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Weekly Comment |
Iraq
Over 80 people
were killed via a truck-bomb in
Iraq this morning. Over the past
week the violence became
extremely concentrated; this in
a situation so violent that one
could not have imagined it
becoming more violent.
This was the cue for the
Americans to intensify their
efforts to root out terror
suspects; efforts that one
thought were so intensive, they
could not be intensified
anymore.
The Iraqi Prime Minister blamed
the blasts, and the increase in
the killings, on Saddamists and
others intent on stoking
sectarian violence. His
accusation on Saddamists comes
at a time when one thought that
Saddam and his following had
been obliterated to such an
extent that no-one would be able
to remember them, let alone
blame them for anything,
anymore.
The sectarian violence has
increased to the extent that one
would think that all the death
and destruction in Iraq is as a
result of it. Almost to the
extent that one would forget
that the US and its allies
invaded Iraq and mercilessly
killed thousands.
The sectarian violence is so
severe and exhaustive that one
could easily be led to think
that it always existed, to the
extent that no-one, including
the US, could be responsible for
third-force activity pitting the
parties against one another.
On the other hand, the
inaccuracies in the media, the
open lies being told by the US,
their continued presence and
raping of the land and the
people of Iraq, could easily
lead one to believe that maybe
the US has some vested
interests, to the extent that
every one of their actions are
aimed at securing these
interests, and nothing else
matters – whether it be human
dignity or lives. One could
almost believe this. Could one
believe anything else?
Arise Sir Salman
Salman Rushdie got a knighthood.
And statements are flying back
and forth from all sorts of
quarters in the Muslim world
saying what a wrong thing Her
Britannic Majesty has done in
simply placing the sword on his
shoulder and saying, “Arise Sir
Salman.” What a wasted
opportunity!! How could she do
such a thing and so on, and so
on. How predictable!! As if the
Queen and her advisors did not
guess that this reaction would
come. Her action says, “We knew
you would react like this. We
couldn’t care less.”
Now let us see what our reaction
really means.
It means that we also, along
with Salman Rushdie and the
British monarchy, consider the
knighthood to be a great honor.
Only because we consider it a
great honor are we so upset that
it was given to a man whose
chief cause of fame is the
Satanic Verses and the resultant
fatwa. No matter that it was
never carried out. It got him
the publicity that he must be
thanking whatever god he prays
to, every day for. After all who
had even heard of Salman Rushdie
until he wrote that book?
So is the knighthood a great
honor? For that one would only
have to see who else, before Sir
Salman, was awarded this title
and for what actions?
What we certainly need to think
about, is our standard knee jerk
reaction to everything that
happens in the West that is
aimed at Muslims. And ask
ourselves whether we need to
react at all in the first place,
and if so, how?
So let the Queen knight Salman.
Very appropriate, I believe. I
will certainly not protest. If
he were to be put on a list of
honorable people, then that
would be a reason to object.
But Knights of the British
Empire??? Good exercise in
fantasy.
Wake up O Muslims. There are
more important things in life to
vent your spleen on. Like what
is happening in Palestine for
example. Or the fact that such
idiotic reactions make us the
laughing stock of the world.
Mirza Yawar Baig
World Refugee Day
June 20 is
designated as World Refugee Day.
It the day set aside to remember
refugees. The tumultuous world
has created well over 20 million
refugees. A good proportion of
those are Palestinians: the
largest refugee group in the
world. Apart from Jordan which
has bestowed citizenship rights
on Palestinian people, the rest
of the Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon, Syria and other
countries live in slums where
poverty is rampant and remain
the most vulnerable and
surviving largely on hand-outs.
When will the world restore
their dignity by asserting their
right of return to their homes,
land and farms?
On the African continent we also
have a large number of refugees
from Zimbabwe, Somalia and from
other countries. We also have
those living as refugees in
their own countries such as
Sudan’s Darfuris.
When are we going to end this?
Back to basics. The problem of
refugees is a secondary one.
Primarily, we have issues of
poor governance and denial of
justice as the source of the
phenomenon. The world community
should give expression to
aspirations for justice and
freedom for the people of
troubled regions. Only by
solving domestic problems shall
we meaningfully curtail the
number of refugees in the world.
Political will must be brought
to bear to this end.
On our part, let us all embrace
and help to protect people
seeking asylum especially the
vulnerable. We can also share
the experiences some of these
people are highly-skilled for
the betterment of our society. |
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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 110.36 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 5,518.18 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,207.27 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Liquor |
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Daylam Al-Himairi
Radhi-Allahu anhu reported I
asked the Prophet Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam and said:
Oh Apostle of Allah, we live
in a cold land
in which we do heavy work
and we make a liquor from
wheat to get strength from
it for our work and to stand
the cold of our country. He
asked: Is it intoxicating? I
replied: Yes. He said: You
must avoid it. I said: The
people will not abandon it.
He said: If they do not
abandon it, fight with them.
(Abu Dawud) |
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Quotation for the Week |
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Caution |
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I learnt wisdom from the
blind; they who do not put
their feet forward without
feeling the ground.
(Luqman 'alayhis
salam) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Transiency |
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Life is a shadow and a mist;
it passes quickly by, and is
soon
no more.
(Proverb from
Madagascar) |
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Q and A |
Question: Does it
come in the Hadeeth that
Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wasallam himself went to a
graveyard and broke the
headstones which were high?
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Answer: We
have not come across a
Hadeeth wherein Rasulullah
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam
himself went to a graveyard
and broke the headstones
which were high. There is,
however, a Hadeeth mentioned
in Tirmizi wherein
Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wasallam sent Hazrat Anas
radiallahu anhu to lower
some graves (not
gravestones) that were made
high The commentators of
this Hadeeth mention that it
is not permissible to make a
grave extremely high. Yes,
to have it raised a little
above the ground is
permitted.
As for gravestones, Allama
Shaami rahmatullahi ‘alaih
has mentioned that it will
only be permissible to place
a (loose) stone for the sake
of necessity i.e. to
indicate that there is a
grave at that spot. Hence
there is no need for very
high and decorative stones.
Ulama have also given
permission to write the name
of the inmate of the grave,
but care should be taken not
to include verses of the
Quraan, etc.
Rasulullah Sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wasallam himself placed a
stone at the head side of
the grave of Hazrat Uthman
bin Maz’un radiallahu ‘anhu.
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U P D A T E |
Imtihaan Report
The Jamiatul Ulama
Talimi Board engages in
the supervision and
provision of guidance to
a number of madaris/schools.
The Talimi Board also
conducts (imtihans)
external common
examinations at these
madaris twice annually.
The Schooling/Madrassah
year has come to an end
with the termination of
a rigorous imtihaan that
commenced on the 21st
May 2007 and concluded
on the 12h June.
Examinations were held
at 100 madaris, ranging
from Tzaneen/Louis
Trichard to Kimberley
and from Malelane to
Amersfoort, covering an
area of five provinces.
Over 140 mumtahins
(examiners) were used
for this purpose.
The Talimi Board
examiners commented that
the results, in general,
were both pleasing and
encouraging. The Board
wishes to express it’s
gratitude to the various
madaris and ulama who
participated and
volunteered their
teachers to be used as
examiners in various
madaris.
Ml. Cassim Sema
Rahmatullahi alayhi
Moulana Mohammed Cassim
Sema (May Allah fill his
grave with His abiding
nûr) completed his
studies to become an
Alim in 1942, aged 23,
at Jamiah Dhabel in
India.
Among his teachers were
personalities such as
Moulana Yusuf Binnouri
and Moulana Badre 'Alam.
Among the personalities
he met were: Moulana
Ilyas -the reviver of
Tabligh, Moulana Hussein
Ahmed Madani, Moulana
Ahmed Ali Lahori, Sheikh
Moulana Raipoori Saheb.
He began serving the
Wasbank community as
teacher and Imaam. In
1949 Moulana began da'wa
activity among the
indigenous community in
a reserve called Msinga
Reserves. Over a period
of ten years
approximately 900 people
embraced Islam. In 1960
the first Ijtima in
South Africa took place
in Wasbank. Moulana's
da'wa activity attracted
constant harassment from
the authorities until he
was arrested for not
having a permit to enter
a “Black Reserve.”
Moulana was eventually
released after paying a
fine of five pounds.
After twenty three years
of service in Wasbank
Moulana retuned to
Newcastle in 1968, to
take up the position of
teacher and Imaam.
During this time Moulana
with the help of three
other Ulama developed a
curricular for madressas
in Natal under the
auspices of the Jamiatul
Ulama in Natal. This
syllabus was called “Nisab
Qasimi.”
In 1969 the St Dominic
Academy was purchased
from the Vatican in Rome
and in 1973 after much
work, the Darul Ulum
Newcastle was opened.
For the first three
years Moulana
single-handedly taught,
cooked food and did the
laundry, apart from
doing all the
administration of the
institute. He also
served as both Imaam and
Muazzin for the five
daily prayers.
Despite extreme pain and
difficulty Moulana
continued teaching up to
his last illness. He
spent the last three
weeks in hospital and
eventually passed on the
9 June 2007.
It should also be
mentioned that Moulana
had supervised the
project of rendering the
Qur’an into the Zulu
language at the Darul
Uloom in Newcastle.
Moulana’s death is an
irreplaceable loss to
the ulama fraternity,
his demise brings with
it the end of an era. He
will forever be
remembered for his
humility, piety, his
trust in Allah and for
his knowledge and
wisdom. While his family
have lost a father, his
students have lost the
foundation of their
wisdom and guidance.
Youth
Middelburg Youth
Convention
As part of the
follow-up to the Annual
Jamiatul Ulama and MSA
Youth Convention, one of
the decisions taken was
that youth should be
made more dynamic on a
local and regional
level. In this regard
more efforts to organise
the youth in individual
areas are being planned.
Regional Youth
Conventions are also
considered of great
benefit.
The Middelburg Muslims
community has taken on
the responsibility of
organising a regional
youth convention for
Mpumalanga and
surrounding areas. The
convention has been
titled: ‘Youth - The
Pulse and Heartbeat of
Society’, and will
commence at 8:30 AM on
Sunday the 24th June
2007 in Middelburg. A
host of well-known
speakers will be
present, including
Maulana Bilal Moolla,
who will be the guest
speaker. The organising
committee has stressed
that even though the
convention is a regional
convention, it would be
of great benefit if
youth from other areas
attend.
For more information
contact: 082 757 7863 /
mpyc@intelcom.co.za
Laudium
In Laudium, which hosted
the 2007 Annual Youth
convention, the
community has been
spurred on to other
things. A Sisters Youth
Group, with its motto
‘Proud to be a Muslimah’
has been formed and its
official launch will
take place this Saturday
(23/06/07 -10:00AM to
12:15) at the Darus
Salam Centre. The guest
speaker at the launch
will be Ml. Sulaiman
Moolla. A plan to launch
a Brothers Youth Group
is also being planned
for late July 2007.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Drug Abuse
(This week is ‘National
Drug Awareness Week.’
Ulama are advised to
speak about drug abuse)
Allah Ta’ala
states in the Holy
Qur’aan:
O You
who believe! Intoxicants
and gambling,
(dedication of) stones
and (divination by)
arrows are an
abomination of Satan’s
handiwork. Avoid (such
abominations) that you
may prosper. (5:90)
Satan’s plan is to sow
hatred and enmity
amongst you with
intoxicants and
gambling, and to hamper
you from the remembrance
of Allah and from
prayer. Will you not
give up? (5:91)
And Allah has forbidden
on to you the ‘khabaith’
i.e. repulsive, wicked
and evil things.
The Holy Prophet
Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa
salaam said:
Ibn Umar Radhi-Allahu
‘anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta’âla
said, "Every intoxicant
is khamr (wine) and
every intoxicant is
haraam (unlawful).
Whosoever drinks wine in
this world and dies
whilst consumed in it
and does not repent will
not drink it in the next
world. (Muslim)
The Qur`an the use of "khamr".
“Khamr” It is derived
from the the root word "khamara"
which means "to cover."
Therefore anything that
covers, clouds or
hinders the mind is
prohibited. This
includes anything that
alters the exercising of
control over the mind,
such as marijuana,
heroin, cocaine,
alcohol, hashish or
other such substances
that intoxicate. The
term intoxicant
encompasses all
narcotics, because they,
among other things,
result in the loss of
partial or full
self-control.
The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him)
was once asked about
certain drinks made from
honey, corn, or barley
by the process of
fermenting them until
they became alcoholic.
The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him)
succinctly replied,
"Every intoxicant is
Khamr, and every Khamr
is haram." Reported by
Muslim.)
`Umar (may Allah be
pleased with him)
declared from the pulpit
of the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon
him) that "Khamr is that
which befogs the mind."
(Reported by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim.)
Islam forbids
intoxicants regardless
of the quantity.
The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him)
said: "Tthat which
intoxicates in a large
amount, a small amount
is also haram." (Ahmad
Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi.)
In another place he
said: "If a bucketful
intoxicates, a sip of it
is haram." (Ahmad, Abu
Dawud and At-Tirmidhi.)
Islam forbids a person
from causing harm to
himself
Allah (azza wa jalla)
says: “ … And make not
your own hands
contribute to your
destruction …” (2:105)
The Ahaadith the
Prophet describes
intoxicants as:
1. The key to all evils.
2. The head of all
errors and lapses.
3. The most terrible of
major sins.
4. The mother of all
atrocities.
5. The mother of all
evils.
Remember:
The drug User is harmed
in many ways –
physically and mentally.
The harms of drugs are
mostly permanent /
irreversible.
A drug Addict is an
addict for life.
Drugs cloud the senses
of a person and
therefore cause him to
engage in other haram
activities.
The harm of drugs extend
to the family and the
community.
Drugs prevent a person
from the remembrance of
Allah, salah and ibaadah.
Parents:
Must educate themselves
and their children about
drugs.
The worst thing for
parents is to go into
denial or the ‘not my
child’ syndrome.
need to be aware to
changes in their
children.
Spend time with their
children
Be aware of every moment
of their children’s
time.
Provide avenues for
their children to expand
their energy.
Do’s and Don’ts for
Parents:
Don’t:
Don’t over react when
you hear or have
suspicion he is on drugs
Don’t threaten him
Don’t use violence
Don’t offer bribes
Don’t blame yourself
Don’t discuss when you
are angry
Don’t override your
spouse
Don’t tell them that
they are lying
Don’t ignore the
problem and avoid
confrontation
Do:
Be supportive
(parents, wife, children
and loved ones)
As a family, how are
we going to deal with
the problem
Gather your evidence,
verify the evidence
If they admit, admire
him for his honesty
(expert advice is now
required)
Be honest (discussion
and approach)
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Is it so difficult
to see?
The
recent turn of events in
Palestine is indeed a cause
for great concern. That
Muslims had been lured into
fighting with one another
was the first blunder. The
current turn of events,
which sees the EU, the US,
Israel and other countries
officially recognising a
‘government’ that is not
representative of the
people, and the
marginalisation of Hamas as
a real legal political
actor, opens the door for
total destruction of
everything that was being
fought for, and for which so
many thousands of lives were
lost.
Those on the ground
in Palestine should ask why
it is that when peace was
concluded in the momentous
‘Makkah Declaration’,
between the disagreeing
factions in Palestine, the
world refused to recognise
that peace, but now the same
world powers are clamouring
to recognise and
congratulate on a society
totally divided.
In all of this, the
crux of the problem which is
the illegal Israeli
occupation and the
oppressive laws and
practices forced upon the
Palestinians, together with
the torture and murder of
innocent children, mothers,
elderly and others is being
sidelined. To make matters
worse, killing of Muslims is
now being perpetrated at the
hands of Muslims, as a
result of the devious
manipulation by Israel and
its allies.
Sure, politics,
especially current
international politics, is
deep and dirty, and it is
sometimes extremely
difficult to see beyond all
the facades that hide the
real agenda behind the
hidden agenda; but when
something is as clear as it
is now, shouldn’t the
Muslims not allow themselves
to be made blind to the
reality that the current
in-fighting and split can
only be to the detriment of
the cause in Palestine. The
Muslim Communities of the
world should stand up and
take note, and warn their
brothers and sisters of the
folly.
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