Al-Qalam 
Just two days before his passing, Durban radio broadcaster Shafa’at Ahmed Khan called up journalist Ismail Suder and gave him a head-scratching message.
It was in the summer of 1998 that I first met Marhoom Shafa’at Ahmed Khan, a sprightly young man with a spring in his step. He was introduced to me by that doyen of journalists, Marhoom Farook Khan in the busy newsroom of The Daily News in central Durban.
At that time, I was still a “wet-behind-the-ear” reporter of The Daily News who had just smashed through the apartheid barrier to enter the realms of a largely all-white dominated newsroom.
Though I towered over him by an inch – maybe two – Shafa’at was a larger-than-life personality whose wit and sharp tongue I could never match. His mastery of the English language and his love for both English and Urdu poetry had often left me spellbound. Until his death, he was regarded as one of the finest Muslim radio personalities in South Africa who used a unique blend of wit and humour to present his lifestyle shows that held global audiences captive.
Many of his audiences didn’t know this, but all his radio broadcasts on Cii, Al-Ansaar, Markaz Sahabah, and Sirius FM were done from his Isipingo Beach home on a special digital broadcast platform. What kept people enthralled was his cheery demeanor and his positive attitude to life. He had a knack for uplifting people no matter how bad a day they were having.
So when Shafa’at (65) passed away peacefully in his sleep last Thursday, possibly of a heart attack, it shocked me along with thousands of his avid listeners across the country.
On Tuesday, two days before his passing, little did I realize that it was going to be his final goodbye, and little did I pick up on an uncanny coded message that he was not going to be around for long – that he was going to meet his Lord.
His words still send a tingling in my spine when he said: “There’s going to be a big announcement about me this week – you will hear of it.”
“What announcement bro?” I asked curiously.
“Don’t worry, you will know soon Dost (friend),” he said, cheerfully.
“Please tell me man…, I pressed on. “What is it, tell me. I am not going to be around – I’m flying to Pakistan for a week, so you better tell me shaykh”, I pleaded.”
“You’re not going to be around?….” he asked softly, his voice trailing off. I could be wrong, but I almost sensed a touch of disappointment in his tone.
Seconds after putting down the call, I sent him a funny WhatsApp message: “Tell me the big news about you. Are you getting married? Are you being nominated for president, What!?”
No worded reply came from him, just a crying/laughing emoji.
So two days later, on Thursday, while sipping tea at the fancy Nadia coffee shop at the Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore, I almost choked at what I read on social media – Shafa’at Khan has passed away!
Shafaa’at was the de-facto right-hand man of the legendary Shaykh Ahmed Deedat at the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) in Durban’s Queen Street. Apart from being Deedat’s shadow, he was in charge of receiving international guests who had come to meet the iconic scholar of Islam. He was also a journalist who was privy to many discussions that Shaykh Deedat had with foreign guests. He would photograph them with Shaykh Deedat and write a piece about them in the IPCI’s in-house magazine.
We kept in touch regularly by phone, the conversations were never serious you understand, just small talk to maintain our brotherly love spanning over three decades.
He certainly had the gift of the gab and he could converse on just about any topic on or off radio.
During our short chit-chats on the phone, Shafa’at would often recite short English or Urdu poetry or quote Alama Iqbal or Rumi, or even quote an ayaat from the Quran.
But what I remember most is the quirky, ‘laugh-a-minute’ Cii radio shows he hosted – with me as his guest. We chatted about all things food. Sometimes, I provided recipes on how to cook the perfect dhal and rice dish. On many occasions, my recipes were made on the go, and we would scream with laughter – on-air nogal! I doubt any food connoisseur worth his/her salt would have taken us seriously – the only benefit for the listeners may have been a giggle or two from two crazy radio crackpots on the loose.
But going back to the 90s, Shafa’at showed his true humanity when he formed the Muslim Seaman’s Institute to look after the welfare of Muslim ship’s crew. Whenever a ship with a Muslim crew ducked into the Port of Durban, he would be the first to welcome them to the city and also arrange for them to be transported to the headquarters of the IPCI to meet with Shaykh Ahmed Deedat after which they would be invited to lunch in the boardroom.
On many occasions, Shafa’at would invite me to board some of the ships that sailed into Durban Harbour to meet the captain and crew and publish stories about their life at sea. After publishing their interesting stories in the Daily News, Shafa’at would receive numerous requests from the local Muslim community to visit the ships – and which he graciously obliged.
The community has lost a legend, a wonderful human being, a storyteller of note, a true humanitarian, an orator, a livewire broadcaster, and a friend to so many whose lives he touched.
Brother Shafa’at, May you reap your rewards in full and enjoy the best of Jannah, and may you be comforted in the embrace of Almighty Allah. Farewell my Dost, Till we meet again!
