Jamiatul Ulama (Council of Muslim Theologians), Johannesburg

Jamiatul Ulama

Online Newsletter

Vol.: 1 No.: 25 [Special Edition]

30 Ramadân 1427/ 22 October 2006 [7:50pm SAST]

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Eid Message

Eid: A Renewed Spirit!

All praise is due to Allah and may His choicest salutations continue to shower upon our master and leader Muhammad Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam.
The day of Eid brings to closure a month of intense devotion, prayer and charity. It is a day of joy, a day of happiness and elation for those who have diligently applied themselves. We rejoice in having submitted to Allah, we rejoice in having sought His forgiveness, we rejoice at drenching ourselves in the mercy of Allah. We rejoice at having pleased our Master and Creator!
"Say: "In the Bounty of Allah, and in His Mercy; therein let them rejoice."
That is better than (all) that they amass." (10:58). If there is any cause for celebration, it is having experienced the bounty of Ramadân and the Mercy
of Allah!

This day begins with the Eid Salâh which demonstrates the unity and brotherhood of the believers. "All Believers are but brothers.” (49: 10) This brotherhood…this meeting of hearts is a unique and distinct characteristic of this Ummah, which we must never take for granted. The glorious Qur'ân says: "If you (O' Prophet of Allah) had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them…" (8:63)

The brotherhood of the Ummah serves as the basis for the equality of believers, irrespective of their financial, racial or ethnic backgrounds. It also creates a distinct bond based on mutual concern and compassion among the brotherhood of believers.

"A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim. He does not oppress him, nor does he abandon him. Whoever helps his brother at the time of need Allah will help him at the time of his need. And whoever relieves a distress from a Muslim, Allah will relieve him of the distresses of the Day of Judgment, and whoever conceals the shortcomings of a Muslim, Allah will conceal (his shameful deeds) on the day of Qiyamah." (Bukharî & Muslim)

The day of Eid should therefore renew our commitment to helping those in need, seeking forgiveness from those that we may have offended, fostering
ties with our family members and contributing in our own limited ways to bettering the plight of our brothers and sisters who are condemned to live under oppressive and poverty stricken conditions.

This is also a day we need to look within and assess the position of our imân and our obedience to Allah. Nabî Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam has said: “There
is none among you who does not have a constant companion from the Jinn (devil) and a companion from the Malâikah (angels)…” (Muslim) The function
of the devil is to entice you, mislead you and tempt you to partake of the 'forbidden fruit”, whilst the function of the angel is to encourage you towards virtue, piety and acts of purity. Ramadân gave us the foresight to identify the whisper of the devil and the spiritual strength to avoid falling victim to it, it gave us the wisdom and inclination to be receptive to the murmur of the angel.
Ramadân was intended to cleanse the hearts from the rust of heedlessness…
a heart corroded with rust does not feel pleasure in obedience, nor any remorse at the disobedience of Allah. No virtue flows into it, nor can any repentance flow out of it. Has Ramadân made a difference to the state of our hearts? Will we find the drive to obey Allah and the conscience to feel
remorse at our indifference to the laws of Allah? Anas Radhi-Allâhu 'anhu says: “You will (in the future) perform (sinful) deeds regarding them to be as insignificant (as the breadth of a strand of) hair, yet we regarded the same (deed) during the time of Nabî Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam as the destroyer of our entire deen” (Bukharî)

The day of Eid is also an occasion to reflect at the utility of the Qur'ân in our lives. We have listened to the Qur'ân and read the Qur'ân during the days and nights of Ramadân. Is it not time that we start understanding the message of the Qur'ân?

“The Qur'ân opens its doors only to those who knock with a depth of
yearning, sincerity of purpose and exclusiveness of attention that befits its importance and majesty. Only those who are prepared to abandon
themselves completely to its guidance and do their utmost to absorb it, are allowed to gather from its treasures. What a tragic misfortune it would be if you came to the Qur'ân and went away empty handed soul untouched, heart unmoved, and life unchanged. You may recite its words and turn its pages endlessly and laboriously, yet fail to make an encounter with it that enriches and transforms your whole person. The Qur'ân's blessings are limitless, but the measure of your fill depends entirely upon the capacity and suitability of the receptacle you bring to it… So make yourself more deeply aware of what the Qur'ân means to you, and what it demands of you; and make a solemn determination to recite the Qur'ân in an appropriate manner, so that you may be counted among: “Those whom We have given the book, they recite it as it ought to be recited; and (it is only) they who believe in it” (2:121)”
May Allah infuse the spirit of Ramadân into our lives for the next eleven months. May Allah make us of those who have earned His pleasure, mercy and forgiveness on this blessed day.

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U P D A T E


Moon-Sighting News

As there has been no news of the sighting of the new crescent of Shawwal 1427, Ramadân 1427 will last 30 days. Eid-ul-Fitr in Southern Africa will therefore be on Tuesday, 24 October, 2006, insha-Allah.

The Jamiatul Ulama wishes all Muslims Eid-ul-Fitr Mubarak. May the spirit of Ramadân live on throughout the year and beyond. Aameen.

Haj Seminar
The Jamiatul Ulama in Johannesburg will host a Haj Seminar as follows:
Date: Saturday 28 October 2006
Venue: Johannesburg Institute of Social Services, JISS Centre, Cnr Battery St and Third Ave, Mayfair
Time: From 2:00pm until 5:30pm
Separate Ladies Accommodation will be available.

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Eid-gah


Ahâdîth

• It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Sa'îd Khudri that on the Day of Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha, Nabî Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used to go out to the Musallâ [Eidgah]. The first
thing he commenced with was Salât and thereafter he would
turn facing towards the people for delivering the Khutbah whilst the people remained seated in their Saffs.
• It is narrated by Hazrat Abû Hurairah Radhiallahu anhu that it rained on an Eid Day, so Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam performed the Eid Prayer for the people in the Masjid.

Commentary:
• From the first hadîth we come
to know that this was the common practice of Nabî Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. The Eid Salâh A,as performed on the outskirts of Madinah Munawwarah in such a place which was stipulated for this, as if the Eidgah land was stipulated. At this time it did not even have four walls around it, it was just an open land. Its distance was approximately 1000 footsteps away from Masjide Nabawi.
(Mariful Hadîth, Vol. 3, P.399)
• From the second hadeeth we learn that only on one occasion due to rain Eid prayers were performed in the Masjid of Nabî Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
Masa'il Regarding the Eidgah & the Eid Salât
• Complying to the Sunnat, performing of the Eid Salâh on the outskirts of the town is better and more virtuous, than performing it in the town. (Fatâwâ Darul Ulûm, Vol 5, P. 208)
• The Eid Salâh should be a huge gathering on the outskirts of the town. In this way the might and power of Islam is manifested. In
the big cities it is difficult to make Eidgah on the outskirts of the
city, therefore a huge open plain should be chosen for the Eidgah
or according to the need, it can be performed in the Masjid, which will be correct. But as far as possible, one huge gathering is more superior compared to many small Eidgahs. (Ahsanul Fatâwâ,
Vol. 4, P. 119)
• Performing of the Eid Salâh in
the Eidgah is Sunnat-e-Muak'kadah. Without any valid excuse, the one who does not perform his Eid Salât in the Eidgah is worthy of being reprimanded and taken to task and this kind of a person is a sinner. If the Eidgah is a distance away and it is inconvenient for the old and sickly, then the Jurists have given permission for them to perform
Eid Salât in the Masjid. (Fatâwâ Rahimiyah, Vol. 1, P.276)
• The Eid Salât performed in the Masjid is complete, but performing it in the Eidgah is Sunnat. Without any valid excuse, not to read the Eid Salât in the Eidgah is contrary to the Sunnah. (Fatâwâ Ddrul Ulûm, Vol. 5, P.2261
The one who revives a Sunnah in the time of corruption will
receive the reward of 100 martyrs (Hadîth)

Print Version Published and Printed by: Madrasah Arabia Islamia Azaadville South Africa
 

Hadith:
Fasts of Shawwal


Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam as saying: "He who observed the fast of Ramadan and then followed it with six (fasts) of Shawwal; it would be as if he fasted for the full year." (Muslim)
 
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