Riwāyāt in Cape Muslim History
The word riwāyah, means narrative from the Arabic word rawā, meaning to relate. To Cape Muslims, the word riwāyah means to recite the narrations particularly from the compilations of Shaykh al-Barzanji who hailed from the Island of Zanzibar.
The compilations of Shaykh al-Barzanji were published in Arabic in a book commonly referred to by Cape Muslims as a ‘riwāyāt sūrah’ and which was introduced to the Cape towards the end of 19th century. It commonly became known as the ‘maulud sūrah’ because it also contains litanies or riwāyāt to commemorate the birth of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). This section of the sūrah or kitab is known as the ‘sharful-anam’. Both recitations of maulud al-Barzanji and sharful-anam are concluded with the standing, the qiyam, popularly known as ‘ashraqal’.
The four popular riwāyāt of Shaykh al-Barzanji are recited in the most melodious tones by individuals as well as by groups at the conclusion of communal religious ceremonies such as the Rātib al-Haddad. Similarly, riwāyāt are also recited at other cultural religious practices such as ‘hājah’ or ‘werk’ as it is popularly known as, consisting of a combination of recitals which include short sūwar (plural of sūrah) of the Holy Quran, followed by the ‘asmā` al-husnā’ and salawāt (special invocations recited on the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.).
