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Weekly Comment |
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Humility: A Sign of Strength,
Not Weakness
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“The servants of the
All-Merciful are those who walk
on the earth in modesty, and if
the ill-mannered offend them,
they say: “Peace.” (25:63)
Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
said: “He who humbles himself
for the Pleasure of Allah, Allah
will elevate his status (so
that) he regards himself as
‘insignificant’ yet in the eyes
of people he is held in high
esteem. He who behaves
arrogantly, Allah will humiliate
him (so that) he regards himself
as ‘great’ whilst he is more
despised in the eyes of people
than a pig or dog.” (Bayhaqî)
Those who are truly humble do
not attribute the fruits of
their work and efforts to
themselves, nor do they regard
their efforts and successes as a
mark of superiority. They do not
care how other people regard
them, and do not demand
acknowledgment of their services
or presence.
Many people
confuse humility with
self-loathing. They look down
upon themselves for some reason
or think they are not worthy of
being where they are in life or
that they don’t deserve the
chances that others get.
Humility is not the same as low
self-esteem, and it is not the
opposite of confidence. Nor is
humility wallowing in self-pity.
• Humility is a sign of
strength, a virtue and it is
extremely empowering. It is a
reflection of spiritual, mental
and emotional maturity while
haughtiness and self-conceit
indicate an imperfect, immature
and lowly self. Nabi Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam has said: “The
most perfect of believers in
terms of their faith are those
who have the best of
characters.” (Abu Dawud)
•
Humility empowers you to avoid
argument with the ill mannered:
“and if the ill-mannered offend
them, they (continue their way)
saying: "Peace" Indeed, the sin
of Iblis (Satan) was his
arrogant refusal to humble
himself to the will of Allah. He
believed that he was superior -
better than any other creation -
and therefore disputed with
Allah when he was told to
prostrate before Adam u. Get
past the impulse to judge
others, and you're able to focus
much more clearly on matters of
real and lasting value.
•
Humility elevates you: You may
regard yourself as unimportant
but Allah will elevate your
esteem in the eyes of people.
• Humility allows you to serve
instead of help: When we say we
are helping someone we often
feel a little superior to the
person we are helping. Instead,
if we use the term ’serve’, we
recognize the full worth of the
person we are serving, and we
feel grateful for the
opportunity.
• Humility is a
sign of power and not weakness:
“Free yourself from the demands
of your ego, and there is no
limit to where you can go.”
• Humility creates
enlightenment: “Let go of your
desire to control others, and
you vastly improve the ability
to control, focus and direct
your own actions. Let go of the
illusion that you already know
it all, and you open yourself to
higher levels of enlightenment.”
• Humility opens up a new world:
“Give up the thought that you're
better than everyone else, and a
whole new world of opportunity
opens up to you. Stop seeking
unfair advantage and you're free
to develop an unstoppable
effectiveness.”
Nabi
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam has
referred to three things that
result in the opposite of normal
human experience. He says:
“Wealth does not decrease
because of charity, and Allah
increases His slave in honour
when he forgives others. And no
one humbles himself before Allah
but Allah will raise him (in
status).” (Muslim)
Ibn
al-Qayyim states: “Humility
comes from knowing about Allah
and His names and attributes,
His greatness, venerating Him,
loving Him and being in awe of
Him. (It also comes from)
knowing about oneself and one’s
faults, and weaknesses. From
that may develop the attitude of
humility, which means feeling
helpless before Allah, and being
humble and compassionate towards
His slaves, so that the person
does not feel superior towards
anyone, or think that he has any
rights over anyone else; rather
he thinks that others are better
than him, and that their rights
come before his. This is a
characteristic that Allah gives
to those whom He loves, honours
and draws close to Him.”
May
Allah make us among those that
walk this earth humbly and may
He protect us from arrogance and
pride. |
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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 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Signs of the Time |
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Abu Umama Sudayy ibn 'Ajlan
al-Bahili Radhiallahu anhu
said, “I heard the Messenger
of Allah Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam speaking in the
Hajj of Farewell. He said,
‘Fear Allah, pray your five
prayers, fast your month,
pay the zakat on your
property and obey your amirs
and you will enter the
Garden of your Lord.’”
(at-Tirmidhi)
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Face and Honour |
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Imam Shafi’
Rahmatullah alayhi said:
"When one wishes to say
something, then it is upon
him to think before he
speaks. If there is
beneficial good in what he
will say, then he should
speak. If he has doubt about
that, then he must not speak
until that doubt is
removed."
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Point of Reflection |
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Pecking Order |
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Vision with action is a
daydream; action without
vision is a nightmare.
(Japan)
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Q and A |
Question:
Could
you please extract some of
the Ahadeeth that relate to
the 15th night of Sha’baan?
Jazakallah for the
assistance.
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Answer:
Usamah bin Zaid Radhiallahu
Anhu says, 'I enquired, O!
Rasoolullah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam I do not
notice you fasting in other
months as I see you fast in
Sha'baan? He replied, 'This
is a month, in which many
people are heedless. It
occurs between Rajab and
Ramadhaan. This is a month
in which the deeds are
raised up to Allah. I desire
that my deeds be raised up
whilst I am fasting'.
[Targheeb from Nisaai,
Musnad Ahmad]
Sayyidatuna
Ayesha Radhiallahu Anha
narrates that Rasoolullah
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
used to fast during the
entire month of Sha'baan.
She enquired, 'O! Rasool of
Allah, is Sha'baan the most
beloved month unto you for
fasting?' He replied,
'During this month, Allah
records the names of all
those people who will die
during that year. I love
that my death comes to me
whilst I am fasting'.
[Targheeb from Abu Ya'laa]
Sayyiduna Mu'aaz Radhiallahu
Anhu narrates that
Rasoolullah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam said, 'Allah
looks with special mercy
towards the entire creation
during the night of the 15th
of Sha'baan and forgives all
His servants with the
exception of a Mushrik and
person harbouring enmity
(towards others)'. [Tarhgeeb
from Tabraani and Ibn
Hibbaan]
Sayyiduna
'Uthman bin Abul 'Aas
Radhiallah Anhu narrates
that Rasoolullah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam said, 'When
the 15th night of Sha'baan
appears, a proclaimer
proclaims, 'Is there anyone
seeking forgiveness that
that I may forgive him? Is
there anyone asking that I
may grant him? Whoever asks
(on that night) is granted
(his request) with the
exception of an adulteress
and a Mushrik'. [Baihaqi in
Shu'bul Imaan]
Rasoolullah Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam said,
'Verily, during the night of
the 15th of Sha'baan Allah
descends to the lowest
heaven and forgives more (of
His creation) than the hair
found on the goats of the
Kalb tribe'. [Narrated from
Sayyidatuna Ayesha
Radhiallah Anhaa. Durrul
Manthur of Suyuti]
[The above narrations have
been cited from 'Virtues of
the night of the 15th of
Sha'baan' by Moulana Abdul
Hafiz Makki]
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U P D A T E |
Letter of Recommendation: Notice
to Donors
The
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
would like to inform the Muslim
community that the features of
the Letter of Recommendation
which is issued to fund-raisers
has changed.
The new
letter incorporates the new
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
logo. Other features of the
letter include: an embossed
seal, original signature of the
Ameer of the Jamiatul Ulama
South Africa, date of expiry and
applicable category of funds,
e.g. ZAKAAT and/or LILLAH.
Donors are advised the
following:
• To ask for
positive identification and
compare it with the name in
which the letter is issued. If
the names do not correspond,
confiscate the letter and inform
the Jamiat immediately
• To
check if the letter presented is
an original one. Only original
colour letters are acceptable.
If it is a photocopy, confiscate
it immediately and inform the
Jamiat
• Letters whose
validity date has expired should
be confiscated. Please inform
the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
immediately
• Always call the
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
office to verify before making
any donations
Dawood Cassim (Moulana)
Treasurer
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Excellence of
the gatherings of Dhikr |
“Restrain yourself
patiently with those who
call on their Lord,
morning and evening,
desiring His Face
(pleasure). Do not turn
your eyes from them.”
(18:28)
• Abu
Hurayrah radhiyallahu
anhu reported that
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said,
“Allah has angels who
travel the highways and
by-ways seeking out the
people of dhikr. When
they find people
remembering Allah, the
Mighty and Majestic,
they call out to one
another, “Come to what
you desire for!” and
they enfold them with
their wings stretching
up to the lowest heaven.
Their Lord - who knows
best - asks them, “What
are My slaves saying?”
They say, “They are
glorifying You,
proclaiming Your
greatness, praising You
and magnifying You.” He
says, “Have they seen
Me?” They say, “No, by
Allah, they have not
seen You.” He says, “How
would it be if they were
to see Me?” They say,
“If they were to see
You, they would worship
You even more intensely
and magnify You even
more intensely and
glorify You even more
intensely.” He says,
“What are they asking
for?” They say, “They
are asking You for
Jannah.” He says, “Have
they seen it?” They say,
“No, by Allah, O Lord,
they have not seen it.”
He says, “How would it
be if they were to see
it?” They say, “If they
were to see it, they
would yearn for it even
more strongly and seek
it even more assiduously
and would have an even
greater desire for it.”
He says, “What are they
seeking refuge from?”
“They are seeking refuge
from Jahannum.” He says,
“Have they seen it?” He
says, “How would it be
if they were to see it?”
They say, “If they were
to see it, they would
flee from it even more
and have an even greater
fear of it.” He says, “I
testify to you that I
have forgiven them.” One
of the angels says,
“Among them is so-and-so
who is not one of them.
He came to get something
he needed.” He says,
“They are sitting and
the one sitting with
them will not be
disappointed.” (Bukhari
& Muslim)
• In
the variant of Muslim
from Abu Hurayrah
radhiyallahu anhu is
that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, “Allah
also has angels who
travel about seeking out
gatherings of dhikr.
When they find a
gathering in which there
is dhikr, they sit with
them and cover one
another with their wings
until they fill up the
space between them and
the lowest heaven. When
they separate, they rise
and ascend to the
heaven. Allah, the
Mighty and Majestic -
and He knows best - asks
them, “Where did you
come from?” They say,
“We came from some of
Your slaves in the earth
who were glorifying You,
proclaiming Your
greatness, saying,
“There is no Lord but
Allah, praising You and
supplicating You.” He
said, “What are they
asking Me for?” They
say, “They are asking
You for Your Jannah.” He
said, “Have they seen My
Jannah?” They say, “No,
O Lord.” He says, “How
would it be if they were
to see My Jannah?” They
say, “They are seeking
Your protection.” They
say, “From Your
Jahannum, O Lord.” He
says, “Have they seen My
Jahannum?” They say,
“No.” He says, “How
would it be if they were
to see My Jahannum?”
They say, “And they are
asking Your
forgiveness.” He says,
“I have forgiven them
and given them what they
ask and I have granted
them protection from
what they seek
protection from.” They
say, “O Lord, a certain
slave is among them who
just happened to be
passing and sat down
with them.” He says, “I
have forgiven him. They
are such people that the
one who sits with them
will not be
disappointed.”
•
Abu Hurayrah
radhiyallahu anhu and
Abu Sa'id radhiyallahu
anhu reported that
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said,
“No people sit
remembering Allah, the
Mighty and Exalted,
without the angels
surrounding them and
mercy covering them and
tranquility descending
on them and Allah
mentioning them to those
who are with Him (the
angels).” (Muslim)
• Abu Waqid
al-Harith ibn ‘Awf
radhiyallahu anhu
reported that once when
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam was
sitting in the Masjid
with some people, three
people arrived. Two of
them came up to
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam and the
other left. The two
stood before Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam. One of them
saw a place in the
gathering and sat in it.
Another sat behind the
assembly. The third
turned around and left.
When Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam finished, he
said, “Shall I tell you
about those three
people? One of them
betook himself to Allah
and so Allah took him in
His mercy. The second
was shy about causing
overcrowding and so
Allah was shy with him
(so He would not punish
him). The other turned
away, so Allah turned
away (His mercy) from
him.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
• Abu Sa’id
al-Khudri radhiyallahu
anhu said, “Mu’awiyah
radhiyallahu anhu went
out to a gathering in
the Masjid and said,
“What is it that has
caused you to sit here?”
They said, “We have sat
down to remember Allah.”
He said, “By Allah, is
that the only thing that
has made you sit
together?” They said,
“We have sat down for
that reason alone.” He
said, “I did not make
you swear out of any
suspicion of you. No one
who had a similar
position to mine in
respect of Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam has related
less hadith than I have.
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam went out
to a circle of his
Companions radhiyallahu
anhum and said, “What is
it that has caused you
to sit together?” They
said, “We have sat down
to remember Allah and
praise Him for He has
guided us to Islam and
been gracious to us.” He
said, “By Allah, is that
the only thing that has
made you sit together?”
They said, “By Allah, we
have sat for that reason
alone.” He said, “I did
not make you swear out
of any suspicion of you,
but Jibril alayhis
salaam came to me and
reported to me that the
angels are boasting
about you.” (Muslim)
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
On Names and their
Connotations
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Many children have names
which were previously
unheard of. Many of them
sound exotic, being a
combination of Arabic and
English. When analyzing such
names, one may find that
some have no meaning at all.
Let us look at the
practice of our holy Prophet
Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam
in this regard. He
Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam
instructed his Sahabah to
choose good names for their
children having good
meanings so that one may
feel honoured when calling
him by his/her name. It is
indeed something that we owe
to our children.
Names are like
symbols/slogans attached to
us. Hence, we should not
give the wrong symbol to our
children or ourselves. Once
a delegation from an Arabian
tribe came to the Holy
Prophet Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam and he heard them
calling one of them Abû
Hakam (father of Hakam). The
name “Al-Hakam” was not
common, as it means "the
arbiter." It is derived from
the same root as "rule" and
"government". Hence, when
the Holy Prophet Sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam heard this,
he advised: "It is God who
is the arbiter, and to Him
all rule belongs. Why have
you called yourself Abû
Hakam?" The man said: "It
was not so. But when my
people are in dispute over
something, they come to me
and I arbitrate between
them. Both parties are happy
with my ruling." The Holy
Prophet Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam said: "How
beautiful!" He then asked
him how many children he
had. The man said: "I have
Shurayh, Abdullah and
Muslim. The Holy Prophet
Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam
asked him who was the eldest
and the man informed him
that Shurayh was. The Holy
Prophet Sallallâhu 'alayhi
wasallam said: "Then you are
Abû Shurayh."
The
first thing to note about
this hadîth is that the Holy
Prophet Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam took names
seriously and wanted his
Sahabah to have such names
which were good and
acceptable. Here, the man
was given a nickname on the
basis of his sound judgment.
But since Al-Hakam is an
attribute of Allâh, giving
such a name to a man is
discouraged. When the man
explained to the Holy
Prophet Sallallâhu ‘alayhi
wasallam the reason for
having been given this
nickname, the Holy Prophet
Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam
commended him. Realizing
that the man may feel that
it was a name indicating his
honourable position, the
Holy Prophet Sallallâhu
‘alayhi wasallam asked him
about his children and the
name of his eldest son. He
then replaced his title by
the more normal one of
calling him as the father of
his eldest son.
We
should thus be careful when
naming our children. When
they grow up, they should be
proud to have their name and
not opt for other a nickname
which corrupts its meaning.
After all, we will called by
these same names on the Day
of Judgment and we all wish
to be called by Allah by
such a name which is
honourable and dignified.
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