Jam Eyyatul Qurra (JEQ) is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and they’re inviting people from all denominations and faiths to join in the celebration.
The milestone will be celebrated with a week of Qur’an recitation that will start on Saturday November 30 and end Saturday December 7.
The institution was founded in 1969 under the leadership of Sheikh Yusuf Booley and established its first Haafith School at a Mowbray mosque.
In 2001 Mr Booley officially opened the JEQ Male Haafith Institution in Schaapkraal and Female Haafith Institution in 2006 at their building in Thirteenth Avenue in Schaapkraal and the institution subsequently started the JEQ Pre-Primary School and preparatory school with a curriculum focused on the tafeeth and the study of the Qur’an.
Shareef Abass, JEQ chairperson, paid tribute to the late Sheikh Booley for being the driving force behind JEQ: “He had a grand vision and much of what we celebrate today has been inspired by him. Since he took over the leadership in 1971, he took Jam Eyyatul Qurra on a magnificent journey. The fundamental core that he brought to Jam Eyyatul Qurra was the methodology of teaching Qur’an and that methodology is still used today.”
The theme for the half century milestone is “The New Dawn” with a vision to build centres for maths and science and an Islamic art and calligraphy gallery to cultivate and display Muslim art.
The week of the Qur’an recitation event will host world-renowned master artists and calligraphers from various countries, including Turkey, Egypt, China and South Africa.
Faheem Rhoda Jackson, director of Arabic Calligraphers South Africa (ACSA), said all those interested are welcome to attend and participate in the calligraphy classes for children and adults who will have an opportunity to interact with the master calligraphers.
Nizaam Abdol, event co-ordinator, said the event was not exclusively for the Muslim community but an opportunity to foster social cohesion in the city and country.
“There is an open invitation to the community of Cape Town, South Africa and even international holiday-makers, during this period to attend the series of events happening at the JEQ campus,” he said.
A list of the workshops can be found on the school’s website at www.jeq.co.za
The week of Qur’an recitation will include some educational components with a Qur’anic Teaching Methodology seminar as well as a presentation on the integrated Islamic model of education and is free to attend. There are also a number of spiritual programmes taking place over the course of the week, including a Qasida Burda on Wednesday December 4, and an evening of remembrance Thikr on Thursday December 5.
A special Qiraa will be held on Friday December 6 and the week will end off with a banquet in the Franschhoek Valley, where about 750 guests will witness the completion of the recitation of the Qur’an from memory. Call Nizaam Abdol on 061 491 5416, Faheem Rhoda Jackson on 083 517 9023 or Sadeka Abdol on 081 424 7259, or log on to www.jeq.co.za for details.