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Issue 114

Igniting the Spirit of Islam Jan 2014

START The period from the conquest of Kazan in 1552 to the ascension of Catherine in 1762 was marked by systematic repression of Muslims.

lim nation on the shore of the Black Sea. For no reason other than ethnic hatred, over the course of hundreds of raids the Russians drove the Circassians from their homeland and deported them. More than 600,000 Muslims lost their lives to massacre and starvation, while hundreds of thousands more were forced to leave their. By 1864, 75% of the population was annihilated.

Some say as many as 4 million Muslims lost their lives.

It resulted in almost annihilating the Circassians, Crimean Tatars, and various Muslims of the Caucasus.

The Russian army rounded up people, driving Muslims from their villages to ports on the Black Sea, where they awaited ships provided by the Ottoman Empire.

Under Communist rule, Islam, like other religions in the Soviet Union, was oppressed and suppressed.

Most mosques were closed.

Russia ended up invading Muslim regions of Central Asia, the Caucasus and later attempted the invasion of Afghanistan.

CIRCASSIA Circassia was a small Mus-

CAUCASUS Muslim resistance to the Rus-

With Sochi in the news for having hosted the Winter Olympics, and Ukraine’s Crimea region featuring currently, we take some time to highlight a few points concerning Russian imperialism in Muslim lands.

sian invasion in the Caucasus started in the 1700’s and continues today in areas like Chechnya, Daghestan and Ingushetia. Russia has killed over a quarter million Muslims there in the last 10 years.

POLICIES The Russian imperialists used every inhumane form of repression from burning homes and farms to massacres, forced removal and starvation to annihilate the Muslims.

The Communists continued this trend and the baton has now been taken over by the current Russian Federation.

We pray for the safety and freedom of all Muslims under Russian occupation and oppression.

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TURKEY - Government banned Twitter, accusing the website of failing to comply with court orders.

There are estimated to be about 10 million Twitter users in Turkey. (BBC, 23 Mar 2014) LEBANON - Clashes erupted in Beirut among supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar alAssad. Lebanese troops were deployed after a number of casualties were reported in a predominantly Sunni Muslim area. The clashes come after more than a week of violence in Tripoli that left 25 dead.

The fighting there is between supporters of Syria's rebels and those backing Mr Assad's Alawite sect.

Battles have raged between members of the predominantly Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Muhsin, which is populated mainly by Alawites, the sect of Assad. (BBC, 23 Mar 2014) LIBYA - US returned an oil tanker to the Libyan government. The North Korea-flagged ship had been loaded at a rebel-held port and evaded a naval blockade before being boarded by US Navy Seals in in violation of international laws. Rebels had loaded the Morning Glory with oil at the port of Sidra. It was the first vessel loaded at a rebel-held port since a separatist revolt against the central government in Tripoli erupted in July 2013. Rebels under Ibrahim Jathran hold three ports, and are demanding a greater share of the country's oil revenue. There were clashes between Jathran’s fighters and Libyan troops in Ajdabiya. The Navy Seals operation had been authorised by Obama. (BBC, 23 Mar 2014) PALESTINE - Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. 14 Palestinians were also wounded,

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two of them critically. (BBC, 22 Mar 2014) SYRIA - Israel attacked several Syrian military sites in retaliation for a bombing that wounded four of its troops in the occupied Golan Heights. One Syrian soldier was killed and seven others were wounded at three positions outside Quneitra. The Israeli air force has conducted several attacks on Syria since the uprising began three years ago. The Golan Heights was seized from Syria in 1967 and has been illegally occupied since then. Two weeks ago, Israeli troops shot two Hezbollah terrorists attempting to plant an explosive device near the fence demarcating the demilitarised zone. (BBC, 19 Mar 2014) EGYPT - Activists have released video footage showing the torture and mistreatment of young men and women in army custody. They are among 50 youths accused of taking part in protests against the country's military-backed government. Those held are between the ages of 12 and 15. Their families accuse prison authorities of beating the youth and restricting access to them. (AJ, 23 Mar 2014) ALGERIA - Thousands of Algerian opposition supporters called for a boycott of presidential elections, during an unprecedented mass rally. 5,000 people attended the Islamist and secular opposition parties rally. Large opposition gatherings are unusual in Algeria, where army generals have dominated since scrapping elections won by Islamists in 1992. (BBC,

22 Mar 2014) YEMEN - 12 killed in clashes between Yemeni forces and Shia rebels near Amran. Shia rebels have been fighting the government. (AJ, 22 Mar 2014)

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• Global sports market worth £87bn by 2015 • Global sport sponsorship worth £15bn an-

nually (£336m from betting companies) • Global sports betting industry is £602bn Sports betting is worth 1000% more than sport revenue and sponsorship. Match-fixing has grown at the same size and at the same rate as sport betting has grown. Sport betting is the cause of modern match-fixing.

English Premier League revenues: £2bn 2009–10 • UK Football betting revenue: £1bn for 2012.

19 betting companies have commercial partnerships with English football clubs. In the UK the betting industry now accounts for over £60m of total UK sports sponsorship.

•

The UK betting industry is worth over £6.28bn 2009-10 or 0.5% of UK's GDP. It employs over 100,000 people and generates £700 million in taxes.

“In order that the masses may not guess what they are about, we further distract them with amusements, games, pastimes.” (Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Zionist blueprint to world domination) “...The devil wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering Allah…” (Quran 5:90-1)

1. Be Forgiving “Whoever pardons and makes reconciliation — his reward is [due] from Allah.” [Quran 42:40] When you keep in mind that your forgiveness of your family’s mistakes is not for them, but for you, by gaining Allah’s pleasure and reward, the task of forgiving becomes easier.

2. Smile Often Around Your Family Jarir bin Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah never ... looked at me except with a smile (on his face). [Bukhari] ”When you smile to your brother’s face, it is charity.” [Tirmidhi] 3. Avoid Getting Angry “The strong man is not the one who can overpower others (in wrestling); rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry.” [Ahmad] If there is a main ingredient that contributes to lack of productivity in the home, expressing one’s anger might be it.

4. Be Patient With Imperfections One of the best ways to help you avoid becoming angry with your family members is by being patient with their imperfections. Not one of us on Earth is perfect. We all have our faults.

We can direct our family toward proper behaviour by our own example and gentle reminders. The rewards of patience are enormous.

“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.” [Quran 39:10] Productive Muslim

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SOCIAL / HISTORY

Who runs the sports industry? Who calls the shots? A look at some facts and figures:

WORSHIP / SOCIAL

In view of the book Fifty Shades of Grey beng so popular, and with the movie and other spinoffs, it’s necessary to highlight some aspects.

Fifty Shades of Grey is not only a soft-porn book, but it also has some really disturbing material. Kids think it’s an amazing love story!

But the book gives a messed up concept of sex, and some content may even be emotionally disturbing and psychologically damaging.

This book is in the hands of many practicing Muslims. The trilogy sold 70 million copies in 2012, the fastest selling paperback of all time.

The real concern lies in the plot—this is a disturbing book about a millionaire sadist who enslaves young girls under a “mutual agreement” and inflicts physical pain on them for his sexual pleasure and in return he offers them generous amount of money and cossets them with lavish cars, extravagant clothes and jewelry. Abused as a teenager, he partners with his abuser in a business and doesn't necessarily see anything wrong with what his abuser did to him. Moreover, since his own mother was a prostitute who committed suicide, he chooses girls who look like his mother so he can inflict pain on them, to satisfy his anger towards her!

A young, ambitious, educated, innocent girl, who is not only a virgin but very naïve about sex, falls in love with him, even though he stalks her, traces her calls, convinces her to sign the slavery submissive-contract so he can use her for his sexual enjoyment.

They get married and after the marriage he

gives up his addiction and they live happily ever after. If our girls are going to read books like Fifty Shades of Grey, they are going to left with a seriously damaged concept of intimacy.

Some points we need to get across: 1. It is not okay to be sexually abused by someone and then accept the abuse as a lifestyle, just because the abused starts enjoying the abuse.

2. It is not okay for a man to lure a girl into marrying him with his money or good looks while expecting her to overlook his habit of objectifying women as mere sexual objects.

3. Decent men normally don't stalk girls.

4. Grey (the main character) is domineering, a control freak, a stalker, and a manipulator. In real life, these character flaws cause marital problems.

6. It is not okay to marry an addict especially if a girl finds out about his addiction before the marriage. This is a serious matter and unlike the book, addicts don't lose their addiction just by marrying someone they love.

9. It is not okay for a man to inflict physical pain on his wife for his sexual pleasure.

This is just a brief clarification of some issues of not just one but three books about an abused billionaire turned into a sadisticdomineering-control freak-emotional abuser's “amazing love story”!

As parents, and teens, we need to be aware that what we read also needs to be within the guidelines of Islam. We will be questioned regarding what we read, and more so when it impacts on our outlook on life.

Adapted from article by MuslimsMatters.org

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From various Ulama

www.shafiifiqh.com Q: What is the Shafi ruling on a child having dolls and stuffed animals?

A: Children's toys are not considered idols and it is not forbidden to buy and acquire them. (Bujayrami, Hashiya alal Iqna) This does not prevent angels from entering the house.

Q: Can women pray in a women-only congregation?

A: It is permitted for women to pray in a women-only congregation. It is, in fact, generally better for them to pray at home in congregation than at the Musjid.

Q: I’m a doctor. I’ve partially borne my aunt's medical expenses. She needs an operation and is looking to me for financial support. What are my financial obligations towards her?

A: Financial support obligatorily due to one’s relatives in the Shafi school is that one who finds financial ease must support his parents in as many generations as they are removed (father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather, etc.), and his children as far down as they may go (children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, etc.). The condition is that they be poor. One is not obligated to give rich relatives financial support. Any money given to one's other poor relatives, like siblings or aunts is charity you’re rewarded for with no sin if left out. If your aunt needs this treatment and can’t afford it, and there’s no one other than you to help, Islamic Focus

then it’s obligatory upon you.

This is not the case with just your aunt, but an obligation on all wealthy people to take care of the essential financial needs of the poor over and above Zakaat; if Zakaat was not sufficient to satisfy their essential needs. This is a communal obligation that many are heedless of.

Q: Since it is unlawful to consume harmful things, such as smoking cigarettes, then how is it permissible to consume sugar and tea, when we know they can be harmful?

A: The criterion on which pure substances are permissible to consume or not is that if something causes harm more than 50% of the time, it is unlawful to consume. If it causes harm rarely, or 50% or less of the time, then it is not unlawful to consume, but disliked.

(Ibn Hajar, Tuhfa. See Shirwani: 1:75) Based on this, it is unlawful to smoke tobacco (cigarettes, etc) because it is clear it harms people most of the time and it is rare for a smoker to remain unharmed by it. This is in contrast to sugar and tea, whose consumption does not harm people most of the time; rather, the harm is rare. But if a doctor informs a person that a certain thing would harm him specifically if he consumed it because of a condition he suffers from, then it would be unlawful for that person to consume it even if it is something that normally harms people only rarely. (Ibn Hajar)

The same applies if a person knows through his own experience that consuming something would harm him i.e., it would be unlawful for him to consume that thing.

Q: Is circumcision compulsory for both male and female? If yes, what does female circumcision entail?

A: Female circumcision is obligatory in the Shafi school.

It does not call for the removal of the clitoris, but rather a slight trimming of it to increase sexual pleasure.

Since the correct practice has become so lost, and has deviated in many cultures to gross mutilation, many opt to take the Hanbali or Hanafi dispensation, because the former considers it a sunnah while the latter consider it a courtesy to the husband.

Present-day Shafi scholars in many lands say that because the correct practice has become an almost-lost art, the ruling for the prevalent forms of circumcision would be impermissibility.

Q: I gave someone money to give to someone needy on my behalf, but then later on, I needed that money. Is it permissible for me to ask for it back if he has not given it to the needy person yet?

A: Yes, you have the right to ask for your money back if it has not yet been given to the needy person. This is because your money is still in his possession.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

SHAFI Q & A

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

HANAFI Q & A From various Ulama

www.askimam.org | www.askmufti.co.za | www.daruliftaa.net Q: Can post-mortems be used for solving crimes?

A: Post-mortems, even though not condoned in Islamic law, can be used in Islamic Courts as supporting evidence. It cannot be the sole evidence to prove a huge crime like Qatal (murder) which entails inflicting severe punishment on the criminal. Post-mortems cannot replace witnesses who must be present to testify to the charges in question. With post-mortems, there is always a percentage of mistakes in the analysis; and Islamic scholars state that the prescribed punishments for serious crimes in Islam (Hudood) are dropped off at the least doubt.

Can I sell products to customers who will pay with a credit card?

A: Your customers may use their credit cards to pay for their accounts on condition they do not use the budget facility of the card as you would then be assisting in the sin of Riba (interest), which is prohibited.

Q: When we hear of the death of Muslims we say Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. What should we say on hearing of the death of non-Muslims?

A: The saying of Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un is not confined to news of a death.

It should be uttered at any occasion where one is put into distress or calamity.

“Those who are hastening in disbelief should not grieve you” (Qur’aan 3:175) At the death of nonMuslims, rather than words Islamic Focus

of condolences, we should ponder what is the final abode of this non-Muslim and how fickle is our faith. We should, on hearing the death of a non-Muslim, beg Allah to save us from a similar fate.

Q: Is it permissible for a man who has traveled far from his wife, or if he has not but she is menstruating, to fulfill his desire sexually by thinking about her? Does this require her permission A: Yes, it is permissible for a man to think of his wife by bringing to mind aspects of her that arouse his pleasure and imagine that he is making love to her. This does not require her permission because if he is permitted to make love to her, then it is permitted for him to think about her. However, it is unlawful for him to perform any unlawful action, such as masturbation.

Q: A lady has frozen breast milk not in use. Is she allowed to donate it to the milk bank who uses it to feed other babies in need? Or should she just discard it?

A: The system of breastfeeding in Islam establishes foster relationships. As a result, the following implications arise: 1. It becomes impermissible for the foster parents to marry the child, its ascendants and descendants.

2. It becomes impermissible for the child to marry any of the foster parents, their biological and foster ascendants and descendants.

3. It becomes impermissible for all those children who have been breastfed by the same woman to marry each other.

As a general principle, foster relations prohibit the marriage of all such people with whom marriage in Islam is not permissible due to biological relations.

Majority of the milk banks pool whatever milk they receive and redistribute it to hospitals and individuals. The system of pooling the milk results in the fusion of the milk particles of one woman’s milk with the rest of the milk. Resultantly, feeding a child from any portion of such milk will constitute the establishment of a foster relationship between the child and all those women whose milk has been pooled together. This will in turn create complications relating to the permissibility of marriage with any individual who may have been fed such milk.

Hence, it will highly inappropriate to give the milk to a milk bank. She should dispose of the milk in a dignified manner, preferably by burying it in the ground.

Q: Is it permissible to read the 2 rakat Nafl before the Fardh of Maghrib?

A: According to Hanafis there is no Sunnah or Nafl Salah before the Fardh Salah of Maghrib. However, if one is in a place where Nafl Salah before Maghrib is performed, then one may perform the Nafl before Maghrib Salah.

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A man was being offensive to a certain Sheikh: “You’re an atheist! You’re drinker! A thief!”

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The Sheikh just smiled in response. A well dressed man was watching the scene and asked the Sheikh:

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“How can you tolerate such offences? Do you not feel hurt?” The Sheikh smiled again and said: “Come with me.”

The man followed him to a dusty room where the Sheikh lit the fire and began rummaging in a trunk. He eventually drew out a completely worthless, tattered robe. He threw it to the well dressed man and said: “Try it, it will match you.” The well dressed man took the robe, looked at it and said in disgust: “What these dirty rags are for? I am well dressed, and you must be crazy!

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He threw the robe back. “You see,” the Sheikh said, “You did not want to try on these rags.

Similarly, I did not want to try on those dirty words that man threw at me. To be aggrieved at the offensiveness of others means to try on rags someone throw to us.”

We will get hurt in life; people will insult us.

Whether those words dictate our lives, making us angry or depressed, depends on us; on how we react to them.

Don’t allow a bully to run your life.

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INTERNET / INSPIRATION

Enrich your web experience. Not all content on all sites Islamic-compliant. Consult Ulama

SOCIAL / HISTORY

With less than 100 days to go to the Month of the Quran, Ramadaan, here is an easy method to complete an entire Quran recitation every month.

Read some part of the Quran daily so that when you die, you will have this beautiful good deed to add to your scale, and a light to add to your grave: Method The easiest method is to incorporate recitation of the Quran to every one of the five daily Salaah. Depending on the print that you are using, you can adjust the following method: All you have to do is to read around 4.5 pages after each prayer. Check this out: 4.5 x 5 prayers a day x 30 days = 604 pages (the number of Quran pages) So easy to read the whole Quran each month, by spending few minutes after each prayer. Or you can recite 2 pages before and 2 after each Salaah.

The Quran has approximately 600 pages approx. If you divide it by 30 days, that’s 20 pages a day. You see, not difficult to do right?

But, if you divide it on the 5 prayers a day, it gets easier: If you read 4 pages after every salah, or 2 before and 2 after, then you’ve completed the Quran in a month.

Islamic law influenced several areas of western law. Here is one: English Common Law Several fundamental common law institutions were adapted from similar legal institutions in Islamic law and jurisprudence, and introduced to England after the Norman conquest of England; by the Normans, who conquered and inherited the Islamic legal administration of the Emirate of Sicily These include the “royal English contract protected by the action of debt” and the “Islamic Aqd”, the “English assize of novel disseisin” and the “Islamic Istihqaq”, and the “English jury” and the “Islamic Lafif”. From the 9th to 11th century, Sicily was ruled by Muslims who followed the Maliki school.

Maliki law has certain provisions which resemble English legal principles, such as jury trial and land possession. Norman barons invaded Sicily in 1061 - five years before Normans invaded England. Norman leaders in Sicily developed close cultural affinities with the Arabs, and these Normans were blood relations of Henry II, the English king who founded the common law.

English legal institutions such as the “law schools known as Inns of Court” are parallel to Madrasas in Islam and the “European commenda” (parallel to Islamic Qirad) also originated from Islamic law. English trust and agency institutions in common law, introduced

by Crusaders, were adapted from Islamic Waqf and Hawala they came across in Middle East.

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Kazbech Tuguzhoko (1777–1840) was a leader of the Circassians in the fight to protect Circassia. He was born to a famous Shapsug noble family. He was the most successful, trusted, and beloved military leader among the Circassians. His nickname was "The Lion of the Circassians".

Kazbech Tuguzhoko was born in the village of Beannash. In 1834, he twice defeated the Russian imperial armies. In 1837, accompanied by 250 soldiers, he attacked the right bank of the Kuban Russian fort. As a warrior, Kazbech enjoyed great respect among opponents. Tsarist generals entered into negotiations with him and repeatedly offered him to join the service of Russia.

Kazbech not only organized military campaigns, but showed courage and heroism. On January 30, 1830, Kazbech with 4 thousand fighters attacked Elizabethan village, but was defeated by. In October 1838, he received seven serious wounds, and his sons were injured and eventfully died from the injures.

Kazbech Tuguzhoko died of wounds received in action on February 28, 1840.

Sister Rehab el Buri passed away 6 March 2011 at the age of 26 due to cancer. A section from her blog which she wrote before she died, to reflect upon: It took me about three days to accept my death. On the first day, as you read, my mind was in chaos. On the second day, I was numb.

And on the third day, my husband and mother began talking sense to me, and I finally came to some important realizations: 1. We are all going to die. The people who took the news of my disease calmly and those who panicked - they are going to die one day too. Death is one of the few realities we can be certain of in this life, and yet we somehow slip into thinking that we are exempt.

2. We live this life for the next. I was living my life as a Muslim...praying and fasting, but I had somehow allowed my real goal in life to be swallowed by buying salad plates for my next dinner party, and trying to get free shipping on my next jcrew order, and finding pillows that popped against my cream sofa. In between being a consumer and entertaining myself to death, I let what really matters in my life slip away from me. If I was truly living my life for the Hereafter, I should not be so fearful of the future I had created for myself.

3. Each day is a gift. Receiving this wake up call is such a blessing in that each day Allah grants me is an opportunity to do some more good and try to make up for some of the mistakes I made in the past.

Source: Idealmuslimah.com

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BIOGRAPHY / INSPIRATION

Circassia is a region in the North Caucasus along the shore of the Black Sea. It is the ancestral homeland of the Circassian people and was ruled by Muslims until the Russian invasion of the 1800’s. The Russians perpetrated one of the worst genocides and by 1864 75% of the population was annihilated.

HISTORY / SUNNAH

There are 130,000 Muslims or 0.5% of the population in Venezuela. Muslims are small in number but influential. Many are Arabs of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian descent as well as Turkish.

The mosque of Sheikh Ibrahim Al Ibrahim in the capital, Caracas, is the biggest in Latin America.

There are also other notable mosques in the country. The local cable television outlet carries Al Jazeera as well as other Arab channels.

Women wearing Hijab work cash tills and on most shop counters Quraanic verses are on display.

Muslims in Venezuela have protested against the Israeli embassy in the country. There are several Muslim organizations in the country.

Jereed is a traditional Turkish equestrian team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score points by throwing a blunt wooden javelin at opposing team's horsemen.

Jereed came to Anatolia with Turks as they migrated in 1071 from their homelands in Central Asia.

In the 16th century, Ottoman Turks accepted it as a wargame, and it spread from that time onwards.

In peace time, jereed was played to improve the cavalry’s skills. Some of the Ottoman sultans were jereed players. It spread to Arabia and Europe and, was enjoyed in German and French language speaking territories in the 17th century.

In the 19th century, it gained its highest popularity as a show sport and game at the court and in all Ottoman territories. Mahmud II banned it in 1826 and it never recovered its importance.

Ahmet Ali Çelikten,also known as Arap Ahmet Ali or Đzmirli Ahmet Ali (born Đzmirli Alioğlu Ahmed; 1883–1969), was an Ottoman aviator who was the first black military pilot in aviation history and was one of only two black pilots in World War I. His grandmother came from Bornu (now in Nigeria) to the Ottoman Empire as a slave.

Ahmet was born in 1883 in Đzmir, Turkey to his mother Zenciye Emine Hanım and father Ali Bey, of African Turkish descent. He aimed to become a naval sailor and entered the Naval Technical School in 1904.

In 1908, he graduated from school as a First Lieutenant. He then attended aviation courses in the Naval Flight School that was formed in 1914 at Yeşilköy. He was then a member of the Ottoman Air Force.

During World War I, he married Hatice Hanım (1897–1991) who was an immigrant from Preveza. He became the first black military pilot in aviation history when he started serving in November 1916. On 18 December 1917, Captain Ahmed Ali was sent to Berlin to complete aviation courses. He died in 1969.

Captain Ahmet was of Arab-African origin and was the first black Air Force pilot in aviation history, having received his 'wings' in 191415. Ahmet's ‘wings’ were earned prior to African-American Bullard's earning his in 1917, though Bullard is often cited as history's first black aviator.

Today jereed is still enjoyed as a spectator sport in Turkey.

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FINAL FOCUS

PE Reformation Centre was established some years back to provide an environment for Muslim youth to fight off the drug scourge and beat addiction.

It is situated on a spacious and relaxing farm in Greenbushes and features a setup which includes: living quarters, salaah facilities, gardening area and gym among others. The program normally runs over 6 weeks and is designed to help an addict break the craving for drugs and build spiritual and psychological strength to stay off drugs.

An office, visitors area, area for families to visit addicts, recovery room, kitchen, etc complete the facilities.

The program includes: Islamic spiritual programs Modules on aspects of drugs Hands-on projects such as gardening Full Islamic training ethos Involvement in daily chores Medical treatment where needed Food and living arrangements Ulama interaction There is also a follow-up program once patients go back to their daily lives.

Contact 143 Rockland Road, Rocklands, Greenbushes, Port Elizabeth Tel: 041 955 5884 Ahmed Ahmed: 072 269 4905 Hafiz Hassen Desai: 082 640 2824

A farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for workers.

Most people were reluctant to work on farms there due to the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. ‘Are you a good farm hand?’ the farmer asked him. ‘Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,’ answered the little man. Although puzzled, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with his work. Then one night the wind howled. The farmer rushed to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook him and yelled, ‘Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!’ The little man rolled over and said, ‘No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.’

Enraged, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer understood what his worker meant, so he also returned to bed to sleep while the wind blew.

We need to prepare ourselves for the rocky parts of life by obeying Allah and securing ourselves against any storms.

73 DURBAN ROAD KORSTEN PH. 041 451 3060 Islamic Focus

ISSN 2223 - 1110 (Print) | ISSN 2223 - 1129 (Online)

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