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Weekly Comment |
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Reaching Out to
Muslims:
Are we Reaching Out to
Ourselves?
Barack Obama has just
concluded his first whirlwind
tour of Europe and Middle East.
He has been to Istanbul and
Baghdad too. His was message
which has shown his willingness
to reach out to Muslims. He took
off his shoes to get inside the
Blue Mosque and pledged to
conclude his address to the
youth in Istanbul before the
call to prayer.
Are these
just calculated gestures of a
man trying to woo Muslims
confidence? Can we take Barack
Obama at face value?
Obama challenges us by saying:
“Not all problems facing Muslims
in the Middle East are created
by Israel.” True. Some have
actually originated from
Washington. Washington support
of repressive regimes that serve
her interests is part of the
problem. So, Washington has to
change her ways too.
And
in no way insignificant, part of
the problem has been Muslim
themselves too! Why do we allow
ourselves to be divided allowing
imperialist powers to exploit
us? One has just to look at the
blood-letting and the poverty in
Muslim lands... Why?
‘Nip Violence in the Bud’
Non-South
Africans in Diepsloot, north of
Johannesburg have once again put
themselves on high alert. The
Consortium for Refugees and
Migrants in the area has warned
the police that there was
‘mobilisation’ of a group
planning to attack foreigners
living in the settlement.
With macabre images of a
‘burning man’ in Cyril Ramaphosa
Settlement on the East Rand
still fresh in our minds, we
appeal to relevant authorities
to investigate the matter and
nip this in the bud. The
authorities have every
responsibility to assure all
members of the general public
that xenophobic flare-ups which
we saw hardly a year ago do not
happen again.
Political
parties and all other
faith-based and civic leaders
also share this responsibility
of ensuring that there is
harmony in the communities and
those elements trying to bring
about discord and strife are
eliminated.
We pray for a
peaceful electioneering period
and also continue to urge
political parties to an
issue-based campaign and not the
castigation of opponents and
conduct likely to create
tension.
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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 132.93 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 6,646.63 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,658.65 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Rewarding Reading |
Hadrat Abdullah Ibn-e-Mas'ud
(may Allah be pleased with
him) narrates that the
Prophet (may Allah's
blessings and peace be upon
him) said, "Whosoever reads
one letter of the Book of
Allah is credited with one
blessing and one blessing is
equal to tenfold in its
reward. I do not say that
alif laam meem is one
letter, but alif is one
letter, lam is one letter.
and meem is one letter.
(Tirmidhi)
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Quotation
of the Week |
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Don't Complain |
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"If
you don't like something,
change it. If you can't
change it, change your
attitude. Don't complain."
(Maya Angelou)
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Point of Reflection |
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Poverty Antidote |
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Work is the medicine for
poverty.
(Yoruba, Nigeria)
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Q and A |
Question:
Please
advice the permissibility of
making dua in salaah in my
own words. Can I make dua
whilst in the qunoot, in the
sujood and just before the
salaam? Does it nullify my
salaah? Is it permissible
only in the fard or nafl or
both? The Imaams normally
make duas in Ramadaan whilst
in the qunoot. |
Answer:
Let me apprise you
from the outset that to make
Dua’a in Salaah in any other
language other than Arabic
is not permissible.
Now as for those Dua’as that
come in the Quran-e-Kareem
or Hadeeth Shareef then in
general the Salaah will not
be nullified by supplicating
by them. As for those Dua’as
that do not come in the
Quran-e-Kareem or Hadeeth
Shareef then if the (Arabic)
Dua’a is of such a nature
that it is impossible to ask
from creation then the
Salaah will not be nullified
by making such a Dua’a like,
for example, asking for
forgiveness of sins. If the
(Arabic) Dua’a is of such a
nature that it is not
impossible to ask from
creation then the Salaah
will be nullified by making
such a Dua’a like, for
example, making Du’aa of
marrying someone.
In
conclusion it is appropriate
that one makes Dua’a in his
Salaah with a Dua’a that is
encouraged in the Shari’ah;
i.e. Du’aas in the Arabic
language that are mentioned
in the Qur’aan and Hadeeth.
Furthermore, these extra
Du’aas (Ruku’, Sujood,
before the Salaam, etc.)
should be made in Nafl
Salaah and not in Fardh.
(Shami Vol.I, p.483 &
521; Umdatul-Fiqh Vol.2
p.250)
May Allah
grant us the correct
understanding of His
religion and make us
practice upon it.
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U P D A T E |
Ijtima
The annual ijtima will this year
be hosted in Roshnee. The ijtima
shall start on Friday 10 April
2009 and end on Sunday 12 April
2009 when a closing du’aa shall
be made.
We encourage all
Muslim men, young and old, to
attend the proceedings of the
ijtima which offers the
opportunity to listen to
spiritually uplifting messages
from local as well as scholars
from overseas.
Meanwhile,
the Jamiatul Ulama has made
available maps for directions on
the website www.jamiat.co.za for
the convenience of travellers to
the gathering, insha-Allah.
The Jamiatul Ulama Hosts
a DFA Official
Ambassador Rapu Molekane visited
the Jamiatul Ulama on Tuesday 7
April 2009. The ambassador who
is a director in the Department
of Foreign Affairs has recently
taken over the desk responsible
for the Levant, a region which
includes the Middle East.
During the visit, the
ambassador said that he would
like to listen to as many groups
as who have interest in the
developments of the region.
The Jamiatul Ulama expressed
appreciation of the role of the
South African government plays
on the Palestinian question.
A meeting between the
directorate and various
Muslim-based groups would be
arranged in the future to
explore issues of concern in the
Middle East.
Muslim Marriages Act Workshop
A second workshop convened for
ladies has just been concluded
today at the Jamiatul Ulama
Auditorium. A similar workshop
for ulama was hosted at the same
venue on 1 April 2009.
The aim of the workshop was to
apprise participants of the
process of the development of
the Muslim Marriages Bill and
implications of having or not
having such legislation enacted.
Airport Musallah
The Jamiatul Ulama is pleased to
announce that work on the
Airport Musallah has commenced.
The Musallah shall be located in
the new central terminal at the
Oliver R Tambo International
Airport.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Trust |
“Verily! Allah
commands that you should
render back the trusts
to those to whom they
are due; and that when
you judge between men,
you judge with justice.
Verily, how excellent is
the teaching which He
(Allah) gives you!
Truly, Allah is All
¬Hearer, All ¬Seer.”
(4:58)
• This
subject of trust is
important in our daily
life. If people trust
one another and if they
act accordingly, they
will live in peace and
harmony. If we trust one
another, but we do not
act rightfully we will
create a state of
confusion and
disturbance in society.
• We have been
commanded to put our
trust in Allah. We
should fulfil our trust
and make sure we deal
with trust. Allah
himself fulfils promises
and has commanded the
believers to do the
same.
• It
should be understood
that the concept of
Amaanah (trust) has been
given to us since the
time Allah has created
mankind. The only
creation to accept this
trust and was willing to
assume responsibility
for it was human beings.
The Qur’an describes the
event in the following
words, “We did indeed
offer the Trust to the
Heavens and the Earth
and the Mountains; but
they refused to
undertake it, being
afraid thereof: but man
undertook it; He was
indeed unjust and
foolish.” (33:72)
• Allah has also
instructed us to fulfil
our promises and
commitments. Any time we
make a promise, we have
to fulfil it in order to
be considered amongst
the believers. Indeed
some of the
characteristics of the
believers is that they
fulfil their covenants,
their promises and
agreements. The Qur’an
states: “Those who
faithfully observe their
trusts and their
covenants. And who
(strictly) guard their
prayers. These will be
the heir - Who will
inherit Paradise: they
will dwell therein (for
ever).” (23:8-11)
• Nabi sallallahu
alayhi wasalam was known
among the non believers
of Makkah as ‘Al Ameen’
- The Trustworthy
Person. He fulfilled all
his promises from
childhood until death.
He never betrayed anyone
nor did he ever lie. He
was the best example for
mankind.
• A
person lacking in trust
is lacking in faith. The
absence of trust is a
sign of the absence
faith. Nabi sallallahu
alayhi wasalam said,
“There is no faith for
one who has no trust,
and there is no religion
for one who does not
fulfil promises.”
(Ahmad)
• Failure
in fulfilling ones
promises can have a
rather negative effect
on oneself. It is
tantamount to hypocrisy.
In a narration Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam said, ‘Signs of
a hypocrite are three:
whenever he speaks he
lies; whenever he
promises he breaks his
promise; whenever he has
been entrusted, he
betrays his trust.’ (Bukhari
& Muslim)
• Even
the word of another
should be respected as
trust. It is imperative
to keep the secret of
another who has
requested so. Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam said, ‘When
someone hears a
discussion from a person
who does not want his
name to be mentioned, it
is considered to be a
private conversation. It
is a trust and even if
he did not ask it to be
kept private.’ (Ahmad)
• If one has been
endowed with the noble
quality of respecting
and keeping trust in
good faith, he/she has
indeed been favoured
with a great blessing.
Abdullah bin Umar
radhiyallahu anhu
reported that Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasalam said, ‘If you
have four qualities, you
should not worry about
what you missed in life:
to take care of trust,
to speak the truth, to
have good manners, and
to have modest and pure
food.’
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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Where Have we Gone
Wrong |
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(This is a re-run of the
Ameer's Message of last
week) |
There was a time not so
long ago, when our
forefathers who were fresh
immigrants to this beautiful
land commanded great
respect. It was a time when
their word was their honour.
The people engaging in
business with them would
afford them interest-free
credit without the need for
a guarantor or even the
signing of any paper. It was
a time when they were looked
upon as people of principle
and religion. It was a time
when their very presence
made even the oppressors
meet and greet them with
dignity and respect.
It was also a time when they
had little funds, but they
still fulfilled the needs of
their families with
commitment and dedication.
Notwithstanding their
limited resources they still
gave serious consideration
the education of their
children and the community.
In their table values
education occupied a
prominent place. Since they
viewed the educational needs
of their children to be of
paramount importance they
sent their children far and
wide to attend school, and
they even paid for religious
teachers to come and teach
their children. The maulanas
and haffejees, whose passage
to South Africa was paid for
by struggling individuals,
were accorded the highest
levels of respect. It was
also a time when the almost
penniless would scrape their
last penny so that they
could fulfill the rights of
their guests, who would
arrive unannounced, but
still be welcomed with open
arms. It was a time when
values of authority and
discipline were cherished.
It was a time when people
had limited knowledge but
their lives were filled with
values, morals and
principles.
Today, by
and large, the Muslim
community is not in the
financially desperate
situation that the peo
ple of yore found themselves
faced with. Today, the
Muslim community has
numerous masaajid in every
locality and makaatibs exist
side by side with these
masaajid. Muslim schools
have sprung up at a
tremendous rate and one will
find a plethora of
educational programmes
available for young and old.
The lone structures of the
‘Mia’s Farm’ madrassah and
later the ‘Newcastle Darul
Ulum’ have found themselves
surrounded by a profusion of
Darul Ulums. Ulama are many
and Huffaaz are almost too
many to count.
Today,
when any person engages in a
business transaction with a
Muslim, there is almost al
ways an element of
extreme caution coupled with
suspicion. Today, a brother
has to make an appointment
to meet his sibling, and to
arrive unannounced at
someone’s home is considered
to be in poor taste and
against correct decorum and
protocol.
Am I
looking at a black spot on a
clear white sheet or has the
sheet become so stained
that, even though it is
still a white sheet, the
dots and stains barely allow
much of the white to shine
through?
Where have we
gone astray?
May
Allah Subhanhu wa ta’aala
help and guide us. Aameen.
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