Moulana Cassim Mohammed Sema (May 12, 1920 – June 9, 2007) was the founder of the first madrasa in South Africa and possibly the first madrasa that uses English as its medium of instruction. He also played an immense role in the establishment tabligh as well as da'wah among the non-Muslims of South Africa.
Moulana Cassim Mohammed Sema was born in Newcastle, a town in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. At the age of five, he commenced his education at Oswald's School in Newcastle. However, his education was terminated after the completion of standard six. His first Islamic tutor was Moulana Hafiz Shamsuddin, under whom he completed the recitation of the Qur'an and studied Urdu. Thereafter, Moulana commenced the memorisation of the Qur'an under Hafiz Aminuddin, under whom he completed seven paras. He then memorised two more paras under Moulana Ali Ahmad Ansari. Moulana Mia of Watervaal Institute was an inspiration to Moulana when he visited Newcastle in 1935 and told Moulana to either study medicine or become an 'Aalim abroad. Moulana chose Islam and departed for India on October 23, 1935. There, he enrolled at Jami'a Islamiyya in Dabhel and completed the 'Aalim-Fadhil course. He eventually graduated in September or October 1942 at the age of twenty-two and decided to return to South Africa, where a post as a teacher awaited him in Mia's Farm. Unfortunately, World War II started and the operation of passenger ships terminated due to the risk of Japanese attacks. However, due to demand, a steamboat called Tilaawa was arranged to transport passengers to Africa. On November 23, 1942, it departed from Bombay with 1,000 passengers and 300 crew members. En route, it was attacked by Japanese torpedoes and sank. Moulana and 124 passengers were the only survivors. They were transported back to Bombay. Moulana was then employed by Majlis-e-'Ilmi in Simlak, where he taught Atharul Sunan. He passed a year in Simlak, preparing his own meals and occasionally leading salaah at the masjid. Moulana left India and arrived in South Africa on February 5, 1944. He received a number of job offers, but accepted the offer from Wasbank. He taught in Wasbank and passed two years in the formulation of a madrasa syllabus.
Moulana married Sakinabibi on September 30, 1945. She bore him five children, four sons and a daughter: Imran, Luqman, Zakariyya, Mohammed, and Maryam. Shortly after her death in 1998, Moulana married Wedadt Breda, who bore him a daughter, Qudsiyyah, in 2003.
In 1949, Moulana started to propagate Islam within the African communities of the Msinga Reserve. Over a period of ten years, nine hundred people converted to Islam. On October 30, 1960, the first da'wah ijtima was held in Wasbank, after which a building that housed a masjid and madrasa was built in the Makhakhane area. Moulana was part of the first tabligh jam'aat of South Africa. In 1961, they travelled to Malawi for the first ijtima of southern Africa. He was instrumental in organising the first South African ijtima in Ladysmith in 1961. A few months later, he travelled with the first South African jam'aat to India for four months. On his return, he was arrested at the Makhakhane Masjid because he had broken an apartheid law which stated that Indians were not allowed into African areas. He was fined and, for the next ten years, forced to fight for the protection of the Makhakhane Masjid, which the government wanted to destroy. During this period, da'wah and nightly madrasa sessions continued secretly. Then a masjid was established in Tugela Ferry, which the government also wanted to demolish. However, the masjid survived. Also, despite the oppressive laws of apartheid, Moulana regularly preached Islam at the Msinga Reserve. After twenty-three years of service in Wasbank, Moulana returned to Newcastle in 1968, becoming the principal of its madrasa and head of its Muslim community. He lectured every Friday in Urdu, but shifted to English as the younger generation arrived. In 1967, the Jamiatul 'Ulama Kwazulu-Natal met to devise a single madrasa syllabus for the entire province. Moulana's syllabus was chosen. Thereafter, Moulana worked with the Jamiatul 'Ulama KwaZulu-Natal for a year. He then established a furniture-manufacturing store in Alcockspruit, which was eventually closed due to new industrial laws.
Moulana passed a few months as the principal of the madrasa and imam of Glencoe, while negotiations in the purchase of land for a madrasa were finalised. Moulana had been attempting to establish a madrasa with boarding facilities since 1946. Eventually, in 1969, the building that had housed St. Dominics Academy, a Roman Catholic convent, which had been vacant for fifteen years, was bought for R 83 000. Darul 'Ulum Newcastle was opened on May 13, 1973. Moulana then decided to travel to the Indian subcontinent for a 40-day jam'aat before officially establishing the madrasa. However, he was unable to acquire a ticket, therefore he travelled to Jeddah via London, where he met the jam'aat. He then travelled with them to Pakistan. There, Moulana met his former teacher, Moulana Yusuf Binnori, whom devised the curriculum of Darul 'Ulum Newcastle. Moulana then travelled to India and returned to South Africa thereafter. Classes at Darul 'Ulum Newcastle started on September 9, 1973 with nine boarding students. For the first three years, Moulana taught alone while his wife cooked the students' food and washed their clothes. The first jalsa was held on December 4, 1977, during which the first batch of students graduated from a three-year 'Aalim course. However, in 1983, the first students completed the new six-year course.
Moulana Cassim Mohammed Sema died on June 9, 2007. His funeral was attended by almost 4,000 people. Moulana was 87 years old and had been teaching until the last year of his life. His wife mentions that he only missed three Jum'ah in his life, the reason being sickness or some other similar excuse. An example of his humility which engendered loyalty and love for him from people was that he accepted invitations from even the poorest of people, eating in their humble homes.