Islamic Focus

Issue 119 Igniting the Spirit of Islam Dec 2014 Bukhara Publications/Tel: 078 672 7797/Fax: 086 651 2125

Email: islamicfocus@gmail.com/Korsten/Port Elizabeth

measure from men, they

demand exact full measure, but when they have to give

by measure or weight to

men, give less than

due.” (Quran 83: 1–4)

Pause a moment before do-

ing anything in relation to someone else. Use the brain

power for which we set

much pride. And only go ahead if you would be

pleased to be on the receiv-

ing end of your own actions.

Perfect faith in Allah is

linked to wishing well for

others. "The servant (man) does not reach the reality of

faith until he loves for oth-

ers what he loves for him-self,” in the words of the

Prophet �.

There needs to be a general return to this universal prin-

ciple. �

The solution for much of the

ills of society lies with what is aptly termed the Golden

Rule. This maxim is beauti-

fully encapsulated in the

teachings of Prophet Mu-hammad � when he said:

“Whoever wishes to be

saved from the fire (of Hell) and enter the garden (of

Paradise) ... should treat

people as he wishes to be treated by them.”

Few prescriptions can match

this simple formula in its power to make a person

think before interacting with

others.

Orphans

When it is dealing with those less fortunate such as

orphans, the Quran gives a

guardian food for thought

by encouraging him to put himself in the deceased’s

shoes: “...And those who

are concerned about the welfare of their own children

after their death, should

have fear of God [Treat other p e o p l e ' s o r p h a n s

justly]...” (Quran 4:8-9)

Charity Giving charity is sometimes

taken as a form of refuse re-

moval with our unsavoury scraps being transferred to

the poor. The Quran asks us

to “Spend of the good things that you have earned... and

do not even think of spend-

ing [in charity] worthless

things that you yourselves would be reluctant to ac-

cept.” (2:267)

Trade

Trade and commerce is no

different. Conduct your busi-ness in the way in which you

would want to be treated. It

is unfair to exact every last

bit of rights as a consumer, and then be unyielding as a

trader or service provider.

“Destruction to those... who, when they have to receive by

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P10 Green Deen

P4 Black Muslims

P7 Old Habits

P8 Teaching Tips

P9 Investment

P4 Child Death

2 Islamic Focus

WORLD NEWS

CHECHNYA - Attackers set alight the office of one

of the few human rights groups active in Chechnya

after it criticised the pro Russian president Kady-

roz.They attacked the Joint Mobile Group (JMG) of-

fice in the Chechen capital, Grozny and there are

concerns over the safety of two activists.The JMG

had criticised Kadyrov after he called for collective

punishment of the families of rebels behind a recent

attack in Grozny. Muslim fighters launched an as-

sault on the city on 4 December, killing 14 police

officers. In the wake of that attack Kadyrov called

for relatives of the militants to be punished. Not long

afterwards masked men burnt down civilian homes

linked to Muslim fighters in the village of Yandi. The

two activists called police to their flat to make a

complaint about the arson attack in the office. In-

stead, the police searched the two men and confis-

cated their laptops, cameras and phones. (BBC, 14

Dec)

SYRIA - Syrian Muslim fighters made gains in Idlib

province against Bashar Assad's Shia-backed militia,

killing 15 soldiers. In Idlib, freedom fighters seized

three government checkpoints near two military

bases. 200,000 people have been killed in Syria

since the uprising against Assad began more than

three and a half years ago. (BBC, 14 Dec)

USA - Thousands of people have marched through

the US capital, Washington DC, to protest against

the recent killings of unarmed black people by white

police. Grand juries decided not to bring charges

against the white officers, sparking anger and un-

rest. The aim of the protestors is to stop the unlaw-

ful killings of unarmed black men and kids as young

as 12 years old at the hands of the police. The deci-

sion not to prosecute killer policemen sparked riots

in Ferguson and other US cities as far away as Oak-

land, California. (BBC, 13 Dec)

URUGUAY - Six former Guantanamo detainees

have received asylum in Uruguay. The group of four

Syrians, a Tunisian and a Palestinian, were illegally

detained in the US prison facility in Guantanamo Bay

in 2002 - but were never charged. They had been

cleared for release since 2009, but were waiting to

find countries that would take them in. (AJ, 14 Dec)

USA - It took the US Senate five years and $40m to

release a damning 500-page report that confirmed

that the CIA used extensive torture against Muslims

under the Bush government. (AJ, 14 Dec)

INDONESIA - Muslims and non-Muslims alike are

now subject to strict Islamic law in the province of

Aceh. It is the only one of Indonesia's 34 provinces

to impose Islamic law in the most populous Muslim-

majority nation in the world. Aceh province imple-

mented Islamic law in 2001, but in September the

religious "penal code" was extended to everyone.

Offences such as adultery, homosexual acts, and sex

outside marriage are now punishable. No Christian

has been punished for violating sharia law.(AJ, 14

Dec)

KENYA - Kenya’s police squads admitted carrying

out extrajudicial killings of Muslim Imams as part of

the Kenyan government’s assassination programme

targeting Muslims. Britain and the US have provided

millions of dollars to Kenya’s police while Western

security agencies know about the killings. (AJ, 14

Dec) �

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3 Islamic Focus

HISTO

RY

Fatimah bint al-Mundhir ibn al-Zubayr ibn al

Awaam

Asma radhiallahu anha was the daughter of

Abu Bakr, the sister of Aishah and the wife of

the Sahabi Zubayr ibn al Awwaam �.

One of her grandchildren was Fatimah bint al

Mundhir (rahimahallah). Fatimah bint al Mundhir (rahimahallah) is respected as one of

the leading people who had seen the Sahaaba

of her time. She was a great scholar and was renowned as a Jurist. She was married to her

cousin Hishaam ibn Urwah ibn al-Zubayr

(rahimahullah). Hishaam was also a great

scholar and narrator. Some of his leading stu-dents included Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam

Malik rahimahumullah.

Although they were both cousins, Hishaam

had not acquired from Asma radhiallahu anha

the many ahaadeeth that his wife had ac-quired. Hence, he would ask her and learn

them and in turn inform his students of what

is wife had taught him.

For some of the most leading scholars of Is-

lam, the likes of Imam Bukhari and Imam

Muslim (rahimahumullah), to record these Ahaadeeth, in which women have narrated

the hadeeth and man has narrated from his

wife holds great lessons. The most reliable sources of Islamic knowledge contain

ahaadeeth that contain chains which bear the

names of women. These examples bear suffi-

cient proof that men would narrate from their wives openly. �

Part One: From Ideal Muslimah

Mufassireen say some animals will enter Paradise:

1. The Buraaq (an animal with wings, that is

bigger than a donkey and smaller than a mule)

which the Prophet � rode on Meraj.

2. The she-camel of Prophet Saalih alaihis sa-

laam.

3. The donkey of Prophet Uzayr alaihis salaam

whom Allah caused to die for one hundred

years and then revived.

4. The calf which Ebrahim alaihis salaam

slaughtered for his angel guests.

5- The ram which Allah sent in place of Prophet

Ismail alaihis salaam being slaughtered.

6. The hoopoe bird that brought news for

Prophet Sulaymaan alaihis salaam about the

Queen of Sheba.

7. The ant who’s words are related in Quran.

8. The dog of the people of the Cave.

9. The fish that swallowed Prophet Yunus alai-

his salaam.

10. The cow of the Israelites that pointed to

the killer when the slain man was hit with some of its parts.

Allamah Aaloosi rahimahullah mentions that all

good animals in this world, like antelopes, pea-cocks and the animals from which a believer

benefits, like sheep and goats, will enter Para-

dise in a suitable shape. �

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4 Islamic Focus

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Islam teaches that skin colour is no barrier.

This was practically demonstrated by the influ-ence of black Muslims throughout history.

Here’s a sampling:

Ubada ibn Samit radhiallahu anhu (d 654) An early companion of the Prophet sallallahu

alaihi wa sallam, Ubada radhiallahu anhu par-

ticipated in all the major battles of Islam in-cluding Badr and Uhud. Later, he became a

successful commander of the Muslim army. He

was one of the main field commanders during the Muslim conquest of Egypt.

Dhun Nun Misri (d 859)

One of the most prominent early mystics in the Islamic world, Dhun Nun originated from

Nubia and was a legendary alchemist.

Tariq ibn Ziyad (d 720)

A Muslim general who led the Islamic conquest

of what is now Spain and Portugal in 711–718.

al-Jaḥiẓ (d 869)

Abu Uthman Amr, aka al-Jaḥiẓ, is renowned as

a writer. In addition, he was an accomplished theologian, poet, philosopher, grammarian

and linguist. Known as “the first Islamic zoolo-

gist,” he authored 200 books.

Abu al-Misk Kafoor (d 968)

With beginnings as an enslaved Ethiopian, Ka-foor rose to become a military commander

and eventually sultan of the Ikhshidid dy-

nasty, which included territory encompassing

modern-day Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Eritrea, Pal-estine, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Hejaz. �

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SUNNAH / CURRENT

What happens to children who die? Where do

they go? Here are some answers from the Hadith:

With the Prophets

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam once narrated: ‘Last night two persons came to me

(in a dream) and woke me up and said to me,

Proceed! I set out with them … We proceeded and we reached a garden of deep green dense

vegetation, having all sorts of spring colours.

In the midst of the garden there was a very tall man and I could hardly see his head be-

cause of his great height, and around him

there were children in such a large number as

I have never seen.’ The two angels said to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam: ‘The tall

man whom you saw in the garden, is Ebrahim

alaihis salaam and the children around him are those children who die with Al-Fitra

(Islamic Faith).” Some Muslims asked the

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam: “What about the children of pagans?” He replied,

“And also the children of pagans.” (Bukhari)

Gardens Narrated by Khalid al-Absi: “A son of mine

died and I felt intense grief over his loss. I

said O Abu Hurayra, have you heard anything from the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam to

cheer us regarding our dead?’ He replied, I

heard the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam say, ‘Your children are roaming freely in the

Garden’.” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)

Gone Ahead ‘The childless are those who have not sent

any of their children ahead’ (i.e. none of their

children have died). (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad) �

5 Islamic Focus

QUESTIO

NS & ANSWERS

Q: I read that regular

recitation of Sura Mulk is supposed to be a protec-

tion in the qabr. Is this

authentic?

A: In Hada’iq al-Rawh wa al-

Rayhan 30/6, Muhammad al-

Amin al-Harari cited some narrations that establish

Surah al-Mulk is a protection

for one in the grave.

Q: I have not memorized

dua qunoot yet. Read in

Fajar namaas. What can I read in the mean time un-

til I memorized the dua?

A: In Nihayat al-Zayn p. 67,

Nawawi Bentani mentioned

that qunut is achieved even with a supplication such as,

“Allahumma ghfir li ya Gha-

fur wa rhamni ya Rahim.”

And what is best is that one pray with the famously

known qunut, “Allahumma

ihdini fiman hadaydta….”

Q: Can you tell me how

much gap should be be-tween the feet whilst in

salah?

A: In Rawdah 1/259, Imam Nawawi related from Imam

Shafi’i and the As-hab al-

Wujuh that it is recom-mended that one prostrating

separate between their feet

and knees. And he related

from Qadi Abu al-Tayyib’s commentary on Mukhtasar al

-Muzani that they should be

separated the amount of a

handspan. This ruling is also given by Ibn Hajar. (See:

Tuhfat al-Muhtaj 2/76)

In regards to separating

them while standing, Shaykh

al-Islam related from Sahib al-Anwar that they should

be: (1) separated to the ex-

tent of four fingers or (2) to

the extent of a handspan analogously on what Imam

Nawawi stated in Rawdah as

aforementioned. (See: Sharh al-Rawd 1/145) Ibn Hajar

preferred the second view in

this instance. (Tuhfah 2/21) And so did Ramli. (Nihayah

1/456)

Q: Kindly guide me to the most correct view regard-

ing looking at the private

parts of the spouse?

A: In Rawdah 7/27, Imam

Nawawi said that it is per-missible for the husband to

look at the entirety of his

wife’s body. In regards to the

private part, the relied-upon opinion is that it is permissi-

ble but disliked. Some of the

Shafis differed on if the rul-ing of disliked applies while

making love. Abu ‘Ali al-

Fariqi, Badr al-Din al-

Zarkashi, and others said it does not apply. While in

Tuhfah and Nihayah it is re-

lated that according to the

relied-upon opinion it applies to this situation too. (See:

Tuhfah w/ Sharwani 7/206)

Q: What is Imam Shafi’s

opinion regarding reciting

the Fatihah behind the imam after he finishes?

A: In Tuhfah 2/44, Ibn Hajar

stated that reciting Surat al-Fatihah is obligatory in every

rak’ah of every prayer. This

applies if one is praying alone, leading another, or

following another. The evi-

dence for this ruling is the rigorously authenticated

hadith, “There is no prayer

for one who does not recite

‘Fatihat al-Kitab.’”

There are hadiths that indi-

cate to the imam’s recitation being sufficient. Like the

words ascribed to the

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, “Whoever has an

imam, so the imam’s recita-

tion is for him recitation. Man

kana la imam, fa qira’at al-imam lahu qira’ah.” How-

ever, many hadith scholars

judged it weak, like Imam Daraqutni in his Sunan. �

SHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & A From various Ulama

www.shafiifiqh.com

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6 Islamic Focus

HANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & A From various Ulama

www.askimam.org | www.askmufti.co.za | www.daruliftaa.net

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: Can someone do Umrah

for another person who is still alive?

A: It is permissible to do um-

rah on behalf of someone who is alive.

Q: I want to know about the following hadith, is

this a weak (da’eef)

hadith? And is acting on a weak Hadith permissible?

“Whoever stands up (in

worship) on the nights preceding the two Eids

expecting reward from his

Sustainer, his heart will not die when other hearts

will die.”

A: The Hadeeth mentioned in

the query is as follows:

“Whoever spends the nights of the two Eid in praying vol-

untary prayers, seeking re-

ward from Allah, his heart will not die on the Day when

hearts will die.” (Sunan ibn

Majah 1782)

After mentioning the

Hadeeth, Imam Al-Nawawi

(rahimahullah) further elabo-rates: “It is a da’eef Hadeeth

which we have narrated ...

However, in virtues da’eef Hadith are accepted.”

Imam Al-Nawawi

(rahimahullah) mentions in al-Majmoo: “Our companions

said: It is mustahabb to

spend the nights before the two Eid’s in prayer and doing

other acts of worship.”

Being da’eef does not mean

that it is not recommended

to spend the night before Eid

in prayer, rather it’s pre-

scribed on all nights. Hence

the scholars agreed that it is mustahabb to spend the

night before Eid in prayer, as

is mentioned in the commen-

tary of Muslim shareef by Imam Nawawī rahimahulah.

It is permissible to practice on a da’eef Hadeeth if the

following three conditions are

found as mentioned by Hafiz ibn Hajar Al- Asqalāni

(rahimahullah):

1 – It should not be very weak, and one should not act

upon a Hadeeth which was

narrated only by one of the narrators who are accused of

lying, or whose mistakes are

serious. 2 – It should mention a good

deed for which there is a ba-

sis in Islamic law.

3 – When acting upon it one

should not believe that the

action is well-founded, rather he should do it on the basis

of erring on the side of cau-

tion.

Q: Is it permissible for a

Muslim businessman to

sell fireworks?

A: There is a leeway for Mus-

lim to sell fireworks. (Fatawa Darul Uloom Zakariya 5:147;

Kitabul Fatawa 5:203) In

general, the principle in sell-

ing items is that if there is a valid usage of an item in Is-

lamic law, its sale is permis-

sible. Fireworks can and are used for SOS signals.

Q: Can the same surahs be read in multiple ra-

ka'ats?

A: It is undesirable to repeat

one Surah in different rakats

of fardh salah. It is permissi-ble to repeat the same Surah

in different rakats of sunnah

and nafl salah.

Q: Is a woman in haidh

(menstruation) allowed to

recite surahs from the Quraan from memory?

A: A woman in menstruation may not recite surahs from

the Quran whether from

memory or looking into a

copy of the Quran. She may listen to the Quran being re-

cited.

Q: Is it compulsory for fe-

males to wear pants when

performing salaah?

A: Wearing pants ensures

that no part of a woman’s

awrah (the part of the body which must be covered) is

exposed. If a woman wears a

dress that also covers the lower part of her body, then

the salah is valid.

Q: Rewards are multiplied

in the haramain. Does this

mean qadhaa (missed)

salaah performed in the Haramain will be made up

as many times as the vir-

tues mentioned?

A: No, the reward of salaah

performed in Haramain are

multiplied. Each Salaah which was missed must be

performed individually.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best �

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INTERNET / SUNNAH

A wealthy man requested an old scholar to

wean his son away from his bad habits.

The scholar took the youth for a stroll through

a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy

to pull out a tiny plant growing there.

The youth held the plant between his thumb

and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger

plant.

The youth pulled hard and the plant came out,

roots and all. “Now pull out that one,” said the

old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to

use all his strength to pull it out.

“Now take this one out,” said the old man, in-

dicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not

budge.

“It’s impossible,” said the boy, panting with

the effort.

“So it is with bad habits,” said the sage. “When they are young it is easy to pull them

out but when they take hold they cannot be

uprooted.”

The session with the old man changed the

boy’s life.

Moral: Don’t wait for Bad Habits to grow in

you, drop them while you have control over

them or else they will get control of you. �

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8 Islamic Focus

HISTO

RY

August 1016 CE seems to have been a singu-

larly unfortunate month in Muslim lands.

It all began with the Shia commemoration of

the martyrdom of Hussain radhiallahu anhu in

Karbala, Iraq. The mourners went about their lamentations while two bonfires which they

had lit ran amok. The Shia shrine of Hussain

radhiallahu anhu was burnt.

Fire seemed to have been the in-thing that

month. Baghdad’s Cotton House went down that road as did several areas in Basra, Iraq.

Samarra University followed suit. Fire was, as

can be seen, a tad bit common that month in

Iraq.

The Kabah in Makkah suffered some damage

to the Rukn Yamani corner. And in the other holy city of Islam, Madinah, there was a report

of the wall in front of the blessed grave of the

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam collapsing. These two happenings could be connected

with the earthquake which struck Jerusalem

and the third Haram in Palestine also in that

month, causing the partial collapse of the landmark golden Dome of the Rock in the

Aqsa complex.

If these incidents had to take place two years

short of a thousand years later there would

have been a plethora of conspiracy theories on how Islam’s holy places were under attack.

Suffice to say that the famous Muslim histo-

rian Ismail bin Umar popularly known as Ibn Kathir, merely brushed it off as “one of the

strangest of coincidences.” � Ref: Al-Bidayah Wan-Nihayah Vol 12 Pg 4

Methods of teaching from the Sunnah of the

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam:

1. Teaching by Excellent Character

One of the greatest teaching methods of the

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was to teach by his actions. When he issued an order,

he would first carry it out himself. On the oc-

casion of Hudaibiya, when the Prophet sallal-lahu alaihi wa sallam issued the order for the

Sahaba to come out of Ihram and slaughter

their animals, he did it first and the Sahaba rushed to comply on seeing this. (al Fikr al

Sami fi Tarikh al Fiqh al Islami, 1:154)

On another occasion, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam asked for a container of water

and practically demonstrated the method of

Wudhu for a man who had asked. (Abu Dawud)

2.Teaching in Stages The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used a

gradual approach in teaching. He would pre-

sent the most important lessons first then the

less important. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam taught a group of youth what was

Iman (belief) before they learnt the Quran.

(Ibn Majah)

3. Moderation and Preventing Boredom

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used to take into consideration the times and circum-

stances of the Sahaba when advising and

teaching them so they would not get bored.

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used to take people into consideration when giving ad-

vice out of fear that they become bored.

(Bukhari) � Sheikh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah

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9 Islamic Focus

BIOGRAPHY / H

ADITH

Islam encourages protection of wealth and

employing it in such a way so it is not wasted.

“Allah has detested for you three things: use-

less talk, wasting of wealth and asking too

much (useless questions).” (Hadith) Wasting wealth also means not keeping it safely or not

managing it properly so that it goes to waste.

“Whoever sells a house or piece of land and

does not put its price into something similar,

will not be blessed in it.” (Hadith)

This means that it is not recommended to sell

houses or immovable property and put its

price into something movable. This is because immovable property (real estate) has a lot of

benefits such as that it cannot be stolen. As a

result it is better not to sell a property, and if it is sold then its best for the money to be put

into another piece of property.

Safeguarding one's wealth properly (while be-

ing generous and avoiding miserliness) is an

important aspect of thanking Allah for the

blessing of wealth. In the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) the default cur-

rency was dinar (gold) and dirham (silver).

Paper currency did not exist.

Since paper currency is no longer backed by a

gold standard, investing in gold or silver is to-day seen as one of the better ways of safe-

guarding one's wealth.

One should consider all possible halal avenues of investment, make istikharah (salaah for

guidance), consult and then proceed relying

on Allah. Adapted from article by Mufti Ebrahim Desai

The life of this world is fleeting and is often focused on materialism – it is so easy to get caught up in

the whirlwind of it all – but how does that affect

our faith?

1. Loving this life makes the servant ob-

sessed with it. “He whose ultimate goal is

the Hereafter will be endowed with richness in their hearts by Allah, will be granted a close-

knit, protected familial environment, and will

gain as much as they want from this life de-spite its unwillingness. On the contrary, Allah

will make those who are obsessed with this life

see poverty in front of their eyes and break up

their family ties, and they will not gain from it except what they have been destined

for.” [Tirmidhi]

2. When someone loves something, he/

she is tortured by that type of love.

“Losers are the servants of the Dinar; losers

are the servants of the Dirham,” referring to money. (Hadith) Some scholars of Islam said,

“They (lovers of this life) suffer the agony of

collecting money and their love towards money continues till the moment of breathing

their last.”

3. Whoever loves this life and prefers it to

the hereafter is considered one of the

most ignorant and unwise people. He/she

has preferred the unreal to the real, slumber to wakefulness, and a perishable house to an

ever-lasting one. Yunus Ibn Abdul Aa’la rahi-

mahullah said, “This life can be compared to a man who sleeps and dreams of what he likes

and hates. Then, he wakes up.” �

Adapted from work of Ibn Qayyim rahimahullah

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CURRENT / ENVIRONMENT

Listing every horrifying detail in the US Senate

Intelligence Committee's summary report on the CIA's torture program would be impossi-

ble. There's just too much. To get a sense of

the gravity of the abuses, however, here are

some of those detailed in the report:

1. CIA put food in a detainee's rectum

Majid Khan’s “lunch tray” of hummus, pasta with sauce, nuts and raisins was pureed and

rectally infused.

2. Interrogators forced detainees to

stand on broken feet

Detainees with broken feet and even pros-

thetic limbs were shackled in a standing posi-tion for sleep deprivation.

3. CIA interrogators threatened to sexu-ally assault the mother of a detainee

CIA placed detainees in ice water baths. De-

tainees were threatened with harm to their kids and sexual assault on their mothers.

4. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was water-

boarded at least 183 times Waterboarding brought detainees to near-

drowning.

5. Detainees were kept awake for as long

as 180 hours — over a week

Sleep deprivation involved detainees shackled with hands above their heads in stress posi-

tions. In cases this led to hallucinations.

US and international law states that if a coun-try is unwilling to prosecute its own officials

for torture, an international tribunal may do

so. However, prosecution is unlikely. �

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Many of us do not realise how and nature

friendly is our Deen (religion of Islam). With the earth’s resources increasingly under

threat, its perhaps time to reacquaint our-

selves with this important aspect of our relig-

ion.

Plant a tree even if it is your last deed

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, “If

the Hour (the day of Resurrection) is about to

be established and one of you is holding a palm shoot, let himtake advantage of even

one second before the Hour is established to

plant it.” (Ahmad)

Planting trees is a renewable source of

reward

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, “If

a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and

then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a Sadaqah (charity)

for him.” (Bukhari)

Conservation at all times

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam once

passed by Saad ibn Abi Waqqaas radhiallahu anhu and (noticing his excessive use of water

in Wudhu) asked him, “What is this wastage?”

Saad radhiallahu anhu replied “Is there wast-age in Wudhu also?” Rasulullah sallallahu

alaihi wa sallam said, “Yes, even if you are at

a flowing river.” (Ahmad) �

From: Jamiatul Ulama KZN

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12 Islamic Focus ISSN 2223 - 1110 (Print) | ISSN 2223 - 1129 (Online)

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FINAL FOCUS

Children of Jannah was launched 2011 by Haf-

izah Ismail to support grieving Muslim parents and families following the devastation of the

death of a child or baby, whether through ill-

ness, miscarriage or stillbirth. Believing that

children who die enter Paradise, or Jannah as it is known in Arabic, is a key message used in

helping bereaved parents and families heal

from grief.

Children of Jannah is a registered charity in

the UK. Their vision is for Muslim bereaved parents and families to have access to rele-

vant support and information from appropri-

ately trained people.

Among the advisors is Shaykh Waleed Basy-

ouni. One of the sponsors is Al Imdaad UK.

They provide support to parents and families

when a child dies through a variety of ways,

We educate bereaved parents, families, pro-fessionals and the public on many areas sur-

rounding Muslim child death, including miscar-

riage, stillbirth and termination of pregnancy;

and we offer training to mosques, organisa-tions and the NHS to enable them to support

Muslim bereaved families better.

Support includes Telephone Support and In-

formation Line, Bereavement Support Group,

Bereavement Support Pack, Counselling, Email Support Service, Mothers and Fathers Online

Groups and Publications. �

Contact: Email: support@childrenofjannah.com

UK Helpline: 0161 480 5156

www.childrenofjannah.com

A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely

satisfied. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so

black. This swan must be the happiest bird.”

He expressed this to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I felt that I was the happiest

bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two

colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird.” The crow then approached the parrot.

The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life

until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”

The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo.

“Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come

to see you. When people see me, they imme-

diately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”

The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the

planet. But because of my beauty, I am en-

trapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo

very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. I have

been thinking that if I were a crow, I could

happily roam everywhere.”

That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary

comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value what Allah has given us. This leads

to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to

be happy in what you have instead of looking

at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more or less than you

have. Person who is satisfied with what he/she

has, is the happiest person in the world. �