We were driving through the mountains of Istan, in September of 2000, when we dialled a lady named Shaida Loyd, who was on the list of Ismailis living in Malaga the time. Amidst the many things we shared, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that she knew my husband Amyn and his family from Mombasa. We were quite happy to receive a confirmation from her that we had a community in Malaga. A few weeks later, we connected with the rest of the Ismailis on our list to introduce ourselves.
The second person I spoke with was Gulzar Shabudine, whom we fondly remember as Auntie, the underlying energy of the Malaga Jamat. She relayed the story of the beginning of our Jamat Khana as follows: “The day I heard that there were 9 of you, I knew Mowla had heard my prayers. It was only after we finished dinner that evening, that I shared with my family that Mowla has sent 9 Ismaili ‘jiv’ (souls) to Malaga.” We were now a total of 21 members completed by Amir Jamani, and Gulshan and Talib Ahmed ranging from Alhaurin de la Torre to Estepona.
Finally, the Shabudine family which includes our current Mukhianimaa Marga Leverde, the Datoo’s and the Dahya’s met for dinner and Dua as we lived in the same vicinity. We shared a beautiful evening as the children ranging from 2 – 8 bonded, as did us adults. Our first full Jamati prayers and dinner took place in the Shabudine family warehouse before its’ opening.
We had so much to celebrate including the coming together of a Jamat. As we all explored how to move forward, we realised that we had some unallocated space in our offices in Alhaurin de la Torre, that could be converted to our place of prayer. Everyone agreed to this location happily, especially Auntie, and so we began our Friday get togethers. As us adults found peace in our prayer, the children learnt their faith, recitation of prayers, and how to perform the various ceremonies, and slowly took over ensuring smooth running of our special days – as they still do today. At our peak, we were 30 Ismailis on the Costa del Sol, but due to the economic downturn, and children moving on, we ebbed and peaked in our numbers. Our centre became an official JamatKhana in 2004, under the umbrella of Portugal.
Regardless of the number of members, JamatKhana has been held every Friday since early 2000. The lady ‘Shaida from Mombasa’ has become Mukhianimaa Shaida who served in this position for 19 years. Some members were fortunate enough to have Didar in the early years, when Mawlana Hazar Imam had come to Spain for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1998, and since then, many opportunities have been presented to the entire Jamat in Portugal.
A particular point of synchronicity was the first wedding celebration in October 2007, between a Spanish lady from Alhaurin de la Torre who was marrying a man from the UK, which still remains a story at Jamati gatherings. The couple is our current KamadiaSaheb Nafees Akbarali and Silvia Neira, who gave birth to two additional ‘jiv’ to add to the Malaga Jamat. Those of us who have been a part of the Malaga Jamat at some point, continue to return like the waves of the ocean always leaving and returning, and continue to pray and dine together, while sharing beautiful and funny memories of our journey as one Jamat.
After the Diamond Jubilee, the Malaga Jamat Khana moved to an independent location from Mukhianimaa’s home to Torremolinos in line with other halls of worship. The energy and the positivity is as inviting as are the open arms of the pioneering and new members that carry on the congregational prayers each Friday and Chandraat.
