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Weekly Comment |
Pakistani Elections
The Pakistani Parliamentary
elections took place yesterday.
Results indicate that the PPP
(late Benazir Bhutto’s Party)
are leading the polls, with
PML-N (Nawaz Sharif’s Party)
come in a relatively close
second, while PML-Q (Parvez
Musharraf’s Party) trail behind
as a distant third.
The elections would, however,
not necessarily mean a change in
the position of President. The
present President, Parvez
Musharraf was re-elected to the
presidency last October, as a
result of the other parties
boycotting those elections as
unconstitutional. Even though
Musharraf was clearly rejected
by a majority of the people, he
refuses to resign from his
position. A change in the
Presidency could, however, be
created if a majority from
parliament work to oust him.
Analysts have made suggestions
in that regard, citing the fact
that if PML-N and PPP join, they
could easily execute such a
move. Meanwhile Nawaz Sharif has
indicated that he would be
willing to enter into any such a
coalition which would ‘rid
Pakistan of dictatorship,
forever’, and the PPP has also
expressed interest in a
coalition.
Many comment that in terms of
the future, the situation does
not seem very clear or bright.
People may have supported the
party of the late Benazir, but
most of them still look
cautiously and even suspiciously
at her widower who had been
tagged ‘Mr. 10 percent’ because
of his alleged involvements in
bribery and corruption.
There also doesn’t seem to be
any major shift in the way that
both the current leading parties
look at the American involvement
and interference, as opposed to
the previous approach and
attitude of Musharraf.
Some commentators labour the
point of great success in terms
of the move from military to
civilian rule, and as the US
state department commented, a
“step toward the full
restoration of democracy”. The
question that most people on the
streets however ask, is “Does
the change really matter, and
whereto from here?”
Fidel: Final Script? Not Yet!
Perhaps the impact of the legacy
of Fidel Castro can be gauged by
the comments both his friends
and foes are making about his
announcement of not seeking
another term as president of
Cuba. What comes clear however
is that this enigmatic and
historic figure epitomises the
life of an individual who stood
up to imperialistic forces and
survived (many assassination
attempts) to live to tell. His
comrade-in-arms, Che Guevara,
did not enjoy this fortune.
How much of a revolutionary
Fidel was is reflected by the
support for the idea of
‘militant internationalism.’ He
offered support to liberation
movements in Latin America and
other people living under
imperialist regimes. Closer
home, he fought apartheid South
Africa in Angola. Cuba played
host to young people from the
developing world training as
physicians, architects and
engineers. It was Fidel’s Cuba
that contributed to the
independence of former colonies
around the world. Domestically,
Cuba excelled in sport, had a
high literacy rate and the
country was for the most part
self-sufficient.
At what price did Cubans achieve
all this? Nothing obscures
Fidel’s legacy as a devoted
communist. Some of his critics
point to Soviet-style ruthless
tactics for dealing with
dissent. They argue that though
Fidel transformed Cuba from a
banana republic, he made the
country a tool of a Soviet
agenda in the Caribbean and
Latin America.
The final Fidel script is yet to
be written. However, the
principled resilience of the
people of Cuba in surviving the
US embargo for generations
should be lauded. It is hoped
that the new leadership marks
the beginning of an era of
openness which will serve the
Cuban people and it is our
prayer that they will continue
to resist exploitative forces
that offer liberty-coated
poverty pills.
Masjid Al-Aqsa
The ‘Friends of Al-Aqsa’
organization, based in the UK,
issued a press-release, this
week, stating:
“On Friday 15 February, there
were reports from the Al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem that a 2
meter long and 1.5 meter wide
crater had appeared within the
Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as the
ground beneath it caved in.
The landslide occurred near
Al-Silsila (Chain) Gate and
Qatibai Water Fountain at the
mosque's western side.
Palestinians have blamed
Israel's intermittent digging
and tunnelling for the collapse.
In February, Israeli bulldozers
began demolishing the wooden
bridge leading to Al-Aqsa
Mosque's Al-Maghariba Gate and
two underground rooms, sparking
widespread protests.
At the time, archaeologists
warned that levelling the mound
on which the wooden bridge was
built would threaten the
foundation of Al-Aqsa Mosque and
open the way for more Israeli
excavations. Wide-spread
tunnelling and digging has
occurred under the sacred
Al-Aqsa site since the 1990's,
and continues. There have been
repeated warnings about the
results of this digging on the
architectural integrity of the
Al-Aqsa compound”.
Pictures of the crater can be
viewed by clicking on the
following link:
http://www.aqsa.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?newsid=1884 |
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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 156.67 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 7,833.62 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 3,133.45
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Brotherly Treatment |
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Abdullah Ibn Abbaas (radiyallahu
'anhu) narrates that
Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) said: "Do not
unnecessarily dispute with a
brother (Muslim), nor joke
with him in such a way which
displeases him. Do not
promise him something which
you cannot fulfil." (Tirmidhi).
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Quotation for the Week |
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Asking Reward on
Reward? |
Deeds
are rewards themselves, so
why do you ask for reward on
rewards.
(Ml. Ashraf Ali
Thanvi rahmatullahi 'alayhi)
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Point of Reflection |
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Two Sides of Same Coin |
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'Suffering and happiness are
twins'.
(Proverb from Ghana)
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Q and A |
Question:
Please can you
advise what the status is of
the practice of having a
baby shower for expectant
women
in terms of the shariah? |
Answer:
The giving of gifts
in Islam is meritorious and
highly commendable. It is a
means of creating bonds of
closeness and affection
between people. However,
there is no basis in Islam
to arrange a special
occasion for the exchanging
of gifts. Secondly, baby
showers
are from the way of life and
culture of disbelievers,
regarding which Rasullualh
Sallallahu alayhi wasallam
has stated that a person
that
imitates a nation is from
them. Thirdly, there are
many un-Islamic practices
that take
place at such functions
details
of which require no
elucidation. Fourthly, many
persons are
placed under pressure to
present an "appropriate"
gift
for the occasion even if
they
are unable to afford it.
This
also leads to competing and
showing-off over the gifts
that are given which is
greatly
disliked in the Shariah.
One should therefore freely
give gifts but abstain from
inculcating and adopting the
mannerisms and practices of
disbelievers.
And Allah Ta'aala knows
best.
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U P D A T E |
The Evil of Smoking…
• Allah says: “And do not kill
yourselves, Allah is indeed
Merciful to you.” (Sûrah 4:29)
• Our beloved Prophet Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam said: “Let
there be no harming and no
reciprocating harm.” (Narrated
by Ahmad).
• Smoking was discovered by the
Spanish conquistadors in
America, about 500 years ago; it
spread to the rest of Europe,
and thence to the Muslim world
about 100 years later.
Unfortunately, while the West
has long realized the dangers of
smoking and attempted to reduce
it, in the Muslim lands, it has
spread with little or no
interference.
• Early Muslim scholars,
confronted with this obnoxious
habit, declared it to be
disliked/detested, comparing it
with such things as garlic and
onions. This was due to the fact
that, at that time, none were
aware of the harmful effects
produced by smoking, which
include cancer, heart disease,
strokes, miscarriages and
premature birth in women and
several other diseases. If they
were aware of the harmful
effects, many say, that there
opinion would have been very
different.
• The Messenger of Allah
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam also
said: “The feet of man will not
depart, on the Day of Judgement,
from his standing before his
Lord, until he is asked about
five things: His lifetime and
how he spent it; his youth and
how he used it; his wealth -
where he earned it and how he
spent it; and how he followed
what he knew.” (Narrated by At-Tirmizi)
• He (SAW) also said: “Whoever
imbibes poison, killing himself
with it, will be consuming his
poison in the Hell-fire and will
dwell therein eternally.”
(Narrated by Al-Bukhaari)
• Smoking is also harmful to the
human mind and reason. One only
has to observe a smoker who has
been deprived of his cigarettes
for a while: He is rude,
nervous, quick to anger and
incapable of concentration. He
cannot relax until he has had
his “fix”. He is affected by
insomnia, indigestion, episodes
of acute anxiety and so on.
• The effect upon those around
him is almost equally
unpleasant: They have to bear
the fumes emitted by him. It has
been established by scientists,
that secondary smoking is at
least, if not more, harmful than
primary smoking, particularly
for children.
• Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said: “Anyone who
believes in Allah and the Last
Day should not hurt his
neighbour.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhaari)
• Smoking is also a waste of
one’s wealth, and Allah, Most
High says: “And do not waste
[your wealth] extravagantly.
Indeed the squanderers are
brethren to the devils are
brethren to the devils.” (Sûrah
17:26-27)
• Smoking involves consuming an
evil substance. It has a noxious
smell, a horrible taste and is
harmful to the body.
• A smoker is guilty of
spreading his evil habit.
Because of his bad example, his
family members, friends and
colleagues may also smoke. It is
useless to say: “Do as I say,
and not as I do.”
• The dislike of smoking applies
equally to the user, the seller,
the manufacturer, the advertiser
and all those involved in its
production, sale or consumption,
for Allah says: “Co-operate with
one another in righteousness and
piety, and do not cooperate with
one another in sinning and
transgression. And fear Allah;
verily, Allah is severe in
punishment.” (Sûrah 5:2)
• Dear brothers and sisters, if
you are addicted to this foul
habit, make an intention firmly
to Allah to stop and seek aid
with Him Who hears and sees all,
and always answers the
supplication of the sincere
Believer.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Meeting on
Slaughtering of Animals
in South Africa
The Commission for the
Protection and Promotion
of the Rights of
Religious Cultural and
Linguistic Communities
held a workshop that
dealt with the issue of
religious and
traditional slaughter
and sacrifice of
animals. The workshop
was aimed at creating a
dialogue on the issue
and informing different
groups of differing
perspectives. Delegates
included members from
various faiths,
representatives of
various traditional
points of view as well
as the NSPCA, health and
other governmental
authorities. Two Ulama
from the Jamiatul Ulama
attended and made
representation on
various issues.
Kalimah
Inscriptions
Over the last two weeks
there have been two
incidents of concern
with regard to the use
of the artistic prints
of the kalimah.
On one occasion, a
company was selling
Martial Arts DVD’s and
the label of the DVD had
the kalimah inscribed
upon it. The Jamiatul
Ulama contacted the
distributors who were
unaware of the
significance of what was
printed on the label.
When it was explained to
them, they apologised,
promised a written
apology ad also pledged
to withdraw other copies
and change the label.
On the second occasion,
the Daily Sun published
an advertisement for a
sex-talk service and the
background of the
advertisement contained
a dome and the
inscription of the
kalimah. The Daily Sun
was approached in this
connection. They could
not confirm whether the
design was made by their
designers or whether it
was done by an outside
agency. Regardless they
are busy investigating,
and have promised to
come back to the Jamiat.
The Jamiatul Ulama will
follow through with both
issues and in the event
of it being necessary,
issues will be raised
with the Advertising
Standards Authority, the
Commission for the
Protection of the Rights
of Religious Communities
and other similar
institutions, insha-Allah.
Maulana Abdur
Rahman Mangera
Maulana
Abdur Rahman Mangera,
who hails from the UK
and is presently the
imam of an Islamic
Center in Santa Barbara
will be conducting
various programmes in
South Africa next week.
He studied in the UK,
South Africa, Syria,
Jordan and the USA.
Maulana has written many
books and has translated
the classical source of
‘Aqeedah, “Fiqh
al-Akbar’. He has
tremendous experience in
publishing of Islamic
literature.
Among the programmes he
will conduct are a
workshop on publishing
in Johannesburg (for
more information contact
Ml. Bilal Vaid 011 373
8000), and a book launch
of his translation at
the Darus Salam Islamic
Center in Laudium (for
more information,
contact 012 374 0026 /
374 2056).
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
All of Deen
Allah
Subhanahu wa ta’aala says in
the Qur’an: “Oh you who
believe, enter into Islam
completely.”
(Surah Baqarah, 208)
The explanation and
implications of the verse
include the important points
that:
1. As believers, we are
obliged to believe in the
basic tenets of our Dîn with
full conviction - without
any trace of doubt in:
• Any aspect regarding Allah
(His Qualities, His Being
the only Being worthy of
worship),
• In the Prophets of Allah,
• In the various other
articles of faith,
• In the pillars of Islam
• In the point that success
lays in following the
injunctions of Allah, as
laid down in the Qur’an and
Sunnah.
If a person harbours any
reservations or doubts
concerning any aspects of
Dîn, then he will not be
practicing upon the Dîn
completely.
2. As believers we also
obliged to accept and submit
to all of the commands of
Allah. We do not have a
choice to select what we
will or want to practice
upon and what we think is
not so important. We cannot
pick and choose. The Dîn is
a complete way of life and
covers all aspects of life.
Imân (faith), Ibâdât
(worship such as Salâh,
Zakâh, etc), mu'âmalaat
(transactions), mu’âsharaat
(how we interact with
others) and akhlâq
(character) all form part of
Dîn.
If a person lives his life
in a manner other that what
is prescribed in Islam; if
he transacts in a way that
is in conflict with Islamic
principles and if he acts in
a manner that is opposed to
the way exemplified by the
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam, then the
person will not be
practising upon his Dîn
completely.
May Allah grant us the
tawfîq to bring the entire
Dîn into lives, and may He
help us to make our entire
lives conform to the whole
of Dîn. Âmîn.
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