As told by his son – Zakariyya Sema –
Written by his grandson – Tahir Sema –

He used to say “I rather be a nobody than be a somebody”

As his son, what stood out for me, were two qualities; the first being he did not judge anyone; therefore the pious and the not so pious felt at ease in his company, even the people that where looked down upon by others, he tried to include them in his Deeni work, and sometimes it was those very same people that assisted him the most in his Deeni activities. The second quality he possessed; he never disliked anyone, for any reason. He loved people that were despised by others, He loved everyone regardless of his colour, race, creed, or social standing, and to such an extent he hosted beggars in his house. He brought up orphans that other rich people refused to accommodate, in spite of his meagre earnings. Till this day they regard us as their family. He displayed the same honour both to the poor and to the rich.

He survived many calamities because he was destined for greater things and his mission was not complete. He survived the torpedoed ship when he was returning after his studies. He survived an accident in which four people were martyred on their return from an Ijtima in Cape Town. He must have had a premonition and therefore an old students’ reunion during the last Jalsa.

Moulana Sema interacted with people on their level, the learned and the ignorant all had a personal relationship with him, and each person felt as though he had a personal relationship with Moulana, therefore he was loved by all. He loved to help people and that was why everyone came to him with their problems, the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant, the pious and the irreverent, the Muslims and the non Muslims.

His wish was for all of his sons to follow in his foot steps and become Aalims. He sent my eldest brother Imraan, to Rander in India, there he completed his Hifz. However he fell very ill with meningitis and had to return. He then sent me the third son, Zakariyya, to Pakistan to the Madressah of Maulana Yusuf Binori RA, his Ustaadh. After a year I became very ill and returned. After that my mother refused to let the other children go. Unfortunately none of us took after him. Unfortunately there were no Darul Ulooms in South Africa at the time. The world benefited from him but we were deprived. I would like to quote a Persian saying “Tarbiyat Na ahel ra choon gurdagaa bur gumbad ast”. (The reformation of the unworthy is like trying to place an acorn upon a dome).

It was his practical Islamic way of life, which led people to say “he was saintly.” He led an exemplary life and was very sincere. He studied under some of the most illustrious scholars of his time. He was the Mureed of a Saahibe khusf o karamat buzurg (friend of Allah) who had reached the stages of fana fillah and baqa billah. His heart started making Thikar with the touch of the buzurgs finger upon the heart. There were other elderly Aalims of Transvaal who were also the Mureeds of this buzurg (friend of Allah). They mentioned that what they achieved in a short time through this buzurg they did not achieve through forty years of Ibaadah. May Allah grant my father the highest stages of Jannah. Ameen

Maulana had deep insight of Deen. People remarked that he was importing gangsters from Cape Town to his Darul Uloom. He said: “you do not put clean clothes in a washing machine. To-day the students of Darul Uloom are serving the Deen in most Masaajid in Cape Town and remote areas as well. When he was preaching in the reserves someone objected that some new Muslims were still beating the drum of the Zionis. He asked that person if he had a hi-fi in his house and he said yes. So, what is the difference between you and them? Yet, you are a born-Muslim. They will leave this practice as they learn more about the Deen. On many occasions people misunderstood him because they did not have the insight he had.

Maulana led a simple life, people would give him expensive gifts and he would not use it. My mother once gave us brothers watches worth about R1000.00 each because it was gathering dust in my father’s drawers. The day he departed he had shoes worth about R1000.00 a pair which he never wore. He insisted on wearing his old shoes. He used to say I rather be ‘a nobody’ than be a somebody. The day my mother passed away nine years ago. Some ladies from the town cried because she did not have much kitchenware. For the sake of Deen we lived in dilapidated buildings to establish Darul Uloom.

In conclusion…
“Kareema babukhshaai bur hale ma, ke hustum aseere kamande hawa, .Na daaraim ghair us too faryaad rus .Too he aasiyan ra khata bucksh o bus .nigah daar ma ra za raaheh khatah .Khatah dur guzaar o sawaabum noma.”

(O lord! forgive my condition for I am a prisoner of my Nafs. I have not besides you to answer my plea. You forgive the sins of sinners’. Protect me from the path of sins. Forgive my sins and reward me.)