Ebrahim Moosa – Radio Islam International | 11 Rabi ul Awwal 1437/11 December 2017
The shock demise of Junaid Jamshed has brought to light plans of a scheduled South African tour the Islamic world icon was due to make in 2017.
Jamshed passed on last Wednesday along with more than 40 other passengers when the Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) flight he was travelling on crashed en route to Islamabad during what was meant to be a brief domestic flight.
In a lengthy interview with Radio Islam International, Safeeyah Moosa, Founder and CEO of Spiritual Chords, revealed for the first time the extent of planning already undertaken by her group ahead of the Naat singer and Da’ee’s envisaged visit.
Moosa, who had been the South African go-to person for Junaid Jamshed visit requests since 2007, and a close confidant of the deceased, said the tour was slated to occur from the end of March into April 2017 covering various cities.
“Junaid was due to visit Rustenburg and Roshnee. He was also set to headline a major fundraiser for the Muslim AIDS Programme(MAP) of the Islamic Careline, at the Image Lifestyle Centre in Johannesburg,” she said.
In contrast to the type of engagements that typified previous visits, Moosa signalled that, on the upcoming tour, she had planned to include a surprise element that the singer himself was immensely excited to hear about.
“On the weekend of 7-9 April 2017, I had planned a weekend retreat in the heart of the Drakensburg that was to feature Jamshed along with other prominent Ulama and Qurraa like Moulana Ebrahim Bham, Qari Sa’d Nomani and Qari Ziyaad Patel”.
The retreat, meant to cater for upto 150 people would be Quraan-centred and activity intense, affording participants the opportunity to directly interact, and seek spiritual solutions to their problems, with the esteemed guests, in a serene, but fully catered for, setting.
The Last Call
At around the same time Junaid Jamshed was posting his final tweet, captioned ‘Heaven on Earth’ from a backdrop of the snowcapped peaks of Chitral, Spiritual Chords was releasing a promotional video for his planned tour which was to be dubbed Ruhaani Talaash.
Hours after its release last Tuesday – and almost exactly 24 hours before the fatal crash, Safeeyah received what was to be a final telephone call from Jamshed.
Speaking from Chitral where he was in Jamaat, the subject matter was ostensibly the logistics of his upcoming tour. However, says Moosa, in retrospect, that call and others made to her by the icon in recent weeks were “unusual”.
To then be greeted by the ominous and widely-reported news of his demise barely a day later would be devastating for the organiser.
However, even under these trying circumstances, Moosa maintains it to be inconceivable for her to question the Decree of Allah, and says she found it imperative to exercise patience, as required by the Shariah, at the first instant of affliction.
Subsequently, Spiritual Chords observed an official 3-day period of mourning for Jamshed following his demise during which it maintained a strict media blackout.
Memories
As news of the Naat Khawan’s passing was confirmed, many prominent South African Muslims took to social media to reminisce about their past interactions with the artist.
“Saddened by JJ’s death. He will however remain an inspiration for those who feel you can’t turn your life around. Allah elevate his status,” wrote Moulana Ebrahim Bham.
“Today is a day that will continue to resonate in our hearts and minds for some time to come. I had the opportunity of travelling and performing with our beloved brother Junaid Jamshed on a few occasions. Truly, the Ummah has lost a beautiful soul…May his life serve as an inspiration to us all,” added Qari Ziyaad Patel.
Moosa says the many fond memories South Africans share of Jamshed were cultivated over the almost a decade he has been visiting the country, both for Tabligh work and Nasheed tours.
She recalls the first trip he made to South Africa being in 2007 when he featured at the Burdah evening of the South Coast Madressah in aid of the construction of a Musallah to serve an impoverished community.
Jamshed’s subsequent visits supported fundraisers for the Islamic Careline, Al Khaleel Drug rehabilitation, Ilm SA orphans project and the 7 city ‘Mission of Mercy’ tour.
About the latter, Moosa says the drive was prompted by awareness of the plight of mothers and newborn babies in Malawi and the high mortality rate among this sub-group. Plans were drafted to render assistance to a maternity hospital in this impoverished southern African country.
On being approached to partner a whirlwind tour of events , Jamshed indicated that his diary was fully occupied for almost 18 months. However, when the urgency of the plight was underlined, the singer went beyond the course of duty to avail himself within 9 weeks.
“Through his efforts many charitable projects became a reality and thousands are continuing to benefit from these till today,” Qari Ziyaad Patel said.
Exemplary human being
For Safeeyah, her prowess in seeing to the logistics of some of Jamshed’s initial tours won her the singer’s confidence.
Jamshed subsequently referred all requests for public appearances and invites in South Africa to her. According to Moosa, at a stage, the reciter even requested her to handle his international diary, something she had to politely decline.
The Spiritual Chords founder said Jamshed was a firm believer in the power of Mashwarah(mutual consultation) and while possessing his own unique talents, respected and drew upon the expertise of others in their relevant fields.
His philosophy on the singing of Nasheeds, she said, was such that he did not believe it to be a substitute for real Daw’ah efforts. However, considering the human need to be entertained, he believed wholesome song could be a means to channel Muslims towards higher ideals.
“He would say, ‘I know people enjoyed my voice. So I do not want to waste it. Singing is entertainment – but let it be entertainment for betterment rather than frivolity or serving the Nafs,’” Safeeyah mentions.
The community worker recalls once informing Jamshed of her frustration and what she considered to be insurmountable obstacles faced by a woman like herself in playing an organising role in the community.
It was the response of Jamshed that she believes changed her outlook forever.
“He advised me not to consider myself inherently incapable nor to give undue credence to the comments of others. As long as the work is for Allah, he said, I must remain confident of success as ‘He is the only Seer that counts’”.
“I have never met a more honourable human being,”Moosa adds. Whilst adhering strictly to Islamic codes of modesty and Hijab, she says, “in the manner he dealt with me – there is not a single human being who showed me so much respect”.
Moosa said she often juxtaposed this exemplary behaviour of Jamshed with the perceptions some held of him – which even culminated in some accusing him of blasphemy.
“If he was so respectful of an ordinary woman like myself,” she said, “how would he ever be disrespectful to the Mother of the Believers”.
Moosa acknowledged that Jamshed had borne the brunt of much disloyalty and abhorrent behaviour in recent years. Yet, she emphasises, “I never heard him once complain about a human being”.
“Yes, he would get hurt – but he always had hope in people. His level of hope in people was his outstanding quality. In fact, he always would mention how foolish all the prior bickering would seem on the day when previously dissenting individuals would come together to embrace each other. And he sincerely longed to see that day when the recriminations of those who disagreed with him would be buried forever”.
“And as for his love of Nabi SAW,” Moosa says, “that was unbelievable”.
“It was so great – it was as if I myself could feel his love for the Beloved of Allah SAW”.
For more memories of Junaid Jamshed’s visits to South Africa visit Spiritual Chords
LISTEN:
Ml Sulaiman Moola Shares His Memories of Junaid Jamshed
Mufti Yusuf Moosagie Interviewed Junaid Jamshed in a Memorable Interview in 2014
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