Building the Islamic moral self: Sufi Abed’s Bustan Fatimah ma'a Bustan 'A'ishah

Abstract

English Title: Building the Islamic moral self: Sufi Abed’s Bustan Fatimah ma‘a Bustan ‘A’ishah

Sufi Abed Mian Usmani (1898–1945) of Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, authored some ten religious books in Urdu and Gujerati, which appeared to have a considerable impact on the local community there, as well as more broadly for South African Muslims of Indian descent, and even for some Muslims of India. However, apart from two academic contributions, his work and legacy remain largely unexplored. This essay aims to build upon those contributions by analysing another of his hitherto unexamined Urdu works, namely, Busta-n Fa-t.imah and Busta-n ‘A-’ishah (The garden of Fa-t.imah with the garden of ‘A-’ishah). It argues that these two works, when seen as a totality, seek to build the moral self.

Keywords: Bustan Fatimah; Bustan ‘A-’ishah; moral self; remembering God; South Africa; Sufi Abed; Urdu literature