Shaykh Moutie, a true servant of The Giver
2007-10-11
Faadiel Essop
AS I waited for Shaykh Moutie to enter the room, my mind flashed back to my relationship with him, as neighbor, religious instructor and father of some of my childhood friends.
Etched in my memory is the image of a kind, compassionate individual always ready to strike up a pleasant conversation with children and adults alike.
After entering the room with a warm smile and welcoming handshake, the long period since I last saw and spoke to him appeared insignificant, leaving instead a congenial ambience to conduct my interview with him.
After gently probing about his early years, I learnt that Shaykh Abdul Moutie was born during November 1937 to parents Abbas and Ruqayyah Moerat.
The Shaykh remembered that his father owned a small café, located next to the present-day Cumfy Motors in Klein Drakenstein Road, and that they resided in a neighbouring home which was his actual place of birth.
The family thereafter lived in Malherbe Street in the ‘’Ou Tuin”. He attended the Paarl Moslem School and fondly recalls this period of his life, expressing his gratitude to teachers such as Hamid Khan (principal), Yusuf Nackerdien, Atiqah Kamaldien and Mymoena Moerat.
During 1951, at the age of fourteen years, he embarked on a journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to pursue Islamic studies.
He traveled by airplane (more specifically seaplane!), which at the time was considered a great novelty by the local community.
The young Abdul Moutie initially trekked to Johannesburg from where he headed to the Vaal Dam for his departure (by seaplane) to Alexandria, Egypt.
The journey included several stops along the way.
From Cairo, he journeyed to Mecca where he joined the learning circle of Syed Amin Qutubbi, a well-known religious instructor.
The learning circle educational method was a well-established system of learning in the Muslim World.
Even today one may still find such learning circles in major mosques, where students are literally ‘’learning at the feet” of a particular religious instructor.
The adolescent student progressed quite well and later his Shaykh also assigned him to a more senior Persian scholar.
The latter was a deeply pious person and a teacher at one of the main Islamic colleges (Sulutiyyah) in Mecca; thus a good role model.
Shaykh Moutie excelled at his studies and especially developed a keen interest in fiqh (Islamic law).
I was intrigued to know how he coped as a fairly young person being away from home for such a long period.
However, several South African students were also learning in Mecca at the time (e.g. Shaykhs Amien Fakier, Nazeem Moerat, Mujahid Hendricks) and such friendships helped him to better cope with difficult times or when he missed loves ones at home.
Upon his return to South Africa, he continued his studies under the tutelage of Shaykhs Ahmad Behardien and Mahdi Hendricks in Cape Town.
During 1956, at the age of 19 years, he joined the Paarl Moslem School to teach lectures relating to the Islamic faith.
Four years later he was appointed as Imam (religious leader) of the Uthmaniyyah mosque located in Berg River Boulevard.
It should be noted that the Paarl Muslim community at the time consisted of two congregations - mosques in Breda and Waterkant Streets.
However, during 1964 these congregations merged to form the Paarl Muslim Jamaah, with Shaykh Moutie appointed as the first Imam.
When asked to reflect on the highlights during his tenure as Imam, he particularly drew attention to the unification of the Paarl Muslim jama’ah during 1964.
Shaykh Moutie pointed out that several individuals played important roles in this process, but he accentuated contributions made by Ismail Patel, Sullaiman Patel and Yusuf Essop.
‘’They were part of the Paarl Islamic Movement (PIM) and put in a lot of effort to unite Muslims in Paarl” he said.
He recalls that they often involved him to make inputs, especially from a religious point of view.
The second major feature of his tenure was an excellent working relationship with the Paarl Muslim congregation.
The Shaykh remarked that ‘’I generally had a good understanding with the community and we worked well together. It was a pleasure and I am thankful for the support, love and respect they have given me over the years”.
He further mentioned that during this time Paarl Muslims constituted a model society that others could emulate.
Regarding future challenges facing Muslim society, Shaykh Moutie stressed that ‘’unity is the key” and therefore an essential priority. Importantly, his interpretation of ‘’unity” includes differences of opinions.
He emphasised that ‘’Differences should be tolerated and are sometimes good. However, it should not drive individuals apart”.
A second priority should be to help younger people to better deal with growing up in the twenty-first century.
The strategy should be a coordinated one, with parents, teachers and religious leaders all playing a role by performing their duties as they should indeed be accomplished.
He suggested that a moderate and gentle approach should be adopted when dealing with young people.
‘’We should show mercy to our children and encourage them to approach us with their problems. By drawing them closer, we can better deal and assist with their problems” he said.
The Shaykh also advocated that particularly young people should be empowered with relevant knowledge.
‘’Knowledge is a weapon and without it we are lost. Acquisition of knowledge allows us to know our Creator, our religion, and to best interact with our fellow human beings,” he remarked.
Shaykh Abdul Moutie retired earlier this year after fifty-one years of service to his congregation. He is married to Aunty Hamida and they have 6 children and 21 grandchildren.
As I greeted the Shaykh at the gate I thought of the popular notion that people often acquire traits that are reflected in the meaning of their names.
The Arabic word ‘’Abdul Moutie” when translated literally means ‘’servant of The Giver” (Al-Mou’tie [The Giver] is one of the ninety-nine names of Allah).
True to this notion, Shaykh Abdul Moutie Moerat has generously given of himself to his community for a period spanning more than fifty years.
He gave of his time to share his life experiences with me, something I will cherish and be eternally grateful for.
He also gave me renewed hope, so that fortified with kindness, humility and tolerance we may be able to turn the tide against an increasingly menacing world often typified by violence, greed and intolerance.
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