al-m zanNewsletter of the Claremont Main Road Mosque ° No . 18

Ramadan 1437 ° June 2016

During the 1990s we chose as a country to regulate state governance, institution building and human relationships (mu’amalat) on the basis of a constitutional democracy. We succeeded in laying a constitutional platform, however imperfect, as a means of working toward a common nation and citizenship. We committed ourselves as citizens to working towards a future based on equality, fairness and the rule of law.

Our constitutional democratic commitments were based on a promissory note, that democracy would provide us with the tools and material foundations to struggle for a better life. Our constitutional dispensation was founded on the necessity of actively conferring human dignity on the people of this country. Our constitutional democracy is brought into question when our country fails to deliver on the promise of a fairer and more just society. Defending the Constitution is therefore a defence of an inclusive and productive path towards securing sustainable livelihoods and protecting the egalitarian vision of our democracy.

It is in this light that we have to question two of the biggest infractions of our current day politics: one is the flouting of the Constitution by the President in light of the Nkandla debacle, and the other is the capture of the state by family interests.

The Nkandla debacle follows on a steady pattern of corruption and looting of the state’s resources over many years. The Nkandla matter brought corruption,

behind closed doors to protect themselves and their families against rampant crime on the streets, and violence in our communities. In such a context, broader commitments to good neighborliness, common courtesy, and sharing begin to fritter away.

It is clear that our chosen democratic path has been rendered ineffectual. State corruption and capture are symbolic of the way the democratic path has been compromised. We as Muslims and conscientious citizens must ask how we can now intervene in our human drama. Going with the flow, or opting out, is not an option.

The Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) advice to engage in mu’amalat i.e. productive human relations, must take centre stage. Inserting exemplifying practices into the body politick is crucial. We must continue to emphasize positive relationships in our workplaces and educational institutions. Our work colleagues, fellow students and friends are deserving of empathy, respect and decency. Advancing their aspirations is as important as being concerned about our own. Getting involved in social welfare and social justice orientated work takes our mu’amalat to the next level, targeting the improvement of life circumstances. Spending from our wealth in the service of others builds fellowship. It also alleviates hardship and suffering.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) advice is now more important then ever: social relations are the terrain of our commitment to common moral values through our civic activities. This means participating in the type of politics that can force governmental accountability. We have to bring an accountable and responsive government back into the game through an assertion of common values and practices. Our humanity depends on remaining in the game of human engagement, interaction and relationships based on beauty, patience, goodness and virtue.

(This article is a shortened version of a khutbah delivered at CMRM on 22 April 2016)

The Perils of Infidelity to the ConstitutionDr. Aslam Fataar

40-42 Main Road, Claremont, 7708 021 683 8384 www.cmrm.co.za

tenderpreneurship, and the impunity of patronage politics into the spotlight. Nkandla confirmed government corruption as a pivot of state functioning. The blatant capture of the state by one family followed on the history of state capture during the Apartheid state. The outcome is the same: under Apartheid, corruption and state capture served as a proxy for white advancement. Current day patronage politics serve the enrichment of the nouveau politically connected.

While we may have heaved a collective sigh of relief when the Constitutional Court ruled in 2016 that the President and the National Assembly were in violation of the Constitution when they refused to implement the Public Protector’s recommendations on Nkandla made in 2014, we must ask where this entire episode leaves our country. When the first citizen of the country is seen as flouting the Constitution we become cynical about the very democracy that we live in. State corruption and patronage are read as signs of an uncaring state. We have to consider where the impact of corruption, abuse of state resources, and the violation of the Constitution leave us as citizens.

“ Our constitutional democracy is brought into question when our country

fails to deliver on the promise of a fairer and more

just society. ”

For many people, life is lived in twilight zones of poverty, hardship, and single parent and child-headed households. In the absence of formal employment, the use of the body, making money in the illicit economies of the townships, and informal livelihoods come together in desperate ways. People establish moral codes by which they figure out what is important, who should be respected, how cash is distributed, how relationships work, who should go to school or drop out, and who should eat. Moreover, people withdraw

The First SA Constitutional Court Judges (1994)

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IMAM’S MESSAGE

CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE

Imam A. Rashied Omar

Yusuf (Jowa) Abrahams

On 16 June 2016, we will be commemorating forty years since the Soweto youth uprising of 1976. The 16 June 1976 represents a watershed in the history of the struggle against the racist and unjust system of Apartheid and left an indelible impact on the lives of those of us who experienced and lived this uprising. Given the milestone of commemorating forty years since the 1976 Soweto student uprising, this year’s celebrations of Youth Day will no doubt take on greater significance. But more importantly, it will hopefully lead to more mature and deeper recollections on the part of those, like myself, who became politically conscientized by our participation in the 1976 student uprising. In this message I would like to briefly share my reflections on the impact that the 1976 student uprising had on my personal life journey.

The 1976 Soweto uprising holds special significance for me personally. I was a matric student at Salt River High School at the time. On 3 September 1976 my school led a historic march protesting the Apartheid system of racial oppression and exploitation into the heart of the City of Cape Town.

The march was teargased and we were brutalized by the Apartheid security police. In the ensuing police crackdown on student protests I was detained and held at the Woodstock police station for ten days along with nine other comrades. On our release from prison some of us were suspended from school, and put on trial. Thanks in large measure to the efforts of our legal counsel, the late Advocate Dullah Omar, we won our court case. As a result of this tumultuous period in my life I lost a whole year of my schooling.

Two things happened as a result of my experience in 1976. One, I became much more committed as an anti-Apartheid activist to struggle for social justice. Second, I became much more adept, during this difficult time, to draw on my own inner spiritual resources, especially the Qur’an, to sustain myself at that very young age. Since then, my life journey has been preoccupied with trying to build a bridge and to find a synthesis between spirituality and the struggle for social justice. I have come to articulate my life-long endeavor as a kind of social spirituality. This understanding of the message of Islam is nowhere better illustrated than in Surah al-Ma`un, chapter 107, where Allah, the Lord of Compassionate Justice proclaims:

Do you see the one who denies the Din (i.e. misrepresents Islam)?

It is the one who shuns and repels the orphan with harshness,

And does not encourage the feeding of the needy (Q107: 1-3)

After forty years of practicing social spirituality the key lesson I have learnt is the following: Social activism becomes meaningful only if it emerges from a spiritually purified and a non-avaricious heart. Without a solid spiritual foundation, social activism can unwittingly become a self-fulfilling quest for self-aggrandizement. The enduring challenge facing people of faith who are committed to social justice struggles is how to maintain the mizan i.e. a healthy balance between individual spiritual growth and purification, and social activism.

Since the last issue of Al-Mizan, we have had one General Meeting on 28 February, three Board meetings and three Executive Committee meetings. In addition to this there have been regular consultations amongst members on activities and issues. A Fundraising Committee has been established under the leadership of the Treasurer, Wasiela Agherdien, and they will be planning events throughout the year that we hope everyone will support. All funds will go towards ongoing running costs of the masjid.

One of the key challenges we have grappled with is the lack of space at jumu’ah services and on “big nights”. In this regard I would like to report on the progress of the Building Task Team. The masjid entered into negotiations to purchase the building next door to the masjid at 44 Main Road. Two delegations representing the masjid have made separate offers of R3m and R5m to the owner, and both offers have been rejected as the owner insists on a price of R8m. It has been established that the market value of the property is R3.5m. At a General Meeting held on 28 February 2016 it was decided that our best option at this point should be to explore what we can do with respect to expansion with the existing building and the financial means that we have and to raise the necessary funds. The Building Task Team was mandated to explore options of renovations to the existing masjid building. The Task Team will provide an architect with a brief that reflects what the masjid would like to do with the renovated space.

Previously canvassed ideas and concepts were put forth, including the development of a mulitpurpose space that could be used for salah, adult classes or other functions; the development of an administrative bloc that will provide accommodation for a caretaker, office space for imamat and administrator and include kitchen and library; the development of a possible income generating space like a coffee shop with museum or other retail space.

The recommendations will be finalized and submitted to an architect who will devise and develop concepts and designs which would be presented to and considered by the members at the AGM or other appropriate forum. It was once again noted that a strong and firm commitment to eco-friendly practices and design was among the highly desirable criteria for any renovation. The Board accepted the proposal and we will inform the congregation if there are any other developments.

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A Spirituality of the Ordinary

Dr. Sa’diyya Shaikh When My devotee asks thee concerning Me, (say) I am indeed close (to them):

I answer the prayer of every one supplicant when she or he calls on Me: Let them also, with a will, hear My call, and believe in Me:

That they may be rightly guided (Q2:186)

There are two particular aspects of this beautiful Qur’anic verse that I would like to focus on. The first is that it foregrounds a mutual relationship between God and human beings. A relationship of intimacy where God is always available to the sincere seeker. Secondly, it presents for us a certain mode of being in the world, a posture of seeking and asking, of a willingness to hear, to receive and to be guided, of intention and focus. It points to a central teaching in the path of spiritual transformation about the clear choice that human beings are given. Where despite all the nuances and the grey areas of existence, we are each given a choice in every moment, in the ordinary and in the everyday. It is about whether we choose a stance of seeking and submission, of receptivity to guidance, of openness to God OR to succumbing to one’s ego, one’s fantasises or perceived needs. For those of us desiring transformation, this verse reassures us that the Reality is ever present, and ever seeking to be known. The verse exhorts us to petition and to live in a state of receptivity to God. Such a niyyat or the setting of clear and conscious intention is extremely important. How to be a receptive human being remains an enduring question.

A critical point of entry is the recognition and the awareness that within each one of us and every human life there exists a higher consciousnes. How much of this inner consciousness we are receptive to and how much we cultivate it varies enormously between individuals. The central point is that each of us are the containers of the spirit of God without exception. Humanity shares a deep intimacy with the Divine, what is known in the Muslim tradition as our fitrah or innate nature perhaps best reflected in the hadith al-qudsi where God says “The heaven and earth do not contain me, but the heart of my faithful servant contains me.”

So how can we cultivate this Divine spirit within each one of us? It is my view that the real meat of spiritual work is in our everyday behaviour, in the very ordinary realms of our lives, our adab, and in our relationship with one another. The spiritual life is about doing all that each of us have to do in our lives with the best of qualities and constant purification of one’s intention. Ultimately it is of little consequence what specific work or labour you do - you can be a street sweeper, a lawyer, a parent, a spouse, a teacher, a businessman or medical doctor. In the field of the spirit, each of these roles allows equal capacity for the cultivation of a human beings heart. No one space is spiritually superior in terms of the possibilities to cultivate character. Our egos might have a way to classify some things we do as more important than others, perhaps because some aspects of what we might do get more social recognition and prestige, but that is not the Reality.

For the seeker and the lover of God/Truth, each of one’s spaces of engaging the world, be it in a specific profession and or in a family or community role that one assumes, each of these spaces are workshops for the self. What is of primary importance is the qualities with which you do your work; what sincerity and presence you give to your particular task or responsibility; how you engage those around you. How loving, compassionate and just you are in your interactions. How much generosity you allow for the weakness of others. Whether you embody firmness, and courage when it is required. How lovingly you serve other lives, and dedicate your intention to the One, and surrender your action to the qualities of God. All of these qualities and intentions can be found in the full range of our everyday lives, ranging from our work in the political and social arena to the most everyday of domestic spaces. For example, it is in fact spiritual work and a form of worship when you cook a meal for you family with loving devotion. By focussing your intention and inviting the One who is the source of love and nourishment to be present with you and through you, the mundane and the ordinary are transformed into the spiritual. When one engages with human beings with loving kindness, that is what sets our hearts alight.

Let us remember, spirituality is embodied in our lives and relationships with others. It is not simply something we perform on a ritual prayer mat, but more importantly it is in how we engage the everyday. Spirituality is embedded in the raising of children. How we treat our fellow human beings particularly those that are less powerful than ourselves and who are marginalised in our societies and within our own communities. How we teach by example. How we deal with our pain in situations where one has been wronged. Spirituality is learning how to speak and to listen to another; or being constantly vigilant with oneself by monitoring one’s own thoughts, intentions and actions; or staying away from inflated self-concepts, spiritual pride, hypocrisy and false piety. Spiritual work is doing genuine service to human beings and placing others above oneself.

Spiritual refinement and beauty of character is in the detail. Allah is in the detail, love is in the detail, beauty is in the detail – the spiritual journey is in the present.

(This article is a shortened version of a pre-khutbah lecture delivered at CMRM on 18 March 2016)

دعان إذا اع الد دعوة أجيب قريب فإن عني عبادي سألك وإذا

يرشدون لعلهم ب وليؤمنوا ل فليستجيبوا

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RAMADAN PROGRAMME S 2016

CMRM 2016 Post-Tarawih Programme

FOCUS/THEMES DAYS AND DATESQUR’AN FOCUS - FORGIVENESS TUES 7 - THURS 9 JUNE

COMMEMORATING JUNE 1976 SAT 11 JUNE

QUR’AN FOCUS - YOUTH EMPOWERMENT MON 13 - THURS 16 JUNE

FATHERS DAY SUN 19 JUNE

REFUGEE DAY MON 20 JUNE

QUR’AN FOCUS -FAMILY RELATIONS TUES 21 - THURS 23 JUNE

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST TORTURE SAT 25 - SUN 26 JUNE

INTERFAITH SOLIDARITY MON 27 - TUES 28 JUNE

QUR’AN FOCUS - TAQWA/JUSTICE/SOCIAL ACTIVISM

(YOUTH SPEAKERS)WED 29 - THURS 30 JUNE

KHATAM-AL-QUR’AN LAYLATUL QADR - SAT 2 JULY

KHUTBAH RESPONSES FRIDAY EVENINGS

Muhammad Abdullah Lubwana was born and grew up in Luwero Uganda, where his parents still live. He is 22 years old and unmarried. He completed his hifz studies at Bugembe Islamic Institute Jinja Uganda in February 2012, and thereafter spent a year in Tanzania refining his tajweed and hifz recitation. He completed an Advanced Certificate in Islamic Theology and Arabic Language at Naggalama Islamic Institute in Uganda in Dec 2014. He is currently a Qur’an Teacher at Bayern Qur’an Memorization Centre in Kampala, Uganda.

Hafiz Muhammad Abdullah Lubwana

PROFILE

NEW HAFIZ AL-QUR’AN to Lead Tarawih Prayers at CMRM

WEEKEND ProgrammeDATE TIME PROGRAMME VENUE

SUNDAY 12 JUNE 11am - 12.30pm LECTURE: Fasting for the Love of Allah

(Imam Rashied Omar)Daroel Ielm Institute,

Salt RiverSUNDAY 12 JUNE 2pm - 4pm HALQAH: Understanding Political Islam

(Imam Rashied Omar) CMRM

SUNDAY19 JUNE 10.30am - 12.30pm

2016 CMRM AGM: Guest Speaker, Maulana Ihsaan Hendricks

Sports Science Institute, Newlands

SUNDAY 26 JUNE

10.30am - 12.30pm HAJJ SEMINAR: The Spiritual and Social Dimensions of Hajj (Imam Rashied Omar) CMRM

SUNDAY 26 JUNE 1.30pm - 2.30pm LECTURE: Wasatiya vs Sectarianism

(Imam Rashied Omar) Taronga Road Masjid

SATURDAY 2 JULY 11.30am - 12.30pm ZAKAT AL-FITR Distributions Dunoon

FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2016

IMAM NOORUL EMAAN

FRIDAY 17 JUNE 2016

IHSAAN BASSIER

FRIDAY 24 JUNE 2016

SHAYKH SA’DULLAH

KHAN

FRIDAY 1 JULY 2016

EBRAHIM RASOOL

FRIDAY 24 JUNE 2016

IMAM RASHIED OMAR (IN KHAYELITSHA)

FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2016

IMAM SHAHEED GAMIELDIEN (IN DUNOON)

CMRM Ramadan Khutbah Schedule

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RAMADAN PROGRAMME S 2016

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

Beginner group: Group leader Ridwan WagietDistance +/- 7kmPace +/- 10min/km Intermediate group:Group leader Suhair SolomonDistance +/- 8kmPace +/- 7min/km Advanced group:Group leaders Salih Solomon, Shuaib Manjra, Shamil JeppieDistance 9 – 12kmPace 5 – 6min/km

CMRM ramadan running club

Account Name: Claremont Main Road Mosque

Bank: First National Bank Branch Code: 200109

Account Number: 50150446993Reference: Jihad Against Poverty or JAP

MAKE A DONATION

Masjid Activities 2016

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Fun & Solidarity with Leeuwenkuil Farmworkers

On Sunday 20 December 2015, CMRM once again ended the year with a solidarity visit to Leeuwenkuil farm in Agter Paarl. CMRM hired a marquee for a day of entertainment. Gary Naidoo, Rafiek Mammon and their team from GANARAMA Productions entertained us with their interactive music show that included a magician and a few musical items performed by the Leeuwenkuil children. The day’s programme ended with sharing lunch and the distribution of personalized Christmas gifts and party packs for the children and hygiene packs and food hampers for the families.  CMRM was joined by members from the Trust for Community Outreach & Education (TCOE) as well as members from the women’s solidarity group, the Rita Edwards Collective.

On Sunday 10 April 2016 CMRM again visited Leeuwenkuil farm. The children welcomed us with a moving dance sequence set to the song ‘You raise me up’, a popular contemporary hymn. Thereafter activities were focused on different games and sports. These included some ‘tennis’ with beach bats and balls, tug-o-war and sack races. But the most popular was the trampoline jumping, which had constant queues of children waiting their turn. The trampoline has been donated to the community, so we hope will provide many more hours of fun for the kids.

CMRM thanks all those congregants who generously contributed to sponsoring the costs for our visits as well as those who joined us on these solidarity visits.

Emasi School Stationery Packs

In January 2016 CMRM provided personalised stationery packs to 40 children from the Emasithandane Children’s Home in Nyanga ahead of the 2016 school year. Stationery packs were well stocked with books, pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, flip files, glue sticks, calculators, scissors, colouring pencils, mathematical sets and other grade specific items. The children were all smiles as they received their packs.

Grateful thanks to our sponsors - your contributions have made it possible for us to equip Emasi kids with the tools they needed to start the 2016 school year on a positive footing. Alhamdulillāh, with the generous support of our jamat, CMRM has been able to provide consistent support to the Emasithandane Children’s Home for the past 8 years.

CMRM administrator, Shariefa Wydeman and members of her family have co-ordinated monthly meals shared with the residents of Beitul Aman Home, for the frail and aged in Wynberg, as well as the community of Blikkiesdorp. The Beitul Aman and Blikkiesdorp monthly programmes that began in 2015 under the leadership of Shariefa is fully funded by CMRM sadaqa funds. According to Shariefa the Beitul Aman residents not only welcome the change to their daily menu but also particularly enjoy the company. The residents are also taken for weekly therapeutic sessions to the foot clinic at the Daroel Ielm Institute in Salt River.

CMRM Supports Lavender Hill Library

On Tuesday 12 April 2016, CMRM Administrator Shariefa Wydeman with a team of helpers, delivered 350 books that were in storage at the masjid, including a complete set of Colliers Encyclopaedias, to a homemade library in Hillview, Lavender Hill. The library is run by John Nicholson and his son, who converted their backyard into a library to encourage the children in their neighbourhood to read.

The homemade library boasts over 5000 books, and you can find anything from fairytales to encyclopedias. The library is open from 2:30 – 4:30 pm daily and children are assisted with their homework and assignments. Assisting Shariefa were Abubakr (CMRM caretaker), Thaakirah, Abdur-Rashied, and Stephen, who are all also regular participants on some of our other Jihad Against Poverty projects.

Monthly Meal Sharing at Beitul Aman and Blikkiesdorp

Masjid Activities 2016

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Summer Vacation ProgrammeIn January 2016, CMRM youth co-ordinator, Mujahid Osman, planned a vacation programme that included a hike in Newlands forest on Wednesday 6 January 2016 and a family picnic at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on Sunday 10 January. These events formed part of CMRM’s campaign to promote wholesome recreation and enjoying the natural environment as acts of worship. It also provided much appreciated time for CMRM friends and families to chill and relax together.

Muslims for Eco-Justice Go Hiking

Since the beginning of this year, the CMRM Muslims for Eco-Justice team has been leading monthly hikes on various hiking paths along Table Mountain. They have walked in Newlands Forest, Cecilia Forest, Kirstenbosch and along the Pipe Track. Hiking is one of the best means of relaxation, reflection and rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul. It also helps us to connect with nature and creates a great social space for people from all walks of life to come together, learn about each other and create new friendships.

On 17 February 2016,  Muslims for Eco-Justice  hosted a successful  organic gardening workshop with the teachers and children of Darul Qur’an Institute in Welcome Estate.

In March 2016, two new  Muslims for Eco-Justice interns were appointed - Sulaimaan Noor Mohamed and Gabieba Floris. They are currently volunteering at the Vegkop Farm in the Phillipi Horticultural Area (PHA), working with Nazeer Sonday, who heads up the PHA Food & Farming Campaign. The campaign works to protect the

Philippi Horticulture Area as a food growing area. It provides the majority of Cape Town’s vegetables and potentially holds the key to the City’s future water supply. However, the area is under threat of development by the City. Together with concerned citizens, local farmers are fighting to keep the area from development as it could spell an environmental disaster.

Organic Gardening and Farming

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MADRASA NEWS

Students Return as TeachersRidwan Wagiet

One of the strengths of the Saturday Morning Madrasa is that some of our students eventually become teachers at the institution. Even some of the Adult Class students have become teachers at our Madrasa. There is a long list just to mention a few - Jihad Omar, Rahima Omar, Salma Abrahams, Ilham Omar, Maryam Omar, Toufeeq Adonis, and Adults Zaidah Khan, Zaidah Bassier, Kareema Isaacs, Sharifa Osman and so on.

We now have a unique situation where one of our ex-students, Uzair Ramjam, teaches Arabic to our adult classes. The difference between him and the other alumni is that they all came back to teach the mainstream grade classes whereas Uzair came to teach our adults.

This year’s Arabic class is a result of a request by last year’s adults, who passed their Qur’an Reading Course, for further training in Arabic to enhance their newly acquired Qur’an reading skills. He now assists with the Arabic Programme that was introduced in the grade classes by Fahmi Gamieldien and is also teaching Grade Six Arabic. Uzair has an Honours degree in Arabic and Hebrew and is currently studying for his Masters degree.The Madrasa continues to offer the Saturday morning classes for both young students and adults and these classes are usually over-subscribed. The current roll of the Madrasa is 350 students including a Grade R class which was introduced in 2014 and two Adult Classes.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGSUNDAY 19 JUNE 2016TIME: 10:30 - 12:30PM

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLEOld School BoogieBy GANARAMA Productions

Take a trip down memory lane and enjoy an evening of music and fun with songs made famous by some

of the musical stars of the 70s and 80s like Queen, Elton John, Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, Tina

Turner, Barry White, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston & Shirley Bassey.

DATE: 12 November 2016

VENUE: Artscape Opera HousePRICE: R130

Purchase tickets from the CMRM office. For every ticket sold, R50 will go towards

masjid funds.

Uzair Ramjam

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Names: Muzzammiel (MZ) and Muddathir (MD) DavidsParents: Shafiek Davids and Shamiela (nee Frieslaar)Age: 11 years old – we are twins

School name: De Vrije Zee Primary SchoolGrade: 6Favourite school subject: Maths (both)

Madrasa name: CMRM Saturday Morning MadrasaHifz teacher: Shaikh Moegammad GroenewaldHow many surahs have you memorized?: 57 surahs (3 Ajazaa) (both)

Favourite surah and why: Surah Muzammil (Chapter 73), because I am named after it (MZ); Surah Qiyamah

Names: Zubayr WagietParents: Shamiel Wagiet and Majdah (nee Mathews)Paternal Grandparents: Ridwan and Zuleiga WagietAge: 13 years old

School name: Wynberg Boys JuniorGrade: 7Favourite school subjects: Natural Science and Economic and Management Science

Madrasa name: Former student at CMRM Saturday Morning MadrasaHow many surahs have you memorized?: 15 surahs Favourite surah and why:Surah al-Ma’un (Chapter 107), because it was the first surah I learnt Favourite sports: I play first team rugby and cricket for my school

(Chapter 75), because it was easy for me to memorise (MD)Favourite sport to watch / play: Cricket (both)Favourite sportsperson: Hashim Amla (MZ); AB De Villiers (MD)Favourite passtime/hobby: Playing cricket in the park (both)Favourite food: Sausage food (MZ); Butter Chicken (MD)Best book you have read: Stories of the Prophets (both)

Who is your role model and why?: Hashim Amla, because he is a good cricketer and a good Muslim (MZ); My father, because he teaches me a lot of stuff. (MD)

What is your biggest dream for yourself in the future?: To memorise the whole Qu’ran, Ameen (both)

Favourite sportspersons: Damien de Allende and Eben EtzebethFavourite passtime/hobby: Drums and playing rugby and cricket Favourite food: Curry and pizzaBest book you have read: What is Science?

Who is your role model and why?: Duane Vermeulen, because he plays SA rugby

What is your biggest dream for yourself in the future?: I would like to play rugby for SA

Proud moment: I am featured in a Takbir Karaoke on youtube known as “Learn takbir for ‘Id in 5 minutes” 

Muzzammiel (MZ) and Muddathir (MD) Davids

Zubayr Wagiet

UPCOMING EVENTS

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING In Celebration of Mu’adhdhins

MASJID AFFAIRS2016 GUEST SPEAKERS

Babara Hogan 11 Dec 2015Topic: Anti-Corruption Campaign

Rev. Alan Storey 18 Dec 2015Topic: Christmas at a Time of Local and Global Injustice, Inequality, Racism and Sectarianism

Shaykh Dr. Shaheed Mathee 8 Jan 2016Topic: Muslims and State Power: a Historical Perspective

Shaykh Rasheed Dien29 Jan 2016Topic: How to Make a Connection with the Creator through Salah

Shaykh Ighsaan Taliep12 Feb 2016Topic: The Fiqh of Citizenship

Dr. Sa’diyya Shaik 18 March 2016Topic: A Spirituality of the Ordinary

Asim Qureishi1 April 2016Topic: The Injustices of Illegal Detentions at Guantanamo Bay

Karel Swart29 April 2016Topic: The Struggle for Social Justice of Farmworkers

CMRM Celebrates Milad al-Nabi in Style

On Wednesday evening 23 December 2015, CMRM once again convened the annual Milad al-Nabi celebrations in style. The masjid was yet again beautifully decorated with flowers and lights, which created a spiritual ambience. The evening commenced after magrib prayers with an inspirational lecture by Shaykh Sa’dullah Khan. He made a passionate call on all of us to imbibe the sublime morals and excellent character of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). After the ‘Isha’ prayers the Al-Ahly (aka Ottomons) Dhikr Jamat for the third year in succession inspired the congregation with their tuneful rendition of the adhkar (voorwerk) and the traditional Barzanji Mawlid poetry in honour of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth. Two young CMRM members, Imran Adams (13) and Muhammad Nur Baderoon (11), recited the Barzanji Riwayats for the very first time. They were joined by seasoned riwayat reciter Nazeem Manuel. The evening concluded with the jam-packed gathering, including many visitors from other parts of the country, enjoying some delicious refreshments. CMRM thanks everyone who generously contributed to making the December 2015 Milad al-Nabi celebrations a great success.

George Whitfield Theological College

On Friday 29 April 2016, CMRM hosted 20 students from the George Whitfield Theological College in Muizenberg. The students attended the pre-khutbah lecture on the struggle of farmworkers given by Karel Swart from CSAAWU, and had a Q&A with Imam Shaheed after jumu’ah.

CMRM Hosts Sufi Author Sidi Haroon Sugich

On Saturday 26 March 2016, CMRM, on behalf of The Naqshbandi Order of South Africa hosted renowned sufi author, Sidi Haroon Sugich (third from left) for an inspirational talk at the masjid. The programme started with a recitation from verses of the Qur’an by a young hufaaz from Dunoon. Sidi Haroon then read extracts from his book, Signs of the Horizons, which gives a unique eye-witness narrative of his encounters and experiences with great Sufi saints of our times. Naqshbandi arranged transport for a number of visitors from Dunoon, including Imam Noorul Emaan, the imam of the Naqshbandi Muhammadi Masjid in Dunoon. The programme concluded with lunch after thur.

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TRIBUTE TO HAJI SALIE DOLLIE (1937-2016)

Imam A. Rashied OmarOn Sunday 13 March 2016, Haji Salie Dollie, former principal of Rahmaniyya Primary School, passed away at the age of 78. He leaves behind his wife, Shamsunisa, two daughters, Abedah and Razaan, and five grandchildren.

It was with great sadness that I received the news of Haji Salie’s passing while on my annual teaching stint in the United States of America. During the past two decades of his life, I had become very close to Haji Salie and his family. I visited him a few days before my departure for the US in early January 2016. On receiving the news of his passing, my wife, Leila and I immediately prayed salatul janaza gha-ibah (the funeral prayer in abstentia) on his departed soul. While I was absolutely sure that Al-Marhum Salie Dollie was happy to receive my du`as and petitions on his behalf, I felt a deep sense of disappointment that I was unable to perform the last rites and lead his janazah prayers.

Salie Dollie was born in Church Street in Bokaap in 1937. He was one of the first students to attend Harold Cressy High School when it officially opened in 1951. Haji Salie used to proudly remind me that the school got its famous name in 1953 while he was a student. The school was named after Harold Cressy, the first black university graduate in South Africa. Haji Salie also fondly recalled the dedicated teaching staff especially its founding principal Dr. Edgar L. Maurice, after whom he modeled his own teaching career.

Haji Salie Dollie served as the principal of one of the first Muslim mission schools established in 1913, the Rahmaniyya Primary School in District Six from 1977-1982. During his long service at Rahmaniyya, first as a teacher and then as principal, Mr. Dollie laid the educational

foundations and guided hundreds of students on their educational careers. One recipient of his teaching prowess was CMRM member Dr. Rafiq Khan. Mr. Dollie recollected how he had identified the great potential of the young Rafiq Khan, nurtured him and had personally contacted Mr. Victor Richie, principal of Harold Cressy, to accept this very bright student into his high School. Rafiq Khan subsequently graduated from Harold Cressy and qualified as a pediatrician.

Haji Salie Dollie was a longstanding student and staunch murid of the late Shaykh Shakier Gamieldien. He used to fondly recall how after the forced removal of people of colour from District Six, Shaykh Shakier and his congregation used to turn the weekly Friday jumu`ah services at the Al-Azhar masjid in Aspeling Street into a time for social reconnection and a symbolic reclaiming of this sacred space. The congregation used to arrive at the Aspeling Street masjid in District Six from all over the Cape Flats shortly after the peak hour morning traffic for breakfast. When they arrived at the masjid their beloved Shaykh Shakier was already there waiting to welcome them and answer their questions. Most of all they relished the opportunity to reconnect with each other both socially as well as spiritually.

“During his long service at Rahmaniyya, first as a teacher and then as principal, Mr. Dollie laid the educational foundations and guided hundreds of students on their educational careers.”

I first formally met Haji Salie when I performed the nikah marriage ceremony of his niece Aisha Dollie in the late nineties. Later when his daughter Abedah married a high school teacher, Howard Wilson, I got to know Haji Salie even better. Howard joined the CMRM as a member and often used to bring his father-in-law to jumu`ah and big nights at CMRM. During the final decade of his life I became very close to Haji Salie Dollie. He enjoyed listening to and reading my khutbahs and never lost an opportunity to commend and encourage me. Haji Salie loved Qur’an recitations and zikrs and often used to invite me to

complete a khatam al-Qur’an at his home on the occasion of his birthday. He also made sure to keep in regular contact with me via the telephone and was deeply honoured when I could accept an invitation to come to his home in Belhar for a meal. I will miss his love and support dearly but also know that his family whom he loved dearly will miss him even more.

Al-Marhum Salie Dollie was a wonderful human being and his contributions to the development of the Muslim community in Cape Town remain legendary. We ask Allah to reward him abudantly for his sterling contributions and to grant him the highest place in Al-Jannah and to his family sabr as they face the joys and sorrows of life without his great presence.

Additional comment from Haji Salie’s wife, Shamsunisa:

Salie Dollie had a major influence on the education of his grandchildren. He taught all of them to read fluently and with understanding before they went to school for the first time. Unfortunately, Inaam, the youngest did not have that privilege. His eldest grandchild, his namesake, Mohammed Salih successfully completed his BCom Accounting degree (Cum Laude) at UCT. This was obtained through the rahma of Allah and encouragement by his grandfather and family.

Salie and I are widely travelled. We witnessed how changes accrued in Makkah and Madina from 1978 to 2012, from pebbles around the Ka’abah to underground cooling systems in the Haram Shareef. His last wish was to go for ‘umrah at the age of 80 years with his grandchildren. Allah had greater plans for him and called him home. Alhamdullilah.

Although I miss him dearly, I can but only thank the Almighty for having taken him to a comfort zone, Al-Jannah.

A National Health Insurance (NHI) is becoming a slow reality in South Africa if all goes well with the passing of necessary laws and regulations. If ever there was a significant public interest post-Apartheid policy in this country, then a NHI policy is surely the biggest.

Pushed under the radar by the righteous noise around Zuma-must-fall and the nation’s capture by it all, the NHI White Paper has been on the table since December 2015. But it will soon be on the radar, election antics notwithstanding. The NHI is a revolution in the making, and those in the know are preparing their arguments well for the public hearings that are sure to come.

National health insurance is the concept of having a single fund, like a medical aid, but publicly-funded and administered by a statutory body. It will ensure that everyone can access health services and medical specialists across the board for free and without co-payments. Payment for any medical service or procedure, including medicines, at a NHI-accredited medical facility would only be for non-essential and cosmetic purposes. The NHI Fund will pay for all other services, much like a private medical aid or hospital plan currently pays for private medical costs.

The revolution lies in upturning the wild west of private healthcare and the catastrophic medical costs that many people already face. The reality of this, as the NHI White Paper makes clear, is that the size and proliferation of private medical aids in the country must be reduced, while private health care must become part of universal health care.

Currently, a private hospital, doctor, specialist, dentist, optician and so forth can

charge absolutely anything they want for their services. While medical schemes have regulations around minimum prescribed benefits (MPB) that they must cover, they can still conjure up any number of sliding scale medical or hospital plans, at any conjured up price. They can also freely and arbitrarily decide what they will pay for and what they will not pay for outside the MPB. In addition, a scheme can arbitrarily decide what its limit or tariff is for a particular service, with the client then saddled with out-of-pocket payments.

For many people there is the belief that joining a medical scheme is a safety net. Only after treatment and hospitalisation is this exposed as a myth when patients are saddled with additional medical bills amounting to thousands. Inevitably it’s about the hospital or specialist charging way over the medical scheme’s tariff; depleted benefits when half the year is not even over; or simply refusing to cover certain treatments or procedures as per the fine print.

“The NHI has the potential to fully realise one of the

tenets of the Bill of Rights of our Constitution, which is

the Right of Access to Health Care Services for all the citizens of this country.”

As revolutions go, particularly where they try to happen through a democratic process, implementing the NHI will be slow and long. The White Paper puts a 14 year timeline to it, predicting a fully operational system by 2025. Government faces many challenges ahead, the biggest of which will be improving quality and performance in the public health sector, and getting buy in from private practitioners. Contrary to the dominant narrative peddled in the media, there have been massive changes and improvements in public health service delivery over the past four years. Those of us who have been able to afford medical aid and have never had to be dependent on public health services may not even be aware of this. The challenge facing the public is supporting the revolutionary

process of NHI in the midst of a media that is overwhelmingly skewed in favour of the corporate interests opposed to NHI.

Discovery Health, Bonitas, GEMS, Liberty Life, Netcare, Mediclinic, Melomed – to name but a few, are of the big names in private health and insurance in South Africa. As corporate interests go, they speak with one voice and the NHI will be a huge threat to them. They will go all out to defend their private interests and they have the resources to dominate the media discourse that is sure to emerge once the NHI comes back into focus. It is what they must do, but in the context of a compliant media, it could well be an onslaught of confusion and deceit that we must be vigilant of.

We must also be vigilant of retreating into our middle class comfort zones and view the NHI as a threat to the private medical care we pay so dearly for. The NHI will ensure that this private medical care is not only free to those who have been paying for it, but also to those that hitherto could not afford to pay for it.

As conscientious citizens, we should recognise that the ultimate beneficiaries of the NHI will not just be the poor. Those who cannot afford medical aid already have access to full health services in the public realm but this will be greatly enhanced when private practitioners become part of this public health service. Additional beneficiaries are those who are currently being exploited by medical schemes and bear the ever increasing costs of private health care. In this regard, the NHI has the potential to fully realise one of the tenets of the Bill of Rights of our Constitution, which is the Right of Access to Health Care Services for all the citizens of this country.

National Health Insurance (NHI)

Raashied Galant

A Quiet Revolution