Zanzibar Was a Country (UC Press, 2024)

 My book comes out with University of California Press April 9, 2024.

"Zanzibar Was a Country explores the transregional impact of the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964 through the historical memory of its exiles. Thousands of former citizens of Zanzibar and their offspring live in Oman and are a significant contemporary example of an Arab community that maintains a living connection to Africa in diaspora. These “Zanzibaris” (as they are often known in Oman) speak Swahili, sustain community originally formed in Africa, and continue to remember Zanzibar’s history as an independent country. Drawing on their life histories, their historiography of Zanzibar, and the archival traces of their migrations, Nathaniel Mathews demonstrates how these exiles were important to nation‑building and economic development in Oman."

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Swahili in the Arabic Script part 4: the book

The book

            To make a book the sheets may be glued together on one side, but in the tropics there are insects that eat this glue and the paper with it, so it is better to sew the sheets together.  However, the sheets are often placed loosely together in a leather case or wrapper, called chuo as distinct from kitabu, which refers to the written text. Waraka, pl. nyaraka, is a sheet of paper[i]. Jilidi is also sometimes used for the leather binding. The binding is sometimes made of cloth, on which the scribe may write the title, the author’s name, the date and the town, followed by praises to God and the Holy Prophet. This cloth is called dibaji, and is often beautifully decorated with a gate-motif, for a book is regarded symbolically as a house of wisdom, and each chapter is a babu or mlango, a gate or door through which the avid reader may enter another store-room of wisdom. Later the word was used simply for ‘preface’[ii].

            Not every work was considered worthy of immortality; on the contrary, fables and fairy tales, songs and riddles were not written down by the Swahili scribes until European scholars such as Edward Steere and Carl Velten, came along in the 1890s and persuaded them that it was worth preserving their national heritage[iii]. Traditionally, as we have seen, the art of writing was associated with religion. The result is that almost all the Swahili writings from before that period are of a religious kind. There are histories of the life of the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions and of the Koranic prophets of the past (‘Biblical history’); many of these legends are in verse. There are liturgies, prayers and recitations, hymns and litanies. There are contracts of marriage and deeds of property[iv].

            As the vehicle of the Koran, that is, the miraculous characters in which the sacred word of God’s own book are fixed, visible for human eyes, the Arabic script has travelled with the Arab conquerors and the traders, the merchant captains and the wandering scholars, to the ends of the old world. It is taught from Dakar in West Africa to the Sulu Islands in the Philippines, from Afghanistan to Zanzibar[v]. As a result it links all the peoples who live in between those places by a common form of expression and communication. It must be appreciated that the teaching of reading and writing in all Islamic countries is done by means of and with the purpose of reading and reciting the Koran. Young boys memorize whole chapters and learn to write these down on pieces of paper for the personal use of others. For this activity is in itself God-pleasing and the product can be sold: in many countries the text of certain chapters is used as a talisman for the protection of its wearer against diseases and disasters. God’s word protects those who have faith in it against all afflictions.

            Not only letters, but entire words were adopted from the Koranic text into the languages whose speakers were drawn into the circle of Islamic culture. The result is that languages as far apart (7,000 km) as Swahili and Malay have almost four thousand Arabic (and a few hundred Persian) words in common. Not all these words are Koranic expressions, some are taken from the colloquial Arabic of the sailors. The result is that Malay and Swahili travellers, if they meet, can converse in limited Arabic[vi]. If they are both scholars, they will, of course, converse in the classical Arabic of the Koranic text, and correspond in it. This communicability is, of course, a strong incentive to retain the use of Arabic script. Many literate Muslims nowadays, in countries where the Roman alphabet has become predominant, such as North Nigeria, Turkey and Indonesia, can read and write their language in two alphabets, like Yugoslavs or Indians[vii]. They will use on alphabet(the Roman) for official business and the Arabic script for religious writing, for decorative purposes and their personal correspondence[viii]. The modernists in such countries, especially in Turkey, condemn the Arabic script as old-fashioned and a symbol of inflexible isolationism.

            However, for millions of Muslims, the Arabic script is still the most noble and beautiful representation for human words in visible form. Even though it is often called unsuitable for most languages, it has been shown to possess a remarkable capacity for adaptation. It is or has been used for the following languages (apart from Arabic): Afrikaans, Achenese, Beluch, Bengali, Berber, Dinka, Dyula, Fulani, Gujerati, Hausa, Harari, Javanese, Kituba (Congo), Makua, Malagasy, Malay, Malayalam, Manding, Nubian, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian, Somali, Sudanese, Swahili, Tamil, Tartar, Turkish, Urdu, Uzbek, Yao, and Yoruba. Fifteen of these thirty-two language are spoken in Africa, sixteen if we count Malagasy, which makes it half of the total. This shows how Islamic culture spread to the far corners of Africa. Writings in these languages range from a few letters or contracts in some language to extensive literatures of poetry, literary and historical works in others, notably Hausa and Swahili[ix].

            Those Islamicized peoples for whom Arabic script became a major aspect of their culture developed a style of their own, so that, e.g. Swahili Arabic characters can be recognized at a glance. The scribes usually take great pride and pleasure in writing flowing, well-shaped characters, drawing each letter with great skill and care. In a culture where the visible arts such as painting and sculpture are not developed in a European sense, the art of calligraphy takes their place so that every known artists of the Swahili tradition of decorative arabesques was also a calligrapher.

            Two Persian letters, the ch and the p, were adopted by the Indians, the Turks and the Swahili. The formidable cultural and literary influence of Iran merits a separate chapter in the history of Islamic culture. Although many Swahili families claim descent from Iran (the Shirazis), the culture of Iran has left only sporadic traces in the Swahili language (some three hundred Persian words), the culture (the calendar) and the literature (some Persian epic tales)[x].

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Swahili in Arabic Script part 3: the ink

 The ink

            Ink was prepared from scorched rice which was pounded into powder and then mixed with water and Arabic gum to make it sticky, otherwise it would run too quickly and make stains. Red ink, which was commonly used by Islamic scribes to insert passages from the Koran into their Swahili works, and also for ornamental flowers and arabesques, was prepared by means of zingifuri, cinnabar or red mercuric sulfide, known already to the ancient Greeks. The Swahili poet often begins his invocation by addressing his assistant thus:

            “Brother bring me a good black ink, and red ink too, the best, from Egypt[i].”

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Swahili in Arabic Script, part 2, the pen

The pen

            The Swahili writers of the Islamic tradition often mention the pens with which they write their works. These pens are said to have been imported from as far away as Syria, and some are made of gold, or so we are led to believe by one anonymous poet, who begins his work addressing his scribe thus:

            “Ahi, patie kasabu kwa kalamu ya dhahabu”

            My brother, find me a reed for a golden pen.”

            Here kalamu is obviously intended to mean ‘penholder’ a metal cylinder in which a reed writing-piece fit. The Swahili kalamu comes ultimately from the Latin calamus, which itself means a read (botanically unrelated to modern calamus, which is a rattan palm). The reed writing-piece was at one end sliced obliquely or slightly concavely, after which the resulting point was slit vertically through the middle, a fifth of an inch or a little more, to permit the ink to run down slowly and evenly. Cutting the nib (jilifa) was a great art in which one had to be a specialist. The left side (insi, i.e. the side held toward the writer, for no one was allowed to write with the left hand) was cut half a millimeter shorter than the right side (wasihi), and slightly softer. The best reeds for writing were found near Basra and in the Nile Delta, from where they were dispatched directly to the cities for use, since the reeds must not be dry, for that would make them stiff and brittle. Reeds found at the seashore (bahari) could also be used. Cutting a good pen was considered so important that Islamic scholars used to say: “Good cutting is half of good writing.” Every type of writing required its own special method of cutting the pen. Every Islamic nation has developed its own typical variant of Arabic script, so that connoisseurs can see at a glance whether a page of writing is in Persian, Hausa, Malay, Urdu, or Swahili, without knowing those languages, simply by recognizing the shape of the letters. Pens are so precious that they have to be kept in a special container (mkilama) a long flat, wooden box often beautifully ornamented with inscriptions of proverbs like ‘allama bi’l-kalami[i] “He taught mankind by means of the Pen”. Attached to it one often finds an inkwell (dawati or dawaya, sometimes used for the ink itself). The word kalamu is often used in the meaning of “Man’s destiny”, since God created a gigantic pen to write down the future events until Judgement Day[ii].

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Swahili Literature in the Arabic Script, part 1

(Editors note: this is an old article from a journal called Manuscripts of the Middle East, which I transcribed for the blog, as it contains a lot of useful information unavailable elsewhere on the web. I will continue to publish snippets of it in future posts. The article was written by Jan Knappert, a well known scholar of Swahili poetry, with several books to his name on the subject. In the interest of space, I have not included all the relevant citations, although should anyone want to consult them, I will be happy to provide them; simply leave a comment on the posting.)

In this article, some aspects of the vast subject of Swahili documents in Arabic script and their contents will be discussed. I have published seven books on the subject, during 36 years of study, but much more remains to be done. In spite of the enormous losses through neglect, vermin, floods and fire, there are still hundreds of Swahili manuscripts in Arabic script in private collections in Barawa, Lamu, Pate, Malindi, Mombasa, Tanga, Bagamoyo, and Zanzibar. Together, these texts comprise the content of Swahili culture: there are texts on theology, law, medicine and many other subjects. Many of the texts are in verse; there are seventy-two known epic poems in Swahili. Three unknown epics have come to light in Mozambique, about which I will report in a later publication. This article will deal mainly with the exterior form of the manuscripts and how they are made.

We do not know when writing on the East African Coast was first practiced. On the basis of archaeological discoveries it has been established that there was contact between the Kenya Coast and Mesopotamia as of c. 750 AD.[i] The oldest known mosques date from the late eleventh century.[ii] Swahili was spoken on the East African Coast when al-Mas’uudi visited it.[iii] Structurally, Swahili is a Bantu language.[iv] Swahili literature has been written in the Arabic script for three centuries[v] until the colonial period when Roman script and printing were introduced.[vi] Still in AD 1900 the German scholar Dr. Seidel could write[vii]: ‘The Swahili language is written in Arabic letters’. We do not know when the Swahili poets first began to write down their works, but the oldest surviving Swahili manuscript is dated with the equivalent year of AD 1652.[viii] From that time onwards there is a steadily increasing stream of manuscripts in the Arabic script. In the library of the University of Dar es Salaam, there are almost a thousand Swahili manuscripts; other collections comprising a few hundred MSS each are to be found in Mombasa, Lamu and London.[ix]

The term literature here includes the complete writings known in a given language. Manuscripts may be handwritten poems, letters, contracts, deeds, and other documents of just one or a few pages each, like some of the long epic poems with over three hundred pages per text.[x] The interest of this literature is in the first place its historical importance: the Swahili are the only people in tropical Africa who possess a written literature going back more than two hundred years.[xi] Many historical data could be gleaned from these MSS.[xii] Secondly, there is an interest for students of culture, in particular Islamic culture, of which the Swahili people have developed their own typical variant.[xiii] Thirdly, students of literature, philologists[xiv], will find some unique works especially in the more than sixty epic poems, many of which have never been published. Some of these are extant only in one manuscript, so that it is fortunate that the Library of SOAS has acquired photostatic copies of many of the MSS in Dar es Salaam, which are now available for study in London, bound in eleven volumes. Many manuscripts are still in private hands in the towns and villages along Africa’s east coast. Not all of them are kept under ideal conditions: the climate is too hot and damp, the houses are not free of insects. But many Swahili manuscripts are part of a family heirloom which owners will not readily part with.[xv]

The tradition of writing Swahili in Arabic script is very much alive today. Poets still write verse in it, including long poems, and letters of all kinds are written in Arabic script, business as well as personal letters. Some enterprising people have begun to print manuscripts by photographic methods and make books from them that are distributed.[xvi]

Originally Arabic script was not very suitable to represent the Swahili sounds, but over the years Swahili scholars have improved it by adding signs, partly taken from the Persian and Urdu traditions, so that today Arabic script is in many ways superior to Roman in showing phonemic features. There are two major conventions: the old ‘stenographic’ convention, in which the writing is clearly used as no more than an aid to refresh the reciter’s memory, and, at the other extreme, there is Mw. Yahya Ali’s perfected adaptations of Arabic script to the Swahili language, in which all the alveolar and aspirated consonants are carefully represented so that his method of orthography is in fact superior to the Roman alphabet without phonetic diacritics The first thing that young children in an Islamic culture are taught is the Arabic script. After this they are taught to read (not yet to understand, that will come later) the first chapter of the Koran. The major part of their primary education will be reading and memorizing this book, which for a Muslim is the literal word of God.

            This Holy Book is written (and now printed) in the Arabic script. Consequently, for all Muslims, the Arabic script is closely associated with the most revered thing on earth: the book that contains God’s own words. No wonder that Islamic peoples such as the Persians and the Pakistanis use the Arabic script to write their language even though it is quite unsuitable for Indo-European languages. They feel that it is the best script in the world. The nations which no longer use the Arabic script for their language, Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia, have abolished it because they are now “secular” states, Westernized nations. Even in those countries there are large collections of manuscripts in Arabic script, waiting to be studied, edited and published.

            We cannot here go into any details of codicology, the science of manuscripts, which examines the paper, the ink, the writing and other details which can inform us regarding the time, the country and the culture of the writers of a given manuscript. Islamic scribes end the writing of manuscript with a “colophon”, usually in a curiously triangular shape in which they put their name, home-town, and the date. Not all writers are so accurate, unfortunately. Sometimes the owner will put his name in the colophon, but, of course, neither he nor the scribe, i.e. the copyist, is necessarily the author of the work. The poet (if it is a poem we are studying) sometimes names himself in the last few verses of his work, often with a pen name rather his patronymic; these pen names were known to all contemporary insiders, but later historians usually have great difficulty identifying the author, and dating him. Many uncertainties remain in Swahili literature.

            Since every person has his own unmistakable hand, and since some scholars made a living (or more often a small occasional fee) by copying manuscripts for collectors, several scribes hands are well known to the students of codicology. In Swahili, the best known scribes are Mw. Yahya Ali, Mw. Muhammad Sikujua and Muhammad Abu Bakari Kijumwa.[xvii]

            Writing is considered an art in Islamic culture, indeed it is the most Islamic of all arts. A calligrapher, a person with a fine hand-writing, is still held in high esteem by his fellow Muslims. He will be asked, for instance, to write out passage from the Koran, one-page chapters, which people wear on their persons, folded up, wrapped in a piece of cloth with a string round the neck. Many people believe that these hand-written passages have the power to protect their wearers against many of life’s dangers, diseases and disasters.[xviii] This may serve as an illustration of the faith people have in the Koran as the word of God, and the power of every hand-written copy of this divine text. No wonder that the art of writing is surrounded with a mysterious aura of spiritual sanctity, and the man (less often the woman) who can write is likewise revered.

            Many of these scribes are also scribes in the Biblical sense, i.e. they are interpreters of the Holy Book, and thus experts in Islamic law, juriconsults, whose social prestige is often measurable in terms of political power. The result was that Islamic scholars rose to the highest offices in the state, they became imamu (‘rector’ of a mosque)[xix], kadhi (judge), or even vizier (Swahili waziri[xx],  minister). The art of calligraphy was practiced by sultans and princes, as well as by the poorest students, who thus shared the same aesthetic ideals. Unlike Chinese, Arabic script is based entirely on abstract signs, each of which must form an aesthetically satisfying unit by itself. In Koranic and ornamental writing every consonant is accompanied by its vowel sign (see below) to make a complete syllable and fill the space between the lines. Since each of the twenty-eight characters of the Arabic script represents a consonant, the three (five in Swahili) vowel signs give each character syllabic value. In Swahili, the vowel signs are a necessary part of the script, since the language is syllabic; in Arabic poetry too, the vowels have to be written.

            Arabic letters have symbolic values as a result of their spiritual usage. For instance, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, called alif, is also the sign for the number one, a simple vertical stroke, the first letter of the word ahad, ‘one’, which in the Koran refers to God, who is the One next to Whom there is none. The word Allahu, ‘God’ also begins with that letter. Among the prophets, the letter alif symbolizes Adam, whose name also begins with alif, and who was the first prophet and the first human being The letter mim, the m of the Arabic alphabet is the 25^th letter. It symbolizes Muhammad, who was the 25^th prophet (after Isa (Jesus), who was the 24^th. One the numerical scale, the mim has the value 40, because Muhammad was 40 when God first revealed the Koran to him. In this way every letter has its own special set of meanings and values, some of which are known to God alone.[xxi] The text of the Koran is thus much more than a series of phonetic signs, much more than a collection of histories and exhortations. Every page is like a length of cloth, into which God has woven the destinies of men, the horizontal lines alternating with the vertical lines to form patterns of beauty like the alternating strings of days and nights in our lives. The text of the Koran is immutable, it has always existed and will always exist as the mother of Man’s destiny. It has meanings behind meanings which even the sages can only guess at.

The paper

            The Swahili word for paper, karatasi, is of Greek origin and initially meant ‘papyrus’. True paper was introduced in the world of Islam during the early Abbasid period, i.e. after 750 AD, by Chinese prisoners who taught their Muslim masters to make it from rags of linen. The use of paper was established in the Arab world before 800 AD., i.e. the time of Harun al-Rashid, the great Caliph, since he had ordered it to be used in all the offices of his government in Baghdad. There, paper soon completely replaced papyrus as well as parchment, especially since writings on paper could not as easily be scratched out, as was done with writing on parchment. Even the Egyptians no longer used papyrus, indeed Egyptian paper soon became highly valued for its softness, its smoothness, and its whiteness; yellow, red, pink, green and blue paper was also produced there.

            In East Africa the paper was mixed in a pulp-vat (kasiria) with starch (nashaa), laid out on a deckle (kalibu) and then hung on the walls to dry. We do not know for sure that paper is still made by the Swahili; so far as is known, most of their paper now comes from India, at least it did in the nineteenth century. Ruling was obtained by means of a net made of string which was pressed down on the paper giving it lines to write on (misitari) as well as vertical lines for margins and to make the half lines of poetry. For the utenzi form a special ‘net’ was used with five vertical strings to ‘hold’ the kipandes, that is, the four pieces of the stanza (ubeti)[xxii] so that the page showed great regularity and beauty. For a long poem or a long chronicle the sheets could be glued or bound together to make a book, or they could be attached in long sequences, one at the bottom of the other, to form a scroll. The oldest shairi poems, however, were written on long sheets, from right to left, so that four lines fit across the page. In this way the final rhyme of the stanza, which has to be identical throughout the poem, could be shown at the left side down the page, for both the utenzi and the shairi. Instead of calling for his pen, the poem might ask for his assistant or apprentice:

            Mbuya lete karatasi ya Misiri

            Iwe safi na nyeupe ahiyari

            ‘My friend, bring Egyptian paper,

            let it be the best: pure white.’

            Unfortunately, unlike in the dry lands of the Middle East, where written documents on paper have been preserved from the early Middle Ages (from the ninth century in Egypt), in the tropical regions paper perishes quickly as it has many enemies: humidity, white ants, cockroaches, moths and worms, so that only four Swahili MSS of the eighteenth century have survived, and only one of the seventeenth.[xxiii]

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Guide to Swahili Grammar

The noun classes are the most difficult thing for the non-native speaker to pick up in Kiswahili, but once you do, you will have mastered the language. HERE is a handy guide.

The same website also has a verb conjugator, parser, and some handy tools for the Kiswahili learner. If anyone has other resources to add, please comment!

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Swahili Proverb of the Day #11

"Kamba inakatikia pabovu"

This means that there is rottenness in the rope; meaning, that when there is a weakness in the rope, all the blame will go to the weak person.

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Swahili Proverb of the Day

"Ungeenda juu, kiboko, makazi yako ni pwani"

("Even though you go up-country hippopotamus, your real habitation is the coast")

This proverb has a connotation of reminding coastal people of their true identity. Lyndon Harries cites it in "The Arabs and Swahili Culture" in relation to a discussion of Swahili language and its transistion from being the language of Islam and coastal culture to being a national lingua franca.

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Kiswahili: a UN Working Language?

*Plans to elevate Kiswahili to UN working language status underway*

By HEZEKIEL GIKAMBI

Kiswahili might soon become a working language of the United Nations,
joining the league of six prominent languages in the world if a proposal by
Swahili scholars goes through.

The scholars met in Nairobi in December 2009 under the Afro-Arab Cultural
Institute (AACI), from Bamako, Mali in collaboration with the Ministry of
National Heritage and Culture of Kenya in a symposium aimed at charting the
future of the language.

Among the aims of the conference was to fight for the recognition of the
language by the UN.

"It is only a matter of time and East Africa will have found a bigger export
to the world than tea and coffee and that is Kiswahili," said Prof. Kimani
Njogu who chaired the conference.

Prof Njogu who heads a national Kiswahili association, Chama cha Kiswahili
cha Taifa-CHAKITA expressed optimism that the language stands a high chance
of being considered.

The language that made history by becoming the first African language to be
recognized as an official African Union language would give Africans and
more so East Africans reason to be proud of their region.

Spoken by close to 120 million people worldwide, Swahili is both a national
and official language in Tanzania.

In Kenya, the Committee of Experts, led by Nzamba Kitonga has proposed the
elevation of the language that is currently a national language to official
language status in their draft.

"If this proposal passes, it will be a step ahead of time in the century for
the language," said Information and Communication Permanent Secretary Dr
Bitange Ndemo who closed the conference.

He said if the new constitution is passed the way it is the government would
have 2-3 years to put every documents and its transactions in the internet
and later all governments documents in Kiswahili.

He promised to give two of the proposed Kiswahili-only digital channels to
the scholars to advance the language.

The official languages of UN are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish and presentations to the body are made through the said
languages.

If a participant doesn’t understand any of them, he carries with him a
translator who translates his statement to any of the six languages.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Heritage and Culture Dr Jacob Ole
Miaron who opened the conference appreciated the proposed Draft Protocol for
the establishment of the East African Kiswahili Council, saying it would
assist in the growth of the language.

“This would play a major role in enhancing political, economic, social,
cultural, education, scientific and technological development in the
region,” he said.

Efforts to have Swahili as an AU and UN language began in 2005, when a
proposal was made by the scholars to AU ministers of culture, who met in
Nairobi.

The ministers accepted the proposal and forwarded it to the Heads of States
who adopted it in a summit held in Khartoum Sudan, under the chairmanship of
President Mwai Kibaki.

"It was welcomed passionately by former Mali President Alpha Oumar Konare,
who served as Chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2003 to
2008," recalls former Director of Culture, Anami Silverse.

Other institutions represented in the two-day conference included Academy of
African Languages (ACALAN), African Union, and the League of Arab States.

Apart from taking Kiswahili to UN working language status, the conference
that brought together scholars from 14 African countries and several Arab
states, also sought to document the history of the Afro-Arab relations in
the development of Kiswahili language.

"We also want to enhance the existing cultural relations and cooperation
between the Arabs and Africans in this century and beyond," said Prof Njogu.

Giving his presentation in Arabic, Prof Ayman Ibrahim Al A’sar of Al-Azhar
University in Oman, currently a Lecturer in Arab studies in the University
of Nairobi said the relationship between Arabic and Kiswahili, which has
lasted more than 2,000 years, have immense benefits to both people.

Prof Ibrahim Noor Sharif a Kiswahili Scholar from Oman recommended the
enhancement of institutional linkages by establishing exchange programmes
between Kenyan institutions and those in the Arab world.

"Cooperation can also be enhanced through visits, workshops and regional
discussions on cultural and education matters," he said.

Arab is to Kiswahili what Latin is to English, a major source of ‘loan’
words and original donor of its earliest alphabet.

Kiswahili being a Bantu language and more so, the most Arabicized Bantu
language contains a great diversity of expressions.

“This would rekindle the significance of cultural diversity amongst the
African and Arab communities," said Prof Alamin Mazrui, a Kenyan scholar.

“This will further cement the relationship and make the African continent
first and foremost to own up the language,” he added.

The University of Nairobi came under attack from Tanzanian Scholars for
lacking an independent Kiswahili department while universities in Japan,
Germany and other foreign countries have fully fledged Swahili departments.

Prof Njogu challenged local leaders to improve on their masterly of the
language and use it often so as to give it an international appeal.

Kiswahili is the most popular African language taught alongside African
studies in over 150 universities in the USA only.

Mr Malonga Pacifique a Kiswahili lecturer at a University in Kigali, Rwanda,
underscored the growing need to embrace Kiswahili as an international medium
of communication.

* *

*The writer is the Education Features Editor, *

*with **Taifa Leo, a Kiswahili publication *

*of the Nation Media Group- Nairobi Kenya.*

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Swahili Tutoring Service in Nairobi Kenya

This came in the inbox, so I thought I would pass it on. If you have used this service or know of other Kiswahili language programs, you can leave a comment below. The mobile dictionary app looks like a good investment if you are into digital learning.

Swahili Tutors

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Faida za Dhikri kabla ya Kulala

MTU AMBAYE ANATAKA MWENYEZI MUNGU AMPUNGUZIE UCHOVU (UZITO) WA KAZI YAKE

"Fatma, Mwenyezi Mungu amuwiye radhi,alimuomba mtume,Mwenyezi Mungu amfikishie rehema na amani,ampe mtumishi, Mtume akamwambia Fatma;Je nikufundisheni yaliyokuwa bora kuliko hayo mlioniomba? Mkitaka kulala,mlete takbira allaahu akbaru mara 34, na mlete tahmidi alhamduli-laahi mara (33) na mlete Tasbihi subuhaanallaahi mara (33),hayo ni bora kwenu kuliko mtumishi"

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Khutba from Sheikh 'Abdullah 'Adhami

The following khutba in Swahili is a beautiful expression of the meaning of marriage and the nature of the love that prevails between two people. May Allah make it easy for us to love one another. (thanks to TAMCO)

Kwa kuoa huchukui tu mke, Bali unachukua ulimwengu wako mzima. Kuanzia hapo mpaka maisha yako yote mke wako atakuwa mwenzio, mwandani wako, na rafiki yako mpenzi.

Atashiriki katika nyakati zako nzuri, siku zako, na miaka yako. Atakuwa pamoja nawe katika furaha na shida, katika mafanikio na tabu, katika ndoto zako na katika wakati wa hofu. Ukiumwa, atakupa huduma bora kabisa. Wakati unapohitaji msaada atafanya vyovyote awezavyo kwa ajili yako. Wakati una siri, ataitunza siri yako, wakati unahitaji ushauri, atakupa ushauri mzuri kabisa.

Atakuwa na wewe utakapoamka asubuhi kitu cha kwanza ambacho macho yako yataona ni macho yake. Wakati wa mchana, atakuwa na wewe, kama kuna wakati mchache hatokuwa na wewe kwa kimwili, atakuwa anakufikiria wewe, anakuombea dua kwa moyo wake wote, akili yake yote, na roho yake nyote. Ukienda kulala usiku, kitu cha mwisho macho yako kuona itakuwa ni yeye, na ukilala bado utakuwa unamuona katika ndoto zako. Kwa kifupi atakuwa ni ulimwengu wako mzima na wewe utakuwa ulimwengu wake mzima.

Kielezo bora kabisa ambacho mimi binafsi nishawahi kusoma kinafafanua ukaribu wa wanandoa juu ya wao kwa wao na kielezo hicho kipo katika aya ya Qur-aan ambayo inasema:

((Wao ni vazi kwenu, na nyinyi ni vazi kwao)) [Al-Baqarah 2:187].

Na Kweli, wanandoa ni kama vazi juu ya wao kwa wao kwa sababu wanapeana ulinzi, liwazo, kinga (stara), msaada (tegemeo), na mapambo ambayo vazi linampa mtu. Hebu jaribu kufikiri msafara wakati wa siku za baridi kwenda sehemu kama vile Alaska bila ya kuwa na nguo! Wanandoa wetu wanatupa kiwango kile kile cha faraja (liwazo), ulinzi, na msaada katika msafara wa maisha yetu katika dunia hii kama vile nguo itakavyofanya katika msafara wa Alaska.

Mahusiano baina ya wanandoa ni ya kustaajabisha kabisa katika mahusiano yote ya kibinaadamu: Idadi ya mapenzi na mahaba, undani na ukaribu, huruma na imani, amani na utulivu ambao unajaza nyoyo za wanandoa ni jambo lisiloelezeka kwa wepesi. Ufafanuzi pekee wa mantiki ambao unaweza kuelezeka juu ya haya mastaajabu makubwa katika hisia zote za kibinaadamu ni kwamba: Ni kitendo cha Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, ((Na Mwenyezi Mungu Amekuumbieni wake [na wenza katika jinsi yenu])) [An-Nahl 16:72]

Mola wetu tu Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala katika katika Utawala Wake usio na upeo wa huruma Yake isiyo na mipaka na Hekima Yake adhimu Anaweza kujenga na kuzididimiza katika akili hizi hisia za kustaajabisha na za kubarikiwa katika nyoyo za wanandoa. Kwa kweli Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala Anawakumbusha wale ambao wanatafuta ishara Zake katika ulimwengu huu kwamba hisia hizi katika moyo wa wanandoa ni katika ishara Zake ambazo zinatakiwa zimuongoze mwanaadamu katika kuwepo Kwake kama Alivyosema katika Qur-aan, (Na katika Ishara zake ni kuwa Amekuumbieni wake zenu kutokana na nafsi zenu ili mpate utulivu kwao. Naye Amejaalia mapenzi na huruma baina yenu. Hakika katika haya bila ya shaka zipo ishara kwa watu wanaofikiri." [Ar-Ruum 30:21]

Lakini Mwenyezi Mungu Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala Anajua kwamba moyo wa binaadamu sio kitu ambacho kiko tuli, wakati mwengine huwa dhaifu na wakati mwengine huwa na nguvu. Hisia zinaweza kubadilika na hubadilika pindi wakati unavyosogea. Mapenzi yanaweza kufifia na kupayuka mbalini. Mshikamano wa ndoa unaweza kuwa dhaifu kama haujahudumiwa vizuri. Furaha katika ndoa haiwezi kudharauliwa; furaha ya kuendelea inahitaji utowaji wa daima kutoka pande zote. Ili mti wa mapenzi ya ndoa ubaki hai na kuendelea kuishi, udongo lazima udumishwe, uhifadhiwe, umwagiwe maji na ulelewe.

Kumbuka kwamba Mtume wetu Muhammad (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alipata nafasi ya kwenda kwenye majangwa na kushindana mbio na mke wake Bibi 'Aishah. Bibi 'Aishah alimshinda Mtume lakini baadae aliponenepa, Mtume alimshinda Bibi 'Aishah. Kumbuka kwamba Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alimchukua mkewe kwenda kuwatazama vijana wa Ki-Ethiopia wakicheza michezo ya utamaduni wao. Maonyesho ya hisia yanahitajika kuweza kuufanya mshikamano wa ndoa usifanye kutu na kuoza. Kumbuka kwamba utapata thawabu kutoka kwa Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'aala) kwa hisia zozote unazomuonyesha mkeo kama Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alivyosema: ((Mmoja wenu atapata thawabu kwa chochote ambacho atafanya ili kutafuta radhi za Mwenyezi Mungu hata kwa tonge analomlisha mkewe))

Kamwe usidharau umuhimu wa vitu vidogo vidogo kama vile kuweka chakula kwenye mdomo wa mkeo, kumfungulia mlango wa gari, na hali kadhalika. Kumbuka kwamba Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alikuwa anasogeza goti lake kwa mkewe amkanyage kuweza kumpanda ngamia.

Jaribu kutafuta wakati ili nyote wawili muweze kuswali pamoja. Kuuimarisha uhusiano kati yenu na Allaah (Subhanahu wa Ta'aala) ni hakikisho kubwa kuwa uhusiano wenu wa kindoa utabaki madhubuti. Kuwa na amani kati yenu na Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) daima kutapelekea ndani mwenu kuwa na amani zaidi.

Kumbuka kwamba Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) aliwapa habari nzuri (aliwabashiria) wanandoa wanaoamka usiku kuswali pamoja. Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) anamsisitiza mwanandoa anayeamka mwanzo amuamshe mwenzake, japo kummwagia maji katika uso wake.

Daima jaribu uwezavyo kuwa mtu mzuri kwa mkeo kwa njia ya maneno na vitendo. Ongea nae, mchekee, tafuta ushauri wake, muulize juu ya mawazo yake, tumia wakati maalum na yeye na daima kumbuka kwamba Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alisema: ((Wabora katika nyinyi ni wale ambao ni wabora kwa wake zao))

Mwishowe, ni kawaida kwa wanandoa kuahidi kuwapenda na kuwaheshimu wanandoa wenziwe mpaka mauti yawatenganishe. Naamini kwamba ahadi hii ni nzuri au ni bora kabisa, lakini haitoshi! Haitoshi kumpenda mkeo tu. Lazima upende anachokipenda pia. amilia yake, anaowapenda yeye uwapende pia. Usiwe kama mwenzangu mmoja ambaye hakufurahiwa kuja kwa wazazi wa mke wake kukaa kwa wiki chache. Alimwambia wazi mkewe “Mimi siwapendi wazazi wako”. Bila ya kusita mkewe alimtazama machoni kwa hasira na kusema, “Na wako pia siwapendi”.

Mapenzi yasiishe na pia tunaamini kuna maisha baada ya mauti ambapo wale ambao walifanya wema katika dunia hii wataungana na wanandoa wenzio ((Ingieni Peponi, nyinyi na wake zenu; mtafurahishwa humo)) [Az-Zukhruf 43:70] Pia wataungana na watoto wao.

Na mfano bora katika mintarafu hii itakuwa ni Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) ambaye mapenzi yake kwa Bibi Khadiyjah, mkewe aliyeishi naye kwa miaka 25 yalisogea mpaka kwa wale aliowapenda Khadiyjah; mapenzi yake haya yaliendelea hata baada ya kufa Bibi Khadiyjah. Ilikuwa miaka mingi baada ya kifo cha Bibi Khadiyjah na Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) hakumsahau na kila panapochinjwa mbuzi katika nyumba yake basi hutuma kifurushi kwa familia ya Bibi Khadijah na marafiki zake na kila akihisi kuwa mgeni anayegonga mlango ni Dada ya Khadijah aitwaye Hala, Mtume (Swalla Allaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) alikuwa akiomba huku akisema, “Ewe Mwenyezi Mungu Jaalia awe ni Hala."

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(Kamusi Project) Developing Technological Vocabulary in Kiswahili

We are asking for your help on a quick, important project intended to
improve access to computer technology in East Africa. The task is simple:
look through a list of English terms that are used in information
technology, and vote on the Swahili translations or suggest your own.

Twaomba msaada wako kwenye mradi muhimu unaolenga kuboresha matumizi ya
teknolojia za tarakilishi katika Afrika ya Mashariki. Shughuli ni rahisi:
tazama orodha ya maneno yanayotumiwa kwenye teknolojia ya habari na
mawasiliano, na kupigia kura tafsiri zilizoko za Kiswahili au pendekeza neno
lako (unalofikiri ni sawa).

We need volunteers with good knowledge of information technology and the
Swahili language. To get started, just visit
https://sites.google.com/site/manenomagumu

Tunahitaji watu kujitolea ambao wana ujuzi wa teknolojia za mawasiliano na
pia lugha ya Kiswahili. Kuanza, tembelea:
https://sites.google.com/site/manenomagumu

Several efforts have been made to produce Swahili ICT vocabularies, but
three big problems remain. First, many terms have been given poor Swahili
equivalents because the original concept was misunderstood. Second, many
terms have been given different Swahili equivalents in different translation
projects; the same English term might have five different Swahili
translations, depending on whether you are using Microsoft, Google, KiLinux,
Facebook, or Wikipedia! Third, many terms have not yet been translated, and
new terms keep appearing as ICT continues to evolve.

Kumekuwepo juhudi mbalimbali za kuandaa istilahi ya teknolojia kwa
Kiswahili, lakini matatizo matatu bado yangalipo. Kwanza, maneno mengi
yalitafsiriwa vibaya kwa sababu ya maana asili kutoeleweka. Pili, maneno
mengi yalitafsiriwa tofauti katika miradi tofauti tofauti ya utafsiri;
inawezekana kuwa neno lile lile la Kiingereza kuwa na tafsiri tano,
kutegemea ikiwa unatumia Microsoft, Google, KiLinux, Facebook, au Wikipedia!
Tatu, maneno mengi hayajatafsiriwa bado, na maneno mapya yanazidi
kuvumbuliwa teknolojia inavyozidi kuwa.

The Kamusi Project is working to harmonize the various "localization"
efforts, in order to have unified, consistent Swahili ICT terminology as we
head into the next decade. Excitingly, we have the encouragement of both
Microsoft and Google, usually big competitors, which are both interested in
greatly expanding access to their services for Swahili speakers.

Kamusi Project inafanya kazi ya kuunganisha juhudi hizi za "Uswahilishaji",
ili kuwa na orodha moja inayokubalika, ya istilahi ya kiteknolojia kwa
Kiswahili, tunapoingia enzi ya tarakilishi katika Afika ya Mashariki.
Kinachosisimua ni kwamba tunaungwa mkono na Microsoft na Google, ambao kwa
kawaida ni washindani, ambao wanataka kuongeza sana huduma zao kwa
wanaozungumza Kiswahili.

We have inspected all of the existing ICT terminology lists that we know of,
from which we have produced several "packs" of difficult terms. Now we are
seeking community participation to help reach agreement on how to express
each term in Swahili going forward. The first five packs are
available at https://sites.google.com/site/manenomagumu

Tumekagua orodha zote zinazopatikana za istilahi ya kiteknolojia, na
tumetayarisha mafurushi kadhaa ya maneno magumu. Sasa tunatafuta jamii
kuchangia ili kufikia makubaliano ya namna ya kusema kila neno kwa
Kiswahili. Mafurushi yapatikana https://sites.google.com/site/manenomagumu

A few more packs will be added later this week, but we want to start the
community review project immediately so that we can get rapid feedback if we
need to adjust the process. This is an experimental project: as far as we
know, this is the first time that any linguistic community has invited to
help develop the ICT terms that will be used for their language in the
future. If the experiment is successful, we will use the experience as the
basis for more formal terminology development in the future, for Swahili and
other African languages.

Mafurushi mengine machache yataongezwa mwisho wa wiki hii, lakini tunataka
kuanza juhudi hii moja kwa moja ili tupate maoni ya jamii wanaochangia, kama
ni lazima kubadilisha jinsi ya kuendelea. Bidii hii kweli ni ya majaribio:
tunadhani kwamba ni mara ya kwanza kwamba wasemaji wa lugha yo yote
wanakaribishwa kusaidia kwenye maendeleo ya istilahi ya kiteknolojia
itakayotumiwa katika lugha yao. Majaribio yakifaulu, tutatumia uzoefu huu
kama msingi wa maendeleo rasmi zaidi ya istilahi za kisayansi, kwa Kiswahili
na lugha nyingi za Kiafrika.

So, for several reasons, it is very important that we have the participation
of as many people as possible who (a) have a good understanding of the
concepts involved in information technology, and (b) have good knowledge of
the Swahili language.

Kwa hiyo, kwa sababu nyingi, ni muhimu sana tukiwa na watu wengi
watakaojitolea ambao (a) wanaelewa vizuri maswala ya kiteknolojia, na (b)
wanaelewa vizuri Kiswahili.

Please join us, or tell other people who you think might be interested.
The project will end on 7 March, so please contribute this week if you want
your voice to be counted in Swahili localization! Again, the website is
https://sites.google.com/site/manenomagumu

Twaomba uungane nasi, au ueneze taarifa kwa watu wengine. Juhudi hii
itamalizika 7 Machi, kwa hivyo ni muhimu uchangie wiki hii ikiwa unataka
sauti yako ipate kusikika katika Uswahilshaji wa teknolojia. Tena, tovuti
ni https://sites.google.com/site/manenomagumu

Notice: this project is only for volunteers who are interested in promoting
the Swahili language. No payments or prizes are available. This effort is
organized by Kamusi Project International (http://kamusi.org) and ANLoc, and
is NOT officially affiliated with Microsoft, Google, BAKITA, or KiLinux.
All suggestions are highly appreciated, and will be given the most serious
consideration in the production of a harmonized Swahili ICT terminology set
that will be made freely available online within the next few months.

Tangazo: juhudi hii ni kwa watu wa kujitolea wanaotaka kuendeleza Kiswahili.
Hakuna malipo wala tuzo. Bidii hii imepangwa na Kamusi Project
International (http://kamusi.org) na ANLoc, na hauna mahusiano rasmi na
Microsoft, Google, BAKITA, au KiLinux. Tutashukuri kwa mapendekezo yoyote,
na yatafikiriwa sana wakati wa kuandaa istilahi ya kiteknolojia katika
Kiswahili. Istalahi itapatikana bila malipo kwa wote baada ya miezi
michache.

__________________________________________


Dr. Martin Benjamin
Executive Director, Kamusi Project International
http://kamusi.org

twitter (work): kamusi

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P Funk speaks on the origins of Swahili hip hop.

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ADABU ZA KUOMBA DUA

Mwenyezi Mungu S.W.T. na Mtume Wake S.A.W. wametufundisha jinsi ya kutekeleza adabu za kuomba dua wakati Mwislamu anapotaka kuomba dua ili ile dua yake ipate kujibiwa. Kama ifuatavyo:

1.NYAKATI TUKUFU ZINAZOKUBALIWA DUA.
Kuna nyakati maalum ambazo Mwislamu anatakiwa atekeleze ili dua yake ipate kukubaliwa kama vile:
a) Kuomba dua kila baada ya Sala ya Faridha
b) Kuomba dua saa katika siku ya Ijumaa
c) Kuomba dua wakati wa nusu ya usiku au theluthi ya usiku
d) Kuomba dua wakati mtu kafunga na wakati wa kufungua kwa mtu yule aliyefunga
e) Kuomba dua wakati vinapopiganwa vita vya Jihadi kati ya Waislamu na makafiri
f) Kuomba dua wakati inaponyesha mvua
g) Kuomba dua wakati wa kuona L-Ka`aba.
h) Kuomba dua wakati wa kusafiri
i) Kuomba dua wakati Waislamu wamekusanyika katika vikao vya kumdhukuru Mola
j) Kuomba dua wakati wa kunywa maji ya zamzam huko Makka.
k) Kuomba dua wakati wa kutufu (kuizunguka) L-Ka`aba
l) Kuomba dua siku ya Arafah
m) Kuomba dua kwa mtu anayehiji au anayefanya umra.
n) Kuomba dua wakati wa kusimama kwenye Ssafaa na Marwa
o) Kuomba dua katika Laylatul Qadri
p) Kuomba dua kwa mtu aliyedhulumiwa
q) Kuomba dua wakati anapowika jogoo
r) Dua ya mtoto mwema anapomuombea mzazi wake
s) Dua ya mzazi anapomuombea mwanawe
t) Kuomba dua wakati wa kumfumba maiti macho yake
u) Kuomba dua baada ya kutupa mawe kwenye jamra mbili ya kwanza na ya pili.
v) Kuomba dua katika mkusanyiko huko Muzdalifah, baada ya Sala ya Alfajiri
w) Kuomba dua baada ya Adhana
x) Dua ya mtu Mwislamu akimuombea nduguye Mwislamu nyuma ya mgongo wake naye hayupo.

2.KUELEKEA KIBLA NA KUNYOOSHA MIKONO.
Muombaji wakati anapotaka kuomba dua anatakiwa aelekee upande wa kibla na anyooshe mikono yake miwili. Kama alivyosema Mtume S.A.W. katika Hadithi iliyopokelewa na Salmaani L-Farsy R.A.A. na iliyotolewa na Ttirmidhi, “


‘‘إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَيِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ يَسْتَحْيِي إِذَا رَفَعَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَيْهِ يَدَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُمَا صِفْرًا’’

Maana yake, “Hakika Mwenyezi Mungu Hai, Mkarimu anaona haya ikiwa mtu atamnyooshea mikono yake airudishe tupu.”
Muombaji akimaliza kuomba dua yake aipanguse mikono yake usoni mwake.Na wala muombaji asipandishe macho yake mbinguni. Kama alivyotukataza Mtume S.A.W. katika Hadithi iliyopokelewa na Abu Huraira R.A.A. na iliyotolewa na Muslim, “

‘‘لَيَنْتَهِيَنَّ أَقْوَامٌ عَنْ رَفْعِهِمْ أَبْصَارَهُمْ عِنْدَ الدُّعَاءِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ أَوْ لَتُخْطَفَنَّ أَبْصَارُهُمْ’’
Maana yake, “Waache watu kupandisha macho yao mbinguni wakati wa kuomba dua au sivyo yatanyakuliwa macho yao.”

3.KUNYENYEKEA NA KUOMBA DUA KWA KHOFU BILA YA KUPAZA SAUTI..
Muombaji anatakiwa asipaze sauti yake wakati wa kuomba dua bali iwe kati na kati. Kwani Mola S.W.T. si kiziwi, anasikia maneno yote yanayosemwa na kila mtu na anaona kila kitu. Na hata anajua nia ya mtu moyoni mwake kabla hata hajaomba dua. Kama alivyosema Mwenyezi Mungu S.W.T. katika Suratil A`araaf aya ya 205, “
وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنْ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالآصَالِ وَلا تَكُنْ مِنْ الْغَافِلِينَ

Maana yake, “Na mkumbuke Mola wako nafsini kwako kwa unyenyekevu na khofu, na bila ya kupiga kelele kwa kauli, asubuhi na jioni. Wala usiwe miongoni mwa walioghafilika.” Pia kasema katika Suratil Anbiyaa aya ya 90, “

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ

Maana yake, “…Hakika wao walikuwa wepesi wa kutenda mema, na wakituomba kwa shauku na khofu. Nao walikuwa wakitunyenyekea.”

4.KUWA NA TUMAINI YA KUKUBALIWA DUA.
Muombaji anatakiwa wakati anapoomba dua asiwe na shaka nayo au wasiwasi kwamba labda atakubaliwa au labda atakataliwa. Bali awe na yakini moyoni mwake kwamba Mola atamsaidia na atamkubalia dua yake. Kama alivyosema Mwenyezi Mungu S.W.T. katika Surat Ghaafir aya ya 60, “

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ...

Maana yake, “Na Mola wenu anasema: “Niombeni nitakujibuni (nitakuitikieni)…”

5..KUTOKATA TAMAA NA KUTOKUFANYA HARAKA KUJIBIWA.
Muuombaji anatakiwa asikate tamaa bali aendelee na kuomba dua na wala asilalamike kwa kusema, “Mbona nimeomba dua lakini sikujibiwa?” Bali awe na subira. Kama alivyotufundisha Mtume wetu S.A.W. kasema katika Hadithi iliyopokelewa na Abu Huraira R.A.A. na kutolewa na L-Bukhari, “

‘‘يُسْتَجَابُ لأَحَدِكُمْ مَا لَمْ يَعْجَلْ يَقُولُ: ‘‘دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ يُسْتَجَبْ لِي’’
Maana yake, “Anakubaliwa mmoja wenu (dua yake) ikiwa hataharakisha kwa kusema, “Nimeomba lakini sikujibiwa.”

6.KUFUNGUA DUA KWA KUMDHUKURU MOLA.
Muombaji anatakiwa aanze kwanza kumtaja Mwenyezi Mungu Mtukufu, kisha amsalie Mtume S.A.W.., halafu amuombe Mola haja yake na amalizie kwa kumsalia Mtume S.A.W.. Kama vile kusema: “(1)INNA LLAAHA WAMALAAIKATAHU YUSALLUWNA `ALA NABIYYI YA-AYYUHA LLADHIYNA AAMANUW SALLUW `ALAYHI WASALLIMU TASLIYMA: (2)ALLAAHU MASALLI WASALLIM WA BAARIK `ALA SAYYIDINA MUHAMMAD. “(3)RABBANA GHFIRLIY WARHAMNIY INNAKA ANTA TAWWABU RRAHIYMU. (4)WASALLA LLAAHU `ALA SAYYIDINA MUHAMMAD WA`ALA AALIHI WA-AS-HAABIHI AJMA`IYNA


11.DUA YA KUOMBA KUTENGENEKEWA DINI NA DUNIA NA AKHERA.
Mwenye kutaka kutengenekewa na dini yake, na dunia yake, na Akhera yake, na maisha yake na mauti yake, basi aombe dua ifuatayo. Kama ilivyokuja katika Hadithi iliyotolewa na L-Bukhari na iliyopokelewa na Abu Huraira R.A.A. kasema, “Mtume S.A.W. alikuwa akiomba dua ifuatayo, “
‘‘اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي ، وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ’’
“ALLAHUMMA ASLIH LIY DIYNIY LLADHI HUWA `ISMATI AMRIY, WA-ASLIH LIY DUN-YAAYA LLATIY FIYHA MA`AASHIY, WA-ASLIH LIY AAKHIRATIY LLAATIY FIYHA MA`AADIY, WAJ`ALI L-HAYAATA ZIYAADATAN LIY FIY KULLI KHAYRIN WAJ`AL L-MAWTA RAAHATAN LIY MIN KULLI SHARRAN.”
Maana yake, “Ewe Mwenyezi Mungu! Nitengenezee dini yangu ambayo ndiyo yenye mashikamano yangu, na unitengenezee dunia yangu ambayo ndiyo yenye maisha yangu, na unitengenezee Akhera yangu ambayo ndiyo marejeo yangu, na ujaalie uhai kwangu wa kheri zaidi, na ujaalie mauti kwangu yawe ya raha kutokana na kila shari.”

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Pambazuka - Africa: Google moves into Swahili

Pambazuka - Africa: Google moves into Swahili

Google has sponsored a contest to encourage students in Tanzania and Kenya to create articles for the Swahili version of Wikipedia, mainly by translating them from the English Wikipedia, according to an article appearing in the New York Times. Swahili, because it is a second language for as many as 100 million people in East Africa, is thought to be one of the only ways to reach a mass audience of readers and contributors in the region.

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Search and Translate to Kiswahili in Firefox

The latest update to the ever-handy (though not always 100% reliable) Kamusi Project, the Online Kiswahili Dictionary. This Tool enables you to search Kamusi from your Google Search Toolbar. Enjoy!

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Swahili Proverb of the Day #10

"Mwenye pupa hadiriki kula tamu."

A hasty person misses the sweet things (because he cannot wait for the fruit to ripen)

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Swahili Online (Website)

Another interesting and well-designed resource for Swahili culture. The layout is clean and easy to navigate. Their section also include a good section on Swahili language. Check it here

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