Leadership & the Imaarah (إمارة)
Amir • Imaarah • Jama’at • Shura
The Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town is led through a model of Islamic leadership rooted in the Sunnah — an Amir who carries the trust of the community, counselled by men of knowledge and integrity, with all affairs conducted through mutual consultation (شورى).
Amir Hajj Rhomeez Hendricks
Amir of the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town
Hajj Rhomeez Hendricks leads the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town as its Amir — a title that carries its full weight in the Sunnah: one who is trusted, obeyed in that which is right, and held accountable before Allah for those in his care.
His leadership is characterised by steadiness, accessibility, and a genuine concern for every member of the community. He steers the affairs of the Jumu’a Mosque with humility and resolve, ensuring that its doors remain open, its programmes remain vibrant, and its people remain united.
The title Amir (أمير) is not a rank of prestige — it is a responsibility. And Hajj Rhomeez carries that responsibility with the seriousness and warmth the Way of the Sunnah demands.
The Jama’at & The Broader Imaarah
The Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town is home to a vibrant, dynamic, and energetic Jama’at — men and women from all walks of life, all ethnic backgrounds, and all ages.
This diversity is not incidental. It is a living demonstration of a truth that Islam has always proclaimed: that this Deen is not the religion of the Arabs, nor of those from the Indian Subcontinent, nor of any single culture or people. Islam is an all-encompassing way of life for every human being. It is not culture — it is a filter for culture. Every people, every tradition, every background is enriched and ennobled when passed through the light of Islam. The Jama’at of the Jumu’a Mosque embodies this reality week after week.
The mixture of the young and the old brings its own gift. In an age when the bonds between generations are so easily severed — where the wisdom of elders goes unheard and the energy of the young goes unguided — the Jama’at holds these together. Knowledge and wisdom pass between generations the way they were always meant to: not through institutions or curricula alone, but through proximity, through shared prayer, through the common table of the community lunch, through the ordinary and extraordinary moments of a life lived together in Allah’s presence.
The Imaarah (إمارة)
Together, the Amir and his counsellors form the core of the Imaarah — the leadership structure that sees to the running of the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town and the wellbeing of its Jama’at.
The Imaarah is broader than any formal listing. It encompasses men of standing and service who serve the jama’at and assist the Amir in numerous ways — and it does not end there.
The Imaarah is not a closed circle. Consultation (شورى) is extended to all the men and women of the community. Every voice is welcome. Every sincere view is considered. This is not incidental — it is the Way of the Sunnah.
Shura — Consultation as a Way of Life
The Qur’an praises the believers for conducting their affairs through mutual consultation — placing it alongside prayer and charity as a defining quality of the Muslim community.
The Prophet ﷺ was himself commanded by Allah to consult with those around him. In Surah Aal Imran (3:159), Allah says to His Messenger: “…consult with them in the matter; then when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in Allah.”
Shura is not merely a mechanism — it is a defining quality of the believer, placed by Allah alongside establishing prayer and spending in His way. It is the fabric of how a Muslim community conducts itself.
At the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town, this principle is lived, not merely declared. Come with your concerns, your ideas, your observations. You will be heard.
وأمرهم شورى بينهم
“…whose affairs are by consultation between them…”
— Surah ash-Shura, 42:38 (Abdalhaqq & Aisha Bewley)
يا أيّها الّذين آمنوا أطيعوا اللّه وأطيعوا الرّسول وأولِي الأمر منكم
“You who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.”
— Surah an-Nisa, 4:59 (Abdalhaqq & Aisha Bewley)
On the Amir and the Jama’at
From the Teaching of Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi, may Allah be pleased with him
The founder of the Jumu’a Mosque of Cape Town gave extensive teaching on the nature of the Amir, the Jama’at, and the Imaarah. His understanding — drawn from the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik and the Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ — was that leadership is not a political arrangement but a necessity of the Sunnah: the condition without which Islam cannot emerge in its fullness.
This teaching illuminates what the Imaarah of the Jumu’a Mosque represents. It is not a committee or a board of management. It is the form that Islamic community life takes — rooted in trust, allegiance, and the recognition that a people without leadership is a people scattered.
For his complete works, discourses, and archive, visit shaykhabdalqadir.com and diwanpress.com
Discourses on ‘Amal, Cape Town, 2007
“Islam in its fullness is Jama’at — gathering. Even three travelling Muslims fall under the rule of Islam. One is an Amir. The Jama’at, not just one Muslim, is required for Islam in its fullness to emerge. That in turn requires an appointment from among them of an Amir. Only then can the Jama’at proceed from Salat to Sawm and Zakat… The emergence of the Amir, to whom Bay’at, that is allegiance, has been made, means at the same moment the Shari’at has emerged.”
— Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi
Sultaniyya (Diwan Press)
The definitive modern statement on Islamic leadership, surveying the Deen under the headings of Dawla (polity), Waqf, Trade, personal rule, and Tasawwuf. Essential reading for any Muslim seeking to understand what Islamic leadership looks like beyond the false frameworks of modern statecraft.
The Hadith on Leadership
The Prophet ﷺ established the necessity of the Amir in even the smallest gathering of Muslims
عن عبد الله بن عمر أن رسول الله قال: كلّكم راعٍ، وكلّكم مسؤول عن رعيّته، فالأمير الذي على النّاس راعٍ، وهو مسؤول عن رعيّته
“Every one of you is a shepherd and every one of you is responsible for his flock. The Amir who is over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 7138; Sahih Muslim 1829 — narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, radhiyallahu ‘anhu
إذا خرج ثلاثة في سفر فليؤمّروا أحدهم
“When three people set out on a journey, they should appoint one of them as their Amir.”
— Sunan Abi Dawud 2608 — narrated by Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, radhiyallahu ‘anhu
If even three travellers on a journey require an Amir, how much more does a Jama’at that gathers week after week — to stand before Allah in prayer, to share a meal, to raise children, and to navigate the affairs of this world?