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Weekly Comment |
Creating a Reason?
On the 23rd of April the
Washington Post quoted a
statement made by an unnamed
Pentagon official wherein it is
said that: “Another [9/11 type
terrorist] attack could create
both a justification and an
opportunity that is lacking
today to retaliate against some
known targets.”
Reports from inside the USA
indicate that the media there is
slowly but surely building a
case for war against Iran. An
article published by Global
Research indicates that there is
a growing consensus in the
American media that US homeland
security is currently threatened
by so-called Islamic terrorists
who are supported by Tehran and
Damascus. It is alleged that the
current threat of a terrorist
attack on the USA may be carried
out by a group, or groups, that
possess nuclear capabilities.
It is surprising that the
military nightmare the USA
already finds itself in, in
Iraq, is not putting a damper on
the war talk emanating from the
US government. Would-be
terrorists will supposedly
target US cities with
radiological dispersion devices,
or dirty bombs.
It is for obvious reasons that
we must be sceptical about such
claims, but if this proves to be
yet another case of seeking a
pretext for pre-emptive war,
then there is a need to be
vigilant.
The Send Off... The Welcome
Tony Blair officially hands in
his resignation to the Queen,
today. His term of ten years in
office will have reached its
end. On the eve of his
departure, the ‘Middle-East
Quartet’ seem to be in the
process of appointing Blair as a
special envoy of the Quartet to
the Middle East.
What would fall within the ambit
of the tasks and
responsibilities of such an
envoy is blurred. What is the
reason for the suddenly
perceived need for the immediate
appointment of such an envoy is
also most peculiar. The choice
of Blair as even a candidate for
such a position is more than
strange or outlandish.
Blair’s legacy in Iraq speaks
for itself. He is so much in
agreement with Bush that even
Bush cannot unequivocally deny
his ‘subservience’ to him. Bush
says; “ I've heard he's been
called Bush's poodle. He's
bigger than that. … "We are
working together to achieve
global peace in the face of
enormous danger. … We found each
other in the same foxhole".
Blair is known to be pro-Israel.
He refused to condemn Israel's
bombardment of Lebanon in 2006,
he did not support the Makkah
Agreement and was wholly
supportive, if not instrumental,
in establishing sanctions on the
Hamas dominated Palestinian
State, democratically elected by
the people of Palestine. He is
clearly not objective and has
close friends that are putting
him into the position of
‘special envoy’ – such close
friends who themselves are
dictated to by Israel and the
Jewish lobby in the USA. Blair
is justifiably not considered to
be a friend by the Arab world or
Muslim population of the world.
Why would he then be considered
for the post? People often say:
‘In today’s world it’s not what
you know, it’s who you know’.
They also often say, “You
scratch my back and I scratch
yours”. When Bush’s term comes
to an end, one wonders what
Blair will nominate Bush for.
Summit in Egypt
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
facilitated a summit that was
strange in many respects. Among
the aspects that were strange
were:
- the manner of calling the
summit.
- the guest list, who was
included and who was excluded.
- the change is Egypt’s views
pre and post summit.
Who is on whose side?
Israel as Armour-Plated Victim -
A Response to Warren Goldstein –
Chief Rabbi of South Africa
Rabbi Goldstein may be correct
in one thing, which is that
‘humans do on occasion make
monumental mistakes’. Thinking
that the earth is flat is a good
example, but claiming that the
State of Israel is the victim of
Arab nationalist expansionism,
and net recipient of violence,
may prove to be another.
The attempt at drawing parallels
between the ANC, and the
militarised state of Israel, is
an oblique comparison between
apples and lemons. The Rabbi’s
argument is definitely unique,
and it may yet prove to be a
historical first to compare the
ANC as liberation movement, with
the state of Israel. The
comparison between the state of
Israel and the apartheid regime
remains the best and most
intellectually sound reference
to be drawn in an attempt to
understand the Palestinian
predicament.
Click here to read the rest
of the response submitted by the
Jamiatul Ulama to the Sunday
Times last week. |
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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 108.54 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
5,427.04 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,170.81 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Watch over
Desires |
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Abu Ya'la ibn Shaddad ibn
Aws Radhi-Allâhu `anhu
narrates that the Prophet
Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam
said: A wise person is one
who keeps a watch over his
bodily desires and passions,
and checks himself from that
which is harmful and strives
for that which will benefit
him after death; and a
foolish person is one who
subordinates himself to his
cravings and desires and
expects from Allah the
fulfilment of his futile
desires. (Tirmidhi)
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Quotation for the Week |
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Bitterness
of
Dependency |
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I have tasted bitterness of
all kinds, but nothing is
more bitter than dependence
on others. (Luqman `Alayhis
salam)
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Point of Reflection |
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Vice |
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Evil enters like a needle
and spreads like an oak
tree. (Ethiopian
Proverb)
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Q and A |
Question:
Is it permissible for a
Muslim to sell alcohol in a
shop to non-Muslims, or to
serve alcohol to non-Muslims
in a restaurant?
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Answer:
It is not permissible for a
Muslim to deal in alcohol
under any circumstances
whatsoever, whether it
implies buying or selling or
serving alcohol, or in any
other context, even though
it may be to non-Muslims.
Verses 90 and 91 of Surah
Maaidah very emphatically
and categorically pronounces
the
strict prohibition and
abstinence therefrom, and
classifies
alcohol as filth and an
abomination from shaytaan’s
handiwork.
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U P D A T E |
Young Ulama
Programmes
In keeping with the
Jamiatul Ulama policy of
providing programmes to
continuously upgrade
skills of young Ulama, a
workshop on Medical
Ethics, took place last
Saturday. The Programme
was attended by over 50
Ulama and positive
feedback was received
from attendees. Issues
such as family planning,
contraceptive methods,
infertility, passive and
active euthanasia were
discussed.
Middelburg Youth
Convention
The regional Youth
Convention organised by
the Jamiatul Ulama and
the Middelburg Youth
Group took place last
Sunday. The Programme
was attended by over 600
youth, who benefited
from the wide range of
programmes including; a
presentation on safe
driving, lectures from
various scholars,
qiraa’at and anaasheed,
an interactive session
called mind-games, a
debate and other
programmes.
Article in Star
The
Rand, a US-based think
tank recently published
a paper entitled
“Building Moderate
Muslim Networks’ in
which they propose
co-opting on ‘moderate
Muslims’ in a bid to
counter ‘extremism. The
authors of the paper
are pulling a template
from the Cold War era
advocating its use in
dealing with the
‘extremist’ tendencies
of Muslims. An article
written in response to
this paper appeared in
the Monday 25 June 2007
edition of the Star
newspaper. This article
entitled ‘Cannot Equate
Cold War foes with
Muslims’ can be read
<here>. |
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Inheritance
Allah
Azza wa jalla says in
the Holy Qur’an: "…
there is a share for men
and a share for women,
whether the property be
large or small. A share
made compulsory."
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam says: "Learn
the laws of inheritance
and teach it to people,
for it is half of
knowledge".
In the Arabic language,
Inheritance is known as
‘Fara-idh', which is the
plural of ‘Fareedah',
which means something
that has been fixed, set
or determined. Knowledge
of inheritance is known
as ‘Fara-idh' because it
has been fixed by Allah
in the Holy Qur'an.
Our beloved Prophet said
regarding learning
Islamic inheritance and
its importance:
“Indeed I am a man who
will be taken away,
therefore learn Fara-idh
and teach it. The time
of the disappearance
of knowledge will come
close, when two persons
will dispute regarding
an Islamic ruling and
they will find no one
to decide the dispute.”
“Learn Fara-idh and
teach it, indeed it is
half of knowledge.”
“It is my way and it is
the first thing that
will be taken away from
my Ummah.”
The Holy Qur'ân states "AIlâh
has purchased from the
believers their persons
and their wealth in lieu
of Jannah."
Man is a trustee of the
wealth that he owns for
he duration of his life.
When his term of life
expires, his
trusteeship over his
wealth and property
expires. It has then to
be redistributed in
accordance with the
directive of The
Absolute Owner - Allâh
Ta'âla. Directives
regarding the
distribution of wealth
after the demise of the
provisional owner are
explicitly detailed in
the Holy Qur'ân.
The Qur'ân has fixed the
shares of each
individual, which cannot
be altered or changed.
The share of each heir
is binding in the same
way as the number of
rakâts are binding in
Salâh. Any, attempt to
alter the heirs of their
fixed shares is
tantamount to
challenging the wisdom
and directive of Allâh
Ta'âla.
Importance of a Will -
"It is not right for a
Muslim that two nights
(and in one narration)
three nights pass on
him, but that his will
be written, if he has
something to make a will
for."
The Virtues of Making a
Will - "He who dies on
his wasiyat (having made
a will) dies on a
(clear) path (i.e a
clear path, leaving no
disputes or unresolved
issues for his family
and making the
distribution of the
estate easy), he dies on
sunnat, on the fear of
Allah, martyrdom and he
dies forgiven.
Warning for Not Having
Made a Will - "A person
denied of reward (i.e.
that great reward as
mentioned in the
previous hadith) is he
who has been denied (the
toufieq) of making his
will".
Punishment for Not
Having Made a Will -
"Not making a will is a
fault in the world. If a
person did not clarify
all his matters in his
will, people will curse
him and find fault in
him that he did not
write down that he was
owing us, or that he was
holding our amaanat,
etc. In the hereafter he
will be in the fire and
disgrace for not having
revealed and or
clarified all his
financial matters and
thereby causing harm to
the rights of the
people.
Common Errors
• A daughter is given a
substantial gift at the
time of nikâh and is
then excluded from the
estate;
• The testator
stipulates that all his
assets go to his wife
after his demise and
after her demise to
their children;
• Certain children for
various reasons are
excluded from the
estate; and
• A testator bequests
shares in accordance to
his discretion and not
in accordance with the
law of Allâh Ta'âla.
Matrimonial
Regime
Islamic marriages are
governed by an
ante-nuptial contract.
Marriage in community of
property is not
consistent with the
Islamic Law of
inheritance.
An un-Islamic
Will
If a person has left a
Will that contravenes
the Shari'ah, it is
incumbent on the heirs
to redress the
inconsistencies. They
are obliged to forego
their legal shares in
favour of their
Islamically determined
shares.
A Gift during
your Lifetime
Observing equality in
parental gifts or grants
to children is
preferable but not
binding. If a parent
elects to divide his
estate in his lifetime
to avoid potential
dispute after his death,
then the lifetime
transfers will be
regarded as gifts or
grants, in which case he
should preferably
observe equality.
Record of
Liabilities and Assets
Nabî Sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam has said: "It
does not befit a
believer who is
(obliged) to make
wasiyyah to spend (even)
two nights without
making a record
thereof."
A Muslim is obliged to
keep a record of the
following:
• Debtors
• Amanah [Items
entrusted for
safe-keeping]
• Unfulfilled religious
obligations
• Creditors
Legal
Requirements
• The Wills Act of 1953,
as amended governs the
execution of the Will.
• Any person of the age
of 16 or over may make a
Will.
• No beneficiary may
sign as a witness.
• The testator/testatrix
as well as the same
witnesses who attest at
the end of the Will, all
being present must
sign every page of the
Will.
The Consequences
of a Wrong Will
Nabî Sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam has said: "A
man or woman may
devoutly obey Allâh for
sixty years. Yet when
death approaches them,
they act wrongfully
(when making their
will). As a result the
fire becomes binding
upon them."
May Allâh grant us the
foresight to enact His
Law and the humility to
accept it as the
ultimate.
Acquire your copy of the
Islamic Will and
Testament (with detailed
explanatory notes)
from any of the Jamiat
Offices for only R25.00
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Brrrr... Beautiful
Snow
Last night, people woke
their children, who were
sleeping peacefully, in the
middle of the night. They
quickly layered them with
warm clothing, hurriedly dug
out hand gloves and rushed
them into a dark night, lit
up with beautiful snow. It
was stunning. The children
looked on excitedly at the
snow, and at the excitement
of their parents. Together
the parents and the children
made snow-balls and threw
them at each other. In the
depth of the night, they
made snowmen, and ran
around, sliding and falling
all over themselves in pure,
simple moments of delight.
Some of the children may
have wondered what the fuss
was all about – they had
seen snow so many times
before, either on their
globe-trotting holidays or
on TV; some may have
wondered where these lovely
parents they saw today were
every other day, while
others were genuinely lost
in their moment of fun.
After a long while,
everybody went back in and
flopped into their
comfortable beds, with
heaters around surrounded by
warm and fuzzy thoughts and
feelings of love for each
other.
How wonderful would it not
be if we could spare more
time to spend with our
children, in the enjoyment
of the beautiful creation of
Allah, in their individual
interests, in daily
activities and in the
worship of Allah. Maybe we
can even share moments with
our children in taking them
to assist those in need.
While we enjoyed the snow,
the morning news reports
indicated that a man had
been found dead as a result
of
his exposure to the extreme
cold. He, probably also
looked on in astonishment at
the snow; he was probably
also excited at having seen
snow for the first time in
his life; he probably also
felt the snow and threw a
few snowballs. He however
did not have the luxury of a
warm home to run back into,
or a blanket to snuggle up
in, and clearly
not a family member to
‘love’ him to sleep. He
really ‘felt’ the snow, he
experienced it’s beauty, and
probably breathed his last
cursing it and also cursing
those around him that had so
much, but refused to share.
Sometimes in our frivolous
pursuits and enjoyments we
forget the broader picture.
We tend to wear blinders and
not see the whole, but
rather focus on the narrow,
directly in front of us.
Local organizations are
constantly engaged in
assisting the
less-advantaged. Find out
from them how you can help.
Purchase some blankets or
food and take it yourself,
with your children, to the
poor in your area.
May Allah Subhanahu wa
ta'aala guide us in seeing
and understanding things in
the correct perspective. May
He guide us to appreciate
the favours upon us and may
He help us share of those
things he has entrusted us
with. Aameen.
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