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Weekly Comment |
Youth League Unleashed: Take
Cover!
Our political leadership should
take seriously the
pronouncements that have to be
undone with increased frequency
these days. Now and again we
have heard of leaders being
‘misquoted’ and/or
‘misunderstood.’ Is it not
possible to communicate a
message that builds without
second-round clarifications? The
recent statements at a Youth Day
event by ANCYL’s Julius Malema
are a case in point. With
passion, he declared that he
would ‘die-and-kill for Zuma...’
The cumulative effect of the
damage caused by these publicity
gaffes should not be
underestimated. On one level we
want to discredit ‘scarecrows’
who paint a future of the
country as a dreary one and yet
on another, we have negative
signalling from utterances that
supply fibre to the spinners of
a yarn of despair.
The ruling party, as a major
political organisation in the
country has a big responsibility
of instilling confidence in all
of us and should lead the way in
doing so. It also has a proud
history of the discipline and
selflessness of her cadres.
However, the state of affairs as
shown by recent events may point
to an organisation that is at a
crossroads of protecting her
glorious legacy or being
overwhelmed by her firebrands
that invoke images of fear
rather than accord especially at
the time we are trying to rise
from the ashes of xenophobic
attacks.
That is why we may take solace
in the words of the ANC’s Deputy
President Mr Kgalema Motlanthe
who has branded Julius Malema’s
talk as ‘reckless.’ We hope that
when all the dust has settled,
the processes within the ANC
will augment and sustain good
sense in the interest of
nation-building.
‘War on Terror’ Spilling into
Pakistan?
The killing of 11 Pakistani
soldiers by US air strikes last
week showed that the Afghan leg
of America’s War on Terror is
now spreading into Pakistan.
What has gone wrong with one of
America’s key and most loyal
allies?
It has been reported that the US
has called its operation which
involved use of jetfighters and
heavy aerial bombers as an act
of ‘self-defence’. “But these
deadly air strikes, as we have
seen in recent weeks,” writes
Eric Margolis, “are blunt
instruments… The US air attacks
often kill as many or even more
civilians than Taliban fighters.
Dead civilians are routinely
described away as ‘suspected
Taliban fighters.’”
Is this a desperate geographical
escalation of the war that is
increasingly unwinnable? The
US-NATO forces inside
Afghanistan are reported to be
in the region of 60, 000. As
heavily armed as they are,
passing time has proved that
they cannot contain the region.
US Gen. Dan McNeill, the
outgoing US-NATO commander, by
his own admission, indicates
that he would need 400,000
soldiers to ‘pacify’ that
country! The recent raid of a
Kandahar prison to by the
Taliban underscores this lack of
capacity of the US-NATO forces.
Extending the war into Pakistan
will only extend the misery and
suffering in the region without
any real gains for the occupying
forces. Pacification of
Afghanistan will not be achieved
militarily but through an
all-inclusive political process.
When will wisdom prevail over
misadventure?
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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 162.66
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 8,132.92 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 3,253.17
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Remembrance of Allah |
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Narrated By Mu'adh ibn Anas
Radhiallahu anhu: “The
Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said: If anyone
eats food and then says:
‘Praise be to Allah Who has
fed me with this food and
provided me with it through
no might and power on my
part,’ he will be forgiven
his former and later sins.
If anyone puts on a garment
and says: ‘Praise be to
Allah Who has clothed me
with this and provided me
with it through no might and
power on my part,’ he will
be forgiven his former and
later sins.” (Sunan
Abu Dawud)
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Quotation for the Week |
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Perfection in Action |
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Let the beauty of what you
love be what you do.
(Jalal al-Din
Muhammad Rumi) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Ask and Learn |
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It is not disgraceful to
ask, it is disgraceful no to
ask.
(Turkish Proverb) |
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Q and A |
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Question:
Please advise on the
following: A person received
an email stating that he/she
is a winner on an
international lotto - the
details: 1. He/she did not
enter or purchase a ticket;
2.His/her's email address
was entered into a draw
without his/her consent, and
3. He/she won. The question
is: Is the money halaal? |
Answer: It
is an undisputed fact that
Lotto funds are accrued
through impermissible
avenues. Despite the fact
that there was
no involvement by the
'winner'
in the inquired case, he/she
should abstain from laying
any claims to such money.
And Allâh Ta’âla Knows Best.
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U P D A T E |
Youth Programme in Roshnee
There will gathering of Ulama
and youth in Roshnee on Friday
20 June 2008. Youths are
encouraged to attending.
Meanwhile, Nurul Islam Masjid
hosted a youth programme on
Sunday 15 June 2008 from 10:00am
until Dhuhr. The programme was
addressed by Moulana Ebrahim I
Bham, Moulana Sulaiman Moola and
a special guest, Brother Junaid
Jamshed from Pakistan. About 800
youths from Lenasia and
surrounding areas attended the
event which has been rated as a
success.
Taalimi Board: Imtihaan Report
The Madrasah year has come to
the mid-year break with the
conclusion of a rigorous
imtihaan that commenced on 14
May 2008 and ended on 13 June
2008. Prior to the start of the
mid-year imtihaan exercise,
Imtihaan Workshops were
conducted in various regions to
prepare both the teachers. The
focus was on different teaching
methods of Qur’anic Surahs and
Duaas. The outcome of the
workshops turned out to be
largely positive, Alhamdulillah.
The actual Imtihaan was
conducted in a total of 103
madaaris and institutes which
took part in the oral
examinations in Quraan
recitation and Duas.
Approximately 140 examiners
volunteered their selfless
service to the exercise. Only
Allah Ta'ala can reward them.
In oral examinations, learners
are tested on various strength
levels, particularly in tajweed,
fluency, memory and
practicality. |
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Family Ties in
Islam |
“They join what Allah
has commanded to be
joined, revere their
Lord and fear the
dreadful reckoning.”
(Qur’an 13:21)
“Give the kinsman his
due, the needy and the
wayfarer; and squander
not (thy wealth) in
wantonness.” (Qur’an
17:26)
“O Mankind, be conscious
of your duty to your
Lord, who created you
from a single soul,
created of like nature,
his mate, and from the
two created and spread
many men and women. And
be mindful of your duty
to Allah whose name you
appeal to one another
and to (the ties of) the
womb. Verily Allah
watches over you.”
(Qur’an 4:1)
• Aisha radhiyallahu
anha narrated that
Rasulullah salallahu
alayhi wasalam said,
‘Kinship is suspended
from the throne and
says, “Allah will remain
attached to all who
maintain my ties. Allah
will sever his
connection with all who
sever them.” (Bukhari &
Muslim)
• Abdullah ibn Amr
radhiyallahu anhu that
Rasulullah salallahu
alayhi wasalam said, ‘A
person who maintains
ties of kinship is not
someone who only does so
with those who maintain
ties with him. A person
who maintains ties of
kinship is someone who
restores them when they
have been cut off.’ [Bukhari]
• A family is a small
unit that consists of
the husband and the
wife, along with any
children they may have.
The husband and the wife
are the fundamental unit
of the family, and they
play the important part
in building, organizing
and taking care of the
family from the
beginning to the end. It
is the natural bedrock
of human society.
• A society is made up
of clusters of families.
If these units are
healthy and strong,
society in turn will be
healthy and strong.
Conversely, if these
units are weak and
unstable, society will
be sick and weak. In
Islam, every Muslim in
society holds the place
of a brother. As Allah
says in the Qur’an, ‘All
believers are brothers
to each other.’ (49:10)
Therefore, this
privilege requires us to
fulfill the rights of
every Muslim, as we will
be questioned regarding
these rights on the Day
of Qiyaamah.
• Islam has placed great
emphasis on the
importance of the
maintaining and
nurturing healthy family
relationships. This
interest of Islam in the
family is evident in the
meticulous and
comprehensive system
that runs the affairs of
the family. It begins
even before the family
is established through
marriage, and continues
after marriage. No only
is it confined to the
internal nucleus of the
family, rather it widens
to the extended family
and all others who may
have a link to this
central unit. It
clarifies all the divine
rules and guidelines in
terms of clearly mapping
out the rights, duties
and responsibilities of
every individual in the
family, parents and
children alike.
• Islam has made the
family one unit in the
chain of many units. The
family relationship is
self-collaborating,
mutually coordinating,
loving and merciful.
These relationships do
not know selfishness,
oppression or hard
feelings. It does not
know arrogance, showing
off, carelessness,
aloofness and oppression
whether it be physical
or emotional.
• This view of Islam for
the family stems from
the fundamental concept
which the Qur'an
presented for the
family. The
relationships that
govern family members
are on several levels:
1. The husband’s rights
incumbent upon his wife.
2. The wife’s rights
incumbent upon her
husband.
3. The rights of
children upon their
parents.
4. The rights of parents
upon their children.
5. The rights of kin and
relatives.
• Islam has always
stressed upon the
importance of fulfilling
the rights of others.
The Qur’an speaks
directly to us and
guides with the best of
examples. Our greatest
responsibility to our
family and society is
the injunction of the
Qur’an, ‘Help one
another in acts of
righteousness and
piety.’ (5:2) The
assisting of our family
members in fulfilling of
Islamic responsibilities
and the completion of
their obligation is
greatest service we
could offer to our
families. Similarly, the
hadith regards the most
virtuous dirham spent in
the way of Allah, as the
one which a person
spends on his own family
and relatives.
• Inevitably, families
will and do experience
various uncomfortable
and uneasy situations.
In this regard too, the
Qur’an has provided
guidelines, which if we
strive to understand its
meaning; it will guide
us through these uneasy
waters. If your children
are disobedient, Allah
guides you with the
story of the son of Nuh
alayhis salam. If your
father has strayed from
the path of truth,
ponder over the story of
Ibrahim alayhis salam
and his father. If your
wife has transgressed,
study the incident of
Lut alayhis salam. For
those whose husbands are
disobedient to Allah,
the life of Aasiyah, the
wife of Firoun, is a
beacon of solace and
guidance.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Everything Happens
with the Will of Allah |
Man plans and plans. He
makes all the arrangements,
drawing up detailed
itineraries and he confirms
bookings for every minute
aspect of his journey on the
earth.
It is good to remember two
aspects in this regard:
1. As much as man plans, the
Plan of Allah always
prevails.
2. Planning for the journey
is given so much priority –
what about planning for the
destination (the aakhirah).
We sometimes concentrate too
much on the luxuries of the
journey. Our homes have
become too comfortable and
sometimes it seems that
extravagance and
overindulgence is becoming
the norm. We spend too much
time on the issues of the
world and fulfilling the
needs of our existence in
this temporary abode. Death
must come to every person
and death will bring an end
to the life of this world.
The opportunity to prepare
for the destination of the
aakhirah is only during the
short life that we have.
Once the last breath is
drawn it is too late.
It is mentioned that the
Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi
wa sallam) said:
“Work with regard to your
worldly life, as if you will
live forever (in the sense
that if you need something,
there is a a long time to
get that). Work towards your
aakhirah as if you will die
tomorrow”. (some scholars
say that this is not a
hadeeth but rather a saying
of the pious).
May Allah (subhanahu wa
ta`aala) give us an
understanding of the purpose
of our life on this earth.
May He guide us to make full
use of our time on this
earth – before the time to
depart is here. Aameen.
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