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Weekly Comment |
Xenophobia: Can we Condemn
Enough?
Over the last few weeks, almost
too much has been said on the
issue of xenophobia, one would
think. Yet, the seriousness of
the situation demands that it
should not be wished away.
The xenophobia ‘hot-spots’ seem
to have cooled down over the
last few days. However, the
short period of brutality and
carnage has caused tens of
thousands to have been
displaced, hundreds injured and
many killed. Many ‘refugees’, if
one can call them that, have
returned home; some are living
in parks and the like; others in
make-shift camps or tents put-up
in police stations and other
venues. The community outpouring
of goodwill in providing for the
basic needs of these people has
been phenomenal, with some areas
having collected enough to
provide for the suffering for
weeks.
The focus has rightly been on
the assisting those in desperate
need, but it is important that
the reason and causes of the
present situation not be allowed
to drift out of the area of
concern. The sources of the
uprisings among the local
situation, whether it was
initiated or manipulated by
criminals, must be searched for,
isolated, analysed and
addressed. The perpetrators of
the violence must be brought to
book in a most strong and stern
manner. They must be made to
realise that, aside from the
looting and wanton destruction
of property, their xenophobic
actions were in themselves
criminal and must never be
repeated.
Additionally, the South African
community at-large, needs to
work hard at effacing this
culture of total disregard and
disrespect for everyone and
everything around them. It is a
culture of ‘want, demand and
take whatever we want’ with or
without a tantrum – a tantrum
that distends into the world of
killing without a second thought
and destruction without fear of
any reprisals, because they have
gotten use to getting their way
and not being chastised or made
to recompense for their wrongs.
Tomorrow, the xenophobic attacks
will have died down and will
have been conveniently placed in
a corner of our minds that is
never visited, like the many
other events that haunted us at
the time of their occurrence but
were soon forgotten, much like
the senseless killings during
the security workers' strike
that took place not so long ago.
MAP Opposes Condom Distribution
at Schools
The Muslim AIDS Programme (MAP)
is an NPO that offers a faith
based perspective to the
treatment, management and
prevention of HIV and AIDS in
South Africa. It is with great
disappointment and anger that we
read an article in the Daily
News on 26 May 2008 (Page 5) by
Ayanda Mhlongo regarding the
distribution of condoms to
school learners. Faith based
programmes at schools are
spending money and effort in
promoting the abstinence message
in order to stop the devastation
that is being caused by the ever
increasing rise in HIV
prevalence. This attempt to
distribute condoms totally
negates our work and undermines
the rights of both learners and
facilitators to a large extent.
We have seen positive changes in
behaviour and attitudes to HIV
since the inception of our
Lifeskills abstinence programmes
and we feel it preposterous that
the National Teacher’s Union
(NATU) can take a decision that
totally undermines our efforts.
Everyone working in the field of
HIV and AIDS will agree (if they
are totally honest with
themselves!) that casual sex is
the fastest and most common mode
of transmission of HIV. There is
no doubt that young people are
most affected and research has
shown that condoms on their own
are not 100% effective in
restraining transmission. Condom
use is just but one aspect of
promiscuity. The related
psycho-social and spiritual
dimensions are often completely
disregarded! Are teachers` able
and willing to deal with these
related issues?
The best and most effective form
of protection is abstaining from
sexual relationships before
marriage and faithfulness during
marriage. We cannot be
apologetic about this fact and
we need to be proactive in
promoting abstinence rather than
making excuses for those that
continue to behave carelessly
and without regard or any
reasonable concern for the
preservation of families, for
productive and healthy
lifestyles and for what is value
based and morally correct no
matter which religion we
subscribe to! Just as much as
people who subscribe to immoral
and promiscuous lifestyles
expect to be afforded rights, so
too do those of us who know that
condom distribution is a
violation of our right to choose
to abstain and live according to
a value based and spiritually
motivated lifestyle.
Phoenix Lands on Planet Mars
NASA has created another
potential watershed moment with
the landing of ‘Phoenix’ on Mars
and the planned purpose of the
mission of the expedition. If
NASA succeeds in the experiments
that are intended to be
completed, it would have made
great strides in the field of
advancing the knowledge of man
on pertinent issues.
In the days of yore, Muslims
were forerunners in every field
and had made such progress that
the world still benefits from
the works, pioneering
discoveries and inventions of
Muslim scholars and scientists.
Today there are thousands of
Muslims in various fields, but
the question of where Muslims
are in the field of research and
scientific discovery is a
question that begs to be
answered. We must ask whether we
have become so extremely
materially orientated that we
have just focussed on how we can
improve our own lot and have
been to busy to look further
than that. Maybe it is simply a
matter of us having lost
confidence in ourselves or maybe
we are not ready to go beyond
our own mentally-imposed
frontiers.
The question of incentives and
the invitation of foreign
non-Muslim states recruiting
exceptional Muslim minds to
serve them must not be ignored.
Some of the best scientists and
researchers today may be
Muslims, but they work behind
the scenes of the faces of
powerful countries or large
multi-nationals who take the
credit for themselves. If this
be the case, then why hasn’t
Muslim governments provided
similar invitations and
incentives?
Burundi Ceasefire: ‘Let’s Start
Building’
Thanks to a
peace deal between the
government and the last active
rebel group, the National
Liberation Forces (FNL), Burundi
has been taken off the brink.
The ceasefire agreement was
concluded on Monday with details
of disarmament and possible
power-sharing to be worked out
later.
More than 100 people have been
killed and some 40,000 people
displaced in renewed fighting
since April.
In a fractured Great Lakes
region where ethnic conflict has
claimed hundreds of thousands of
lives from the time of the
Rwandan Genocide, an inclination
towards peace should be hailed
and supported.
Africa needs resources to take
her people out of poverty and
disease and not for diversionary
peace-keeping missions in zones
where socially- and
economically-debilitating
conflicts are avoidable. |
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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 165.56
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 8,278.13 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 3,311.25
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Inflation |
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Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Radhiallahu ‘anhu: “The
people said: ‘Apostle of
Allah, prices have shot up,
so fix prices for us.’
Thereupon the Apostle of
Allah Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said: ‘Allah is the
one Who fixes prices, Who
withholds, gives lavishly
and provides, and I hope
that when I meet Allah, none
of you will have any claim
on me for an injustice
regarding blood or
property.’”
(Abu Dawud)
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Quotation for the Week |
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The Terminator |
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Bravery is that you exercise
patience for a little while.
(Ali Radhiallahu ‘anhu) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Fall Back Plan |
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If you have some food in
your mouth, and you are
roasting something, it
becomes well roasted.
(Asante/Fante
Saying, Ghana) |
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Q and A |
Question: Can Zakaah
funds
be used to have a water well
build for one’s family names
and sawaab-e-jaariyah? |
Answer:
Zakaat funds cannot be used
to put up water wells. The
funds should be given to a
recognised recipient of
Zakaat. If he
happens to give it towards
the putting up of a water
well then that is
acceptable.
If you wish to contribute
money towards the putting up
of a
water well then this should
be a voluntary donation,
called Lillah.
Your intention in this case
should be that whoever uses
water from it, the reward
should be passed on to the
individual/s you have in
mind. As long as people use
water from it the reward
will keep on accruing.
The continuous accrual of
reward from this type of
voluntary donation is called
Thawaab Jaariyyah.
And Allâh Ta’âla Knows Best.
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U P D A T E |
Relief for Victims of Xenophobic
Attacks
The Jamiatul Ulama in
conjunction with Muslim
communities of the East Rand
region continue to provide
assistance to the victims of
recent xenophobic attacks that
gripped parts of the country.
Relief has also been extended to
Jeppestown where hundreds of
foreign nationals having been
camping since the violence
against them erupted.
Second Award Ceremony
Ulwazi Skills Development and
Community Empowerment
Centre near Zakariyyah Park
shall be hosting the second
graduation ceremony for ladies
tomorrow, 29 May 2008. The
ladies have just completed a
basic sewing course.
The programme, an initiative of
the Jamiatul Ulama (Lenasia
Branch) and seeks to empower
communities through skills
development.
The Development Centre envisages
expansion of the
range of skills on offer in the
future.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Purity: Physical
and Spiritual |
Allah Ta’aala
says: "Allah loves those
who repent and who
purify themselves." (al-Baqarah
222)
The Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said:
“Cleanliness is half of
faith.” (Muslim)
The Love of Allah
is dynamic in a sense
that it calls for a
complete change in the
life of man. Man has to
purify his soul and body
from all besides Allah
so that Allah can reside
in it. This purification
is known as Tahaarah
(purity) in Islam.
When enjoining
cleanliness of the body
Islam awakens us to the
fact that when
impurities on the body
of a man have unhealthy
effects on both the
physical and mental
health. How miserable
life is when the soul is
polluted by impurities!
The Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said:
“Cleanliness is half of
faith.”(Muslim)
The reward of
purifying ourselves by
means of wudhu
(ablution) and ablution
is very significant in
our Deen.
Hadrat Uthman
Radhi-Allahu anhu says
that he heard the
Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam saying: “If a
Muslim performs ablution
and does it well and
offers prayer, all his
sins during the period
from one prayer to
another would be
pardoned.”(Muslim)
Abu Hurairah
reported that the
Messenger of Allah said,
"Allah does not accept
the prayer of one who
nullified his ablution
until he performs it
again." (al-Bukhari,
Muslim, Abu Dawud and
at-Tirmidhi.)
In the Qur’aan
Allah says: “Allah does
not place a burden on
you, but He wants to
purify you and perfect
his grace on you, that
you give thanks.”(Surah
Ma’idah: 6)
When Rasululah
Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam when to Madina
Allah commanded him to
perform Salaah in both
Masjid Quba as well as
Masjid Nabawi. The
reason given in the
Qur’aan by Allah himself
are two, firstly the
fact that these two
Masjids were built on
piety.
Secondly, says
Allah in the Holy
Qur’aan in “that in it
are those people who
like to observe purity.”
(Surah Taubah, 107-110)
The sense of Taharah at
this place includes
purity from common filth
and purity form bad
morals and sin. (Ma’ariful
Quran,vol 4 Page:467)
Hence,
purification has two
aspects: Physical purity
and Spiritual purity.
Physical
purity
• Making
of wudhu has many
benefits as made
mentioned in the Hadith
of Rasullah Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam when he asked
Sahaba: Should I not
tell you of an action
which will remove sin
and elevate the status
of the individual.
Sahaba replied why not
oh Nabi of Allah: the
Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam replied making
wudhu properly despite
inconvenience, and
excessively walking to
the Masjid.(Muslim)
• One of the
reasons of making wudhu
and using miswaak prior
to going to the Masjid
is preparing oneself for
conversation with Allah.
Says Allah in the Holy
Qur’an: “O children of
Adam! Adopt your
adornment at every place
of worship.” (Surah
A’araf: 31)
• Like we have
been commanded to keep
our bodies clean and
pure, we are also
required to adopt
cleanliness and purity
in our surroundings and
clothes. Allah commands
the Nabi of Allah
Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam. “Purify your
clothing.”(Surah
Mudathir: 4)
• The objective
of being physically
clean entails making
sure that urine does not
drop after a person
leaves the toilet.
• Also wudhu
being the key to Salaat,
we should maintain that
our wudhu is done in
accordance with the
Sunnah.
Spiritual
purity
• The
need of purifying our
lives from sin and
disobedience of Allah.
• We should also
endeavor to purify our
heart from impure
qualities of the heart.
• The spiritual
side of purity would
require from us that we
remove from our heart
malice, jealousy, hatred
and other types of
spiritual maladies.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Helping Those in
Need
The assistance from the
Muslim community, as a
whole, for those upon whom
the xenophobic violence and
mayhem was inflicted, has
been tremendous.
Islam is a religion which
goes beyond simply
encouraging its followers to
assist those in need,
whether they
be Muslim or not. Islam
instructs and commands
Muslims to go beyond the
normal call of duty to
provide help to those that
are in difficulty.
Giving to the poor is one of
the five pillars of Islam
and considered an act of
worship, with Muslims
obliged to give a percentage
of their wealth to assist
those in need. Allah
commands the Believers to
give of their wealth. He
says:
'And be steadfast in
prayer and regular in
charity. And whatever good
ye send forth for your souls
before you, ye shall find it
with Allah: for Allah sees
Well all that ye do.' (Surah
2:110)
'So establish regular prayer
and give regular charity;
and obey the Apostle; that
ye may receive mercy.'
(Surah 24:56)
'For those who give in
charity, men and women, and
loan to Allah a beautiful
loan, it shall be increased
manifold (to their credit)
and they shall have
(besides) a liberal reward.'
(Surah 57:18)
So fear Allah as much as
ye can; listen and obey and
spend in charity for the
benefit of your own soul and
those saved from the
covetousness of their own
souls; they are the ones
that achieve prosperity.' (Surah
64:16)
Muslims are told that piety
is not limited to the
performance of prayer and
worship but rather extends
into the sphere of assisting
those such as one’s family,
the poor, the orphans, the
travellers, and those in
need. (Surah 2:177).
Further, Allah declares that
a person can never attain
piety until and unless he
spends (on the poor and
needy, etc.) of that which
he loves most. (Surah 3:92).
Many ahaadeeth of the
Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi
wa sallam can also be
narrated in this regard.
Among them are:
"Allah Ta'aala loves the
help given to people in
adversity."
"He who helps the women in
their distress, or the poor,
is like one who is engaged
in jihad."The narrator says
he thinks that Rasulullah
Sallallahu alayhi wasallam
also added, "Like one who
offers nafl salaah the whole
night without slackening,
and he is like one who is
always fasting without
break."
"Rahman (Allah Ta'aala)
shows mercy to those who are
merciful to others. Be
merciful to those on earth,
you will have the mercy of
those who are in Heaven,"
(which includes Allah
Ta'aala and the Angels).
“When someone helps an
afflicted person, he becomes
entitled to seventy three
grades of forgiveness, one
of which is enough for his
salvation; the remaining
seventy two will raise his
rank and positions in
Aakhirah."
May Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta'aala reward all those who
have and are involved in the
noble task of helping those
in distress and may He guide
all those who are not, to
engage in it. Aameen.
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