Islamic Focus Issue 74 by Islamic Focus

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Issue 74

Igniting the Spirit of Islam

Oct 2009

Europe is home to about

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of speculation of just how many people in the world are Muslim. Here are the figures according to a report by the Pew Research Centre's Forum on Religion and Public Life. The size of the Muslim population has long been the subject of guesswork, with estimates ranging up to 1.8 billion. According to the report, there are 1.57 billion Muslims around the world, meaning that nearly one in four people practises Islam. Islam is the world's second largest religion, not far behind Christianity, which has an estimated 2.1 billion followers.

Syria, and Russia has more than Jordan and Libya combined. Britain has 1,647,000 Muslims - 2.7 per cent of the UK population, and 0.1 per cent of the global Muslim population. (South Africa has about 2 million Muslims, or around 3.8 per cent of the population). The report provides further evidence that while the heart of Islam might beat in the Middle East, its greatest numbers lie in Asia - more than 60 per cent of the world's Muslims live in Asia. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population 203 million, or 13 per cent of the world's total. About 20 per cent of Mus-

The project presents a portrait of the Muslim world that might surprise some. For example, Germany has more Muslims than Lebanon, China has more than

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lims live in the Middle East and North Africa, 15 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2.4 per cent in Europe and 0.3 per cent in the Americas.

38 million or about five per cent of its population. Germany has more than 4 million Muslims - almost as many as North and South America combined. In France, the overall numbers were lower but a larger percentage of the population is Muslim. Two-thirds of all Muslims live in 10 countries. Six are in Asia (Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Iran and Turkey), three are in North Africa (Egypt, Algeria and Morocco) and one is in subSaharan Africa (Nigeria). Of roughly 4.6 million Muslims in the Americas, more than half live in the United States making up 0.8 percent of the population there. About 700,000 people in Canada are Muslim, or about two percent of the total population.

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WORLD NEWS

INDONESIA - An earthquake struck Java, causing buildings to sway in the capital, Jakarta. A more powerful 7.6-magnitude quake devastated western Sumatra in Sep leaving 1,100 people dead and collapsing hundreds of buildings. (BBC, Oct 16) LIBYA - 88 Islamists released, among them members of the Islamic Fighting Group. (BBC, Oct 15) UAE - Israeli delegates attended a meeting with the Jewish flag on their table and lapel badges, making it the flag's debut appearance in an Arab state. Jewish Israelis are not allowed in UAE. (BBC, Oct 15) USA - White US justice of the peace Keith Bardwell continues Apartheid by refusing to issue marriage licenses to mixed-race couples. He said he did not believe in 'mixing the races'. (BBC, Oct 16) SAUDI ARABIA - King Abdullah sacked a senior cleric who criticised a new co-educational university. Sheikh Saad al-Shethry said the mixing of sexes in any university was a great sin. He demanded the curriculum be vetted by Islamic scholars to prevent teaching unIslamic ideologies. (BBC, Oct 5) AFGHANISTAN - 8 US soldiers killed in the deadliest attack on coalition troops for more than a year.

KAZAKHSTAN - A Soyuz craft blasted off to the International Space Station. (BBC, Sept 30) SOMALIA - 17 killed in battle between Islamists and African Union troops in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab and Hezb al-Islam, who control much of southern and central Somalia, are fighting for Islamic law. (Al Jazeera, Oct 22) Al-Shabab shot down US spy drone near Kismayo. (BBC, Oct 19) PAKISTAN - Troops attacked Taliban bases in an offensive to take back control of South Waziristan. 28,000 soldiers are battling 10,000 Taliban fighters. More than 100,000 civilians have fled from South Waziristan. (AJ, Oct 21) KUWAIT - Constitutional court granted women the right to obtain their own passports without the consent of their husbands and guardians. (AJ, Oct 21) PALESTINE - Richard Goldstone, the judge who authored a UN report accusing Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity during its war on Gaza, has challenged the US to justify its claims that his findings are flawed and biased. (AJ, Oct 22)

(BBC, Oct 4)

USA - USA and Israel began 2 weeks of tests to simulate missile attacks on the only Middle East country with nuclear weapons. (AJ, Oct 22)

PALESTINE - Jewish soldier Shalit seen in first video since his capture in 2006 by Hamas. In the film, exchanged for the release of 20 Palestinian women prisoners, Shalit looks healthy. (BBC, Oct 2)

USA - Dollar fell after Gulf states held secret talks to replace it as the main currency for oil trading. They want to replace it with a basket of currencies and the planned unified Gulf currency. (BBC, Oct 6)

MALAYSIA - Islamic court upheld a sentence of 6 strokes of the cane for a Muslim woman caught drinking beer in public. Muslims are subject to Islamic law in personal matters. (BBC, Sep 28)

PALESTINE - Leader of Islamic Movement, Raed Salah, arrested after 2 days of clashes after police closed off Musjidul Aqsa. (BBC, Oct 6)

PHILIPPINES - Two US soldiers killed in a landmine on the Muslim island of Jolo. US soldiers are helping fight Muslim freedom fighters. (BBC, Sep 29) SAUDI ARABIA - 20 youth given 30 lashes each after smashing shops on national day. Orthodox Muslims tried to stop the celebrations which they regard as unIslamic. (BBC, Sept 29) BANGLADESH - 5 suspected Islamists of the banned Jamaat-ul Mujahideen (JMB) arrested. JMB is one of several groups trying to establish Islamic law in the country. (BBC, Sep 28)

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MALDIVES - Government to hold cabinet meeting underwater to highlight threat of global warming. The island nation faces being wiped out if oceans rise. (BBC, Oct 5) UK - Saudi tycoon took over Portsmouth, acquiring a 90% stake in the football club. (BBC, Oct 6) TURKEY - Turkey refused joint Nato air force drill after opposing Israel's participation. (BBC, Oct 11) SOMALIA - Ethiopian raid in Puntland injured 2. (BBC, Oct 9)

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Are personal, real relationships taking a backseat to Facebook/Mxit? Do you think about Facebook even when you’re offline? Do you use Facebook to escape problems or homework? Do you stay on Facebook longer than intended? Have you ever concealed Facebook use? If yes, you are a borderline addict. If you’re using Facebook to connect with members of the opposite sex, you’ve played into the Devil’s hands. List your Facebook goals. Why did you originally sign up? Is your goal to enrich your knowledge or life? If it’s just to connect with friends, do the comments have a tangible purpose? If not, then reflect on this hadith: Allah hates vain, useless talk or that you talk too much about others and to ask too many questions in disputed religious matters. (Bukhari, 41:591) Make an internet schedule. Limit time to maintaining your real goals. Only check Facebook once a day. These are ways to unhook yourself without having to completely remove Facebook from your life if it is doing some good. If it is tempting you into unlawful Islamic activity, you need to remove it completely. The Qur’aan teaches us to avoid things that lead to sin.

A wise old man gathered his students and asked them this question: ‘Why do people who are angry shout at each other even though they are near by?’ The students came up with various possibilities but no answer satisfied the wise man. He then said to his students: ‘The reason that angry people shout at each other is that their hearts are very far apart. Thus, they need to scream and shout to make themselves heard to each other.’ He went on explaining: ‘Don’t you see that when people like each other they speak softly and gently. This is because their hearts are nearer. And when that love is greater, they whisper in each other’s ears due to their hearts being even closer.’ He paused and continued: ‘And when their love is intense, their hearts are practically one and then they do not even need to speak. A mere glance is enough to convey their love.’ Moral: When your voice is raised, whether at your spouse, child, parent or any close one, pause a while and think: ‘Is my heart actually far from the person I claim is close to me?’ Anger and raised voices serve no purpose except to tear people further apart. Try using a gentle voice and enjoy the results. The Qur’aan states: Be moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking and lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice (braying) of the ass. (31:19)

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INSPIRATION / INTERNET

Internet addiction is a serious psychological problem. Facebook, Mxit and other social networking sites are a major part of that addiction. They are a seemingly indispensable part of our lives. But if you’re doing more living online than off, it is time to reassess.

MOTIVATION / SUNNAH

Prophet Muhammad showed us the way of achieving success in this world: 1. Begin from the Possible This principle is explained in the saying of Aisha : ‘Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier choice.’ (Bukhari) To choose the easiest means to begin from the possible. This will help us reach our goals. 2. To see Advantage in Disadvantage In the early days of Islam in Makkah there were many difficulties. At that time this verse was revealed: ‘With every hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease.’ (Qur’aan, 94:5-6) This means that if there are some problems, then there are also opportunities at the same time. The way to success is to not make problems overshadow our entire life but to take the opportunities. 3. To change the Place of Action This principle is derived from the Hijrah, the emigration from Makkah to Madinah. It was to find a more suitable place for Islamic activities. At times, adverse conditions in a place might mean moving to another place to attain success. 4. Turning Minus into Plus After the Battle of Badr, 70 educated disbelievers were taken as prisoners of war. The Prophet announced that if any of them would teach ten Muslim children to read and write he would be freed. Thus a school was formed out of this situation, providing an advantage to Muslims in the form of education. Adapted from Principles of Success by Darul Ihsan

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I dreamt I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked inside a large workroom filled with angels. My guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ‘This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.’ it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions from people all over the world. Then we moved on until we reached the second section. The angel said, ‘This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the blessings people asked for are processed and delivered to them.’ I noticed again how busy it was. Finally we stopped at the door of a very small station. Only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. ‘This is the Acknowledgment Section,’ my angel friend admitted. ‘How is it that there's no work going on here?’ I asked. ‘So sad,’ the angel sighed. ‘After people receive what they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments and thanks.’ ‘How does one acknowledge God's blessings?’ I asked. ‘Simple,’ the angel answered. ‘Just say: ‘Thank you, Allah.’ ‘What blessings should they acknowledge?’ I asked. ‘If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.’ ‘...Whoever gives thanks, only gives thanks for (the good of) his own self...’ (Qur’aan 27:40)

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Q: Are alcohol based perfumes permitted in the Shafi school? A: According to the Shafis, khamr (alcoholic beverage made of grape juice) and nabiz (alcoholic beverages that are made from other type of juices beside grape) are haram and impure. (Tuhfah, Nihayah) Therefore, ethanol derived from alcoholic beverages is also haram and impure. Synthetic alcohol is produced through the hydration of ethylene or hydroxylation of ethyl sulphate to yield ethanol and regenerate the sulphuric acid. Here, there is no fermentation process, thus, synthetic alcohol is pure. Therefore, synthetic alcohol would be permissible to use and will not cause the body or clothing to become impure. However it is not permissible for oral intake. Answer by: Abdullah al-Marbuqi

Q: If an elderly man is sick and unable to perform the once-in-alifetime umrah that is obligatory for him, can his daughter perform it on his behalf without his permission? A: It is not permissible to

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perform an umrah or Haj on behalf of someone incapable of performing it himself without his permission. This applies when one actually intends to enter into the pilgrim rites on behalf of the one who is unable to perform Haj or umrah. However, if one intends to perform the Haj or umrah as one's own pilgrimage and then one asks Allah to grant its reward to the elderly person, this is permissible and one does not need his permission to do so. Note, however, that this latter approach will not relieve the elderly man in question of his once-in-a-lifetime obligation of Haj or umrah. Answer by: Sheikh Amjad Rasheed

Q: I learned that the farewell tawaaf must be the last action performed on Haj. I went on Haj with a group and the group leader organized all matters related to our travel. I performed the farewell tawaaf and returned to the hotel, whereupon the group leader said we would travel after a couple of hours in order to wait for some members of our group. Was it incumbent on me to repeat my

tawaaf because of this long wait in Makkah afterwards? A: The relied-upon position in our school is that the farewell tawaaf is obligatory for anyone who leaves Makkah to return to his country or to travel 81 km or more from the city limits of Makkah. This farewell tawaaf may only be performed after one has completed all the rites of pilgrimage, and it only counts on condition that one not remain afterwards in Makkah for any reason other than something related to travel. If someone performs the farewell tawaaf and then remains in Makkah because of a travel-related purpose, such as packing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bags, waiting for those one is traveling with, then this does not affect the validity of the farewell tawaaf even if it lasts a long time. But if one remains in Makkah after the farewell tawaaf for a reason not related to travel, then one is obligated to repeat oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tawaaf, otherwise one will be sinful and must perform the appropriate expiation. There is also another strong position in our school that is permissible for one to follow for oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal practice that the farewell tawaaf is merely recommended but not obligatory. The one who leaves it is neither sinful, nor is he obliged to perform an expiation. There is ease for people in this last position, especially in our times when Makkah is overcrowded with pilgrims, and issues such as transportation make it difficult for people to perform the farewell tawaaf properly.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

SHAFI Q & A

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

HANAFI Q & A From various Ulama

www.askimam.org | www.askmufti.co.za Q: Can a women go for Haj if she does not have a mahram to accompany her? Without a mahram, is Haj still obligatory upon her? A: She is not allowed to go for Haj without a Mahram. Haj is not compulsory on her if she has no mahram. Answer by: Darul Uloom Harding

Q: What is the correct sunnah when the child is born: Should adhaan and iqaamah be given in the right and left ears respectively or only adhaan? A: It is Sunnah to call adhaan in the ear of a newborn baby. This is proven in the Hadith of Tirmidhi. The Hadith does not state which ear adhaan should be called in. However, it is a sunnah to do good acts starting from the right side. There are other weaker Hadith which state that adhaan should be called in the right ear and iqamah in the left. (Musnad Abi Ya’la, No. 6634) Thus, we can say calling adhaan in the ear of the newborn is sunnah and it is mustahab (desirable) to call adhaan in the right ear and iqamah in the left. (Fatawa Mahmudiyyah, 5/456) Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Q: A women embarked on an Islamic journey from point A to point B. When she left A she was experiencing her haidh (monthly menses). After reaching B she stopped menstruating. She only intends staying at B for three days before returning home to A. Must she make full salaah or qasr (shortened

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Salaah) while staying at B? A: She must make full salaah while staying at point B. She can only make qasr once she leaves for point A. Answer by: Council of Ulama EC

Q: Which birds and animals are Halaal and Haraam to eat? A: Birds that hunt with their claws/talons, are considered Haram, such as a falcon, eagle, kite, hawk, bat, etc. This is based on the Hadith: ‘The Messenger of Allah prohibited the eating of all fanged beasts of prey, and all the birds having talons.’ (Muslim 6/60) Thus, all animals that hunt with their teeth and birds of prey who hunt with their talons/claws are impermissible. This is a general principle. For any specific animal or bird, contact us again. All birds are halaal which merely eat grains and crop and do not hunt with their claws and do not prey on other animals, like ducks, chickens, crows, doves, pigeons, sparrows, etc. Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Q: What’s the ruling on hunting with modern rifles? A: The basic rules are: 1. At the time of firing the gun the name of Allah should be taken. 2. Once the animal is shot one should go in pursuit of the animal to slaughter it. 3. If the animal is found alive it should be slaughtered. 4. If the animal is dead on arrival, it would be deemed to be halaal provided: a) the animal died due to the wound afflicted and the loss of blood and not due to the

sheer impact of the bullet. b) One continued in pursuit of the animal after shooting it until it was found. If the process of searching for the animal was not continuous in that it was halted for even a short while, the animal will not be deemed halaal. Answer by: Mufti Shafiq Jakhura

Q: It was reported that Sheikh Tantawi, the most senior Sheikh in Azhar, Egypt, declared that the Niqab (face veil) has no part in Islam. Is there proof for the face veil? A: This answer has been shortened from the full version: 1. Proof from Qur’aan: ‘O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters, and the women of the believers, that they should pull down upon them of their outer cloaks (from their heads over their faces). Numerous commentators interpreted this verse to denote that all women are commanded to cover their faces. Among them is the greatest commentator, Ibn Abbaas . 2. Proof from Hadith: Ayesha said, ‘The male riders would pass us while we were with the Prophet in the state of Ihram. When they would pass us, we would lower our loose scarves over our faces. When they passed, we would once again reveal our faces.’ 3. A scholar of each Madhab who mentioned that it is necessary for a woman to cover her face: Hanafi: Abu Mansur al-Maturidi. Maliki: Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi. Shafi: Al-Imaam Yahya bin Sharf al-Nawawi. Hambali: Imam Ahmad ibn Hambal. Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

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A jobless man applied for the position of office boy at Microsoft. The human relations manager interviewed him then said, ‘You’re hired.’ ‘Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.’ The man replied, ‘But I don't have a computer, or an email.’ ‘I'm sorry,’ said the HR manager. ‘If you don't have an email, you don’t exist. And who doesn't exist, can’t have the job.’ The man left with no hope. He only had $10 in his pocket. He decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10kg tomato crate. He sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he doubled his capital. He repeated this three times, and returned home with $60. He started to go everyday earlier and return later.

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His money doubled or tripled everyday. Soon, he bought a cart, then a truck and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. One day he spoke to an investment manager. When the conversation ended the investment manager asked him for his email. The man replied, ‘I don't have one.’ The investment manager said, ‘You don't have an email, yet built an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?’ The man thought for a while and replied, ‘Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!’ Moral: At times our avenue for earning might not be what we envisaged, yet it brings us more money than the avenue we would have chosen. Sometimes the thing we dislike has more good in it for us than the thing we actually like.

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HALAAL / TECH WATCH

In Islam, for meat and poultry to be Halaal and allowed for eating, certain requirements need to be met. Here’s a brief discussion on some of these requirements:

We tried out a Quraan application for the computer. This one, the Noble Qur’an version 3.0, comes from Islamasoft and is available as a free download (get it from our Downloads section on our site: www.islamicfocus.co.za).

The animal must be from the group that is

Halaal for consumption. In principle, animals that hunt with their teeth and birds that hunt with their claws are not Halaal. The pig is not Halaal. The slaughterer must be a Muslim who takes the Name of Allah. The slaughter of Jews and Christians is accepted if certain Islamic requirements are met, otherwise not. The animal’s two external jugular veins as well as the throat and windpipe must be severed with an extremely sharp knife. At least 3 of these 4 must be cut. Animals that die due to a fall, clubbing or slaughter by a non-Muslim are not Halaal. Animals slaughtered in the name of any idol or being besides Allah will not be Halaal. Fish do not need to be slaughtered but they must be caught alive and will not be Halaal if found floating dead on the water. After the meat is Halaal-slaughtered, care should be taken there is no contamination with Haraam meat/food as this will render it Haraam. This is especially true in the case of restaurants/takeaways: If wine is used in cooking Halaal meat, the meat becomes Haraam. If spices containing Haraam ingredients are used, or if the same oil is used to fry Halaal and Haraam meat, the meat will become Haraam. There are also rules regarding the hunting of animals to ensure they are Halaal.

These are abbreviated rules. Contact Ulama for detailed rules.

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The application offers the Quraan in Arabic with an English translation by Marmaduke Pikthall. There’s also a helpful English transliteration. We found the English to be of the classical type: excellent but a bit hard to understand in places for those of us used to present-day English. Requirements Internet Explorer 4 or later 200 MHz processor Windows 98, NT, ME, 2000 or XP 32 MB RAM 16 MB free disk space Mouse This means that basically any PC can run the program and no fancy hardware is needed. Features Fully-searchable by Surah categories or single word search. Go to feature allowing one to get a particular chapter or verse. Information on each Surah. Option to add bookmarks. Print option allows verses to be printed out. Changeable themes. All in all this is a useful, easy to use tool to have on any PC. We haven’t had the opportunity to check the entire translation and it’s always a good idea to verify translations with reputable Ulama.

He fought against the French and British with the Banu Sanus. In 1911 the Italians attacked Libya and Mukhtar, aged 50, began a series of battles with the Italian forces. He was skilled in the tactics of desert warfare and knew local geography well, and used this against the Italians. He repeatedly led his small groups in successful attacks against the Italians. In 1924, the Italians created a counter-guerrilla force and Mukhtar quickly modified his tactics. The Italians then put the civilians into concentration camps, burning villages. Mukhtar continued to struggle but was ambushed in 1931 at the age of 69. He had broken bones and recited Qur’aan under interrogation. He was hanged by the Italians in a concentration camp, his last words being: ‘From Allah we have come, and to Allah we will return.’ He refused peace talks with the colonizers. In the last 20 years of his life, he led and personally fought in 1,000 battles. He gave his people hope against a modern army while he and his men starved with nothing but rifles and horses. He remained poor even though he had the opportunity to amass wealth. Today, Mukhtar's face appears shown on the Libyan tendinar bill.

The Prophet is reported to have eaten Harisah, a dish with meat and pounded wheat as the main ingredients. It resembled Haleem, a type of thick, spicy porridge. Harisah is a traditional Arabic dish, still popular at homes in the UAE and the most famous Qatari dish. Harisah found its way to South India with Muslim Arab traders in the 7th century. It is a very popular dish among the Muslims of Malabar, India. In Hyderabad, India, Harisah is known as Haleem. Harisah is usually served in Ramadan and festivals such as Eid in Arab countries. In Kerala, India it is served as a starter before biryani at Muslim weddings. This Harisah could be the origin of Haleem, a thick Persian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and North Indian dish which originated in Arabia. In Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus and Iraq types of Haleem are Keshkek and Harisah. Haleem is made of wheat, meat (usually beef or mutton, but sometimes chicken), lentils and spices. It is slow cooked for 7 to 8 hours which results in a paste-like consistency, with the taste of spices and meat blending with wheat. Haleem is very popular in Pakistan and India. Kichra is a variation of Haleem in Pakistan and India, but it’s not blended so one can see and taste the chunks of meat. Haleem is prepared throughout the Muslim world in Ramadan. It is also a traditional starter at Muslim weddings and celebrations. Legend has it that it took nearly a week to make a perfect dish of Haleem. Harisah seems to be the origin of Haleem and together are the Muslim dishes of choice across the world. They are part of the Muslim culture.

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BIOGRAPHY / MUSLIM INFLUENCE

Umar Al Mukhtar (Born: 1862 Died: 1931) of the Mnifa tribe, was born in Janzour, Libya (then part of the Ottoman Empire). He organized and, for 20 years from 1912, led the local Jihad and resistance to Italian control of Libya. His father died when he was 16. He became a Haafiz and used to finish a Qur’aan every 7 days. He used to pray at night, reciting Qur'aan until Fajr. Mukhtar was a Qur’aan teacher. He was known as the Lion of Cyrenaica after killing a lion.

HISTORY / INSPIRATION

The history of Islam in the Netherlands started in the early 17th century when the Dutch Republic signed a treaty of free commerce with Morocco. In the 19th century the Netherlands administered Indonesia, a majority-Muslim country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The first Muslims who settled in the Netherlands were these islanders who fled from its war of Independence. During the 1960s and 1970s the Netherlands needed a larger work force. It concluded recruitment agreements with Turkey and Morocco, and people from those countries were allowed to stay in the Netherlands. In 1973 there were about 22,000 Moroccans in the Netherlands. Official work immigration ended in 1973, but the number of Moroccans and Turks remained on the increase as immigrants brought their family to the country using family reunification laws. A number of Surinamese Muslims came to the Netherlands before and after the independence of Suriname in 1975. In the 1980s and 1990s, Muslims have also come to the Netherlands as refugees, mainly from Bosnia, Somalia, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Data from 2006 shows that the Netherlands has 850,000 Muslims, (320,000 Turks and 280,000 Moroccans). 5% of the total Dutch population are Muslims. There are 400 Musjids in the Netherlands, 45 Islamic elementary schools, and two high schools. After the 2003 elections, there were ten MPs from Muslim backgrounds among the 150 Members of Parliament and two Muslims were State Secretaries. In 2006 the Minister of Justice suggested the Netherlands might accept Islamic law in a constitutional manner.

It is gratifying to note that there is an increase in the number of Muslim girls who are becoming Hafizahs (memorizers) of the whole Qur’aan. Here’s one such story to inspire others: Zainab Badsha is 14 years old and hails from Pietermaritzburg. She is one of 10 brothers and sisters. Four of her elder sisters are Aalimahs and one is a Hafizah, while two of her brothers are Hafizs and Aalims. Zainab did her primary schooling till grade three before continuing with home-schooling under her mother. She also did her elementary Madresa at the same time. She had the desire to memorize the Qur’aan from an early age. She initially started Hifz in 2007 at the age of 11, reading by her mother. Her elder sister then took on the task and she finished three chapters (paras/juz) of the Quraan by her, while spending more time on keeping those portions fresh than on learning new lessons. Her Hifz started in earnest in 2008 by a blind Aalimah, Apa Razia. At this time Zainab was taking about a page of new lessons a day, attending classes in the afternoon. She finished 6 chapters that year. Then in 2009 she started by Apa Sakinah taking up to five pages of new lessons a day and finishing the remaining 21 chapters by Ramadaan 2009, thus finishing the 21 chapters in 9 months, an average of two chapters a month. She finished her Hifz in about 2 years in total, by the age of 13. She now recites two chapters daily. Her ambition is to become an Aalimah.

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DOWN 1 This sweet item was invented by Muslims 2 Used to brush the teeth 3 Outdoor place where Eid salaah is read 4 Leader of the women of Jannat and daughter of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam 7 Sayings of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam 8 Capital of Egypt Help Serve Islam Your donation will allow our activities to spread Islam: Islamic Focus newsletter Islamic websites Printing of Islamic literature in English

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Shabaabul Ummah (Youth of the Nation) is a youth group formed in January 2009. Its main emphasis is to provide a platform for the upbringing of the youth within the framework of Islam. Vision To motivate the youth To help the disadvantaged communities Events Organized the Gaza March, with the help of Al Ansaar Trust, in February 2009 in Port Elizabeth to protest the massacre of Palestinians in occupied Palestine. Youth Program at Musjid Taqwa with talks by Sheikh Shamil Panday and Moulana Junaid Adam. Co-sponsored the handing out of gift parcels with Al Fidaa Foundation. The beneficiaries were the Bethelsdorp Old Age Home and the Muslim Ladies Madressa. The parcels contained basic necessities. Screening of documentary called The Iron Wall highlighting the plight of Palestinians. Youth Conference held at Kwantu Towers in October 2009. Guest speakers included Moulana Ebrahim Bham. For information or to join, contact: Moulana Salmaan Federicks Cell: 073 177 0147 Faaiek Davids Cell: 073 378 0555 Email: shabaabul.ummah@gmail.com

A boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, ‘This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it.’ The barber puts a five rand coin in one hand and two one rand coins (1+1=2) in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, ‘Which do you want, son?’ The boy takes the two one rand coins and leaves. ‘What did I tell you?’ said the barber. ‘That kid never learns!’ Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. ‘Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take two one rand coins instead of the five rand coin?’ The boy licked his cone and replied, ‘Because the day I take the five rand coin, the game is over.’ Never underestimate the intelligence of any person.

1. Keep diet free from eating the hi-calorie flesh of others no matter how juicy. 2. Switch to fat-free truths. 3. Avoid artificial tempers. 4. Keep the soul fit with Salaah aerobics. 5. Do voice therapy by reciting Quraan. 6. Purify eyes by crying in Dua. 7. Do hand reflexology on Tasbeehs. 8. Brighten your smile by using Miswaak. 9. Eat less by giving food to others. 10. Take the weight off your shoulders by paying Zakaat. 11. Shrug off the extra kilos of sins by often repenting.

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