WESTVILLE
Westville formerly known as
Jarrman (German) Place and approximately 20 km away from central Durban, is
situated on a hilly location. At the turn of the century there were many Indian
families living here (including Muslims), most of whom were ex-indentured
labourers engaged in farming and supplying the local market in Durban with fresh
greens, vegetables and fruits.
In 1904 Hazrath Soofie Saheb
RA visited the Westville area and after meeting the local Muslim inhabitants
purchased two pieces of ground from a Shaik Ally, which were put into the Trust
by Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA. He built a mosque and madressa, and a cemetery was
opened. At the entrance to the institution a wood and iron house was built for
the Imam and Muezzin. He placed one of his six khulafas, Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah
RA, here.
Among the institutions built
in Durban, Westville was the furthest away from central Durban.
Transportation was difficult
in those days and the area was snake-infested. Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah RA worked
extremely hard to establish the Darbar to run smoothly. He purchased goods daily
because the poor, the destitute and the wayfarers were fed. He performed the
duties of the Imam in the Musjid and also taught at the Madressa.
The following Trustees served
here:-
1. Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA - the founder 1904 - 1911
2. Hazrath Shah Mohamed Ibrahim Soofie RA 1911 -1954 (legal matters)
3. Hazrath Shah Abdul Aziz Soofie RA 1911 - 1947 handled legal matters
4. Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah RA 1904 - 1951
5. Hazrath Shah Goolam Mohamed Soofie Sani RA 1947 - 1978 (legal matters)
6. Hazrath Shah Abdul Majid RA 1951 - 1982
7. Hazrath Moulana Shah Abdur Raoof Habibi - 1982 up to the present
Hazrath
Yusuf Ali Shah Chisti, Nizami, Habibi RA
He was born in 1882 in
Nausari, a village in Gujerat, India. He came to South Africa in 1898 with his
two elder brothers, Ismail and Ishaq who were cloth merchants.
One week end he visited
Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA at Riverside because he had heard so much about him. He
was immediately fascinated by his spiritual outlook, so much so, that he now
thirsted for spiritual knowledge and without hesitation he became the mureed of
Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA in 1900.
In 1910
Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah RA married Aziza Bibi, the daughter of Hazrath Abdul
Majid RA who was the younger brother of Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA and had passed
away in 1900 during a visit to Mecca Shareef. Two children were born from this
marriage - Abdul Majid and Ameer Bi. He lost his wife three years after his
marriage and the children grew up in the Darbar at Riverside.
Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah RA was
a very patient man, following the simple way of life of the Mashaikh of the
Chistia Order. He always slept on the floor and he always walked barefeet in the
entire Darbar of his Shiekh at Riverside due to extreme love and respect for
him.
Visitors and travellers
(especially those travelling to and from Pietermaritzburg) were always welcome
at the Darbar. He was given permission by his Pir O Murshid to organise
Meelad-un-Nabie and Urs functions, which were held over a weekend.
According to information
available from his passport which was issued on 11 April 1924 at the Point,
Durban, it was valid for Arabia and Egypt. He visited Palestine which was dated
28/8/24 by entering through Port Tewfick on 27/8/24. He also visited his village
Nausari in India and visited the city of Ajmer and Hyderabad where the Mazaars
of the great Chisti saints, Hazrath Khwaja Moinuddin RA and Hazrath Habib Ali
Shah RA are respectively situated. He left Bombay on 2/12/24 for Durban by ship.
Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah RA
performed Juma Khutbah and Namaaz for a number of years at the Musjid of his
revered Sheikh but not before making arrangements with Kaleh Miajee for Juma
Namaaz at the Darbar in Westville. Lunch, consisting of dholl and rice, was also
fed to the Musallees.
The health of this humble
mureed who was one of the six Khulafas was deteriorating. Although he was given
permission by his Sheikh to be buried behind the mosque in Westville, a few days
before his demise, he advised his son, Hazrath Abdul Majid RA to bury him at the
Darbar, Riverside. It was on Thursday, 24 Shaban 1370 AH (31/5/51), while
Maghrib Salaah was being read, this humble Khalifa breathed his last after
serving the community at Westville faithfully for four decades. He was laid to
rest in the cemetery in Riverside according to his wishes.
Hazrath
Hajee Shah Abdul Majid RA
He was the only son of
Hazrath Yusuf Ali Shah RA, who was from Nausari Village, Gujerat, India. His
mother, Aziza Bibi, from the village of Ibrahim Pattan, Ratnagir, India, was the
daughter of Hazrath Abdul Majid Siddiqui RA, the younger brother of Hazrath
Soofie Saheb RA. He was born in 1911 at the Darbar, Riverside, where he grew up
and attended Madressa. Subsequently he enrolled for further education under
Hazrath Moulana Ahmed Mukthar Siddiqui RA from whom he learnt Pharsee and
Arabic.
He married Badroonissa, the
third daughter of Hazrath Shah Abdul Aziz Soofie RA. Three children were born
from this marriage - Abdur Raoof, Zubeda and Thyra.
He taught
at the Darbar at Riverside and performed as Imam for a number of years, first
prior to his marriage and later, after the demise of Imam Ariff Miajee RA. He
also served at the Darbar at Pietermaritzburg for 5 years, and Greytown for 5
years. He taught in Durban at May Street Madressa and the Anjuman Madressa Pine
Street in the 1940’s with Moulana Basheer Siddiqui, Imam Abdus Samad and
Munshi Kader Mia. May the blessings of Almighty Allah be upon them.
Hazrath Abdul Majid returned
to the institution at Westville due to the illness of his father in early 1950,
as Imam and teacher. In the early part of the day he taught at Orient School
from 1961 to 1980.
According to information
derived from his passport he performed Haj in 1946. In the same year he visited
India. In Ajmer Shareef he visited and lived with Hazrath Shah Mohamed Ibrahim
Soofie RA, the eldest son of Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA, who was his uncle also. He
visited Delhi, Hyderabad and Bombay before returning home in Durban on 11 April
1947.
He used to sweep the entire
Darbar at Westville daily by himself. He was very fond of gardening. Visitors to
the mosque were pleasantly greeted by the sweet fragrance of flowers especially
roses which also presented a colourful sight to behold. The cemetery was well
kept. He personally assisted the labourers. In early 1980 he completely
renovated and extended the Musjid with the help of the local Muslim community.
When he developed a heart ailment, his only son, Hazrath Moulana Abdur Raoof
assisted him with the daily affairs of the institution.
He passed away on 6 Zil Haj
1401 (4 October 1981) and lies buried in the cemetery behind the Mazaar Shareef
of Hazrath Soofie Saheb RA.
Hazrath
Moulana Shah Abdur Raoof Habibi
He was born on 29 September
1945 at the Darbar in Riverside. He obtained his Islamic education from his
father at the madressa in Westville. He also learnt under Hazrath Moulana Abdul
Kader RA. He took over the responsibilities at the Westville Darbar in 1977 when
his father took ill. His first lecture was at the residence of the late Yunus
Ramjaan during the Meelad-un-Nabie celebrations when the daughter of Yunus
Ramjaan was being married. His maternal uncle, Hazrath Shah Goolam Mohamed
Soofie Sani RA, was also present.
Moulana Abdur Raoof taught at
Anjuman Islam School (Leopold Street), Orient School and Merebank Madressa where
he was the Imam also for a number of years.
He performed Haj and visited
the Mazaars of the famous Mashaikh of several tariqas in the Indo-Pak sub
continent. He was conferred Khilafath on one such visit to Hyderabad by Hazrath
Habib Ali Shah Sani RA.
He married Shehnaaz, the only
daughter of Hazrath Shah Noor Mohamed Soofie (R.A.) of Darbar Springfield. Three
children were born, Fuzail, Farheen and Tasqeen. Moulana Abdur Raoof is
presently assisted by his only son, Hafez Shah Mohamed Fuzail, in the
administration of the Westville Darbar.