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Weekly Comment |
Crime can be Beaten
The recent
dramatic event in Laudium
indicates that crime can be
beaten.
Newspaper
reports yesterday told a story
of a gang of armed robbers who
walked into a police trap. The
police had ample knowledge of
their plans to rob a house after
which they patiently waited for
the suspects for three days (in
the house).
Their
fateful day of running into a
deadly cul-de-sac came on Monday
when two of them were shot and
killed and others had to show
clean heels only to be
intercepted and arrested by
other officers who had laid
siege from vantage points. The
rest of the story is <here>
For how long has this
particular gang terrorised
people? How many families have
they torn apart and how much has
the country lost to crime?
Replicate that countrywide…
Kudos to the personnel whose
dedication has ensured that
these criminals are stopped in
their tracks.
This is a
story which brings a breeze of
fresh air to all law-abiding
citizens who have for too long
been held at ransom by criminal
activity. It also tells us that
communities collaborating with
law-enforcement agencies have
the capacity to stem the tide of
crime.
We stay in
neighbourhoods where residents
clearly know the kind of
activities certain kind of
people living there do. As long
as we keep quiet, we shall be
rated among those who condone
crime and criminality. By doing
our part as individuals, as a
collective, we shall have done
more. So, let us join and
actively participate in the
community policing forums, use
the dedicated hotlines to report
crime and remain alert.
Another lesson drawn from this
incident is that a
crime-fighting strategy that
uses quality intelligence is a
potent one. We appeal to
government to make this a high
priority area by building
capacity within the police
service so that crime is
contained and eradicated.
Have we ever imagined how
much crime distorts the nature
of growth of our economy? Think
about electric gates,
closed-circuit cameras, tracking
devices, alarm systems and
associated paraphernalia… All
these "non-productive assets"
exact a premium and contribute
to make South Africa worse-off
in the competitiveness stakes.
The issue here is that crime
drives up the cost of doing
business in a dramatic way!
The direct cost to the
nation due the loss of life
through crime, loss of
productivity and the pressure
put on other sectors such as
health has also been high. Even
after surviving crime, haven’t
we become psychological wrecks
due to traumatisation?
We
hope this landmark operation
will become a milestone that
turns the tables on criminals so
that peace-loving and
law-abiding people can reclaim a
semblance of normalcy in their
lives and wellbeing. |
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C O N
T E N T S |
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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 151.44 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 7,571.87 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 3,028.75 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Piety and
Self-Restraint |
From an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer
Radhi-Allahu 'anhu who said
that I heard Allaah's
Messenger Salallahu 'alayhi
wa sallam say: “That which
is lawful is clear, and that
which is forbidden is clear,
and between them are
doubtful matters about which
many of the people have no
knowledge. So whoever avoids
doubtful matters saves his
Religion and his honour, and
whoever falls into doubtful
matters falls into what is
forbidden. Just like a
shepherd who grazes (his
sheep) near to
a private
pasture (of another), he
will soon stray on to it.
Indeed for every king there
is
a private preserve.
Indeed the preserve of Allah
are those things which He
has forbidden. Indeed there
is a piece of flesh in the
body which if it is good,
then the whole body is good,
but if it is corrupt
then the whole body is
corrupt. Indeed it is the
heart.”
(Bukhari and
Muslim) |
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Quotation for the Week |
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Universal
Language |
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Kindness is a language which
the deaf can hear and the
blind can see. (Mark
Twain) |
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Point of Reflection |
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Asking is no Disgrace |
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He who wants a rose must
respect the thorn.
(Persian Proverb) |
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Q and A |
Question:
Does
the Wudhu of a person break
if he is sitting on a chair
and he happens to fall
asleep? Does the Salaah of a
person break if he falls
asleep whilst making Salaah
on a chair?
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Answer:
If the person falls off
to sleep whilst sitting on
the chair and he was leaning
on the back-rest of the
chair in such a manner that
if the back-rest was removed
he would fall down then that
type of sleep is considered
as a nullifying factor for
his Wudhu. Therefore, if he
fell asleep in the above
manner then his Salaah will
be nullified. [Hindiyyah
vol. 1 p.12, Juristic Essays
by Mufti Abdul Rauf Sakharvi
p.39 - English edition]
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U P D A T E |
Muslim Contribution to South
Africa: Survey
“Indeed Allah is at the side of
the servant as long as the
servant is in the service of
fellow human beings.”
Motivated by this prophetic
statement, Muslims feel obliged
to uplift the plight of those
who are less fortunate. It is
therefore, not uncommon to note
that Muslims, individually and
collectively, have initiated a
number of projects throughout
the length and breadth of this
country towards the realisation
of this calling. Many today will
characterise it as social
responsibility. By documenting,
among other things, generations
to come would be inspired to
follow the footsteps of the
previous generation.
To
compile a comprehensive record
of all welfare and social
upliftment projects accomplished
by the Muslim community in South
Africa, the Jamiatul Ulama
together with the South African
National Zakaat Fund (SANZAF),
would like to employ the
services of an individual with
expertise in the conducting of
socio-economic surveys. A
suitable candidate will be the
one with a strong background in
data collection and analysis as
well as good communication
skills.
Interested
candidates should forward their
CVs to either Jamiatul Ulama
(aymia@islamsa.org.za) or SANZAF
(jhb2@sanzaf.org.za)
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 Tambo
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.’
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan:
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Nabi
salallahu alayhi wasalam (IV of IV):
His Noble Character |
“And by the mercy of
Allah, you dealt with
them gently. And had you
been severe and
harsh-hearted, they
would have broken away
from about you; so pass
over (their faults), and
ask (Allah’s)
Forgiveness for them;
and consult them in the
affairs. Then when you
have taken a decision,
put your trust in Allah,
certainly, Allah loves
those who put their
trust (in Him).” (3:159)
• A person’s piety
is judged by the
closeness enjoyed with
the Creator. A man’s
worth is determined by
his character. It has
been mentioned that Sa’d
bin Hisham asked ‘Aishah
radhiyallahu anha about
the character of Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam, to which she
replied: ‘Have you not
read the Qur'an.’ Sa’d
responded: ‘Of course.’
Then, she said: ‘Verily,
the character of the
Messenger of Allah was
the Qur'an.’ (Ibn Kathir)
This implies means that
he would act according
to the commands and the
prohibitions of the
Qur’an.
• Along
with this, Allah blessed
him with the most
exalted character, which
included the qualities
of modesty, kindness,
bravery, pardoning,
gentleness and every
other good trait. The
Qur’an bears testimony
to this: “And verily,
you (O Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam) are on an
exalted (standard of)
character.” (68:4)
• It was not of his
nature to take revenge
from those who caused
harm to him. On the
historic day when he
entered the city of
Makkah as a conqueror,
he did not punish nor
swear at those who
persecuted him and his
followers, rather his
kindness knew no limits
and stands as a high
ideal for other to aim
for.
• Kindness
to the servants: Anas
radhiyallahu anhu said,
“I served the Messenger
of Allah for ten years,
and he never said a word
of displeasure to me ‘uff’,
nor did he ever say to
me concerning something
I had done, ‘Why did you
do that?’ Or concerning
something which I had
not done, ‘Why did you
not do this?’ He had the
best character, and I
never touched any silk
or anything else softer
than the palm of the
Messenger of Allah. I
never smelt any musk or
perfume more fragrant
than the perspiration
sweat of the Messenger
of Allah.” (Bukhari) It
surely as a result of
this profound nature of
his that his were
willing to sacrifice
their lives for him.
• Noble Features:
Al-Baraa’ said, ‘The
Messenger of Allah had
the most handsome face
of all the people, and
he had the best
character of all of the
people. He was neither
tall, nor was he short.’
(Bukhari) The Ahaadith
concerning this subject
matter are numerous. Abu
‘Isa At-Tirmidhi has a
concluded his voluminous
work on Hadith with a
treatise specifically on
this topic, entitled ‘Kitab
Ash-Shamaa’il’. Imam
Ahmad recorded that ‘Aishah
radhiyallahu anha said,
‘The Messenger of Allah
never hit a servant of
his with his hand, nor
did he ever hit a woman.
He never struck anything
with his hand, except
for when he was fighting
Jihad in the cause of
Allah. Whenever he was
never given an option
between two things, he
always opted for the
easier of them, as long
as it did not involve
sin. If it did involve
sin, then he stayed
farther away from sin
than any of the people.
He would not avenge
himself concerning
anything that was done
to him, except if the
limits of Allah were
transgressed. Then, in
that case he would
avenge for the sake of
Allah.’
• Imam
Ahmad has also recorded
from Abu Hurayrah that
Nabi sallallahu alayhi
wasalam said, ‘I have
only been sent to
perfect character.’
• Even before he was
commissioned as a
Prophet, no fault or
defect was recorded
against him. When
revelation first came to
him, he said to his wife
Khadijah radhiyallahu
anha,: ‘I fear for
myself.’ She replied,
‘No! I swear by Allah
that He will never
disgrace you for you are
kind to your kith and
kin; you speak only the
truth, you are patient,
you take care of your
guests and assist others
upon the truth.’ (Bukhari
& Muslim).
• Not
only did he display good
character by way of
example, he also
encouraged the Muslims
to follow in his
footsteps by exalting
upon the merits of good
character. It is
reported that Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam said, ‘I am the
guarantor of a home in
the upper part of
Paradise for whomsoever
possesses good conduct.’
(Abu Dawood). Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam also said,
‘Shall I not tell you of
the person for whom Hell
is forbidden? – Hell is
forbidden for every
person who is tolerant,
unpretentious and
pleasant.’ (Tirmidhi).
Nabi sallallahu alayhi
wasalam further said,
‘Nothing will be heavier
on the scale of a
believing slave (of
Allah) on the Day of
Resurrection than good
conduct. Indeed Allah
dislikes the rude and
disrespectful.’ (Tirmidhi).
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Amar
bil Maroof wa al-Nahy anil
Munkar |
Enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil is an
important aspect in Islam.
It is considered to be a
responsibility of the
Believers. It is considered
to be among the signs and
qualities of the Believers.
It is mentioned as a means
of protecting oneself from
the punishment of Allah. It
is the basis, foundation and
means of creating a moral
society. Abstaining from it
is a cause for incurring the
displeasure of Allah and
also a prevention for the
acceptance of du`aa. Allah
mentions amar bil ma`ruf and
nahy anil munkar in various
verses of the Qur`aan, and
numerous ahaadeeth have been
narrated on the issue. Some
of them are:
“The
believers, men and women,
are Awliyaa’ (helpers,
supporters, friends,
protectors) of one another;
they enjoin (on the people)
Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic
Monotheism and all that
Islam orders one to do), and
forbid (people) from
Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism
and disbelief of all kinds,
and all that Islam has
forbidden)” [al-Tawbah 9:71]
“Let there arise out of
you a group of people
inviting to all that is good
(Islam), enjoining
Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic
Monotheism and all that
Islam orders one to do) and
forbidding Al-Munkar
(polytheism and disbelief
and all that Islam has
forbidden)” [Aal ‘Imraan
3:104]
“You (true
believers in Islamic
Monotheism, and real
followers of Prophet
Muhammad and his Sunnah) are
the best of peoples ever
raised up for mankind; you
enjoin Al-Ma‘roof (i.e.
Islamic Monotheism and all
that Islam has ordained) and
forbid Al-Munkar
(polytheism, disbelief and
all that Islam has
forbidden)” [Aal ‘Imraan
3:110]
Abu Sa"id
al-Khudri (RA), reported
that the Messenger of Allah
had said: "Whoever amongst
you sees anything
objectionable, let him
change it with his hand, if
he is not able, then with
his tongue, and if he is not
even able to do so, then
with his heart, and the
latter is the weakest form
of faith." Saheeh Muslim
May Allah make it
possible to practice upon
these verses and ahaadeeth.
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