The Albukhary Foundation
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia • Est. 1976 • Philanthropists & Benefactors of the Jumu’a Mosque
“The day has twenty four hours; eight for the night’s sleep, eight for the day’s education, and eight for helping others in need.”
— Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary
A Gift Born of Gratitude to Allah
The building that is now the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town — standing at the corner of Orange Street and Greys Pass in the heart of the Mother City — was purchased and gifted to the jama’at of Cape Town by the Albukhary Foundation of Malaysia. The building had previously served as a Christian Science Church; the Foundation acquired it and transformed it into a house of Allah, a place of prayer and community for the Muslims of Cape Town.
This extraordinary act of generosity was rooted in pure love for Allah and love for Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi, may Allah have mercy upon him — the founder of this mosque. The Albukhary Foundation was established in 1976 by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Albukhary, one of Malaysia’s most prominent entrepreneurs and among the most generous philanthropists of the Muslim world. Its mission, inspired by the Islamic values of Taqwa (faith) and Ehsan (compassion), is to forge a more equitable and compassionate world: through education, healthcare, cultural heritage, and community building — across Asia, Africa, Europe, and beyond.
For the jama’at of the Jumu’a Mosque, the Foundation’s gift is not merely a building — it is the very ground upon which this community stands, prays, gathers, and grows. We hold Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and his entire family in the highest esteem and express our most heartfelt and enduring gratitude. May Allah reward him and his family with the very best of this world and the next, and may every prayer offered in this mosque be counted among his scales of good deeds until the Day of Resurrection.
The Benefactor
Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary
Born 12 December 1951
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
Founder and primary benefactor of the Albukhary Foundation (est. 1976). Forbes Asia Hero of Philanthropy, 2014. Total charitable contributions exceeding $500 million globally.
His family traces its roots to the Hadramawt region of Yemen — the ancestral home of many of the great scholars and traders who carried Islam across the Indian Ocean world.
Where It All Began — A Mother’s Lesson
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia, 1974
The Albukhary Foundation’s own account of its origins tells the story of a young man who brought home his first salary — RM1,500 earned as a rice trader — and the mother who shaped his destiny with a single, quiet act of wisdom.
His mother, Sharifah Rokiah, reminded him that while their own life was humble, there were others around them who were poorer still. She encouraged him to keep half for his family, and to distribute the remaining RM750 to fifteen needy families in their community.
That RM750 — given away from the very first wages of a young man just beginning his life — was the seed of what would become one of the most impactful charitable foundations in the Muslim world. The Foundation today bears living testimony to that lesson. Its Sharifah Rokiah Centre of Excellence is named in her honour — a fitting tribute to the woman whose gentle words of encouragement set this extraordinary journey in motion.
This is a story the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town holds close to its heart. The mosque that now stands in this city exists, in part, because of that act of generosity in 1974 — and because a son who listened to his mother carried that lesson forward into a lifetime of giving.
From the Foundation’s Own Story
“One simple act of kindness that took place four decades ago marked the beginning of Albukhary Foundation’s journey. When Syed Mokhtar brought home his first salary of RM1,500 as a rice trader in 1974, his mother, Sharifah Rokiah, reminded him that while they lived a humble life, there were others in the community who were poorer. She encouraged him to keep half for the family, and distribute the remaining RM750 to 15 needy families in their community.”
— Albukhary Foundation, Our Story (albukharyfoundation.my)
Achievements of the Foundation
Guided by the values of compassion, tolerance, and coexistence — across four continents
Education
The Albukhary International University in Kedah provides full scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds across the Muslim world. The Albukhary Scholarship Programme (est. 2005) has supported over 1,400 students in 17 Malaysian universities, open to both Malaysian and international students in severe financial need. More than 200 tuition centres have been built, benefiting over 80,000 students.
Pilgrimage & Welfare
The Foundation has sponsored over 1,000 poor Malaysian Muslims to perform the Hajj — covering all costs for those who could never otherwise afford the journey to the House of Allah. Humanitarian programmes have provided disaster relief in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, and Uganda; orphanage support in Guinea and Indonesia; and medical camps for Afghan refugees in Peshawar.
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia
Founded in 1998 in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) is the largest museum of Islamic art and culture in the Asia Pacific region. Housing over ten thousand artefacts spanning fourteen centuries and the full breadth of the Muslim world, it stands as one of the Foundation’s greatest cultural gifts to humanity.
The British Museum Gallery
In October 2018, the Foundation funded the complete refurbishment of the Islamic collection at the British Museum, London — now named the Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World. Drawing on artefacts spanning West Africa to Southeast Asia from the 7th century to the present day, it is among the most significant presentations of Islamic civilisation to a global public anywhere in the world.
Mosques Worldwide
The Foundation has built and funded mosques across the world. The Masjid Albukhary in Alor Setar (completed 2001, capacity 15,000) and the Masjid Albukhary KL (completed 2006) serve thousands of worshippers. In Bosnia, it supported the resettlement of Muslims returning to Kozarac and helped rebuild a school in Sarajevo. In Australia, it contributed to the Darul Uloom Islamic Academy of Brisbane.
Cape Town, South Africa
The Foundation’s presence in Cape Town spans multiple projects: the purchase and gift of what is now the Jumu’a Mosque (previously a Christian Science Church); support for the Dallas International College of Leadership; the Cantray House and Tor Castle buildings; and a Street Kids Welfare Programme in Mitchell’s Plain — reaching some of Cape Town’s most vulnerable children.
Our Gratitude
It is difficult to find words adequate to the magnitude of what Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and the Albukhary Foundation have bestowed upon the jama’at of Cape Town. A community that might otherwise have had no permanent home was given a building — not out of political calculation or material interest, but out of pure love for Allah and love for the Shaykh who established this mosque.
Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar’s generosity is the living proof of his own words: that eight hours of every day — given freely, without reservation, in the service of those in need — is the measure of a life well-lived in the sight of Allah. He has lived those words. His family has lived those words. And this mosque stands as one of the most beautiful fruits of that conviction.
We pray that Allah accepts from him and his entire family — from his mother Sharifah Rokiah, whose wisdom planted the first seed; from his brothers and sisters who stood beside him; and from all those who contributed to this Foundation and its works — the fullness of their intention and effort. May He grant them the highest ranks in Jannah, and may every du’a made in this mosque reach them wherever they are.
To learn more about the Foundation and its work worldwide, visit albukharyfoundation.my
The Foundation at a Glance
Founded: 1976, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mission: Creating opportunity · Building communities · Preserving heritage
Reach: Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia
Contributions: Over $500 million globally
Anchor Institutions: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (est. 1998); Albukhary International University (est. 2010)
Recognition: Forbes Asia Hero of Philanthropy, 2014
In Cape Town: Jumu’a Mosque (purchased former Christian Science Church, gifted to the jama’at); Dallas International College of Leadership; Cantray House; Tor Castle; Street Kids Welfare Programme, Mitchell’s Plain
“The day has twenty four hours; eight for the night’s sleep, eight for the day’s education, and eight for helping others in need.”
— Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary