An Educationist/Linguist Par Excellence
COLOMBO : It was in November 1993 that the Muslim community in Sri Lanka lost one of its illustrious sons- Marhoom M.S.M Harees, educationist, literary genius and a poet par excellence. Harees Master, as he was affectionately known as, was the grandson of the great Muslim poet Qadir Samsudeen, from Galle, who composed the renowned Prophetic Ode, Mubarak Malai, written in the Arvi language among many others , from whom he inherited the linguistic and poetic talents, which he came to be famous for, even from his youth days. His sterling services in social, cultural, religious, educational, and lingual spheres, were wide ranging and still spoken of in all quarters, especially among the Muslims of Galle and beyond.
Hailing from Talapitiya,Galle, Mr. Harees was educated in G/Malharus Sulhiya MV and All Saints College, Galle and later was trained in Aluthgama and Maharagama teacher training colleges in both Tamil and English. He became the first Muslim double trained teacher. During the period 1960-1970, he etched his name in gold in the annals of Muslim education, as a Senior lecturer at the Addalaichenai Teachers’ Training College in Tamil, Tamil literature and history. He was the composer of the College Anthem and was the teacher in charge of ‘Kalai Amutham’ the college magazine, which saw his literary talents in action.
He taught at Al Hambra MV, Aluthgama, and many of his students later rose up to become ambassadors, directors of education, police inspectors, educationalists, and leading businessmen. . One of his famed students, the late Dr MAM Shukri noted that ‘Harees Master did not consider teaching as a mere vocation, but as a lofty mission’. Later, he was attached to Jamia Naleemiah, Beruwala in its initial phase as a lecturer. The present Rector As-sheikh Agar Mohamed was one of his students. In the 1970s, he assumed duties as the Principal at G/Malharus Sulhiya, his alma mater. During this period, he led improvements to the physical infrastructure of the school as well as raising educational standards.
Harees Master devoted his life to education and linguistics both inside and outside of the classroom. He was a sought after sworn English-Tamil translator and translated several religious works, including a “Hajj and Umrah” book into Tamil, for the benefit of those travelling to Mecca. Researchers and readers who were interested in the Tamil language and diction of his grandfather’s great Islamic literature masterpieces, sought his services in view of his innate literary knowledge and ability. He was the follower of ‘Nabaviyyathul Qadiriya’ sect and many meaningful songs composed by him became famous and still are being sung in Thakkiyas and at many other Islamic functions. His poems and articles covering sociological and religious themes adorned the pages of many famous Islamic magazines. In one famous article for the Government Teacher’s College (Addalaichenai) magazine, he advocated for Sri Lankan Muslim students to be instructed in Tamil up to the S.S.C Level to remedy a decline in Tamil language proficiency amongst younger students at the time.
Outside of his teaching exploits and literary brilliance, Harees Master was devoted to his local community and served in many voluntary social, cultural, and religious roles. As the President of the Galle Muslim Cultural Association, he played an important role in organising cultural and religious events and contributed significantly as a member of the peace committee during the period of civil strife in 1983. He was also a Registrar of Muslim Marriages in the Galle District for over 10 years and was the President of the District Association too. Many still vividly remember his speeches at the mosques in Galle, in his usual command of English, Tamil, and Arabic. He was also an English Lecturer at the Al Bahjathul Ibraheemiya Arabic College. He worked tirelessly towards the improvements in Muslim educational sphere in the district through his role as the Education officer for Muslim Schools in Galle.
Mr Harees was thus a multi-dimensional personality with a vision, who left a deep imprint not only on the lives of hundreds of his students and teachers, but also on the wider Muslim community we served with much passion. He married Noorul Husna in 1958 and had one son and two daughters. May Allah reward him manifold and bless him with Jennathul Firdhous!
By Aman Harees
