Historical Information
The Ḥājah is one of the names given to a customary religious ceremony whereby specific chapters of the holy Qur'ān are recited, praises of Allah and His messenger, Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) are rendered, the Riwāyāt (historical narrations) of 'al-Barzanjī and the ‘Ashraqal are recited and concluded with a supplication for mercy and forgiveness (Du`ā' Khatam 'al-Qur'ān).
Some of the other names given to this ceremony are the werk - the Afrikaans translation of the Arabic word `amal which means good deeds and 'arwāḥ meaning spirits (of the deceased persons). This probably pertains to the fact that in the final supplication, special emphasis is made upon supplicating on behalf of deceased persons.
The Ḥājah has especially been associated with the 7th, 40th and 100th day commemoration of a deceased person. The tradition has primarily been inherited from the pioneering Indonesian slaves and political exiles, such as Shaykh Yūsuf of the Khalwatiy-yah Sūfi order, who were strong adherents of their tradition and culture.
The Ḥājah has its textual origins in the Riwāyat Sūrat. It played an important role in the cultural practices of local Muslims in the Cape. The Riwāyat Sūrat is comprised of a variety of texts written by different authors. The texts include:
- Maulid Sharaf 'al-‘Anām : The Maulid Sharaf 'al-‘Anām is a text with narrations and poetry about the birth and life of the Prophet of Islām. The poetry was written by an `Irāqi scholar by the name of al-Bukhārī (not to be confused with the famous eighth century Hadīth scholar). In the Cape, Maulid Sharaf al-‘Anām has been reserved by local Muslims for the commemoration of the birthday (Maulūd) of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and will be recited in the month of Rabī` al-Auw-wal.
- Maulid al-Barzanji : This text is also about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) written by 'Abū Ja`far 'al-Barzanji, a fourteenth century Islamic poet who hailed from the island of Zanzibar .
- Qasīdat 'al-Burdah : The Qasīdah Burdah was written in the 13th century by the well-known scholar and poet, Sharāf 'al-Dīn al-Busīrī who hails from Mamluke, Egypt.
- Du`ā' Khatam 'al-Qur’ān : This translates as the supplication for concluding the recitation of the entire Qur’ān and forms the first and last part of the Riwāyat Sūrat. The religious ceremony includes the recitation of specific verses from the Holy Qur’ān, the recitation of the ‘Asmā al-Husnā (99 names of Allāh), salutations on the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his family and his companions, a part of the Qasīdat al-Burdah, a part of the Maulūd of Barzanji, finally the ‘Ashraqal and concluded with Du`ā’.
- `Aqīdat ‘al-`awām : The `Aqīdat 'al-`awām translates as the belief system of the general public. This text summarizes the basic tenets of Islāmic belief in poetry form.
- 'At-tadhkīr li shahr-Ramad ̣ ān : Besides Maulūd, Dhikr and `Aqīdah the Riwāyat Sūrat also consists of specific ‘adhkār (remembrance of Allah) for the month of Ramadān.
- Rātib 'al-Had-dād : The Rātib 'al-Had-dād is literally translated as the ompilations of the blacksmith. This is a set of ‘adhkār (remembrance of Allah) compiled from authentic sources by the Sūfi Shaykh`Abd Al-lāh ibn `Alawiyy 'al-Had-dād . The Shaykh is from the `Alawiy-yah Sūfi order and hails from Hadramaut in Yemen.
The Rātib 'al-Had-dād or Ḥad-dād as it is sometimes referred to, is not the same as a Ḥājah even though specific sections of the Ḥājah have been incorporated into it, especially the first part.
The first part of the Ḥājah has locally been incorporated into most forms of dhikr, be it a Maulūd, Qādarī or even a Rātib 'ar-Rifā`ī (locally known as "Ratiep"). This is locally referred to as a voor-werk (lead-in), which serves as an introduction to the actual dhikr. This is probably the reason why some of the local Muslims have used the word Ḥad-dād synonymous with the word Ḥājah.
