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Weekly Comment |
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Palestine/Lebanon
There can be no subtle
or tactful way of
describing Israel’s
uncalled-for, wanton,
senseless and gratuitous
incursion into foreign
lands, and it’s
deliberate, carefully
planned, targeted
attacks and killing of
the peoples of Palestine
and Lebanon. There can
be no kind way of
describing the USA’s
sponsoring of the
Israeli terrorism and
genocide. There can be
no benign way of
describing the world’s
complicity in the
absence of any real move
to stop the insanity.
There can be no
thoughtful way of
describing the Muslims
weakness and disunity in
their inability to
affect even a small
trickle of hope for the
suffering people. There
is no other way of
saying it, and there
should be no fear in
saying it openly. There
should be no trepidation
in being honest and
explicit with regard to
the truth, especially
when the broadcasters of
falsehood spread their
deceit in a most brash
unashamed manner.
Israel is committing the
worst of war crimes. It
is killing hundreds of
innocent civilians,
comprising of mainly
children and women. It
has and still is, in its
own words, ‘taking
Lebanon back’ many
years, ‘flattening’
entire towns and cities
and destroying the means
of providing the most
basic human needs. It
has created a human
catastrophe of
disastrous proportions.
Recent pictures and
reports circulating on
the internet lend strong
support to the view that
conventional warfare and
weapons have not been
used exclusively in the
savagery committed by
the Israeli’s. Children
do not die of bleeding
from their noses and
mouths unless there is
something strange going
on; burning from the
fire created by dropped
bombs and smelting skin
is noticeably different;
and pictures of the dead
show deaths that could
not have been committed
by ordinary weapons.
Whether it is some type
of conventional weapon,
whether it is US
supplied bunker-bombs
with depleted uranium
heads, whether it is
white phosphorous or a
type of napalm, or
whether it is newly
developed laser
armaments, or whether it
is something else is
anybody’s guess.
As for the USA and it’s
allies, who went into
Iraq to free the people
from oppression and
injustice, who do what
they do to fight
terrorism and keep the
world free from any type
of threat, who will
attack a country for the
fear that it could
possibly have WMD’s; who
will force others to
support it in passing
resolutions imposing
sanctions and taking
necessary steps in
preventing others from
being a danger – they do
the ‘honorable thing’.
Does the USA and it’s
allies approve of and
support the use of WMD’s,
allow indiscriminate
killing of innocent
civilians, contribute to
the genocide against
specific communities,
sponsor terrorism? Nah.
It’s not possible, it
just isn’t.
Nobody is so foolish or
hypocritical enough to
vehemently oppose
something, while at the
same time actively
support and further its
cause. Nobody sensible
will measure different
human-beings/nations by
different measures and
different yardsticks.
Nobody intelligent will
stand up to the name
hypocrite, liar and
supporter of injustice
and oppression.
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Thabo
Mbeki's 4th Nelson
Mandela Memorial Lecture
On July 29th 2006, at
the University of the
Witwatersrand, President
Thabo Mbeki delivered
the fourth Nelson
Mandela Memorial
Lecture.
In his speech, our
President invited South
Africans to cast their
glances back to a call
made by Nelson Mandela,
when he called for a
newly-established
democracy, desperate for
the RDP- reconstruction
and development of basic
aspects of the
infrastructure, to focus
on the RDP of the soul –
the Reconstruction and
Development of the Soul.
President Mbeki spoke
on, among other things,
nation building, the
aspect of morality and
the development a
society imbibed with
good values. He
described the spiritual
needs of the human being
as the distinguishing
factor between humans
and other animal species
and depicted these
spiritual needs as ‘more
elevated’ and possessing
a ‘more defining
impact’.
The President
articulated the view
that the present value
system is one that
insists that ‘personal
wealth constituted the
only true measure of
individual and social
success’. He argued that
it ‘placed acquisition
of wealth at the very
centre of the value
system of our society as
a whole’, and in
practice thus ‘assumed a
tolerant or permissive
attitude’ towards some
crimes.
Noble and profound views
such as these, expressed
by President Mbeki, are
most welcome and
encouraging, and should
be expounded by as many
as possible, as often as
possible. |
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Summarized Jumu’ah Bayaan: |
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Justice will Prevail |
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• Allah has created the
world in perfect
harmony, but it is man
who constantly disrupts
the peace and harmony,
as the case with the
present Israeli
aggression against the
Palestinians and the
Lebanese. |
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• The Qur’an says “He
raised the heavens high
and set the balance”
(55:7) which may be
explained as that after
creating the heavens,
namely, all the stars,
planets and galaxies,
Allah set them in proper
order so as to establish
and maintain necessary
balance and equilibrium
in the system. |
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• The Qur’an tells us to
maintain a similar
balance in our own
spheres of activities
and not to disturb it in
order to maintain a just
and peaceful society all
the time (55:8). |
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• The word “balance” in
the above verse, among
other things, implies
doing justice. This is
evident from another
Quraanic verse which
says “We sent our
Messengers with clear
signs and instructions
and set down with them
the Book and the balance
so that the people stand
by justice”. (57:25) |
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• DOING of justice is
one of the key features
of Qur’anic teachings.
It has been specifically
termed as akin to piety
(5:8). Its importance
and practice have been
emphasized in several
ways. One is when the
Qur’an directly enjoins
the believers to do
justice and refrain from
doing injustice (16:90).
This message is
particularly relevant to
all the Muslim leaders
of the world who are
sitting as silent
spectators when their
fellow Muslims are being
slaughtered wholesale
before their eyes. |
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• There are three
factors that invariably
take one away from the
path of justice. One is
lust, the other is
affiliation or
relationships and the
third is enmity. The
Qur’an expressly exhorts
believers not to be
influenced by these
factors. It says: “We
said O David we have
made you vicegerent in
the earth, therefore
judge aright among the
people and do not follow
lust for it will take
you away from the Way of
Allah” (38:26). |
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• The Quran enjoins the
believers to do justice
even if it may be
harmful to themselves,
or to their parents or
to their relatives and
irrespective of the fact
that the party concerned
is rich or poor (4:135).
It means that they have
to do justice
uninfluenced by
self-interest or any
other affiliation or
motive. The Qur’an
further exhorts the
believers to be so
steadfast in doing
justice that their
enmity with some people
does not turn them away
from the path of justice
(5:8). In other words,
they have to be just
even to enemies. |
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• Are we, the ummah of
Rasulallah (SAW), acting
justly by merely acting
as spectators in this
brutal act of murder and
genocide by the
Zionists? |
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• The Quraan recognizes
the right to self-defence.
(26:227) In regard to
civil matters, the
Quraan reveals specific
principles of
fundamental importance
to the dispensation of
justice in these
matters. |
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• These principles are:
do not covet (4:32) or
usurp (2:188) what
belongs to others; do
not withhold from the
people things that are
due to them (11:85);
weigh with even scales
(be fair in all
transactions) (17:35);
do not violate trusts
(8:27) (2:283); keep
pledges (17:34); do not
commit fraud (83:1) and
do not commit excesses
(5:87) |
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• In the final
conclusion, Allah
Ta’aala is not blind to
the injustices being
perpetrated on this
horrific scale upon the
Muslims. He will mete
out justice as He sees
fit, but we should also
do our part. |
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I N F
O R M A T I O N |
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Min. Mahr |
R93.06 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R4652.82 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R1861.13 |
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(7 Rajab 1426/2
August 2006) |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Quarrelsome |
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Narrated by
Sayyadatina Aisha
Radhiallahu anha narrates
that Allah's Messenger
Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam
said: "The most hated person
in the sight of Allah is the
most quarrelsome person." (Sahih
Al-Bukhari) |
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Quotation for the Week |
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Two Kinds
of People |
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“Two kinds of
people live a life without
care: one kind are extremely
worthy of praise, the other
kind are extremely worthy of
criticism. The first are
those who care nothing for
the pleasures of the world
and the second (i.e. those
who are deserving of
criticism) care nothing for
haya or modesty.” (Ibn Hazm
in his Kitab al-Akhlaq wa
al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus) |
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Saying of the Week |
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"The
real strength or
satisfaction of anything is
not
in the final product, but in
the process and popular,
willing participation." |
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Q and A |
Q: Are men allowed to wear
rings made of platinum and
other precious metals?
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A: In Islam, only women are
allowed to beautify
themselves with jewellery.
Men are not permitted. It is
for this reason that men are
not allowed to
wear, among other types and
forms of jewellery, platinum
or white gold. This is
irrespective whether it is
in the form of
rings, chains, bangles,
bracelets, etc.
However, he is permitted to
wear a silver ring, which is
less than one Mithqaal in
weight, since Rasulullaah
Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam wore one for
the sake of stamping or
setting his seal on
important
government letters. This was
done on the basis of need
and
not beauty. The part of the
stamp was turned inwards
when not needed. It is for
this reason that some
scholars mention that it is
better for a man not to wear
a silver ring without any
specific need.
Rasulullaah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam firmly
dissuaded a Sahaabi from
wearing a ring that was made
of brass. He told him, ‘Why
is it that I perceive the
smell of idols from you’.
Rasulullaah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam also said,
‘Why is it that I see on you
the jewellery
of the people of fire’ when
he seen on another person a
ring made from steel. These
narrations emphasize the
abhorrence of wearing a ring
other than silver.
It is for this reason that
the Ulama state that
platinum ring
as well as white gold ring
and all other types of rings
besides
silver will not be permitted
for
a man to wear.
[Also see Fataawaa
Mahmoodiyyah Vol 14 p.
419-21]
And Allah Ta'aala knows
best. |
Q: What are the virtues of
Surah Jumuah and when is the
best time to recite this
surah?
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A:
Abdullah ibn Abaas
Radhiallahu Anhum narrated
that Rasulullaah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam used to
recite Surah Jumuah and
Surah Munaafiqun during the
Friday Prayer
(Jumuah Salaah). [Muslim] [Ibn
Katheer Vol. 9 Pg. 629]
Apart form the above we have
not found any other virtue
of recitation of Surah
Jumuah and which is the best
time to read it.
And Allah Ta'aala knows
best. |
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U
P D A T E |
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Gaza and Lebanon
Two marches were held last
week. The first was
organized by the ANCYL,
while the second was
coordinated by an alliance
of various organizations
including COSATU and the
Palestinian Solidarity
Committee. The marches were
held in Pretoria and
culminated in the handing
over of memorandums to the
Israeli Embassy. The
purposes of the marches were
to create awareness about
the situation in Gaza and
Lebanon, to voice opposition
to the murder and killing
taking place at the hands of
the Israelis, and to support
the call for South Africa to
recall its ambassador from
Tel Aviv and impose
sanctions against Israel.
Members of the Jamiatul
Ulama participated in the
march to show support for
the move against oppression,
injustice and genocide. It
is hoped that the march will
assist in realizing the goal
of establishing peace and
justice in the Middle East.
UUCSA
The United Ulama Council of
South Africa, comprising of
various bodies
including the Jamiatul
Ulama, Jamiatul Ulama Natal,
Sunni Jamiatul Ulama, Sunni
Ulama Council and Muslim
Judicial Council, held its
quarterly meeting at the
Saberie Chisti Masjid in
Lenasia on Sunday 4th Rajab
1426/30th July 2006. Various
issues were discussed.
Among them were:
a. The Hilal Issue – matters
concerning the sighting of
the moon, including whether
sightings of neighboring
countries will be taken into
consideration were
discussed. It was
tentatively established that
sightings from neighboring
countries would be
considered as long that they
are not in conflict with
basic principles and they do
not compromise local (South
African) unity.
b. SAIFSA – the
establishment of a South
African Islamic Financial
Authority is at advanced
stage, and discussions
centred around the
formation, structure and
operation of SAIFSA.
SANHA
e-Bulletin
The South African National
Halal Authority has
established a weekly
e-bulletin, which will serve
as a mouthpiece for SANHA
and be a means of providing
updated information to the
community. Individuals can
sign up for the
e-bulletin on the SANHA
website
www.sanha.org.za
or email:
consumer@sanha.org.za
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REQUEST
Alhamdulillah, the Jamiatul Ulama
Online Newsletter has been going out
for a period of 13 weeks.
The response has been tremendous,
and we now have a, constantly
growing, mailing list of over 5000
recipients. Communities have however
requested for the contents of the
newsletter to be made available for
Masjid Notice Boards.
In response to this:
• We request Imams or community
members (who are either responsible
for Masjid Notice Boards or prepared
to take on the responsibility of
posting the Bulletin on the Masjid
Notice Board, with the consent of
the Imam) to forward:
- Name
- E-mail address
- Masjid name and area.
• A separate mailing list will be
created using these e-mail
addresses.
• The online newsletter will be
re-formatted in the form of a Weekly
Bulletin for Masjid Notice Boards.
• The Weekly Bulletin will then be
sent out as an attachment to this
new mailing list, so that it can be
posted on Masjid Notice Boards.
Insha’Allah
Please forward your details to the
e-mail address, jamiat@islamsa.org.za
and add the subject heading, Masjid
Notice Board List.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Among the best forms of
Worship
Without doubt, Salaah is one
of the most important forms
of worship. It is indeed the
beautification of the body
and soul. It cleanses the
outer and purifies the inner
from such vile illnesses
such as envy, hatred,
indulgence and greed. It is
also the only form of
worship which has the power
of completely transforming a
person to one who only does
things only for the pleasure
of Allah and who loves and
hates people only for the
pleasure of Allah.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Verily Salaah prevents
(one) from shamelessness and
evil. And the remembrance of
Allah is the greatest of
things.” (Ankabut: 45)
One needs to perform Salaah
at the start of the day, in
the middle and the end of
the day as well as the night
so that one is protected by
the benefits of Salaah all
day round. One starts of the
day with Fajr Salah by
polishing the heart, he
performs the Zuhr Salah so
as not to fall prey of
negligence in the duty of
Allah. After a few short
hours, he asks guidance from
Allah Ta’aala regarding his
days affairs, he enters the
night with Maghrib Salaah to
remind him that Allah is the
dispenser of all affairs and
he sleeps with the knowledge
of death overtaking him at
any moment after performing
his ‘Isha Salah.
Thus, the five times daily
salah has been designed to
keep one alert of the
presence of Allah and His
relevance in our lives for
the full 24-hours of the
day. This is why Allah has
criticized those who are
neglectful of their salah:
“So, destruction be upon
those worshippers who are
neglectful of their prayers,
those who make a show (of
their devotions) and refuse
people basic items.” (Ma’un:
5-8)
Salaah is also a means of
seeking of the treasures and
the help of Allah. It is a
means of communicating
directly with Allah and
asking for one’s needs. It
is also an ideal opportunity
to ask Allah for his
assistance in removing the
difficulties that exist for
many and for the removal of
the oppression, hurt and
injustices that are
perpetrated.
May Allah Ta’aala make us
all 5-times a day musallees,
who perform our Salaah with
peace and concentration –
Aameen. |
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