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Rabi’ al Thanni marks the death anniversary of Allamah Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, an extraordinary individual whose tabligh and missionary work has left a legacy that will not be forgotten.
Born on 05 January 1927 in Bihar India, Allamah Rizvi followed four generations of Ulama of his family.
After completing his studies, working as a resident ‘alim and teaching in India, Allamah went to East Africa at the age of 32 as a resident alim under Africa Federation. He was initially posted in Dar-es-Salaam, before being transferred to Lindi.
A teacher
As a teacher, his concern for the youth was evident through his sincerity
and guidance. He was known to be a firm teacher but one who always wanted
his students to succeed. It was due to his efforts and encouragement that
several students from Gopalpur achieved university and postgraduate
degrees.
A Visionary Missionary
Allamah Rizvi’s quest for tabligh could be seen in him from his teens. His
dream of doing tabligh in Africa came true with support from the community
leaders in Tanzania followed by the formation of the Bilal Muslim Mission.
Allamah took formal classes to learn Swahili in order to effectively reach
out to the African people.
As a result of these efforts, tens of thousands of Africans have accepted the Shi’a faith. In addition the mission's activities have spread to Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Europe and USA through education, publication, and correspondence.
Mulla Asgharali M.M. Jaffer had written: ‘As these novel ideas suffered the pangs of labour, a young ‘Ălim from India set his feet on land in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. With an analytic bent and genius, vast knowledge and readiness to meet with the new challenges, this young ‘Ălim was destined to set the wheels of change moving. He was Maulana Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi. Whether he himself was aware of the new directions to which the Shi‘a Ithnă-‘ashari Community of Eastern Africa was being led by his efforts, and whether his efforts were intentional and thus motivated, is difficult to ascertain. But that his arrival heralded a new era in the Shi‘ite Society of East Africa is indisputable.’
A writer
Allamah had written about 125 books from 1949 to 2002, ranging on topics
from theology, comparative religions, laws, ethics, history, tafsir and
Hadith, and poetry. Among the literature, 85 are in English, 32 are in
Urdu, 12 in Arabic and 17 in Kishwahili. Some of his books have been
translated in 22 languages including Japanese, Gujarati, Indonesian, and
Thai to name a few.
Allamah’s book titled ‘Imamate: A Vicegerency of the Prophet’ has been published and distributed many times by the World Organisation for Islamic Services. Several American Shia’s have been inspired by this book.
A social worker
Among Allamah Rizvi’s role as an alim, teacher, scholar and writer,
he also had a passion for social work. He worked tirelessly to improve the
well being of the community in the areas of education, housing, health,
water wells, eye camps and building of mosques.
The work of Allamah Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi has reached the lives of thousands of people and will continue to do so in the years to come. He is truly an inspiration to us all.
Allamah’s son, Maulana Muhammad Rizvi, who is resident alim of Toronto jamaat said: ‘If I was asked to summarize the life of my father, ‘Allămah Sayyid Saeed Akthar Rizvi (may Allăh elevate his status), in the Qur’ănic terms, then I would say that he was a true embodiment of the success mentioned in surah al-Asr: “I swear by the time, verily the human being is surely in loss except those who believe, do good deeds, and counsel one another for the truth and counsel one another about patience.”
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