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Weekly Comment |
Elections in Nigeria
Umaru Yar’dua, the ruling
party’s candidate ‘won’ the
presidential election in
Nigeria, on Saturday. No outside
observer or monitoring agency
worth its salt has called, or
can even consider calling, the
elections credible. Even the
outgoing President admits that
the polls were flawed. The
turnout was less than 60% and in
most parts of the country
elections began late, while in
some it simply did not take
place.
Nigeria's biggest election
monitoring group has said the
presidential poll was so flawed
that it should be scrapped and
held again. One Nigerian
newspaper said that their
country had become a laughing
stock. When shall we put our act
together?
Chechnya: The Legacy of Yeltsin
Yeltsin is gone. Different
groups of people will remember
him for different reasons.
For the resilient people of
Chechnya, the forgotten troubled
land, Yeltsin will be remembered
for the war he inflicted upon
them. As humiliating as the war
was to the invading Russian
Army, the war brought untold
misery and pain to the Chechens.
Conservative estimates put the
casualties at 80,000 and 30,000
for Russia and Chechnya
respectively with 500,000
displaced. Grozny the capital,
towns and villages were left in
ruins. After Putin’s Second
Chechen War, not much has
changed of the territory and her
battle-worn inhabitants…
Is it not in the treaties that
govern international law that
self-determination is a right?
Why is it not applicable to the
Chechens?
Somalia
Ethiopia continues to pound
Mogadishu. The loss of human
lives, the displacement of
hundreds of thousands and the
destruction to existing
infrastructure is immeasurable.
More than 250 people have been
killed in the last week alone.
Tanks have rained shells
indiscriminately with numerous
houses falling. Residential
areas have borne the brunt of
the wild attacks. Mutilated
corpses lay rotting in streets
and inaccessible residential
areas as heavy fighting barred
residents and aid workers from
collecting them for burial. With
the exodus of thousands of
civilians this week, it is
estimated that over 400 000
people have fled over the past
two months. With tens of
thousands hungry and thirsty the
human catastrophe has become
even more unbearable. In
addition the unabated fighting
has hampered aid agencies in
delivering vital food, clean
water and shelter. Thousands are
sleeping under trees or in the
open. Hygiene conditions have
reached unacceptable levels, and
related sicknesses have started
spreading to the extent that if
not controlled, they could reach
epidemic proportions.
Hamas Forced to Declare Truce
Over
It is surprising how the world
media have pounced to announce
that Hamas has declared 5 month
the truce, entered into on
November 26 last year, as over.
The world press has made a big
story over the fact that Hamas
has fired over 30 rockets and 6o
mortar rounds into the Jewish
State.
It is important to point out
that actions do not exist in a
vacuum. They are, on most
occasions, in response to or in
relation to other events,
circumstances or approaches. The
Palestinians stuck to their end
of the agreement or truce for a
lengthy period of five months.
Five long months of continued
Israeli aggression, incursions
and unfettered killings.
Finally, with no other option
available, the Palestinians were
forced to respond, this week, to
the killing of nine people,
which formed a part of the
persistent, unceasing and
unrelenting raids by the Israeli
Army. Hamas was thus forced to
declare the truce over; they did
not just do so.
Unchecked use of technology
renders a boon a bane
Arab News reports that:
Misuse of Bluetooth technology
by young men and women is
increasing in Saudi Arabia. A
recent study found that
pornographic material accounted
for nearly 70 percent of
messages exchanged by teenagers.
“The flash memory of mobile
phones taken from teenagers
showed 69.7 percent of 1,470
files saved in them were
pornographic and 8.6 percent
were related to violence,”
Rasheed conducted a separate
study of 1,200 women aged
between 18 and 25, which showed
that 82 percent of them use
Bluetooth continuously. About 44
percent use it in the market, 26
percent keep it open always and
in all places, 15 percent use it
in restaurants and 10 percent in
wedding halls. About 85 percent
believed that Bluetooth was safe
for communicating with the
opposite sex. Ninety-nine
percent believed that the device
had broken the barrier of social
taboo and traditions. About 77
percent of girls admitted that
they had used Bluetooth, even
inside the Grand Mosque in
Makkah; 45 percent used fake
names, 33 percent left their
e-mail addresses visible and 12
percent exchanged mobile
numbers. |
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C O N
T E N T S |
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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 116.90 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 5,844.80 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,337.92 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Only
by Mercy of Allah |
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Abu Huraira
Radhiallahu anhu narrated
that Allah's Messenger
Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam
said, "The deeds of anyone
of you
will not save you (from Hell
Fire)." They said, "Even you
(will not be saved by your
deeds), O Allah's Apostle?"
He said, "No, even I (will
not be saved) unless and
until Allah bestows His
Mercy on me."
(Sahih Bukhari
Vol.8, No. 470) |
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Quotation for the Week |
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Contentment |
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“I am
prepared to exchange my
wealth along with my
sickness
for the woodcutter’s poverty
and health (i.e. if this was
possible). Hubb-e-jaah
(love
for fame) and hubb-e-maal
(love for wealth) are grave
spiritual evils. They never
leave man in peace. If a man
is satisfied with his lot
and
remains contented with the
little he obtains, he will
have no cause for worry and
frustration.”
(Maulana Ashraf Ali
Thanwi –
rahmatullahi alayhi) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Sad
Part about Graves |
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The saddest
places on earth are
graveyards. Not because
people are buried there, but
because dreams, talents and
purposes that never came to
fruition are buried there. |
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Q and A |
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Question: If I get interest
from my bank, can I use it
to pay my tax? What about
using it to pay off a loan? |
Answer: Bank interest cannot
be used to pay government
tax bills and neither can it
be used for paying off a
loan.
The rationale behind the
disbursement of interest is
as follows:
Interest is an unlawfully
acquired commodity from
whichever source it may be
and the dispensing thereof
is necessary which in the
Shariah
is termed as waajibut
tasadduq. All such
monies that fall under this
category are for the sole
distribution unto the
recipients
of zakaat only.
Such distribution will be
done without any
intention of reward but
rather
to alleviate the burden of
ill-gotten funds from one’s
head.
Any form of either direct or
indirect benefit that may be
derived from such funds will
not be valid and that is the
basis on which the answer to
your query
is formulated.
And Allah Ta'aala
knows best. |
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Workers Day
Message |
Allah Ta'ala says: ”We
have apportioned among
them their livelihood in
the life of this world
so that some of them may
command work from the
others.” (43:32)
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The Prophet (sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam said:
“(They are) Your
brethren whom Allah has
placed in your custody
Let him who has been
made custodian of his
brother by Allah feed
him from what he himself
eats, clothe him out of
what he clothes himself,
and impose not on him
work that will overcome
him…” (Bukharī & Muslim) |
Nabī Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam has said: Human
society functions on a
divinely ordained scheme
wherein the rich are
dependent on the poor
for their labour, whilst
the poor are dependent
on the rich for their
livelihood. This
interdependence between
the employer and
employee is couched in
moral and legal
imperatives of justice,
dignity, trust and
compassion aimed at
creating a harmonious
relationship between the
employer and employee.
The employer is expected
to provide working
conditions that do not
impinge on the dignity
of the employee whilst
the employee is expected
to fulfil his
obligations with due
efficiency and trust.
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The conduct we portray
in our capacities as
employers or employees
is either going to draw
people closer to Islam
or turn them away from
it. “As you are aware,
the Prophet Sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam had a
burning desire to invite
humanity towards Islam.
Despite 13 years of
untiring effort in
Makkatul Mukarramah and
seven years in Madinatul
Munawwarah, there was no
large scale movement of
non-Muslims into Islam.
Between 7AH and 10 AH
which is the period
after Fath-Makkah
(Conquest of Makkah)
until the Prophets
demise, there was such
an influx of people
entering the ranks of
Islam that was not
witnessed in the
preceding 20 years… this
was due to non-Muslims
having had an
opportunity for the
first time, to observe
and intermingle with
Muslims, witness their
honesty, fair dealings,
compassion and sole
reliance on Almighty
Allah. This left such a
deep and profound
impression on
non-Muslims that
thousands entered into
the fold of Islam within
a relatively short
period of time.” (Ml
Abul Hasan Ali Nadwī)
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Islam spread to every
corner of the globe
because of the conduct
of the Muslimīn. People
were naturally attracted
to Islam because they
saw and experienced fist
hand the exemplary
conduct of Muslims. We
need to ask ourselves
why individuals who see
how we pray, fast, eat,
etc, individuals who
have virtually become
part of the family still
do not find reason to
accept Islam. Are we
perhaps falling short in
these values?
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It is unfortunate that
some Muslim homes still
treat their domestics
unfairly. They are paid
a pittance, and are made
to work long hours. They
are often addressed as
‘girl’ and ‘boy’ by
people who are young
enough to be their
grandchildren. In some
cases the ‘food’ offered
to them is unbecoming.
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Nabī Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam has said:
“(They are) Your
brethren whom Allah has
placed in your custody
Let him who has been
made custodian of his
brother by Allah feed
him from what he himself
eats, clothe him out of
what he clothes himself,
and impose not on him
work that will overcome
him…” (Bukharī & Muslim)
If these are the rights
that slaves enjoy… if
slaves are referred to
as ‘your brethren” what
about the position and
rights of our domestics?
The Prophet of
Allah Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam has said:
“There are three kinds
of people whom I shall
be against on the Day of
Judgment: One of them is
a man who hires a
labourer and demands his
full due from him, yet
refuses to pay him his
wages” (Bukharī) He
either refuses to pay
him the agreed wage, or
he exploits the
desperation of the job
seeker by paying him
less than the market
related wage.
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On the other extreme we
have employees who often
resort to litigation and
demand exorbitant sums
of monies as
compensation for what
they deem to be “Unfair
dismissal” Employees who
simply walk out on their
employers without
fulfilling their
contractual obligations.
Nabī Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam has said: “A
time will come over
people wherein a person
will not care what he
takes from it (money)
whether it is halāl or
harām.” (Bukharī) An era
will dawn over man
wherein he will be so
obsessed with securing
wealth that he will
hardly ever question
whether what he receives
is legitimate or not.
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Moulana Ashraf Ali
Thanvi while teaching
tasawwuf would say: “If
ever I learnt of a
disciple who lagged
behind in offering
optional prayers or in
observing the rituals, I
would be saddened and
would ask him to observe
it. But if I learnt of a
disciple who defaulted
in monetary dealings, I
felt hatred for him.”
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There are many among us
who are fairly conscious
about our prayers and
ibādāt, yet we fail
miserably when it comes
to our monetary
dealings, our treatment
to our employees, or our
commitment to our
employers. We forget
that our Dīn extends
beyond ibādāt and lays
great emphases on the
morality of our monetary
dealings.
May Allah Ta’āla
protect us from
oppression and
exploitation! |
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U P D A T E |
Meeting
with Commission
Members of the Jamiatul
Ulama attended and made
input at a hearing of the
Commission for the
Protection of the Rights of
Religious, Cultural and
Linguistic Communities. The
hearing dealt with the issue
of aspect of ‘Exclusion of
Religious Communities’.
Present at the hearing were
various government
departments including Home
Affairs and Correctional
Services. The SABC was also
present and presented
regarding the steps taken by
them to provide for all
communities on an equitable
basis. |
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Ijtima
The Annual Ijtima for
Gauteng will take place on
the 27, 28 and 29th April
2007. The venue for the
Ijtima is Mayfair,
Johannesburg. Brothers are
urged to attend the Ijtima. |
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AGM - Notice
The
Jamiatul Ulama will hold its
Annual General Meeting on
Sunday 17 Rabi’al Aakhir
1428 (6 May 2007) at the
Jamiatul Ulama offices, 2nd
Floor, 32 Dolly Rathebe
Road, Fordsburg starting
from 9:00am, insha-Allah. |
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Youth Convention
The Annual Youth
Convention hosted by the
Jamiatul Ulama and the UMSA
(Union of Muslim Students
Associations) will take
place at Darus Salam Centre
in Laudium on the 13th May
2007.
The conference has
been taking place annually
for the last three years and
has grown from strength to
strength. Last year over
three thousand people
attended.
This year’s theme is
‘Muslim Youth in a Multi
Cultural Society’, and the
convention has been titled
“Hang in there!”
On the same day, 13th
May 2007, a similar Youth
Convention for Sisters Only,
will take place at the
Lenasia Muslim School in
Lenasia. The Sisters
conference is being
coordinated by the Islamic
Careline.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Procrastination and Laziness
How do you determine who is
a lazy person? Perhaps the
best way is determining if
he woke up for Fajr Salaat
or not. If a person can
manage to overcome the first
hurdle in his day, he will
be able to overcome all
others.
Our Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) said: "During your
sleep, Satan ties three
knots at the back of your
necks. He whispers the
following into them: “The
night is long so keep on
sleeping.” If the person
wakes and praises Allah,
then one of the knots is
unfastened. And if he
performs ablution, the
second knot is unfastened.
When he prays, all of the
knots are unfastened. After
that he will be energetic
and happy in the morning.
Otherwise he would get up
listless and grouchy." (Sahih
al-Bukhari)
Imam al-Bukhari also records
that our Holy Prophet (peace
be upon him) was asked about
a man who sleeps until the
morning comes, that is,
after the time of the dawn
prayer. He said: "That is a
man whom Satan has urinated
into his two ears."
Procrastination and laziness
are two of Shaytan's
strongest strategies to stop
us from performing good
deeds. It is necessary for
the wise person to take
matters into his/her own
hand and harness his/her
energy in a positive way
everyday. The person who
breaks the back of Shaytan
in the start of the day will
not just pass his time day
dreaming and in mindless
pursuits, he will make sure
that every second of his
time is spent fruitfully.
In winter, Fajr Salaah is
much later. So let us break
the back of Shaytan and
kick-start our day with
Salaat!
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