South Africa Tour 2000

October 31, 2000

The arriving World Leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order, Mawlana as-Sayyid Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, accompanied by his Caliph Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, his sons Mehmet and Bahauddin Adil, and a delegation from the Islamic Supreme Council of America, arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, after a flight of 14 hours.


From left to right: * Shaykh Nazim is assisted off the airplane to the waiting VIP van; * Mehmet and Bahauddin Adil, sons of Shaykh Nazim, deplane in Cape Town; * Ahmad Khalifa of the International Shopping Network accompanied the ISCA delegation from the US; * Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, former Indian parliamentarian and Star Wars scientist, also accompanied the ISCA delegation from the US.

They were greeted on the tarmac of the airport just as they deplaned, and the Shaykhs were whisked by minibus to the VIP lounge of the airport.

There, the Shaykhs were greeted by the major ulemma and Muslim representatives of Cape Town. They were then welcomed officially by the South African government by His Excellency Abdullah Mohamed Omar, former minister of Justice and current Minister of Transport, on behalf of President Mbeki and the government of South Africa.

Other dignitaries who were present to welcome the visiting scholars included Shaykh Seraj Hendircks, Head Mufti of Cape Town, Shaykh Abdur Rahman, Professor Yusuf DaCosta, Imam Hassen Walele, Shaykh Fakroddin Uwais, and many others. The press and media were present and covering the arrival of the Naqshbandi Shaykhs, an event that had been thoroughly publicized throughout the country and particularly in Cape Town, by the Naqshbandi Order of South Africa, under the directorship of Professor DaCosta.


Professor Yusuf DaCosta and Shaykh Seraj Hendricks welcomed Shaykh Nazim and Shaykh Hisham at the VIP lounge. A number of dignitaries and representatives of the Muslim professional and business community greet the Shaykhs. Imam Hassen Walele is seen here wearing a green turban in the second photo.

After their arrival at the airport, the Shaykhs were driven to the a nearby venue which had been reserved for the occasion. There they were greeted by the sweet chanting of the waiting crowd. The chants were the traditional "Allahuma sali 'ala Sayyiduna Muhammad (s)" which is sung throughout the Muslim world.



Over one thousand people had turned out for the event which had by now become the talk of the town.

Members of the wealthy Tar family had flown in from Durban, which is about 1000 miles northeast of Cape Town, to spend the week with the visiting Shaykhs. Shamyl DaCosta in the far right photo holds his two-year old son Mohammed, who was clearly heard to say, "Shaykh Nazim, Shaykh Hisham" when the two Shaykhs arrived in the hall.

The attendants queued up to greet the Mashaykh and to kiss Shaykh Nazim's hand.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim led the gathering in Dhuhr prayers, followed by the wazaif for the waqt of Dhuhr.

In the far distance, the grand vista of Table Mountain shrouded mysteriously by clouds, greeted the visitors to the southernmost point in Africa.