The Kenyan archipelago of Lamu, nestled on the Swahili coast, is decorated with winding lanes, humble homes and the beautiful Indian Ocean; it’s a picturesque place with coconut trees reaching up to the blue African sky. The region is a hub of Islamic activity, and is known for hosting a globally renowned mawlid every Rabi al- Awwal (the birth month of the Prophet ﷺ).
But not more than a few centuries ago, Lamu was an island deeply divided; outsiders came to settle, among whom were Arabs including some claiming descent from the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Slave ownership was common place in Lamu up until the 20th century and many of the slaves and indigenous people came to be viewed as lower class by the communities who claimed Arab ancestry or descent from the Prophet ﷺ.
This resulted in profound social divisions, with enslaved individuals at the very bottom of the hierarchy.1 One descendent of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sought to change this outcome. His name was Habib Swaleh.
A People Divided
The people of Lamu believed that those enslaved were uncivilised, ‘watwana’ and unequal. The slaves came from non-Muslim backgrounds, whereas the leaders of Lamu, descendants of the Prophet, and Islamic scholars were Muslim and therefore civilised, ‘wangwana’ in their own eyes.
Members of the upper class could lose their heshima (respect) if they behaved like lower class people or even treated them as equals. When holding out their hand to a lower-class person, heshima required the latter to kiss it.2 Those of lower social standing were unable to advance in society; even former slaves and their children carried a stigma for life.
This caste-like system couldn’t be overcome by simply converting to Islam, as ushenzi (being uncivilised) was considered inherent to the enslaved. According to this thinking, a slave, whilst human, lacked the capability to understand and develop true rationality, and thus his cognition was inferior and he lacked sophistication.
When slaves were ‘purchased’, they were ‘Islamised’ into Muslim society, and were taught a minimal amount of Islamic theology. It was deemed unnecessary to teach a slave the finer points of their religion: they need only know the declaration of Faith and the method of prayer.3
Slaves couldn’t live in Lamu town; they had to leave before nightfall and sleep in the hills east or south of the town, or on the seashore, returning for work in the morning. In other words, they were never insiders.4 But on an archipelago, surrounded by wilderness, they also had nowhere to run.
They were also deprived of mosques, including for Friday prayers. The wangwana thought it improper for the Friday prayer to be performed by the enslaved. According to them a slave couldn’t lead the Friday prayer, and since no mngwana ‘alim (scholar) could live in the “wilderness”, the Friday prayer seemed out of the question. For the enslaved, religious life was meant to be lived in the isolation of their huts.5
Reform and Redemption
In 1866 a young shariff (descendent of the Prophet ﷺ), of around fifteen years of age, arrived in Lamu from the Comoros Islands. He wished to sit with the learned men of Lamu and drink from Lamu’s religious knowledge.6 His name was Shariff Salih ibn Alwi Jamalulayl, or as he came to be known, Habib Swaleh.
Perhaps because he was an outsider, Habib Swaleh held an open mind towards all members of his new home. He established friendships with enslaved locals, and learned that the root of Lamu’s problem lay in its education system.7 The enslaved and other deprived groups had been taught they were inferior to those who claimed to be related to the Prophet’s tribe. Through education, Habib Swaleh made it his mission to dismantle this type of discrimination.8
His reforms began to worry the wangwana. They attempted to bribe Habib Swaleh to abandon his calling by promising him marriage to any girl from among them. This he humbly refused, stating he couldn’t afford the upkeep of a woman from higher society. Instead, he married from the Comorian community.
He was soon expelled from his position in society. Cast out, he moved to the outskirts of town to a place called Dari ya Mtanga (the Home of Dust).9 It was a desolate plot of land close to where the enslaved lived, many of whom were coconut cutters. This would serve as an ideal place for him; he built a mud home like theirs’ and lived among them, teaching them their religion. The wangwana mockingly nicknamed him Sharifu ya wa Gema, or the ‘Sharif of Coconut Cutters.10 He used his medical knowledge to treat his neighbours,11 and built a mud mosque with a coconut leaf roof, something they all took great pride in.
Habib Swaleh showed humility and wisdom in his approach to service and education, thereby gaining the love and support of the lower-classes. If an individual was missing from a congregational prayer, he would tell them that they were missed in the mosque, and that they should attend and pray alongside their friends.12 He never accused them of missing prayer. This way, he instilled in them a habit of praying in a mosque, which the wangwana had – for generations – refused to allow. Knowing that many couldn’t read, he would sit after every prayer and recite a few verses of the Quran in a group, all reading together so that nobody felt embarrassed. If he saw someone in soiled clothes there, he would subtly offer them one of his own garments, with the excuse that the robe no longer fit him. Every morning he swept outside his house, and his followers began to imitate him.13 Thus through wisdom, piety and humility he impacted social attitudes whilst also educating.
For his medical services, he would visit people door to door and even bring sweets for the children. One day after curing a sick woman, she said, “Thank you my Prophet.” He calmly looked at her and reminded her that he was not the Prophet. She remarked, “If not the Prophet, you must be God.” He patiently smiled and replied “I am just your Muslim brother.”14 The great love and reverence that people had started to feel for Habib Swaleh is apparent.
One notable event, patronised by Habib Swaleh on the island, was the mawlid celebration. The Mawlid (celebration of the birth of the Prophet ﷺ) was an important yet controversial occasion. The wangwana celebrated within their own homes, inviting notables of society. The mawlid was conducted soberly and the lower class weren’t invited unless their role as servants required their presence. They too held celebrations but these included dancing and parades. To the wangwana such behaviour only cemented their opinion that these were uncivilised people, but in 1891 this all changed. Habib Swaleh hosted a mawlid for slaves in his own mosque, during which he sat at the back, among people unused to proximity with any wangwana.15 He was working gradually and wisely to enact cultural change.
Soon after, a generous donation was made to the mosque16 and Habib Swaleh was able to expand it into an education centre. He built a large courtyard alongside the mosque for students to sleep in and study, and sagely named it the Masjid Riyadah.17 The word riyadah in Arabic means ‘garden’ but in Islamic usage, it can refer to paradise. Statements of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ suggest that riyadah can also mean a place where people gather for remembrance or knowledge. Once denied access to knowledge, these formerly enslaved individuals were now living and gaining education in a paradisal garden.18
Trials and Divine Protection
Social tensions were high and eventually came to a head with attacks upon the slaves who followed Habib Swaleh and even instances of torture. A gang of wangwana youth19 formed to disrupt the now famous mawlid celebration, planning to get intoxicated and attack.20 But as the celebration began, they found themselves joining in, forgetting what they’d come for. In another instance, there was even an assassination attempt on Habib Swaleh in his home. When the assassins arrived however, they found the hut surrounded by vicious snakes and fled in horror.21
Finally, by 1911 the struggle seemed to be ending. A wangwana marriage was being held on the same day Habib Swaleh had chosen to celebrate a mawlid,22 but nobody attended the wedding. Instead, the mosque was full for the mawlid.23
So powerful was Habib Swaleh’s activism and education, that he had managed to unify all levels of society in Lamu for the first time in its history. The wangwana were enraged and a vengeful mob went to set fire to the houses around the mawlid. As smoke filled the mosque Habib Swaleh affirmed that all would be well, and that they should continue with the mawlid. Suddenly, a strong wind blew over them and carried the fire to the other side of town. The wangwana fled for their lives. Those who remained calm at the mawlid returned to homes untouched by the flames.24 This was seen by the people as Divine intervention.
After this, Habib Swaleh was considered the undisputed leader of Lamu.25 He was soon respected beyond the island, with the Sultan of Zanzibar even asking him by letter for his blessing.26 Yet his way of life didn’t change and he never took any money for himself.27 He continued to live in his simple mud hut, and it remains there to this day. People from all over East Africa were welcomed at his mawlid, and following his death his sons continued to produce imams and teachers. Graduates of the Riyadah have established schools throughout East Africa. Today, lovers and students from the tiny island are found in all parts of the world.
May God forgive and have mercy upon the the Sharif of the Coconut Cutters, the Saint of the Enslaved, Habib Salih ibn Alwi Jamalulayl.
Edited by Shirin Cameron
Footnotes
1 Abdul Hamid M. el Zein, The Sacred Meadows: A Structural Analysis of Religious Symbolism in an East African Town, Northwestern University Press, 1974, p.26.
2 Ibid, p.27-8.
3 Ibid, p.63
4 Ibid, p.5.
5 Ibid, p.76.
6 Ibid, p.117-118.
7 Ibid, pg. 120.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid, p.121.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid, p.122.
12 Ibid p. 126.
13 Ibid p.127.
14 Ibid.
16 Ibid
17 Ibid p.126.
18 Ibid p.130.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid p. 131.
21 Ibid p.122.
22 Ibid p.135.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid p.139.
26 Ibid.
27 Ibid p.140.
28 Ibid p.141.
29 Ibid p.143.
30 Ibid.
