A Tribute to Mufti Taha Karaan
A Moving Tribute to a Prolific Scholar
By Hasan Labuschagne, Student of Knowledge
I used to keep this incident a secret, due to Maulana Tauha’s request for anonymity during his life, but now after his death, I wish to share a personal anecdote about my own interaction with him. I hope to give everyone reading this a glimpse of who the man was, not just as the principal of an institute of learning, or as an Islamic scholar, but as a human being on an interpersonal level.
During the early days of my 3rd year of study at Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyah al-Islamiyah (DUAI), I was going through a period of financial and personal turmoil. As all Tullāb al-‘Ilm (students of Islamic knowledge) are no doubt aware, this path towards gaining Islamic knowledge is often a difficult one laden with many emotional and financial obstacles. Most students at Dar al-Ulum know that in this field, bursaries are few and far between, and most married students would rely on their life-savings or on doing business part-time to survive. During the first few months of my 3rd year, I suffered the loss of my aunt and godmother Heila who, in spite of being a Christian, was a major financial and emotional pillar of support in my studies. She would always encourage me to follow my dream and always stick a few crisp R100 notes in my pocket, or hand me her petrol card to fill up my car so that I can drive to the Madrassah every day. Her support allowed me to pursue my studies without worrying about neglecting my duties as a husband and a son.
With her passing in 2019 however, I realized I would no longer have the financial safety-net that had allowed me to study full-time, and that in order to fulfill my duties towards my wife and my mother, who had been enduring poor health for some time and would likely require expensive medical treatments in the future, I would have to find some form of employment to earn an income. I felt as if my dreams had been shattered. I stopped attending classes without mentioning to anyone the reason for my absence.
I could not see any other solution but to abandon my studies of the Islamic Sciences for the time being, in order to go seek an income and fulfill the greater amānah (trust) of being a breadwinner for my family. I managed to get two potential employment opportunities, teaching English in the Far East. I was notified that I had been successful in my application for both positions (one in Vietnam and one in China). I had already mentally embraced my new reality, and had started the process of obtaining my working VISA, resigned to what I believed was to be my new fate. If Allah had wanted me to continue studying His religion, surely I would not have been placed in this situation.
To my surprise, during one of those trying and hectic days, my father-in-law and teacher, Maulana Sulaiman Abels, came to me and told me “Hajjie, Maulana Tauha wil saam jou praat” (“Hajji, Maulana Taha wants to speak to you”). I was stunned, and didn’t know what to expect at all, as I never imagined that Maulana Tauha was even aware of my existence! At the time, Maulana Tauha had not been teaching at our madrassah, due to health issues he had been facing, as well as a myriad of other responsibilities he had been fulfilling at the time. Therefore, the only interaction I had had with him up until this point was when he performed my nikāh in 2015.
I went to meet Maulana Taha at his home on the following Saturday, having no expectations whatsoever and feeling somewhat puzzled. As I’ve mentioned, I had become resigned to my “fate”. I was determined that I will be heading overseas to earn money for my family, and that my life as a tālib al-‘ilm has come to an end. When I rang the doorbell, Maulana Tauha answered the door and welcomed me into his home, motioning for me to sit down in his living room. This man that I had revered from a distance, someone whose knowledge and accomplishments I had heard about since my very first days of becoming Muslim, was now sitting comfortably across from me in his living room, in a simple white thawb with some stains on and a knitted navy jersey, in what I could only describe as “house clothes”. In spite of the awe inspired by his reputation, his aura beamed with comfort and simplicity, and he made me, a complete nobody, feel as if I am a visiting dignitary in his own home.
What followed is an incident I regard to this day as a miracle, and a personal example of Allah’s direct intervention in my life. I cannot remember the exact words exchanged between us, but I will try to reconstruct the encounter by paraphrasing. Maulana Tauha said to me: “Hasan, I understand your decision, and yes, your duty to your mother is a priority, but do not make a mistake you will regret for the rest of your life”. Still with a feeling of defeat in my heart, still not realizing what was happening, I replied: “But Maulana, I have no other way. I can’t afford to continue my studies”. What followed next absolutely stunned me, and changed my life, and perception of who this man was forever. Maulana Tauha responded: “As for your debts, all of them, write them down and consider them paid. As for your studies, I will be your sponsor. Whatever your expenses are, they will be covered in full, no strings attached. As for your mother, if you wish, I will have her put on my medical aid, so that her every medical need may be seen to.”
Needless to say, after the initial shock, a wave of relief, gratitude, and pure ecstatic joy washed over me. My dream of treading the path of the scholars of the past was reinvigorated by this one meeting. This is the kind of man that Maulana Taha was. Someone who would be concerned over the state of someone as low and insignificant as myself. His love for this religion and for sacred knowledge made him empathize with anyone pursuing this journey of talab al-‘ilm. It is through Maulana Tauha’s generosity and his tireless financial assistance that I have managed to reach my 5th year of study at Maulana’s Dar al-Ulum. I know I am not the only person who received this kind of honor from Maulana Taha, I happen to know of a few families whose bellies Allah has filled through the generosity and compassion of this man, but it was always his wish to remain anonymous.
I could continue mentioning the extent of Maulana’s knowledge and academic accomplishments, but I would not be able to do him justice in such a way, and many of his students more knowledgeable and more pious than myself have already mentioned anecdotes about him and his knowledge. I wanted to simply emphasize that Maulana Tauha, in spite of the aura of reverence and mystery that surrounded him, was a down-to-earth humanitarian. A true human being who empathized with people and had a deep perception of people’s struggles and pain. I will forever be grateful to Allah for the opportunity of having known this man, not only as my teacher, but as a benefactor in my personal life, as someone who cared about me, and saved me from throwing away my hopes and dreams.
Oh Allah, do not test us too severely in the wake of Maulana’s death. Oh Allah, raise from his offspring his successor, the way You made Maulana a successor to Maulana Yusuf. Oh Allah grant this man the highest place in Jannah, and the company of the Prophets!
From the mediocre student of knowledge, Hasan Labuschagne
