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Ever played a video game? When we mastered it and made it to the final stage it brought us joy and a sense of achievement. At that stage many have said, ‘if only life was like a video game.’ Well, life can be compared to a game. MONSTERS Your game comes with a handbook and game controllers. The handbook contains essential rules and strategies on how to play. Your controllers teach you which buttons to use in order to play effectively. The aim of the game is to reach the final stage with the most points and become the winner. However, games are never simple, there are various paths to choose from, bullets to dodge and an evil monster to defeat you. But there are also surprise boxes and tokens making your journey easier.
Islamic Focus
Issue 80
Igniting the Spirit of Islam
Although you may never succeed at your game on the first attempt, you dodge those bullets, kill that monster and conquer the final stage. When you look back at the game you realise how easy it actually was. TOKENS Think of life as a game. Allah Ta’ala has provided the handbook: the Quraan which provides the rules on how to play this game. It also gives tips on making life easier. If weabide by the Quranic rules and ethics we win this game. There are many paths to take in life, but there is one set path put out for you by Allah. You may stray from time to time but eventually you will find your way home. Remember the tokens you collect in the game Mario Brothers? You were not forced to collect them but it sure did make that game easier. Think of the sunnah
Jul 2010
as those tokens. The more rewards we receive the better our chances are of making it to the final round. HIGH SCORE Think of your points in the game as your good deeds. The aim is to finish the game with the most points. The aim is to end your life with the most rewards. The more good deeds you do the better your chances of attaining Paradise. The monster is the devil, always trying to make you stray from the path. The more tokens you get, the more ammunition against him you have. Our goal in life is to fight off the whisperings of the devil; this can only be done through our handbook and our tokens, the Quraan and the sunnah. So the next time you play a video game, look at your life and ask yourself, ‘are you playing according to the rules?’ Adapted from article by Suhaifa Naidoo
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WORLD NEWS
USA - US-born Muslim cleric, Sheikh Anwar Awlaki added to US terrorism blacklist. (BBC,16 July) PAKISTAN - The army carried out 238 extrajudicial killings of people in the Swat Valley since Sep last year, says Human Rights Watch. (BBC, 16 July) BANGLADESH - Government ordered Musjids and libraries across the country to remove all books written by controversial scholar Abul Ala Maududi. Maududi, who died in 1979, is the founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. (BBC, 16 July) GERMANY - The bishop of Hamburg, the first female Lutheran bishop, resigned amid criticism of her handling of a sex abuse case. Several cases in Germany form part of sex abuse scandals that have hit the Roman Catholic Church recently. (BBC, 15 July) UK - Banning the wearing of the Islamic full veil in public would be 'un-British', UK immigration minister Damian Green said. It comes after Tory MP Philip Hollobone introduced a private members' bill which would make it illegal for people to cover their faces in public. French MPs voted to ban the wearing of burkas in public. (BBC, 18 July) USA - Last month, 30 buses in New York City's fleet ran ads professing to assist individuals trying to leave Islam. These are messages of hate masquerading as messages of help sponsored by an extremist organization called Stop the Islamization of America, led by extremist Pamela Geller. (IOL, 18 July) MALAYSIA - Customs officers at Kuala Lumpur airport found 400 rare Radiated and Ploughshare tortoises smuggled from Madagascar. Also recovered were more than 40 rare tomato frogs. (BBC, 18 July) USA - Muslims elders in the state of Michigan can now get free halaal meals delivered to their doorstep thanks to the first of its kind federally-funded program. (IOL, 28 Feb) USA - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) applauded a decision by PayPal, the leading online payment service, to drop the anti-Islam hate site Atlas Shrugs, whose owner claims 'Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam'. (IOL, 14 June)
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SAUDI ARABIA - Former boxing champion Mike Tyson, who embraced Islam in the 1990s, is on his first visit to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. (IOL, 16
July) BELGIUM - Vatican criticized raids on Churches by Belgian police investigating child sex abuse by Church clergy. The Belgian church was rocked in April when the Bishop of Bruges resigned and admitted to sexual abuse before and after becoming a bishop. (BBC, 27 June) AFGHANISTAN - US commander in Afghanistan, Gen McChrystal, was fired by Obama after criticizing US administration officials in a magazine profile.
(BBC, 28 June) TURKEY - Turkey bars Israeli military flights in Turkish airspace, in retaliation for Israel's deadly raid on an aid convoy for Gaza. (BBC, 28 June) SOMALIA - Somaliland, a breakaway province of Somalia, appealed to voters to vote despite a warning from Islamists not to participate. (BBC, 25 June) KOSOVO - Thousands of Kosovo Muslims took to the streets to protest a new ban, which forbids girls from wearing headscarves in public schools. (IOL, 22
June) UK - Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik was denied entry into the UK. Several other Islamic orators were denied entry as well including Areeb Islam from South Africa, while Dr Bilal Philips was denied entry at the airport and sent back to Qatar. (IOL, 24 June) AFGHANISTAN - 4 US soldiers killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan while 2 were captured by Taliban fighters in the east. Dozens of international soldiers have been killed this month, most of them American. June saw more than 100 troops killed, the bloodiest month of the 9-yearwar. (BBC, 24 July) SPAIN - Two Spanish activists and a journalist arrested in a raid by Israel on a Gaza-bound flotilla are filing charges against Israel's prime minister, accusing him of illegal detention, torture and deportation. (BBC, 23 July)
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Practical demonstration Once the Prophet led the Salaah whilst on the pulpit. This allowed the Sahaaba to clearly witness his manner of performing Salaah. After the Salaah, he said, ‘O People! I did this so that you can emulate me and teach others the method of my Salaah.’ (Mishkat 1:99) Once a person asked the Prophet how Wudhu should be performed. The Prophet called for a container of water and physically demonstrated the method of Wudhu. Expressing with vigour At times the Prophet would express the importance of a point by swearing an oath as when he repeated thrice, ‘By Allah! He is not a believer!’ On being asked who, he replied, ‘He whose neighbor is not safe from his evil.’ (Bukhari 2:889) At times the Prophet would address the Sahaaba in a very emotionally moving manner. Irbad ibn Saariyah narrates that the Prophet once delivered a sermon that left our bodies aflame with ardour, the eyes gushed forth and the hearts were left trembling. (Tirmidhi 2:96) Utilising these techniques will help us raise good children. The Ideal Father, pg 137-9
Ever wondered why different rules are used in Palestine for Jews and non-Jews? Why nonJews are openly killed as in the case of the activists recently and the Mossad killing in Dubai? Well, a dip into Jewish law proves revealing: The Israeli Minister of Interior said in 2009 that Jewish religious law (Halacha) should be adopted as law: ‘Step by step, we will bestow upon ... Israel the laws of the Torah and we will turn Halacha into the … law of the nation.’ According to Halacha (Jewish Law): 1. A Jew who kills a non-Jew is exempt from human judgment, and has not violated the prohibition of murder. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Rotze'ach 2:11: ‘A Jew who killed a righteous gentile (non-Jew) is not executed in a court of law.’ This code is practiced by Jewish settler judges when dealing with Jews convicted of killing Palestinians, with light punishments meted out. 2. Maimonides rules: ‘It is forbidden to save (non-Jews) if they are at the point of death; if, e.g. one of them is seen falling into the sea, he should not be rescued, for it is written. Neither shall thou stand against the blood of thy fellow, but a gentile is not your fellow.’ 3. Soferim 15, Rule 10. Rabbi Simon ben Yohai: ‘Even the best of the gentiles (non-Jews) should all be killed.’ It leads one to suppose that Jewish military aggression in Palestine is based on religious fundamentalism based on Jewish law.
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COMPARITIVE / SUNNAH
Every father should listen attentively to the questions posed by his children and respond satisfactorily. Rebuking the child could lead to him/her leaving out questioning out of fear and be deprived of useful knowledge. The Prophet used several techniques to illustrate a point effectively:
INTERESTING / INSPIRATION
The Prophet gave flags to the Muslim armies. There was no fixed colour although the major flag was said to be black. There were also white, yellow and red flags. Traditionally Muslim flags were solid colour. The Ummayads used white, the Abbasids black, the Fatimids green. The Ottoman Turks introduced flags with crescents in 1299. The state flag was red with a crescent while the religious flag was green with a crescent. In 1793 a star was added, and made 5-pointed in 1844 to symbolize the 5 pillars of Islam. The green flag with crescent and star became a standard Muslim flag. Muslim states today have flags that fall into three categories: The crescent flag used by Algeria, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Comoros, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Northern Cyprus, Uzbekistan and Western Sahara. The second are the pan-Arab colours. In 1911 it was decided that a flag for Arabs should include the colours of the Ummayads, Abbasids, Fatimids and Hashemites (red). These include Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Palestine, Algeria and Sudan. The third are single colour flags. These include Libya, Turkey, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. Script is also used. Iraq has Allahu Akbar, while Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan use the Shahadah. Brunei also has a script and Iran has the word Allah. Unlike the practice in most Western nations, flags are usually depicted in Muslim countries with the staff to the right.
A well-dressed man walked up to an old, homeless man sitting on the ground. He began to lift the old man. ‘Leave me alone!’ he said angrily. A policeman asked, ‘Is there a problem?’ ‘Help me get this man to his feet.’ The officer said, ‘What do you want with old Jack?’ ‘I want to get him something to eat.’ The policeman and well-dressed man got Jack into a restaurant. The officer told the manager, ‘This man brought Jack to be fed.’ ‘Not in here!’ said the manager. The well-dressed man turned to the manager and said, ‘Do you know Eddy and Associates, the law firm?’ ‘Of course,’ the manager said, ‘They hold their weekly meetings here.’ ‘Do you make good money from these meetings?’ ‘What business is that of yours?’ ‘I’m Eddy, president and CEO of the company.’ The manager went to get the food. Eddy said, ‘Jack, do you remember me?’ Jack said, ‘You look familiar.’ ‘I'm older,’ Eddy said, ‘than when you worked here, and I came through the door, cold and hungry. I couldn’t find a job and was down to my last cents. I walked in on the off chance I’d get food.’ Jack said, ‘Now I remember. You asked to work for something to eat. I said it was against company policy.’ Eddy spoke, ‘Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich I’d ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee and told me to go to a table and enjoy it. I saw you put the money for my food in the till.’ Eddy pulled out a business card. ‘Go see Mr. Lyons, the personnel director of my company. I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office. Come to me for anything you need’ We reap the fruit of the seeds of goodness we plant.
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Q: Can a fasting person swallow the saliva that remains in the mouth after rinsing it? A: There is no harm in swallowing saliva after rinsing the mouth even if moisture from the water remains in one's mouth and one’s fast is not nullified because it is difficult to avoid. Q: Does dust and car smoke break one’s fast? A: If street dust, flour chaff, or car smoke reaches the body cavity, or if one is standing beside someone else who is smoking, one’s fast is not nullified. Q: Does vomit break one’s fast? A: Deliberately inducing vomit from one’s stomach nullifies the fast. If, however, vomit overcomes one and exits without one’s choosing, the fast is not nullified. Q: A person cannot fast Ramadaan because of illness for which there is no foreseeable future of him being able to make up the fast. He also does not have the money to feed the needy (fidya). What should he do? A: An old or chronically ill person who is unable to fast must feed 0.51 liters of staple food to a poor person for each fast day that he misses. If he is too poor to even perform this expiation, as described in the question, he is not obliged to do anything at all. The unpaid expiations, in other words, do no accumulate for future payment. Q: What is the ruling on
Islamic Focus
natural leather with regards to purity? Is the prayer of a person who is wearing a leather jacket, or holding a leather bag, valid? A: The hide of an animal that is permissible to eat such as a cow or sheep is pure after it has been Islamically slaughtered, as is the hair on the hide even if the hide has not been tanned. The hide of an animal that is impermissible to eat such as a snake or an elephant is impure after the animal dies, but it can be purified by tanning the hide and turning it into leather. The hair on the hide, however, of such an animal remains impure according to the strongest position in the Shafi school. Some Shafi scholars have held the position that the hair of a dead animal that has not been Islamically slaughtered is also purified through tanning (just like the hide), and this is a strong position that is permissible for a layperson to follow. The only animals whose hides cannot be purified through tanning are dogs and pigs. These hides can never be purified, even if they are tanned and become leather. It is permissible to wear pure hide or leather as clothing, whether inside of prayer or outside of it. Impure hide or leather, however, is not permissible to wear as clothing, even outside of prayer. Q: Is it permissible for a man to suck his wife’s breast and to drink her milk? A: It is permissible for a man to enjoy the whole of his
wife’s body even that which is mentioned in the question, and it is permissible to drink her milk. However, contrary to what some wrongfully understand, the rulings of suckling i.e. rulings pertaining to two marriageable people becoming unmarriageable to each other due to suckling do not apply in this case, because those rulings only apply to children who haven’t yet reached two lunar years of age. Q: If a woman dies while in a state of menstruation, is it obligatory to wash her twice: once to remove the ritual impurity of menstruation, and once as the washing that is required upon death? A: Someone who dies only needs to be washed once, even if they were in a state of sex-related impurity (janaba) or menstrual impurity. This is the position of the Shafi school. Imam Nawawi said in al-Majmu, ‘This is the position of all scholars except for Hasan al-Basri, who held that the deceased must be washed twice. Ibn al-Mundhir said that no one else ever held this position.’ Q: Someone told me that after 2 years of separation of husband and wife not living together our nikaah (marriage) is invalid. Is this true? Are we divorced? A: Separation alone does not entail divorce or annulment of the marriage. (Qudri Basha, al-Ahkam al-Shariyya fil Ahwal al-Shakhsiyya)
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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.councilofulama.co.za Q: I’ve been told that it is Haraam to eat sushi, on the basis that it is Haraam to eat raw fish. Is this correct? A: There is no prohibition against eating raw fish. Raw fish/Sushi is Halaal provided no Haraam additives, sauces, etc. are added and the area of preparation is free from other Haraam contaminants. Answer by: SANHA
Q: What is the proof for a woman’s Sajda being different from men? A: Imam Abu Dawud rahimahullah has narrated the following hadith in his Marasil: Hadhrat Yazid Ibn Abi Habib states that the Prophet passed by two women who were performing their Salaah. He said to them, ‘When you prostrate (go into Sajdah), then make parts of your body touch the ground because a women is unlike a man in these aspects.’ The narrators in this Hadith are reliable and not rejected. Imam Bayhaqi rahimahullah narrates the following hadith: Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet said, ‘When a woman sits during Salaah, she should place her one thigh over the other and when she prostrates (goes into Sajdah), she must attach her stomach to her thighs (i.e. her stomach and thighs must touch) so that it is more concealing for her. Indeed Allah Ta’ala looks at her and tells the angels, ‘O my Angels, bear witness that I have forgiven her.’ This hadith is reliable due to the fact that it is supported by many other Ahaadith.
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Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Q: Is it permissible to consume red/white wine vinegar? A: Red wine vinegar is permissible to consume. Vinegar is traditionally made when wine is converted to vinegar. And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best Answer by: Darul Ihsan
Q: 1. I am a passionate hunter and I hunt to consume the meat of the animal. Is it true that hunting big game, that can’t be subdued such as deer, moose, elk, caribou etc, with a rifle is permissible as the bullet would be considered a piercing object which causes blood to flow until the animal dies. Also, is it necessary to cut the throat after shooting the animal and make the blood flow? 2. Ducks, geese, grouse and other birds are not normally hunted with a rifle but with a shotgun. Shotgun shot does pierce and penetrate the flesh of the animal and the animal normally dies soon after. Are these birds Halaal if shot in this manner? A: 1) If a person hunts an animal using a bow and arrow or a rifle, there are four essential things for the animal to be considered Halaal: a) To recite Bismillah before or at the time of releasing the arrow or bullet. b) The death of the animal was due to the wound caused to the animal and not due to the impact or drowning. c) To pursue the animal once it is shot. d) To slaughter the animal if there are traces of life
in it. If a person recites Bismillah and shoots the animal, immediately thereafter, he pursues the animal. If he retrieves it after it has already died, there is no need to slaughter it. The meat will be Halaal to consume and to give to others. If he does not pursue the animal immediately or does not slaughter the animal after finding it alive, the meat will be Haraam and impermissible to give to others. (Hidayah, vol.4, pg.510; Hidayah, vol.4, pg.505; Ad Durrul Mukhtaar, vol.6, pg.468) Hence, it is absolutely necessary to search for the animal after it is shot and to slaughter it. Not slaughtering the animal after finding it alive will render the animal Haraam. The bleeding caused by the bullet or any other sharp object will only suffice in the case when the animal was pursued and found lifeless. 2) It will be permissible to hunt Halaal birds (which cannot be caught) using a shotgun as long as the above four conditions are met. Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Q: In her menses can a woman read Masnoon Duas and Durood? A: A woman in her menses is permitted to recite Masnoon Duas. She is also permitted to recite Duas that have been mentioned in the Quraan, provided he recites these Duas with the intention of making a Dua and not Tilawat (recital of Quraan). A woman in her menses may recite Durood without any objection. Answer by: Darul Ihsan
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Warren Buffet, the world’s second richest man, shared some advice. Here are some interesting aspects of his life:
School, Durban www.newtoislam.co.uk - New to Islam,
Glasgow, Scotland www.mcscotland.org - Muslim Council of Scotland www.muslimline.org - Muslim Line. UK initiative to report Islamaphobia and hate crimes against Muslims www.hajinformation.com - Ministry of Hajj, Saudi Arabia http://web.youngmuslims.ca - Young Muslims Canada www.glasgowmuslims.com - Glasgow Muslims, Scotland www.ramadaan.co.za - Ramadaan Site www.strictlyhalaal.com - Strictly Halaal. Halaal outlets in SA www.fountainet.org - Fountain Educational Trust www.greenzabiha.com - Organic Halaal products in the US http://creativemuslims.com/ - Creative Muslims www.muslimahconnection.com - Muslimah Connection http://askmufti.net/ - Ask Musfti.net. Darul Ifta, Canada www.greenbirdbooks.com - Books for Muslim kids http://gazaundersiege.blogspot.com/ - Gaza Under siege www.hifzhelper.com - Hifz Helper www.palestinianprisoners.blogspot.co m - Palestinian Prisoners
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1. He bought his first share at age 11 and now regrets he started too late! Get kids started early on building a life and don’t let then waste away valuable time in useless activities. 2. He still lives in the same small, 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha, that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence. Don't buy more than you really need and encourage your children to do and think the same. 3. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him. You are what you are. 4. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company. Always think how you can accomplish things economically. 5. He does not socialize with high society. His past time after he gets home is to make himself popcorn and watch TV. Don't try to show off, just be yourself and do what you enjoy doing. 6. His advice to young people: Stay away from credit cards and bank loans, live your life as simply as possible, don't follow brand names; just wear things in which you feel comfortable, don't waste your money on unnecessary things; spend on things you really need.
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THOUGHTS / INTERNET
Enrich your web experience. Not all content on all sites Islamic-compliant. Consult Ulama.
SOCIAL / INSPIRATION
The base for combating the evil around us is the home. Part four of tips on building a strong home:
8. Build an Islamic Library. Something that will help in teaching your family and letting them develop an understanding of Islam, is having one’s own Islamic library at home. It does not have to be extensive; what matters is choosing good books, putting them in a place where they are readily accessible, and encouraging family members to read them. Put books in a tidy corner of the living room, and in a suitable place in a bedroom or guest room; this will make it easy for any member of the family to read constantly. Consult with Ulama to get authentic books. Include books of varying levels, so that old and young, men and women can all use them. 9. Spiritual Training. The Prophet used to pray at night, and when he prayed witr he would say (to his wife), ‘Get up and pray witr, O Aishah’. (Muslim) The Prophet said: ‘May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, then he wakes up his wife to pray, and if she refuses he throws water in her face.’ (Saheeh alJaami) Encourage one's household to give charity is. The Prophet said, ‘O women! Give in charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the inhabitants of Hell.’ (Bukhaari, 1:405) One idea is to have a box at home for donations to the poor. Whatever is collected should be given to them. Sheikh Salih al Munajjid
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With the abundance of evil around us it’s easy to get disillusioned and lose heart. When one hears about the increase in crime, the high divorce rate, the flood of drugs, then the thought might come to mind: What hope is there for the good people of this world? Would they be wiped out soon, leaving only evil? Someone asked a pious man these questions. The pious man said, ‘Look at dogs and sheep. Dogs are generally considered to be dirty and vicious. They give birth to litters of five or six pups, whereas sheep, which are considered docile and humble, give birth to one or two lambs at a time. People slaughter sheep in their hundreds for meat while relatively few dogs are deliberately killed. Yet, with all this, one finds flocks of sheep, sometimes hundreds, grazing about in various parts of the world. The same cannot be said of dogs who roam in small numbers. The sheep represent the good people in this world. No matter how much they are attacked, they always prevail and in fact continue growing stronger. While dogs represent the evil ones who, despite all the resources at their fingertips, cannot overcome the good.’ Do not lose heart when you hear of the atrocities being perpetrated upon Muslims worldwide. No amount of effort to stifle and wipe out Islam and the Muslims will ever succeed. Many a small, ill-equipped group treading the path of truth has overcome well-resourced groups of evil-doers intent on wiping them out.
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Sudais comes from the Anza clan. He had memorized the Quraan by the age of 12. Growing up in Riyadh he studied at the Al Muthana Bin Harith Elementary School, and afterwards the Riyadh Scientific Institution from which he graduated in 1979. He obtained a degree in Sharia from Riyadh University in 1983, his Masters in Islamic fundamentals from the Sharia College of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in 1987 and received his Ph.D in Islamic Sharia from Umm al-Qura University in 1995 while working there as an assistant professor after serving at Riyadh University. After Sharia College he was Imam of Musjid Sheikh al Allam Abdur Razzaq Afifi. He also started teaching at the Academy Imam al Dawa al Alimi. He was appointed Imam at Musjidul Haraam, Makkah in 1983. After obtaining his Ph.D he was appointed lecturer at Umm al Qura University. In 2005, Sudais was named by the Dubai International Holy Quran Award Organising Committee as its 9th annual ‘Islamic Personality Of the Year’ in recognition of his devotion to the Quran. Sudais has publicly prayed against the Jewish atrocities in Palestine and as a result has been barred from conferences in America, and been refused entry to Canada. Sudais is popular around the world for his recitation of the Quraan and has been invited to countries like UK, South Africa and India.
Carrot is a root vegetable usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, or yellow varieties exist. Eastern carrots, purple in colour, were domesticated in modern-day Afghanistan in the 10th century. Purple or red and yellow carrots were cultivated in Iran and Arabia in the 10th century and in Syria in the 11th. By the 12th century these carrots were brought west by the Arabs to Spain via North Africa. From there they spread to the rest of Europe and America. Carrots were mentioned by Greek and Latin writers but after the fall of Rome, carrots stopped being widely seen in Europe until the Arabs reintroduced them in the Middle Ages around 1100. The 12th century Arab Andalusian agriculturist, Ibn al-Awwam, described both red and yellow carrots. The purple carrot spread into the Mediterranean in the 10th century where a yellow mutant appeared. The purple and yellow carrots both spread into Europe in subsequent centuries. The white carrot is also a mutant of yellow varieties. Orange carrots arrived from mutations of yellow forms, and then from human selection and development, in the Netherlands. The modern orange carrot was developed and stabilised by Dutch growers in the 16-17th century. Western carrots, identified by their yellow, orange, white or red unbranched root and yellowish green leaves originated around Turkey. Muslim agriculturists revived and spread the carrot to the West.
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BIOGRAPHY / MUSLIM INFLUENCE
Name: Abdur Rahman Ibn Abdul Aziz asSudais. Born: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 1960. He is an Imam in Musjidul Haraam (Ka’bah) in Makkah.
HISTORY / FUTURE
The Muslim community in Canada is almost as old as the nation itself. Four years after Canada's founding, the 1871 Census found 13 Muslims. The first Musjid was built in Edmonton in 1938. From 1960s Muslims began to arrive in significant numbers. In1971 there were 33,000 Muslims in Canada, in 1981 there were 98,000 and in 1991 there were 253,265. By 2001, the Muslim community had grown to 579,000. Preliminary estimates for Census 2006 pointed to almost 800,000. In the 1980s, Canada became a place of refuge for Lebanese. The 1990s saw Somali Muslims and Bosnian Muslims arrive. Almost every Muslim country in the world has sent immigrants to Canada. The majority of Canadian Muslims live in Ontario, with the largest groups settled in and around the Greater Toronto area. According to the 2001 Census, there were 254,110 Muslims living in Greater Toronto. The capital Ottawa hosts many Lebanese and Somali Muslims. There are also Moroccan, Algerian, Pakistani, Syrian, Iranian, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities with nearly every major Canadian metropolitan area having a Muslim community. Quebec has ruled that the niqab or burka is not welcome in schools or medical facilities. Muslims have asked to have family dispute courts oversee small family cases, such as the ones available to Jews, but were faced with opposition from Pro-Israel lobbies and liberal Muslim groups. The Muslim community is represented by several organizations and has a Darul Uloom, 5 Islamic schools and 55 Musjids. A Muslim woman was elected to the Quebec National Assembly in 1994.
Minor signs of the last day have appeared but have not yet taken complete shape. Every day they intensify until the major signs appear. Here are some: There will be many leaders but very few
trustworthy people. There will be many police (who will back the tyrants) [Al Isha-ah]. Trade and commerce will spread very much to such an extent that a wife will help her husband in business, but there will a great slump in the economic filed and no profit will be gained. The habit and custom of writing will increase but (the objective of receiving) an education would be to further worldly ends. There will be an abundance of those who recite the Quraan in a singing way to show off, gain fame and earn wealth. The Ulama (scholars) will be killed. The Ulama will face very trying times and hardship and they would prefer death to pure gold. Strangers will be treated well but the rights of relatives will be neglected. There will be noise and commotion in the Musjids and people will discuss worldly affairs there. Divorce will be very common. People will take pride in erecting tall buildings and will compete with each other in these projects. The wife will be obeyed but parents will be disobeyed. Immodesty and shameless conduct will be very common and there will be an abundance in illegitimate births.
Extracted from the work of Mufti Muhammad Rafi Uthmani. Part Four in next issue
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RAMADAAN 1431 PORT ELIZABETH/UITENHAGE AUG/SEP 2010 DAY Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur
ISLAMIC ENGLISH START FASTING END 1 Aug 12 5:30 2 13 5:29 3 14 5:28 4 15 5:27 5 16 5:26 6 17 5:25 7 18 5:24 8 19 5:23 9 20 5:21 10 21 5:20 11 22 5:19 12 23 5:18 13 24 5:17 14 25 5:16 15 26 5:14 16 27 5:13 17 28 5:12 18 29 5:10 19 30 5:09 20 31 5:08 21 Sep 1 5:06 22 2 5:05 23 3 5:04 24 4 5:02 25 5 5:01 26 6 5:00 27 7 4:58 28 8 4:57 29 9 4:56 Eidul Fitr Friday 10 September 2010
FASTING 5:48 5:48 5:49 5:50 5:50 5:51 5:52 5:52 5:53 5:54 5:55 5:55 5:56 5:57 5:57 5:58 5:59 6:00 6:00 6:01 6:02 6:02 6:03 6:04 6:04 6:05 6:06 6:06 6:07
Itikaaf Starts. Anyone intending I’tikaaf should be in the Musjid before Maghrib on 31 Aug | Fajr Athaan: 10 minutes after Fast starts
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