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Weekly Comment |
“Dubai Arrives, Matures”
The
financial difficulties of Dubai
World, the major investment
vehicle of the emirate of Dubai
have made world news, sending
markets tumbling down. From the
day the news broke, the Dubai
Financial Market has failed to
sustain modest daily trading
gains and indicators have
largely remained in negative
territory.
There are
reports that the authorities had
tried to keep the news of
default under wraps for over a
year. In the meanwhile, the
mega-projects Dubai has been
known for continued to take
shape as others grand-opened
amidst pomp and ceremony, with a
tinge of irony, belying the fact
that the party was nearing a
‘standstill.’
A
standstill is what the Dubai
government has sought in the
payment of debt instalments
maturing in December and the
early part of next year.
According to one agency, the
debt stock could be standing at
$100 billion!
What could
have been a fairy tale of
modernisation and advancement
for now is on a freeze as cranes
that have defined Dubai’s
skyline have remained still in
some sort of suspended
animation.
Did Dubai beat
off more than it could chew?
Perhaps nobody would have
noticed had it been that the
buoyant speculative economy that
fuelled the rapid development
kept going. Dubai surfed the
bubble and became the charm that
bedazzled the Gulf with the rest
of the region playing ‘catch up’
to the Dubai Dream.
At
the time of the launch of Dubai
Metro System back in September,
Emirates Business termed the
project as “a critical one” that
“signals Dubai’s arrival in the
league of big cities.” As others
saw it, Dubai had already
“arrived” earlier with the
lavish opening of Sol Kerzner’s
Atlantis Hotel on man-made Palm
Jumeirah islands.
Now all
that is in the past. For the
present, others have said “Dubai
has matured.” In their parlance,
by announcing the defaulting on
her loans, Dubai has matured.
She has matured as a real
capitalist entity that will
require refinancing and ensure
herself that she remains
entrenched in cycles of
interest-based dealings.
Islamic finance in practice has
become mere re-labelling of
transactions with terms the
discipline offers, to mask
products as ‘Shariah compliant.’
Meanwhile, benchmarking remains
on interest-bearing financial
instruments such as bonds
rebranded as Sukuk.
The
Muslim world’s financial
sector’s amazing mimicry of
conventional financial practices
is devoid of the spirit of
Shariah that should underpin
each and every Islamic-based
business transaction.
Did you
also notice that the celebrated
Atlantis hotel is for gambling
re-labelled ‘gaming’?
With the
‘Dubai Dream’ turning into a
nightmare, will the world notice
that it is simply the same
conventional financial system
that has failed, yet again? Or
will they point a finger at
‘Islamically financed’ Sukuk?
Any safe exit? The modest
efforts in researching and
implementing genuine Islamic
financial solutions should be
enhanced. This period should be
considered as interim, in which
we should continue to reject
interest-based transactions
while doing the utmost to delink
all our transactions from it.
No warfare
will be won against Allah! For
humanity, dealing in interest
[riba] is one such losing
warfare. |
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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 160.40 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 8,020.16 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 3,208.06 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Total Submission |
Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari
Radhi-Allahu anhu reported:
The Messenger of Allah
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
said, "When a slave's child
dies, Allah the Most High
asks His angels, ‘Have you
taken out the life of the
child of My slave?’ They
reply in the affirmative. He
then asks, ‘Have you taken
the fruit of his heart?'
They reply in the
affirmative. Thereupon he
asks, ‘What has My slave
said?' They say: ‘He has
praised You and said: ‘Inna
lillahi wa inna ilaihi
raji‘un’ (We belong to Allah
and to Him we shall be
returned). Allah says:
‘Build a house for My slave
in Jannah and name it as
Bait-ul-Hamd (the House of
Praise).’”
(At-Tirmidhi)
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Despised Life, Fulfilled
Life |
“A sign that Allah
despises you
is when you
find yourself
wasting
your time with trivial
matters; in this way, you
miss your chance of going to
heaven. A sign that Allah
likes you is when you find
yourself fulfilling more
duties than you have time
for.”
(Ibn
Qayyim Rahimatullahi
‘alayhi)
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Point of Reflection |
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'Will it Come Again?' |
The orphan does not
rejoice after a heavy
breakfast.(Ghanaian
Proverb).
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Q and A |
Question: I have
been trying to fall pregnant
for several years now. My
doctor has mentioned the
option of egg donor to my
husband and myself. I have
not come across any
information regarding this,
what is the stand regarding
egg donor in Islam?
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Answer:
The usage of donor eggs for
purposes of fertility
treatment is not permissible
according to the Shariah.
Ulama have classified it as
a subtle form of adultery on
account of a strange male
and female's sperm and egg
coming into contact with one
another. This is also
problematic in the aspect of
lineage.
And Allaah
Ta’aala Knows Best.
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U P D A T E |
Photographs for Official
Documents
The
Department of Home Affairs has
made it clear that other than
photograph specifications given
in their guidelines, there has
not been any requirement for
Muslim ladies to take off the
hijab when taking photographs
for passports, ID and related
documents.
This matter
became clear at a meeting with
the Jamiatul Ulama held at the
department’s offices in Pretoria
on 3 December 2009.
A
concern had developed when an
official from the department was
quoted on Radio Islam recently
suggesting that in the near
future, photographs with the
hijab on would be an issue. The
Jamiatul Ulama had subsequently
sought clarity on the matter.
The relevant guidelines on
photograph specifications as
used by the Department of Home
Affairs are available in a
brochure
downloadable here.
Commission for the Protection of
the Rights of Cultural,
Religious, and Linguistic
Communities
The Jamiatul Ulama has been
recognised by the commission as
a community council member
representing the Muslim
community. This recognition
which was also extended to other
religious organisations in the
country took place at a ceremony
held at the Constitutional Hill
on 26 November 2009.
According to part 7 of Act No.
19 of 2002 establishing the
commission, community councils
have the right to participate in
the commission’s national
consultative meetings. A
community council may also play
an advisory role to the
commission on matters pertaining
to a relevant cultural,
religious or linguistic
community.
Volksrust Parents’ Workshop
The Taalimi board facilitated a
workshop at a Jalsa held
recently in Volksrust. The
workshop was attended by well
over 150 parents from the town
and surrounding areas.
The focus of this eye-opening
workshop was children’s taalimi
and educational development. The
Taalimi board representatives at
the Jalsa presented to the
gathering the major features of
the Tasheel Series curriculum.
The reviews were highly
positive from the town which has
implemented the Tasheel Series
curriculum only for the first
year.
More similar
programmes will be carried out
in other towns soon,
insha-Allah.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Social
Etiquette: Orphans |
“Therefore, treat not
the orphan with
oppression.”(93:9)
• In the above
verse, Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam is commanded by
Allah to treat orphans
kindly, do not scorn at
them, do not oppress
them. Since you
(Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam) were an
orphan and Allah
sheltered you, so do not
oppress them. As a
result of this verse,
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam
emphasised the
importance of kind
treatment to orphans.
• Abu Hurairah
radhiyallahu anhu
narrates that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, ‘A man
who strives on behalf of
a widow or poor men is
like those who strives
in the path of Allah and
he is like one who fasts
by day and stands in
salaah by night.’
• The father of Umm
Said radhiyallahu anhu
reports that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam as saying, ‘I
and the one who takes
responsibility for an
orphan, will be in
Jannah like these two,’
or he said, ‘As this, ’
and he pointed
(together) his middle
finger and the finger
next to the thumb.
• Abu Bakr bin Hafs
says: Abdullah ibn Umar
radhiyallahu anhu did
not take his meal unless
there was an orphan
sitting at the table
(cloth spread) for him
to have food.
•
Abu Hurairah
radhiyallahu anhu
narrates that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, ‘The best
house among the Muslims
is one which has an
orphan who is well
treated. And the worst
house amongst the
Muslims is one which has
an orphan who is badly
treated. I and the one
who takes the
responsibility to
support an orphan will
be in Jannah thus and
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam pointed
his two fingers.’
• Abdur Rahman bin
Abi Abzaa radhiyallahu
anhu narrates that
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said,
‘Treat the orphan like a
merciful father, and
know that whatever you
sow, you shall reap. How
disgusting is poverty
after riches! And worse
than that, or more
disgusting is going away
after being rightly
guided...’
• Asma
bin Ubayd radhiyallahu
anhu says, ‘I said to
Ibn Sirin, ‘I have an
orphan living with me.’
He said, ‘Treat him as
you treat your son, beat
him when you beat your
son (to discipline
him).’
• Awf bin
Maalik radhiyallahu anhu
narrates that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, ‘I and a
woman who has lost the
brightness of her cheeks
(because of the distress
she has endured) shall
be in Jannah be like
these two (here
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam pointed
his two fingers). She is
a woman whose husband
has died and she
restrains herself (and
does not remarry) but
devotes herself to the
care of her children.’
• Abu Hurairah
radhiyallahu anhu
narrates: A woman came
to Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam carrying
a child (in her arms)
and said, ‘Supplicate to
Allah for him, for I
have buried three of my
children.’ Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, ‘You have
made a strong protection
for yourself against the
fire of Hell.’
[Adabul Mufrad]
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Don’t lose your
Imaan |
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(This is a re-run of one
of the Ameer’s previous
messages) |
The foundation upon which
the entire edifice of the
belief and practice of a
Muslim is based upon, is the
concept of tawheed.
No-one or no being or thing
is worthy of worship besides
Allah. He is the Creator,
Sustainer and Lord of the
entire creation-the universe
and beyond; He is
Everlasting – existing
beyond the boundaries of
time; He is All-Powerful –
absolutely nothing takes
place except through His
command instruction or
permission; He is not
dependent upon anything and
everything and every being
is dependent upon Him; He
has no children, parents or
family and He has no equal
or likeness in any way
whatsoever. None deserves or
has a right to be worshipped
or even respected as He
does. He has provided for us
in every way, physically and
spiritually. We do not
require anybody besides Him
and we do not need any way
other than what He has
prescribed. These are only
some aspects related to
tawheed.
Directly
opposed to tawheed is shirk
– associating partners with
Allah. Shirk is mentioned as
the most severe of sins that
a person can engage in, and
Allah states that He will
never forgive the person who
is engaged in shirk.
It has been observed that
certain practices that work
toward destroying the imaan
and faith of people have
begun to surreptitiously
creep into the lives of
Muslims. From amongst these
practices, two most
dangerous ones are:
1. Visiting the various
bogus ‘traditional,
faith-healers’, ‘herbalists’
or self-proclaimed
‘religious/spiritual
healers’. They proclaim to
be able to assist in, among
others, solving of health
and sexual problems,
financial difficulties,
marriage and social issues
and even the ‘winning of the
lottery’. The farce of these
frauds must be absolutely
clear to all sensible
persons. The danger of even
visiting them ‘for fun’s
sake’, in as far as engaging
in practices of either
direct shirk or close to
shirk can never be ignored.
Listening to and taking the
‘medication’ of such dubious
characters puts a person in
the position of risking the
loss of his imaan and being
thrown out of the fold of
Islam.
2. Taking
part in ‘trendy’, programmes
which claim to have
distressing characteristics
and are linked to or have
their basis in Indian, or
other, ancient traditional
or religious practices.
Ideas that come into open
conflict with tawheed are
clandestinely and slyly
sneaked into the supposed
exercises aimed at
‘de-stressing’. Aspects such
as becoming ‘one with
mother-earth’, ‘greeting the
sun’, and the utterances of
‘meaningless’ words or
phrases as mantras are only
a few examples. A statement
by a representative of the
Hindu faith explained in a
newspaper, last week, that
it is impossible to separate
yoga from Hinduism.
There is no need to search
for help outside of the
boundaries of what is
allowed or prescribed by the
most beautiful and complete
deen of Islam. There can be
no better way of
de-stressing than the
performance of salah and
engaging in dhikr of Allah.
Tawheed demands that
we turn to Allah, and submit
fully to Him in every way.
We must submit to the Deen
of Allah completely and
totally, having full faith
and conviction in the truth
of the message of Islam,
believing in the fact that
success lies only in what
Islam prescribes through the
Qur`an and the sunnah of the
Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi
wa sallam), and we must
submit to all the commands
of Allah, without exception.
We must know that there is
no other way.
Allah
(azza wa jalla) says in the
Holy Qur`an: O ye who
believe! enter into Islam
completely; and follow not
the footsteps of the
Shaytaan; for he is to you
an avowed enemy. (2:208)
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