Qari Saleem Seedat was born in Mauritius on the 28th of June 1972. His Father is Moossa Dawood Seedat, originally from Gujurat, India.
After completing his primary and secondary education, he started learning the Holy Quran by heart at ‘Jamia al Uloom al Islamiya’, in Port Louis, Mauritius, in September 1988 under Maulana Rashid Ahmad Kazi and completed his Hifz in January 1991 — it took him 2 years and 4 months to memorize the whole Quran. During this time, his Tajweed teacher, Qari Yunus Munir (Falahi) recognized his great potential for Naat singing. Consequently, Qari Yunus Munir (Falahi) taught him a Naat for him to sing on the occasion of his Hifz ul Quran graduation. And it was on this occasion, his Hifz ul Quran graduation in 1991, that Qari Saleem Seedat, for the first time, publicly sang his first Naat.
In January 1992, Qari Saleem Seedat travelled to South Africa, where he proceeded with further studies in the field of Qiraat and Islamic Jurisprudence at the renowned Zakariyya University (Darul Uloom) in Johannesburg. Among all his esteemed teachers there, it was the
“Sheik ul Hadith” [1], Mufti Raza ul Haq Saheb (Damat Barakatuhu), who played a pivotal role in Qari Saleem Seedat’s Naats’ singing career.
Mufti Raza ul Haq Saheb (Damat Barakatuhu), as well as being a great scholar of Hadeeth and Islamic Jurisprudence, is also an accomplished poet, well-known in South Africa and around the world, especially, for his famous poem compilation: “QARAAR E DIL” (TRANQUILITY OF THE HEART). As such, he immediately recognized Qari Saleem’s natural aptitude for singing Naats and further improved it by mentoring the latter in all the techniques and ‘Awzaan’
(scansion[2]) of poetry and Naats.
So much so was Mufti Raza ul Haq Saheb (Damat Barakatuhu) appreciation and trust in Qari Saleem Seedat’s precise Naat rendition, that whenever he would pen down a Naat or Nazam, he would always call upon Qari Saleem Seedat to sing it. In fact, apart from a very few exceptions, during Qari Saleem Seedat’s time at the DarulUloom Zakariyya, he sang all of Mufti Raza ul Haq Saheb (Damat Barakatuhu)’s poems. During this time, Qari Saleem Seedat not only sang Naats at the Darul Uloom, but he also used to be specially invited to different parts of South Africa to sing Naat and Nazam in various Islamic events and wedding functions.
Thereupon in 1996, Qari Saleem Seedat received the title of “BOULBOULE RIYAZE RASSOUL” (NIGHTINGALE OF THE GARDEN OF THE PROPHET PEACE BE UOPN HIM) for his beautiful voice, from his mentor, Mufti Razaul Haq Saheb (Damat barakatuhu). Moreover, with the help and encouragement from his mentor, he wrote the farewell Nazam (for his ‘Alim’ graduation day) and sang it on the graduation day in December 1997.
Furthermore, Qari Saleem Seedat also studied the seven different Qiraat under his teacher, Qari Ayyub Essack Saheb (Damat Barakatuhu), head of Qiraat Department at the Zakariyya University, one of the most senior Quraa in South Africa and well-known around the world for his mastery of the Quranic dialects. Two albums of Qari Saleem Seedat’s Quran recitation are also available on the website.
Qari Saleem Seedat graduated from the Zakariyya University in December 1997. At that moment, two of his Naat album (“Parwar Digare Aalam” and “Khuda Hafiz”) were already released on the market in South Africa. Later on, six more albums were released. (All available on the website)
Qari Saleem Seedat returned to Mauritus in 1998 and since then he is the Imaam Khateeb of the Markaz e Islam Mosque in Port Louis, Mauritius. He also run a Madrassah (Islamic School) by the name of Miftah ul Ooloom in Port Louis, Mauritius.
May Allah Taala accepts his effort and make it a means of Hidayat (Guidance) for one and all. Aameen.
[1] (i.e. the person who teaches “Bukhari Shareef”, a hadeeth compilation considered to be the most authentic Islamic source after the Holy Quran)
[2] The rhythm of a line of poetry, or the process of examining the rhythm of a line of poetry