Du Noon mosque opens
It was an early start for Muslims in the township of Du Noon on the second day of Ramadan on Sunday as they celebrated the opening of a new masjid in the area. The VOC OB team was out on the road shortly after suhoor to set up a live broadcast from the newly built masjid, which brought together over 100 men, women and children. The community filled up the small masjid and many were brought to tears in the new prayer facility, as they watched their family members taking their shahadah.
The jampacked spiritual program started off with a thikr by the Naqshbandi Jamah which led up until 10am proceeding into the official launch. Adiel Kader, one of the project coordinators, said many Muslims in the area will now be able to benefit from proper masjid facilities. “Many people have helped us accomplish the masjid and we say shukran for your contribution in upholding the Muslim community for this is the start to new things, insha Allah,” he said.
The mosque is divided into three sections: the mosque area, soup kitchen and a separate area for the living quarters. Men and women are using the same salaah area with the women lining up behind men during prayer times. “At the moment we are forced to accommodate the musallees like this as we still in the process of renovating the masjid. At a later stage, we hope to build the women a separate area as well," said Kader.
Whilst the mosque is still relatively new, many students are already at the madrassa and are learning quite fast. “It is amazing to see how these kids pick up and the parents themselves are happy to see them being educated. We want to make these youngsters better Muslims so that they can a be an example and help those in the community to do good and stay away from negativity," said Kader. Amongst the guest speakers delivering supportive words at the launch, were members of the Naqshbandi group such as the well known Professor Dr Yusuf De Costa. De Costa guided more than five township residents who embraced Islam on the day, leaving them in tears as they declared their shahadah.
Khadijah Kassim, who reverted to Islam in 2010, said that she was glad to see that her township now has masjid. “Alhamdulillah, with the new masjid in the area, it is now easier for my family to walk over at any time of the day to make salaah. I am glad that the masjid is fully completed...watching my husband help the other men build this masjid over the past few months was great and I hope many will benefit from it, insha Allah,” she related.
Kader said they have been building masajid in various informal settlements and are looking forward to doing more in the future. “In the Western Cape, we work in areas like Delft, Sea Winds and Blikkiesdorp. We have built masajid in various parts of the province including other provinces as well. Although, we are building these facilities to pray, we are also doing other fundraising projects to maintain the food parcels and soup kitchens that is run twice to thrice on a weekly basis,” he explained.
The madrassa is an encouragement for youth to uplift their community and is very much needed in the area. “It is not only a place of learning but also that of a meeting place to discuss their society. More importantly, it is a place where the Almighty (swt) is remembered and worshiped and no other better place than his house indeed,” he said. With the many Muslim residents in the township making use of the prayer facilities, committee members said that they are happy to be helping those in the underprivileged area and hope to spread the word of Islam to many more in the area. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
The jampacked spiritual program started off with a thikr by the Naqshbandi Jamah which led up until 10am proceeding into the official launch. Adiel Kader, one of the project coordinators, said many Muslims in the area will now be able to benefit from proper masjid facilities. “Many people have helped us accomplish the masjid and we say shukran for your contribution in upholding the Muslim community for this is the start to new things, insha Allah,” he said.
The mosque is divided into three sections: the mosque area, soup kitchen and a separate area for the living quarters. Men and women are using the same salaah area with the women lining up behind men during prayer times. “At the moment we are forced to accommodate the musallees like this as we still in the process of renovating the masjid. At a later stage, we hope to build the women a separate area as well," said Kader.
Whilst the mosque is still relatively new, many students are already at the madrassa and are learning quite fast. “It is amazing to see how these kids pick up and the parents themselves are happy to see them being educated. We want to make these youngsters better Muslims so that they can a be an example and help those in the community to do good and stay away from negativity," said Kader. Amongst the guest speakers delivering supportive words at the launch, were members of the Naqshbandi group such as the well known Professor Dr Yusuf De Costa. De Costa guided more than five township residents who embraced Islam on the day, leaving them in tears as they declared their shahadah.
Khadijah Kassim, who reverted to Islam in 2010, said that she was glad to see that her township now has masjid. “Alhamdulillah, with the new masjid in the area, it is now easier for my family to walk over at any time of the day to make salaah. I am glad that the masjid is fully completed...watching my husband help the other men build this masjid over the past few months was great and I hope many will benefit from it, insha Allah,” she related.
Kader said they have been building masajid in various informal settlements and are looking forward to doing more in the future. “In the Western Cape, we work in areas like Delft, Sea Winds and Blikkiesdorp. We have built masajid in various parts of the province including other provinces as well. Although, we are building these facilities to pray, we are also doing other fundraising projects to maintain the food parcels and soup kitchens that is run twice to thrice on a weekly basis,” he explained.
The madrassa is an encouragement for youth to uplift their community and is very much needed in the area. “It is not only a place of learning but also that of a meeting place to discuss their society. More importantly, it is a place where the Almighty (swt) is remembered and worshiped and no other better place than his house indeed,” he said. With the many Muslim residents in the township making use of the prayer facilities, committee members said that they are happy to be helping those in the underprivileged area and hope to spread the word of Islam to many more in the area. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
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