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Weekly Comment |
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Change itself could be Changing
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Questions are being asked as to
where the Arab Spring is heading
to. In Egypt, Syria, Yemen and
Bahrain, just to mention four,
one can hardly call heads or
tails.
A full cycle of
seasons is near complete from
the peak of optimism the spring
season brought to the new lows
in Syria’s bloody affair and the
return of protesters to Cairo’s
Tahrir Square.
From a
hopeful point of view, one would
surmise that it is the success
of the Arab Spring itself
especially in Tunisia that has
inspired the calls for change to
be sustained in spite of deadly
reprisals whether it is in Syria
or to a lesser extent, Egypt.
The sustained protests, for
once have made the Arab League,
a body which through its
‘talk-and-no-action’ was seen as
an insult the collective wisdom
and potential of its peoples, to
vote for sanctions against a
member state, Syria.
In
spite of the vote coming only
after the loss of nearly 4,000
lives, the unprecedented step
against the league’s member
state is a revelation of how in
many fundamental ways, the
region has undergone
irreversible change.
For
those in doubt, the unclear
direction of the somewhat
leaderless revolution and the
procrastination of the supposed
caretaker governments in
facilitating speedy changes is
an indication that the Arab
Spring may as well become a
bitter winter of more upheaval s
and reversals of what could have
been gained.
The falling
regimes and those that are still
hanging on for now denied
creativity of their people whose
occasional rebellions over the
years would be crushed by
ferocious force.
Meanwhile, the supposed
governments of the free world
propped up these dictators who
were considered as allies. Here
we are talking about relations
between Tony Blair and Muammar
Gaddafi. We are also considering
the role of Hosni Mubarak in
crushing domestic dissent and
collaborating with Zionist
forces in smothering the
Palestinian struggle.
Judging by the importance the
region has in the eyes of global
powers, interference and
meddling shall remain a given
fact. This is a call for
vigilance and a careful
understanding of the unfolding
events.
There is no way
that way the powers with so much
vested interest can just let the
revolutions to run their course
without them manoeuvring so as
to remain influential in the
region.
Libya is the
case in point where
opportunistic powers have used
military might and intelligence
to topple a government. No
sooner than the Gaddafi regime
was declared over, business
prospectors were in Tripoli to
carve out new deals for oil and
reconstruction.
The
post-revolution era will not
remain static. Reconfiguration
of powers and forces will
remain. The agents of change,
however, need to keep focus on
what triggered these historic
events: the social discontent of
a people deserving decent lives
of dignity, taken for granted
for so long… |
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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 275.34 |
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Mahr Faatimi |
R 13,767.15 |
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Zakaat Nisaab |
R 5,506.86 |
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Words of Wisdom |
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Hadith of the Week |
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Leniency |
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Hudhaifah bin al-Yaman
Radhi-Allahu anhu said that
he heard the Messenger of
Allah Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam say: “From the people
preceding your generation,
there was a man whom the
angel visited to take away
his soul. (After it was
taken away) he was asked if
he had done any good deed.
He replied, ‘I do not
remember any good deed.’ He
was asked to think it over,
and he said, ‘I cannot
recall any save that I used
to trade with people in the
world and was lenient with
them. I gave respite to the
rich and forgave the poor.’
So Allah made him enter
Paradise.”
(Bukhari)
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Quotation
of
the Week |
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Reciting the Qur'an |
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‘Abdullâh ibn Mas’ûd
(May Allâh be pleased with
him) said: “The house in
which the Qur’ân is not
recited is like a derelict
house that has no one to
maintain it.”
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Point of Reflection |
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Bravery |
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To fight once shows bravery,
but to fight all the time is
unwise. (Oromo
Saying)
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Q and A |
Question:
Is it
permissible to place beds in
the direction of the Qiblah?
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Answer:
It is Makrooh (disliked) to
face one’s feet in the
direction of Qiblah without
a valid reason. (Shaami Vol.
1 Pg. 655, 341) Therefore,
it would be incorrect to
place a bed in the direction
of Qiblah if the person
lying on it would be facing
his feet towards Qiblah.
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U P D A T E |
Bukhari Completion Jalsa for
Jami‘ah al Ulum al Islamiyyah
Jami‘ah al Ulum al Islamiyyah,
the Institute of Islamic higher
Learning under the Jamiatul
Ulama South Africa will host its
second Completion of Bukhari
(khatam) Jalsa on Sunday, 11
December 2011 (15 Muharram
1433).
The event will be
held at Mayfair Jumuah Masjid
where Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri,
senior hadith lecture and head
mufti of Jaamiah Islamiyyah at
Dabhel will be the guest of
honour.
The proceedings
which will be covered live on
Radio Islam will commence at
09h15 and end with lunch.
Africa Palm Oil Trade
Fair and Seminar
The Malaysia-Africa Palm
Oil Trade Fair and Seminar
(MPOTS) will be held on to be
held on Wednesday 7 December
2011 at Sandton Convention
Centre in Johannesburg.
Attending the seminar will be a
trade delegation accompanying
the Minister of Plantation,
Industries and Commodities of
Malaysia, Honourable YB Tan Sri
Bernard Dompok.
Parallel
to the seminar will be an
exhibition of products and
services access to which will be
free.
This is a rare chance
for exploring investment
opportunities and interacting
with seminar participants from
over 40 countries in order to
establish business networks.
There are limited seats
available for delegates and
those interested are requested
to book in advance
Click here to register. If
you are not sure or prefer to
register via fax, please
complete the form and return.
Click here for the form.
Islamic in Africa
Conference held in Turkey
The Directorate
of Religious Affairs in Turkey
recently hosted a 10-day
conference of African Muslim
religious leaders.
The
purpose of the meeting was to
promote greater interaction
between the Turkish government
and the religious communities on
the continent.
Delegates
discussed the challenges and
achievements from all the 47
countries represented at the
conference. However, the brevity
of time did not allow more in
depth engagement on the issues
highlighted in the reports.
It was however assumed that
the organisers of the conference
took note and will consider the
reports so that the whole
exercise would be considered
worthwhile.
Visiting
Turkey at this juncture evoked
many feelings considering the
role that country is playing as
a regional power. The ruling AKP
party has turned the fortunes
around with the country which
was once inward-looking becoming
an important global player in
international politics.
Moulana Ebrahim I Bham and
Moulana Yusuf Patel represented
the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
at this conference held in
Istanbul.
Order your Textbooks Now!
JUT Publishing,
the distribution arm of the
Jamiatul Ulama Taalimi Board’s
textbooks used in makatib
appeals to madrasah committees
and management to start ordering
books now in readiness for the
forthcoming academic year.
Meanwhile, the full set of
the Tas-heel Taalimul Atfaal
comprising of two levels of
pre-school textbooks together
with a teacher’s guide are also
available.
Ordering now
will help to avoid the
bottlenecks that are created at
the beginning of the year when
everyone rushes to stock up.
Please make your enquiries on
011 373 8000 and orders via Fax:
011 373 8043 or
email.
Rescue 786 Ambulance Service
Radio Islam International and
the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
are pleased to announce the
launch of their Ambulance
Service which is now fully
operational, Alhamdulillah.
The service has at the
moment 12 experienced paramedics
to serve the community of
Johannesburg especially in the
vicinity of Fordsburg and
Mayfair.
The service’s
hotline number is: 083 9000 786.
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Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
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Drugs,
Intoxicants & Alcoholism |
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Recommended
Common Jumu‘ah Bayan for
Friday, 2 December 2011
(World AIDS Day 1
December) |
During the period of
Jahiliyyah (Ignorance),
prior to the advent of
Islam, the Arabs were
very fond of wine. This
love is reflected in
their language which has
close to 100 different
names for it. Their
poetry often celebrated
the praise of wines,
goblets, drinking
parties and so on.
Since it was
regarded as a sign of
cultural and social
eminence, a tolerant
approach was adopted
towards it by Islam in
the early stages and it
was prohibited
gradually. Firstly,
Allah commanded that the
harm of “intoxicants is
far greater that its
benefit.” (Qur’an
2:210). The next stage
was that Allah
instructed the people
not to come near Salaah
in an intoxicated state
(Qur’an 4:43). Finally,
Allah revealed the
verses in which “Khamr”
was totally prohibited
(Qur’an 5:90).
The word used to refer
to intoxicants in the
Qur’an is “Khamr” and
this word is not
confined to wine or to
an alcoholic drink only,
rather the definition of
“Khamr” extends to any
substance which
intoxicates and clouds
the mind in whatever
form or under whatever
name it may appear.
It is narrated that
Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam was once asked
about various
intoxicants which were
prevalent at that time,
he replied: “Every
intoxicant is Khamr and
every Khamr is Haram
(prohibited).” (Nasa-i)
Bukhari and Muslim
have quoted the
statement of ‘Umar
Radhi-Allahu anhu in
which he declared from
the pulpit of Masjid
An-Nabawi: “Khamr is
that which befogs the
mind.” These words were
spoken in the audience
of the Sahabah
Radhi-Allahu anhu and
none objected to it,
showing that this was
the consensus of the
Sahabah Radhi-Allahu
anhu. This saying and
the Ahadith mentioned
provide a decisive
criterion for defining
what falls under the
prohibited category of
“Khamr”. Therefore,
there should remain no
doubt that any
substance, whether it be
it an alcoholic drink or
the various types of
drugs as being
classified as
intoxicants. In short,
anything that has the
effect of clouding the
mind, impairing its
faculties of thought and
perception, fall under
the category of Khamr
and remains prohibited
in our Shari‘ah.
This definition of
“Khamr” was stipulated
1400 years ago and
today’s research proves
the very same.
Researchers and doctors
have defined drugs as
“any substance which
brings about a change in
the human mind, body or
senses e.g. dagga and
alcohol.” (National Drug
Misuse booklet) It goes
on to say that whether
the use of such a
substance is socially
accepted or not, it
still remains a drug.
Therefore, it is correct
to interpret the word
“Khamr” as all forms of
intoxicants which
encompass all the facts
mentioned instead of
only confining it to
alcohol.
Harms and reason
There are sound reasons
for Islam prohibiting
all types of
intoxicants. Some of
them include:
•
The harm on the
individual’s mind,
intellect and reasoning.
This power of thinking
is the distinction by
which Allah has
distinguished Man from
animals.
• The harm
upon ones health.
According to the
pamphlet issued by
SANCA, intoxicants are
the cause of many other
diseases. As a result of
intoxicants, the heart
undergoes stress which
leads to cardiac
failure, slurred speech,
stupor and confusion,
neurological disorders,
and perhaps one of the
most serious
consequences of
intoxicants is cirrhosis
of the liver. This has
prompted a reputable
German doctor to remark
that if anyone
undertakes to close all
the liquor outlets in
this world and to put a
stop to alcoholism, then
I guarantee that half of
the hospitals of the
world will become
redundant.
• There
are many other social
harms as well. Among
others, the adversity it
brings upon families by
the alcohol-abuser
neglecting their needs
and not fulfilling
obligations towards
them.
These are
but a few ills which
this scourge brings
along. In addition,
there are the spiritual,
material and moral evils
which become widespread
in societies due to the
widespread consumption
of intoxicants.
Prohibition of
Intoxicants
In the verse of Surah
Al-An‘aam, Allah links
alcoholism to
idol-worshipping and
further declares these
to be “Rijs”, a term
which the Qur’an
reserves for extremely
indecent and evil
things. Allah then
further ascribes them to
be “handiwork of
Shaytaan”, which
consists of only evil,
and thereafter Allah
commands the Believers
to stay away from it if
they wish to attain
success.
Abu
Dawud cites a narration
in which Nabi Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam had
said that if anyone
consumes it (i.e.
intoxicants) Allah will
not accept his prayers
for forty days. Sahih
Muslim narrates on the
authority of Jabir
Radhi-Allahu anhu that
Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam had said,
“Every intoxicant is
forbidden. It is a
promise of Allah which
He has made binding upon
Himself that whoever
takes intoxicants Allah
will make him drink
Tinatul-Khabaal” . On
being asked, he said
Tinatul-Khabaal is the
pus/perspiration of the
inmates of Jahannum
(Ma’aariful Hadith). Abu
Dawud mentions a hadith:
“Do not sit with
wine-drinkers, nor visit
them when they are sick,
nor attend their
funerals for they will
come on the Last Day
with their tongues
lolling to one side,
saliva running out of
their mouths. Anyone who
will see their
appearance will know
they are the drunkards.”
In view of this, it
is imperative not only
to stay far away from
this evil but even to
ensure that our children
and youth stay away from
it and develop a dislike
for all types of
intoxicants especially
of drugs. Drugs are
widespread among youth
and it is the Islamic
responsibility of
parents to save their
children.
One
cannot be complacent
that it cannot happen to
one’s children.
Statistics in this
regard are frightening.
According to SANCA, in
South Africa one quarter
of all youth are using
drugs and rapidly
becoming addicted to
them. According to a
survey, 65% of High
School learners in the
major urban areas have
tried drugs (You, Feb.,
1989). Of course these
statistics spread over a
wide-spectrum of
society. But what drives
the youth towards using
such dangerous drugs?
Download full
version of sermon from:
www.jamiat.co.za/wad_message.pdf
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Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
Make Holidays, 'Holy
Days'
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Schools are busy
completing their year-end
examinations. Alhamdulillah,
most students are studying
hard to excel in their
examinations. Examinations
are followed by the receipt
of results, which will tell
the students how well they
have performed. The final
examinations are followed by
the annual summer holidays
which span a period in
excess of six weeks.
Results are mostly followed
by celebrations and the
vacations are periods
wherein parents and their
children travel to various
national and even
international locations for
their annual summer break.
There is no harm in
being happy that exams have
been concluded or expressing
joy at good achievements. It
is, however, important for
Muslims to guard against
celebrating the end of the
exams or good results in a
manner which is contrary to
the rules or spirit of the
injunctions of Allah, the
Sunnah of the Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
or even the spirit of what
the Islamic character,
identity and ethos is
supposed to portray.
The same principles must
be considered when
considering a holiday
choice. Parents should also
ensure that their children
are occupied in beneficial
activities during the
vacation.
As others
would say, let them make
their 'holidays', 'holy
days'.
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