Photo by [Al-Qalam]
Tazkiyyah Amra, daughter of the late Mohamed Amra, said her father was always passionate about sharing and expressing his love for reading and literature. He dedicated nearly a decade of his life advocating and spreading “what he’d call the culture of reading” to his family and the community he served.
Therefore, it is only fitting the first Islamic library to be established in Durban be named after him. So that his life, work, and legacy may live on and be remembered. Mohamed Amra was an active member of the community and various Islamic forums. He was also at the forefront of Muslim Youth Movement, multiple Islamic-driven projects and charities.
Why a Library?
Tazkiyyah said the idea of the library was to celebrate her father’s achievements and to remember his commitment to reviving and advancing people through reading.
In line with his mission, Mohamed Amra launched an online and brick-and-mortar bookstore named Baitul Hikmah [House of Wisdom]. Therefore, Tazkiyyah and her family wanted to carry on his mission and push it even further in honour of his life’s work.
“He was very committed to getting people to read. To encourage children to partake in reading [as well as] adults. That was part of his [invitation] to the community for the last ten years or so of his life. So we want to take that further in the form of a library.”
The library is roughly two months away from opening its doors to the public. Once it is done with construction, they will fill it with publications of various Islamic literature not easily accessible to South Africans.
Tazkiyyah hopes the library will be able to bridge the gaps in the community so that readers and reading may have the same effect on their families as it did on hers.
“We’re hoping that more families [will] encourage their children and everyone around them to read. Because this is our heritage … We are a religion of knowledge. I don’t think anyone can say that the tradition of [seeking knowledge] is not important or the tradition of learning is not.”
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What Is the Hope for the Library?
Libraries serve as central points for every community. It is a safe space for children and adults. An area which stimulates curiosity and creativity in all people, and the vision for this library is no different.
Tazkiyyah said she envisions the library becoming an intricate and essential part of the community. A place where people can come together to discuss new ideas and to engage positively with one another. A place which binds and strengthens the bonds of the people in the locality.
“The vision for the library is to be a space for communities to come together. For there to be lessons, for there to be discussions and for [it not to be] just a place where you borrow books … A space for people to encourage each other and to seek [knowledge] through books … It’s our intention for it to be more than just a library.”
Though the library will not be an ample space or as big as the most famous libraries in the world, its actual measurement will be the knowledge and the spirit of friendship fostered within its walls.
