A
Candle Eclipsed
Farouk Abdulla Barwani
(22 January 1945- 7 July 2016)
On
the morning of 7th July 2016, Farouk Abdulla Barwani passed away
after spending a few days in ICU of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in
Muscat, Oman. Farouk dedicated his life for Zanzibar and Zanzibaris. The arena
of Zanzinet knew him as a passionate patriot with strong moral mantle. He
always worked in the shadows to light the path of others. Added to his superb
command of his mother-tongue Swahili, he commanded both English and Arabic to
literary levels. In his lifetime he published two monumental works of Swahili
literature at his own expenses;
·
First, the memoirs of his parent and
mentor Sheikh Ali Muhsin “Conflict and Harmony in Zanzibar” “From English to
Swahili under the name “Kujenga na Kubomolewa Zanzibar”.
·
Second, the translation of the book of
Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) الفقه الميسر “Fiqhi Iliyowepesishwa” from Arabic to
Swahili. (http://www.fiqhi.quranitukufu.net)
Born
in the village of Donge Mchangani in Zanzibar. Farouk started his elementary
schooling in Donge. He also went to schools in Chake and Kangani in Pemba. He
completed his primary education in his home village of Mkwajuni, Zanzibar where
he was a colleague of President Salmin Amor. Farouk studied the Holy Qur’an at
the hands of Maalim Othman of Donge and his father Sheikh Abdulla Amor Barwani
After completing his primary education he moved to the Stone Town to complete
his education and he lived with his relative Sheikh Badar Muhammed Al Barwani
in what became known as “the House of Martyrs”. He shared house with the
Martyrs Mushin and Suleiman Badar, Muhammed Humoud and Humoud Muhammed. In
Zanzibar Town Farouk joined the Muslim Academy Secondary School between 1961
and 1966. There he studied under the auspices of Sayyids Omar Abdulla and Ahmed
Mansab and Sheikhs Suleiman Al Alawy, Abdulla Hadhramy, Said Al Kindy, Musa
Makungu, Ali Musa and Harith Khelef.
Post
the invasion of Zanzibar, Farouk moved to Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and served at the
armed forces before moving to his ancestor’s home country, Oman. He worked for
the Central Bank of Oman till he retired. He spent his retirement years between
his village at Mkwajuni, Zanzibar farming and performing philanthropic projects
of drilling water wells and building mosques and his family residence in Al Hail
North, Oman.
Holy Qur’an Al Fajr 89:27-30
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