The most famous Persian (Farsi) nawha “Shia Ba’azastu gham, baa aaho ‘alam, besaro sina barzan, ke zanav shud muharram” was in fact composed by Captain (Nakhoda) Abbas Daryanavard who came to Zanzibar in 1900’s when the famous merchant of Zanzibar Dewji Jamal hired his dhow from Bombay to Lamu, Mombasa and Zanzibar. He introduced this nawha after the recording was done in the studio by the recitor Nizar Qatari. Nizar introduced the Busheri saf matam in Zanzibar in 1900’s. The saf mataam was adopted by Khojas and spread to other Khoja Communities in East Africa, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Madagascar. In Zanzibar the eki Matam was recited in the Khoja Imambargha by an Iranian popularly known as Ustad. Saf Matam tradition is from Iran and is still done in cities like Busher, Bandar Abbas and Shiraz

We request you to remember Marhoom Captain Abbas Daryanvard with a Sura-e-Fateha gifted to Imam Hussain (as). May Allah (SWT) grant him maghferat and His infinite grace and mercy as well as place him in the highest stations of Jannah within the proximity of the Ahlulbayt (as).