Bilal Muslim Mission
Encyclopedia
The Bilal Muslim Mission is an international Shi'a twelver organization, established in East Africa
on December 25, 1964 through the efforts of Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi. The organization is named after Bilal ibn Ribah
, the famous African Sahaba
.
The website of their Tanzania branch writes:
They are now part of the World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities, an international umbrella organization that was formed in the 1976, after 1500 Shi'a twelver families emigrated from East Africa to the United Kingdom
and Canada
.
The carried out missionary efforts aimed at both non-Muslims and Sunni Muslims, and their efforts intensified after the Iranian Revolution
.
In the late 1970s, the Bilal Muslim Mission and World Organization for Islamic Services
had sent many books to America, by July 1977, about 5,770 books and booklets had been mailed out.
The Bilal Muslim Mission is recoqnized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
.
Books:
The Mission has more than 108 (57 English, 51 Swahili) books written on a wide range of Islamic topics.
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
on December 25, 1964 through the efforts of Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi. The organization is named after Bilal ibn Ribah
Bilal ibn Ribah
Bilal ibn Rabah or Bilal al-Habashi was an Ethiopian born in Mecca in the late 6th century, sometime between 578 and 582.The Islamic prophet Muhammad chose a former African slave Bilal as his muezzin, effectively making him the first muezzin of the Islamic faith...
, the famous African Sahaba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
.
History
When the organization was established, there were hardly any Shi'a communities of native African origin in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Now, there are several.The website of their Tanzania branch writes:
They are now part of the World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities, an international umbrella organization that was formed in the 1976, after 1500 Shi'a twelver families emigrated from East Africa to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The carried out missionary efforts aimed at both non-Muslims and Sunni Muslims, and their efforts intensified after the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.
In the late 1970s, the Bilal Muslim Mission and World Organization for Islamic Services
World Organization for Islamic Services
World Organization for Islamic Services or WOFIS is an Iranian, Tehran based Shi'a Twelver publishing company.They translate, research and write original Islamic books regarding hadith, Tafsir and the history of Islam as well as other Shi'a topics....
had sent many books to America, by July 1977, about 5,770 books and booklets had been mailed out.
The Bilal Muslim Mission is recoqnized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is part of the government of India. The ministry, as of May 2008, is headed by Vayalar Ravi.Its website states:...
.
Member organizations
- Bilal Muslim Mission of KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
– kenbilal.org - Bilal Muslim Mission of TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
– bilaltz.org - Bilal Muslim Mission MoshiMoshiMoshi is a Tanzanian town with a population of 144,739 in Kilimanjaro Region. The town is situated on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, a volcanic mountain that is the highest mountain in Africa....
Branch – bilalmoshi.com - Bilal Muslim Mission of AmericasAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
– bilalmma.org - Bilal Muslim Mission of ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
– immi.se
Publications
Bi-monthly magazines:- Sauti ya Bilal (The Voice of Bilal) to cater for the SwahiliSwahili languageSwahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
readers, since 1965. - 'The light' which has global readership, since March, 1963. This magazines also spawned a book named “Muhammad is the Last Prophet”.
Books:
The Mission has more than 108 (57 English, 51 Swahili) books written on a wide range of Islamic topics.
- Music and it's Effects
External links
- power point presentation created by Sa'id Akhtar RizviSa'id Akhtar RizviSayyid Sa‘eed Akhtar Rizvi was an Indian born, Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, who actively promoted Islam in East Africa.He spoke Urdu, English, Arabic, Persian, Swahili and knew Hindi and Gujrati....
on the World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities website.