Newsletter of the Claremont Main Road Mosque · Vol.3 No.1 - August 2013/1434
‘Id al-Fitr 2013
Curbing Sectarian Impulses Shaykh Ighsaan Taliep “And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall not into disputes, lest you lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.” [Q8:46] In the above ayah Allah, the Almighty, prohibits the Believers from falling into strife and dissension (tanāzu’) since this will lead to their downfall and cause their power to disperse. The Qur’an furthermore admonishes the Believers to refrain from factionalism and sectarianism (tafarruq) and reminds the Believing community of Allah’s great bounty upon them if they become a welded brethren. In the view of many, the Muslim ummah is currently witnessing a dangerous rise in sectarianism and factionalism that seems to be palpable even to people of other faiths! As a consequence of the “Arab Spring” it appears that the flames of extremism and intolerance have been breathed with new life. The cries for political freedom in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria and elsewhere seemed to have provided the opportunity and momentum for extremist groups to terrorise and destroy Islamic cultural heritage of hundreds of years. This type of extreme behaviour gives rise to increased sectarianism among so-called Wahabi-Salafist and Sufi groupings. An equally sensitive and dangerous fault line which has been exploited to the injury of Muslims in countries like Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and elsewhere is the Sunni-Shi’i divide. Retaliation bombings and killings between Sunnis and Shi’is in these countries occur virtually on a daily basis. It is of grave concern that signs of these tensions are undeniably rearing its head among South African Muslims. How should we address this challenge? Firstly, we must understand that it is the will of Allah that people will always differ in their interpretations of the primary sources of Islam (see Q11:118). For example, the SunniShi’i schism has been part of this ummah for fourteen hundred years and it is not going to go away. Secondly, if we are to avoid the catastrophic consequences of sectarianism as it plays out elsewhere, the obligation falls to responsible and courageous leadership to propose new
ways of managing differences within their communities. Thirdly the Qur’an enjoins that good and evil are not equal, but that the best of strategies (ahsan) be employed to repel wrong. Only in so doing do we stand a chance of removing hatred and sectarianism that lead to violence and killing that regrettably has become so common in parts of the Muslim world. Fourthly, the underlying principles for such strategies are clearly enunciated in our primary sources. We must allow the pervasive Prophetic principals of tolerance (tasāmuh) and balance (wasatiyyah) based on justice (‘adl) and the performance of good (ihsān) to shape our attitudes and positions. The consequences of dogmatic and extreme attitudes are too ghastly to contemplate!
“The Muslim ummah is currently witnessing a dangerous rise in sectarianism and factionalism that seems to be palpable even to people of other faiths!” Fifthly, a major factor is the incendiary undertones in the curricula of certain Islamic centres based on dogmatic theology. Such education programmes breed intolerance that are encapsulated in condemnatory concepts like, kāfir (infidel), mushrik (idolater), mubtadi’ (heretic), fāsiq (morally depraved). This is hugely problematic for the ummah.
Editorial This ‘Id al-Fitr edition coincides with the celebration of Women’s Day on the 9th August 2013, and so we feature some articles that address this theme. Imam Rashied provides an insightful tafsir of qur’anic verses that unequivocally affirms the equal status and rights of women in society. Fatima Seedat challenges us to think carefully about how we respond to the proposed Muslim Marriages Bill in terms of its recognition of the role and voice of women in the marriage contract. Shuaib Manjra reminds us about the prevalence of violence against women in our society and suggests some concrete ways in which we can fight this scourge. At this time of ‘Id al-Fitr we give thanks for the many blessings of Ramadan and pray for peace in the many conflict ridden parts of the world. The lead article by Shaykh Ighsaan Taliep sounds a timeous warning for us to guard against growing sectarianism in our own society, which has been the source of conflict in so many parts of the world. Raashied Galant further provides a critical reflection on the violence and destruction perpetrated by Muslim Power in West Africa and the Middle East. In this edition we also report on the many activities in our Jihad Against Poverty campaign which we undertook this Ramadan with the generous support of many of our congregants. We also feature a sample of the many excellent post-tarawih guest speakers we invited. Finally, we celebrate the life of Aunty Fatima Ganief, one of the oldest women jamat members at CMRM. We wish you all ‘Id Sa’id Wa Mubarak
Sixthly, all Islamic solutions must of necessity be tempered with mercy. This quintessential principal in Islam finds Prophetic sanction in the hadith, “Those who are merciful will receive mercy from the Most Merciful; show mercy to those on earth and (as a result) He who is beyond the heavens will show you mercy.” Let us hope that we have the moral courage to live with differences in society without amplifying differences into becoming sectarian conflicts.
40-42 Main Road, Claremont, 7708 • 021 683 8384 • www.cmrm.co.za