SKILLS CENTRE
ZAHSA
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Read more on our skills centres on pg 3...
ZAHSA hopes to create a uniform system allowing national standards to all zakaah bodies... pg 2
Newsletter First Edition 2008 - 2013
Tel: 041 453 1222 Web: www.alfidaa.co.za
“THE EASTERN CAPE, AN AREA WHERE 72% OF INDIVIDUALS LIVE BELOW THE BREADLINE.” The communities of need who surround us are often forgotten in the worlds of comfort we have created for ourselves. We are so keen to read about the expansion of Walmer Park Shopping centre or comment how busy Greenacres is (our popular shopping centre in Port Elizabeth), dashing to the many food outlets of choice to enjoy sumptuous meals or vie with each other in our passion for the best cars, sound systems and decorated homes that we are oblivious of the many in distress around us. The glitter and glamour of our worlds has undermined the woe and worries others are experiencing.
Hand of the Almighty and He will ensure the profits of peace and security in both worlds according to our intentions.
To soothe our conscience of self-indulgence and merrymaking, we comment on the poor by saying: “we work hard for our money….”, “the poor are so lazy…”, “they just want to collect food parcels, tell them to wash the car in the yard and see how quick the ‘poor man’ runs”. Fair enough, there are those who are professional beggars/con artists who are experts in seducing a soft heart for a quick buck but is that the fault of every poor person? A widow who has four children to feed, a family left in destitution because of a druggie husband who desert his responsibilities, a mother who has a sickly child who needs urgent help to get to Cape Town for treatment, a poor lady who desperately needs a wheelchair for her beloved handicapped child or an elderly mum who has given her last portion of cereal for her hungry child - are they also to be forsaken? Do we forsake and hate a poor person who is tested by circumstances and ignore their plight? Do we honestly feel
It is a sad reality that many will only donate when seeing a picture of a child with a distended belly due to starvation, a mom caressing a dying child or share some pity when a vulture lurks close to a starving baby, then our pockets empty in zakaah. The lives of humanity have become a movie to us, only an emotionally powerful image of distress stirs our we are acquitted from blame since they conscience, whilst we ourselves cannot are old and unemployable, uneducated lacking a varsity degree so they deserve to undergo a slight dip in our earnings and cannot tolerate any form of financial be looked down on with contempt in our difficulty. The Islamic ethos of generosity circles whilst we splash R 500 on a video game, large pretty vases for our lounges, or found in our illustrious past bears testimony show support to our rich friend’s daughter to help without discrimination. Supporting a widow, caring for orphans, helping a with lavish wedding gifts? These have businessman who is cash-strapped and become our beautiful ideals: that we will contributing to the upliftment of society in care more for our housemaids - paying general was de rigueur of the identity of them exorbitant wages to ensure our Muslims. homes are prim and proper for the next party; or for the Joneses who may stop We earnestly need to examine the manner over for tea since the housemaid is our need for keeping a standard, not the issue of our social welfare donations and rekindle the passion to assist others and of kindness or sharing of resources with live to the Prophetic dictum: “Love for your a fellow human being. So our assistance Muslim brother what you love for yourself”. to those less endowed is almost always As much as a comfortable lifestyle is for our selfish reasons rather than true cherished by ourselves, we should aspire charity which seeks no recompense other to create and share this happiness for than the pleasure of the Almighty. Yes, we are heavily taxed for what we earn and the every Ummati, this is Fidaa! Devotion and sacrifice to the Ummah and making efforts government owes the poor their due; and to alleviate difficulties of the Ummah! May corruption has brought unrest throughout the Almighty grant us all the understanding, the country but none can deny that as Muslims, our donations are accepted in the Ameen.
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