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It was a true honour to know Dr Omar Brey—to learn from his works and from his character. His teachers and peers continue to share memories of his humility, kindness, and dedication.
By WIDAD SIRKHOTTE
Dr Omar Brey, born on January 3, 1953, returned to his Creator in the blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, on September 10, 2025.
A third-generation South African, his grandparents migrated from India and settled in Cape Town in 1890. He attended Douglas Road Primary School, South Peninsula High School, and madrasah at the Grassy Park Masjid in Victoria Road.
He later pursued medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and went on to serve his community as a dedicated doctor in Wynberg for almost 40 years. When cancer forced him into early retirement, he withdrew somewhat from daily practice, yet his love for learning and sharing knowledge never ceased.
Dr Brey was a shining example of what it means to be a diligent, disciplined, and devout student. His curiosity spanned many subjects, though the Arabic language became his favourite.
In the mid-1980s, he was introduced to Arabic calligraphy by the late Dr Suleiman Nordien and Mr Achmat Fish, and from then on, he would rather miss a cricket match on a Saturday afternoon – his other passion – than skip a calligraphy class.
When I interviewed him about his calligraphy journey, he explained that his love for the art had even earlier roots. As a child, he admired the handwriting of his madrasah teachers, who taught both Arabic and Urdu. With a smile, he remarked: ‘My Arabic and Urdu handwriting were much neater than my English, even though I spent months at school learning the English alphabet; while for Arabic and Urdu I simply looked at kitabs and copied what the teacher wrote on the board.’
His father had also been active in mesang (gravestone inscription) work, which Dr Brey later took up, deepening his love for sacred Arabic writing while serving his community.
Over the years, people and organisations often asked him to handwrite du’as and create motifs ranging from wall art and logos to Eid greetings and coin designs. He found joy in conceptualising new ideas, but more importantly, in connecting them to deeper meaning.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Brey joined the online Thuluth calligraphy classes of Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang through Deen Arts Foundation (DAF). This is when I first met him, and we became peers. With the establishment of DAF South Africa, we continued our studies together—first with Maghrebi script, and later with Sini Mushafi script with the intention of collectively handwriting the Qur’an as a group of South Africans.
Dr Brey was the model student: punctual, humble, neat, consistent with his homework, and always respectful toward teachers and peers. While traditional Arabic calligraphy requires seriousness, discipline, and adab, he carried himself with lightness and humour, making the weekly classes warmer.
To many of us, he was more than a fellow student—he was the caring ‘Uncle’ of the class. He asked thoughtful questions with gentleness and always ensured his peers felt included and welcomed. Despite his illness, he never allowed it to become a barrier to learning and sharing. I fondly recall a Saturday morning with him and fellow Maghrebi peers in a book café—chatting and practising calligraphy as he patiently guided me through the delicate geometry of a Qur’an border pattern.
Ustaadh Badr Essahi, our Maghrebi teacher from Morocco notes: ‘It was a great honour to have such a man as my student; indeed, in many instances, I was the student, learning from his Prophetic character, his noble demeanour, and his beautiful patience.’
Before becoming his peer, I knew little about this extraordinary person. Only later did I discover that he was a respected medical doctor who had taught family medicine at UCT, tutored school learners in mathematics, guided Arabic language students in handwriting, and designed many Arabic calligraphic works across South Africa. True to his character, he never boasted about his achievements or activities.
As a peer, I often visited him at home—whether to drop off calligraphy books and stationery or interview him for my research. I met his wife and daughter, and never left empty-handed: a bunch of bananas, fresh lemongrass, and plenty of inspiration. These visits were always warm and respectful, with Dr Brey fondly calling DAF calligraphy peers ‘family’—and to me, he truly felt like an uncle.
What stood out most about Dr Brey was that, despite his many accomplishments, he remained humble, consistent, and a lifelong learner. For him, learning was an immense joy. He studied with both peers and teachers younger than himself, attended online classes with enthusiasm even during chemotherapy, and embraced learning multiple scripts at once. He often expressed gratitude for online learning, noting that without it he would have had to spend years abroad, first in China, then Turkey and Morocco, to access such knowledge from master teachers.
Though he liked to describe himself as ‘nonchalant’, when it came to calligraphy he insisted on accuracy and excellence since it is no ordinary art but the writing of God’s sacred words.
‘Having the right niyyah is important—pride must not come into it,’ he once said. And when asked what motivated him, he replied: ‘I am learning, and I become alive when I do calligraphy. Otherwise, I am pap (tired).’
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It was a true honour to know Dr Omar Brey—to learn from his works and from his character. His teachers and peers continue to share memories of his humility, kindness, and dedication. He passed on as a student in service of handwriting the noble Qur’an. He will be missed dearly and remembered always as an exemplary student.
Widad Sirkhotte is a PhD Candidate researching Islamic calligraphy education in South Africa.
