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Weekly Comment |
Climate Change: Does the
‘Third World’ Matter?
Islam establishes nature as
having sacred qualities. Just as
Muslims consider the verses of
the Qur’an as sacred, physical
features of the universe are
also sacred. The two share the
Arabic word ‘ayah’ (signs).
Appeals are made to humanity
to observe and contemplate over
creation, the manner in which
the Creator brought about,
harmonised and synchronised the
natural systems of the universe.
Humanity is often asked to look
for ‘signs’ from within
themselves and face the fact of
how relatively small humanity
is, in the ‘Bigger Scheme of
Things.’
Though
relatively very small, humanity
has been given a
disproportionately big
responsibility as a vicegerent.
The role of a vicegerent is that
of trust. It is a sacred role
which makes humanity privileged.
With privilege, however, comes
responsibility and
accountability.
As the
modern world grapples with the
realities of empirically
observable climatic change and
all what it implies, do we have
the requisite tools for the
enforcement of this level of
accountability?
In an era
when all what is sacred is
debased and profaned, what will
deter multinational
corporations, profit-maximisers
and nations living beyond their
means from polluting the fragile
living planet?
Environmental treaties and
protocols have been in place for
decades. The freshest one is in
the making. As it was the case
yesterday at the United Nations
in New York, major culprits made
pledges on ‘how they are going
to cut on carbon emissions.’ Who
will police them to toe their
own set benchmarks? Wasn’t it
not just another session of
all-talk-and-no-action?
The Third World too, the major
victim of the natural back lash
of climatic change is from time
to time asked to adhere to
conservation rules. It is
inescapable that spells of
drought, floods and disease have
and will ravage the poor nations
more and yet, these nations are
ill-equipped to contain the
consequences of climatic change.
In these treaties, are the fears
of the poor countries allayed or
simply confirmed?
Capitalists who evaluate
everything in monetary terms
believe that lives of the third
world are worth sacrificing and
expendable to keep the mass
consumption machine turning.
Way back in 1991 Lawrence
Summers, (former president of
Harvard University and now
director of the White House
National Economic Council) wrote
in a leaked memo: “…I think the
economic logic behind dumping a
load of toxic waste in the
lowest wage country is
impeccable and we should face up
to that…” (read
the memo here)
In
plain language, lives of people
from countries with low
productivity are worth
sacrificing… It’s all about
opportunity cost, the
cornerstone of economic theory.
Should we be surprised that
Ivory Coast was a destination of
toxic waste for which dumping
Trafigura has been forced to pay
compensation worth US$50million.
(full
story here)
We
reckon, for Trafigura, even
after this out-of-court
settlement pay-out, dumping in
the conflict-prone Ivory Coast
still makes ‘economic sense’ a
la Lawrence Summers.
The
world however needs ‘The
Ultimate Sense.’ This lies
in the recognition that we shall
One Day be all brought before
the Creator to answer. A Godless
dispensation will take us from
one treaty to the next protocol
with only a lot of cheating and
broken pledges in between.
From an Islamic perspective,
there are scholars who have
asserted that climatic change is
part of eschatological
discourse: signs of the final
days. Regardless, conservation
is part of Islam. The little
resources we have under our
control, let’s use them with
care, mindful about the
sacredness of the environment,
knowing that we shall be called
to account for its use or abuse.
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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 149.97 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 7,498.26 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,999.30 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Brotherhood |
.
The Messenger of Allah
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
said: "A Muslim is a
Muslim's brother; he does
not wrong him or abandon
him. If anyone cares for his
brother's need, God will
care for his need; if anyone
removes his brother's
anxiety, God will remove
from him one of the
anxieties of the Day of
Resurrection; and if anyone
conceals a Muslim's secret,
God will conceal his secret
on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Bukhari,
Muslim).
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Action |
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In my time the people were
not impressed by speech,
they were impressed by
actions. Anyone can say
whatever he wants.
(Al-Qâsim bin
Muhammad,
the grandson
of Abû Bakr (Rahmatullah
‘alayhi)
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Point of Reflection |
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Spillovers |
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"Smoke of the neighbours
renders you blind."
(Arabic proverb)
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Q and A |
Question:
I
would like an answer to the
following question. What is the
status of covering the head while
eating?
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Answer:
It is Islamic etiquette to
have one’s head covered while
eating.
Reference: Khulasatul
Fataawa 359/4
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U P D A T E |
Haj Seminar
The Jamiatul Ulama in Lenasia
will host a Haj Seminar on
Sunday 4 October from 09:15 at
Masjid Saliheen. The
presentations (with slides) at
the seminar will include Five
Days of Haj, Umrah as well as
Ziyaarah of Madina. Medical
aspects of Haj as well as issues
pertaining to contractual
agreements between Hujjaj and
travel agents will also be
covered.
Separate
accommodation for ladies will be
arranged.
“Who will make a Good Loan
to Allah?”
Imagine you come on the Day of
Judgment and you have
contributed among other things
towards: a child’s proper
recitation of the Qur’an;
reconciliation of disputing
Muslims; providing for the
community’s poor and vulnerable;
publishing of the
recommendations of Allah and His
Rasul Sallallahu alayhi
wasallam, and guiding others
towards the Path of the
Almighty! You can be rest
assured that it will weigh
heavily in your favour on the
scale of deeds more than
expectations.
The
Jamiatul Ulama is your conduit
for acquiring such Favours of
Allah. “The deeds most loved by
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala (are
those) done regularly, even if
they are small.” (Bukhari and
Muslim) We look forward to your
continued support and
contributions.
Please
make a commitment regardless of
the amount but regular by
completing a debit order and
submit it to the Jamiatul Ulama
via fax: 011 373 8022.
Orlando East Masjid Project
The Jamiatul Ulama is appealing
to all Muslims to contribute
towards the construction of an
Islamic centre in Soweto.
The project is the Jamiatul
Ulama’s collaborative initiative
with Ikhwana Islamiya in Soweto
where construction of the
purpose-built structure is
nearing completion.
The
project, which is under Siddiqi
Trust shall comprise of a
masjid, an imam's house as well
as madrasah classrooms in
Orlando East.
Donate
generously towards this project.
A Prophetic tradition according
to Bukhari and Muslim goes:
“Whosoever builds for Allah a
masjid, Allah will reward him
similar to it in paradise."
In another narration
according to Imam Ahmad,
“Whosoever shares in building a
masjid for Allah, even if it is
as small as a bird’s nest, Allah
will build for him a house in
Paradise.”
This is one
opportunity for earning thawâb
jâriya and a special statement
of support for the growing
Muslim community in Soweto.
Direct:
Name of Account:
Siddiqi Trust;
Bank: HBZ
Bank Ltd
Branch: Fordsburg
Code: 570105
Account No.: 11
901 121864
Via ABSA
Name of Account: HBZ Bank Ltd
Branch Code: 632005
Account
No.: 0101 323 1601
Ref:
21008105 (MUST Quote. Very
Important.)
Via Standard
Bank
Name of Account: HBZ
Bank Ltd
Branch Code:
00520508
Account No.: 002 502
410
Ref: 21008105 (MUST
Quote. Very Important.)
Kindly fax deposit slip for
record purposes to: 011 373 8022
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Shawwal Week
One: Our Heritage Zayd
ibn Thabit radhiyallahu
anhu |
• It was the second year
of the Hijrah. Madinah
was buzzing with
activity, as the Muslims
prepared for the long
march southwards to
Badr. Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam made a final
inspection of the first
army to be mobilized
against the Quraysh. A
youth, not yet thirteen,
walked up to the ranks,
held a sword which was
possibly slightly longer
than his own height, and
said to Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam: ‘I dedicate
myself to you, Messenger
of Allah. Permit me to
be with you and to fight
the enemies of Allah
under your banner.’
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam looked
at him with admiration,
commended him for his
courage but refused to
enlist him because he
was still too young. The
youth, Zayd ibn Thabit
radhiyallahu anhu,
turned and walked away
miserable and sad.
• It was not too
long, a year later as
preparations were
underway for Uhud, a
group of Muslim youth
approached Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam. They were
seeking to be enlisted
in the Muslim ranks.
Some of them, who were
strong and well built
for their age, were
granted permission to
join the Muslim forces.
Others like Abdullah ibn
Umar and Zayd ibn Thabit
were still considered to
be too young to fight.
It was only at the
Battle of the Trench
when Zayd was about
sixteen years old that
he was at last allowed
to bear arms in
defending the Muslim
community.
•
Although Zayd was keen
to participate in
battles, it was not as a
warrior that he is
remembered. His alert
mind turned to other
fields; he considered
the field of knowledge
and in particular of
memorizing the Qur’an.
He mentioned the idea to
his mother. She was
delighted and
immediately spoke to
some men of the Ansar to
broach the matter with
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam, saying:
‘O Messenger of Allah,
our son Zayd ibn Thabit
has memorized seventeen
surahs of the Book of
Allah and recites them
as correctly as they
were revealed to you. In
addition to that he is
good at reading and
writing. It is in this
field of service that he
desires to be close to
you. Listen to him if
you will.’
•
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam listened
to Zayd radhiyallahu
anhu reciting some
surahs he had memorized
and was pleased.
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam then set
him a task which
required intelligence,
skill and persistence,
saying, ‘Zayd, learn the
language of the Jews for
me.’ In a matter of days
he became quite
proficient in the
language and wrote, read
and translated Hebrew
for Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam. Later, he was
instructed to learn
Syriac which he did.
Zayd radhiyallahu anhu
thus came to perform the
important function of an
interpreter for
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam in his
dealings with non-Arabic
speaking people.
• When Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam felt confident
of his faithfulness in
the discharge of duties
and the care, precision
and understanding with
which he carried out
tasks, he entrusted Zayd
radhiyallahu anhu with
the weighty
responsibility of
recording the Divine
revelation. Zayd
radhiyallahu anhu thus
experienced the Qur’an
directly from Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam. It could be
said that he grew up
with the verses of the
Qur’an, understanding
well the circumstances
surrounding each
revelation.
•
After the demise of
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam, the
task fell on this
fortunate young man to
authenticate and compile
the most important
reference for the Ummah,
the Qur’an. This became
an urgent task after the
Battle of Yamamah in
which a large number of
those who memorized the
Qur’an were martyred.
Abu Bakr radhiyallahu
anhu summoned Zayd ibn
Thabit radhiyallahu anhu
saying, ‘You are an
intelligent young man
and we do not suspect
you (of telling lies or
of forgetfulness) and
you used to write the
Divine revelation for
Allah’s Messenger.
Therefore look for (all
parts of) the Qur’an and
collect it in one
manuscript.’ Zayd
radhiyallahu anhu was
immediately aware of the
weighty responsibility.
He later said: ‘By
Allah, if he (Abu Bakr)
had ordered me to shift
one of the mountains
from its place, it would
not have been harder for
me than what he had
ordered me concerning
the collection of the
Qur’an.’ It was a
painstaking task and
Zayd radhiyallahu anhu
was careful that not a
single error should
creep into the work.
When Zayd radhiyallahu
anhu had completed his
task, he left the
prepared manuscripts
with Abu Bakr
radhiyallahu anhu.
Before he died, Abu Bakr
radhiyallahu anhu passed
it on to Umar
radhiyallahu anhu who in
turn handed it down to
his daughter Hafsah. In
the time of Uthman
radhiyallahu anhu too,
he was tasked with a
further duty of
verification and
compilation of
additional manuscripts
of the Qur’an.
•
Zayd ibn Thabit
radhiyallahu anhu thus
became one of the
foremost authorities on
the Qur’an. Umar ibn
al-Khattab radhiyallahu
anhu once addressed the
Muslims and said: ‘O
people, whoever wants to
ask about the Qur’an,
let him go to Zayd ibn
Thabit.’
• When
Zayd breathed his last,
Abu Hurayrah
radhiyallahu anhu said:
‘Today, the scholar of
this ummah has demise.’
• When a Muslim
holds the Qur’an and
reads it or hears it
being recited, surah
after surah, ayah after
ayah, he should know
that he owes a
tremendous debt of
gratitude and
recognition to a truly
great companion of
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam, Zayd
ibn Thabit radhiyallahu
anhu, for helping to
preserve for all time to
come the Book of Eternal
Wisdom. Truly Allah
says: "Surely We have
revealed the Book of
Remembrance and We shall
certainly preserve it."
(15:9)
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Hajj |
Alhamdulillah, the month of
Ramadan has ended and most
people were able to avail
themselves of the incredible
offers of Ramadan. The day
of Eidul fitr has also
passed and people have been
reminded as to maintaining
the spirit and effort of
Ramadan throughout the
coming year.
The new
season is that of Hajj and
prospective haajis will be
preparing almost frantically
for the journey. The
paperwork with the agent
will need to be finalised,
the immunisations must be
taken, the tickets and other
aspects must be confirmed,
specific items of clothing
must be purchased, and hajj
classes must be attended ...
among others. So much to do,
and so little time ...
In the rush and haste to
ensure that all the physical
preparations are in order it
is very possible to forget a
more important aspect – the
spiritual preparation.
Our intention for the
performance of Hajj must be
pure as Allah instructs us
in the Qur’an that the Hajj
is performed for Him and Him
alone. Establishing a strong
connection with Allah by
becoming scrupulously
punctual with our salah is
of utmost importance and
du`aa for the attainment of
a hajj mabroor must feature
at the top of the list. It
is the favour of Allah that
He has accepted us for teh
journey of hajj and surely
we would want to enter His
Blessed House in a clean
condition and tawbah and
istighfaar is thus
necessary. We must remind
ourselves that the
completion of an act is not
guarantee of its acceptance
by Allah and we must
continuously turn to Allah
begging of His Mercy in this
regard.
At the same
time we must firmly resolve
to stay away from those
things that are forbidden
and also disliked during our
hajj. Allah says, “If any
one undertakes that duty
therein, Let there be no
obscenity, nor wickedness,
nor wrangling in the Haj”
(2:197).
Let there
be control over our actions,
eyes, ears, minds and hearts
with the focus constantly be
turned to where we are and
what our purpose is.
In a situation such as hajj,
where millions of people of
the opposite gender have
gathered it is easy to fall
prey to the temptation of
the eyes and thus pollute
the beautiful hajj that we
so desperately seek. The
concept of haajibhai and
haajibhen does not extend to
the limit that one is
allowed to talk to a person
he/she is not normally
allowed to talk to – let
alone hug each other on the
completion of this great
ibaadah.
Sabr should
be the full-time companion
of every person. We should
remember that there are so
many millions of people here
– all out to do the same
thing – and most of them
have not been educated as to
the correct procedure for
the completion of the acts
and the appropriate
behaviour and approach.
Additionally, the acts of
hajj are meant to take
people through a journey of
continous ibaadah – at all
hours of the day and night –
and in the completion of
such a exhausting programme
tempers are bound to be
frail - so sabr is of utmost
importance.
Together
with the aspect of sabr
should be the concept of
khidmah – serving and
assisting others in every
way possible.
We must
also, remember to utilise
the time and opportunity
that we have in Makkah and
Madinah to the fullest by
engaging in as much ibaadah,
tilaawah, dhikr, durud,
tawbah and du`aa as
possible. It should be
inconceivable for a person
to miss his/her salah on
time while on the blessed
journey.
Finally,
remember that every
situation is what we make of
it – and our hajj depends on
how we approach it and how
we implement the pure
intentions we travel with.
May Allah (subhanhu wa
ta`aala) grant all the
haajis hajj mabroor and may
He accept those who have not
undertaken the journey to
travel on hajj. May He take
us all to His house again
and again. Aameen.
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