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Weekly Comment |
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Abortion Law
The recent decision of
the Constitutional Court
of South Africa
(17 August 2006) in handing
down judgment against
Parliament with regard
to the amendments to the
‘Abortion Bill’, is most
interesting.
The abortion bill and
it’s amendments pose
many questions and raise
many ethical issues that
are contentious,
whichever way one may
view them.
However, a
significant aspect
relating to this
particular case is the
basis on which the
Constitutional Court
ruled in favour of the
applicant.
Considerations revolved
around the importance of
participatory democracy
in our constitutional
order and the nature of
the constitutional
obligation imposed on
the legislature to
facilitate public
involvement. The
assessment of the court
was that there was
insufficient grass-root
consultation.
The question that begs
to be asked is whether
there was sufficient
grass-roots consultation
with regard to many
other bills including
the Gay Marriages Bills
and the abolishment of
the death penalty. Oops
….
Was not the death
penalty declared
unconstitutional by the
same Constitutional
Court?
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Honoring the Criminal –
Honoring the Crime?
A man in a high place
with many contacts was
accused of having
committed a crime.
Evidence was presented
as to whether he was
guilty of a crime or
not. He was found guilty
of having committed the
crime. He appealed and
appealed, then appealed
again. He was still
found to be guilty of
having committed the
crime. Finally, there
were no avenues left to
appeal, and he had to go
to jail for having
committed the crime. The
Law had taken its
course.
When the man was to go
to jail, he did not
quietly slither into the
jail-grounds to serve
his term of four years
(where he will probably
be eligible for parole
in 8 months); he did not
embarrassingly slip into
the prison to pick up
the tab for his
misdemeanors , he did
not regretfully,
repentantly or
remorsefully slink in to
pay for his crimes.
Rather, there was much
fanfare, the news media
announced his imminent
trip to the jail from a
few days before,
gatherings were held in
his honor, people were
encouraged to gather to
see him off, the
leadership of his
political party in his
province pledged their
support and were to join
him up until the gates
of the prison, and the
party publicly called on
it’s members to show
solidarity and support
for him at this time. |
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Eyewitness Account of
the Destruction in
Lebanon
Dr. Suliman Ebrahim of Laudium accompanied the
relief organization,
Gift of
the Givers on their
arduous journey to
physically and
personally deliver aid
to the people of
Lebanon. Their journey
took place while
fighting raged on. Dr
Suliman pens down a few
words in an attempt to
describe some of his
experiences.
Death, destruction,
broken homes and
shattered lives. These
are some of the words
that come to mind when I
recall my recent trip to
Beirut with the Gift of
the Givers charity
organisation. But words
fail me in portraying
the tragic event events
and conditions I
witnessed there.
What words can describe
could possibly include;
a father as he buries
his two year old
daughter killed while
playing near a cemetery;
or the sobs of a mother
as she sits by her seven
year old son who’s legs
have been amputated
below the knee. What
words can convey include
the acrid smell of
charred and burnt flesh
and buildings that hang
over southern Beirut, or
the empty echo of the
streets of Dhagieh where
a million people have
abandoned their homes.
Walking through Southern
Beirut brings an eerie
feeling of walking in a
graveyard, where sounds
of life are muted and
muffled. Most of the
buildings have been
bombed and reduced to
rubble. Colossal twenty
story apartment
buildings housing
hundreds of families now
lie in flattened heaps
of concrete blocks,
between the layers of
steel and cement slabs
are signs of a life that
once was – a folded
blanket, broken chair, a
crushed red teddy bear.
Lives that were abruptly
stopped in mid-stream -
uneaten food lies on the
table and a khurtha
hangs on the cupboard
door waiting for
morning.
Despite the destruction
of the buildings and
bridges, the hearts of
the people of Lebanon
have become more
resolute. Talking to
them gave me a sense of
a people who have had
their dignity restored.
With pride they mention
the honour of being
able, for once, to
defeat the Rogue state
of Israel. To them their
sacrifice wasn’t in
vain, the dead were
regarded as martyrs, and
the penalty was severe
but worth the
exhilaration of
witnessing the failure
of Israel’s aggression..
Many years will pass
before they are able to
restore their
infrastructure and
buildings; and many more
years will have to pass
for the painful memories
of lost loved ones to
fade, but in Lebanon
they will always tell
the story of the war
that Israel lost.
Dr. Suliman has compiled
a collection of pictures
taken by him during the
trip. These can be
viewed by clicking on
the following link:
http://community.webshots.com/album/553234247aGHjDE |
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Summarized Jumu’ah Bayaan: |
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The
Tongue |
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• Allah tells us in the
Qur'an: "Would any of
you like to eat the
flesh of his dead
brother? No, you would
hate it." (Qur'an
49:12). |
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• Once our beloved Rasul
(Pbuh) was sitting with
his companions and one
of them was speaking
badly about someone who
wasn't there. As the man
got up to leave the
Prophet (saw) said to
him: "Pick your teeth!"
"But I haven't eaten
anything", the man
protested. "No", the
Prophet (Pbuh) said,
"You have eaten the
flesh of your dead
brother!" |
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• How often do we say a
phrase such as "I was
only joking". We treat
lies as being trivial.
However we are told that
Allah's messenger did
not hate anything more
than lying. |
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• It's one of the
greatest sins and yet
it's something we do day
after day. Sometimes we
don't even realize it.
You're just chatting
away with your friends
and you begin to talk
about somebody else. |
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• But what if it's true?
The Prophet told us,
"Backbiting is to say
something about someone
they wouldn't like said
about them ... If what
bad you said about them
is true, then you have
backbitten and if it is
false then you have
slandered them!"
(Muslim). |
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• If you're still not
convinced of how big a
sin backbiting really
is, then look at the
punishment Allah has in
store for the
backbiters. The Prophet
described: "On the night
of Miraaj, I passed by
some people who had
metal hooks in their
hands and were clawing
at their faces and their
necks with them. I asked
Jibraeel 'Who were these
people?' He said 'These
are the people who eat
the flesh of human
beings and disgrace
them' " (Abu Dawud). |
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• Just having a laugh!
May be we think it's all
right to take the
‘mickey’ out of someone,
so long as we say it to
their face. We'll make
fun of the way someone
talks, walks, or how
they look. Allah warns
us against such
behavior: "O you who
believe, let not some
men laugh at others, it
may be that they are
better than you. Nor let
some women laugh at
others it may be that
they are better than
you. Nor abuse each
other, nor be sarcastic
to each other by using
offensive nicknames..."
(Qur'an 49:11) |
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• Listen to yourself and
to your friends speaking
one day - nearly every
sentence will have a
swear word in it,
thinking it's cool and
macho to swear, copying
the idols of TV and the
cinema. Is it really
'cool' to swear?
Hellfire is far from
being cool. The Prophet
said that "abusing a
Muslim is a sin and
fighting with him is
disbelief" (Muslim). |
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• But sometimes you just
have to swear! The
solution? Don't get
angry in the first
place. A man came to the
Prophet one day and
said, "Advise me". The
Prophet said, "Don't
become angry. Don't
become angry. Don't
become angry... when one
of you gets angry while
he is standing up, he
should sit down. Then
anger will leave him,
and if not then he
should lie down"
(Ahmad). |
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• The Prophet was once
asked "Can a Muslim be a
coward?" He replied
"Yes". He was then asked
"Can a Muslim be a
miser?" and the reply
was "Yes". The Prophet
was again asked "Can a
Muslim be a liar?" The
Prophet replied "No! A
Muslim can never be a
liar". |
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• A well controlled
tongue will keep us
within Islam but a loose
tongue will destroy us.
The Prophet said:
"Whoever can guarantee
me two things I can
guarantee them
Paradise". One of the
two things was the
control of the tongue.. |
• A final word of
advice. The Messenger of
Allah said: "Whoever
believes in Allah and
the Last day, LET HIM
EITHER SPEAK GOOD OR
KEEP SILENT!"
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I N F
O R M A T I O N |
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Min. Mahr |
R103.66 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R5182.56 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R2073.01 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Cure for All |
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'Aisha
Siddiqah Radiallahu ‘anhu
anha narrated that whenever
Allah's
Messenger Sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam paid a visit to a
patient, or a patient was
brought to him, he used to
invoke Allah, saying: “Take
away the disease, O the Lord
of the people! Cure him, as
You are the One Who cures.
There
is no cure but Yours, a cure
that leaves no disease.”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.7,
No.579) |
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Quotation for the Week |
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Worst
Misfortunes |
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“The worst
misfortunes that
can come upon men are fear,
anxiety, sickness and
poverty. But the thing that
makes the
soul suffer most cruelly is
anxiety of losing what one
loves, and to see something
happen that one hates. After
this comes sickness, then
fear, then poverty!”
Ibn Hazm in his Kitab
al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi
Mudawat al-Nufus
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Saying of the Week |
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"It is
not enough to have great
qualities, we should also
have the management of
them." |
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Q and A |
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Q: Is it permissible to eat
the meat of a donkey or
drink its milk? |
A: There are two types of
donkeys. One is a
domesticated donkey that is
known as
Himaar-e-Ahlee. The other is
a wild donkey. This is known as Himaare-Wahshee. The
Himaare-Wahshee looks like a
Zebra.
It is not permissible to eat
the meat of the
Himaar-e-Ahlee or drink its
milk.
As for the Himaare-Wahshee
it
is permissible to eat its
meat or drink its milk.
If a Himaar-e-Ahlee becomes
wild, then too it will not
be permissible to eat it;
and if a Himaare-Wahshee
become domesticated and a
saddle is placed on it, then
too it will remain Halaal
Ulama have furnished various
explanations as to why a
person may eat certain
animals and not others.
However the best and
the most adequate
explanation behind the
differences is the mere fact
that Allah and his beloved
Rasool Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam have rendered the
command and one has to
accept that every decree
laid down by Shariah
comprises of great wisdom.
{Buhkhari (vol. 2 pg.
828-829)}, {Shami (vol. 6
pg. 304+340)}, {Aalamgiri
(vol. 5 pg. 290)}
And Allah Ta'aala knows
best. |
Q: Is it permissible to use
perfume or medication that
contains alcohol? |
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A:
There is a difference of
opinion among the scholars
on this issue. Nevertheless,
if the alcohol is created
from
chemicals then it will be
permissible to make use of
such medication and
perfumes. However, caution
dictates that they should be
avoided.
In the case of medicine, if
there are no other alternate
alcohol
free medications then with
the advise of a Muslim
physician,
for purposes of treating a
persons illness, it will be
permissible for him to
utilize alcohol [khamr]
based medication.
And Allah Ta'aala knows
best. |
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Radio Islam:
Annual General Meeting |
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The Annual
General Meeting of Radio Islam will
take place on Sunday the 27th August
2006, at Masjidus Salaheen,
extension 13, Lenasia (9:30AM). |
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International Symposium:
Islamic Civilisation in
Southern Africa |
An
“International
Symposium
on Islamic Civilisation in
Southern Africa”
will be held at the
University of Johannesburg
and will take place from the
1st to the 3rd of
September 2006.
Participants should register
before: 28 August 2006, insha-Allah.
Contact AWQAFSA for details. |
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Advertise Here. We are Well Read! |
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U
P D A T E |
SAHUC /
HajWatch
With regard to Hajj, SAHUC
and HajWatch, the Jamiat had
issued the following
statements:
During the course of the
week-ending 22 April 2006,
on the request of both Haj-Watch
and SAHUC,
members of the Jamiat met
with representatives of each
of the two bodies on
separate occasions.
Haj Watch outlined their
views and vision. SAHUC
briefed the Jamiat on the
present situation and
challenges faced by them in
providing assistance to the
hujjaj. The Jamiat is of the
view that any efforts
undertaken
in the service of the
huijjaj are commendable, and
the Jamiat will strive to
assist where possible.
(Jamiatul Ulama Online
Newsletter: 05-05-2006)
Last week, a Jamiat
delegation met with the
Saudi Arabian Ambassador,
Mr. Faisal Al-Muhallah. The
aim of the meeting was to
foster a stronger
relationship between the
Jamiat and the Embassy,
based on mutual
understanding and
co-operation. Various issues
were raised. The Meeting was
fruitful, and both parties
came away with a more
in-depth understanding of
the challenges being faced
by each other.
(Jamiatul Ulama Online
Newsletter: 01-06-2006)
The current position of the
Jamiatul Ulama remains such
that it views all efforts
taken in the service of
hujjaj and efforts aimed at
making things easier for
hujjaaj, as commendable. The
Jamiatul Ulama will
strive to assist where
possible. In addition, the
Jamiatul Ulama expresses its
concern at current
circumstances which make it
difficult for many potential
haajjis who cannot plan so
far in advance to
perform Haj, as well as the
pricing structures which
tend to put hajj beyond the
reach of the poorer
Muslims. |
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Radio Islam - AGM
The Annual
General Meeting of Radio Islam will
take place on Sunday the 27th August
2006, at Masjidus Salaheen,
extension 13, Lenasia (9:30AM). |
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Success
Every one of us wants to be
a winner, but what is
success? Does success mean
amassing wealth, attaining
leadership, adopting the
profession of one’s choice,
being popular, consolidating
power, enjoying prestige,
maximizing happiness, etc.?
Is the winner the one who
leads a country, commands
huge audiences, gets his
way, wins elections,
overcomes his adversaries,
becomes a Nobel laureate,
emerges as a sports icon, or
becomes influential; or is
it he whose children are
educated in the best of
educational institutions,
excel in their careers and
marry the choicest of
spouses?
The Holy Qur’an informs us:
“Whoever is saved from the
Fire and admitted to the
Jannah, he indeed is
successful.”(3:185). It also
says: “The greatest thing in
the Pleasure of Allah: that
is the supreme success.”
(9:72) In another verse it
mentions: “The real losers
will be those who lose
themselves, and their
families,
on the Day of Judgement. Ah,
that is the manifest loss!”
(39:15)
These verses remind us of
the reality that none of the
aforementioned ‘successes’
are truly successes
unless a person is able to
obtain the pleasure of
Allah, avoid Hell and be
granted admission into
Jannah.
The Prophet explained how
insignificant, transient,
and fleeting the experiences
of this world are: “The
most prosperous person of
the world to be thrown in
the Fire, will be brought on
the Day of Judgement. He
will be thrown into the fire
for just enough time to let
the Fire penetrate his body.
Then he will be asked, O
man, did you ever have good
time in your life or enjoyed
any bounties? He will
respond, ‘By God, never, O
Lord!’ Similarly, a person
to be entered into Jannah
who had the most destitute
life in the world will be
brought. He will be placed
into Jannah for a time long
enough to be accustomed to
its luxuries. The he will
be asked, ‘O man! Have you
ever experienced poverty or
tough circumstances?’ He
will respond, ‘By God,
O Lord, I have neither
experienced poverty nor
tough circumstances ever.”
(Muslim)
Those who assume that only
their claim to be Muslims
will guarantee them true,
complete and eternal
success have baseless
expectations of Allah. They
must hold the true beliefs
of Muslims and live their
lives
as Muslims.
The Prophet said: “A wise
person is he who judges
himself and works for the
life after death. And the
loser
is he who follows his
desires and then expects to
be rewarded by Allah.” (Tirmidhi)
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