Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait is a Kuwaiti doctor who preferred relief work in the poorest regions of the world to a comfortable life in his country. He established an institutional norm in dealing with the needs of the people of this continent and its body in various projects that changed the reality of its people.
Birth and upbringing
Abdul Rahman bin Hamoud Al-Sumait was born on October 15, 1947 in Kuwait. He was a religious child with a passion for reading, which made him distinguished from his peers and more aware of their surroundings.
His early participation in the scouts also earned him the ability to bear hardships and be patient with the hardships of life, and he was known since his childhood for his love of charitable works.
In high school, he and his friends collected a sum of money from their daily allowance and bought a car with it. One of them would transport the simple workers to their places of work or to their homes for free.
Study and training
Al-Sumait completed his first educational stages in Kuwaiti schools, from which he obtained primary, preparatory and secondary certificates.
After completing secondary school, he was sent to Iraq to study medicine and surgery at the University of Baghdad, from which he graduated in July 1972, then obtained a diploma in tropical diseases from the University of Liverpool in April 1974.
Al-Sumait specialized at McGill University, Montreal General Hospital, Canada, in internal diseases and then in gastroenterology from July 1974 to December 1978.
Then he continued studying medicine in Britain, where he conducted research in liver cancer at the University of London from January 1979 to December 1980.
Functions and Responsibilities
Al-Sumait worked as a medical practitioner at the Montreal General Hospital in Canada 1974/1978, then a specialist at Kings College Hospital in London 1979/1980.
After that, he worked as a doctor specializing in gastroenterology at Al-Sabah Hospital in Kuwait during 1980/1983.
He held many positions and responsibilities in charitable work institutions, including taking over the General Secretariat of the "African Muslims Association" in 1981, and he remained at the head of the association after its name was changed in 1999 to the "Direct Aid Association".
Al-Sumait was a founding member of the International Islamic Charitable Organization, the International Islamic Council for Call and Relief, a member of the Kuwaiti Al-Najat Charitable Society, the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society, and editor-in-chief of Al-Kawthar magazine specialized in African affairs.
He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Call Organization in Sudan, the Board of Trustees of the University of Science and Technology in Yemen, and chaired the Board of Directors of the College of Education in Zanzibar, chaired the Board of Directors of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies in Kenya, and headed the Center for Charitable Work Studies.
Why Africa
Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait was attached to Africa and its people, and the reason for this was due to a field study read by the man confirming that millions of Muslims there only know about Islam myths and legends, and that the majority of them are subject to Christianization.
As a result, tens of thousands of people in Tanzania, Malawi, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, Niger and other African countries have become Christians, while their parents are Muslims.
He also cites what David Bart, a statistics expert on missionary work in the United States, said that "the number of missionaries working in missionary bodies and committees exceeds 51 million."
He adds that "the number of Christian sects in the world is 35,000, and workers in this field own 365 thousand computers to follow up on the work provided by missionary organizations and their working committees."
He continued, "They own an air fleet of no less than 360 planes carrying aid, materials that they distribute and books that fly to different parts of the world at a rate of one plane every four minutes around the clock. Annually for church purposes, more than 300 billion dollars, and Africa's share of missionary activity is the largest.
The most obstacle facing Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait's career was not poverty and the lonely jungle, but the Christianization attack that churches in the world spend a lot to make there succeed, and in that he says, "Christianization is still the master of the situation."
convictions
Al-Sumait believes that “the zakat of wealthy Arabs is sufficient to meet the needs of 250 million Muslims. Enough to start the poor into a productive business that can live on his income.
Al-Sumait did not differentiate - in his charitable work for decades - between a Muslim and a non-Muslim in the African continent. He did not feed Muslims and deprive others, but rather made them equal because they share the right of humanity.
The Direct Aid Society, founded by Al-Sumait, has become the largest international organization in all of Africa. More than half a million students study in its educational facilities, and it owns more than four universities, and a large number of radio and publications. It has drilled and equipped more than 8,600 wells, and worked on preparing and training more than From 4000 preachers and teachers.
In an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper;
Al-Sumait said, "We rarely give money to the poor in cash, but we offer small development projects such as opening groceries, providing sewing machines, or setting up fish farms. These generate income for people and lift them out of poverty, and often leave the greatest impact on their souls, so they convert to Islam."
Regarding his assessment of his career, he said, "I do not regret going forward on this path because I chose it with complete conviction and satisfaction with the decree of the Lord of the Worlds, but I pity my brothers who chose the adornment of this worldly life that distracted their eyes from the real pleasure that surrounded hardships and calamities."
These convictions, which were translated into practical efforts and projects in that continent - which knew the West only as a colonizer or a victor - yielded a lot on the ground, and it is enough that Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait was the reason for the conversion of more than ten million people there.
Books and writings
Based on his practical experience, Al-Sumait wrote several books, including the extracts of his experience and field observations, including: “Lake Africa” and “A Good Journey in Africa… A Letter to My Son”, “Antimore Tribes in Madagascar”, and “Features of Christianization… A Scientific Study” and “Crisis Management for Workers in Islamic Organizations”.
He also authored the book "Safety and Evacuation in Conflict Zones", "Alboran Tribes", "Dinka Tribes", and "Management of Relief Centers Manual", in addition to many research papers, working papers and hundreds of articles published in various newspapers.
Awards and Honors
Al-Sumait received a number of decorations, awards, shields and certificates of appreciation, as a reward for his charitable efforts, and among the highest of these awards is the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, which he donated its reward (750,000 Saudi riyals) to be the nucleus of the educational endowment for the people of Africa, and from the proceeds of this endowment received large numbers of The people of the continent are educated in different universities.
Other awards and honors that Al-Sumait received include:
The Knight of Charity Award from the Emirate of Sharjah in 2010
Charitable work award from Qatar Foundation / Dar Alinma in 2010.
Charitable and Humanitarian Work Award from Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai.
Certificate of Appreciation from the Council of Voluntary Organizations in Egypt.
Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical and Human Sciences, Dubai, 2006.
Medal from the President of the Republic of Benin.
Sharjah Award for Voluntary and Humanitarian Work in 2009.
Sheikh Rashid Al Nuaimi Award, Ruler of Ajman in 2001.
The Order of the Two Niles, first class, from the Republic of Sudan in 1999.
The Gulf Cooperation Council Medal for Service to the Scout Movement in 1999.
The Medal of the Presidents of the Gulf Cooperation Council for charitable work in 1986.
Omdurman University, Sudan, awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2003.
Death
Al-Sumait was subjected to several assassination attempts in Africa by armed militias because of his presence among the poor and needy, in addition to his suffering as a result of living in poor areas and enduring mosquito bites, diseases and epidemics in various parts of Africa.
After a long journey of giving and suffering from illness, Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait passed away on August 15, 2013.