After 29 or 30 days of Fasting, Muslim celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. These friends realised that many of the needy did not have food on this day of Celebration. They then decided to cook two pots of food for distribution to the needy on that day of Eid-ul-Fitr. 1984 was year 1 that Nakhlistan cooked food.

An oasis provides sustenance in the desert and that is exactly what Nakhlistan does by assisting the less fortunate within our community in the Western Cape. The assistance is manifested through Soup Kitchens, Feeding Schemes, Ramadaan Fitrah Parcels, Iftaar (Breaking of Fast) to the Underprivileged, Monthly Necessities Distributed to Needy Families and the Eid-ul-Fitr Feeding Scheme (now extended to Eid-ul-Adha and Muharram).

This is in addition to providing an efficient Janaazah (Burial Service) establishing Jama’at Khanas (Prayer Spaces) and hosting Birthday Celebration of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) also known as Moulood-un-Nabi Programmes.

Forty three years down the line, Nakhlistan has become a household name, synonymous with caring for the needy and cooking of huge pots of food for distribution amongst the less fortunate. On Eid-ul-Fitr 2025 over 95 000 cooked meals were directly distributed to the needy and less fortunate.

Furthermore, when disaster strikes, albeit natural (tornado or floods), Covid-19 Lockdown or social (xenophobic attacks), Nakhlistan responds to the need of the time and assists wherever and whenever needed.