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Weekly Comment |
'Let’s just talk about Racism.
Not Zionism!'
Contrary to standing up
to their billing as champions of
human rights, the US, France,
the Netherlands as well as
Australia opted to boycott the
on-going Durban Review
Conference (20-24 April 2009).
The US decision was
supported by the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee who
said of the move as one that
"underscores America's
unstinting commitment to
combatting intolerance and
racism in all its forms and in
all settings". It is
unsurprising as in back in 2001
delegates had declared that
Zionism was equal to racism.
At the conference itself,
when the Iranian president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took to the
podium, as AFP reports, “at the
first mention of Israel, about
40 diplomats from Britain and
France and other European Union
countries exited the room…”
What can the world expect
from the policies of the major
world powers clearly
demonstrating their
unwillingness to listen to the
grievances of the developing
world? In particular, how can
the besieged and homeless
Palestinians believe that there
will dawn a day when their long
suffering will end?
This
conference like many other will
come and go. What remains is
that the declarations whether
watered down or not do very
little to mitigate the suffering
of the dispossessed, maimed and
forever scarred by the racist
entity that is Zionist Israel.
When will the world say that
enough is enough in Palestine?
Voting: Civic Duty and
Democratic Right
(This a re-run of last
week's comment/statement from
the Jamiatul Ulama reproduced
here for readers' convenience)
We shall be queuing before
polling booths on Wednesday 22
April 2009 in the fourth general
elections of the post-Apartheid
era. All political parties want
your vote. With it, they will
earn political capital with
which they will discharge
affairs on your behalf.
However, others in the community
are trying to convince us that
we should not participate in the
electoral process. “It is kufr
politics!” they scream. The
Jamiatul Ulama, however, would
like to encourage all Muslims to
exercise this democratic right
to vote. It is a civic duty as
well.
<Follow the link for rest of
statement> |
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C O N T E N T
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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 129.03 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 6,451.56 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,580.62 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Almighty's Befriended |
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Abu Huraira Radhi-Allahu
anhu related that the Holy
Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said: “Allah (The
Glorified and the Exalted)
says, ‘Whoever is inimical
to one whom I befriend, is
at war with Me. When a
servant of Mine approaches
Me through the medium of
that which I like best, out
of what I have declared
obligatory for him, and
continues to advance towards
Me through optional prayers
(Nawafil), then I begin to
love him. When I make him My
beloved, I become his ears
to hear, and his eyes to see
and his hands to grasp, and
his feet to walk. When he
asks Me, I grant him and
when he seeks My protection
I protect him.’” (Bukhari)
(Hadith Qudsi) |
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Be on God's Side |
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"Sir, my concern is not
whether God is on our side;
my greatest concern is to be
on God's side, for God is
always right."
(Abraham Lincoln) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Substance |
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Examine what is said, not
him who speaks.
(Arab Saying) |
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Q and A |
Question:
I need
to know if there is a
specific
Du’aa to read if I need to
find my lifelong partner. If
so, what is that
Du’aa for a female
to read? |
Answer:
There is no
specific Du’aa to find a
lifelong partner. One may,
however, read; Allahumma
rabbana aatina fid dunya
hasanataw wa fil aakhirati
hasanataw wa qina azaaban
naar. One may also recite
Surah 25, Verse 74 from the
word rabbana....
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U P D A T E |
Voting
As
the country goes to the polls
tomorrow, Wednesday 22 April
2009, the Jamiatul Ulama
encourages all registered voters
to go and cast their ballots at
stations. The voting guidelines,
in form of a comment, have bee
provided in the Jamiatul Ulama
Online newsletter (Vol. 4 No.
14) of 15th April 2009
accessible from our website
www.jamiat.co.za
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Good-Neighbourliness |
Our beloved Prophet
Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam said: "Gabriel
had continued to
instruct me to be kind
to my neighbour, so
strongly, until I
thought that he would
make them among my
heirs."
(Al-Bukhari,
Muslim, Malik and
others)
• Islam
aims at creating a
society which does not
only implement Allah’s
laws, but also adopts
certain values which
ensure its strength as a
coherent, caring society
where everyone feels his
or her importance to the
community. None is left
to waste or suffer on
his own.
• One
of the worst social acts
a person can commit is
to be unkind to his
neighbours.
• Our
beloved Prophet Muhammad
Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam said is quoted by
his wife Ayesha, as
saying: “Gabriel has
continued to strongly
recommend me to be kind
to my neighbour until I
thought that he would
make him among my
heirs.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari,
Muslim, Malik and
others).
•
Gabriel, as an angel,
does not initiate
anything from himself.
He simply carries a
message from Allah to
His Prophet and conveys
it in its entirety. So,
when Gabriel makes a
recommendation to the
Prophet, he simply
conveys to him what
Allah wants him to
convey. That
recommendation is, then,
an order given by Allah.
• This Hadith also
implies a certain duty
which should not be
neglected for any reason
whatsoever. This we
understand from the fact
that the recommendation
was frequently repeated
by Gabriel who was
acting on Allah’s order.
In other words, when we
treat our neighbours
kindly, we are only
giving them that to
which they are entitled
to by right.
•
Islam is a religion
which stresses the
importance of fulfilling
one’s obligations above
that of demanding one’s
rights. The neighbour
has been granted many
rights of high priority
in Islam.
•
Kindness between
neighbours must be
mutual since all
neighbours are entitled
to the same right.
• When people in any
neighbourhood act on the
injunction regarding
being kind to one’s
neighbour, then that
neighbourhood is bound
to be happy and strong.
Everyone will enjoy the
feeling of belonging to
a good community which
cares for them and for
their interests and
provides them with
protection.
• In
a Hadith, our beloved
Prophet Muhammad
Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam mentioned that
the deen of Islam links
certain attitudes to
believing in Allah and
the Day of Judgment.
Among these is
good-neighbourliness.
Abu Shuraih Al-Khuza’ie
quotes the beloved
Prophet Muhammad
Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam as saying:
“Anyone who believes in
Allah and the last day
let him be kind to his
neighbour. Anyone who
believes in Allah and
the last day, let him be
hospitable to his guest.
Anyone who believes in
Allah and the last day,
let him say something
good or be silent.” (Al-Bukhari).
• Again, the mode of
expression here is
highly significant. The
Prophet repeats with
every one of the three
habitual attitudes he
recommends to believing
in Allah and the Day of
Judgment. He uses this
mode of expression in
order to highlight the
importance of each of
these three attitudes.
The Prophet mentions the
Day of Judgment because
it is the day for reward
or punishment. A
non-believer in the Day
of Judgment is unlikely
to give it any
importance in shaping
his social behaviour.
From this we understand
that kindness to
neighbours will be
rewarded highly by
Allah.
• Good
neighbourliness to
Muslims and non-Muslims
is equally important.
• Treating one’s
non-Muslim neighbours
with respect and
kindness is also da‘wah
to Islam.
• These
teachings are pertinent,
especially in this day
and age of ours, where
darkness has increased
and become widespread
and disputing between
people and in society
has become common.
<Go to Top> |
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Whatever you do, …
be true! |
Tomorrow is ‘Election
Day.’ South Africans will be
queuing at over 19 000
polling booths around the
country to cast their vote.
Many Muslims will also join
in exercising their right to
participate in the process.
Some will not vote. Various
views have been asserted by
different groups and the
right of all persons or
groups to hold or declare
their views must be
respected.
The
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
has encouraged Muslims to
cast their vote and reasons
for this have been explained
(see Jamiatul Ulama Online
Newsletter of 14/04/09 -
http://www.islamsa.org.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0414.htm).
The Jamiatul Ulama has also
explained various issues
related to voting in a short
booklet that can be found on
its website
(http://www.islamsa.org.za/library/voting_in_the_light_of_the_sharîah.htm).
In this booklet various
aspects relating to voting
are explained.
Whatever you do, be true.
Remember that your vote is
an amaanah (trust). It is a
shahaadah (testimony) and a
shafaa`ah (intercession).
Additionally, it is a
statement of sincere support
for something you believe
would be in the best
interest of Islam and
Muslims. This is especially
poignant against the
backdrop of the
circumstances under which
Muslims in South Africa
live.
Most
importantly, keep your
intentions sincere and make
du`aa to Allah (subhanhu wa
ta’aala).
May Allah
(subhanhu wa ta’aala) help
and guide us. Aameen.
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