By MALIK MERCHANT
(Publisher-Editor, Simerg, Barakah and Simergphotos
AND proud student of Mr. Salim Dawood)
Mr. Dawood was a brilliant and dedicated Maths teacher who taught us with passion and instilled in us a great deal of confidence in the subject. He often spent hours after school to help students who were struggling with the subject — and really Maths has always been a challenge for thousands of young people.
Mr. Dawood was also a great sportsman. As a cricketer, he also captained the Young Ismailis (later Young Cricketers), the sister team of Aga Khan Club (later Dar Cricketers). My late dad, Alwaez Jehangir, enjoyed playing under Salim’s captainship. They both also played under Firoz Kassam, Dinno Bhatia and Shiraz Abdulla. Mr. Dawood bowled medium pace and scored freely as a batsman.
I have a fond recollection. One day after a school recess game (with a tennis ball), when I was in Standard 7, he asked how the game against Standard 8 went and someone told him I scored 50 (over 2 days of recess time). He called me to the front of the packed class and handed me a 10 shilling note! I was gratified. He jokingly remarked that had he been bowling I wouldn’t have managed the 50. Agree!
Above all, Mr. Dawood was a magnificent Math teacher who instilled in us a love for the subject and gave us a solid foundation to build on.
Mr. Salim Kassamali Dawood will remain in my heart and thoughts forever. My thoughts are with everyone in his family as well as his students, fellow teachers, and members of the Jamat wherever he served after leaving Tanzania.
I pray that his soul may rest in eternal peace.
(We invite you to submit your condolences, memories and tributes to Salim Dawood by completing the feedback form below or by clicking on COMMENT. Should you encounter difficulties submitting your feedback below, please email it for publication to simerg@aol.com.
Date posted: July 22, 2019.
Last updated: July 24, 2019.
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Simerg offers to all its Ismaili readers around the world an opportunity to submit memorials to honour and celebrate the lives of beloved members of their families who have physically departed this world. For guidelines and more information please click Passings.
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I personally knew Salim Kassamali Dawood from our days in Changombe. He was a fine man. May Mawlana Hazar Imam rest his soul in eternal pease.
Thank You Everyone and Ya Ali Madad;
It is now almost two weeks since my brother Salim’s passing. It has been no doubt an extremely difficult journey to see him leave us, but with all of your love, never ending support and sincere prayers we all have been able to endure the difficult days and accept that he has left us.
On behalf of the family, I would like to thank you all and express our sincere gratitude for being there for us during this very emotional and trying time in our lives. Thank you all for that.
Some of you called from abroad to share our grief and loss and offer support and prayers and held samar ceremonies in your cities. Thank you all for that.
Some of you travelled from far and out of town to be close to us and lift our spirits and say final goodbyes to Salim. Thank you all for that.
Some of you pledged and offered to partake in performing various pre and post funeral ceremonies after Salim’s passing. Thank you all for that.
I may be forgetting to mention a lot more that all of you have done to enable us to go through it all and we are ever so grateful for everything that you have done.
Now its time to celebrate Salim.
Salim was a Son all parents would want. Any parent would be lucky to have him as their own. He did not leave any stone unturned to ensure the safety, security, happiness and well being of Mummy and Daddy at all times. Thank you for that, Salim. May you rest in eternal peace. Ameen . Salim, Mom and Dad were always very proud of you.
Salim was the eldest amongst us siblings, He was a kind and loving Brother although strict at times, to put us straight. That’s what Big Brothers do. Thank you Salim, for loving us so so dearly.
Salim was a great and loving Husband, super Dad and daunting Daada. He was also a loving Uncle and Grand Uncle and he was a super Nephew to all aunts and uncles.Thank you, Salim for always being there for us.
But it doesn’t end here. He was a best friend to all of you also. The tributes that have been pouring in, since his passing, say it all. We knew he was very popular, but did not know its magnitude until his passing. All those kind words and love mentioned in the tributes, really touched our hearts. Thank you all for that.
The tributes and the overwhelming turnout during various ceremonies in Jamatkhana turned into a celebration of Salim’s life. Thank you all for that.
As we all know that life is ordained whether young or old, sick or not. Everyone is born and eventually dies. As Mawlana Hazar Imam says, only the soul is eternal and he also has said how happy the departed souls are. So keeping that in mind let us be happy for Salim and pray to Mawla to forgive all his errors during his life time and grant his soul eternal peace. Ameen and Shukhar.
Lastly, but not the least, Let us remind ourselves, that all of the above, would not have been possible without the Grace, Love and Blessings of our Beloved Hazar Imam. He held our hand and kept us all afloat. Mawla, Thank you and we say Shukhar for your never ending Love and Mercy.
Thanking you all with lots of love, gratitude and sincere prayers for your wellbeing and barkat through out your lives. Ameen
Ya Ali Madad and Warm Regards
Fatma Premji (Fatma Khanu Dawood)
I personally did not know him; however teachers are our gurus as my father used to tell us as children. They build our characters in life and I salute them . My condolences to Mr. Dawood’s family and may Mawlana Hazar Imam rest his soul in eternal peace. Ameen.
Salim was a school friend from a very young age and it was very sad to learn his passing away at an early age. Mawla bless his soul in eternal peace. Ameen.
In August of 1959, he accompanied our school to Mombasa to participate in a sports triangular tournament between Zanzibar, Mombasa and our school. He came as a scorer for our school cricket team meaning he was a great supporter. I have his photo scoring but not very clear.
Salim would never hesitate to approach me for any advice related to cricket. He was enthusiastic to learn and be a good cricket player. He was on the ground for all the Aga Khan Club cricket matches.
[See also condolences on https://www.facebook.com/malik.merchant.31 – Ed.]
An excellent human being. We were in school together in Dar es Salaam.
Firoz.
May his soul lie in eternal peace..Ameen….SK
I had not known him, but a Mwalimu’s passing away is always a sad event. May he rest in peace and may Allah give the family strength to bear the loss. Amen.
Amin! In our Tariqah, as our Imams stressed, teaching is a noble vocation and teaches are society’s leaders ! May his soul rest in eternal bliss!
Kind Regards
Shams
Deepest condolences on the sad demise of Salim Dawood. May his soul rest in eternal peace and may Mawlana Hazar Imam give strength & courage to his family at this difficult time. Ameen.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (“Surely we belong to God and to Him we return”) — Holy Qur’an, 2:156
May the soul of Mr. Salim Dawood rest in eternal peace. Amen. He was from Dar es Salaam’s Changombe area and his dad was Captain Dawood.
A lovely person who will be dearly missed by our family as he was a true friend of ours. We pray that may his soul rest in eternal peace. We convey our heartfelt condolences to his entire family on behalf of my wife Zarina, myself and all our family members.
Kamrudin A. Rashid – Toronto – Ontario.
July 22 2019.