The RH was composed and written by a Yemeni Sufi Imam Abdullah al-Haddaad while he was on hajj in 1669. Imam Abdullah was born into a very pious family who lived in the rugged but highly spiritual environment of the Hadramawt Valley in the town of Tarim. At 3 years old he became blind as a result of a smallpox infection. At a young age he spent his time in devotion being scrupulous in everything he undertook. In his teens he slept little and performed all the fard prayers in the mosque. After practising tasawwuf most of his life, he became accepted as the Mujaddid of his age and the Qutb of Sufi Orders.
The Raatibul Haddaad (RH)
The Raatibul Haddaad is one of a number of litanies and poems that he composed and is a form of thikr. The RH came to the Imam by inspiration, during a period when he was at the pinnacle of his intellectual and spiritual capability. The RH was inaugurated whilst the Imam was on hajj and it soon reached the shores of many countries. The Imam said that reciting the RH was good for protection of a town or city and where people have a special request for their Creator.
Sheikh Yusuf:
Although there is no tangible evidence at this stage to conclusively prove the origin of the RH in the Cape, a number of historians hold the view that it was introduced by Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar. Sheikh Yusuf, an Indonesian of noble descent, was exiled to the Cape in 1693 and is generally known to have established Islam at the Cape. Sheikh Yusuf had departed for Makka in 1644 and had remained there for a number of years studying under the guidance of many learned scholars. It is believed by some that Sheikh Yusuf met Imam al-Haddaad while the latter was on hajj in 1669 and learnt the RH directly from him. Others hold the view that they met in Imam Abdullah’s home town of Tarim while Sheikh Yusuf was on his travels.
Sheikh Yusuf’s exile to the Cape was as a result of the military resistance he led against the Dutch colonisers of his country, and their attempt to isolate him by establishing him at the farm Zandvliet did not succeed as the Sheikh’s residence turned out to be the rallying point for slaves and other exiles. Thus it was here that the first cohesive Muslim community in South Africa was established. However there was a Dutch law (placaaten) in place which prohibited the practising of any religion other than that of the Dutch Reformed Church. The penalties for propagating Islam were severe, like stretching on the rack, cutting off on or more of the limbs or being hanged. However, Sheikh Yusuf was treated with dignity due to his royal origin and was thus able to conduct lessons in Islam to fugitive slaves and free Blacks in secret. He added a tune (laagu) to the recital of the RH , as singing was common amongst the slaves, thus duping the Dutch authorities and soldiers into thinking they were merely singing. Thus was born the unique RH laagu of the Cape.
Sayed Alawi
Other historians are of the view that it was Sayed Alawi that introduced the RH to the Cape. Sayed Alawi hailed from Mocca in Yemen, belonged to the same tariqa as Imam al-Haddaad, namely the Ba’alawiyya, and arrived at the Cape in 1774, after similarly being exiled for his resistance to Dutch colonialism. After spending 11 years in chains on Robben Island, he went to Cape Town upon his release and engaged in active da’wah work amongst the slaves at the Slave Lodge.
Either way, most of the early Muslim pioneers were affiliated to a Sufi tariqa where it is common to recite thikr with a laagu. The RH can be recited individually or in a group, with or without laagu. This practice of reciting the RH continued through the colonial and Apartheid eras until democracy arrived, a period of over 300 years.
Gadat
From the early 1800s this practice became known as a gadat usually recited on the 7th, 40th and 100th days after the occurrence of a death, and was a communal occasion accompanied by special food. In later years the gadat was performed on Thursday and Sunday evenings, but has dwindled to mainly the former. There was a variety of dishes served at the gadats, including boeber, gadatmelk and melktert. A barakat ( take home cake) was given to the team performing the gadat and often to those attending as well. Sadly, a number of reasons, including television, social media, breaking up of families during Apartheid era and growth of materialism and wealth among the Muslim population, have contributed to gadats not being conducted as frequently as before.
It is undisputable that the Muslim pioneers of Islam at the Cape were extremely courageous, highly spiritual and their legacy of Islam has outlasted successive oppressive systems of Dutch and British colonialism as well as Apartheid. These pioneers were not materially wealthy, nor were they militarily strong, yet they prevailed based on what can only be described as their total reliance upon Allah Almighty.
The RH was a primary conduit of that reliance, and we will ignore that lesson at our peril. For centuries the RH was a spiritual bedrock upon which our forefathers conducted their lives, leaving us an enviable legacy we should treasure and promote.
Repopularising the RH
The Boorhaanol Islam Movement is committed to the repopularising the RH as a communal thikr in our community, especially on Thursday evenings.
At the same time we are aware that the declining interest has a lot to do with its perceived ritualistic and sterile nature among many Muslims, a valid trend that we intend addressing urgently.
Thus the second aim is to deliver and imprint the profound English meaning of this athkaar, to promote its proper pronunciation and to encourage the application of the traditional Cape laagu.
Our Children’s Future
Finally, we want to place special emphasis on our children, for they are our future and imbuing their pure hearts with these noble verses will equip them to cope with life’s challenges as they grow into adulthood.
The RH is undoubtedly a very special spiritual tradition of Cape Muslims and the Boorhaanol Islam Movement has been committed to capturing all our cultural traditions over many years, especially via our publications division.
Thus when we embarked on publishing the RH in booklet form, we were not unaware that several such publications already existed in the market. What we felt was lacking was a product that addressed the reasons for the declining interest in the RH, namely a lack of understanding about its important role in our political history, a general lack of understanding of its profound English meaning, as well as a carelessness about its pronunciation. This realisation necessitated that we also produce an audio version of the RH, which will allow our community to hear the RH in its properly pronounced form while imbibing the English meaning from the booklet.
Launch at the Hub
Alghamdulillah, on Sunday 11th April 2021, the book and audio combo was launched at a short ceremony at the Hub in Bo-Kaap. The launch presented us with the opportunity to thank everyone who had contributed to the realisation of the project, be it the book, audio or sponsors. Special mention must be made of the Voice of the Cape radio station, who had hosted a series of weekly Monday eveningshows to market the project, such that at the launch all the beautiful gift boxes containing the RH booklet, a free Boeka Treats as well other gifts were pre-sold. It necessitated the production of a second print which also sold very well.
However, the realisation also dawned that confining the marketing of the RH to the sale of booklets will not be enough to spark a revival of this noble athkaar across our community, thus the marketing had to be raised to another level and the Haddaad 4 All Challenge was born.
The H4AC is an initiative by the Boorhaanol Movement to refamiliarise the RH across all sectors of our community by popularising one verse and its meaning at a time. Working from the age-old mantra that practice makes perfect, the BM is hoping that a combination of quality plus quantity will provide the impetus to persuade most in our community to embrace the RH.
Quality recitals from the likes of Sh Abdurahman Sadien, Sh Abubakr Abduraouf and the Khuddamul Islam Nasheed Group tug at the heartstrings of most, while understanding the meaning of these profound athkaar will surely draw people closer to our Creator. We have also partnered again with VOC radio station to host weekly shows where various aspects of the H4AC will be discussed, recitals aired and winners celebrated.
The Challenge
Thus the Challenge is on two levels: firstly that you embrace the concept that the RH is your legacy, a jewel to be treasured and integrally linked to your DNA, and secondly to follow the Islamic precept of always delivering your best by entering the competition. The further challenge is to gather your family, friends and learners to form a group and practice the verse of the week until you feel ready to submit your recording for adjudication.
The Boorhaanol Islam Movement strongly believes that our future lies in the hands of our children and that the more we invest in them the brighter our future will be, insha Allah. Equipping a child with the meaning of the verses of the RH will not only give meaning to their lives as they mature, but it will provide succour and support in times of need and distress. It is for this reason that we feel children should have their own categories, distinct from adults.
Thus the 3 categories for the H4AC are:
The reason for having a Challenge is that as Muslims we believe that we should always strive to do our best, and incentivising the initiative is a good way of achieving that goal. Thus various prizes will be awarded in each of the 3 categories, as well as the opportunity to have the best efforts broadcast each following Monday after Maghrib when the VOC radio station will be hosting an hour long show on the project. In addition, all participants who submit an entry each week of the competition, irrespective if they win or not, will be eligible for a prize.
