• Archives
  • Contact Us
  • Distribution
  • Advertising
  • Membership
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Muslim Views

  • News
    • All
    • Community
    • Featured
    • International
    • National
    Hajj of the heart

    Hajj of the heart

    Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

    Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

    Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022

    Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022

    Bonteheuwel High School to host several events to mark Youth Month

    Bonteheuwel High School to host several events to mark Youth Month

    Roundtable puts Arabic on the local map

    Roundtable puts Arabic on the local map

    The activist who cared for the needy

    The activist who cared for the needy

    Trending Tags

    • Finance
    • Features
      • All
      • Arts
      • Awqaf
      • Books
      • Discussions with Dangor
      • Family
      • From Consciousness to Contentment
      • Health File
      • Hungry for Halaal
      • In Memoriam
      • Motoring
      • Sport
      • Survivor's Blog

      Refugees and the internally-displaced: the forgotten people of the ummah

      How Mufti Taha Karaan inspired a master calligrapher

      How Mufti Taha Karaan inspired a master calligrapher

      The activist who cared for the needy

      The activist who cared for the needy

      Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

      Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

      The long wudu

      The long wudu

      Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

      Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

      Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

      Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

      Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

      Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

      Muhammad Bin Salman a threat to Islamic values

      Muhammad Bin Salman a threat to Islamic values

    • Living Islam
      • All
      • Eid-ul-Adha
      • Eid-ul-Fitr
      • Hajj Stories
      • Light from the Quran
      • Moulood-un-Nabi
      • Quran
      • Ramadaan
      Hajj of the heart

      Hajj of the heart

      The long wudu

      The long wudu

      Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

      Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

      Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

      Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

      Ramadaan: pursuing taqwa through tazkiyah

      Ramadaan: pursuing taqwa through tazkiyah

      The Holy Quran, Our Salvation: Ramadaan reflections

      The Holy Quran, Our Salvation: Ramadaan reflections

      Taking control of your life this Ramadaan

      Taking control of your life this Ramadaan

      Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

      Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

      Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

      Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

    • Opinion
      • All
      • Editorial
      • Guest Writer
      • Letters to the editor
      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

      Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

      Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

      Standing in solidarity with Dr Sizer

      Standing in solidarity with Dr Sizer

      The place of Cape Town in a burning South Africa

      The place of Cape Town in a burning South Africa

      The hijab ban ruling in India: courts used as political instruments

      The hijab ban ruling in India: courts used as political instruments

      Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

      Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

      The nation’s sister

      The nation’s sister

      The fight for a more equal and just America to fulfill MLK’s dream

      The fight for a more equal and just America to fulfill MLK’s dream

      Hamas tells UK: ‘Your decision is a crime against the oppressed’

      Hamas tells UK: ‘Your decision is a crime against the oppressed’

    • About Us

      About Us

      Advertising

      Newpaper Archives

      LEGAL

      Terms & Conditions

      Privacy Policy

    No Result
    View All Result

    No products in the cart.

    • News
      • All
      • Community
      • Featured
      • International
      • National
      Hajj of the heart

      Hajj of the heart

      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

      Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022

      Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022

      Bonteheuwel High School to host several events to mark Youth Month

      Bonteheuwel High School to host several events to mark Youth Month

      Roundtable puts Arabic on the local map

      Roundtable puts Arabic on the local map

      The activist who cared for the needy

      The activist who cared for the needy

      Trending Tags

      • Finance
      • Features
        • All
        • Arts
        • Awqaf
        • Books
        • Discussions with Dangor
        • Family
        • From Consciousness to Contentment
        • Health File
        • Hungry for Halaal
        • In Memoriam
        • Motoring
        • Sport
        • Survivor's Blog

        Refugees and the internally-displaced: the forgotten people of the ummah

        How Mufti Taha Karaan inspired a master calligrapher

        How Mufti Taha Karaan inspired a master calligrapher

        The activist who cared for the needy

        The activist who cared for the needy

        Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

        Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

        The long wudu

        The long wudu

        Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

        Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

        Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

        Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

        Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

        Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

        Muhammad Bin Salman a threat to Islamic values

        Muhammad Bin Salman a threat to Islamic values

      • Living Islam
        • All
        • Eid-ul-Adha
        • Eid-ul-Fitr
        • Hajj Stories
        • Light from the Quran
        • Moulood-un-Nabi
        • Quran
        • Ramadaan
        Hajj of the heart

        Hajj of the heart

        The long wudu

        The long wudu

        Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

        Exercise guidelines for Ramadaan

        Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

        Perspectives on physical and mental health during Ramadaan

        Ramadaan: pursuing taqwa through tazkiyah

        Ramadaan: pursuing taqwa through tazkiyah

        The Holy Quran, Our Salvation: Ramadaan reflections

        The Holy Quran, Our Salvation: Ramadaan reflections

        Taking control of your life this Ramadaan

        Taking control of your life this Ramadaan

        Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

        Supporting breastfeeding during Ramadaan

        Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

        Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

      • Opinion
        • All
        • Editorial
        • Guest Writer
        • Letters to the editor
        Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

        Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

        Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

        Book Review: Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm by Shoaib Malik

        Standing in solidarity with Dr Sizer

        Standing in solidarity with Dr Sizer

        The place of Cape Town in a burning South Africa

        The place of Cape Town in a burning South Africa

        The hijab ban ruling in India: courts used as political instruments

        The hijab ban ruling in India: courts used as political instruments

        Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

        Stop the march of intolerance and incivility

        The nation’s sister

        The nation’s sister

        The fight for a more equal and just America to fulfill MLK’s dream

        The fight for a more equal and just America to fulfill MLK’s dream

        Hamas tells UK: ‘Your decision is a crime against the oppressed’

        Hamas tells UK: ‘Your decision is a crime against the oppressed’

      • About Us

        About Us

        Advertising

        Newpaper Archives

        LEGAL

        Terms & Conditions

        Privacy Policy

      No Result
      View All Result
      Muslim Views
      No Result
      View All Result
      • News
      • Living Islam
      • Features
      • Opinion
      • Finance
      • Imam Haron
      Home Features In Memoriam

      Tribute to a global polyglot

      July 20, 2021
      in In Memoriam, News
      Reading Time: 4 mins read
      A A
      Tribute to a global polyglot

      Dr Sulaiman Nordien at his home in Athlone with the late Ebrahim Girie on January 19, 2019. The latter passed away on January 16 this year. The signage at the back shows the date of an Arabic Poetry Symposium hosted by Dr Nordien at his home on August 6, 2017. This follows the first one he hosted on September 19, 2010. (Photo MAHMOOD SANGLAY)

      Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsappShare on Email

      SUMAYA JEEVA looks back on a friendship and mentorship that spanned about 18 years.

      MY first personal encounter with Dr Sulaiman Nordien was in my early twenties, when my father set up a meeting with him to introduce me to Arabic calligraphy.

      We met at Masjid ul Quds, where this eloquent, excited and eccentric man walked in with his writing tools, ink and paper. I could tell instantly that he was unique and special. What blossomed henceforth was an ongoing friendship and mentorship that spanned about 18 years.

      What always struck me about him was his simplicity. He used to drive a tiny, run down, blue car that looked like it was going to break down at any moment , making this respected doctor a very unassuming individual.

      He was far more interested in attending a book fair in Egypt than upgrading his car. He had immense adab and always removed his shoes before stepping onto our rug (not a requirement in our family home), and would choose to sit on the floor rather than on the couch.

      Dr Nordien was quintessentially a humble man, easily relating to common Cape Town culture, despite being a jewel among pebbles in terms of his knowledge and insights.

      He would always offer others edibles and a seat first, and was ever ready to charm his company with anecdotes, stories, past memories, excerpts of poetry, Shakespeare, hadith or Quran. He was most certainly what we would call a man of letters and cultivated.

      My memories of him include the countless times he would be waiting for me to open the front door, a stack of books in hand.

      He would share with me the current project he was working on, whether it be from Lane’s Lexicon, tahqiq (rewriting an old manuscript), a few lines of poetry he wrote in stunning Arabic calligraphy or an outline to his autobiography that he intended to pursue.

      This gentle man always had a twinkle in his eye when he spoke of these things. He might have whispered or giggled too. He would physically stand up and express himself with motion, arm movements, even twirling.

      He basked in the literary splendour that was before him. I loved to watch and listen, and it deepened in me my love and respect for Arabic adab (literature).

      When I was studying towards my Bachelors in English, again my father connected me to Dr Nordien who was a lover of Shakespeare. I remember him coming over, books in hand, quoting monologues from Hamlet and discussing the play with me. He made what seemed to me a dull topic, much more engaging.

      As the years passed, it alarmed me to see his weight wither, especially over the most recent years. I was saddened knowing that he had cancer. Still, whenever I visited Cape Town, year after year, he would be at the front door with books in hand.

      My last visit to Dr Nordien was before lockdown. I went to his home with my son, while he showed me his writings that were currently occupying him. He told me about the deterioration of his health, and made it seem that death was very likely to happen sometime soon.

      A surge of emotion overcame me, a lump formed in my throat and my eyes might have become moist. It was sad. I didn’t express to him my heartfelt appreciation for his presence in my life, how much it has meant to me. We just continued talking about other topics as if impending death was not on the table.

      He explained to me the verses of jahilyy poetry he had written and hung up in his lounge (by Imru al-Qays). Now I wish I had recorded him explaining it to me. I wish I had recorded many conversations. I wish I had called more often, visited more. I wish I had gleaned more from his knowledge.

      I went on to tell him about my Cape Town tour idea, and he said he would be glad to join us as a guide for the District 6 museum visit, having lived, smelled and tasted District 6 life personally. We talked and planned. However, I would not see Dr Nordien like this again.

      April came and everything was shut down by COVID-19. We had no communication for about six months. Then, two days before he passed, I heard my father talking to him on the phone, loudspeaker on.

      Alarmed, I heard that he could not speak. I was stunned, having been oblivious of his level of deterioration. Knowing that he was not accepting visitors, I left two voice messages for him via his daughter, stating that he was in my duah, I missed him, and what his mentorship has meant to me.

      I sobbed when I tried to send the messages and had to regain composure before trying the recording again. I am immensely grateful and pleased that he got to hear my words, before passing two days later. At the janaazah, his daughter said he smiled when he heard the messages. That had me in tears all over again.

      With shock, I received the text message about his passing on Saturday morning. When I walked into his house and saw his fragile frame enshrouded in white, I could not restrain my tears. The verses of Imru al-Qays still hung over the window, his desk still cluttered by piles of books. The first lines of the hanging poem reading, ‘Let us stop and weep.’

      With his passing, his vibrant spirit and erudition have left us. What a void he has left. I did not cry for him because I know he is among angels and perhaps reciting poetry and verses of praise with them but I wept for myself because my life is now somewhat lacking with him not in it.

      He connected me to things profound, meaningful and beautiful, and that conduit has gone. People like him who roam the earth in our era are few and far between.

      When I beheld his enshrouded body, I had the phrase I heard the Prophet (SAW) had uttered about some of his Companions running in my mind:

      ‘Rabihat tijarahtuhu, rabihat tijarahtuhu’ – ‘His transaction has been successful, his transaction has been successful.’

      May Allah accept all his endeavours, all he put forth. May Allah envelop him in His infinite mercy and grant him the loftiest of stations.

       

      Tags: Arabic poetrycalligraphySulaiman Nordien
      Previous Post

      COVID-19 in the Muslim community

      Next Post

      Dr Sulaiman Nordien: a name that should remain enshrined in the collective memory of Cape Town

      Related Posts

      Hajj of the heart
      Eid-ul-Adha

      Hajj of the heart

      June 30, 2022
      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy
      Featured

      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

      June 10, 2022
      Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022
      Featured

      Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022

      June 9, 2022
      Next Post
      Dr Sulaiman Nordien: a name that should remain enshrined in the collective memory of Cape Town

      Dr Sulaiman Nordien: a name that should remain enshrined in the collective memory of Cape Town

      Latest News

      Eid-ul-Adha

      Hajj of the heart

      June 30, 2022
      Featured

      Dudula Movement exposes systemic failure and lack of civic education and political literacy

      June 10, 2022
      Featured

      Reflections on the Cape Town International Islamic Finance Conference 2022

      June 9, 2022
      Discussions with Dangor

      Refugees and the internally-displaced: the forgotten people of the ummah

      June 8, 2022

      Browse by Tags

      Stellenbosch University Eid-ul-Fitr Steve Biko COVID-19 Sanzaf NPA Sulaiman Nordien GBV Seraj Hendricks Shaikh Seraj Imam Haron gender based violence Palestine Prophet Muhammad sexual abuse
      Muslim Views Logo
      GET IN TOUCH

      About Us

      Contact Us

      Newspaper Archives

      Terms & Conditions

      Privacy Policy

      WEBSITE SITEMAP

      NEWS

      National

      Local

      Community

      International

      BUSINESS

      Focus on Finance

      FEATURES

      Arts for All

      AWQAF

      Discussions with Dangor

      From Consciousness to Contentment

      Family

      Fusion Lifestyle

      Health File

      Hungry for Halaal

      In Memoriam

      Motoring

      Sport

      Survivor's Blog

      LIVING ISLAM

      Ramadaan

      Eid-ul-Fitr

      Hajj Stories

      Eid-ul-Adha

      Moulood-un-Nabi

      Quran

      Sunnah

      Hadith

      Light from the Quran

      OPINIONS & ANALYSIS

      Editorial

      Guest Writers

      Letter to the Editor

      © Muslim Views 2021. All Rights Reserved
      Website Developed by: Icon Designs
      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • Finance
        • Focus on Finance
      • Features
        • Arts
        • Awqaf
        • Discussions with Dangor
        • From Consciousness to Contentment
        • Fusion Lifestyle
        • Health File
        • Hungry for Halaal
        • In Memoriam
        • Motoring
        • Sport
        • Survivor’s Blog
      • Living Islam
        • Eid-ul-Adha
        • Eid-ul-Fitr
        • Family
        • Hadith
        • Hajj Stories
        • Light from the Quran
        • Moulood-un-Nabi
        • Quran
        • Ramadaan
        • Sunnah
      • News
        • Community
        • International
        • National
      • Opinion & Analysis
        • Editorial
        • Guest Writer
        • Letters to the editor
      • Print Archives
      • About Us
      • Contact Us

      Welcome Back!

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In
      We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
      Cookie SettingsAccept All
      Manage consent

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
      CookieDurationDescription
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
      viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
      Functional
      Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
      Performance
      Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
      Analytics
      Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
      Advertisement
      Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
      Others
      Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
      SAVE & ACCEPT

      Add New Playlist

      Are you sure want to unlock this post?
      Unlock left : 0
      Are you sure want to cancel subscription?