Cape Town has been blessed with some of the most prominent Qur’an reciters in South Africa. Amongst them is the very distinguished scholar and Qur’an teacher, Moulana Saleem Gaibie.

Moulana Mohamed Saleem Gaibie commenced his memorization of the Holy Qur’an at the age of 15 years at one of the pristine Hifdh institutions in South Africa, Darul Uloom Zakariyya, based in Gauteng.

His Hifdh teacher, Moulana Faruk Patel, who studied under Shaikh Salih Abadie from Cape Town, is known to have an extreme love and dedication towards the recitation of the Qur’an, so much that he often completes an entire Quran ‘Khatam’ in a single day.

After memorizing the Qur’an at the age of 18, Moulana Saleem continued with his Alim studies at the same institution.

It was during this time that he was hand- picked and encouraged to further his studies in the specialised field of Qiraa’aat by the Head of the Qiraa’aat department, Qari Ayub Esack.

Moulana Saleem graduated from Darul Uloom Zakariyya after seven years as a qualified theologian who majors in the recitation of the seven Qiraa’aat.

He then proceeded to the University of Medina where he obtained a degree in the Arabic language.

As a keen and devoted student, the young Alim had an undying thirst for knowledge. This encouraged him to return to Darul Uloom Zakariyya, where under the personal guidance of Qari Ayub, he mastered the recitation of the Qur’an in the ten modes of recitation known as ‘Ashara Qiraa’aat.

He was afforded the opportunity to meet a number of illustrious Qur’an personalities. Amongst them, he noted Shaikh Muhammad Tamim Az-Za’bi from Syria and Shaikh Hasan Mustafa Al Waraq from Egypt. Both are world- renowned experts and authors of books on the sciences of Qiraa’aat. Moulana Saleem also recited portions of the Qur’an to Shaikh Muhammad Tamin in all the ten Qiraa’aat when they met in Medina during 2007. He shared a platform with Dr Ahmad Naina in 2004.

As a scholar and expert in the field of Qiraa’aat, Moulana Saleem authored and compiled a number of books on the specialized subject, which are also used as text books and reference material by other scholars and institutions.

Moulana Saleem, a humble person by nature, contributes all of his achievements to his teachers, many of whom were like fatherly figures to him. His early motivation came from Shaikh Na’eem Moerat from Walmer Estate who taught him the recitation of the Qur’an.

This, together with the enjoyment he experienced from a young age whilst listening to cassettes of well known Qur’an reciters inspired him to follow the path towards the Qur’an.

He is forever grateful to Allah for granting him the knowledge of the Quran and increasing in him the yearning to study, as well as the ability to pass it on to others.

Moulana Saleem was the recipient of the South African Qur’aan Union’s ‘Servant of the Holy Qur’aan Award’ 2008.

Moulana Saleem is currently teaching Qiraa’aat and Qur’anic sciences at Darul Uloom Arabia Islamia in Strand whilst running a number of private classes.

He serves on the Department of Qur’anic Affairs of the Muslim Judicial Council and has been a judge on all its national Hifdh competitions as well as the national Qiraa competitions organised by Nurush Shabaab.

Moulana Saleem authored a few books on Tajweed and is involved with Madbut Publishers and Translators.

Teaching and learning the Qur’an both requires a lot of effort and sacrifice. Moulana Saleem aims to teach his students to the best of his ability and is focused on passing on everything he studied to those willing to learn from him.

It is his wish to witness and be part of an institution dedicated towards the teaching of the various specialist Quranic sciences.

Other than researching and teaching, Moulana Saleem enjoys spending time and socialising with his family and students.

He advises the youth and the students of Qur’an in particular not to expect knowledge to come overnight. Knowledge of the Qur’an is a gift from Allah which can not be obtained through personal efforts alone, but only with the reliance of Allah and the shunning of material gain. Success, he emphasises, is not to be measured by cars, clothing or houses, but by salvation in this world and in the hereafter.