Some more:- *Name: Sheikh Yusuf* Other names (also known as): Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep
Where: Macassar at Faure Location/Directions: >From the N2 highway, take exit 33 (Baden Powell turn-off), turn left into Macassar Road and proceed to Faure Kramat (follow directional signs). Lifespan: 1626 - 1699 Ancestry: Maternal nephew of King Biset of Goa Personal History: Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep was born in Goa and then studied in Arabia under several learned teachers. He left Jiddah in 1664 for Banten in Western Java. Here he was appointed as Chief Religious Judge and personal advisor of Sultan Ageng of Banten. After a revolution broke out in 1680 in Banten, he was captured by the Dutch and incarcerated in the castle of Batavia in 1684. He was transferred to a castle in Colombo, Ceylon in 1684 and finally to the Cape of Good Hope in 1693. He was welcomed by Governor Simon van der Stel and granted residence in Zandvliet, Macassar. Zandvliet became a place of safety for fugitive slaves. Sheikh Yusuf provided great wisdom and spiritual upliftment for the slaves establishing the first Muslim community in South Africa. Legacies Tricentenary : In 1994 Muslims all over South Africa, under the leadership of historian Achmat Davids, commemorated 300 years of Islam since the arrival of Sheikh Yusuf to this country. A wide variety of cultural, religious, academic and sporting events took place which ushered in a renewed spirit of unity and pride amongst Muslims amidst the birth pangs of the country’s new democracy. That spirit was epitomised by the Chain of Barakah, a truly unique Gatamal-Quran whereby a portion of the Quran was sequentially recited in 146 mosques all over the country over a period of 56 days. It culminated on the 4th April, the anniversary of Sheikh Yusuf’s arrival, at his shrine where the late Hafith Sheikh Salie Abadie completed the Ghatam and placed that special copy of the Holy Quran in a niche inside the shrine. The vent, over the Easter weekend, was witnessed by a huge number of Muslims who had earlier marched through the streets of Cape Town in a remarkable display of identity and unity. (See official video). Indonesian Linkage : The Tricentenary commemoration also rekindled the links between Cape Muslims and their brethren from Indonesia and Malaysia who provided enthusiastic support for the events. Since then close links have been forged on many fronts both at community and governmental levels, including the substantial upgrading by the Indonesian government of the Faure mosque near the shrine of Sheikh Yusuf. Easter Camp : Muslims annually congregate in vast numbers over the Easter weekend at the camping site below the shrine. Whilst it represents an opportunity to relax, consideration should be given to develop an activity which draws from the life of this remarkable wali. Legend The long voyage from Ceylon to the Cape had depleted the fresh water supplies of the crew on the ship. In desperation they approached their prisoner Sheikh Yusuf. He merely lowered his foot into the sea and told them to let down the caskets into that spot. To their amazement, the water was fresh and perfectly good to drink. http://www.livingislam.co.za/companion/hot-topics/297.html -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes. * * * IS YOURS one of the stories of Goans on board the S.S. Dwarka, or at the Strait of Hormuz, Basra or Bahrain, Dubai, Swindon, Mombasa, Poona or Rangoon? Selma Carvalho's new book *Into the Diaspora Wilderness* docks at many other ports. Get your copy from Broadways, Panjim [9822488564] Rs 295. P&p extra. http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
