Islamic Focus

Issue 89 Igniting the Spirit of Islam May 2011 Bukhara Publications/Tel: 078 672 7797/Fax: 086 651 2125 Email: islamicfocus@gmail.com/Korsten/Port Elizabeth

b e u s e d i n t h e

lamps.’ (Bukhari)

�The Prophet � said, ‘How blessed is al-Sham (area

including Palestine)!’ The companions around asked:

‘Why is that?’ The Prophet � replied, ‘I see the angels of Allah spreading their

wings over al-Sham.’ Ibn Abbas � added, ‘And the Prophets lived in it. There is not a single inch in al-Quds (Jerusalem) where a

Prophet has not prayed or a n a n g e l n o t

stood.’ (Tirmidhi)

Among the virtues of Masjid Al-Aqsa are that it is:

�the station of Isra and Meraj;

�the place where hundreds of Prophets are buried;

�the only place on earth where all the Prophets

prayed at the same time led by Prophet Muhammad �; �the only Musjid mentioned

by name in the Quraan apart from the Ka’bah. �

Glory to (Allah) Who did

take His Servant for Journey by night from the Sacred

Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did Bless in order that We

might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the one

Who heareth and seeth (all things). (Quraan)

In the Quraan there are many verses implying that

the land of Palestine, the city of Jerusalem, the entire environs are set apart as

holy and blessed, as they received special divine

blessings. The land around Musjid Al-Aqsa is referred to

70 times as the blessed land in the Quraan. The Tradi-tions of the Prophet � also refer to the sacredness of Musjid Al-Aqsa. Among

them are: �It was the first Qiblah of

Muslims: See tafsir of

Quraan 2:142.

�It was the second Musjid

on Earth: (Bukhari)

�The Prophet � said regard-i n g B a i t a l - M a q d i s

(Jerusalem): ‘It is the land of gathering and resurrection.

Go there and offer prayer. Your prayer will be consid-ered as a thousand

prayers.’ (Abu Dawood) ‘... a prayer in Bait al-Maqdis is

like five hundred prayers

(elsewhere). (Baihaqi)

�‘If anyone puts on ihram for Hajj or Umrah from Mas-

jid al-Aqsa and then pro-ceeds to the sacred Masjid

(Makkah), his former and lat-ter sins will be forgiven, or he will be guaranteed Para-

dise.’ (Abu Dawood)

�Donating to Musjid Al-Aqsa: The Prophet � said re-garding the legal injunction about visiting) Bait al-

Maqdis: ‘Go and pray there. If you cannot visit it and pray there, then send some oil to

P3 Consideration

P12 The Barber

P4 Usama bin Ladin

P7 Saving Jews

P8 Arguments

P9 Afrikaans

2 Islamic Focus

WORLD

NEWS

GUANTANAMO - Files obtained by Wikileaks, New York Times and other newspapers reveal that the US believed many of those held at Guantanamo Bay were innocent. At least 150 were innocent Afghans and Pakistanis. (BBC, 25 Apr)

AFGHANISTAN - 470 inmates at a prison escaped through a tunnel. 100 were Taliban commanders, and others were Taliban fighters. (BBC, 25 Apr) INDIA - A senior police officer's sworn statement to the Supreme Court says that Gujarat Chief Minister Modi deliberately allowed anti-Muslim riots in the state. More than 1,000 people were killed in Hindu rioting in 2002. The officer attended a meeting at which Modi said that Hindus should be allowed to vent their anger. (BBC, 22 Apr) PAKISTAN - 25 people, including 5 women and 4 children, killed in a US drone strike in North Waziris-tan. Meanwhile, 13 soldiers died when hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked a checkpoint near the Af-ghan border. (BBC, 22 Apr) PAKISTAN - 18 killed in a bombing in one of the largest gambling dens in Karachi. The attack took place in Lyari, where a number of warring drug and arms gangs operate. (BBC, 22 Apr) YEMEN - 130 killed by security forces since anti-government unrests began in Jan. (BBC, 25 Apr) SYRIA - Army killed 560 people in protests against the repressive rule of President Assad and 2,500 ar-rested. (BBC, 2 May) PALESTINE - One fundamentalist Jew killed and 4 wounded by a Palestinian policeman in occupied West Bank. Fundamentalist Jews regularly defy a military ban on entering the tomb of Joseph, in Pal-estinian territory. (BBC, 24 Apr) NIGERIA - 500 killed after Christian-Muslim clashes following the election of a southern Chris-tian, who defeated a Muslim candidate from the mostly Islamic north. (BBC, 24 Apr) SUDAN - 102 killed in fighting between Christian government forces and rebel militias in South Sudan. There are 7 rebel groups in South Sudan. (BBC, 24 Apr)

EGYPT - 10 killed and 186 wounded in Muslim-

Christian clashes which started after several hundred Salafist Muslims gathered outside a church to pro-test over a Christian woman being held there against her will because she had married a Muslim man and wanted to convert to Islam. (BBC, 8 May) PAKISTAN - 12 civilians killed in US drone strike in North Waziristan. (BBC, 6 May) MALDIVES - Police clashed with hundreds of pro-testers, preventing them from demonstrating over soaring food prices. (BBC, 6 May) AFGHANISTAN - Security forces battled Taliban fighters for 2 days in Kandahar. (BBC, 8 May) UK - Archbishop of Canterbury says the alleged US killing of an unarmed Usama Bin Laden left 'a very uncomfortable feeling'. (BBC, 5 May) LIBYA - Gaddafi's son and 3 grandchildren killed in illegal Nato air strikes. (BBC, 2 May) PALESTINE - Fatah and Hamas signed a deal in Egypt to end their four-year rift. (BBC, 4 May) PALESTINE - Gaza Strip held its first marathon, with the 42km course running the full length of the small coastal territory. (BBC, 5 May) USA - 340 killed in tornadoes that hit the southern US. More than 200 tornadoes were reported across six southern US states in 2 days. (BBC, 30 Apr) SOMALIA - 20 AU-backed troops killed in a battle with Al-Shabab fighters. (PressTV, 14 May) MOROCCO - Security forces beat anti-government protesters injuring 10. (PressTV, 15 May) PALESTINE - Israeli naval forces fired shots at a Malaysian aid ship headed to the Gaza Strip as it was approaching the shore forcing it to withdraw to Egyptian waters. (PressTV, 16 May) PALESTINE - Israeli forces fired on protesters at borders with the Palestinian territories, Syria and Lebanon killing 12 and wounding dozens. In one in-cident, thousands of Palestinian supporters from Syria entered the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Egyptian security forces fired warning shots and tear gas to break up protests outside the Israeli em-bassy. (BBC, 16 May) �

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3 Islamic Focus

FINANCE / S

OCIAL

Part 2 on how Islam liberates one financially:

5. Quantity versus Blessing. Having suffi-cient does not mean having a lot. The Prophet

� said, ‘Food for one person suffices two per-sons and food for two persons suffices four

persons, and food for four persons suffices eight persons.’ (Muslim)

6. Contentment. Only you can disturb your contentment: ‘And strain not your eyes in

longing for the things We have given for en-joyment to various groups of them, the splen-

dor of the life of this world that We may test them thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord is better and

more lasting.’ (Quraan 20:131)

The Prophet � said, ‘Look at those who are at a lower level than you but don't look at those who are at a higher level than you, for this

would make the favors conferred upon you by Allah insignificant in your eyes.’ (Muslim)

7. Financial Insecurity. Financial insecurity is the Devil’s trick of enslavement, leading a

person to commit many injustices and crimes in the pursuit of enough money to secure a

comfortable lifestyle. ‘Satan threatens you with poverty.’ (Quraan 2:268)

8. Fast Bucks. Feeling financially insecure will not speedup your provision nor increase

your income. ‘Feel not your provision is be-lated; for no servant shall die until he re-ceives his final provision. Thus, fear Allah,

and seek with moderation, take the lawful and leave the unlawful.’ (Sahih Al-Jamia) �

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One of the salient teachings of Islam is consid-

eration for others:

Child Crying. The Prophet � said, ‘I stand in prayer and would like to make it long but I hear the crying of a child and shorten my

prayer not wanting to make things difficult for its mother.’ (Bukhari)

Weapons. ‘Whoever enters our Musjid or passes through our market with arrows with

him, he should hold them by their heads lest it should injure any of the Muslims.’ (Bukhari)

Prayer. The Prophet � said, ‘When one of you leads the Salaah he should not prolong it be-

cause the congregation includes those who are feeble, ill or old.’ One version adds: ‘those who

have to attend to work’. While offering prayers alone, you may pray as long as you

like.’ (Bukhari) Abstaining. The Prophet � would sometimes abstain from doing something he wished to do, lest others should follow him and it might be-

come obligatory upon them. (Bukhari) Visitor. The Prophet � would not turn away from his visitor in order to attend to anything until his visitor has turned away to leave.

When he met anyone and shook hands with him, the Prophet � would not be the first to withdraw his hand. He would wait until the

other person withdrew his hand.

Talks. Ibn Masood � narrates that the Prophet � used to take care of us in preaching by se-lecting a suitable time, so that we might not

get bored. (Bukhari 1:68) �

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WORSHIP / SOCIAL

The killing of Usama bin Ladin, if proven to be

true, may either be a coincidence or part of a strategy by the US to justify the adoption of

new tactics in their ‘war on terror’. It may be that he was killed a long time ago but the kill-ing was only now announced as a justification

for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghani-stan. All of these are possibilities that no one

can emphatically confirm. Whatever the case may be, Usama left this worldly life to meet his Lord who is the ultimate judge.

He died as a Muslim and we believe that every

Muslim will eventually enter paradise. Accord-ing to scholars, the Muslim killed by Islam’s enemies is a martyr. Mistakes made by a Mus-

lim fighter in combat do not deprive him of his rights, such as the right of regarding him a

martyr. The Prophet � became very angry at his close companion Usama ibn Zayd � when he killed a disbeliever who had said ‘there is no God but Allah’. However, he continued to appoint him a general of the Muslim army.

Saddam Hussain committed many crimes. However, when he was hung he proclaimed:

‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad � is his messenger’. Based on this, we have no choice but to ask Allah to bestow mercy on

him as he clearly died a Muslim.

We disagree with any unjustified killing attrib-uted to al-Qaeda, but any amount of people allegedly killed by al-Qaeda has been trebled

by the killing sprees of the US in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and other countries. We

should also never forget Usama’s selfless con-tribution to the Afghan Jihad against the Rus-sians when the world stood idly by. �

Adapted from article by: Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad

The current trend is to pass on the message swiftly, to

as many as possible. More often than not the message

passed on is in conflict with Islamic teaching. Here are

some Islamic pointers on remaining silent:

1. Excellence. ‘A sign of one’s excellence in

his Islam, is ignoring what does not concern him.’ (Ahmad, Malik, Tirmidhi) Ibn Rajab said,

‘This Hadith is a basic and important source of good behavior in Islam.’ A Muslim should only participate in what concerns him, such as any-

thing that is his property, right, obligation or under his control.

2. Concealing sins. ‘The servant (who con-ceals) the faults of others in this world, Allah

would conceal his faults on the Day of Resur-rection.’ (Muslim, 32:6267)

3. Good speech. ‘Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak a good word or

remain silent.’ (Bukhari) The Prophet � in-formed Muadh � of good deeds that would ad-mit him to Paradise and distance him from Hell, then said: ‘Shall I inform you of the foun-

dation of all of that?’ Muadh � said: ‘Certainly.’ The Prophet � took hold of his tongue and said: ‘Restrain yourself from this.’

Muadh � then asked: ‘O Prophet of Allah! Are we held to task for the things we say?’ The

Prophet � replied: ‘May your mother be be-reaved of you, O Muadh! Does anything topple people headlong into the fire of Hell save the

harvests of their tongues?’ (Tirmidhi)

‘… And indeed a servant will speak a word dis-pleasing to Allah that he thinks to be insignifi-cant, but because of it, He (Allah) will consign

him to the fire of Hell.’ (Bukhari) �

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5 Islamic Focus

QUESTIO

NS & ANSWERS

Q: Does the follower in

congregational Salaah say both Sami Allahu liman

Hamidah and Rabbana wa lakal Hamd? What about the Imam and the one

praying by himself? A: The Imam, the one pray-

ing by himself, and the fol-lower in congregation are to say both the tasmi (Sami Al-

lahu liman Hamidah) and the tahmid (Rabbana walakal

Ḥamd or Rabbana Lakal Hamd) in Salaah. The opti-mal way is to raise the hands

and the head together, say-ing Sami Allahu liman

Ḥamidah. This is whether one is imam, follower, or

praying alone. When one is standing upright, one says, Rabbana lakal Ḥamdu mila as

samawaati wal-Arḍi wa mila ma shi’ta min shay in ba’du.

Note that this is a recom-mended act. (Majmu, 3:391)

Answer by: Moulana Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: Is a marriage without a Wali (guardian for the lady) valid?

A: Two contracting parties are an integral in the mar-

riage contract. They are: 1) The groom’s party; i.e. him-self or a proxy; 2) The

bride’s party; i.e. her guard-ian or his representative. A

woman’s word in marriage, in the offer or acceptance, is

not valid. Thus, she cannot marry herself, with her guardian’s permission or

otherwise. (Rawdat al-Taalibin, 5:397) The Hadith

states: ‘There is no marriage except with a guardian and two trustworthy wit-

nesses.’ (Bayhaqi) Answer by: Moulana Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: In Salaah where should

the hands be placed?

A: ‘… the sunnah is to bring

down one’s hands after tak-bir and place the right on the

left; and grab with the right hand the left wrist bone, and some of the wrist and fore-

arm. One may chose be-tween stretching the right’s

fingers in the width of the joint and between spreading them in the direction of the

forearm. They should be placed below one’s chest and

above his navel.’ (Majmu Sharh al-Muhadhdhab 3:310)

Answer by: Moulana Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: What is the ruling re-garding transacting at the

time of Athaan for the Juma (Friday) prayer? A: On Friday, before the

sun has passed its zenith, buying/selling is permitted.

After the sun passed its ze-nith, but prior to the prayer, it is disliked. After the Imam

is on the minbar and the Athaan has been called, then

it is unlawful. (Rawdah al-Talibin, 1:552-3) If Athaan is made before the Imam is on

the minbar, then it is not unlawful. When one hears

the Athaan and sets out to the mosque intending the prayer, and enters into a

transaction en route, or reaches the mosque and en-

ters into a transaction there, it is not unlawful. According

to the relied-upon opinion, transacting in the mosque on Friday is disliked. Even if

unlawful, transactions at this time are valid. All other

transactions and occupations are also prohibited at that time. (Minhaj al-Talibin) An

exception is made for neces-sities, e.g. If one needs to

purchase something, like wa-ter for purification, clothing

to cover one’s nakedness, or

food for one in extreme hun-ger, then it is permissible.

(Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1:443) Answer by: Moulana Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: If a married man went

abroad and didn’t return home for more than 15

years; and it is not known whether he is alive or dead, can his wife marry

another person? A: According to the Shafi

school’s relied-upon opinion, before such a woman can re-marry, news regarding her

husband’s passing, issuing a divorce, etc., must be re-

ceived. (Nihayat al-Muhtaj, 7:147-48; Rawdat al-Talibin, 6:377) The relied-upon view

is Imam Shafi’s qawl jadid. According to his qawl qadim,

which is also a verdict from Umar � and Imam Malik’s opinion, after her case is

judged, she must wait four years, then go into a waiting

period (iddah), and then may remarry. (Istidhkar, 6:130) Thus, there may be

an opinion that provides some latitude. This answer is

brief. What one needs to do in such a situation is seek advice of the local ulama.

Answer by: Moulana Yaqub Abdurrahman

Q: Is it permissible for a

lady to cover her face with a Niqab (face veil) for example, in Salaah?

A: It is disliked (makruh) for a woman to pray wearing

niqab except when she is praying in the vicinity of strange men who might look

at her face. In this instance, it is not permissible for her

to lift her niqab. � Answer by: Moulana Yaqub Abdurrahman

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

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

www.askimam.org | www.askmufti.co.za | www.councilofulama.co.za

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: Is factoring permissi-

ble in Islam? A: Factoring is a transaction

where a business sells its re-ceivable (i.e. invoices) to a third party (called a factor)

at a discount for immediate money. Factoring is not per-

missible in Islam. The sur-plus amount received by the purchaser of the debt is in-

terest. (Jadid Fiqhi Masaail, 1:424)

Answer by: Al Mahmood 43

Q: Is shellac permissible? A: The shellac ingredient,

used in confectionery, bakery and pharmaceutical products among others, has been de-

clared Halaal. Answer by: SANHA

Q: Is Zakaat payable on rental received from

buildings that are rented out? A: There is no Zakaat pay-

able specifically on rentals received. The rentals re-

ceived will form part of the other cash and the decision of Zakaat payable on the

cash will depend upon the individual’s financial calcula-

tion. Broadly, if there is only cash and no liabilities or the

cash exceeds the liabilities, then the cash will be subject to Zakaat.

Answer by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Q: Does the time period in

a lease have to be men-tioned? If not, can the landlord, after a period of

time claim that this lease is over and that a new

lease be formed? A: The Islamic ruling in re-

gards to renting out a prop-erty is that the time period of the lease should be agreed

upon when renting out the

property. Once the time pe-

riod of the lease is fixed, it will not be permissible for

the landlord or the tenant to terminate the deal for the duration of his period without

the consent of the other party, unless there is a valid

Islamic excuse. If a lease pe-riod was not agreed upon, and the landlord and the ten-

ant had agreed upon a fixed rent per month, the lease will

be valid only for the first month. If the tenant uses the facility for a day or an hour

after the expiry of the first month, the lease will be ex-

tended for another month. The same ruling will apply in

the third month and the months to follow. The land-lord and the tenant will have

the right to terminate the lease at the starting of every

month, if they wish to do so. If the tenant has paid the rent for the following months

in advance, the two of them will not have the right to ter-

minate the lease during these months without the consent of the other. It will

not be permissible for any of them to terminate the lease

in the middle of the month without the consent of the other party. (Fatawa Hindiy-

yah 4:16) Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Q: Is it permissible to use gold and silver plated

utensils? What about stainless steel utensils? A: Utensils can be catego-

rized into four types: 1)Utensils made from gold or

silver: cannot be used for eating or drinking at all. 2) Utensils made of materials

other than gold and silver: permissible to use. Stainless

steel falls under this type;

hence, permissible to use. The permissibility of using

copper and copper alloy utensils will depend on whether or not it is harmful

to one’s health, as it is possi-ble that certain types of food

react adversely with copper, whereas others do not. If the copper or copper alloy utensil

is coated with another metal/material that is not harmful

to the health and acts as a barrier between the copper and the food, then using

such a utensil will be permis-sible without any reprehensi-

bility. 3)Utensils made of materials other than gold

and silver but embellished with pieces of gold or silver: can only be used for eating

and drinking with the condi-tion that the main part of the

body intended to be used with such a utensil does not touch the gold and silver.

E.g. in a cup embellished with gold and silver, the con-

dition is that the mouth does not touch the gold and silver. In a plate, tray and jug em-

bellished with gold and sil-ver, the condition is that the

hand does not touch the gold and silver. Without this con-dition, it will not be permissi-

ble to eat and drink from such utensils. 4) Utensils

made of materials other than gold and silver but are coated with gold or silver and

the gold and silver cannot be detached and separated from

the actual utensil, such as gold and silver plated uten-sils: can be used even if

one’s hand and mouth touches the gold and silver

coating. � Answer by: Moulana Faizal Riza

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INTERNET / IN

SPIRATIO

N

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player

was dying of Aids which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in

1983. He received letters from his fans, one of which said: ‘Why does God have to select you for such a bad disease?’

Ashe replied: ‘The world over, 50 million chil-

dren start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the

grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, when I was holding the

cup I never asked God ‘Why me?’ And today in pain I should not be asking God ‘Why me?’ �

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Jews expelled by Christians from Spain in

1492 found a safe home in the Balkan region of the Muslim Ottoman Empire. They lived

there for 450 years, keeping their traditions, Sarajevo in Bosnia had 10,000 Jews.

Then came World War II and the invading Na-zis. Many Jews lost their lives but there were

others who survived, thanks to the refuge that Muslims in the Balkans gave them. Jews flee-ing to Albania were welcomed into Muslim

homes, not as refugees but as guests. Entire villages would protect them.

Albanian Muslims helped Jews because of a code of honour called Besa, derived from Is-

lamic principles, which compelled the Muslim families to place a stranger's needs above all

else. �

8 Islamic Focus

INTERNET / COMPARITIVE

The disease of arguing over religious rulings in

which there is a difference of opinion among

Ulama, is eating away at the foundation of the

Muslim community. Here are some guidelines:

A man asked Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, ‘I sometimes find myself in a gathering where

the Sunnah is mentioned, but no-one apart from me has more knowledge of it. Shall I speak and say something?’ Imam Ahmad said,

‘State the Sunnah, but do not argue over it.’

Imam Malik rahimahullah said, ‘And if they don’t accept it (the Sunnah) from you, then be silent.’ Mutamir ibn Sulayman said, ‘I heard

my father say: ‘You can never get a man to listen to you when you have just angered

him.’ (Al-Adab al-Shariyyah, pg. 307) Advise people of correct actions but don’t push

them to the point of arguments because get-ting advice to a person in that state is like try-

ing to force back water flowing from a tap. The Prophet � heard the voices of two persons who had an argument with each other about a verse of the Quraan. Signs of anger could be

seen on the face of the Prophet �. He said, ‘Verily, the (peoples) before you were ruined

because of their disputation in the Book.’ (Muslim, 6443)

‘No one who has once found the right way, ever goes astray except through dis-

pute.’ (Tirmidhi) ‘…Allah has hated for you ... to ask too many

questions (in disputed religious matters)…’ (Bukhari 3:591) �

Some tips from the Hadith on winning the hearts of

the people around us, our family, friends and ac-

quaintances:

Smile. It is the first arrow and the fastest of them all. It is like salt for food. It is also regarded as a

kind of worship and charity as mentioned in Hadith: ‘Smiling at your brother's face is

charity.’ Sahaba report they had never seen someone smile at the other's face more than the Prophet � used to do. The Prophet � said: ‘Do not ever waste your good deeds, even by meeting your brother with a frowning face.

Be a good listener.

It is to listen patiently and never interrupt the speaker, as the Prophet � never interrupted a speaker till he ended his speech. He who does

this gains the love of others and their admira-tion.

Express your feelings. If you love someone tell them at once. This of

course excludes impermissible love and refers to love for the sake of Allah. The Prophet � said: ‘If you felt the brotherly love of Islam towards any, you should immediately go and tell him about your feelings.’ He added ‘It is

the way relations are to be strongly indicated.’

Be sociable. It is the art of being social. The Prophet � said: ‘Being sociable is as charity.’ The

Prophet � was asked about the deeds which lead most of the people into Paradise. He re-

plied, ‘The fear of Allah and good man-ners.’ (Tirmidhi) �

Adapted from EveryMuslim.net

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BIO

GRAPHY / M

USLIM

INFLU

ENCE

Afrikaans is a language spoken primarily in

South Africa and Namibia. It evolved from the dialect of Dutch spoken by Europeans who

settled in the Cape in the 17th century. So what does this language have to do with

Muslims? Firstly, Malay slaves from the Cape contributed to the development of Afrikaans.

Secondly, Afrikaans borrows some words from Malay such as piesang for banana, baie for many/very and baadjie for jacket.

Thirdly, Muslims were the first to write Afri-

kaans. The language on the streets of the early Cape was non-standardised. Arabic Afri-kaans was a form of Afrikaans written in Ara-

bic script. This was the first version of written Afrikaans and began in the 1830s in the ma-

drasas in Cape Town. 74 Arabic Afrikaans texts are extant. The earliest, Hidyat al-Islam,

is dated 1845. The oldest surviving manuscript was written by Imam Abdul Kahhar. One of the best examples of this literature was

Uiteensetting van die Godsdiens (Exposition of the Religion or Bayaanud Deen written in

1862) by Sheikh Abu Bakr Effendi, who came from the Ottoman Empire. It was written in the language spoken by the Cape Malays in

their everyday lives. The fact that Sheikh Abu Bakr (and other Ulama) chose to write in this

language was innovative, not just because they wrote in a new language yet to have a literary existence, but they wrote with the

Arabic script. Thus, the first books to be writ-ten in the Afrikaans language were written not

only by Muslims, but also in the Arabic script. There was also a handwritten Arabic-Afrikaans bilingual Quraan, written in the 1880s. �

Sultan Fateh Ali Khan (1750-1799), known as

Tipu Sultan and the Tiger of Mysore, ruled the Kingdom of Mysore (in present day India)

from 1782-1799. Tipu Sultan was a devout Muslim who ruled a majority Hindu country. His father became ruler of Mysore in 1761.

Tipu Sultan was trained in military tactics from

an early age. At 15, he accompanied his father against the British in the First Mysore War. He commanded a corps of cavalry in the invasion

of Carnatic at 16, and distinguished himself in the First Anglo-Maratha War. Most of Tipu Sul-

tan's campaigns resulted in successes. He subdued all the kingdoms in the south, de-feated the Marathas and Nizams and was also

one of the few Indian rulers to defeat the Brit-ish armies several times. The 2nd Mysore War

came to an end with the 1784 Treaty of Man-galore, the last occasion when an Indian king

dictated terms to the British. Tipu Sultan built roads, public buildings and ports along the Kerala shoreline. His trade extended to coun-

tries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, France, Tur-key, and Iran. He was the innovator of the

world's first war rocket and deployed as many as 5,000 rocketeers at a time. Tipu intro-duced a new calendar and coinage. He was

well versed in Urdu, Kannada, Persian and Arabic. He strengthened education in Persian

and Urdu among Muslims in Mysore. He wrote ‘Fath ul Mujahidin’, an army manual and ‘Muwaaiz ul Mujahidin’, the collection of his

Friday sermons. He introduced Islamic terms which have been in use ever since and at-

tempted to assign Muslim names to several places. Tipu Sultan was killed defending his capital against the British in 1799. He had 4

wives, 16 sons and 8 daughters. �

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HISTO

RY / CURRENT

Here is a round-up of current legislation and de-

bate about face-covering Muslim veils and Muslim

headscarves in various countries:

FRANCE: became the first country to enact a law designed to forbid face-covering veils such as the niqab anywhere in public. Violators risk

fines or citizenship classes. A 2004 law bans Muslim headscarves from classrooms.

BELGIUM: Parliament passed a measure ban-ning veils in 2010 but it has languished since

the country has struggled to form a new gov-ernment. The mayor of Maaseik banned face-

covering veils in 2004. GERMANY: Several states banned teachers

from wearing headscarves in public schools. Hesse state decided to bar public employees

from wearing face-covering veils at work. SPAIN: Several towns have begun processes

to prohibit veils in municipal buildings.

NETHERLANDS: Government is aiming to ban the burqa, but has yet to present legisla-tion. A previous administration abandoned a

total ban on Muslim veils in 2006, after law-yers said it would likely be unconstitutional.

ITALY: Has a law requiring people to keep their faces visible in public. It’s rarely applied

in the case of women wearing veils.

SYRIA: President Assad reversed a decision that bans teachers from wearing the niqab to appease the Sunni majority as he faces a

popular uprising. Government had banned the veil in July 2010.

99% of Somalis are Muslim. Early Muslims fled

to Somalia to seek protection with the Ethio-pian Emperor. Islam spread through trade.

There were several migrations of Arabs and Mogadishu became the center of Islam in East Africa.

Many Muslim states were established and from

the 1600’s they waged war against Christian Ethiopia. Somali states and ports had lucrative trade with Arabia, India, Italy, Persia, Egypt,

Portugal and China. Somali merchants estab-lished a colony in Mozambique to mine gold.

Mogadishu, by the 15th century, was a large city with houses five storeys high, palaces and Musjids. Giraffes, zebras and incense were ex-

ported to China, thus influencing the Chinese language with Somali. In the 16th century Ot-

toman and Somali fleets attacked Portuguese colonies in southeast Africa driving them out

from several. In the 1800’s European colonial-ism inspired Somali Sheikh Hassan to begin one of the longest colonial resistance wars

against the British, French and Italians. After independence in 1960 a socialist government

replaced Arabic script with Latin for writing Somali. Ulama were executed and Islamic or-ganizations banned. In 1977 Somalia waged a

war for Ogaden, a Somali area occupied by Ethiopia. Since 1991 Somalia has experienced

civil war. The Islamic Courts Union established control over much of Somali in 2006, offering education and health care and stopped piracy

and the drug trade, but were halted by Ethio-pian troops. Now Islamist Al-Shabaab controls

much of the country. Many Somali refugees live in Europe, America and South Africa. Is-lamic education was very strong before the

civil war and many Somalis are Huffaaz. �

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FINAL FO

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Darul Yatama Wal Masakeen was set up in

1934. It runs an orphanage on a cottage sys-tem for 55 children including abandoned ba-

bies at Baitul Aman in La Mercy, KwaZulu Na-tal; and homes for aged ladies (22) at Baitul Hifazat and aged men (20) at Baitul Firdous,

both in Durban. It is a registered NPO.

Some Activities � Distribution of 140 monthly food hampers to families

� Assists in paying rentals, electricity/water bills, medical assistance, financial aid etc

� Assists with tertiary, school fees, school uniforms, books and madressa to the value of R2,9 million

� Distributes wheelchairs and disability aids in association with Radio Al-Ansaar

� Provides home based nursing as well as care givers at cost

� Free burial services to the needy in associa-tion with the Gorba Trust and other burial service providers

� Assists in employment placement or self help projects

� Skills development for the children � Empowering people with skills programmes to become self employed

� Homes of poor visited by a social worker � Cataract clinic where consumables are paid

for. Procedures are done by IMA members at no cost. �

Contact: PO Box 19006, Dormeton, 4015

Tel: 031 209 8720 Fax: 031 207 7440

Email: info@darulyatama.org

www.darulyatama.org.za

In Tabligh we are encouraged to speak to oth-

ers about the greatness of Allah. People argue that the speakers are always telling others

what to do but they themselves are never practicing. Here’s how a preachers life will change after preaching to others:

There was once a man who, after spending his

entire life on the farm, decided to see how the city looks. As he walked in the city center, a barber shop got his attention. In amazement,

for an entire hour he just watched the man cut hair. His cousin, who was born and bred in the

city, noticed the astonished look on his face and asked the reason for such astonishment.

The farm boy was marveled at the thought that, whilst the entire city was chasing after

money, this man takes out his time and helps others by cutting their hair. The city boy then

explained that the barber is also after money. It looks as if he is just helping people but in reality there is a great financial benefit for

him. He explained that if you want your hair to be cut you have to pay a certain amount. So if

three people cut their hair, each customer will gain one benefit of having his hair cut. How-ever the barber will have three benefits of

money.

In the same way, it looks as if the preacher is going around and telling others what to do, whereas in reality there is a great spiritual

benefit for him. Every time he speaks to someone his own heart gets affected. So if he

speaks to five people, the five might benefit or might not benefit but the speaker would have benefited five times. �