The Bilal Muslim Mission is an international
Shi'a
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...
twelver
Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...
organization, established in
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
on December 25, 1964
through the efforts of
Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi,
Hussein Nasser Walji and other dedicated volunteers.
The organization is named after
Bilal ibn Ribah, the famous Ethiopian
Sahabi
The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...
.
History
When the organization was established, there were hardly any Shi'a communities of native African origin in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Now, there are several.
The website of their Tanzania branch writes:
They are now part of the
World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities, an international umbrella organization
[ that was formed in the 1976, after 1500 Shi'a twelver families emigrated from East Africa to the ]United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
The carried out missionary efforts aimed at both non-Muslims and Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Muslims, and their efforts intensified after the Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...
.
In the late 1970s, the Bilal Muslim Mission and World Organization for Islamic Services had sent many books to America, by July 1977, about 5,770 books and booklets had been mailed out.
The Bilal Muslim Mission had been able to accomplished at lot in its objective of spreading the true teaching of Islam, through the hard work of its dedicated founders. This was achieved with very limited means and resources. Main source of spreading the true faith was person to person or through correspondence and publication of books and its dissemination. People from Guyana in South America to Poland in Europe and from Malaysia to West Africa benefitted and embraced the true Islam.
At present, 2017, the Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania a still trying to get its rhythm since the void left by the death of Allama Sayyid Saeed Aktar Rizvi.
The Bilal Muslim Mission is recognized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) was a ministry of the Government of India. It was dedicated to all matters relating to the Indian diaspora around the world.
History
Ministry was established in May 2004 as the Ministry of Non-Res ...
.
Member organizations
*Bilal Muslim Mission of Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
&ndash
kenbilal.org
*Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
&ndash
bilaltz.org
*Bilal Muslim Mission Moshi Branch &ndash
bilalmoshi.com
*Bilal Muslim Mission of Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
&ndash
bilalmma.org
*Bilal Muslim Mission of Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
&ndash
immi.se
Publications
Bi-monthly magazines:
*Sauti ya Bilal (The Voice of Bilal) to cater for the Swahili readers,[ since 1965.][
*'The light' which has global readership,][ since March, 1963.][ This magazines also spawned a book named “Muhammad is the Last Prophet”.
Books:
The Mission has more than 108 (57 English, 51 Swahili) books written on a wide range of Islamic topics.][
*Music and its Effects
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* The Light.][Bilal Muslim Mission] - Bi Monthly English Magazine first started in 1963
Bilal Muslim Mission of TanzaniaHaja ya Dini.
Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
The Return of Al_Mehdi
Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
Justice of God
Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
References
External links
power point presentation
{Dead link, date=November 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes created by Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi
Sayyid Sa‘eed Akhtar Rizvi () (January 5, 1927 - June 20, 2002) was an Indian born, Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, who established the Bilal Muslim Mission in East Africa to spread the Twelver creed. He was granted authorizations () by fourteen ...
on the World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities website.
Shia organizations
Shia Islamic websites
Islamic publishing companies