Shihabuddin Chiraghdin (1934–1976) was a rare scholar whose short life was as inspirational as it was academically scintillating. He was a brilliant student and academic, but the rheumatic fever he had as a young boy left a hole in his heart which increasingly limited him physically. He had a lifelong teaching career, and was also a well-known writer and commentator. Maalim Shihab’s works, particularly his research projects on the history of the Swahili people and the Kiswahili language, have been appreciated worldwide. Latifa Chiraghdin’s intimate portrayal of her father is a depiction that teems with the love and passion Shihabuddin infused in all his endeavours.