Jamiatul Ulama (Council of Muslim Theologians), Johannesburg

 

Jamiatul Ulama

Online Newsletter

Vol.: 4 No.: 06

22 Safar 1430 / 18 February 2009

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Weekly Comment

How far can the Stimulus Package Go?
Many are analysts are now predicting that the jaws of the current financial crisis have not yet reached their tightest of the clench.

‘Venerable’ names in the financial world have so far spectacularly collapsed but could be just the sign of things to come. At the end of last year, it was the news of the bankrupted Lehmann Brothers as Merrill- Lynch was sold.
More financing an investment houses and banks had to seek bail-outs for a lifeline from governments and other re-financiers. One of the largest insurance firms in the world, American International Group (AIG) had to borrow $40 billion from the Federal Reserve as it staggered under the weight of the financial crisis. Lloyd’s and Barclays are just a few of firms on life support.

Elsewhere in the world, Sony and Toyota, firms that had never posted any losses in any financial year before, announced that they were in the red at the beginning of the year.

The slowdown is far-reaching with assembling plants shutting down for days due to low demand and agents revising their speculative position.

Barack Obama’ stimulus plan which has just been signed into law is to the tune of almost $800 billion. It promises to turn around the US economy to save jobs it is shedding and to induce spending at the time when liquidity is tight. How far can it go to resuscitate a flawed system that is fraught with widespread fraud and abuse?
Some of the banking firms that are queuing for government subsidy in order to stay afloat rewarded their CEOs with hefty sums of money for bonuses. John Thain of Merrill-Lynch had demanded $10 million in bonuses at the time when the firm was $11 billion in the red in 2008!

In the news, almost on a weekly basis we are hearing of financier of the Madoff type. Bernard Madoff admitted a $50 billion fraud. He was a one-time NASDAQ chairman and linked to his fall from grace through his Ponzi Scheme is Allen Stanford.

Stanford has recently been charged of fraud involving $8 billion. His Stanford International Bank (SIB) and other units sold CDs by promising higher returns than CDs offered by traditional banks.

A chronicle of such events in recent past can go on and on. This discussion however sheds light on the myriad ways in which greed, an insatiable appetite for a quick and spectacular returns have opened uncountable ways to ruin. With it, the interest-based world economy is going to suffer and more misery could be on the way.

Are Muslim sheltered from this? Not at all. Besides reports that there is a 40 percent drop in the value of Arab investments abroad, which previously totalled around 2.5 trillion dollars, there are Muslim financing agencies queuing up to either buy or bail out these disintegrating financial institutions.

What can be salvaged from this decay? Why not strengthen institutions that are compliant to the teachings of Islam?

C O N T E N T S

Summarised Jumuah Bayaan

Question and Answer

Update

Message from the Ameer

I N F O R M A T I O N

Min. Mahr

R 167.87

Mahr Faatimi

R 8,393.61

Zakaat Nisaab

R 3,357.45

Words of Wisdom

Hadith of the Week

Oppression, Avarice


From Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah Radhi-Allahu 'anhu who said that Allah's Messenger Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said: “Beware of committing oppression for on the Day of Resurrection oppression will be darkness, and beware of avarice for avarice destroyed those who came before you, it led them into shedding blood and into making lawful that which was forbidden for them.”
(Muslim)

Quotation for the Week

Steadfastness

 
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Point of Reflection

Asking is no Disgrace


Words are sweet, but they never take the place of food.
(Ibo, Nigeria)

 

 

 

Q and A

Question:
I have a DVD of the Qur’an that teaches by reciting the verses, displaying it on the screen and provides the English translation. My question is: Is it permissible to recite the Qur’aan in this manner? Is it better to recite the Qur’an in the hardcopy (text)? Would your answer differ if it is a female reciting the Qur’an?

Answer:
We advise that the Qur’aan be learnt directly from an 'Aalim or Qaari. In this way the teacher would able to correct the recitation if an error occurs.

And Allâh Ta’âla Knows Best.

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U P D A T E

Youth Conventions 2009
The Jamiatul Ulama is pleased to announce that this year’s youth conventions under the theme Islam: The Ultimate Experience will be held at the UNISA Conference Centre in Ormonde, Johannesburg as follows:

Ladies Only
Date: Saturday 28 February 2009
Time: 9:00am – 4:30pm

Young Men Only (15+)
Date: Sunday 1 March 2009
Time: 9:00am – 4:30pm

Speakers will tackle topical issues of Muslim life with a special appeal to the youth.

Airport Jamaat Khana
In collaboration with Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) the Jamiatul Ulama has been successful in securing an area in the New International Arrivals Terminal of OR Thambo airport for a Muslim prayer facility. Plans for it have been approved and work on the internal design and layout will commence soon. The facility includes a Salaah area for approximately 70 males and 30 females, an ablution area, a luggage storage space and a baby changing and feeding area.

Donations towards this project will be highly appreciated. Kindly deposit your ‘Lillah’ contributions directly into our bank account:
Account Name: Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal Relief Account
Bank: Nedbank Fordsburg
Branch Code: 195305
Account Number: 1953 285 937
Kindly fax deposit slips to our offices on 011 373 8022 and ear-mark ‘Airport Jamaat Khana.’

Sheikh Samir Al Nass
On Thursday, 12 February 2009, our offices were graced with the visit of a prominent Syrian scholar, Sheikh Dr Samir Al Nass. Besides being a physician, he also lectures in the post graduate department of the famous Islamic Institute in Damascus, Ma’had Al Fat-h. Daily he also conducts lessons in Quran Recital and Tajweed in Masjid Muhyuddin Ibn Arabi in Damascus. His speciality is Hanafi Fiqh and Qira’ah.

Sheikh Samir conducted a few lessons in Fiqh for the students at our Jamiah Al Uloom Al Islamiyyah and also rendered some valuable advices to them. Over the weekend, he was hosted by the Department of Semitic Languages at the University of Johannesburg as a visiting professor for a course in Advanced Hadith Studies.

Summarised Jumu’ah Bayaan:

Our Youth


Hereunder we reproduce a Jum`ah Bayaan for ‘Ulama to encourage the youth to attend the youth convention this year.


Youth The Holy Qur’ân states:
“O Allâh! Grant that our spouses and offspring be the coolness of our eyes and cause us to be a model for the righteous.”
"Say (O Prophet) "Come so that I may cite to you what Allah has forbidden for you: that you do not associate partners unto Him, that you be kind to your parents, …., and approach not any indecency…"

The Holy Qur’ân speaks of the youth who opposed a value system based on kufr and vanity, in the following words: "Behold, the youth betook themselves to the Cave, they said: "Our Lord, bestow on us mercy from Thyself and dispose for us our affair in the right manner … Indeed they were a group of youth who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance".

The Prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Grasp five things before five others: your youth before you become old , your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death."

“There are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the day on which there is no shade except His shade: a just imam, a youth who grows up worshipping Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosque when he leaves it until he returns to it, two men who love each other in Allah and meet for that and part for that, a man who remembers Allah when he is alone and his eyes overflow with tears, a man who refuses the approaches of a noble, beautiful woman, saying "I fear Allah," and a man who gives sadaqa and conceals it so that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives.' "

Nabî Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam ‘Every child is born on Fitrah (a natural inclination towards Islam). It is his parents who turn him towards Judaism, Christianity or fire-worship’. (Mishkât). Every child is born in a state of pure innocence. It is his social upbringing, the values that his/her parents display that impact and influence his identity.

Parents thus have an enormous responsibility in moulding the character of their children. If they build a strong, trusting, and loving relationship with their children before the teenage years, their children will be less likely to go astray.

As with all blessings of Allah, children can be either a joy or a source of grave concern, a blessing or a curse – depending on how we mould and guide them. Children can be a source of enormous tranquility and self -fulfillment yet they can become the root of the greatest heartbreak, pain and sorrow. The very child that provides joy and happiness can also produce the greatest hurt and sorrow. Our great dreams for our children could suddenly turn into unimaginable nightmares. One of the most challenging and daunting tasks parents face today is that of developing a meaningful relationship with their children, especially teenagers who often rebel against their society and parents. According to a recent survey, 20% of children living in western society have not had a 10-minute conversation with a parent in a month. Their conversation is with TV, which acts as their mother, father, baby-sitter, and teacher. By the time they are teens, they have seen an estimated 18 000 violent murders on TV.

Alcohol, drugs, frequenting of movie houses and rave clubs and illicit sexual activity are but some of the hazards youth encounter in their quest for independence, joy, and adventure.

Teenagers are idealists, they want to change the world, and make it a better place. These are not bad ideals, and it is a great pity that adults have forgotten their own ideals in the rat race of daily life. It is up to the parents to point them in the right direction.

If we get teenagers involved in helping those in need, community projects, participating in Islamic programmes and camps and in working for important causes, their zeal could make a tremendous impact on their future and the shape of the world to come.
Youth have great potential.
Remember:
• That the resistance of the youth served as a catalyst for the eventual demise of the oppressive regime in South Africa,
• That the youth of Afghanistan liberated their country from the Soviet Union and the Taliban have yet again revolted against corruption and civil strife,
• That the lonely defendants of Masjidul Aqsa are no more than the youth of Palestine, That the archenemy of Islam, Abu Jahl was killed by two youths barely in their teens.
• That the first male to believe in Nabi Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam was a ten old boy named Ali bin Talib Radiyallahu ‘anhu
• That Nabi Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam assigned a number of positions and responsibilities to the youth. He appointed a young man of twenty-one, Itab Ibn Usayd as the first governor of Makkah.
• That Muhammad ibn Qasim conquered Sind in India when he was only seventeen.
• The Prophet Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam appointed Zaid ibn Harithah as the Amir of a Jamaat that included Abu Bakr and Umar Radiyallahu ‘anhu.
The Union of Muslim Students Association (MSA) and the Jamiatul Ulama jointly host an Annual Youth Convention. Last year over 3000 people attended the Convention, in Mackenzie Park, Benoni.

The convention comprises of addresses by various guest speakers, a Question and Answer Session and Interactive Breakaway Sessions which deal with various current topics, and is an ideal opportunity to educate and shape the minds of the youth regarding; the present challenges faced by them, the various solutions to current concerns and issues, the rights and responsibilities of the youth, as well as the opportunities that are presented in the contemporary world. It is also an opportunity to create a forum where youth from various regions and backgrounds can interact, share views and establish networks for the future development and progress of the Muslim Youth.

This year, the Convention will take place at the Unisa Conference Centre is Ormonde on Saturday 28th February 2009 for ladies and on Sunday 1 March 2009 for boys. Commencement will be at 9:00 AM and concluding at 4:30 PM, insha-Allah.


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Message from the Ameer of the Jamiatul Ulama

‘Seek Knowledge from the Cradle to the Grave’

A hadeeth of the Prophet (Sallalllahu `alayhi wa sallam) describes the Ulama are the heirs of the Prophets. There are many verses of the Qur’an and ahaadeeth that illustrate the virtue and position of the Ulama in Islam.

The late Maulana Abrarul Haqq (rahmatullahi `alayhi) in his discourse entitled ‘Road to Success’ speaks about the importance of seeking knowledge.

Hadhrat Maulana (rahmatullahi `alayhi) explains that the doors of knowledge are not closed to anybody. The opportunity to seek knowledge is available to people of all backgrounds and ages.

The incident of Hasan bin Ziyad is a good example in this regard. He was one of the wealthy persons of his town. When he was 40 years old, coincidently one day he attended the discourse of Imam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullah alaihi. Instantly the thirst for seeking knowledge overwhelmed him and he began his quest for education. He remained in the company of Imam Abu Hanifa for 40 years. Thereafter he passed verdicts for the remaining part of his life.

Maulana Abrarul Haqq (rahmatullahi `alayhi) explains that just as how Imam Hasan bin Ziyâd became a faqih after the age of 40, every person has the capacity to become a faqih. A very simple way of being included amongst the Ulama is by learning 40 ahadith. Therefore, if we learn a hadith a day, in 40 days our task will be accomplished.

It must however be remembered that true knowledge is such knowledge that is practised upon and this is a message to every one of our community that is referred to by the title of `Aalim or Maulana. Ulama have mentioned in the explanation of the du`aa wherein we ask for ‘beneficial knowledge’ that beneficial knowledge is such knowledge upon which the `Aaalim practises upon.

May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’aala grantb us all ilm al-Naafi` (beneficial knowledge) and may He keep us amongst those who are in the path of learning and teaching the Qur’an and the hadeeth. Aameen.

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