About 40,000 people attended a funeral that extended for kilometers.. Abdullah Haroun, the South African preacher who inspired the revolutionaries and the “martyr of apartheid”

Abdullah Harun is an imam and a preacher who resisted tyranny and slavery, and the most famous call to God as a weapon in the face of the apartheid regime in South Africa until he died in his prison, so he became a source of inspiration for revolutionaries and justice seekers.

Birth and upbringing

Abdullah Haroun was born on February 8, 1924, in Newlands Clermont (south of the capital, Cape Town), and his mother died while he was an infant, so his aunt took care of him.

He grew up in a Muslim environment that believed in the necessity of freedom and justice.

Study and formation

His studies began in his hometown of Claremont, where he completed the primary stage and continued his education in mosques and religious circles, until he completed memorizing the Noble Qur’an at the age of 14.

Later, he stayed with the scholars in Makkah Al-Mukarramah for two years, so his perceptions expanded, and his religious knowledge diversified.

Sheikh Abdullah Harun (left) met with Saudi King Faisal bin Abdulaziz and discussed the issue of tyranny in South Africa (Imam Harun Foundation)

Jobs and responsibilities

After his name emerged in the cultural arena, especially in the Islamic milieu, Sheikh Abdullah Harun was elected imam of one of the largest mosques in Cape Town.

The title of imam - which is obtained through election - is one of the most important positions of the Islamic community there, as it is an imam and a teacher of the Qur'an and Sharia sciences, and a guide to society.

After his appointment as an imam, he ascended the pulpits and began guiding and guiding people, and to facilitate his mission to move between cities, he worked as a sales representative with a British company.

Intellectual and political experience

Because of the reality he experienced in South Africa, where racial segregation and discrimination between the population - which was enshrined in the "apartheid" regime - Imam Harun adopted the approach of moderation and equality, and the centrality of freedom in Islam.

And he believed that Islam is not only a set of rituals and worship, but rather a method and methodology for managing life in a way that guarantees coexistence in accordance with human values.

At an early stage of his life, Imam Harun launched a weapon calling to God in the face of the "apartheid" regime that was taking over the reins of power in South Africa, so he gathered the word of Muslims and united their ranks to confront injustice and tyranny.

In 1955, the Sheikh was elected imam of the "Stickman Claremont" mosque in Cape Town, and began organizing lessons for young people, and involving women in education through special circles.

When Sheikh Harun assumed the position of imam, he was 32 years old, and he had a modern look in a Western suit.

At this stage of his life, he focused his efforts on issuing pamphlets and magazines on Islam and Muslims, to spread awareness among the Muslim community in Cape Town.

In 1959, he took charge of issuing the newspaper "The Islamic Mirror", which was expressing revolutionary ideas adopted by the imam.

And when the British government decided to establish the independent state of South Africa in 1961 under the leadership of the whites without reference to the majority, protests spread across the country and Sheikh Harun actively participated in it, so many people were influenced by him and converted to Islam.

In 1961 he became involved in the Islamic Youth League, was its mentor and guide, and contributed to its agitation against the apartheid regime.

On May 7, 1965, he delivered a famous and powerful sermon against the prevailing laws, describing them as brutal and barbaric, and opposing the principles of Islam.

Through the gate of advocacy and struggle, the imam was able to weave strong relations with many religious and political figures of great weight outside his country.

Imam Abdullah Harun with his wife and two children, Muhammad (left) and Shamila (Imam Harun Foundation)

In 1966, he went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, where he met King Faisal bin Abdulaziz, and many influential figures in the Islamic world, and informed them of the difficult situation in South Africa.

In 1968, he visited the Arab Republic of Egypt, met with the World Islamic Council, then went to the British capital, London, at the invitation of the Pan-African Conference "PAC", and met there with many leaders and militants.

in prison

After returning from a trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Britain, and while he was preparing to deliver the Friday sermon, he was arrested by the authorities on May 28, 1969, and transferred to the notorious Caledon prison, where he was charged with disobedience and threatening the regime.

During his arrest, he was able to smuggle some letters to Barney Desai, one of the prominent leaders of the "Pak" movement, who later wrote the book "The Killing of the Imam."

Publications and achievements

Imam Harun focused on spreading knowledge and advocacy on direct lessons from sermons and lectures, as well as publications that were issued in periodicals and magazines.

In 1961, he wrote The Call to Islam, a small book in which he presented his vision of opposing the violence and injustice that prevailed in South Africa.

Abdullah Haroun was imprisoned and died in his prison and was called the "Martyr of Apartheid" (Al-Jazeera)

Death

Imam Harun died on 27 September 1969 under torture at Matiland Police Station.

He was buried in the Islamic "Mowbray" cemetery in Cape Town, and 40,000 mourners attended his funeral, and their marches extended for more than 10 kilometers.