Unison sounds of young boys from Madrassah Shadiliyah and Husseini Madrassah singing Qasidas filled the hall during the Milad-Un-Nabi (“Maulid”) celebration at Upanga Jamatkhana. The event highlighted the diverse interpretations of Islam by bringing together members and government leaders from all various faiths under one house to commemorate the life of Prophet Mohamed (May Peach Be Upon Him) and the impact of his work on Muslim communities. Celebrating Maulid has been an annual event hosted by the Ismaili community to demonstrate in unison the principles of Islam given the diversity of the larger Muslim Ummah.
The President of Ismaili Council for Tanzania, Amin Lakhani, addressed the interfaith audience on the history of the Ismaili community in Tanzania, the work of Mawlana Hazar Imam in the country, and the gracious support that the Ismaili community has received from the Government.
He explained, “His Highness theAga Khan’s commitment in Tanzania has been greatly enhanced with the positive support and encouragement from the Government and its leadership. It has always been the view of His Highness that positive development of the society and communities is achieved successfully only when it is a collaborative effort between communities and their government. In this respect, through the leadership of H.E. President Magufuli, Tanzania has seen vast advances in economic development, education, health, water, and sanitation. These are just some amongst many monumental achievements by our government.”
The guest of honour for the evening was Hon. Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi – Member of Parliament and Minister of Defense and National Service. During his speech, he congratulated the Ismaili community for being the exemplary Muslims in practicing the teachings of the Prophet. He said, “our Prophet taught us that we should do everything possible to treat our neighbours well, our brothers and the community as a whole. Our colleagues of the Ismaili community are doing many social [services] here for the sake of theGovernment of the United Republic of Tanzania.” Dr. Mwinyi further explained that the contributions of the Ismaili Community and His Highness the Aga Khan in health, education, water and other services have helped Tanzania’s at large, which is aligned with the Prophet’s teachings.
In previous events held by theIsmaili Council for Tanzania, past guests during the Milad-Un-Nabi Celebrations include former President of Tanzania – H.E. Aly Hassan Mwinyi; the former VicePresident of Tanzania – H.E. Mohamed Gharib Bilal, the former Speaker of the House – H.E. Samuel Sitta (Late); the former Minister of Trade andIndustries – H.E. Abdallah Kigoda (Late); His Lordship – the Mayor of Ilala Municipality, Hon. Jerry Silaa; and Second Vice President of Zanzibar,Ambassador Seif Aly Iddi.