Remembering Haji Abdullah Magar, founder of the Australian Islamic College

Assalamu alaikum dear brothers and sisters.

It is with heavy hearts that we received the news that Haji Abdullah Magar passed away on Monday evening, the 6th of April. Janaza prayers were held at the Australian Islamic College in Kewdale, and he was laid to rest at Guildford Cemetery on Tuesday. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

For those who may not know the name, Haji Magar founded the Australian Islamic College in Perth in the 1980s. It was one of the very first Islamic schools in this country at a time when our community here was still small and our institutions were few. What he started gave thousands of our children the gift of an education rooted in both Australian and Islamic values, and it opened a path that many other Islamic schools across the country have since followed.

I cannot overstate what a founder like him means to a community. He did not just build a school. He built a future for generations of children who now pray in masjids, lead in workplaces, and raise their own families here as proud Australian Muslims.

Please take a moment to make dua for him. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive his shortcomings, accept his good deeds, grant him the highest level of Jannah, and comfort his family and the entire AIC community in Perth.

If you or your children have memories of AIC or any of the early Islamic schools in Australia, I would love to hear them in the comments. These are the stories our young people need to know, so they understand the sacrifices of those who came before us.

JazakAllahu khairan.

0 Comments

Yousif Al-Janabi· 11 Apr

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. I remember the stories about AIC from the Iraqi brothers in Perth who sent their children there in the early days., when I came to Australia in the nineties, the idea that our children could go to a school where they learned the Quran and learned Australian maths in the same building was something new. These founders carried us on their shoulders without asking for anything in return. May Allah cool his grave and make it a garden of Jannah. My dua is with his family.

Hira Shah· 11 Apr

Subhan'Allah, such sad news. My cousin's children attended AIC in Kewdale in the nineties and she always spoke about how warm the staff were with the students, especially the ones from families new to the country. She said Haji Magar knew almost every child by name in those early years, which tells you the heart of the man. The schools we take for granted today were built on sacrifices like his. May Allah forgive him, raise his rank, and grant sabr to his family and to the entire AIC community. Ameen.

Hamid Noori· 11 Apr

Ameen to all the duas above. Our community owes so much to those who came before us and started institutions when there was almost nothing. May Allah accept all his efforts and grant him the highest Jannah without account.