Origins and Family Background

Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ Hendricks was born in 1871 in Swellendam, a prominent town in the southwestern Cape of South Africa, approximately 37 years after the emancipation of slaves. His paternal grandparents were Apollis and Cassera Hendricks were Muslims; his maternal grandparents were ‘Abd al-Baṣīr and Khāshi‘ah van der Schyff, were from non-Muslim origins, but were Muslim themselves. (There are discussions in the family that indicate further info).

His father was Imām ‘Abd Allāh Hendricks (also known as Imām Ḥajjī Ḥijjī), who served as the Imām of the small Muslim community in Swellendam and was relatively wealthy, partly from operating the Swellendam–Cape Town postal route. His mother was ‘Ā’isha van der Schyff.

Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ was the youngest of three brothers: ‘Abd al-Baṣīr, ‘Abd al-Bārī, and Sulaymān. He also had two sisters: Āmina and Khadīja.

Early Education at the Cape

As a young man, Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ travelled frequently by mail cart from Swellendam to Cape Town to take Islamic lessons. His principal teachers in this period were Tuan ‘Abd al-Jalīl (commonly known as Tuan Abdul Kalil) of Chiappini Street in the Bo-Kaap, and Imām Ismā‘īl Mu‘āwiyya Manie of Van der Leur Street, Cape Town.

His father had originally prepared him to pursue medical studies in the United Kingdom, and money had been set aside for this purpose.

The Journey to Makkah (1888)

In 1884/85, when Muḥammad was about fifteen years old, an itinerant Sufi teacher, Sayyid ‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Mālikī of originally Moroccan origin and member of a prominent family in Mecca, came to Swellendam having learnt there were a handful of Muslim families there. He persuaded Muḥammad’s father to abandon the planned medical studies and instead have the young man study the “medicine of the heart” — that is, religion.

In 1888, at the age of seventeen, Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ left Swellendam and travelled to Makkah together with Sayyid ‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Mālikī, who served as his guardian in loco parentis. He would remain in Makkah for approximately fifteen years.

Studies in Makkah (1888–1903)

Hendricks studied at the Madrasat al-Ṣūlatiyya (established in 1873) and under the most renowned scholars of the age. His principal teachers included:

• Sayyid ‘Abbās al-Mālikī (later chief Qāḍī in Makkah)
• Shaykh Muḥammad Sa‘īd Bāb Sayl — Shāfi‘ī Muftī of Mecca, who taught him Islamic Jurisprudence
• Shaykh ‘Umar ibn Abī Bakr Bā Junayd — his primary teacher, who also gave him considerable guidance in Islamic Spirituality and later inducted him into the Bā ‘Alawī order
• Shaykh Bakrī Shaṭā — author of widely-read works on taṣawwuf, under whom he studied the Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn of Imām al-Ghazālī
• Shaykh ‘Uthmān Shaṭā
• Shaykh Muḥammad Sulaymān Ḥasb Allāh
• Sayyid Ḥusayn al-Ḥibshī (1842–1912)
• Sayyid Bakr ibn Sālim al-Bar — from whom he obtained ijāzah in Islamic Jurisprudence, Taṣawwuf, and Tafsīr of the Qur’ān

His fellow students in Makkah included Shaykh ‘Abd Allāh Bā Kathīr (who later headed the delegation that arbitrated the Jumu‘ah dispute at the Cape in 1914) and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd Quds, the author of Kanz al-Najah.

Personal Tragedies in Makkah

While in Makkah, Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ endured a series of personal losses. His father came on pilgrimage in 1890 and died in Makkah in March 1891. His eldest brother ‘Abd al-Baṣīr visited in 1895 and also died there. His mother passed away in Cape Town in 1893.

He married Ruqiyya Abdurahman (sister of Dr A. Abdurahman of Cape Town) in Makkah; she bore a son named ‘Abd Allāh who died, and Ruqiyya herself passed away shortly after. He subsequently married an Arab woman named Jawāhir from Makkah, but this marriage produced no children, and she later divorced him after failing to adapt to Cape Town life.

He also collected hundreds of books on Islamic subjects, histories, and Sufism during his years in Makkah, shipping them back to Cape Town. He became known as a bibliophile.

Sufi Affiliations and Spiritual Orders

Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ was inducted into multiple ṭarīqah orders; we know of some further details about a few of those, but these were by no means the only ones:

• Bā ‘Alawī Order: Inducted primarily through Shaykh ‘Umar Bā Junayd, with a prominent place in his isnād to Aḥmad b. ‘Umar b. Sumayt.
• Rifā‘ī Order: Inducted by Sayyid Manṣūr al-Rifā‘ī (son of Grand Shaykh Sayyid Ḥamza al-Rifā‘ī), with ijāzah irshād entitling him to induct others.
• Qādirī Order: Ijāzah granted by Sayyid Muḥsin b. Sālim al-‘Aydarūs from Makkah.
• Naqshbandī Order: Ijāzah granted at a ceremony in 1934 at the shrine of Tuan Ja‘far, conducted by a Naqshbandī delegation from Madīna. He was invested with a green turban and green thawb. The line of induction passed through Shaykh Amīn al-Kurdī, author of Tanwīr al-Qulūb.

Sojourn in Zanzibar (c. 1902–1903)

On his way back from Makkah, Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ stopped in Zanzibar for approximately one year. His parents were dead and his family and associates in the Cape had turned against him. When the opportunity arose to take a temporary assistant Qāḍīship in Zanzibar, he accepted. This appointment came about through the mediation of his fellow student Shaykh ‘Abd Allāh Bā Kathīr and was ratified by their teacher Shaykh ‘Umar Bā Junayd.

He was listed by Abdallah Saleh Farsi, the foremost chronicler of Shāfi‘ī ‘Ulamā’ of East Africa, as a “shaykh of the ‘Alawī tradition, a teacher, and a scholar.” Notably, the fact that he was from Cape Town was not mentioned as anything peculiar, indicating that in this kind of network, distances were of little importance.

During his tenure, he was active in shaping the mawlūd celebrations in Zanzibar, adopted indigenous practices that he later introduced to Cape Town, and formed a relationship with Sayyid Aḥmad b. Sumayt, author of the Tuḥfat al-Labīb, receiving at least twenty copies for distribution and teaching in Cape Town.

Return to Cape Town (July 1903)

Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ returned to Cape Town in July 1903, blissfully unaware he was entering a community tearing itself apart over religious controversies. His initial reception was apparently cordial — a huge welcome-banner and bright coloured lamps guided visitors to his residence in Wandel Street. A reporter from the South African News described him holding reception in a “rose colored brocaded gown and white turban,” and portrayed him as a “bishop” on the basis of his qualifications from Mecca.

The reactions were swift and furious. Readers wrote letters pointing out that Islam has no such office as bishop, challenging him to prove his authority before a meeting of imāms, and accusing him of fanaticism. An element of rivalry soon emerged, with local religious leaders claiming equal qualifications. Whether due to bad press-handling or latent rivalry, his career as a teacher did not get off to a good start.

Without family and with few friends, he started teaching the religious sciences in different mosques in the city, particularly in the Bo-Kaap. He was met with opposition regarding some of his teaching methods, including his programme to provide Islamic learning to women. Only a few people — notably converts and the handful of families of Arab origin — stood by him in this period.

Marriage and Family (1905)

In 1905, at about age 34, he married his cousin on his mother’s side, Kubra Toefy. This marriage produced fifteen children: eight daughters and seven sons. His sons included Aḥmad (who died during his first year in Makkah from typhoid fever), Mahdī, Ibrāhīm, Ḥasan, Mujāhid, and others. Among his daughters was Sakīna, who later married Hanief Allie.

Teaching Career at the Cape (1903–1945)

For his first seventeen years, Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ used his house as a base to teach close students. He also taught at Palm Street Mosque (Long Street), conducted ladies’ classes every fortnight at the Palm Tree Mosque, held weekly men’s classes at Nūr al-Ḥamadiyyah Mosque (Long Street), and conducted Jumu‘ah prayers at Jāmi‘ah Mosque in Lower Chiappini Street.

Daily Teaching Schedule

After Fajr (dawn) prayers: special classes for Imāms, including those who later played prominent roles in religious affairs — Imāms ‘Abd al-Baṣīr, Shadley, Harris, and Muḥammad Ḥayr. From about 10:00 a.m.: special classes for members of the Ahl al-Bayt (descendants of the Prophet) and Arab students, conducted in Arabic. After ‘Aṣr (late afternoon): classes for younger community members and families of Ḥabībiyyah Mosque in Athlone. Between Maghrib and ‘Ishā’: classes for various groups. After ‘Ishā’: a special group of about ten people for advanced lessons on taṣawwuf. He slept from 9:00/9:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., with a one-hour afternoon siesta.

The Azzawia Mosque (1919–1924)

Around 1919, Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ began conceiving the idea of a complex serving as both mosque and school. He had been forced to teach students under uncomfortable conditions after plans for a Muslim Arabic school at the Khalīl al-Raḥmān Mosque did not materialise.

In 1920, after court cases and litigations, he successfully established the Azzawia Mosque. The inaugural khuṭbah was delivered by Sayyid Muṣṭafā ‘Alī al-‘Aydarūs of Surat, India. Delegations at the opening included Sayyid ‘Abd al-Ṣamaḍ al-Rifā‘ī from Lourenço Marques, Mozambique, and Sayyid Muḥammad al-‘Aydarūs from the Comoros.

Spiritual Practices and Dhikr

He used his teaching circles to spread the teachings and practices of taṣawwuf. His regular recitations included:

• Rātib al-Ḥaddād (Thursday evenings)
• Rātib al-‘Aydarūs and Rātib al-‘Aṭṭās (Saturday evenings)
• Dalā’il al-Khayrāt
• Dhikr of Aṣḥāb al-Badr (313 names of those who fought at the Battle of Badr)
• Khatm al-Khawājakān (both Qādirī and Naqshbandī versions)
• Naṣr wa’l-Falāḥ, al-Durriyya, and Yā Sīn with seven mubīns

Mawlūd Celebrations

His most visible public taṣawwuf activity was his attention to the Mawlūd al-Nabī ceremony. He would spend up to three months in advance of Rabī‘ al-Awwal in preparation. The celebrations had three components — men’s, women’s, and children’s mawlūd, held on different days. The highlight was the women’s mawlūd. He only allowed regular students to participate in the mawlūd jamā‘a, and taught the text of al-Barzanjī along with commentaries weeks in advance to prevent the ceremony from degenerating into mere entertainment.

Written Works

• Kitāb Van Hadji op die Mathv,Hab, Sha,Ve,A — “The Book of Ḥajj on the Madhhab of Shāfi‘ī” (published)
• Deze Ketab es van Salaah op de Madhab van Emaam Shafvia — “This is a Book on Ṣalāh According to the Madhhab of Imām al-Shāfi‘ī” (published)
• A comprehensive treatment of Islamic inheritance (manuscript in al-Zāwiya library)

Notable Students

‘Abd al-Wahhāb Abrahams and Muḥammad Nūr Toefy (who presided as imāms at the mosque); Aḥmad Sirāj (Sera’i) and Muḥammad Nūr Bardien (Ghudayfī), who were instrumental in the form and structure of mawlūds; Ḥājjī Ismā‘īl Salām (d. 1978), granted ijāzah in Rātib al-Ḥaddād; Imām ‘Abd al-Baṣīr Baṣīr (d. 1962); and Hanief Allie, ex-principal of Habibia Primary School, who later married his daughter Sakīna.

Later Years and Death (1936–1945)

When his sons Shaykhs Mahdī and Ibrāhīm returned from Makkah in 1936, Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ entrusted them with various study circles, organised according to different levels of advancement. He then focused largely on a smaller group designated almost entirely for taṣawwuf teachings, to whom he taught the Tuḥfat al-Labīb of Sayyid Aḥmad b. Sumayt in Arabic.

He passed away in 1945 after approximately forty-three years of religious service at the Cape. During his lifetime he had requested that no shrine be built over his grave, and after lengthy deliberation in the presence of his sons Shaykhs Mahdī and Ibrāhīm, the family honoured his wish. He died without having been able to do much about the incomprehensible religious discord prevalent in the Muslim community. He left behind three actively teaching sons — Shaykhs Ibrāhīm, Mahdī, and Mujāhid — who continued to nurture the structures he had created.

THE SONS OF SHAYKH MUḤAMMAD ṢĀLIḤ HENDRICKS

1. SHAYKH AḤMAD HENDRICKS

Aḥmad was sent to Makkah with his brothers Mahdī and Ibrāhīm in 1928 to study at the Madrasat al-Ṣūlatiyya. Tragically, he died of typhoid fever during his first year there. When his brothers returned in 1936, his bags were brought in first — an occasion of immense grief for the family. His sister Faiḍah recounted: the family all wept, and it was “like a funeral.”

2. SHAYKH MAHDĪ HENDRICKS (1908–1981)

Early Life and Education

Shaykh Mahdī was born in 1908, one of fifteen children. He grew up in Cape Town and did not attend Christian mission schools (Christeskole). He attended madrasah where he received Islamic education (Slamsegeleerte), and could read Arabic and Afrikaans-Arab (Afrikaans written in Arabic script), though he could not initially read or write English and Afrikaans.

His Islamic teachers before Makkah included Shaykhs ‘Abdurraḥīm ibn Muḥammad al-‘Irāqī (d. 1942), Aḥmad Behardien (d. 1973), his father Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ Hendricks, and ‘Uthmān Najjār. He studied Qur’ānic recital under Imām Sa’eirien.

Studies in Makkah (1928–1936)

In 1928, Mahdī left for Makkah with his brothers Aḥmad and Ibrāhīm. He studied under the same renowned scholars his father had learned from, including Shaykh Muḥammad Sa‘īd Bāb Sayl, Shaykh ‘Umar Bā Junayd, Sayyid Bakr ibn Sālim al-Bar (from whom the two surviving brothers obtained ijāzah in Islamic Jurisprudence, Taṣawwuf, and Tafsīr), Shaykh Bakr Bāb Sayl, and Sayyid ‘Abbās al-Mālikī. He also obtained ijāzah in Islamic Culture and Arabic Language from scholars in Madīna (certificate dated 2 Rabī‘ al-Awwal, 1355 AH).

Upon their return in 1936, the brothers were perhaps the most highly qualified Islamic scholars, other than their father, to have returned to South Africa. Shaykh ‘Abdullāh Muftī of Mecca wrote a letter to their father praising the impact they had made.

Marriage and Family

He married Khadījah Jacobs, daughter of ‘Alī and Ḥasīnah Jacobs of Balmoral Street, Woodstock. They had four children: Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ, Ḥāzim (d. 1997), Faḍl, and Naylah.

Teaching Career at al-Zāwiyah

Almost from the very next day after returning from Makkah, Shaykh Mahdī became involved in a heavy teaching and administrative programme at al-Zāwiyah. His student Achmat Fakier reported attending his first classes in the 1940s: men had classes from Mondays to Wednesdays at night, starting with Risālah al-Jāmi‘ah, Islamic jurisprudence, and the Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn. On Sunday mornings, he taught Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, and on Thursday evenings Shaykh Ibrāhīm taught Aḥādīth.

Students received a minimum of five lectures a week — something not done anywhere else in the Cape Peninsula. Additional special classes were held for women every fortnight. In the months before Ḥajj, he would conduct classes on the jurisprudence governing ‘Umrah and Ḥajj. Individual students included Imām ‘Alī Gierdien, Shaykh Mu‘ṭī of Paarl, Kamāl van der Schyff, Ṭāhir Naṣeroddien, and lawyer O. Karjiker (whom he taught the relationship between Roman-Dutch Law and Islamic Law). Perhaps the individual student he taught most intensively was his brother, Shaykh Mujāhid, before the latter left for Makkah.

Scholarly Approach

His whole approach to Islam was innovative for Cape Town and “non-sectarian.” His son Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ recalled: “My father exposed us to all schools of thought. He gave rulings in terms of circumstances, and investigated reasons behind juridical rulings. He used to say: ‘Do not ask me a ruling on a matter. Detail the circumstances, and I will explain to you different points of view.’”

He had a particular regard for Imām Mālik, saying that if it were not for fear of causing dissension, he would have switched to the Mālikī school of thought because Imām Mālik “made the practice of Islam more relevant and easier for women.” He respected all schools of thought and considered them “good fortune.”

His scholarship was widely recognised. When students from Cape Town were unable to complete their studies in Makkah, their teacher sent them to him to finish. A shaykh from Morocco came all the way to Cape Town to obtain ijāzah from him. Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abdullāh of Comoros, who had completed two doctoral studies, considered him “one of the best scholars on the continent of Africa, at whose feet I would sit every day if I should be living in Cape Town.”

Sufi Path and Spirituality

Although considerably involved in ṭarīqah, Shaykh Mahdī never mentioned the subject in public lectures, which he reserved for other religious sciences. His understanding came out only in private discussions with certain people, especially his sons and nephews.

He once remarked: “If you must know how I believe, my blood would become permissible to you.” On another occasion, when asked by his son Ḥāzim who he was, he replied: “I do not know who I am. I only know I am, and that is a special knowledge.”

He held ijāzah in taṣawwuf from Sayyid Bakr al-Bar of the ‘Alawiyyah Order. When his nephew Shaykh Seraj once asked if he belonged to the ‘Alawiyyah Order, he replied cryptically: “I prefer to call it the Ghazāliyyah.” This reflected the deep connection of the Bā ‘Alawī chain to Imām al-Ghazālī.

On dhikr, he taught: “Allah does not forget one. One is His remembrance. How can one forget Him. Dhikr is the centre of all acts of ‘ibādah. ‘Ibādah without dhikr have no soul. Without dhikr, ṣalāh would be empty.”

On taṣawwuf and gender: “In circles of dhikr throughout the world women are sitting. They participate in the same circles as men. One transcends masculinity and femininity in the Oneness of Allah. In depth of dhikr, plurality disappears and we return to the primordial aspects of our being.”

Intellectual Interests

Despite his heavy teaching programme, Shaykh Mahdī maintained wide intellectual interests. He was a serious listener of classical music (Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss) as well as popular music. He was an avid photographer who used the art to study and record the beauty of creation. He was passionate about gardening, stemming from his study of botany, and would make detailed pencil sketches of plants and study soil composition.

He was also an avid student of psychiatry and psychology, reaching such competence that doctors such as Dr A. Abrahams referred patients to him. He became a competent user of hypnotherapy.

Public Roles

Generally a private person, Shaykh Mahdī nonetheless served as president for short periods of both the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) and the Majlis al-Shūrā. He later accepted an honorary life-presidency of the MJC, afraid to cause further schisms in the community. He resigned from al-Shūrā when people with limited religious knowledge attempted to have a say in passing fatwās.

After leaving al-Shūrā, a number of his students approached him to establish a class for training religious teachers, and in this way ad-Da‘wah came into existence around 1985. It has published transcriptions of his lectures, including works on al-Nikāḥ, Inheritance, and a Compendium of Fiqh.

Death (1981)

In August 1981, at the age of seventy-three, Shaykh Mahdī suffered a heart attack and was rushed to hospital. He refused a private ward and refused that his family bring him food from home. A few moments before his death, he remarked to his son Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ: “My child, I am very tired. Death is an agony and exhausts one.” He smoothed all his clothes and bedding, placed his hands over his chest, and passed away quietly while the tahlīl was being recited for him. He had told his children he would be coming home that Monday. He came home that day — but as a corpse. When they brought his body in, the family said: “Al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbil-‘ālamīn.”

3. SHAYKH IBRĀHĪM HENDRICKS

Shaykh Ibrāhīm left for Makkah in 1928 with his brothers Mahdī and Aḥmad, studying at the Madrasat al-Ṣūlatiyya and under the same teachers. He returned in 1936 and was immediately entrusted by his father with various study circles at al-Zāwiyah, structured according to different levels of advancement.

He was present during the deliberation over his father’s grave in 1945 regarding the construction of a shrine, and participated in the decision to honour his father’s wishes against it. He continued the teaching programme at al-Zāwiyah alongside his brother Mahdī, with Shaykh Ibrāhīm specifically teaching Aḥādīth on Thursday evenings.

When their father died in 1945, the full responsibility of carrying and directing the teaching programme rested on the shoulders of the brothers.

4. ḤASAN HENDRICKS

Ḥasan remained in Cape Town and was taught by his father. Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ encouraged him to embark on a medical career in order to fulfil his own late father’s wish that a son study medicine. Ḥasan attended the University of Cape Town for medical studies but was forced to abandon them in his fourth year due to the outbreak of the Second World War and severe financial constraints.

He was present at the Naqshbandī investiture ceremony in 1934 at the shrine of Tuan Ja‘far. He joined his brothers in the teaching and administrative programme at al-Zāwiyah after their return from Makkah.

Ḥasan was the father of Shaykhs Seraj and Ahmad Hendricks

5. SHAYKH MUJĀHID HENDRICKS

Mujāhid was about eight years old when his brothers Mahdī and Ibrāhīm returned from Makkah in 1936. Perhaps the individual student whom Shaykh Mahdī taught most intensively was his brother Mujāhid, before the latter left for Makkah. They studied a number of works together, including Risālah al-Jāmi‘ah, Tafsīr al-Jalālayn, and Kifāyah al-‘Awām.

In 1948, three years after their father’s death, Mujāhid left for Makkah to pursue further studies at the Madrasat al-Ṣūlatiyya. He studied there from 1948 to 1956.

He was among the three sons — Ibrāhīm, Mahdī, and Mujāhid — who continued to nurture the structures their father had created to keep the torch of Islam burning at the Cape.

SAMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Seraj Hendricks, Sages of the Mountains: A Spiritual History of the Cape (1667–1945) (Doctoral thesis, 2019)
• Anne K. Bang, Islamic Sufi Networks in the Western Indian Ocean (c. 1880–1940): Ripples of Reform (Leiden: Brill, 2014)
• Four Makers of Cape Muslim History (biographical compendium)