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Weekly Comment |
Turkey – What’s going on?
Many thought
that things in Turkey were going
to change for the better.
From 1982, the secularist
government of Turkey had banned
the wearing of a head scarf in
public. Last week, President
Abdullah Gul signed into law a
constitutional amendment that
aimed to ease restrictions
regarding hijaab on university
campuses.
Students at most universities
however found that the security
guards and officials were still
not allowing women to don the
hijaab. This was even though the
Turkish Higher Education Board
(HEB) had warned that preventing
students from attending classes
because of the head cover is a
"crime."
A recent BBC report is even more
frightening. Academics at Ankara
University have been
commissioned by the Turkish
Department of Religious Affairs
to write a document that would
present a very different Islam
from what Muslims have been
traditionally taught.
The Hadith of the Prophet (sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam) is to be
revised, since the government
believes that, in its current
form, it has often had a
negative influence on society.
The view that many of the
traditions were never uttered by
the Prophet is being put
forward, and it has been
suggested that many other
traditions need to be
re-interpreted. Felix Koerner
who serves as an advisor to the
team working on this project
states that some of the
‘sayings’ of the Prophet can be
shown to be invented hundreds of
years after he passed away.
Members of the project have
asserted that Muslims have, over
the generations, embellished the
text of the ahaadith, in their
aim to serve their political and
other needs and purposes.
The methodology and approaches
that these project members have
employed are a far cry from the
meticulous systems of evaluating
ahaadeeth of the pious scholars
of Islam. In many cases they
have assumed the use of methods
of Western critical techniques
and philosophy.
Surely, what they are doing is
nothing less that writing or
structuring a new Islam?
Denmark – Cartoon Saga … Part II
What reason, rhyme, or purpose
was present in the thinking of
the Danish newspapers, in their
present brainless and dim-witted
action, is so obscure that one
would find it almost impossible
to see.
One would have thought that the
Danish would have shown some
remorse and regret at the impact
their previously impulsive,
impetuous and offhand
irresponsible actions had
caused.
With the previous ‘cartoon saga’
there was some excuse – that
they had not understood or
realized how and why the
printing of the cartoons was
offensive, blasphemous and
sacrilegious. For the present
publication of the cartoons,
there can be no excuse.
The United Ulama Council has
sent a detailed letter to the
Danish Embassy on the issue, and
will take all necessary steps to
express and show outrage and
unequivocal objection to the
current crime and injustice of
the guilty parties. |
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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 161.94
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 8,097.18 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
3,238.87
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Respecting
Another |
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Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wa sallam said: “Reviling a
Muslim is disobedience to
Allah, and fighting with him
is infidelity”.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
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Quotation for the Week |
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Balance |
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Moderation is the best
status in all affairs.
(‘Ali Radiyallahu ‘anhu)
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Point of Reflection |
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Never
Wrong |
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“He who tells the truth is
never wrong.”
(Swahili Proverb)
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Q and A |
Question: Is it
obligatory to perform Salah
while travelling
in an
aeroplane? |
Answer:
It
still remains
obligatory for
one to perform salah even
while travelling by plane.
It is necessary to perform
salah with all its
pre-requisites such as qiyam
(standing); facing Qiblah
(to the best of one’s
ability) and in a state of
ceremonial purity (wudhu).
(Aap
ke Masa’il, Vol. 2, p 386
and Imdadul Fatawa, Vol.1, p395).
And Allâh Ta’âla Knows Best.
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U P D A T E |
Media Volunteers Meeting
The Jamiatul Ulama Media Desk
hosted a number of Muslim
activists in the media on
Saturday, 23rd February 2008.
The aim of the meeting was to
explore ways of networking and
coordinating media work whether
it through responses to attacks
on Islam and Muslims as well as
articulating Muslim views in
national debate. Participants
made useful input and agreed to
meet again soon for another
workshop of ideas.
Maulana Abdur Rahman Mangera
Maulana Abdur Rahman Mangera
(Imam of Islamic Center of Santa
Barbara) is presently in South
Africa. Maulana has written many
books and has translated the
classical source of ‘Aqeedah, “Fiqh
al-Akbar’ of Imam Abu Hanifah,
together with explanations from
various authentic sources. He
has tremendous experience in
publishing of Islamic
literature.
Yesterday, he conducted a
workshop on publishing at the
Jamiatul Ulama Offices in
Johannesburg. His book was also
officially launched in South
Africa, on Tuesday, at the Darus
Salam Islamic Center in Laudium.
The proceedings for the evening
was aptly titled ‘An evening of
`Aqidah’ and Maulana addressed
both a special scholars
gathering as well as the general
gathering at the masjid.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Youth |
The Holy Qur’ân states:
“O
Allâh! Grant that our
spouses and offspring be
the coolness of our eyes
and cause us to be a
model for the
righteous.”
"Say (O Prophet) "Come
so that I may cite to
you what Allah has
forbidden for you: that
you do not associate
partners unto Him, that
you be kind to your
parents, …., and
approach not any
indecency…"
The Holy Qur’ân speaks
of the youth who opposed
a value system based on
kufr and vanity, in the
following words:
"Behold, the youth
betook themselves to the
Cave, they said: "Our
Lord, bestow on us mercy
from Thyself and dispose
for us our affair in the
right manner … Indeed
they were a group of
youth who believed in
their Lord, and We
increased them in
guidance".
The Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam said:
“Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon
him) said, "Grasp five
things before five
others: your youth
before you become old ,
your health before your
illness, your riches
before your poverty,
your leisure before your
work, and your life
before your death."
“There are seven whom
Allah will shade in His
shade on the day on
which there is no shade
except His shade: a just
imam, a youth who grows
up worshipping Allah, a
man whose heart is
attached to the mosque
when he leaves it until
he returns to it, two
men who love each other
in Allah and meet for
that and part for that,
a man who remembers
Allah when he is alone
and his eyes overflow
with tears, a man who
refuses the approaches
of a noble, beautiful
woman, saying "I fear
Allah," and a man who
gives sadaqa and
conceals it so that his
left hand does not know
what his right hand
gives.' "
Nabî Sallallâhu 'alayhi
wasallam ‘Every child is
born on Fitrah (a
natural inclination
towards Islam). It is
his parents who turn him
towards Judaism,
Christianity or
fire-worship’. (Mishkât).
Every child is born in a
state of pure innocence.
It is his social
upbringing, the values
that his/her parents
display that impact and
influence his identity.
Parents thus have an
enormous responsibility
in moulding the
character of their
children. If they build
a strong, trusting, and
loving relationship with
their children before
the teenage years, their
children will be less
likely to go astray.
As with all blessings
of Allah, children can
be either a joy or a
source of grave concern,
a blessing or a curse –
depending on how we
mould and guide them.
Children can be a source
of enormous tranquility
and self -fulfillment
yet they can become the
root of the greatest
heartbreak, pain and
sorrow. The very child
that provides joy and
happiness can also
produce the greatest
hurt and sorrow. Our
great dreams for our
children could suddenly
turn into unimaginable
nightmares. One of the
most challenging and
daunting tasks parents
face today is that of
developing a meaningful
relationship with their
children, especially
teenagers who often
rebel against their
society and parents.
According to a recent
survey, 20% of children
living in western
society have not had a
10-minute conversation
with a parent in a
month. Their
conversation is with TV,
which acts as their
mother, father,
baby-sitter, and
teacher. By the time
they are teens, they
have seen an estimated
18 000 violent murders
on TV.
Alcohol, drugs,
frequenting of movie
houses and rave clubs
and illicit sexual
activity are but some of
the hazards youth
encounter in their quest
for independence, joy,
and adventure.
Teenagers are
idealists, they want to
change the world, and
make it a better place.
These are not bad
ideals, and it is a
great pity that adults
have forgotten their own
ideals in the rat race
of daily life. It is up
to the parents to point
them in the right
direction.
If we get teenagers
involved in helping
those in need, community
projects, participating
in Islamic programmes
and camps and in working
for important causes,
their zeal could make a
tremendous impact on
their future and the
shape of the world to
come.
Youth have
great potential.
Remember:
• That the
resistance of the youth
served as a catalyst for
the eventual demise of
the oppressive regime in
South Africa,
• That the youth of
Afghanistan liberated
their country from the
Soviet Union and the
Taliban have yet again
revolted against
corruption and civil
strife,
• That the lonely
defendants of Masjidul
Aqsa are no more than
the youth of Palestine,
• That the archenemy of
Islam, Abu Jahl was
killed by two youths
barely in their teens.
• That the first male to
believe in Nabi
sallallahu `alayhi wa
sallam was a ten old boy
named Ali bin Talib
Radiyallahu ‘anhu
• That Nabi sallallahu `alayhi
wa sallam assigned a
number of positions and
responsibilities to the
youth. He appointed a
young man of twenty-one,
Itab Ibn Usayd as the
first governor of Makkah.
• That Muhammad ibn
Qasim conquered Sind in
India when he was only
seventeen.
• The Prophet sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam
appointed Zaid ibn
Harithah as the Amir of
a Jamaat that included
Abu Bakr and Umar
Radiyallahu ‘anhu.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Striving for
Perfection
Yesterday (Tuesday
26/02/08), the Jamiatul
Ulama hosted a guest from
the USA. He was the key
presenter at a programme on
Islamic publishing.
In his presentation, the
scholar spoke about the
importance of striving
towards perfection. He
mentioned the importance of
producing a beautiful,
attractive and appealing
work. The audience was also
addressed on the supposedly
trivial and negligible
minute details regarding
issues such as font size,
the ‘greyness’ of a page,
spacing and other aspects of
typesetting and typography.
Details regarding the type
of paper that should used,
the cover, foiling and
similar aspects were also
given prominence.
The Maulana asked the
question, “ … but why should
we do all of this? … what
need is there to spend extra
money on producing a book
that looks beautiful … when
the reader will not even
realize the ‘hanging
punctuation’, the indented
paragraphs and the absence
of ‘rivers’?”
He answered the rhetorical
question with the question,
“Why not?”.
Why not strive for
perfection, when we are
instructed to work towards
it in our Dîn? Why not make
it appealing and beautiful,
when ‘Allah is beautiful’
and He loves to see the
beautiful?
Muslims, and especially us
South Africans, need to move
beyond the realm of mass
production into the field of
providing a quality product
that cannot be resisted … no
matter the cost.
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