whiter sand and very clear water.
Ḥājī Muḥammad Iqbāl was born in this area and therefore prefers to spend time here at his holiday home. The family also manage a small hotel here.
Ḥājī Muḥammad Iqbāl is a real gentleman who spent time in Harare and is closely acquainted with Mawlānā Mūsa Menk, the father of Mufti Ismail Menk. He recalls Mawlānā Mūsā’s advice,
“Do not give your workers a loan, they need to learn how to manage their finances and live within their means.”
He suggests that the Portuguese era was better, the education and the economy were in a much better state. He is firmly of the view that Muslims as well as others need to be given education to improve their life chances and opportunities.
We eat lunch, there is prawns and wild (janglī) chicken on the menu. There are also many mangoes including some Indian Mangoes from a tree whose seeds Brother Moḥsin’s grandfather had brought to Mozambique.
We perform ʿAṣr Ṣalāh in Masjid Noor near the beach, the Masjid was built by Ḥājī Muḥammad Iqbāl.
Jāmiʿah ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (Darul Uloom)
We return to Nampula city at 7pm and Mufti ʿĀṣim who I had met yesterday collects me and we travel to the Jāmiʿah ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās seminary in the outskirts of the city. He mentions that Mūsā ibn Bīq Raḥimahullāh was originally from Oman and that there are some families here who claim to be from his descendants. They follow the Ḥanbalī school of thought and they suggest that they are from Oman. I ask Mufti ʿĀṣim about the various Islamic groups in the region. He mentions that initially there was a rift with the Salafīs, however, the gap has reduced especially as they worked together against the problem of Shiites. In relation to the Barelwīs, the relationship with their lay people and businessmen is constructive. However, the relationship with their scholars is weak. The Central Masjid is the Masjid they operate in Nampula. With so many challenges facing the Ummah, it is time for various Sunni groups to unite and focus on the challenges against Islam.
We arrive at Jāmiʿah ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās at 7.30pm. This is a 25-acre land which was purchased by Masjid al-Khalīl in 2005. There are 186 students here in boarding. The medium is Urdu but Portuguese is used in the earlier years. School education is also provided to all students. The full Dars Niẓāmī is not offered here. After the first few years, students travel to Maʿhad al-Rashīd in Chipata, Zambia and complete the final three years of the ʿĀlim course there. I suggest to Mufti Ṣāḥib to consider offering the full course here. I also suggest that they should consider teaching the Shāfiʿī fiqh instead of the Ḥanafī fiqh, similar to the Darul Ulooms in Malawi that teach the Shāfiʿī fiqh. This not least because we want the graduates to be able to practice and preach the Shāfiʿī fiqh within their respective areas where the majority of Muslims are Shāfiʿīs. This is a general point that the dominant school of jurisprudence in a particular region needs to be respected, otherwise it leads to problems. As I have written in earlier travelogues, the proliferation of students studying in Saudi Arabia and returning to their native countries with a particular mindset and championing a different school of jurisprudence has had many negative consequences.
We visit the small library of the institute and also perform ʿIshāʾ Ṣalāh with the students. There is discipline among the students and there is tranquillity within the area. These seminaries are the engines of society and they play a vital role in persevering Dīn. This is why the colonisers made it their first task to change the education system.
Dinner, meeting with Mawlānā Ayyūb and rest
We return to Nampula and eat dinner at Brother Moḥsin’s house. Today’s menu has the jumbo prawns along with fresh cashew juice which looks like coconut water but with a light-yellow colour. Later in the evening, we also meet with Mawlānā Ayyūb Ṣāḥib who is a relative of one of my friends. He studied in Ladysmith in South Africa and is currently Deputy Imām at the Central Masjid run by our Barelwī brothers. It has been a long day and therefore time to rest at the New Hotel.
From Nampula to Mangochi (Malawi) and the road block
The following morning, Friday 6 December, it is an early morning start as Brother Ashraf collects me at 5am and we depart east towards the Mandimba-Chiponda border crossing. The route is scenic with beautiful mountains throughout. The distance between the border and Nampula is 500km. Generally, the road is good, however, there are two or three patches of 15-20km where the road is not paved.
Shortly, after 8am, we arrive at a road block. Brother Ashraf makes some enquiries and is advised that the road will be closed until 3pm. A driver hit one of the children hence the protest, otherwise there are no national protests today. Brother Ashraf speaks to a few people in the local language but there is no progress. One person offers to take us via a back route however Brother Ashraf is not content and fears criminality. We drive backwards to a nearby hospital from where another person offers to take us via the fields. He drives his bicycle and we follow behind in the fields and pathways of the local village. Eventually, after an hour, we reach the other side of the road block, give the bicycle owner his money and continue the journey. After a few miles, two police officers ask us for a ride to the next town. One of them is a Muslim. They are unaware of the road block as it is not within their patch. The police cannot do much in these circumstances because they would be attacked if they attempt to remove the road block.
We arrive on the border at midday. The exit process on the Mozambique side takes a lot of time. My dear friend, Dr Anas Shaikh, one of our Directors at the Mehboob Memorial Centre, is awaiting us and has managed to come all the way to the Mozambique side of the border.
I bid farewell to Brother Ashraf and we enter Malawi, have my passport stamped, and thereafter travel to Mangochi where we arrive at 2pm.
One week in Malawi
I spend the next seven days in Mangochi at the Mehboob Memorial Centre. Several colleagues from the UK including brother Afzal, Ibrāhīm, Mawlānā ʿImrān from South Africa, ʿImrān Fārūq from Sri Lanka also join. We review the strategy and operations of the Centre. We also travel to Mvunguti on one of the days, and some of us also travel to Makanjira on another day. Earlier travelogues on Malawi (One week in Malawi and East Zambia, Return to Malawi) can be referred to for more details. Brother Moḥsin, Brother Ashraf and his brothers also visit us from Mozambique on one of the days. The weather is extremely hot. It is mango season and we eat many mangoes including the Indian Alphonso mango that has been planted in Malawi. From the Malawian mangoes, the Sulaymani mango is one of the best, it tastes like the Chaunsa mango. Marḥūm ʿAbdulḥamīd’s sons Akhtar Bhai and Muḥammad Rafīq are also present. Muḥammad Rafīq’s steak cannot be forgotten.
After spending a week in Mangochi, we depart on the morning of Friday 13 December to Namwera and visit Mama Khadija Education Complex. Mawlānā Saʿd, the son of Mawlānā Muʿādh Nadwī, who visited us yesterday at Mehboob Memorial Centre welcomes us.
From here, we travel to Zomba where I lead Jumuʿah Ṣalāh at the recently refurbished Masjid that has undergone major renovations for the first time since it was extended and built upon by my grandfather Ḥājī Aḥmad Patel (d. 1409/1988) in 1962. After Jumuʿah Ṣalāh, we eat dinner with Mawlānā Siraj Ṣāḥib and drink tea at Kefi Hotel Café. We also visit the cemetery as well as a school project established by The Sparkle Foundation.
Thereafter we travel to Limbe, perform Magrib Ṣalāh at Bilal Darul Uloom in Limbe and eat dinner with Gaffār Ganī.
We stay the night in Amaryllis Hotel, Blantyre and the following morning, Saturday 14 December, we meet with Mawlānā Riyāz Bhānā who has been diagnosed with a heart condition. We also meet with Shabbīr Ganī and Yaʿqūb Bharūchī of Malawi Relief Trust.
From Malawi to Kenya
Our Malawi Airlines flight to Nairobi via Lilongwe is scheduled at 3.05pm. The incoming flight from Johannesburg is delayed slightly by 10-15 minutes. Shortly after the plane arrives, there is heavy rainfall. The rain is so intense that the staff working outside on the tarmac all run inside the building, and there is also water leaking in the lounge where we are sat. As a result of leaving the equipment on the tarmac and the winds, the wing of the plane is damaged. The communication is poor. At approximately 5pm, the passengers on board the plane disembark. A small plane arrives at 6.30pm and takes the passengers that are flying to Tanzania. This Malawi Airlines flight normally travels from Nairobi, Kenya to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As for the passengers to Lilongwe and Nairobi, we wait until an aeroplane comes from Lilongwe. This does not happen until 8pm. Prior to this, we eat fish and chips at the airport at our own cost. We arrive Nairobi at 1am. My suitcase and the mango box are both marked with pink chalk. The mango box is taken from me whilst the suitcase containing cashew nuts is allowed.
Various landmarks in Nairobi
The next two days are spent in Nairobi undertaking various meetings. The weather here is perfect. We stay at the Marriott Hotel at our own cost. One has to be careful with pickpocketing and we are warned to keep our mobile phones within our pockets when walking and also be careful when the car windows are open.
We meet with some scholars who are beneficiaries of Al-Imdaad Foundation’s ʿUlamāʾ economic empowerment programme including a Shaykh who runs a restaurant and Shaykh who was given a taxi motorbike. We also visit the Giraffe Centre, 20km from the city, where the giraffes can be fed by the hand, and also visit a part of the Nairobi National Park. We also planned to visit the Jamia Mosque of Nairobi, but there was heavy traffic on the approach to the mosque.
On the evening of the final day, we visit the Broadwalk Mall and eat dinner at the Hashmi Barbeque, which has its main branch in Dubai. The food here is good and the saffron Kulfi made the visit worthwhile.
Along with avocadoes, Kenya is also famous for hibiscus. Thus, red hibiscus juice is available in hotels. Hibiscus is high in antioxidants and may help promote weight loss, reduce the growth of bacteria and cancer cells, and support the health of the heart and liver.
Return home
My return flight was originally scheduled on Monday 16 December at 11.50pm on Kenya Airways from Nairobi to Paris and from Paris to Manchester on Air France. Earlier in the day, Kenya Airways sent a message that the flight has been cancelled. This is typical of Kenya Airways, and although I did not encounter any problems on the inbound journey, my colleague Imrān from Sri Lanka arrived to Malawi 30 hours after the scheduled time. My travel agent Nazīr Motī from Leicester very kindly contacted Kenya Airways and managed to book me on KLM Airlines to Amsterdam and from there to Manchester where I arrived at 10am on Tuesday 17 December.
Conclusion
It has been an interesting two weeks in Kenya, Mozambique and Malawi. A lot of religious work is required in these areas especially the establishment of Maktabs and Muslim schools. Missionary groups have converted hundreds of thousands of people over the past three centuries in these regions of Africa. The construction of Masjids is good but more effort is required to maximise use of the Masjids and ensure the continuation of their mission. Organisations that sponsor the construction of Masjids should take the responsibility of the Imam and the education therein.
The visit to Kenya and Mozambique only covered certain parts of the countries. In future, it would be good to visit central and southern Mozambique and also other regions of Kenya. Al-Ḥamdulillāh, having inherited the travel bug from my beloved mother, I have travelled to 53 countries and transited in a further 10 countries. Allah Almighty accept these journeys and grant tawfīq to travel the world in the service of Islam.
Dr Yusuf Shabbir
27 Jumādā al-Thāniyah 1446 / 29 December 2024
