Cape Town - In the absence of family and friends, scholars within the Muslim community, students and a few members of the public gathered to ensure a dignified burial for a homeless woman.
Days prior, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) sought assistance from the public in locating Aishah Sulayman’s family. Attempts to reach her family were, however, unsuccessful.
The body of Sulayman, 27, was found on the corner of Newlands Avenue and Edinburgh Drive, Newlands, on Sunday.
Sulayman was laid to rest at the Mowbray Muslim Cemetery on Thursday. The burial was facilitated by the MJC, Cape Town Islamic Educational Centre (CTIEC) and the Mowbray Cemetery.
A poster notifying the public of the burial, in the hopes this would reach anyone who knew Sulayman, welcomed all to attend the funeral.
Upon meeting Sulayman on two occasions, Muneeb Mohamed attended the funeral.
“I’m quite familiar with where her body was found. I met her on two occasions and we shared a brief chat at the traffic light. I met her the second time and we shared a laugh and that was my two interactions with her.
“Sometimes you just meet people and you don't know why and here we are. I could see she was homeless and I actually wondered what is this lady doing wearing a scarf standing at the robots. It just struck me that there’s obviously a difficult story behind why she’s there.”
MJC Head of Burial Administration Shaykh Riad Fataar said the MJC had informed Home Affairs to not make use of the City’s pauper burial facility, and instead would contact the MJC as it was a communal responsibility to bury the dead, known as far al-kif ya.
Fataar said he hoped the janazah would show how necessary support was for the MJC’s Pauper Burial fund.
“Someone that is out there, that is poor, on the streets, and that has passed on, Allah (God) will reward you when your money goes towards that person’s burial and we give them an honorary burial,” Fataar said.
“And now with Covid-19 that has hit us, there are more people that are in difficulties. It is our communal responsibility under far al-kif ya to see to those people that cannot see to themselves.”
Addressing attendees at the funeral, Fataar said although she was known to have been living on the streets, her funeral was blessed by Ulema (esteemed Muslim scholars), CTIEC students and members of the public.
“You are here because Allah Ta’ala placed you here to honour this woman, but where is her family? Her family is the Ummah of Nabi Muhammed.”
CTIEC’s students assisted in preparing and lowering the body into the grave, and placing flowers on the grave.
MJC first-deputy president Moulana Abdul Khaliq Allie said Sulayman’s passing should change the way we interacted with homeless people.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body was under investigation.
He said Claremont police attended the scene and the victim was declared deceased by medical personnel. Claremont police registered an inquest for further investigation. Swartbooi could not confirm the cause of death.