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Weekly Comment |
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Do not Despair of the Mercy of
Allah!
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Feeling down in the dumps,
depressed, having the blues…
These are just some of the terms
used to describe a feeling of
hopelessness and despair that
can hit even the most optimistic
of us at some point in our
lives. However when sadness,
gloom and unhappiness becomes a
permanent mark of our lives,
when it creates a feeling of
hopelessness, helplessness and
worthlessness, when it
interferes with our ability to
work, study, eat, sleep, and mix
with people we may be suffering
from abnormal levels of despair
otherwise called depression.
Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam
taught us a du’aa against
despondency which, in amazing
brevity, also reveals the
consequences of acute
depression. The du’aa reads as
follow: “O’ Allah I
seek your protection from
anxiety, sorrow, inability,
laziness, cowardice, stinginess,
overpowering debt and
subjugation by fellow man”
This du’aa
speaks about the eight emotional
traits of a person overcome by
severe dejection:
1. Anxiety: An
unexplained cloud of constant
worry, fear, a boding that
something bad is going to take
place. You feel agitated,
restless, and are on the edge
all the time.
2.
Sorrow: A sense of
dejection that crushes both your
body and mind. You almost
believe that it is not possible
to be happy. Feeling of not
being cherished and respected by
anyone
3. A feeling
of uselessness: A
Feelings of helplessness and
hopelessness. A bleak
outlook—nothing will ever get
better and there’s nothing you
can do to improve your
situation. You are locked into
victim mode. This drops your
tolerance levels. Everything and
everyone gets on your nerves.
4. Laziness/fatigue:
Neither interest nor any
willingness to pick yourself up.
Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and
physically drained. Your whole
body may feel heavy, and even
small tasks are exhausting or
take longer to complete.
5. Cowardice:
Lack of self-confidence. Strong
feelings of worthlessness or
guilt. A bleak outlook—nothing
will ever get better and there’s
nothing you can do to improve
your situation.
6.
Stinginess: No
interested in the welfare of
others. You are too preoccupied
in your own gloom to even think
of the happiness of other
people.
7.
Overpowering debt:
Trouble focusing, making
decisions, you become
financially reckless in the hope
of buying yourself out of
misery. You engage in escapist
behavior
8.
Subjugation by fellow man:
Under the control of other
people. You feel pressured by
those around you. You no longer
believe in yourself and feel
compelled to toe the line.
A Muslim should always
assume the best about Allah. He
should strive to do his best and
expect the best outcome: that
Allah will accept his good
deeds; that Allah from His grace
will forgive him; and that Allah
will bless him to live out his
life, until its conclusion, upon
faith. Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam has said: “None of you
should die except while assuming
the best about Allah.” (Muslim)
Our challenge under all
circumstances is to act as best
as we can with the firm
conviction that whatever
afflicts us was never meant to
miss us and whatever misses us
was never meant for us. We
believe that our life ultimately
unfolds in accordance to the
will of Allah! “No calamity
befalls the earth and neither
your own selves unless it be
laid down in our decree long
before we bring it into being –
verily that is easy for Allah.
So that you may not despair over
whatever good escapes you nor
become arrogant over whatever
good has come your way” (57: 22)
May Allah grant us the ability
to turn each anxiety, each fear
and each concern into an
opportunity for making du’aa and
turning to Him with repentance. |
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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 232.34 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 11,617.11 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 4,646.85 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Guidance and
Knowledge |
.
Abu Musa Radhiallahu anhu
reported: “The Messenger of
Allah Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam said, ‘The guidance
and knowledge with which
Allah has sent me are like
abundant rain which fell on
a land. A fertile part of it
absorbed the water and
brought forth profuse
herbage and pasture; and
solid ground patches which
retained the water by which
Allah has benefited people,
who drank from it, irrigated
their crops and sowed their
seeds; and another sandy
plane which could neither
retain the water nor produce
herbage. Such is the
similitude of the person who
becomes well-versed in the
religion of Allah and
receives benefit from the
Message entrusted to me by
Allah, so he himself has
learned and taught it to
others; such is also the
similitude of the person who
has stubbornly and
ignorantly rejected Allah's
Guidance with which I have
been sent.’”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Vice |
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“It is good to repent from
sin; it is better to avoid
sin. It is bad for a young
man to sin, but it is worse
for an old man to sin.” (Abu
Bakr Siddiq RA)
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Point of Reflection |
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Straight and Narrow |
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There are a thousand paths
to every wrong.
(Poland)
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Q and A |
Question:
Is the use of
petroleum jelly on the lips
during Umrah and during the
5 days of Haj permitted
(while in Ihraam)?
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Answer:
Yes, it will be permissible.
However, lip balms that
contain a fragrance should
be avoided.
Question:
If urine happens to
soil the Ihraam, does it
necessitate Damm? If not,
what should one do?
Answer:
Urine drops soiling the
Ihraam clothing does not
make Damm Waajib. However,
the area of the clothing
that was soiled will have to
be purified. Similarly the
urine drops will also result
in the breaking of the
Wudhu.
<Go to
Top> |
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U P D A T E |
MAP Lecture Programmes
for the Muslim Students
Association
Hafiz Abdur Rahman Laily, a
final year student at the
Jamiatul Ulum al Islamiyyah and
a former executive member of the
Muslim Students Association
(MSA) spoke to members of the
MSA at the University of
Johannesburg on the topic of
morality on Wednesday 21 Sep
2011.
In all about 50
students were in attendance as
Hafiz Laily spoke on issues of
chastity and marital life.
After the speech, the ensuing
discussion indicated a yearning
for more spiritual guidance and
Islamic knowledge.
There
is a trend that young Muslim
students pursue academic careers
at the expense of Islamic
knowledge. Ameena Seedat of the
Muslim AIDS Programme (MAP) in
Gauteng, the organisers of the
event, has indicated that MAP
will continue to cooperate with
the MSA is a number of
programmes such as sex
abstinence campaign.
Meanwhile, a Jumuah lecture
programme for Friday 1 October
2011 at the University of
Johannesburg’s musalla has also
been scheduled in conjunction
with MAP to highlight the
importance of good character
among Muslim youth.
Workshop on Islamic
Finance
On
Thursday 22 Sep 2011, Mufti
Muhammed Haffejee attended the
workshop on Islamic Finance
which was co-hosted by Centre
for Islamic Economics and
Finance of South Africa, ABSA
Islamic Finance and
PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC).
The workshop was held at the
PWC Business School in Rivonia
focused on Islamically
acceptable financial
transactions and products.
Participants included
finance professionals, officials
from the treasury and ulama and
businessmen.
Jamiatul Ulama South
Africa Meets Ulama of Laudium
Officials from the Jamiatul
Ulama South Africa’s head office
at Baitul Hamd in Fordsburg had
a meeting with ulama and Muslims
of Laudium on Friday night, 23
September 2011.
The
meeting which was hosted by
Darus Salaam Centre was attended
by about 70 ulama and members of
the Muslim community in Laudium
and surrounding areas.
Moulana Ahmed Mia and Moulana
Bilaal Vaid made presentations
on the setup and decision-making
process within the Jamiatul
Ulama South Africa as an
organization as well as the
on-going activities and
challenges faced after which a
discussion took place.
The visiting delegation included
officials from the South African
National Halaal Authority as
well as from Radio Islam.
The ulama were encouraged to
take active roles in the work of
the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa.
Laudium has a Jamiatul Ulama
South Africa office where the
current Ameer of the Jamiatul
Ulama South Africa, Moulana
Abbas Ali Jeena is based.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Prohibition
against lying |
“Do not pursue what
you have no knowledge
of,” (17:36)
“He
does not utter a single
word without a watcher
by him, pen in hand.”
(50:18)
• Know
that lying, even if it
is basically forbidden,
is permitted in certain
cases with
preconditions. In brief,
words are a means to
ends. If any goal which
is praiseworthy can be
obtained without lying,
then it is forbidden to
lie in it. If it can
only be obtained by
lying, then it is
permitted to lie. If the
goal is permissible,
then the lie is
permissible, and if the
goal is mandatory, then
lying is mandatory. If a
Muslim is hiding from a
wrongdoer who wants to
kill him or take his
property which he has
hidden and a man is
asked about him, it is
mandatory to lie to
conceal him. The same is
true if he has a deposit
and a wrongdoer wants to
take it: he must lie to
conceal it. It is more
circumspect for him to
use allusion and to
employ expressions which
are not lies in
themselves although they
give a false impression.
If he actually lies, it
is not forbidden in such
a case. Scholars find
the permission to lie in
this case in the hadith
of Umm Kulthum
radhiyallahu anhu who
heard the Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam say, “The one
who puts things right
between people and
produces (or says) good
is not a liar.” (Bukhari
& Muslim) In one
variant, “Umm Kulthum
radhiyallahu anhu said,
“I did not hear him make
an allowance regarding
anything that people say
except in three cases:
in war, putting things
right between people,
and what a man says to
his wife and a wife says
to her husband.”
• Ibn Mas’ud
radhiyallahu anhu stated
that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said,
“Truthfulness leads to
piety and piety leads to
Jannah. A man should be
truthful until he is
written down as truthful
with Allah. Lying leads
to deviance and deviance
leads to Jahannum. A man
will lie until he is
written down as a liar
with Allah.” (Bukhari &
Muslim)
•
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr
radhiyallahu anhu
narrated that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, “If
anyone has four
characteristics, he is a
pure hypocrite, and if
anyone has one of them,
he has an aspect of
hypocrisy until he gives
it up: whenever he is
trusted, he betrays his
trust; whenever he
speaks, he lies; when he
makes an agreement, he
breaks it; and when he
quarrels, he deviates
from the truth by
speaking falsely.”
(Bukhari & Muslim)
• Ibn ‘Abbas
radhiyallahu anhu
reported that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, “Anyone
who relates a dream
which he has not really
had will have to tie a
knot between two grains
of barley and will not
be able to do it. Anyone
who listens to people
talking when they do not
want him to will have
molten lead poured into
his ears on the Day of
Qiyaamah. Anyone who
makes an image will be
punished and have to
breath a spirit into it
but will not be able to
do it.” (Bukhari)
• Ibn ‘Umar
radhiyallahu anhu
reported said that
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said,
“The worst of lies is
when a man says his eyes
have seen something
which they have not
seen.” (Bukhari) It
means that he says he
has dreamt what he did
not dream.
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
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The Importance of
Self-Reflection |
Man is constantly
involved in various
activities.
Some of
the activities are focused
on earning of a livelihood
for the purpose of providing
for himself and his family;
some aimed at strengthening
the relationships that are
important to him as well as
fulfilling the rights of his
close and extended family,
and some activities that
center solely around
fulfilling the injunctions
of Allah.
Sometimes
man becomes so involved in
the activities that
preoccupy him that he loses
sight of what exactly he is
doing and why he is doing
it.
Sometime man
loses track of what needs to
be given priority in the
mountain of tasks he has to
complete.
It is
important to constantly and
consistently reflect upon
one’s actions and question
one’s own intentions.
Anything done only for
the pleasure of Allah will
ultimately bring real and
true blessing and reward.
<Go to Top> |
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