BAIS BOROM LIE TOLLOL (the measure of a man is revealed in the strength of his special day), so philosophized the Wollofs, the children of Kotchi Barma. That special day, in this case, was one of mourning, of darkness and light, of the unfailing fall of a giant - YA IMAM MASS JAH, the grandson of Imam Mass Kah and, therefore, a descendant of the Light Of Touba, Seringe Ahmadou Bamba, and Alhagi Malick Sy, Garmibi.
THE SCENE
Word of his death bathed the air at 2pm and within 2 hours, the invasion of Kairaba Avenue was complete with the most conscious of all mammals - Man - imposing his will on the traffic, on every inch of space in and around Kairaba Avenue Mosque. In their thick numbers, they came: they were men of the word, school children, high-status politicians and civil servants, Almoudous, veiled-women, busy business people roaming from the wall-street-type to colanut-peddlars, and many more people of other faiths and colour taking shelter under the trees lining the outer perimeter of the mosque yard. They all came to say their last respects to a man who stood on this same ground every Friday afternoon ramping the word of God into their ears, whether they were the faithful seated under his breath or other creatures of other calling, passing on feet or on wheels, unconcerned about his sermon, yet unable to escape the message blasting through the speakers. Busy as it always were, but Kairaba Avenue has never seen anything like this consternation of men and machines - certainly not in 100 minutes!
Having known the family, I wheeled-off to Banjul, to that dreaded house where no one seeks invitation, yet everyone must visit. It's the Banjul Mortuary. Someone with no appetite for euphemisms called it what it was: Dead House. His male children stood at the gate, working the phones, preparing the deceased for burial. There, too, stood a man who lost his son. I wondered for a moment, how can the norms be turned so upside down - how can a father bury a son, how can it be so ruthless sometimes. It reminded me of what was said to have been authored by Mam Bai Nyass: "God's signature is Ma taay - I don't care!" So, when it comes to agony and pain, it appears that Kotchi Barma's children are again right in their assertion that "there is no such thing as greatest pain; there is only newest pain." That event, at that gate of pain, was also the paracetamol handy.
Meanwhile, across the street from Dead House were Imam's female children and in-laws. Evidently, the heat in their hearts was no match for the heat outside, for they stood there indifferent to the oppressive sun. O' how impressive they were in the manner they comported themselves in the face of so much grief. No screams, no chatter, no emotional fits. The cool and collected manner with which they absorbed the pain was only betrayed by their grief-swollen faces, mildly reddish eyes. Bravely and gracefully, they cuddled their wounds, only perhaps murmuring to themselves "we will miss you dad; we will miss you for all the laugh and love, for the inspiration and debate, for challenging and censuring us to be better human beings, for ... everything! But we are also satisfied and grateful that God has given you a very fulfilling HIS CV.
In 1936, in Medina Bai Mass, Sheikh Abdallah Jah (named after Seringe Abdallah Nyass of Kaolack) and Sohna Zainabou Kah (daughter of the great Islamic scholar, Seringe Mas Kah) gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Mass Jah, his namesake being his grandfather, his role model. Early in his teens, his father sent him to learn the Quran in Ndarr (Saint-Louis) Senegal, which was at the time the epicenter of Quranic education. The Futa Toro region of Saint-Louis was also the birth place of his grandparents and in-laws (the Kahs and Jahs lineage).
Years on, he went to Morocco to study at the University of Karaween. And under the auspices of his elder brother, the world-known Islamic scholar Dr. Omar Jah, he wound up in Cairo where he studied at Egypt's Al-Azhar University.
Cairo soon gave way to Khartoum at Sudan's Omdurman University, where he obtained a Bachelor's in Arabic and Islamic studies before returning home, and started teaching at then Crab Island Secondary Technical School. After a brief stint, he left for Muslim High School, where he pioneered this country's first properly-structured Islamic school with an integrated curriculum. His target was simple: no more trips to Ndarr for Quranic Studies; no more Daras that produce only Quranic teachers. With that vision at hand, backed by a compelling nationalistic urge, Imam Jah never slowed down in his drive to educate or facilitate the education of others.
It is that compulsive push that led him to build a full-fledge Primary and Secondary School (named after the centerpiece of his life - Mam Mass Kah) offering not only Quranic education, but Western education as well.
Prior to the Schools, he had enlisted the help of the late Daddy Jobe, Abdoulie Jeng and then permanent secretary for Lands, Sulayman Masaneh Sisay, for securing a plot of land off Kairaba avenue which was later to become Kairaba Mosque. And in recent years, in partnership with his elder brother (Dr. Omar Jah, Sr), they established the Sheikh Mass Kah Islamic Foundation for Education, Social work and Health. Equipped with two new ambulances, tents, lab equipment and generator sets, the Foundation launches a Mobile Clinic every two weeks. It has so far made 36 trips and has seen over 2000 patients, and trained over 200 Traditional Birth Attendants, significantly helping in cutting the Maternal and Infant Mortality rates. HIS NATURE Unlike his heart, his figure was not at all intimidating. He walked fast, talked briskly. His unpretentious looks said much about his sincerity and honesty. Quick to laugh, lavish in his love for the Word Of God and men who love God, he was forever pious and rigidly disciplined. Impulsively impatient, he molded his character into a no-nonsense, result-oriented man. A well-known SenegambianPoet and Singer has articulated that a "prayer for hugeness from even a baby elephant is redundant, because it's already in his DNA; and no matter how quiet a baby lion may be, it's still no less than a lion." Even if we don't agree entirely, how can we disagree. The truth in that assertion is the link between Imam Mass Jah and his grandfather Mam Mass Kah, the celebrated Waliyou of Karang and Amdalie. Between him and his brothers, sons and in-laws are a long list of long-hairs, big-heads in outsize IQS. Imam Jah was an academiclike the rest of his family, but what made him outstanding was not his intellect; it was his passion. "My father was a pragmatist... while they are theorizing,he is practicalizing," said one of his sons. People who knew him well agreed on one thing: Mass had extraordinary energy and a relentless drive to get things done.In one sentence, caught between a hyperbole and metaphor, his elder brother captured that spirit when he remarked: "Mass doesn't sleep; neither day, nor night." It is refreshing to notice, albeit bemusing, that it was too much of a coincidence thatAlbert Einstein somehow had equated energy with his name when he wrote that equation like no other - E (energy) - M (Mass)C2! Energy, though, with all its potentials, must be harnessed. Imam Jah's respectable success came from that forceful combination of energy with ambition. He was a big-hearted man who wanted to go places. And he made sure that nothing slowed him down, let alone stop him. Unless you had drive mix with vision, you can never walk nor work with Mass. That's why he was able to build institutions and build bonds that mushroomed into networks extending to Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Conakry, Sierra Leone, the Arab world, all of North Africa, all the way to the Nile Valley. One is left to calculate what would have been his catch had he also had the benefit of deep-seated Western Education, thereby further unlocking doors to more opportunities. HIS EXAMPLE His life - we must admit - was not altogether free from flaws, weaknesses, and awakenings so characteristic of any human existence.But Distinction is not 100 percent; it is every score in the neighborhood of that percentile. By all reasonable assessment, thus, this man was a Grade A student. Every where in his resume are the imprints of hardwork, of respect for oneself and love for others, of the desire to help and the drive to develop human beings and their infrastructure, of piety and integrity, yes, of an ambition for a higher good that will forever be an unfinished business. If we have been fortunate enough to live relatively long to rise above the challenges of living, we must ask ourselves: what good did our existence present to the lives of others? One of the things that struck me in his funeral was an unusual presence of these young learners of the Holy Quran called Almodous, almost-always illustrating the hallmarks of poverty. I was made to understand later that he use to gather them every day and give them gifts. In his house, there is a room next to the garage, called Charity Room. Every day, the faithful would bring gifts and charity. It was the sole room where his children were not allowed to enter. He told them that the gifts were not meant for them, for they were, however little, privileged. He argued that they must strive not to take charity because it will trigger a dependency syndrome that has the tendency to keep them in that circuit of the poor. The gifts were intended for the poor, and he ensured that it reached them the next day. One of the speakers delivering the eulogy narrated another incident that was yet another pointer to the tough skin that he was. The gentleman's son was among the hundreds of people he and his elder brother had directly or indirectly helped to further their studies abroad. The man said after his son left, he went to Imam?s house, called him to a corner and handed him a D2500 cheque (lot of money in those days), as a token of appreciation. The Venerable Imam declined the gift. Now, what shocked him was that he was to discover, many years later, that on that very night, Imam Jah did not even have Fish Money for the next morning. Of even more far-reaching consequences are his generous lessons in toleration, moderation and modernization. Here was an imam who was as religious as it can get, but accepted others who adhered to other faiths. One Mr ....... ,a Christian, who had been chronicling his life in still and moving pictures for over 15 years, was a friend to him, and was one of the eulogists. Religion again did not stop him from bringing his family in a modern world armed with the modern tools of education. Being the pragmatist that he was, he ensured that his children get schooled in the Quran, but also allowed them to pursue Western Education. It's a family of productive citizens ranging from doctors and lawyers to high-achieving businessmen. Among them is Muhammed Jah, one of this country?s richest, and arguably, it's most dynamic businessman. It appears that giants too fall, but they don?t founder. The immortality of a soul lies in its bond with other living souls, while the pain rests with the consciousness. I am convinced that long after you have gone past this way, the people of this country shall continue to call your name. May you live in the Heavens eternally.
Goodbye.
HIS NATURE
Unlike his heart, his figure was not at all intimidating. He walked fast, talked briskly. His unpretentious looks said much about his sincerity and honesty. Quick to laugh, lavish in his love for the Word Of God and men who love God, he was forever pious and rigidly disciplined. Impulsively impatient, he molded his character into a no-nonsense, result-oriented man.
A well-known SenegambianPoet and Singer has articulated that a "prayer for hugeness from even a baby elephant is redundant, because it's already in his DNA; and no matter how quiet a baby lion may be, it's still no less than a lion." Even if we don't agree entirely, how can we disagree. The truth in that assertion is the link between Imam Mass Jah and his grandfather Mam Mass Kah, the celebrated Waliyou of Karang and Amdalie.
Between him and his brothers, sons and in-laws are a long list of long-hairs, big-heads in outsize IQS. Imam Jah was an academiclike the rest of his family, but what made him outstanding was not his intellect; it was his passion. "My father was a pragmatist... while they are theorizing,he is practicalizing," said one of his sons.
People who knew him well agreed on one thing: Mass had extraordinary energy and a relentless drive to get things done.In one sentence, caught between a hyperbole and metaphor, his elder brother captured that spirit when he remarked: "Mass doesn't sleep; neither day, nor night." It is refreshing to notice, albeit bemusing, that it was too much of a coincidence thatAlbert Einstein somehow had equated energy with his name when he wrote that equation like no other - E (energy) - M (Mass)C2!
Energy, though, with all its potentials, must be harnessed. Imam Jah's respectable success came from that forceful combination of energy with ambition. He was a big-hearted man who wanted to go places. And he made sure that nothing slowed him down, let alone stop him. Unless you had drive mix with vision, you can never walk nor work with Mass. That's why he was able to build institutions and build bonds that mushroomed into networks extending to Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Conakry, Sierra Leone, the Arab world, all of North Africa, all the way to the Nile Valley. One is left to calculate what would have been his catch had he also had the benefit of deep-seated Western Education, thereby further unlocking doors to more opportunities.
HIS EXAMPLE
His life - we must admit - was not altogether free from flaws, weaknesses, and awakenings so characteristic of any human existence.But Distinction is not 100 percent; it is every score in the neighborhood of that percentile. By all reasonable assessment, thus, this man was a Grade A student.
Every where in his resume are the imprints of hardwork, of respect for oneself and love for others, of the desire to help and the drive to develop human beings and their infrastructure, of piety and integrity, yes, of an ambition for a higher good that will forever be an unfinished business. If we have been fortunate enough to live relatively long to rise above the challenges of living, we must ask ourselves: what good did our existence present to the lives of others?
One of the things that struck me in his funeral was an unusual presence of these young learners of the Holy Quran called Almodous, almost-always illustrating the hallmarks of poverty. I was made to understand later that he use to gather them every day and give them gifts. In his house, there is a room next to the garage, called Charity Room. Every day, the faithful would bring gifts and charity. It was the sole room where his children were not allowed to enter. He told them that the gifts were not meant for them, for they were, however little, privileged. He argued that they must strive not to take charity because it will trigger a dependency syndrome that has the tendency to keep them in that circuit of the poor. The gifts were intended for the poor, and he ensured that it reached them the next day.
One of the speakers delivering the eulogy narrated another incident that was yet another pointer to the tough skin that he was. The gentleman's son was among the hundreds of people he and his elder brother had directly or indirectly helped to further their studies abroad. The man said after his son left, he went to Imam?s house, called him to a corner and handed him a D2500 cheque (lot of money in those days), as a token of appreciation. The Venerable Imam declined the gift. Now, what shocked him was that he was to discover, many years later, that on that very night, Imam Jah did not even have Fish Money for the next morning.
Of even more far-reaching consequences are his generous lessons in toleration, moderation and modernization. Here was an imam who was as religious as it can get, but accepted others who adhered to other faiths. One Mr ....... ,a Christian, who had been chronicling his life in still and moving pictures for over 15 years, was a friend to him, and was one of the eulogists.
Religion again did not stop him from bringing his family in a modern world armed with the modern tools of education. Being the pragmatist that he was, he ensured that his children get schooled in the Quran, but also allowed them to pursue Western Education. It's a family of productive citizens ranging from doctors and lawyers to high-achieving businessmen. Among them is Muhammed Jah, one of this country?s richest, and arguably, it's most dynamic businessman.
It appears that giants too fall, but they don?t founder. The immortality of a soul lies in its bond with other living souls, while the pain rests with the consciousness. I am convinced that long after you have gone past this way, the people of this country shall continue to call your name. May you live in the Heavens eternally.
Goodbye.
HIS NATURE
Unlike his heart, his figure was not at all intimidating. He walked fast, talked briskly. His unpretentious looks said much about his sincerity and honesty. Quick to laugh, lavish in his love for the Word Of God and men who love God, he was forever pious and rigidly disciplined. Impulsively impatient, he molded his character into a no-nonsense, result-oriented man.
A well-known SenegambianPoet and Singer has articulated that a "prayer for hugeness from even a baby elephant is redundant, because it's already in his DNA; and no matter how quiet a baby lion may be, it's still no less than a lion." Even if we don't agree entirely, how can we disagree. The truth in that assertion is the link between Imam Mass Jah and his grandfather Mam Mass Kah, the celebrated Waliyou of Karang and Amdalie.
Between him and his brothers, sons and in-laws are a long list of long-hairs, big-heads in outsize IQS. Imam Jah was an academiclike the rest of his family, but what made him outstanding was not his intellect; it was his passion. "My father was a pragmatist... while they are theorizing,he is practicalizing," said one of his sons.
People who knew him well agreed on one thing: Mass had extraordinary energy and a relentless drive to get things done.In one sentence, caught between a hyperbole and metaphor, his elder brother captured that spirit when he remarked: "Mass doesn't sleep; neither day, nor night." It is refreshing to notice, albeit bemusing, that it was too much of a coincidence thatAlbert Einstein somehow had equated energy with his name when he wrote that equation like no other - E (energy) - M (Mass)C2!
Energy, though, with all its potentials, must be harnessed. Imam Jah's respectable success came from that forceful combination of energy with ambition. He was a big-hearted man who wanted to go places. And he made sure that nothing slowed him down, let alone stop him. Unless you had drive mix with vision, you can never walk nor work with Mass. That's why he was able to build institutions and build bonds that mushroomed into networks extending to Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Conakry, Sierra Leone, the Arab world, all of North Africa, all the way to the Nile Valley. One is left to calculate what would have been his catch had he also had the benefit of deep-seated Western Education, thereby further unlocking doors to more opportunities.
HIS EXAMPLE
His life - we must admit - was not altogether free from flaws, weaknesses, and awakenings so characteristic of any human existence.But Distinction is not 100 percent; it is every score in the neighborhood of that percentile. By all reasonable assessment, thus, this man was a Grade A student.
Every where in his resume are the imprints of hardwork, of respect for oneself and love for others, of the desire to help and the drive to develop human beings and their infrastructure, of piety and integrity, yes, of an ambition for a higher good that will forever be an unfinished business. If we have been fortunate enough to live relatively long to rise above the challenges of living, we must ask ourselves: what good did our existence present to the lives of others?
One of the things that struck me in his funeral was an unusual presence of these young learners of the Holy Quran called Almodous, almost-always illustrating the hallmarks of poverty. I was made to understand later that he use to gather them every day and give them gifts. In his house, there is a room next to the garage, called Charity Room. Every day, the faithful would bring gifts and charity. It was the sole room where his children were not allowed to enter. He told them that the gifts were not meant for them, for they were, however little, privileged. He argued that they must strive not to take charity because it will trigger a dependency syndrome that has the tendency to keep them in that circuit of the poor. The gifts were intended for the poor, and he ensured that it reached them the next day.
One of the speakers delivering the eulogy narrated another incident that was yet another pointer to the tough skin that he was. The gentleman's son was among the hundreds of people he and his elder brother had directly or indirectly helped to further their studies abroad. The man said after his son left, he went to Imam's house, called him to a corner and handed him a D2500 cheque (lot of money in those days), as a token of appreciation. The Venerable Imam declined the gift. Now, what shocked him was that he was to discover, many years later, that on that very night, Imam Jah did not even have Fish Money for the next morning.
Of even more far-reaching consequences are his generous lessons in toleration, moderation and modernization. Here was an imam who was as religious as it can get, but accepted others who adhered to other faiths. One Mr ....... ,a Christian, who had been chronicling his life in still and moving pictures for over 15 years, was a friend to him, and was one of the eulogists.
Religion again did not stop him from bringing his family in a modern world armed with the modern tools of education. Being the pragmatist that he was, he ensured that his children get schooled in the Quran, but also allowed them to pursue Western Education. It's a family of productive citizens ranging from doctors and lawyers to high-achieving businessmen. Among them is Muhammed Jah, one of this country's richest, and arguably, it's most dynamic businessman.
It appears that giants too fall, but they don't founder. The immortality of a soul lies in its bond with other living souls, while the pain rests with the consciousness. I am convinced that long after you have gone past this way, the people of this country shall continue to call your name. May you live in the Heavens eternally.
Goodbye.
