BARAKA TREK

SHAYKH ISMAIL LONDT

Scholar

At the age of 13, Shaykh Ismail completed the memorization of the Holy Quran and continued his studies by obtaining six independent Ijazat (traditional certifications) and multiple Asanid (narrative chains) in the field of Tajwid, Qiraat and Quranic studies in Egypt. His former studies in Newcastle, KZN covered the Arabic language and Islamic studies such as Aqidah, Fiqh and its Usul, Islamic history, Hadith and its terminology and Tafsir. He has obtained Ijazat in the field of Hadith from Moroccan scholars such as Shaykh Abdullah at-Talidi and Shaykh Abdul-Hayy al-Kattani, amongst others. In addition, he also obtained an Ijazah for the famed Barzanji from the Libyan Sheikh Ahmad al-Qat'ani.

Shaykh Ismail is currently specializing in the fields of Arabic and Linguistics through Unisa and has been involved in the translation and compilation of some basic texts in the field of the Holy Quran. He is the director of the Dar Ubaiy Centre which, along with offering memorization classes for various age groups, is primarily focused on the further development of the memorizers of the Holy Quran and honing the ability of the vocally talented. While serving as the director at the Dar Ubaiy Centre, he also lectures at the International Peace College of South Africa and is a member of the Department of Quranic Affairs under the Muslim Judicial Council.

Shaykh Ismail has travelled extensively in the service of the Holy Quran and in 2007, he was elected to serve on the adjudication panel for the annual Dubai International Holy Quran Awards. He has also been appointed as one of the lecturers for the Madina Institute, South Africa. Shaykh Ismail is currently co-Imam of the Auwal Masjid

SHAFIQ MORTON

Journalist

Shafiq Morton is a well-known Cape Town photo-journalist, editor, surfer, author, radio host and TV presenter, with four decades of media experience. He has authored four books. On his show, Drivetime, he has interviewed thousands of guests from over 100 countries. In 2014 it was nominated as finalist in the national MTN Awards for daytime shows and in 2017 in the Liberty Life Awards.

Has covered events such as the anti-Apartheid movement during the State of Emergency, Nelson Mandela’s release, Namibia’s independence, the Hajj, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, famine in Niger, the 2006 Lebanese-Israeli war, the 2006 Palestinian elections, the Somalia conflict and the Pakistan floods.

He writes for a host of publications, as well as penning op-eds for the Independent Newspaper Group .

From 2009-2012 he was voted among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Institute in Jordan.

Books: 'Notebooks from Makkah and Madinah', a travelogue (2006). 'Surfing behind the Wall, My Palestinian Journey' (2012). 'Imtiaz Sooliman & the Gift of the Givers A Mercy to All' (2014). 'From the Spice Islands to Cape Town: the Life and Times of Tuan Guru', a famous 18th century political exile sent to the Cape by the Dutch (2019). Upcoming: 'The Chronicles of Ayman O'Neill, the Accidental Sufi (a novel).