Another Conference! This time in Nouakchott, the capital of
the desert country in West Africa. The Muslim World League of Makkah invited me
and a number of delegates from Kenya to attend this conference. I took the Pan
American Flight to Lagos accompanied by Dr. Muhammad Saeed, Mr Mahmud, Essa
Kuria and Qazi of Kasumu. There were three more delegates: Muhammad Hashim of
South Africa and two teachers from Comoro Islands. As we were flying towards the West,
the declining sun seemed to have a slow pace, since we took off on the 2nd May
at 3pm and the sun was still on the horizon on Sunday evening.
After an hour’s stay, we flew to Abidjan, the Capital of the
Ivory Coast, landing there 60 minutes later. It was 9:15 and only then did the
sun finally set. In the transit hall we prayed in congregation. The airport
terminal was magnificent, much larger than the one in Nairobi.
Another one hour 10 minutes flight later, and we were at the
Monrovia airport, Liberia. Here the state of affairs were more down-to-earth,
owing to the country’s lower economic status.
After a two hour stay, we boarded the plane for a fourth
time on a journey to Dakar, Senegal. It took us one and a half hours to reach
there. Our watches, still set to Nairobi’s time, were showing 4am, while there
it was 1am.
We were keen to get the morning flight to Nouakchott but all
our efforts were in vain. We took the airline bus to the main city, in search
of temporary accommodation but the Hotel where we were dropped off was so
crowded with visitors that we had no other choice except to return back to the
airport hotel with a relatively more expensive fare of 5,000 Franks (around
$25) for a room for two people.
Syyed Muhammad Hashim was to be my roommate, while Dr.
Muhammad Saeed accompanied the Qazi of Kusumu in his room.
A hectic day was at last brought to some rest.
Monday 03.05.1976
At the breakfast table we met some more delegates including
Mr. Abdul Quddus from South Africa, Mr. Adam Makda from Rhodesia and another
guest from Burundi. After a number of attempts we were able to contact the
embassy of Mauritania, giving them news of our arrival.
Later I had a bus ride with Muhammad Al Qazi, a regular
columnist at Al-Jazeera paper of Riyadh. We visited the Grand Mosque which was
built in 1964. The architecture was similar to that of the mosques of
Andalusia; a fountain within the courtyard and a huge minaret at the side. Next
to the mosque was the Islamic Institute, which we also visited, only to find
that the Library was yet to be populated by books.
In the evening more delegates arrived. I recognised among
them many Shaikhs from Al-Azhar and also:
●
Abdul Rahman Al Walai, the editor
of Al-Balagh Magazine
●
Faisal from Al-Mujtama’
●
In’amul Haq from Togo
●
Shaikh Al Sharabasi
Later that evening we took a 45 minute flight to Nouakchott.
At the reception hall they interviewed some of us about our impressions of the
conference and I also gave my thoughts.
After a short while a bus took us to Marhaba Hotel where
each one of us could find some solace in a separate room.
Tuesday 04.05.1976. Our first bright morning in Mauritania.
Mauritania is a name given by the Spanish to the most
western Arab country in Africa. It is actually better known by it’s Arabic name
Shanqit, the motherland of a great number of scholars and the crown amongst the
Shuyukh, our Shaikh Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Shanqiti.
Shanqit is one of the oldest towns in this country and sits
at a distance of 570 km from the capital. It lies amidst the sand, away from
modernity and technology, but it has preserved its purity, simplicity and
orthodoxy. Over the centuries it has produced an innumerable number of
scholars, Huffaz of the Quran, and traditionalists. The whole area was known by
this name until it was substituted with “Mauritania” by Spanish colonists.
This desert country covers an area of 1,030,815 sq.km and is
almost twice the size of France and three times the size of Germany. It is the
cradle of the Arabic language, a country of a million poets. It is no wonder
then that it is known as a country of Huffaz of the Quran. This huge merit is
not limited to men as the women are known for their preservation of the Quran
as well.
Standing at the gateway of Al Ahmadi Hotel, the venue of our
conference, I could see the vast sea of sand around us; nothing but sand. In
front of us was the huge Atlantic Ocean, with its rising waves, roaring and
splashing, then striking the sandy mounds and retrieving back. There were a
number of boats and ships anchored at a distance. On either side of the hotel
stood many armed soldiers in full uniform. These armed soldiers were present
due to a dispute over the Western desert which had been evacuated by the
Spanish the previous year. They had left behind a legacy of civil war among
three warring forces; Mauritania in the South, Morocco in the North and
Polisario in the middle. This last one was an armed local movement which aimed
at establishing its own rule once Spain had left. This was heavily assisted by
neighbouring Algeria, andposed a great threat to the other two claimants to
this vast open territory.
These soldiers were there to protect the visitors from any
unexpected intrusion from disputant forces in the region.
This was the first day of the conference. I participated in
the discussions about the destructive movements aimed at disparaging the true
teachings of Islam such as the Qadiyani movement, the Baha”i, Communism,
Atheism, and Christian missionaries. The session was led by Ahmed Muhammad
Mashhur Al-Haddad, the convenor of the session.
Later there was a meeting with the Saudi Ambassador and
cultural attaché, who wanted to address
especially all the delegates and Imams working in the field of Da’wah on behalf
of Dar-ul-Ifta of Saudi Arabia. Here a question about Tijaniyya was raised. Led
by his experience as a diplomat and someone who was in touch with the community
in Mauritania, the Ambassador was of the opinion not to make this issue a
subject for discussion at all. I, however, expressed my opinion that if a
Tijani could stand for his beliefs and teachings, then what stopped me from
standing for my views, which are based on the Quran and Sunnah?
In the evening a government Minister hosted the dinner,
attended by all the delegates in Marhaba Hotel.
I took my evening walk with brother Nuh, Ikhlas Ahmed, and
Inaamul Haq, all of whom were graduates of Madinah. We took a stroll on the
roads beside the hotel. At this time Nouakchott was still a developing town
which was declared the capital just after independence in November 1960. It was
as simple and humble as the locality known as Deera in Riyadh, the oldest part
of the Saudi Capital.
Wednesday 05.05.1976
I was supposed to be a part of a committee to work out the
resolution and recommendations in light of the deliberations which took place
the day before, but I was delayed in reaching the conference hall due to a
shortage of water at Fajr time that morning. This had led to a delayed breakfast,
followed by a late arrival at the venue of the conference.
The morning session was addressed by delegates from a number
of countries including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda, Guinea and others. Safwat
Amin of the Muslim World League read the final communique, including the agreed
resolutions and recommendations. There had been a heated discussion around some
of the suggestions but the matter eventually was settled by a majority vote.
There were two more events and the last session was devoted
to the reading of the final communique and a speech by the Minister of Human
Resources and Islamic Affairs. The session ended with the recitation of the
Quran by the Imam of the Grand Mosque.
Among the delegates I met were:
●
Abu Bakr from Mozambique
●
Mu’alim Saeed bin Ahmad
●
Ahmad of Jordan (in the region
known as the Republic of Upper Volta)
●
Uthman Salih, the editor of “Al
Buhuth Al Ilmiya” a magazine or Riyadh
●
Syyed Ahmad Madhkali, the head of
all delegates in East Africa
●
Mr Jameel Ahman Abu Sulaiman
The second event was a traditional Arab dinner, sitting on
the floor, at the House of the President, Moktar Ould Daddah. Each group of
eight people were served with a complete sheep cooked with rice, but we barely
managed to consume a quarter of the food presented to us.
After dinner we enjoyed listening to the Arabic poetry by a
number of local and foreign poets. There were both old and young, but the
elders excelled in eloquence and style. One of our colleagues, Ahmad Badawi
from Kenya, and another delegate from the Comoro Islands, were highly applauded
for their contributions.
The last one to speak was Shaikh Muhammad Saleh Al Qazzaz,
the Secretary General of the Muslim World League. The audience were astounded
to discover that he too was a poet!
With a farewell greeting to the President, we all retreated
to our hotel. I had already seen the President at the conference in the morning
and then in the evening at his modest residence.
I did not know much about him at that time but now, while I
am writing these lines, I am well aware of this great man. I feel obliged to
say a few words about him as a token of my appreciation of his great
leadership.
Moktar Ould Daddah (1924 - 2003)
Born in Boutilimit, a small village in the wilderness of
Mauritania, to a family known for its knowledge and piety, in line with the
tradition of the family he memorised the Quran by the age of 12. His father
admitted him to secondary school, an institution known as a secular way of
tradition. After graduation he worked as an interpreter until he was able to
proceed to Paris to study Law in 1948. During his studies he met Mary, a
Catholic girl, whom he married. In 1957 he returned back to his homeland. A
partial freedom was given to Mauritania by the French, which led to complete
independence in 1960. Coupled with his new French connections and traditional
Arab background, he was the most suitable person to lead the country. The
emerging town at the Atlantic Sea’s coast, Nouakchott, was declared the
capital. Moktar was able to lead the new unknown African state, turning it into
a robust internationally recognised country within his 21 years of rule, until
he was ousted in a military coup in 1978.
Much has been said about him; about his French connections,
his policy of a one party system, his encounter against the mine workers, the
student’s agitation, his involvement in a losing battle against Polisario (the
freedom fighters in the western desert which became a battleground between the
Mauritanian, Moroccan and Polisarian forces). After suffering great economic
loss in this unwarranted war, Moktar agreed to let Morocco take control of the
area.
He is painted as a saint by some and a dictator by others. I
have seen him as a humble and very modest man. I have entered his house, a very
simple ordinary villa, where he had hosted the delegates of the conference.
I think it is right if I mention here some of his
achievements, as we are reminded of the words of the Prophet ﷺ “Remember those who have passed away with something good.”
- He declared the country as
the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
- He was able to unite a
vast area under one banner, with many tribes of Africans and Arabs alike.
- His successful diplomacy
and leadership attracted the newly set “African Unity” to declare him as
its President for a complete term. He completed an extensive tour of the
African continent and worked as an ambassador for the Palestinian cause.
- He brought Mauritania out
from a state of oblivion to a respected, internationally recognised
country.
- While it is true that he
would always make addresses in French, he made successful attempts to make
Arabic prevail as a state language, especially in the field of education
and media.
- He could have countered
the revolt against him by the armed forces, but instead he preferred to
hold back and compromise with the circumstances in order to save the
country from descending into chaos. During his years of imprisonment, he
would refer to his guards as “my colleagues” and often pray with them in
congregation.
- It was not his involvement
in the battle for the Western Desert which was the only cause for the
revolt against him but also his fight against corruption which reached the
army as well.
He was known as one of the most honest Presidents in Africa.
All gifts and presents from foreign dignitaries which he received, were immediately
deposited to the State treasury instead. Thus an interesting anecdote is linked
to him in this regard.
The President of Zaire visited the country for three days.
He noticed that during all three days of his visit, Moktar had been wearing the
same suit with which he had received him on the first day of his arrival. The
guest in his departure lounge made a cheque of some million dollars in his name
and gave it to Moktar’s secretary telling him that this amount was to be spent
for his clothing.
On another visit he saw banners greeting him, saying “Thanks
for the gift”.
“Which gift?” he asked in surprise.
“The one which you gave on your last visit and which was
exhausted completely in establishing a school,” Moktar has not taken this money
for himself but instead added it to the treasury.
After one year in confinement he was allowed to travel to
France for treatment. Later, the city of Nice became his abode for several
years. Although he did take refuge in Tunisia too, he was compelled to leave
when his friend Habib Bourguiba met his doom. In the final years of his life he
returned to Mauritania where he was given a very warm and splendid welcome.
On 15 October 2003 he breathed his last.
Returning to my account, after bidding President Mokhtar
farewell, we left his residence. The Pakistani Ambassador, Mr Khyber Khan was
present and took me to my hotel.
I recorded two interviews that evening. The first with a
representative of “Al Sha’b”, a local paper, and the other with “Iqra”, a
journal from Saudi Arabia.
Thursday 06.05.1976
A day to prepare for our journey back to Nairobi. Mr. Nabi
Bucksh of the Pakistani Embassy accompanied me to visit several places
including the airline offices. In the evening we boarded a flight of Air Africa
on its way to Dakar, where we spent the night.
Friday 07.05.1976
We failed to get seats for our group on the Pan American
flight. After a while we were able to secure our seats on Nigerian Airways to
fly to Lagos. Ahmad Madhkhali, the Head of Da’wah in East Africa, had already
departed but left me with enough money to take care of my group members during
the remainder of the trip.
Accompanied by Dr. Muhammad Saeed we came out of our hotel
“Independence Palace”, looking for a mosque to attend for Jum’a prayer. A local
man stopped his car and gave us a lift and took us to the Grand Mosque of the
Senagalise capital.
It was an impressive building. We were in the main prayer
hall waiting for Adhan. Eventually when it was raised by the loudspeaker, to
our surprise, it was repeated an additional three times, one after the other. I
sat wondering why there was no pulpit despite being such a big mosque.
Just after the Adhan, a gate beside the Mihrab opened and a
grand pulpit of ten steps began emerging on wheels with the Imam sitting atop,
there to deliver his speech. Once the pulpit had been rested into its place,
the Imam stood up and delivered the sermon emphatically and after finishing
both sermons he stepped down to lead the prayer.
By that time the pulpit retreated back to its hiding place
again.
On our way back we took a stroll on the embankment, passed
the seaport and took a bus back to the hotel.
Saturday 08.05.1976
It was Nigerian Airways which took us to a number of West
African airports, just like a local bus stops at many stops on your way home.
First we landed in Banjul, Gambia, where Ahmad (the Jordanian) departed us.
Then we stopped at Free Town, Sierra Leone, followed by Roberts International,
Monrovia, then Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where we prayed Zuhr and Asr prayers
combined. Then we boarded the plane and stopped again in Accra, Ghana, and then
finally Lagos, Nigeria.
Here at the Maryland Hotel we met Ahmad Madhkali, Dr
Mohammad Saeed and others who had proceeded a day earlier.
Sunday 09.05.1976
On this morning we had a short tour of the town, which
looked unattended and untidy, a place on its way to development. After lunch we
were all waiting for taxis to take us to the airport. The Ugandan delegates
were to board the first taxi to arrive and I was left with other Kenyan delegates
including Mahmud, Esa Korya, Sharif Umar Qazi and someone from the Comoro
Islands.
It could have been a pleasant end to our journey, but this
was unfortunately not the case.
Mahmud, a well- built, heavy-weight boxing champion, was
waiting and hurled on me a barrage of filthy words, all abusive and vulgar because I could not pay his breakfast bill in
Dakar which had amounted to either 42 or 60 dollars. He could have easily asked
Ahmad Madhkali, the head of the delegation when he was still present that
morning but did not.
I did not have any choice except to remain calm and face his
unexpected onslaught with patience.
At the airport we boarded an Ethiopian flight which also
passed through many airports, first at Accra, where we bid farewell to our
colleague Khalid Kamal Mubarakpuri. Then the flight stopped at Entebbe
International in Uganda where we stopped for four hours until the dawn of
Monday morning.
It was around 7am when we landed in Nairobi, where Mahmud,
the son of Dr Mohammad Saeed was there to take me home. Alhamdulillah.
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