Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi

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Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi (Arabic: سعيد أخطر رزفي‎) was an Indian-born Islamic scholar of the Shi'a twelver school, active in promoting Islam in East Africa.

Also transliterated as Sayyid Sa'eed Akhtar Rizvi.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi was born in a place called Ushri, District Saran Bihar, India, in 1927.

[edit] Tanzania

In 1959 he came to Lindi, Tanzania, where he was appointed the local Islamic scholar (Arabic: Alim). He there learned Swahili and improved his English in order to better perform his work as a scholar.[1]

In 1962 proposed a plan of propagating the faith among the African people to Haji Ebrahim H. Sheriff in Arusha. An amended and improved plan was put into action in 1963.[1] This plan was circulated in the triennial Conference of the Africa Federation in Tanga in 1964, where it received the approval of Hussein Nasser Walji (approved in the general meeting of Dar es Salaam Jamaat).[1]

Marhum Mulla Asgharali M.M. Jaffer writes:

“ ...the 1964 memorandum was received with mixed feelings but it got a boost from a resolution sent by Dar es Salaam Jamaat to do something in this (proselytizing) connection.[2] ”

[edit] Bilal Muslim Mission

In the end, the plan was adopted by the majority as a policy, marking the birth of the Bilal Muslim Mission.[1]

Marhum Mulla Asgharali M.M. Jaffer writes:

“ ...the incessant and untiring efforts and contributions by Maulana Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi in this direction have been decisive and of great importance. His knowledge of Kiswahili and English enabled him to offer his service without any undue hesitation. He was appointed Chief Missionary of the Bilal Muslim Mission - an appellation signifying the new role of an Aalim among the Khoja Shia Ithna Asheris. For the first time in its history, the community lent its credence to this new appointment and realised that the function of an Aalim could be much more beneficial, varied and discursive.[2] ”

Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi was transferred from Arusha in the north of Tanzania to the group in Dar es Salaam in mid-eastern Tanzania. This expansions of activities created the need of an autonomous body, so Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi went to Mombasa in southern Kenya in 1976 in order to meet the office-bearers of the Supreme Council. They decided to create two organizations, so Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania was registered on 16th April 1968 and the Bilal Muslim Mission of Kenya in 1971 with Rizvi as one of the founding members, the Chief Missionary and the Tableegh Advisor of the Late Chairman of the Africa Federation, Late Mohamedali Meghji and to Marhum Mulla Asghar M.M. Jaffer, Alhaj Mohamed Dhirani and Alhaj Habibbhai Mulji.[1]

[edit] Travels

His name became synonymous with the word Tabligh (Islamic mission) among the indigenous people of East Africa, and he introduced correspondence courses in Islamic studies in English and Swahili besides several other courses for Shia students through the Bilal Muslim Mission, some of the courses being tough even outside Africa.[1]

He traveled widely, holding assemblies and lecturing to university students in Africa, Europe, Canada and USA, making sure that his speeches reached intellectuals, new converts and those wishing to know more about religion.[1]

[edit] Funeral

Funeral procession of Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi in Dar es Salaam
Funeral procession of Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi in Dar es Salaam

His funeral was attended by a very large crowd in Dar es Salaam. Although normally coffins are taken by a special van to the graveyard, two scouts holding two large black flags led the cortege to the burial site. Traffic police stopped the busy Saturday morning traffic to make way for the cortege, who walked on foot covering the route of the funeral Cortege from the Imambara to the cemetery in more than half an hour. Officials and Scholars from several countries were present. The obligatory Islamic funeral prayer (Arabic: Salat al-Mayyit) was held by Mohamed Rizvi, the son of the deceased.[1]

Representatives from Bilal Muslim Mission credited him with raising the number of Shi'as in East Africa from none to 100,000.[1]

He spoke Urdu, English, Arabic, Persian, Swahili and knew Hindi and Gujrati.

He has was given authorisations (Arabic: Ijazah) by fourteen Grand Ayatullahs for riwayah, Qazawah, and Umur-e-Hasbiyah.

[edit] Legacy

[edit] Works

Sai'd Akhtar Rizvi authored over 140 books, some of them having been translated into 22 languages.[1] they include:

  • Imamate: The Vicegerency of the Prophet
  • Slavery From Islamic and Christian Perspectives[3]
  • The Fast of 'Ashura[4]
  • Imam Hasan: The Myth of his Divorces[5]
  • The Fast of 'Ashura[6]
  • The Illustrious Period of the Imamate of Imam Zayn al-'Abidin[7]
  • The Scholarly Jihad of the Imams: 95 - 148 A.H[8]
  • Martyrdom of Imam Husayn and the Muslim and Jewish Calendars[9]
  • The Qur'an: Its Protection from Alteration[10]
  • Slavery: Islamic and Christian Perspectives[11]
  • P O R K[12]
  • God: An Islamic Perspective[13]
  • The Justice of God[14]
  • The Life of Muhammad The Prophet[15]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j victorynewsmagazine.com
  2. ^ a b "Outline of Shi'a Ithna-ashari History in East Africa" by Marhum Mulla Asgharali M.M. Jaffer
  3. ^ on Al-islam.org [1]
  4. ^ on Al-islam.org [2]
  5. ^ on Al-islam.org [3]
  6. ^ on Al-islam.org [4]
  7. ^ on Al-islam.org [5]
  8. ^ on Al-islam.org [6]
  9. ^ on Al-islam.org [7]
  10. ^ [8], [9]
  11. ^ TOC: Slavery - Islamic and Christian Perspectives
  12. ^ Pork - www.almujtaba.com
  13. ^ http://al-shia.com/html/eng/books/beliefs/attributesofgod/attributesofgod.htm
  14. ^ http://al-shia.com/html/eng/books/beliefs/compulsion-or-freedom/compulsion-or-freedom.htm
  15. ^ The Life of Muhammad The Prophet

[edit] External links