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==Life and work in South Africa==
==Life and work in South Africa==
Effendi moved to Cape Town from Turkey in early 1863 to give religious teachings to the local Muslims, the Cape Malays. This group had arrived in the [[Cape of Good Hope]] mainly as [[slavery in South Africa|slaves, brought there by Dutch settlers]] from 1653, from what is now [[Indonesia]]. The [[Dutch East India Company]], since an edict by [[Joan Maetsuycker]], [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies]], in 1657, had compelled the Malays to hide their religious practice, with death as the punishment for practising their faith in public or for attempting to convert anyone.<ref name=argun2000/><ref>{{cite journal | last=Davids | first=Achmat | title=Muslim-Christian relations in nineteenth century Cape Town (1825-1925) | journal=Kronos | publisher=[[University of Western Cape]] | issue=19 | year=1992 | issn=02590190 | jstor=41033772 | pages=84 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41033772 | access-date=22 February 2023}}</ref>
Effendi moved to Cape Town from Turkey in early 1863 to give religious teachings to the local Muslims, the Cape Malays. This group had arrived in the [[Cape of Good Hope]] mainly as [[slavery in South Africa|slaves, brought there by Dutch settlers]] from 1653, from what is now [[Indonesia]]. The [[Dutch East India Company]], since an edict by [[Joan Maetsuycker]], [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies]], in 1657, had compelled the Malays to hide their religious practice, with death as the punishment for practising their faith in public or for attempting to convert anyone.<ref name=argun2000/><ref>{{cite journal | last=Davids | first=Achmat | title=Muslim-Christian relations in nineteenth century Cape Town (1825-1925) | journal=Kronos | publisher=[[University of Western Cape]] | issue=19 | year=1992 | issn=0259-0190 | jstor=41033772 | pages=84 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41033772 | access-date=22 February 2023}}</ref>


On 3 October 1862, an Ottoman Imperial decree was issued for the dispatch of Abu Bakr and Omar Lutfi Effendi to the Cape. The two men travelled first to [[London]] via [[Paris]] on 1 December, then to [[Liverpool]], their port of departure, whence their journey by sea took 44 days to reach the Cape.<ref name=argun2000>{{cite web|author=Argun, Selim| date=2000| url=http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/1246/1/ARTICLE.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831200806/http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/1246/1/ARTICLE.pdf| archive-date=31 August 2011|title= Life and Contribution of Osmanli Scholar, Abu bakr Effendi, towards Islamic thought and Culture in South Africa| pp=7-8}} </ref>
On 3 October 1862, an Ottoman Imperial decree was issued for the dispatch of Abu Bakr and Omar Lutfi Effendi to the Cape. The two men travelled first to [[London]] via [[Paris]] on 1 December, then to [[Liverpool]], their port of departure, whence their journey by sea took 44 days to reach the Cape.<ref name=argun2000>{{cite web|author=Argun, Selim| date=2000| url=http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/1246/1/ARTICLE.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831200806/http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/1246/1/ARTICLE.pdf| archive-date=31 August 2011|title= Life and Contribution of Osmanli Scholar, Abu bakr Effendi, towards Islamic thought and Culture in South Africa| pages=7–8}} </ref>


Other [[imam]]s in the Cape were mostly teaching the [[Shafi`i]] school of [[Islamic jurisprudence]]. Effendi was a follower and the first teacher of [[Hanafi]] school, for which he also established a [[madrassa]] in Cape Town.<ref name=worden2004/>
Other [[imam]]s in the Cape were mostly teaching the [[Shafi`i]] school of [[Islamic jurisprudence]]. Effendi was a follower and the first teacher of [[Hanafi]] school, for which he also established a [[madrassa]] in Cape Town.<ref name=worden2004/>
Line 108: Line 108:
Effendi's first wife was Rukea Maker, said to be the daughter of an English woman and a Cape Muslim man, but this marriage ended.<ref name=worden2004/> His daughter Fahimah was his eldest child from his marriage to Maker.{{cn|date=February 2023}}
Effendi's first wife was Rukea Maker, said to be the daughter of an English woman and a Cape Muslim man, but this marriage ended.<ref name=worden2004/> His daughter Fahimah was his eldest child from his marriage to Maker.{{cn|date=February 2023}}


His second wife was the daughter of a [[shipbuilder]] from [[Yorkshire]], England.<ref name=worden2004>{{cite book | last=Worden | first=N. | last2=Van Heyningen | first2=E. | last3=Bickford-Smith | first3=V. | title=Cape Town: The Making of a City : an Illustrated Social History | publisher=David Philip | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-86486-656-1 | url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=ysU2Ii9nxcUC | access-date=23 February 2023 | page=}}</ref>
His second wife was the daughter of a [[shipbuilder]] from [[Yorkshire]], England.<ref name=worden2004>{{cite book | last1=Worden | first1=N. | last2=Van Heyningen | first2=E. | last3=Bickford-Smith | first3=V. | title=Cape Town: The Making of a City : an Illustrated Social History | publisher=David Philip | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-86486-656-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ysU2Ii9nxcUC | access-date=23 February 2023 | page=}}</ref>


Many of Effendi's descendants originate from his marriage to Tohora Saban Cook. He had five sons, Ahmad Ataullah, Hisham Nimatullah, Omar Jalaluddin, Muhammad Alauddin, and Hussain Fowzy.{{cn|date=February 2023}}
Many of Effendi's descendants originate from his marriage to Tohora Saban Cook. He had five sons, Ahmad Ataullah, Hisham Nimatullah, Omar Jalaluddin, Muhammad Alauddin, and Hussain Fowzy.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

Revision as of 14:21, 23 February 2023

This article is about Abu Bakr Effendi (1814–1880). For Abu Bakr Effendi (1863–1942), see Mulla Effendi.

Sheikh
Abu Bakr Effendi
Personal life
Bornc. 1814
Died1880
Notable work(s)Bayân al-Dîn (1877)
Religious life
ReligionIslam
JurisprudenceQadi

Sheikh Abu Bakr Effendi (c. 1814 – 29 June 1880) was an Ottoman qadi sent in 1862 by Sultan Abdulaziz at the request of Queen Victoria to the Cape of Good Hope, in order to teach and assist the Muslim community of the Cape Malays. He is known for having made several major contributions to Islam in South Africa, including the translation of his 1877 work, Bayân al-Dîn, into the Afrikaans language, then in a very early stage of development. He is credited with introducing the fez as headwear for male Muslims in the Cape, and his presence had a significant impact on the expansion and consolidation of Islam at the Dutch Cape Colony.

Early life

Effendi was born in 1814, although his year of birth has often been erroneously cited as 1835.[1] He was from a Sayyid family which originated from Mecca and migrated into Abbasid then Sejuk territory. Effendi was born in the Ottoman Province of Shehrizur. He is a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Zayd ibn Ali, son of Imam Zayn al-Abidin,[citation needed] and was of Kurdish origin.[2]

He was born in Ottoman province Shehrizur. His father Molla Omar Al-Baghdadi an Ottoman Governor, was killed by local tribesmen uprising against the authority. He studied at the Madrassa originally set up by his ancestor Abu Nasr Al-Amiyr Sulaymaan Al-Qurashiy Al-Amjadiy (c. 1060 - c.1134) for any who wish to learn. Not much is known of Abu Nasr Al-Amiyr Sulaymaan from Effendi's personal documents. He was however a contemporary of Suleyman Ghazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire and Suleyman Sultan of Rum. Further studies and teachings of Effendi were in Erzurum, Istanbul and Makkah.[citation needed]

Life and work in South Africa

Effendi moved to Cape Town from Turkey in early 1863 to give religious teachings to the local Muslims, the Cape Malays. This group had arrived in the Cape of Good Hope mainly as slaves, brought there by Dutch settlers from 1653, from what is now Indonesia. The Dutch East India Company, since an edict by Joan Maetsuycker, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, in 1657, had compelled the Malays to hide their religious practice, with death as the punishment for practising their faith in public or for attempting to convert anyone.[3][4]

On 3 October 1862, an Ottoman Imperial decree was issued for the dispatch of Abu Bakr and Omar Lutfi Effendi to the Cape. The two men travelled first to London via Paris on 1 December, then to Liverpool, their port of departure, whence their journey by sea took 44 days to reach the Cape.[3]

Other imams in the Cape were mostly teaching the Shafi`i school of Islamic jurisprudence. Effendi was a follower and the first teacher of Hanafi school, for which he also established a madrassa in Cape Town.[2]

He gained notoriety in 1869 after ruling that rock lobster and snoek, two staple foods in the Cape, were sinful (haraam), and there was an unsuccessful petition run to have him removed.[2] He has often been mistaken for being a Shafi'i on the basis of him being a Scholar of the four schools of Sunni Islam, and being able to issue religious edicts according to each one. His ancestors and children practised the Hanafi school of thought.[citation needed]

Shortly after Effendi's arrival, Muslim men in the Cape started wearing the Turkish fez due to his influence.[3] They had formerly worn a conical style of hat.[2]

Death and legacy

Effendi died on 29 June 1880 at his home in Bree Street, Cape Town, and was buried in the Tana Baru cemetery.[3] He had contracted malaria from reportedly travelling to Dera in Mozambique.

His most visible impact was the wearing of the fez by Malay men,[2][3] but his presence also had a significant impact on the growth and self-identity of the Cape Malay Muslims at the Cape. The expansion of Islamic schools drew children from Christian mission schools, and conversion to Christianity drew to a halt. Attendance at mosques and other Islamic religious observances grew.[2]

Publication

He published the Arabic Afrikaans Uiteensetting van die godsdiens (Bayân al-Dîn (meaning "the exposition of the religion") in 1877, printed by the Turkish Ministry of Education in Istanbul. The book is of particular significance as one of the most extensive publications when the Afrikaans language was still in its infancy. The Bayân al-Dîn described topics of Islamic law, including ritual ablution, prayer, pilgrimage and dietary laws.[3]

Also, written in a modified Arabic script with phonetic spelling, it gives a good indication of the pronunciation of the new language in the Cape at the time[2] as used in the Islamic neighbourhoods (colloquially known as "Slams") of Cape Town, giving insight into the use of the new language in these communities. It was written in a modified Arabic script in which diacritic signs are used to indicate the pronunciation of Afrikaans, and bears testimony to the slave origins of the language, which was not later accredited by the White Afrikaners, especially during the era of apartheid in the mid-20th century. (The Cape Malays did not have Dutch as mother tongue, and were therefore mostly unaffected by its orthography.)[citation needed]

The book, totalling 254 pages, appears to follow the Hanafite law-school. It was divided into eight parts, each dealing with a specific part of Islamic law:

  1. ritual cleansing (pp. 2–66)
  2. ritual prayer (pp. 66–219)
  3. religious tax (pp. 219–258)
  4. fasting (pp. 258–284)
  5. slaughtering of livestock (pp. 284–302)
  6. religious prohibitions (pp. 302–344)
  7. drink (pp. 344–349)
  8. hunting (pp. 349–354)

Adrianus van Selms [nl], a Dutch scholar and Semitic researcher, published a transliteration in Latin script of Effendi's work in 1979. Since the original work presented spoken Afrikaans without using vowels, van Selms biggest task was to decipher which Afrikaans words were being referred to. Effendi had also innovated new Arabic characters for several Afrikaans letters not found in the Arabic alphabet, the letter 'P' for example. What is interesting is that these innovated letters had to be unique, yet still recognisable by the population who were already schooled in traditional Arabic. Since this was a local modification to the language, used only amongst the Cape Muslim Community, it may have proved illegible for those familiar with traditional Arabic.[citation needed]

Family and descendants

Effendi's first wife was Rukea Maker, said to be the daughter of an English woman and a Cape Muslim man, but this marriage ended.[2] His daughter Fahimah was his eldest child from his marriage to Maker.[citation needed]

His second wife was the daughter of a shipbuilder from Yorkshire, England.[2]

Many of Effendi's descendants originate from his marriage to Tohora Saban Cook. He had five sons, Ahmad Ataullah, Hisham Nimatullah, Omar Jalaluddin, Muhammad Alauddin, and Hussain Fowzy.[citation needed]

Ahmad, also spelt Achmat, became involved in Cape politics. He became a member of the Cemetery Committee because the cemetery where his father's grave was situated was threatened with closure by the Cape Administration. He stood for the legislature of the Cape but failed to get the required votes for a seat due to a change in the system for cumulative votes, amended especially to keep him out of the Cape legislature. In Singapore is the grave of Effendi's son, Ahmed, who was the Ottoman Turkish Ambassador to Singapore.[further explanation needed]

Some of Effendi's sons served in the Ottoman Army and fought in the Hejaz, against the Anglo and Arab nationalist uprising against the Ottoman Empire.[citation needed]

Many of Effendi's descendants continue to reside in South Africa,[when?] some under the surname Emjedi, while some returned to Turkey and others migrated to Australia.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "The Shaykh of Knowledge Abu Bakr Effendi". abubakreffendi.net. 28 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Worden, N.; Van Heyningen, E.; Bickford-Smith, V. (2004). Cape Town: The Making of a City : an Illustrated Social History. David Philip. ISBN 978-0-86486-656-1. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Argun, Selim (2000). "Life and Contribution of Osmanli Scholar, Abu bakr Effendi, towards Islamic thought and Culture in South Africa" (PDF). pp. 7–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2011.
  4. ^ Davids, Achmat (1992). "Muslim-Christian relations in nineteenth century Cape Town (1825-1925)". Kronos (19). University of Western Cape: 84. ISSN 0259-0190. JSTOR 41033772. Retrieved 22 February 2023.

Sources

Further reading

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