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Weekly Comment |
The Tragedy that is Pakistan
Pakistan is
inching towards an all out civil
war. As the US-backed military
escalates its offensive in the
Swat valley it has been reported
that over 700 people have been
killed with well over 500,000
internally displaced as
refugees. It is said to be one
of the greatest humanitarian
crisis the country has ever seen
in years.
A recent
programme on PBS indicates that
Pakistan is indeed at war with
itself. One interviewee in the
programme, a senior military
officer, asserted that the
government will win through.
However, another junior officer,
lying in a hospital bed after
losing an eye in an attack
inflicted on his unit, did not
mince words saying: “This is all
because of the American policies
our government has adopted.” How
will a government ever win by
fighting its own people?
The US has for a long time been
firing missiles from unmanned
aerial vehicles (drones) at
targets they say harbour
militants waging war against her
across the border in
Afghanistan. There is also
belief in Washington that the
border provinces of Pakistan are
refuge to top Al-Qaeda and
Taliban leadership. On the
ground, however, it is scores of
civilians who are maimed,
injured and killed.
Analysts have considered
Pakistan as a frontier for
Bush’s War on Terror. They have
termed the country’s military
‘rent-an-army’ for receiving
$1.5 billion per annum in aid
for fighting America’s war.
Others have even suggested that
it is in the interest of the US
to see a destabilised Pakistan
so as to justify military
occupation of that country under
the pretext of securing the
country’s nuclear arsenal.
Last week president Obama
hosted Pakistan’s Asif Zardari
and Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai.
The visiting leaders asked the
US to stop aerial bombings on
villages in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan. In spite of
suggestions of a review of this
strategy, Pentagon was
non-committal to stopping such
missile attacks.
After
all the promises and diplomatic
niceties of the Obama
Administration earlier on, is it
now a case of business as usual?
The irony is that the recent
conduct of the operations in
Afghanistan and Pakistan has the
hallmark of Bush’s War. As long
as this is the case, the
credibility of the two troubled
governments, seen as lackeys of
the US, shall remain diminished.
The only option for the
US, and the least costly one for
her, is total withdrawal from
Afghanistan. An exit strategy
has to be drawn up and save us
all the humanitarian crises. |
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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 140.51 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R7,025.33 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R2,810.13 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Virtue and Vice |
Allah's Messenger
Sallallahu alayhi wassallam
said, "Do you know the thing
which most commonly brings
people into Paradise? It is
fear of Allah and good
character. Do you know what
most commonly brings people
into Hell? It is the two
hollow things: the mouth and
the private parts."
(Tirmidhi)
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Charity Anonymous |
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“Charity in the darkness
of the night extinguishes
the Lords anger.”
(‘Alî ibn Husayn Zayn
Al-‘Âbidîn Rahimahullah)
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Point of Reflection |
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Need not Cause |
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Charity looks at the
need and not at the cause.
(German Saying)
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Q and A |
Questions:
1)
When a baby is born, is it
Islamic practice to put a
knife or beads on the baby
for Nazr (evil eye) or
shaytaan?
2) Is it
Mustahab/Sunnah for a boy or
man to carry a knife?
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Answers:
1) This is not a Shar'ee
matter. Nevertheless, Nazr
(evil eye) is true and is
established in the Hadeeth.
Protection from it through
some method which is on the
basis of experience is
acceptable as long as
nothing un-Islamic is
perpetrated. If this is a
specific practice or symbol
of the non-Muslims then one
should abstain from it. [Fataawaa
Mahmoodiyyah Vol. 20 Pg. 97]
2) Despite perusing
various references, we have
not found whether carrying a
knife is a Sunnah. It is
therefore advised that you
enquire from other 'Ulama as
well.
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U P D A T E |
Jamiatul Ulama AGM
The Annual General Meeting (AGM)
of the Jamiatul Ulama in
Johannesburg took place on
Sunday 10 May 2009 at the
Jamiatul Ulama offices in
Fordsburg.
Well over 300
participants attended the
meeting which reviewed work done
in the past year and also look
at programmes for implementation
by the various branches and
specialised agencies of the
ulama body.
Participants
also tabled other issues of
concern which were discussed and
a keynote address by the senior
mufti of the Jamiatul Ulama
Mufti Radha-ul-Haq followed. He
emphasized the importance of
Muslim unity and working to
complement one another’s various
roles.
Examiners’ Workshop
The Taalimi Board of the
Jamiatul Ulama hosted 85
examiners at a workshop that was
held on Saturday 9 May 2009 at
the Jamiatul Ulama offices.
The focus of the workshop
was the purpose and effective
methods of assessments and
guidelines for examiners.
Meanwhile, mid-year oral
examinations in Qur’anic Surahs
and du’aas in madaaris
affiliated with the Taalimi
Board will start from Monday 18
May 2009, insha-Allah.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Xenophobic
Attacks… One year on |
A Common Jumuah Message
prepared for Friday 15
May 2009
to mark one
year of xenophobia
attacks that gripped the
country |
All praise is due to
Allah who has created
humanity from a single
parenthood. May His
choicest salutations
continue to descend upon
our Master and Leader,
Muhammad sallallahu
alayhi wasallam, who
abolished racism in all
its forms.
The
Noble Qur’an states: “O
You who believe! Indeed
We have created you from
a single male and female
and We have made you
into nations and tribes
so that you know each
other. Verily the
noblest among you in the
sight of Allah is the
one who is most deeply
conscious of Him. Behold
Allah is all knowing,
all aware.” (49:13)
The world watched with
absolute disbelief when
xenophobic violence
erupted in South Africa
shattering its once
impressive image as the
land of the Rainbow
Nation. Xenophobic
attacks in South Africa
last year displaced
150,000 people and
killed more than 60.
Tens of thousands lost
their homes, mobs beat,
raped, robbed and even
burnt helpless
foreigners to death!
One of the defining
realities of our age is
migration. As the world
shrinks and economies
integrate, national
boundaries gradually
become extinct. Mass
migration has created a
battle for scarce
resources and even
scarcer jobs. This
resulted in the
‘survival of the
fittest’ which
eventually sparked the
xenophobic attacks.
Xenophobia is the fear,
dislike or contempt of
foreigners or of a
people significantly
different from oneself.
What lessons do we
learn from this human
tragedy and how do we
ensure that it does not
repeat itself again?
We need to begin by
acknowledging that the
human race stems from a
single parenthood. We
are all brothers and
sisters by virtue of our
common parenthood. Race,
ethnicity and language
are convenient labels of
recognition. The Noble
Qur’an states: “Oh you
who believe! Indeed We
have created you from a
single male and female
and We have made you
into nations and tribes
so that you know each
other…” (49:13)
A man once visited the
Masjid of Nabi
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam in Madinah.
There he saw a group of
people sitting and
discussing their faith.
Among them were Salman
who came from Persia,
Suhayb who grew up in
the Eastern Roman Empire
and was regarded as a
Greek, and Bilal who was
an African. The man then
said: “If the (Madinan)
tribes of Aws and
Khazraj support
Muhammad, (it is
understood because they
are Arabs like him) they
are his people. But what
are these (foreign)
people doing here?”
(Implying an obvious
dislike for foreigners)
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam became
very angry when this was
reported to him. He went
to the Masjid and
summoned the people to
prayer. He then
addressed them saying:
“Oh people, know that
the Lord and Sustainer
is One. Your ancestor is
one; your faith is one.
The Arabism of anyone of
you is not (by virtue of
the nobility of) your
mother or father. It is
no more than a tongue
(language).” Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam further said:
“Let people stop
boasting about their
ancestors. One is only a
pious believer or a
miserable sinner. All
men are sons of Adam,
and Adam came from
dust.” (Abu Dawud)
Humanity is one
unit, the family of
Allah. Its individuals
are members of one
society bound together
by their common origin,
which is so
comprehensive that it
includes all differences
within its oneness.
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said:
“Humanity is the family
of Allah; the best human
is one who is kind to
His (Allah’s) family.” (Mishkat)
As humans, we often tend
to pledge indiscriminate
allegiance to people of
our own kind. We often
do so at the cost of
justice and
impartiality. Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam was once asked
whether loving your own
kind is tantamount to
bigotry. He replied:
“No, except if a man
helps his own people in
doing wrong.” (Ahmad)
To love your own
kind is but natural, but
when that love drives
you to support your own
kind to subvert the
truth and act unjustly
it is tantamount to
bigotry. Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam referred to
this kind of blind
patriotism in the
following words: “He is
not of us who advocates
the cause of racial
discrimination, he is
not of us who fights in
the cause of racial
discrimination and he is
not of us who dies in
the cause of racial
discrimination.” (Abu
Dawud)
Among the
numerous blessings of
Hijrah, one of the most
important was that of ‘Muwakhah’,
the creation of
brotherhood between the
Muhajireen, the
emigrants from Makkah
and the Ansaar, the
helpers of Madinah.
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam
assembled them at the
house of Anas
radhiyallahu anhu and
told them that the
Muhajireen had left all
their belongings in
Makkah and were now
penniless and shelter
less. The Ansaar
willingly agreed to the
creation of a
relationship of
brotherhood between the
two groups. Each Ansari
took his Muhajir brother
to his house and gave
one-half of his entire
property to him. Under
the guidance of
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam, these
two groups became like
blood brothers. While
the Ansaar considered it
a privilege and honour
to assist their Muhajir
brothers, the latter did
not wish to be a burden
on them for long. Very
soon, the Muhajireen
through trade, industry
and handwork, were able
to stand on their own
feet.
As Muslims,
we need to pioneer
change beginning with
our own conduct and
attitudes. We need to:
1. Acknowledge:
We need to first
acknowledge that we may
consciously or
unconsciously be guilty
of ill treating
‘foreigners’ both within
our Muslim community and
outside our community.
2. Watch our
words: We need to guard
against making sweeping
statements that smack of
arrogance, pride and are
demeaning to people of
other ethnic origins. If
you observe something
wrong in some persons’
behavior, do not
generalize, nor relate
it to their ethnic
origins. Attribute it to
the person not his race
or nationality.
3. Challenge attitudes:
If someone is guilty of
racist conduct in your
presence, do not become
a passive spectator. You
are bound to invite
people to good and
prohibit them from all
that is evil.
4.
Share in the sorrow of
other people: Have you
visited a sick
colleague, or a
neighbour of another
ethnic group? Good
relations are built not
only in the good times,
but during difficult and
tragic moments as well.
Visit the sick, console
the bereaved, feed the
poor, empower the
destitute without
reserving your
compassion and
generosity to those of
your own kind.
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam has
said: “Allah will not
show mercy to one who is
not merciful to (fellow)
men.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
5. Smile:
Smiling is an act of
charity. How often do
you smile? Who do you
smile at? Do you limit
your grins to your own
ethnic and cultural
group? Smiling is
charity not just to your
own people. Expand your
smile to all as it opens
close hearts. It is not
just words, but facial
expressions that also
indicate racial
degradation and
intolerance. It is not
enough for us to just
avoid verbal jabs.
Language is not just
about words; it is about
body language too.
6. Guard against
exploitation: Those that
are in your employ must
be treated with dignity
and respect. Pay them
enough so that they are
able to maintain
themselves with dignity.
Do not impose on them so
much work, or so long
working hours that may
be overbearing.
The following verse of
the Noble Qur’an clearly
speaks of the social
ethics required of
believers: “Oh you who
believe! Let not a group
scoff at another group,
it may be that the
latter are better than
the former; nor let
(some) women scoff at
other women, it may be
that the latter are
better than the former,
nor defame one another,
nor insult one another
by nicknames. How bad is
it, to insult ones
brother after having
Faith. And whosoever
does not repent, then
such are indeed wrong
doers.” (49:11).
May Allah grant us
the ability to mirror
the beautiful teachings
of our religion and may
He cleanse our hearts
from all forms of pride
and arrogance. Ameen
Prepared by:
Jamiatul Ulama
Tel:
+27 11 373 8000 Fax: +27
11 373 8022 Email:
jamiat@islamsa.org.za
Website:
www.islamsa.org.za
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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A Sad and Great Loss |
A famous Arabic proverb
reads, “Mawtul Aalim Mawtul
‘Aalam” - The demise of a
scholar is the demise of a
nation. From the hadith of
Abdullah bin Amr
Radhi-Allahu ‘anhu we learn
that this will be a common
occurrence before the Day of
Qiyamah, “Verily Allah does
not take away knowledge by
snatching it from the
people, rather he takes away
knowledge by taking away the
scholars…” (Muslim) Abu
Umamah Radhi-Allahu ‘anhu
narrated that the Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
is reported to have stated,
“Oh People! Acquire
knowledge before knowledge
is withdrawn from you and
before knowledge is lifted.”
The loss of an ‘Aalim is
sad. The loss of a senior
‘Aalim is even more sad.
When a senior ‘Aalim who was
a passionate participant in
a wide range activities
related to the uplifment of
the Ummah passes away, then
his loss is indeed painful.
Less than two years
ago, the South African
community was saddened by
the loss of Maulana Qasim
Sema (rahmatullahi `alayhi).
A little longer than a year
ago, South African Muslims
had to endure the loss of
Maulana Ahmad Hathurani
(rahmatullahi `alayhi). We
were then saddened to note
the passing away of Mufti
Basheer Sanjalvi
(rahmatullahi `alayhi).
Yesterday, we bid
farewell to yet another
stalwart from amongst the
great servants of the
community, the late Maulana
Muhammad Ismail Bhamjee
Sahib (rahmatullahi
`alayhi).
Maulana
Muhammad Bhamjee
(rahmatullahi `alayhi) was
born into a very noble
family that had always been
involved in serving the
community and the Deen of
Islam. He began his
elementary Islamic education
under the tutelage of the
respected Maulana Ahmad
Garda Sahib in Pretoria
North. In the mid-fifties he
was enrolled as a student at
the Waterval Islamic
Institute (Mia’s Farm). In
1956/57, together with his
nephew marhoom Hafiz Yusuf
Rawat, he travelled to India
where he completed his
Hifzul Qur’an at the
Madrasah Miftahul Uloom in
Taraj, Gujarat. He then
proceeded to Karachi and
graduated as an Aalim from
the Jamiah Al-Uloom
Al-Islamiyyah (Binnori
Town).
While in
Karachi, he came into the
service and watchful eye of
the late Hadhrat Maulana
Yusuf Binnori (rahmatullahi
`alayhi) who gave special
attention to his spiritual
and intellectual
development. It is here
where his qualities of
serving Deen, being
extremely meticulous in his
work and of striving
tirelessly in the service of
the poor and needy was
founded and enhanced.
Maulana Muhammad Bhamjee
(rahmatullahi `alayhi)
travelled extensively with
Maulana Yusuf Binnori (ra)
and was afforded the
opportunity of benefiting
from a large array of great
‘Ulama.
Hadhrat
Maulana Muhammad
(rahmatullahi `alayhi) had
been involved in the
Jamiatul Ulama from the time
he returned to South Africa.
He was a long-standing
member of the Shurah
(highest decision making
body) of the organisation
and also served as its
treasurer until his last
day.
Maulana was firm
on matters of Shari`ah and
would not tolerate anybody
acting in a manner that was
remotely close to being in
conflict with the Qur’an and
Sunnah. In matters where he
felt that the Shari`ah was
not being observed, with
wisdom he would adopt a
frank attitude instead of
treading compromisingly and
diplomatically. All his
life, he took a keen
interest in community
affairs and serving the
Ummah. In this regard he
contributed greatly towards
providing facilities for the
underprivileged in his area.
It was largely through his
tireless efforts that the
construction of the Masjid
at Marble Hall was
completed.
Hadhrat
Maulana will also be
remembered for his great
passion and tireless efforts
to guide the Ulama,
especially the younger ones,
with regard to being
knowledgeable and
appreciative of the great
heritage that they have
earned from Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
and from the ‘Ulama of the
recent past. He would often
express great emotion and
shed tears while
recollecting the great Ulama
of Deoband and their
untiring service in the
various fields of serving
the Deen of Islam.
We make du’a that Allah
Ta’ala elevate his status in
Jannah, reward him
abundantly and grant his
family ‘Sabr Jameel’. Amin.
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