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Weekly Comment |
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Holidays
Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta’âla
commands the believers
to submit totally into
the religion of Islam.
Submitting totally
includes submitting
without doubt,
submitting to all
commands and submitting
fully. It also includes
submitting to the
commands of Allah and
the Sunnah of the
Beloved Prophet Muhammad
Sallallâhu 'alayhi
wasallam under all
conditions and different
environments. Muslims
are Muslims wherever
they are and under
whatever circumstances
they may find themselves
in. Muslims are Muslims
subject to the command
of Allah, even when they
are on holiday.
It is important that
they do not throw
caution to the wind with
regard to dressing,
their eating and their
actions while on
holiday. It is sometimes
observed that even those
Muslims who are normally
extremely cautious
regarding where they go,
what they do, the food
that they eat, etc.,
succumb to the tricks of
Shaytaan and change
their habits when on
holiday.
It must be remembered
that the same parameters
that govern us at home,
govern us on holiday, on
business or wherever we
may be.
Reckless Driving
With the holiday season
in full flow and traffic
increasing, motorists
are being cautioned by
authorities about the
potential dangers that
await those on the road.
Over the years one of
the major contributing
factors to road
accidents and collisions
has been reckless and
inconsiderate driving.
As Muslims it is our
duty to ensure that we
do not become the cause
of loss
of life and injury to
others. Unfortunately
the Jamiat is receiving
numerous complaints from
traffic authorities that
mainly “Muslim youth”
and certain adults are
negligent in this
regard. Being courteous
and considerate forms an
important part of a
Muslim's character. A
Muslim is obliged to
shun any
activity that is futile,
non beneficial and
potentially harmful.
If there is a reason for
someone to persistently
speed and be reckless on
the road then it has to
be arrogance. Some
Muslim youth have been
found to be constantly
guilty of these
offences. Muslims are
supposed to be lanterns
of hidayah [guidance]
for humanity. The
character of a Muslim is
construed as a
reflection of Islâm. We
should be constantly
asking ourselves how do
we reflect Islâm? Are we
being impediments in the
path of others realising
the beauty of Dînul
Islâm? Are we doing a
disservice to our
religion with our
character and
mannerisms? These and
other serious questions
should be repeatedly
asked to determine if we
are projecting our Dîn
correctly.
Inconsiderate behaviour
in any circumstance is
unacceptable, more so
when
it involves the lives of
other individuals. Being
reckless on the road
poses a threat to our
family members and other
passengers in the
vehicle.
Furthermore, other road
users are also at risk
due to our negligence.
Bringing harm and
striking fear in the
hearts of others is a
grave misdeed. The
Qur’ân and Hadîth stress
the importance of good
character.
Once Rasulullah
Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam asked the
Sahâbah Radhi-Allâhu
‘anhum: “Do you all know
who is an insolvent
person?” The Sahâbah
Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhum
spontaneously replied:
“One who has neither
dirhams nor property.”
Rasulullâh Sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam said,
“Certainly the insolvent
person from my Ummah is
he who will come on the
day of Qiyâmah with
Salâh, fasts, and Zakâh
to his credit but he
will also have sworn at
someone, slandered
someone, usurped the
wealth of someone, spilt
the blood of someone,
and caused harm to
someone, thus his good
acts will be passed over
to the person he
oppressed, if these have
expired before these
evil acts have been
accounted for then the
evil actions of those
oppressed by him will be
thrown onto his face,
then he will be thrown
into the fire. (Sahih
Muslim)
Driving safely and
courteously has great
merits. It will reflect
the true beauty and
character that a Muslim
is expected to portray.
Hajj
The Jamaitul
Ulama wishes to
congratulate all people
undertaking the journey
of Hajj. It is the
fervent du`aa of the
Jamiat that Allah grant
all hujjaaj a hajj
mabroor and hajh maqbool.
It is also important to
express thanks and
commend all parties
involved in the effort
that successfully
resulted in the increase
of the Hajj Qouta.
South
African foreign policy
towards Somalia
During his recent visit
to Washington, to meet
with President
George W. Bush,
President Thabo Mbeki
made some statements
concerning Somalia that
must be taken note of.
In the press conference
following on
their meeting, President
Mbeki spoke of the need
to support the
transitional government
of Somalia. This should
be done in order to
reunify the country
“lest it provides a base
for terrorists”, who may
“find a safe haven there
and spread out to the
rest of the continent.”
These statements would
not be unfamiliar if
coming from the US
President. Until now
very little evidence has
been forthcoming on the
supposed links between
Somalia and
international terrorist
organizations, and even
less the possibility
that it may provide a
“springboard” for
terrorists to operate on
the African continent.
It may indeed be
necessary to engage the
South African government
on its foreign policy
towards Somalia, lest we
fall into the same
ideological trap as the
US has been caught in,
in terms of its dealings
with Islamic dynamics in
Africa and the Middle
East.
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Summarized Jumu’ah Bayaan:
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Qurbaani:
(Part III of III) |
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~ Allah Ta’ala says in
the Noble Quran in Surah
al-Kauthar: "Verily, We
have granted you (O
Muhammad ) Al- Kauthar
(a river in paradise),
So pray on to thy lord
and sacrifice. For he
who makes you angry will
be cut off." |
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~ “It is not their flesh
nor their blood that
reaches Allah, but it is
your Taqwa that reaches
Him…” (22:37) |
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~ Hazrat Ayesha
Radhi-Allâhu ‘anha
reports that the Prophet
of Allah Sallallâhu
'alayhi wasallam said,
"The son of Adam does
not perform any actions
on the day of sacrifice
which is more pleasing
to Allah than the
shedding of blood. He
will come on the day of
resurrection with its
hair, horns and hooves,
and the blood certainly
will fall in a place
near Allah before it
falls on the ground. So,
make yourselves purified
there with. (Tirmizi). |
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~ Abu Hurairah
Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu
reports that the Apostle
of Allah said: "Whoever
has the capacity to
sacrifice and does not
do so, should not come
to the place where the
Eid prayer is offered."
(Ibn Majah). |
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~ Rasulullah Sallallâhu
'alayhi wasallam said:
“There is nothing dearer
to Allah during the days
of Qurbani than the
sacrificing of animals.
The sacrificed animal
shall come on the Day of
Judgment with its horns,
hair, and hooves (to be
weighed). The sacrifice
is accepted by Allah
before the blood reaches
the ground. Therefore
sacrifice with an open
and happy heart. (Tirmizi) |
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• Each and every Muslim
who is obliged should
offer it, and if
possible within their
domicile. This will not
only create an
atmosphere of ‘Eid’ and
‘Qurbani’ in the
community but will also
serve as a lesson for
generations to come. |
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• Qurbani is Wajib
(obligatory) on every
Muslim who is: |
i) of sound mind -
mature (has reached the
age of puberty);
ii) a muqeem (i.e. he is
not a shari traveller),
iii) S/he possesses the
amount of 612,36 grams
of silver or wealth
equivalent to that value
which is in excess of
one's basic needs and
debts on any of the
three days of Qurbani.
It is not necessary that
this amount be in one's
possession for a
complete lunar year. |
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• The meat of the animal
(like a cow or camel)
which has more than one
share should be
distributed by weighing
it and not by estimation
unless the head and feet
and skin form part or
the distributed shares. |
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• It is preferable to
divide the meat into
three parts. One part
for one’s family,
another should be
distributed among
friends and relatives
and the third amongst
the poor and needy. If a
person has a very large
family he may keep all
the meat. |
• The time for Qurbani
begins after the Eid
Salaah on the 10th of
Zul Hijjah and ends at
the setting of the sun
on the 12th of Zul
Hijjah. It is better to
make Qurbani on the
first day then the
second, and thereafter
the third.
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Sponsor a Book Programme |
The swell of
misinformation and the
subsequent
misrepresented picture
of Islam have reached
endemic proportions.
Islam has become
synonymous with
indiscriminate terror,
male chauvinism and
antiquated practices and
laws.
Neither will grousing
and complaining among
ourselves, nor will
adopting a ’victim-like’
mentality of pessimism
bring about any change.
It is the duty of the
Muslim Ummah to boldly
and fearlessly showcase
and champion the
pristine teachings of
Islam in the hope of
educating the
unwary masses, who are
swayed by the incessant
flow of propaganda
against Islam. In
addition, people of note
and influence in the
non-Muslim community
should be approached
with the aim of
dispelling the myths and
distortions levelled
against Islam.
In an effort to educate
such people about the
true and beautiful
nature of Islam, the
Jamiatul Ulama has
embarked on a project to
provide relevant,
dynamic, well-written
and well-presented
literature on Islam to
politicians,
journalists, academics
and public libraries.
In order to finance the
purchase and
distribution of these
books the Jamiatul Ulama
has called upon the
community for their
assistance. This is a
unique opportunity to
contribute towards
educating people about
Islam and also defending
Islam.
The cost of sponsoring
one book is R100.00.
Contributions or
sponsorships can be
directed to any of the
Jamaitul Ulama offices
or directly deposit
into:Jamiatul
Ulama Account,
Nedbank Fordsburg;
Account No.: 1953 285
937
and Earmark Your Payment
“SPONSOR-A-BOOK”. |
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C O N
T E N T S |
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Qurbani 1427 |
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Summarised
Jumuah Bayaan |
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Question and
Answer |
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Update |
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Message from the Ameer |
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I N F
O R M A T I O N |
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Min. Mahr |
R 114.16 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 5,707.80 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,283.12 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Respect
for Food |
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Abu Huraira
Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu reported
that, ” The Prophet
Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam
never criticized any food
(presented him), but he
would eat it if he liked it;
otherwise, he would leave it
(without expressing his
dislike). (Sahih Al-Bukhari
Vol. 4, No. 764)
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Quotation for the Week |
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Friendship |
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“Do not
repeat to your friend things
that will make him unhappy
and which would not benefit
him to know. That
would be an action of a
fool.
Do not hide from him
anything that would cause
him loss not
to know. That would be the
action of a wicked person.”
Ibn Hazm in his
Kitab Akhlaq
wa al-Siyar fi Mudawaat al-Nufoos
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Point of Reflection |
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Reputation |
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It takes 20
years to build a reputation
and five minutes to ruin it.
If you think about that,
you'll do things
differently.
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Q and A |
Question: I am divorced
and
my ex wife and I have 3
daughters (11years, 10 years
and 5 years). From an
Islamic viewpoint what is
the position
of the custody of the
children? In addition, my
ex-wife will be re-marrying.
What are the restrictions
between the kids and their
step father?
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Answer: In terms of
the
Shari’ah the mother has the
right of custody of a
daughter
up to the time she reaches
the age of nine years whilst
in the case of a son,
custody for the mother lasts
up to the time
that he reaches the age of
seven. This right remains
for
the mother on condition that
she does not marry a man who
is from the prohibited
degree
of the child. If she marries
such a person the right of
custody will pass on to the
maternal grandmother. If the
maternal grandmother is not
present then this right will
go
to the paternal grandmother
and so on. If however after
marriage the mother is
divorced from the second
husband and the nikah bond
is totally terminated, while
the children are of an age
where
the mother has the right of
custody, the right of
custody
will return to her.
[Shaami; vol.3, p.564, H.M.
Saeed].
At the age of seven and nine
in the case of a son and
daughter respectively, the
father gets
the custody of the children.
The father retains this
right up unto the time that
the son and daughter become
mature
(baaligh) in terms of the
Shariah. Upon maturity they
have the right to choose
which parent they wish to
live with. However in the
case of a daughter, the
father will retain the right
of custody even after
maturity especially when the
daughter is not old enough
to have a mature and
independent thinking and the
environment
is filled with moral decay.
(Shaami vol.3 p.568).
The above laws are
applicable only where both
the parents
are Muslims and are
Islamically and morally
upright. If however the
mother or father is not an
Islamically and morally
upright person then she/he
will loose her/his right of
custody even if the children
are at an age when she/he
would normally have the
right of custody. Similarly,
a woman who after being a
Muslim leaves the religion
of Islam will loose her
right of custody for her
children.
[Shaami, vol.3, p.556].
Each parent will
nevertheless have the right
of visiting the
child on a daily basis
whilst the child is not in
his/her custody. [Shaami,
vol.3 p.571]. The Shari'ah
has not stipulated any
period of time for this
visit.
The time limit should be
mutually decided upon by the
parents.
With regard the relationship
of
a step father to his step
daughter, in terms of the
laws
of the Shari'ah there exists
a relationship of
mahramiyyat between them,
meaning that
they can never marry one
another and nor do they
require to observe the laws
of pardah between them. (Al
Qur'an,
Surah Nisaa, Aayat 23).
However, as a matter of
caution it is advised that
due
to the terrible state of
moral decay in society the
father and step daughter
don’t have a
very informal relationship.
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U
P D A T E |
Qurbani
1427 Hijri
Qurbâni arrangements have
been made locally and
abroad.
Kindly Forward Your Payments
NOT LATER THAN THURSDAY,
28TH DECEMBER 2006
to Any of the Jamiat Offices
Below
OR
Deposit Directly into Our
Jamiatul Ulama
NEDBANK FORDSBURG; ACCOUNT
NO: 1953 285 937
and Earmark Your Payment
“QURBANI 2006”
Abû Saîd Radhi-Allâhu anhu
narrated that the Messenger
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
said:
“O Fatimah! Go and witness
how your Udhiyya/Qurbani is
being slaughtered, for
verily for the first drop of
blood that falls, Allah will
forgive you all your past
sins.”
She said: “O Messenger of
Allah! Is this special for
us the Prophetic household
or for all the Muslims?” He
answered: “It is for us and
all the Muslims.”
(Al-Bazaar)
From the hadîth above, it
cannot be over-emphasised
that your obligatory qurbâni
be made yourself personally.
In so doing many dimensions
of offering qurbâni will be
fulfilled. If you so desire
to make optional qurbâni,
then this can be made
elsewhere.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Kindly fax deposit slip with
name and address details for
official receipt Kindly
submit names of individuals
on behalf of whom Qurbâni is
to be made Surplus funds, if
any, will be utilised for
Dîni activities Price of
share includes
administration costs
Benoni 011 421 7781;
Azaadville 011 413 1365;
Klerksdorp 018 467 8355
Lenasia 011 854 6170;
Laudium 012 374 2506;
Middelburg 013 243 2423
An initiative of Jamiatul
Ulama
Tel: 011 373 8000 Fax: 011
373 8022
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Sunday Times
Article
On the 3rd of December the
Sunday Times published an
article wherein an image of
a woman with verses of the
Qur’an printed on her naked
back. The picture was
reproduced from the Theo Van
Gogh movie – Submission. The
article in the Sunday Times
dealt with the current
environment regarding
Muslims and the veil, in
Holland. Reproducing the
picture showed great
insensitivity, carelessness,
lack of respect for and an
impingement on the rights
and dignity of Islam and
Muslims. On the 4th of
December the Jamiatul Ulama
tendered a letter to the
Commission for the Promotion
and Protection of the Rights
of Cultural, Religious and
Linguistic Communities. We
were informed that the
letter has been received and
will be followed up.
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Holidays and
Holy Days
The Commission for the
Promotion and Protection of
the Rights of Cultural,
Religious and Linguistic
Communities held a
discussion forum on the
issues of Public holidays.
The issue of Public Holidays
is currently being examined
for various reasons and from
various perspectives.
Questions that are being
asked include: Are there too
many public holidays in
South Africa? What procedure
should be followed when a
public holiday falls on a
Sunday, Should religious
groups be afforded the
position of having their
religious holidays
recognized as public
holidays? Ml. Abdullah Jeena
of the Jamiatul Ulama
presented at the forum.
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NRLF
meets Government
Last Thursday, the NRLF
(National Religious Leaders
Forum) met with Government
as a follow-up to a meeting
between the President and
the NRLF, held a few weeks
ago on crime. This meeting
was attended by various
members of the Religious
Leaders Forum, and
government was represented
by senior members from the
Security Clusters including
ministers or deputy
Ministers from various
Departments. The MECs of the
various provinces also
attended. The focus of the
meeting was how government
can partner with the
religious community in the
fight against crime. Various
issues were discussed and
the religious community was
urged to assist with
practical ‘management’ of
police stations. A follow-up
meeting to discuss the
mechanics of the religious
community’s involvement is
planned for early January
2007.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
To
Teachers/Asaatidha at the
End of the Year
After a long and arduous
year of teaching,
perspiration and stress, we
now come to the finale. It
is a time of joy and an
opportunity to rest until
the start of next year. My
message to all of you is
this: congratulations for
having persevered for the
entire year in the noblest
and most joyous professions.
Embracing and conveying the
knowledge of revelation (wahi)
is an obligation and a
sacred trust. A great reward
is promised for those who
teach people the knowledge
of revelation. Conversely, a
severe punishment is
prepared
for those learned men who
conceal and hide the
revealed truth out of envy
or for the sake of a worldly
desire.
Amongst the deviations of
the People of the Book is
that they used to conceal
revealed knowledge for a
cheap gain. Let us consider
an important ayah of the
Qur’an in this regard:
“Verily, those who conceal
the clear proofs, evidence
and guidance, which We have
sent down, after We have
made it clear for the people
in the Book, they are the
ones cursed by Allah and
cursed by the cursers.
Except those who repent and
do righteous deeds, and
openly declare (the truth
which they concealed).
These, I will accept their
repentance. And I am the One
Who accepts repentance, the
Most Merciful.” [Surah 2,
Al-Baqarah: 159-160]
These verses were revealed
in response to the People of
the Book when they were
asked about the Biblical
prophecy of the coming of
Sayyidina Muhammad
Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam.
Ibn Abbas Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu
narrates that Mu'aadh bin
Jabal and other Sahabah
Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhum asked
some Jewish Rabbis about
Muhammad as mentioned in
their Book, the Torah and
Injil. They concealed
Sayyidina Muhammad's
Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam
description and did not
inform them of his
forthcoming out of hatred
and envy. Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta’âla then revealed,
"Verily, those who conceal
the clear proofs..."
Although these verses were
revealed in response to the
scholars of the People of
the Book, its theme
comprehends all those who
conceal the Words of Allah
and distorts the laws of His
Shari'ah. It is supplemented
by the Prophet's hadith: "He
who is asked about something
he knows and conceals it,
will have a bridle of fire
put on him on the Day of
Resurrection."
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