Al-Qalam 
By Nabeelah Shaikh
In a heart-warming event that has touched the hearts of many, Grade 10 pupil Amina Makhonxele of Sivananda Technical High School in KwaMashu, Durban, recently captured the admiration of her entire school community when she took to the podium to recite verses from the Holy Quran.
Her eloquent recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in Arabic, followed by a translation into IsiZulu, left both teachers and fellow students astonished, sparking a newfound interest in Islam among many attendees. The remarkable moment, which was captured on video, has since gone viral, drawing attention not just within the school but across the broader community.
One person from Joburg who watched the video, drove to Durban to meet Amina and provided her with a gift.
Amina’s recitation occurred during an awards function at the school, where she was chosen to perform the opening prayer – a decision that proved to be both momentous and inspiring.
Shaykh Habeeb Milanzi, a respected figure in the Sunni African Ulama Council and the head of the Ameen Ngubane Musallah in KwaMashu, where Amina has been a pupil for the past three years, spoke about the significance of the event. He explained that the Musallah had been sponsoring the school’s awards for Grade 9 to Grade 12 pupils for the first term. In a bid to share the beauty of Islam with the school community, they requested to do the opening prayer, a task for which Amina was chosen.
“Amina recited Surah Al-Fatiha and everything was marvellous. Everyone was astonished about the Quranic verses that were recited, and it led to most of the kids expressing interest in Islam,” said Milanzi.
He said the response from the school community was overwhelmingly positive.
Many teachers and students were impressed not only by Amina’s fluency in Arabic but also by the depth of meaning conveyed in her translation.
Milanzai says for many, this was their first encounter with the Quran and the Islamic faith, and it sparked curiosity and a desire to learn more.
“This is something they didn’t know much about and it was a wonderful, uplifting experience for them. It came to a point where most of them wanted to accept Islam and had approached me to learn more.”
