Islamic Focus

Issue 125 Apr 2016 Bukhara Publications/Tel: 078 672 7797/Fax: 086 651 2125 Email: islamicfocus@gmail.com/Malabar/Port Elizabeth

sufficient for me. He was advised that he should have done his homework before coming to the court. We need to have our filing systems, contracts and so forth in order so that we are prepared for any possible dispute.

CHILDREN

We also need planning with regards to educating our kids. The hadith encourages us to start kids with the habit of Salaah well before they reach the age where it will be compulsory on them. Umm Sulaim radhiallahu anha prepared her sons for Islam. As a result her son Anas ibn Malik became a renowned narrator of had-ith, Baraa ibn Malik was known for his courage on the battlefield and Abdullah ibn Talha’s nine children all became Huffaaz of the Quran radhiallahu anhum.

At the beginning of the month of Rajab, two months before Ramadan, the Proph-et sallallahu alaihi wa sallam taught us a dua: “O Allah, bless us in the months of Rajab and Shabaan, and al-low us to reach Ramadan.” This dua shows us the need to prepare and plan in ad-vance, by focusing mentally on the coming event.

COMPLETE The Quran teaches us the tools of short, medium and long term planning. Once there is a Muslim state, it needs to protect its borders. We are ordered to prepare necessary weaponry to re-pel immediate invaders: “And prepare against them whatever you are able of power…” (Quran 8:60) Then we are also made to look at the medium term by preparing bigger weapons to prevent an enemy inva-sion: “...and of steeds of war by which you may

terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy…” And Allah Ta’ala also teaches us to focus on preparing for even unforeseen enemies in the long term: “...and oth-ers besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows.”

WORSHIP Hajj used to be an arduous, month long journey in the past. The Quran encourages us to make material provi-sion for the journey, stay and return trip: “Hajj is [during] well-known months… And take provi-sions...” (Quran 2:197) And Allah Ta’ala focuses our minds on the spiritual prepa-ration as well to maximise our benefits: “...but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah…”

WORLD On one occasion the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam judged in a dispute. The par-ty who lost said that Allah is

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MAURITANIA - An appeal court in Mauritania has

upheld the death sentence of a blogger convicted of

apostasy, but referred his case to the Supreme

Court. He was arrested in January 2014 for an article

criticising those who use religion as a means of dis-

crimination. He apologised and said he never meant

to insult Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sal-

lam. The blogger, who is in his early thirties, had

posted an article on the Aqlame newspaper's web-

site in December 2013 that was later taken down as

it was deemed blasphemous towards the Prophet

Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. (BBC, 22

April 2016)

PALESTINE - The youngest Palestinian female de-

tainee, a 12-year-old was released by Israel after

having spent 2.5 months in a prison. She was arrest-

ed on February 9. Now, out on early parole, she

served more than half of her sentence of 4.5 months

in an Israeli prison for attempted voluntary man-

slaughter and illegal possession of a knife. The fami-

ly had appealed her detention, citing international

legal norms, and Israeli law, which prohibits the im-

prisonment of children younger than 14 for the

country's citizens. (AJ, 24 April 2016)

PALESTINE - A rights group released the following:

more than 100 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons

are aged between 12 and 15. 75% of children report

assault during detention. In 97% of interrogations,

no parent or lawyer was present. 440 children are in

military detention - the highest on record. Between

500-700 children are prosecuted in Israeli military

courts per year. (AJ, 24 April 2016)

PALESTINE - In December the leaders of United

Hatzalah, a Jewish settler ambulance service impli-

cated in several cases in which Palestinians have

been refused treatment, visited a leading ultra-

Orthodox rabbi, Chaim Kanievsky, to receive instruc-

tions on what to do with Palestinians injured during

attacks. According to a report on the settlers' web-

site Israel National News, Kanievsky told them that if

the injured Palestinian "was in a life-threatening

condition, they should leave him or her to die". Oth-

er rabbis have made similar calls. (AJ, 20 April 2016)

RUSSIA - Russian intelligence teams searched the

houses of 9 Muslim women in Tatarstan 24 March

2016. After the interrogations four sisters were de-

tained. Each of them has young children and babies.

They were arrested under Islamophobic terrorism

laws that carry life imprisonment. (DOA, 25 March

2016)

YEMEN - The US has released nine more illegally

held prisoners from its base at Guantanamo Bay,

Cuba, and sent them to Saudi Arabia for resettle-

ment. There are now 80 prisoners at Guantanamo,

including 26 cleared men expected to be sent home

or to another country. Eight of the prisoners were

cleared for released from Guantanamo since 2009

and all were held without charge or access to the

law system. (AP, 16 April 2016)

TURKEY - Two rockets fired into Turkey from an

area of Syria controlled by the ISIS hit the border

town of Kilis leaving 16 people injured. Six of the

wounded were Syrian. In the last few weeks, ISIS

have fired rockets at the town - the only place in

Turkey where Syrian refugees now outnumber local

Turks. Last week another attack left five Syrians

dead, including four children, when a rocket ripped

through their home. (AFP, 24 April 2016)

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Some sports from the hadith: Swimming "Any action without the remembrance of Allah is either a diversion or heedlessness except four acts: walking from target to target (during archery practice), training a horse and learning to swim." (Tabarani) Ibn Abbas radhiallahu anhuma said, "Once, Umar said to me, 'Let's compete and see who can hold his breath under water longer than the other.'" Archery “Beware, strength consists in archery. Be-ware, strength consists in archery. Beware, strength consists in archery". (Bukhari) Horse Riding "Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding". “Practice archery and horseback riding." (Muslim) Running The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam raced A'isha radhiallahu anha and she outran him. Then they had another race where he outran her, whereupon he said, "This time makes up for the other.” Fencing/Stick Fighting Arabs knew a sport by the name niqaf, which is the origin of fencing today. One of its forms was what the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sal-lam witnessed being done by Abyssinians in-side the mosque. Niqaf refers to movements being performed with arrows or spears. Wrestling "Verily Rukaanah wrestled the Prophet sallal-lahu alaihi wa sallam, and the Prophet sallal-lahu alaihi wa sallam took him down." (Abu Dawood)

The Hadith has warned us against withholding excess water. In the times of severe water shortages in South Africa, we need to revise this lesson: Say, "Have you considered: if your water was to become sunken [into the earth], then who could bring you flowing water?" (Quran 67:30) Surplus water. “Whoever denies others his surplus water or pasturage, Allah Ta’ala shall deny him His blessings on the Day of Judgement.” (Ahmed) “Do not sell surplus water.” (Bukhari) “Do not withhold excess water to withhold pas-turage.”( Bukhari) “There are three people whom Allah will not speak to, look at, or exonerate on the Day of Judgment, and who will have a painful tor-ment: (one of them is) he who withholds ex-cess water from a traveler in the de-sert...”( Bukhari) Imam Bukhari rahimahullah adds to the above hadith the following, “Whoever denies others his surplus water, Al-lah will say to him, “Today I will deny you my bounty as you did with what you could not cre-ate.” (Bukhari) Charity. “…a drink of water given to someone is Sa-daqah (charity)…” (Bukhari) Operation Hydrate. Litres of water distributed - 13 108 000 Boreholes Pledged - 28 www.operationhydrate.org

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A man wanted know the value of good deeds, so he decides to ask this question to his Sheikh. The Sheikh gave him a stone and said, “To get an answer to your question first you have to find out the value of this stone, but keep in mind, don’t sell it.” The man took the stone to an orange seller who offered 12 oranges for it. The man apolo-gized and said that his Sheikh told him not to sell it. He went ahead and found a vegetable seller. “What could be the value of this stone?” he asked the vegetable seller. The seller offered a sack of potatoes in exchange. The man again apologized and said he can’t sell it. He went into a jewellery shop. The jeweller examined the stone under a lens and said, “I’ll give you R50,000 for this rock.” When the man shook his head, the jeweller said, “Alright, alright, take R2 million, but give me the rock.” The man explained that he can’t sell the stone. Further ahead, the man saw a precious stone shop and asked the seller the value of this rock. When the dealer in precious stones saw the big ruby, he asked, “From where did you get this priceless ruby?” “Even if I sell the whole world and my life, I won’t be able to purchase this priceless stone.” Stunned, the man returned to his Sheikh who said that people evaluate good deeds based on their level of information, their belief, their motivation, and their conviction in Allah Ta’ala. The true value will only be realised in the grave and on the Day of Judgement when they will be deemed priceless and the only currency of worth.

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Principals on public speaking from Sunnah: Eloquence. Abu Hurairah radhiallahu an-hu narrated that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, “I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with awe (cast into the hearts of the ene-my)...” (Bukhari) Plan and Prepare. “A good manner of con-duct, deliberation and moderation are a twen-ty-fourth part of prohethood.” (Tirmidh 5059) Pleasing Appearance. Ibn Abbas radhial-lahu anhuma narrated that when the Ha-ruriyyah revolted, I came to Ali radhiallahu anhu. He said: “Go to these people. I then put on the best clothes of Yemen (and went to them.)” (Abu Dawud 4026) Be Friendly. “A believer is friendly, and there is no good in one who is neither friendly nor is treated in a friendly way.” (Tirmidhi 4995) Aishah radhiallahu anha narrated that a man asked permission to see the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam who said (as a means of warning his family to be on the guard), “He is a bad member of the tribe.” When he entered, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam treated him in a friendly way. When he departed, I said, “When he asked permission, you said, “He is a bad member of the tribe”; but when he entered, you treated him in a frank and friendly way.” The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam replied, “Aishah! Allah does not like the one who is unseemly and lewd in his lan-guage.” (Abu Dawud 4774) “When a man makes another his brother, he should ask him his name, his father’s name and the stock from which he comes, for it binds friendship more closely.” (Tirmidhi 5020)

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Q: What is the ruling in the Shafi'i school concern-ing nutmeg? Is it haraam? There is a fatwa going around, and they are claiming that it is haraam according to the four madhhabs. A: In Tuhfah 1/ 289, Ibn Hajar discussed nutmeg along with other substances, like marijuana and opium. He stated that in large amounts it is unlawful. In Hashiyat Sharh al-Rawd 1/9, it is re-lated that consuming these substances in small amounts is not unlawful. Nutmeg can intoxicate in large amounts and it is unlawful because of this quality. Shabramallisi and others stated that if the amount consumed would in-toxicate an average person, not including those who have built up a tolerance to the substance, then it is counted as “a lot.”

Answered by: Shaykh Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: If a khula (wife getting a divorce in exchange for agreed items) is granted does it count as a single divorce or is it counted as a permanent divorce? A: In the Shafi’i School, a khulu’ counts as a talaq (divorce). After khulu’ there is “baynunah sughra,” similar to what happens after a talaq issued before consummation. They may marry again, so long as it was not the third, but only with a new contract fulfilling the normal condi-tions. A new mahr (dowry) should be given too. Addi-tionally, housing is obligatory in the ‘iddah (waiting period) but not nafaqah (maintenance); unless she is pregnant, if she is pregnant nafaqah must be given too. A woman who is nashizah (disobedient) is not entitled to housing. Furthermore, the duration of her ‘iddah will vary depending on her state, like after a normal divorce.

To add, even if khulu’ is giv-en, the wife is still entitled to mut’ah (gifts). Imam Shafi’i advised the minimum recom-mended mut’ah amount to be 30 dirhams. This is stated in Imam Na-wawi’s Rawdah and in Shaykh Muhammad b. Salim b. Hafiz’s al-Miftah Lubab al-Nikah.

Answered by: Shaykh Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: I observed during um-rah people cut few hair from different places. Is this sufficient to come out from ihram? A: It is sufficient to cut, pluck, or shave a minimum of three hairs, for both men and women. However, it is recommended for men to shave the entire head, and for women to shorten their hair from all sides.

Answered by: Shaykh Omar Mohsin

Q: Can we pray Ghaib Ja-naza (funeral) prayer for a relative who has passed away in a foreign country with the body not pre-sent? A: It is recommended to perform salat al-janaza on anyone who died outside of your city limits (i.e. al-ghāib). This is the sound opinion in the shafi’i madh-hab, and it is based on the hadith that the prophet Mu-hammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) gathered the com-panions and performed the janāza prayer for the Abys-sinian king after he was in-formed of the king's death. The first condition for per-forming this particular janāza prayer is that the one per-forming it must be from those for whom the janāza prayer was obligatory shortly before the burial; meaning, they must have been Muslim, adult, sane, and pure a few

minutes before the burial. So, if someone became Mus-lim after said time, or was still a minor, or was not sane, or if the woman was menstruating during said time, then it would not be valid for them to perform this particular janāza prayer. The second condition is that the one performing this pray-er must be certain or have overwhelming doubt that the deceased has been washed. In the event that one is un-sure of this and is unable to obtain this information, one must make his intention to pray on the deceased contin-gent on him being already washed. (Haytamī, Tuhfat al-Muhtāj 3:150-151)

Answered by: Shaykh Omar Mohsin

Q: What is the stipulation of maintenance due to a woman who has been di-vorced by her husband ac-cording to Imam Shafi? A: I f the divorce is one in which the husband may take the wife back, then providing her with full financial sup-port, including food and domicile but excluding items for her hygiene, is necessary for the duration of the wait-ing period. Providing both domicile and financial support is also the case if the woman was di-vorced irrevocable while pregnant. While if the di-vorce was irrevocable and she is not pregnant, then the husband must provide domi-cile but he does not need to provide other support. If the woman is disobedient, then she is not entitled to any support. The husband is only obligat-ed to provide these for the duration of the waiting peri-od. (Iqna 2/470)

Answered by: Shaykh Yaqub Abdurrahman

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Q: If a person accepts Is-lam all his previous sins are forgiven. What about fasting, salah, hajj? For example if a person ac-cepts lslam at age of 40 years does he have to make qadha (fulfil) for fard salah, fasting etc for the period when he was non Muslim? A: A revert/ convert does not have to make Qadha for the Salah and Fasts prior to accepting Islam as they were not fard (obligatory) on him. Q: When we recite the first kalimah should we say durood at the end? A: I t is not necessary to make Durood Sharif on hear-ing the Kalimah. If one does so, it is an act of virtue and expression of his love for Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Q: Is it true that drinking of Zamzam water to be only consumed standing up? A: I t is preferred to drink the water of Zam-zam whilst standing. One may drink whilst seated as well. Q: Can a person refer to the country of his birth as his motherland? A: A land may be referred to as mother. Makkah Mukar-ramah is referred to as Um-mul-Quraa, the mother of cities. One may refer to one’s land of birth as motherland as that land has been the means of one’s birth like one’s mother. Motherland should be understood in the figurative sense. Q: What is Islamic ruling about my son 23 year old

who has down syndrome and wants to marry? Can he do this? A: A marriage w ith a handicapped person is very challenging to the handi-capped person and the spouse. The guardians of the handicapped should exercise extreme precaution in mak-ing a proper decision. If the girl is fully informed of your son’s medical condition and she decides to marry your son, the marriage will be valid if your son is men-tally stable and he does not have any mental deficiencies in him. Q: If a woman has a peri-ods (menses) while on a journey, will she read full Salaah or make Qasr (shorten) when she be-comes clean? A: 1. In principle, if a woman begun a Shar’i jour-ney (77 km or more) in the state of haidh (menses) and then attains purity, the dis-tance from the place she at-tains purity to her destina-tion will be taken into ac-count. If the distance is 77 km or more and she doesn’t have any intention of staying at a particular place for 15 days or more she will do qasar of her fardh Salah. If the dis-tance is lesser than it, then she will read all her Salah in full. 2. If a woman begun the journey in the state of purity and thereafter her menses begun and ended in the du-ration of the journey, she will still do qasar. Q: If a Muslim woman marries a Tamil man and bears his child but main-tains she and the child are

Muslim. Is this true? Will she still be a Muslim? A: It is prohibited for a Muslim woman to marry any non-Muslim man. If she does so and live with him, she will be sinful. Committing a sin does not expel one from the fold of Islam. The woman in reference will still be a Mus-lim if she did not do anything that would negate her Islam. Q: If a person is in a mov-ing car/bus and salah time is nearly ending, is it ok for the person to pray salah sitting down? A: I f a person is in a mov-ing vehicle and the salaah time is about to expire, and he cannot stand up and per-form salaah facing the qiblah, he should sit and per-form his salaah in any direc-tion and repeat his salaah later. Q. If a person has two cars in his possession, the second car being rarely used; then does the per-son have to give zakah on the car? A: There is no zakat on the second personal vehicle in his possession.

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An atheist once asked Imaam Shaafi‘ee rahi-mahullah to prove the existence of the crea-tor, Allah Ta‘ala. Imaam Shaafi‘ee (rahimahullah) answered, “Look at the leaves of the mulberry tree. The colour, taste, smell, composition and proper-ties of every leaf are the same. Despite being exactly the same, when consumed by the silk worm, silk is produced. When visited by the bee, honey is produced. When consumed by the goat, dung is pro-duced and when consumed by the musk deer, musk is produced. Only the design of a creator who is eternal and all powerful could cause so many diverse things to be produced from one substance. Otherwise, logic would demand that the end product of all be the same as the substance which entered all was the same.” (Aqaa’id-ul-Islaam page 42) “And verily in cattle (too) will you find an in-structive sign. From what is within their bodies between excretions and blood, We produce, for your drink, milk, pure and agreeable to those who drink it.” (Quran 16:66) The cow eats and drinks yet these items are converted to three different substances: ex-cretion, blood and milk. None of these resembles the original items.

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Here are some notable quotes on the Western banking system by Western statesmen: "It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morn-ing." (Henry Ford) "I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most com-pletely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men." (Woodrow Wil-son about his signing of the Federal Reserve in 1913) Andrew Jackson, US President (1829-1837) Strongly opposed to a central bank, Jackson stated it exposed the government to control by foreign interests. Upon assuming office, he called a delegation of bankers into the White House and told them: "You are a den of vipers and thieves! I intend to rout you out, and ... will rout you out!" Jackson accomplished his task. He dissolved the Second National Bank of America. Soon afterwards, in 1835, there was an attempt on his life. James Garfield, US President (1881) was shot by an assailant shortly after taking office and died of complications months later. Shortly before his assassination, Garfield declared: "Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce."

When the Muslim state stood up to Napoleon's army in 1799, they gave him his first military defeat. The Siege of Acre of 1799 was an unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman-defended, walled city of Acre (now Akko in occupied Palestine) and was the turning point of Napoleon's inva-sion of Egypt and Syria. It was one of Napole-on's few defeats. Acre was a site of significant strategic im-portance due to its commanding position on the route between Egypt and Syria. Bonaparte wanted to capture it following his invasion of Egypt. Napoleon believed the city would capitulate quickly to him. However, the troops of the ca-pable Jezzar Pasha, refusing to surrender, withstood the siege for one and a half months. French forces managed to make a breach in the walls. However, after suffering many casu-alties, Napoleon's soldiers found, discovered a second wall, several feet deeper within the city. Turkish reinforcements also landed to help the city’s defenders. Napoleon's forces were left hungry, cold and damp. Plague had struck the French camp and had led to the deaths of 2,000 soldiers. Finally, the siege was raised. Napoleon Bona-parte retreated and withdrew to Egypt with 2,300 of his soldiers killed and over 2,000 wounded. Years earlier, the Fall of Acre in 1291 resulted in the loss of the Crusader-controlled city to the Muslims. It is considered one of the most important battles of the period. The capture of the city marked the end of further crusades to the Levant.

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Only 90 years ago, the agents of King Leopold II of Belgium massacred 10 million Africans in the Congo. Children and adults had their hands hacked off by his agents for not bring-ing him enough rubber. Leopold never set foot in the Congo Free State - from 1885-1908 he ruled what was the world's only colony claimed by one man. It was a territory which if superimposed on the map of Europe would stretch from Switzerland to Russia to Turkey. It was bigger than UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy combined. Leopold's "rubber terror" raised a lot of hairs in Europe and America. But while they were condemning his barbarity, his accusers were committing the same atrocities against Afri-cans elsewhere on the continent. With 10 million people killed in the Congo, it was the most murderous part of the European scramble for Africa but similar forced labour systems were in place in the French territo-ries, in Portuguese-ruled Angola, and in Cam-eroon under the Germans. In France's equatorial African territories the rape was just as brutal. Forced labour, hostag-es, slave chains, starving, burned villages, and the chicotte (a vicious whip that scarred and killed after 100 lashes) were the order of the day. The population loss in the rubber-rich equato-rial rainforest owned by France is estimated, just as in Leopold's Congo, at roughly 50%. The Germans did as much in Namibia, if not worse, than Leopold in Congo. The toll was even worse among the Hereros in German South West Africa, today's Namibia.

“As for obtaining the news to be aware of the state of affairs and the weakness the Muslims are in, and in order to avoid this outcome, then as we say, this is from the tasfiyah (purification) and the tarbiyah (educating) – purifying Islam from what has entered into it and focusing on educating the Muslims and bringing them up on this purified Islam. So knowing these general circumstances, which encompass the Muslims, is a must for the matter is as the old Arab poet has stated, taking his meaning from an authentic hadeeth: “I learned evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it And whoever doesn’t know good from evil, he will fall into it.” This is derived from a hadeeth – and I mean by it, the hadeeth of Hudhaifah Ibn Al-Yamaan, radhiallahu anhuma, which is report-ed in the Saheehs of Bukhari and Muslim. He said: “The people used to ask Allah’s Messen-ger, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, about the good, but I used to ask him about the evil for fear of it reaching me.” So being aware of what the Muslims are upon from humiliation and weakness in order to turn them away from that towards using the means of knowledge, strength and power, this is an obligation from the many obligations.” “The one whose main concern is this world has nothing to do with Allah, and whoever does not fear Allah has nothing to do with Allah, and whoever does not care about the Muslims is not one of them.” "Indeed, if a person does not have concern for the affairs of the Muslims then this, in reality, is a deficiency in ones Islam." (As-Sahwatul-Islamiyyah Dawabit wa Tawjihat p.77)

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We know how the early Muslim state took on the superpowers of Rome and Persia and crushed them. Here’s a lesser known fact that the same Mus-lim state took on the powerful Chinese and defeated them in battle as well. The Battle of Talas allowed Chinese skills to enter the Muslim lands and become perfected. In fact, the Muslim state combined the skills of all the civilizations it conquered and developed it for a better world. The Battle of Talas was a military engagement between the Arab Abbasid Caliphate along with their ally the Tibetan Empire against the Chinese Tang Dynasty. In 751 CE, Tang and Abbasid forces met in the valley of the Talas River to vie for control of the Syr Darya region of central Asia. After a stalemate in several days of combat, the Tang lost the battle. The battle was a defeat for the Tang and marked the end of their westward territorial expansion, resulting in Muslim control of Transoxiana for the next four hundred years. Control of this region was economically benefi-cial for the Abbasids because it was on the Silk Road. Chinese prisoners captured in the aftermath of the battle brought paper-making technology to the Middle East, from where it eventually spread to Europe. What was a secret now be-came available to all. The victory allowed the local Tang tributaries to switch to the authority of the Abbasids, Ti-betans, or Uighurs and Islam was thus intro-duced among the Turkic peoples. Islam grew as the dominant cultural force of Central Asia.

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Xenophobic and Islamophobic attacks on Mus-lims are not new. Nor are they restricted to a particular group of people. The Chinese had carried out two massacres of Muslims over 1,000 years ago: In the Yangzhou massacre, Chinese rebels un-der Tian Shengong engaged in a slaughter of foreign Arab and Persian merchants in 760 AD during the Tang dynasty in Yangzhou. The foreign merchants and traders incurred xenophobic feelings among the Chinese popu-lation, and they were scapegoated as the Tang dynasty declined. The massacre took place during the An Shi Rebellion. Arab and Persian merchants in the city were massacred in the thousands when Tian Shengong's rebel soldiers entered the city. The merchants were targeted for being foreign and for their wealth. In the Guangzhou massacre in 879, 120,000 Muslim Arabs, Persians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Christians were killed by the Chinese rebel leader Huang Chao. In 2014 Muslim Uyghur leaders claimed that a massacre with casualties in the thousands took place in Chinese occupied Muslim Xin-jiang (Turkestan). The killings occurred at the end of Ramadan. Muslim sources said that the authorities bombed three villages and sent SWAT teams to kill the survivors. At least 2,000 Muslims in the neighborhood of Elishku Township were killed by Chinese security forces on the first day of the incident.

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

RAMADAAN 1437 PORT ELIZABETH/UITENHAGE JUNE/JUL 2016

DAY ISLAMIC

RAMADAN ENGLISH

START FAST

FAJR END FAST

ESHA ZUHR/

ZAWAAL ASR

Tue 1 7 June 5:47 5:57 5:17 6:37 12:20 3:44

Wed 2 8 5:47 5:57 5:17 6:37 12:20 3:44

Thu 3 9 5:48 5:58 5:17 6:37 12:21 3:44

Fri 4 10 5:48 5:58 5:17 6:37 12:21 3:44

Sat 5 11 5:49 5:59 5:17 6:37 12:21 3:44

Sun 6 12 5:49 5:59 5:17 6:37 12:21 3:44

Mon 7 13 5:50 6:00 5:17 6:37 12:22 3:44

Tue 8 14 5:50 6:00 5:17 6:37 12:22 3:44

Wed 9 15 5:51 6:01 5:17 6:37 12:23 3:44

Thu 10 16 5:51 6:01 5:17 6:37 12:23 3:44

Fri 11 17 5:51 6:01 5:17 6:37 12:23 3:44

Sat 12 18 5:52 6:02 5:17 6:37 12:23 3:44

Sun 13 19 5:52 6:02 5:18 6:38 12:24 3:45

Mon 14 20 5:52 6:02 5:18 6:38 12:24 3:45

Tue 15 21 5:52 6:02 5:18 6:38 12:24 3:45

Wed 16 22 5:52 6:02 5:18 6:38 12:24 3:45

Thu 17 23 5:52 6:02 5:18 6:38 12:24 3:45

Fri 18 24 5:53 6:03 5:19 6:39 12:25 3:46

Sat 19 25 5:53 6:03 5:19 6:39 12:25 3:46

Sun 20 26 5:53 6:03 5:19 6:39 12:25 3:46

Mon 21 27 5:53 6:03 5:20 6:40 12:25 3:47

Tue 22 28 5:53 6:03 5:20 6:40 12:25 3:47

Wed 23 29 5:53 6:03 5:20 6:40 12:25 3:47

Thu 24 30 5:53 6:03 5:21 6:41 12:26 3:48

Fri 25 1 July 5:53 6:03 5:21 6:41 12:26 3:48

Sat 26 2 5:53 6:03 5:21 6:41 12:26 3:48

Sun 27 3 5:53 6:03 5:22 6:42 12:26 3:49

Mon 28 4 5:53 6:03 5:22 6:42 12:26 3:49

Tue 29 5 5:53 6:03 5:23 6:43 12:27 3:50

Wed 30 6 5:53 6:03 5:23 6:43 12:27 3:50 Birth of New Moon for Shawwal: Mon, 4 July 13.01

Eidul Fitr most probably Wednesday 6 July 2016 | Itikaaf Starts