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Weekly Comment |
Cut coat according to cloth
It is now undeniable that
the country is in a recession.
Whether technical or not, that
is for the trained eye with a
discernment for the nuances. The
economy, as Stats SA has it,
shed well over 200,000 jobs in
the last quarter alone.
Analysts assert that we are in
the worst economic circumstances
of the past 17 years. It is a
period when the most jobs we can
create are in debt collection!
In a world so
interlinked, the shorter term
outlook remains gloomy
internationally. Record figures
from abroad keep coming pointing
to us how deeply mired we are,
economically speaking.
Pressure is everywhere. The
Jamiatul Ulama’s Welfare
Department has noted a rise in
applications for assistance.
They are coming from people who
not long ago were able to pay
zakaat and had things under
control financially. All of a
sudden, they have lost their
jobs and before long, they are
falling behind in payments on
credit cards, home loans, motor
vehicles, utility bills and even
clothing.
Loss of one’s
livelihood such as a job is a
hurtful experience. Furthermore,
unfulfilled financial
obligations can hardly be met by
the limited resources at the
disposal of relief
organisations. What recourse
then could all those sincere
people in financial straits take
in order to come out of the
situation? Alongside such
hardships are also investments
which have fallen through due to
adverse economic factors. What
does one fall back on?
Answers will never be easy.
However, while it is never too
late, prudence remains the
watchword in financial matters
whether at national or personal
level. We should be on our guard
in spending. Prudence, though,
does not mean being miserly. All
those around us who are in
different situations of want as
described above deserve our
support wherever we can. In a
spirit of brotherhood, there
will also be blessing is such
intervention on our part.
The matter also brings to
question the sustainability of
social safety-nets we have put
in place for our communities. It
is a wake-up call that even
charities are being overwhelmed
by the circumstances. Beyond
what the government can provide,
what do we have for ourselves so
that even under such prevailing
circumstances, suffering is
mitigated and our dignity
remains uncompromised? |
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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 130.59 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 6,529.74 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,611.90 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Need of Another |
The Messenger of Allah
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
said, "A Muslim is a brother
of another Muslim, so he
should not oppress him, nor
should he hand him over to
an oppressor. Whoever
fulfilled the needs of his
brother, Allah will fulfil
his needs; whoever brought
his (Muslim) brother out of
a discomfort, Allah will
bring him out of the
discomforts of the Day of
Resurrection, and whoever
screened a Muslim, Allah
will screen him on the Day
of Resurrection."
(Bukhari) |
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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While You Can |
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“Seeking knowledge when one
is young, is like etching on
a stone.” (Al-Hasan
al-Basrî Rahimahullah) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Reputation |
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When a door opens not to
your knock, consider your
reputation. (Arab
Saying) |
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Q and A |
Question:
My
Wife is pregnant and we are
about to have our first
child Insha-Allah, with the
grace of the All-Mighty.
However I would like to know
after my Wife gives birth is
it an Islamic requirement
that the wife spends 40 days
at her mother’s house or is
this just more customary? Is
it a Sunnah to do this?
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Answer:
Spending 40 days or
the Nifaas period at a
woman's mother's house after
the birth of a child is
customary. The husband
should, however, understand
and realize that giving
birth and taking care of a
new born baby is a daunting
task for many a new mother.
At such a time there is no
one that can assist a new
mother as her own mother
can. Therefore, although the
wife being with her mother
for the 40 day period is not
an Islamic requirement, yet
a husband needs to be
considerate of his wife's
situation and accommodate
her feelings as far as
possible.
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U P D A T E |
Jamiatul Ulama AGM
The Annual General Meeting (AGM)
of the Jamiatul Ulama in
Johannesburg will this year be
convened on Sunday 10 May 2009
starting from 9:00am.
All Ulama and hufaaz are invited
to attend the meeting which will
review the work done in the past
year and also look at programmes
for implementation by the
various branches and specialised
agencies of the ulama body.
Annually well over 250
members of the Jamiatul Ulama
attend the AGM.
Workshop
for Examiners
The Taalimi Board of the
Jamiatul Ulama will on Saturday
9 May 2009 convene a meeting of
examiners. The role of examiners
is important in the assessment
so as to maintain standards of
learning in madaaris that are
affiliated with the board.
Periodically, learners sit
for both written and oral
examinations. In oral
examinations, learners are
tested on various strength
levels, particularly in Tajweed,
fluency, memory and
practicality.
The Taalimi
Board has well over 100
affiliates implementing a
curriculum and methodology of
the Jamiatul Ulama.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Imitating
Disbelievers |
“And never will the
Jews and the Christians
approve of you until you
follow their religion.
Say: ‘Indeed, the
guidance of Allah is the
(only) guidance.’ If you
were to follow their
desires after what has
come to you of
knowledge, you would
have against Allah no
protector or helper.”
(2:120)
• When a
person meditates upon
the histories of past
nations, one will be
amazed at the
revolutions and
transformations they
went through. For
instance, there was the
Muslim pioneering nation
which led the world for
many centuries but then,
it faltered and lost its
leading role. It fell in
the midst of blind
imitation and followed
the paths of other
nations in terms of
manners and beliefs. It
was the nation that
discovered the sources
of knowledge and
developed the Islamic
civilization and
sciences, which the West
later obtained
significantly, without
having to exert the
least of efforts.
• Rasulullah
sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam said: ‘You will
imitate the nations
before you very closely
to the extent that if
they went into a
lizard’s hole, you would
enter it as well.’ His
companions inquired, ‘Do
you mean the Jews and
Christians, O Messenger
of Allah?’ Rasulullah
sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam replied: ‘Who
else?’ (Bukhari &
Muslim) Rasulullah
sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam also said, ‘The
Day of Judgment will not
come until my Nation
closely imitates the
nations before them.’ It
was asked, ‘Like the
Persians and Romans, O
Messenger of Allah?’
Rasulullah sallallaahu
alayhi wasallam replied:
‘Who are the nations (I
could mean) except
those?’ (Bukhari)
• The Muslims
constitute the most
guided nation in this
life, and on the Day of
Judgment Allah will make
them witnesses over all
other nations, as Allah
says, "And thus We have
made you a moderate
community that you will
be witnesses over the
people and the Messenger
will be a witness over
you…" (2:143). Indeed,
this is a very
prestigious position.
How is it then that
Muslims imitate others
in their customs,
traditions and feasts?
Rasulullah sallallaahu
alayhi wasallam also
even forbade the Muslims
from acquiring religious
information from the
People of the Book.
• Allah made human
beings and all other
creatures accustomed to
interacting with their
similar counterparts.
When the degree of
similarity increases,
such interaction and
hence imitation in
morals and
characteristics becomes
more complete, until it
is hardly possible to
distinguish between
them. It is also known
that if a human being
stays in the company of
a certain type of
animal, he would acquire
some of its features.
That is why, for
example, those who tend
camels are known for
their pride and
arrogance, while
shepherds are known to
be humble and calm.
• Furthermore, when
a person adorns the
clothes usually worn by
scholars, he may feel
himself as somehow
closer to them, because
similarity and imitation
in outward appearance
leads to resemblance in
inward characteristics
such as personal
characteristics and
morals. Rasulullah
sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam said: ‘Whoever
imitates a people is one
of them.’ (Abu Dawood)
• The Muslim Nation
should lead, not be led;
others should depend on
them and not the
reverse. Western
civilization is like a
mirage, which when seen
from a distance is like
a large sea, but it is
as Allah says, “But the
disbelievers – their
deeds are like a mirage
in a lowland which a
thirsty one thinks is
water until, when he
comes to it, he finds it
is nothing but finds
Allah before him, and He
(Allah) will pay him in
full his due; and Allah
is swift in account.”
(24:39)
• If some
people believe that the
Muslim nation must
change its ways for
development, then let it
be known that resorting
to the Book of Allah and
the Sunnah of Rasulullah
sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam is the best
means for change. Allah
says, “…Indeed, Allah
will not change the
condition of a people
until they change what
is in themselves. And
when Allah intends for a
people ill, there is no
repelling it. And there
is not for them besides
Him any patron.” (13:11)
• The restrictions
imposed by our religion
on the human being are
not meant to torture or
deprive him from the
pleasures of this life.
Rather, their aim is to
elevate him from mere
animalism to complete
humanity. Thus, a Muslim
will become capable of
overcoming subservience
and dependence, and his
faith and piety will
overpower animalistic
lusts.
•
Whenever a society
ignores such
restrictions or
belittles them, it
jeopardizes and opens
itself to serious
problems and positions
itself on the brink of
destruction. As Allah
says, “…And whoever
transgresses the limits
of Allah – it is those
who are the wrongdoers.”
(2:229) and also, “…And
who is more astray than
one who follows his
desire without guidance
from Allah? Indeed,
Allah does not guide the
wrongdoing people.”
(28:50)
• It is
plainly evident that
some people who imitate
the polytheists in their
clothes, manners,
traditions or speak
their language, harbour
love and admiration for
them. In this way, the
polytheists succeed in
disseminating ideas such
as globalization and a
universal religion which
affect some poor-hearted
Muslims; all of these
aim at weakening the
Muslim character and
identity. Whenever a
person objects to such
ideas, he is labeled as
an introvert, an
isolationist and even a
narrow-minded person
alienated from this
world and who should
have died in his cradle.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Where does the buck
stop? |
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Parents often bemoan the
behaviour, character and
attitude of their children.
They complain about the lack
of commitment to Islam and
Islamic practices and
principles by the youth.
They lament the wayward
lifestyles adopted by those
of latter generations.
Children are bestowed by
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala
as a gift and blessing. They
are from amongst the
greatest favours of Allah
and become the means of
great joy and pride for
parents. Allah instills deep
love and concern in the
hearts of parents for their
children. This is evident in
the manner parents do
everything they do for the
sake and future of their
dear children.
Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta’aala has
created all children
innocent and free from sin.
They are born upon the
natural way of believing in
One Allah and they are
spontaneously disposed to
the doing of good. They are
free from evil thoughts and
ideas and are not naturally
inclined towards
disobedience or
insubordination.
The
parent has been granted this
great boon of children but
has been tasked with the
responsibility of bringing
the child up in a manner
where the child preserves,
maintains and develops the
qualities inherent in their
children.
Parents look
towards the negatives in the
lives of their children.
They seldom ask where these
negatives have come from.
If the child was born
pure and the parent was the
director and administrator
of the path of the life of
the child then surely the
parent should be more
introspective.
Respected parents, our
children are gifts from
Allah, and as to their life
and ways, their attitudes
and character, their
successes and failures … the
buck stops with us.
May Allah Subhanahu wa
Ta’aala guide us to bring up
our children in such a way
that they are obedient to
Him and obedient to us. May
He keep them and us with
imaan and may He raise us
all with imaan on the Day of
Qiyaamah. Aameen.
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