“You feel the calling, you feel the need, you see the suffering…and you want to do something. There’s a lot of prayer involved. You’ve been shown what the right way is; what to do and what not to do. And things are put very clearly in front of you.” (Imtiaz Sooliman)

Early in the 1900’s, the Soolimans came to South Africa from the Indus Delta and settled in Durban. In 1962, Imtiaz Sooliman was born. The family did not have much, but his father discreetly helped destitute families and his mother gave food parcels to the poor. Imtiaz sometimes walked long distances to deliver his mother’s food to the poor.

Imtiaz qualified as a Doctor in 1984 and joined the Islamic Medical Association that provides medical care for the under privileged. He went to Mozambique during the drought of 1990 because he wanted to offer his services. What he saw there touched his heart. He returned to South Africa and raised enough money to provide relief for the people there – digging 30 boreholes and airlifting malaria medication to where it was needed. The doctors also offered aid in Iraq and Bangladesh.

In 1992, Imtiaz planned a visit to Turkey. His neighbour in Pietermaritzburg urged him to visit a Sufi teacher in Istanbul while he was there. On 6th August, he attended a congregational religious ceremony. After the ceremony, the teacher, Shaikh Jerrahi, looked straight at Imtiaz seeming to see his soul and said, “My son I’m not asking you, I’m instructing you. You will form an organisation. The name will be the Gift of the Givers. You will serve all people of all races, of all religions, of all colours, of all classes, of all political affiliations and of any geographical location, and you will serve them unconditionally.”

He was also told that he should never expect anything in return for what he did. The Shaikh instructed him to serve people with kindness, compassion and mercy, and to protect the dignity of all. This instruction was for the rest of his life and he had to remember that whatever was done would be done through him – not by him.

He and his wife, Zohra (a psychologist) immediately founded the Gift of the Givers in 1992.

In these 30 years, it has become Africa’s largest independent humanitarian organisation and  has worked all over South Africa and in many parts of world, including Gaza City, Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti and Zimbabwe. Dr. Sooliman sends rescue teams and aid materials to wherever the disaster strikes, but the teams only move out to these areas when and if they receive a request from the government in the affected area.

When the earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria on 6th February, 2023, it was taken for granted that the Gift of the Givers would fly there as soon as they could. (The catch phrase is “Is your passport ready?”)

Hundreds of doctors, nurses, engineers, pilots, electricians and anyone else who is needed, have worked for the organisation. They are women and men of all creeds, races, colours and classes. We, South Africans, are proud of them all.

When God calls… When someone listens…

 

 

Colleen Wilkinson rsm
South African Province