Islamic Focus

Issue 104 Igniting the Spirit of Islam Aug 2012 Bukhara Publications/Tel: 078 672 7797/Fax: 086 651 2125 Email: islamicfocus@gmail.com/Korsten/Port Elizabeth

day’s Quran learning. A new day begins with recitation of whatever was learnt before, after which permission is given to proceed.

SACRIFICE Students, some as young as 10 completed Hifz in just 40 days. One handicapped or-phan memorised 3-4 Juz daily, completing Hifz in only 20 days. Sometimes participants have no lunch, sometimes they have no tea, some-times they have nothing due to the Gaza siege. Yet they still continue. The Pro-gram caters for both males and females. The majority of Musjids in Gaza have adopted the program.

Adapted from article by Ebrahim

Moosa, Cii Broadcasting

Enjoying Gaza’s 3 month annual summer vacation is difficult. Outside travel is restricted and opportunities for recreation are limited.

SUPER SUCCESS Since 2009 Islamic organi-sations, complemented by the Waqf Ministry, devised an annual program to draw youth closer to the Musjid and fruitful use of the vaca-tion. Dar al Quran Was Sunnah 4 years ago oversaw the first co-ordinated Hifz Memorisa-tion program at Gaza’s Mus-jids. The mission: Attempt-ing to get youth age 8-25 to memorise the entire Quran in 12 weeks. What began as a pilot project catering only for high performing stu-dents quickly outgrew itself when it was discovered that the majority of students memorised the entire Quran within the short period and

found the process to be less strenuous than originally perceived. In its second year, the pro-gram was expanded to 1,000 youth, the majority of whom memorised the entire Quran. A year later, 10,000 youth graduated.

DAILY PROGRAM The program is a 6-8 hour regimen of memorisation. The day begins with Fajr. Thereafter participants come together in circles of Zikr, Salaah and Dua. Eve-ryone is then placed indi-vidually. Students memorise the Quran page by page. They recite the Quran back to their superiors each time they complete a new page. Some memorise 5-10 pages daily, others up to 50. After Zuhr, lunch is served. Thereafter students under-take a revision of the entire

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2 Islamic Focus

WORLD

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SAUDI - 30,000 workstation computers back online at Saudi Aramco after a virus hit the world's largest oil producer. (BBC, 27 Aug) IRAN - US sanctions led Blizzard to cut off access to World of Warcraft game in Iran. (BBC, 28 Aug) SOUTH AFRICA - Archbishop Desmond Tutu pulled out of a leadership summit in Johannesburg because he refuses to share a platform with war criminal Tony Blair. (BBC, 28 Aug) DAGESTAN - Bomb blast killed Islamic scholar and five others in Russian-occupied Muslim republic of Dagestan. Dagestan's security forces regularly clash with armed Islamist freedom fighters. (BBC, 28 Aug) KENYA - Muslim youths involved in running battles with police following murder of Muslim preacher Aboud Rogo Mohammed. (BBC, 28 Aug) USA - A US court ordered former Somali PM Mo-hamed Samantar to pay $21m to 7 Somalis who ac-cused him of torture and killings during the brutal reign of Siad Barre in the 1980s. (BBC, 29 Aug) INDIA - 32 people convicted for 2002 anti Muslim riots in Gujarat including former minister Kodnani. 1,000, mostly Muslims, were killed. (BBC, 29 Aug) INDIA - 4,000 people fled their homes in Assam following fresh violence. 100 died in fighting be-tween indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers since last month. More than 300,000 people have fled their homes in total. (BBC, 30 Aug) FRANCE - French prosecutors opened a murder in-quiry into the death of Yasser Arafat over claims that he was poisoned by Israel with polonium-210, a ra-

dioactive element. (BBC, 28 Aug) PALESTINE - 3 Jewish children arrested for fire-bombing a Palestinian taxi. This is the second case this month where young Jews have been accused of attacking Arabs. (BBC, 27 Aug) SYRIA - More than 300 civilians massacred in Da-rayya, Syria by Pres Assad’s thugs. (BBC, 27 Aug) PALESTINE - The Gaza Strip will not be ‘a liveable place’ by 2020 according to a UN report due to the Jewish blockade. (BBC, 27 Aug) LIBYA - US ambassador and 3 embassy staff killed when militiamen stormed the US consulate in protest at a US-produced film that is insulting to the Prophet �. In Egypt, protesters against the film breached the walls of the US embassy and tore down the US flag. (BBC, 12 Sep) LEBANON - Lebanese Alawites who share the same faith as the ruling clan of Pres Assad in Syria, a sup-posed offshoot of Shiasm, are attacking Sunnis in Lebanon. (BBC, 29 Aug) EGYPT - Egypt's president blasted Assad’s Syrian regime at a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Iran, sparking a walkout by the Syrian delegation. Iran actively supports Assad’s regime. (BBC, 30 Aug) SYRIA - Syrian freedom fighters shot down an air force fighter jet in Idlib. (BBC, 30 Aug) PAKISTAN - 289 people killed in a fire at a factory in Karachi. (BBC, 12 Sep) USA - Obama refuses to meet Jewish PM whose team asked for talks. (BBC, 12 Sep) �

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3 Islamic Focus

SOCIA

L / SUNNAH

In Islam a husband is required to treat his wife with affection, and show her kindness and consideration. When this teaching of Is-lam is implemented it brings about a great deal of peace and harmony in marriage. 1. Source of Peace ‘And among His signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find contentment in them, and He has instilled between you affection and mercy…’ (Quran 30:21) For a wife to become a source of peace and contentment she has to be in a peaceful relationship. 2. Muslim Character

The Prophet � said: ‘The best among you are those who are best to their family and I am the best to my family.’ (Tirmidhi) Kind treat-ment generates true and deep love in the wife for her husband. 3. Best Treasure

‘Shall I tell you the best a man can treasure? It is a good wife. If he looks at her, she gives him pleasure…’ (Abu Dawood) ‘Whoever is granted a good wife, he is helped to practice half his faith…’ (Mishkaat) The potential to be-come a source of true pleasure lies within every wife. It is the husband’s responsibility to unlock this potential with good treatment. 4. More Kindness

‘… and live with them (your wives) in kind-ness…’ (Quran 4:19) ‘Verily Allah is Most Kind, and He loves kindness in all af-fairs.’ (Bukhari) ‘Kindness is not found in any-thing, but it adds beauty to it…’ (Muslim) �

Adapted from article by Darul Ihsan

While Ramadan comes to an end, we can con-tinue fasting. Allah (the Exalted) said: Every act of the son of Adam is for him except fast-ing. It is done for My sake, and I will give a re-ward for it.’ (Muslim) Days to Fast The Prophet � said: ‘Deeds are shown (to Al-lah) on Mondays and Thursdays, and I like my deeds to be shown when I am fast-ing.’ (Tirmidhi) ‘If you fast any part of the month, then fast the 13, 14 and 15.’ (Tirmidhi) Tips for Fasting

1. Make Intention. Make the intention that you want to sincerely fast for Allah. Until you get used to this, set up a weekly/monthly re-minder in your phone or laptop to remind you what days you will be fasting. 2. Fasting Buddies. While you want your fast to be private, you can get extra reward by en-couraging others to join in this sunnah act. 3. Make it Fun. Make this fasting routine in-teresting. To add a bit of fun to the occasion, organize quizzes and give away prizes to en-courage fasting amongst youngsters. Barrier Fudayl ibn Iyaad said: ‘Know that if you can’t pray at night and you can’t fast during the day, you are prevented; and what prevents you is your number of sins, so look into your heart.’ To build energy for acts of worship, we need to cut down on sin. �

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SOCIA

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There are four main poisons which affect the heart and thus affect a person’s ability to wor-ship Allah. The first is unnecessary speech: Faith. The faith of a servant is not put right until his heart is put right, and his heart is not put right until his tongue is put right. (Musnad) Hardness. Do not talk excessively without re-membering Allah, because such excessive talk without the mention of Allah causes the heart to harden, and the person furthest from Allah is a person with a hard heart. (Tirmidhi) Mistakes. Umar � said: ‘A person who talks too much is a person who often makes mis-takes, and someone who often makes mis-takes, often has wrong actions. The Fire has a priority over such a frequent sinner.’ (Baihaqi) Hell. The Prophet � said: ‘The servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not realise, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the Fire (of Hell) further than the distance between the east and the west. (Bukhari) Survival. Uqba ibn Amir � said: ‘I said: "O Messenger of Allah �, what is our best way of surviving?' He replied: ‘Guard your tongue, make your house suffice for sheltering your privacy, and weep for your wrong ac-tions.’ (Tirmidhi) Prison. Abdullah ibn Masood � said: ‘By Al-lah, besides Whom no god exists, nothing de-serves a long prison sentence more than my tongue.’ �

Weakness

The Prophet � once informed Allah about feel-ing weak, and was advised to eat meat cooked in milk. Colic

The Prophet � said: ‘The eating of figs pre-vents colic.’ Stomach Ailments Abu Bakr � reports: ‘Amongst the better dates is the Burnee date … it removes stom-ach ailments and is harmless.’ Mind The Prophet � said: ‘O people! Make a habit of eating marrow (any pumpkin) for it strength-ens the mind.’ Grieving Heart

The Prophet � advised Aeysha �: ‘O Aeysha! When you cook a meal, add marrow to it, for it strengthens a grieving heart.’ Pomegranate

The Prophet � said: ‘Every pomegranate con-tains a drop from the water of Paradise.’ Among the cures it has is purifying the blood. Grapes

The Prophet � was fond of grapes. Among the things it does is strengthens the kidneys. The Prophet � has also listed black seed, gar-lic and bitter orange (the known equivalent is grape fruit) as a cure for diseases. �

Adapted from Darul Ihsan’s pamphlet

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Islamic-Focus/121276488849?v=wall

5 Islamic Focus

QUESTIO

NS &

ANSW

ERS

Q: I begin my fast in UAE

and then I travel to India (where Ramadan was

declared a day later) and will be in India till the end of Ramadan.

Case 1: If Ramadan is 29

days in UAE, do I have to fast the 30th day in India?

Case 2: If Ramadan is 30 days in UAE, do I have to

fast the 31st day in India? If I don’t need to fast the 31st day, can I

make up for a fast missed during Ramadan

of the same year? A: In the instance that one leaves the country where he started fasting, and travels to another, then he has be-come from amongst the peo-ple of the second. Thus, in the first case, he must com-plete 30 days if India is fast-ing that day. In the second case, the re-lied-upon opinion is that even if one has fasted 30 days, then he still needs to fast with the country he trav-eled to. On this point, there is also a view that one should break his fast and not pro-ceed to fast 31 days. In the case that one would travel and find that he only fasted 28 days and the coun-try he is in is making Eid, he should make Eid and make-up a day. (Tuhfat al-Muhtaj

3:421; Mughni al-Muhtaj 2:145) Q: What is the ruling re-garding shaving or clip-

ping the nails during the first ten days of Zul Hi-jjah? Does it just apply to

those going on Hajj?

A: When the ten days of Zul Hijjah enter and a person in-tends to offer a sacrifice, then he should refrain from cutting his hair or nails until he slaughters. ‘When you see the new moon of Zul Hijjah, and one of you desires that he offer a sacrifice, then let him keep (i.e. not cut) his hair and nails.’ (Muslim 13:2452)

The scholars differed on the ruling. Saeed ibn Musayyab, Rabiah, Ahmad, Is-haq, Dawud, and some of the Shafis considered that it is unlawful (haram) for one to cut either until the slaughter-ing is complete. Imam Shafi opined that it is disliked (makruh). Sheikh Ibrahim al-Marwazi and others men-tioned that the ruling on the hair and nails extends to all parts of the body. (Sharh

Muslim 13:2453-54) Therefore, if one intends to offer a sacrifice during this time, then he should refrain from cutting the hair or nails, as established in well-authenticated hadith. Q: Is it lawful to ask

about how an animal was killed if you do not know?

A: The Prophet � would in-quire regarding the sources from which food came. It is narrated that, When he was given food he would ask re-garding it. If it was said (it was) a gift he would eat from it, and if it was said (it was) charity he would not eat from it. (Muslim 7:184) Q: Can I give zakah to my stepmother (father’s sec-

ond wife)?

A: One may give zakah to his stepmother so long as she meets the requirements that make one eligible to receive zakah. (Hashiyah Qalyubi/

Umayrah 2:195)

Q: In the waiting period, does the ex-husband have to pay his divorced wife’s

zakatul fitr? A: During the waiting period of a revocable divorce, he must pay it. If irrevocable and she is pregnant, then he must pay it. If irrevocable and she is not pregnant, then he does not have to pay it. (Rawdat al-Talibin 2:295)

Q: What is the ruling for a breastfeeding mother who

has a difficult time keep-ing her clothing clean

from the baby’s urine, poo, vomit, etc? What about things that the

baby touches with its mouth after vomiting?

A: Infants’ mouths are ex-cused, even when certain that they are impure. (Fath al-Allam 1:365) According to Imam Malik, when a breast-feeding woman takes pre-cautions to avoid the baby’s filth, and impurities still manage to get on her gar-ment, then it is excusable. She may perform the prayer as such, without washing her garments. But, it is recom-mended that she puts on a fresh garment for prayer. Sayyid Jurdani mentioned, ‘Being excused is in line with (the Shafi) school’s principles too; because difficulty brings about ease.’ (Ibid) �

SHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & A From various Ulama

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HANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & A From various Ulama

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QUESTIONS &

ANSW

ERS

Q: I would just like to

know if it would be advis-able to add Muhammad

before the babies name. So instead of Furqaan, can we name the baby

Muhammad Furqaan? A: Yes, It is appropriate for you to add Muhammad be-fore your son’s name. Allamah Ibn Abideen rahima-hullah alayh mentions in Raddul Muhtaar that Muhammad and Ahmed are one of beloved names to Al-lah Ta’ala since Allah Ta’ala chose them for His beloved Prophet �. However, if you chose to give the name Furqaan to the baby, there is no harm in doing so.

Answer by: Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed

Q: Is it compulsory

(fardh) for a female to take ghusl (bath) after semen comes out of her?

A: Ghusl is fardh upon both male and female after sexual intercourse whether or not semen comes out. The com-ing out of semen also makes ghusl fardh upon both male and female regardless of whether or not it came out due to intercourse. If after intercourse a female takes a bath and semen came out of her that was from her hus-band she would not need to repeat the bath. However, if after the bath her semen comes out, or she is uncer-tain if it was hers or if it was from her husband then it would be compulsory for her to repeat the bath. (Bahisti Zewar 1:69-70)

Answer by: Moulana Saeed Ahmed Golaub

Q: Is our salah is ac-cepted if we offer it be-hind an imam who is tak-

ing money for being imam

which most imams do? A: The ruling issued by the earlier jurists was the imper-missibility of taking a wage for leading salah. This ruling was given on the basis that the imam would get a grant from the bait al-maal (public treasury) for his necessities. However, in these times wherein a bait al-maal does not exist the imam does not have any source to provide for his necessities, therefore the later jurists permit re-ceiving a wage for leading salah. If the imams were to focus on earning rather than teaching or leading salah, it would have a detrimental ef-fect. Thus, it is permissible for an imam to take a wage for leading salah.

Answer by: Moulana Mohammed Patel

Q: 1. What does Islam say about spending on my

wife's parents and taking care of them?

2. Do I get reward like I take care of my parents?

A: 1. It is indeed praise wor-thy that you take care of your wife’s parents. There are indeed many virtues of joining family ties. There are a number of verses in the Quran regarding the joining of family ties: ‘and fear Allah through whom you demand (your mutual rights) and (do

not cut the relations of) kin-ship.’ There are several Hadith of the Prophet � re-garding joining family ties: ‘Whoever wants that his

provision be increased and his lifespan be increased

should join family ties.’ 2. A person gets reward ac-cording to what is intended.

If your intention is correct then Allah Ta’ala will cer-tainly reward you. The Prophet � stated: ‘Verily ac-tions depend upon inten-tions.’ Thus, your rewards will be multiplied according to your intention, sincerity etc.

Answer by: Moulana Mohammed Patel

Q: In Ramadaan I suffer more frequently with post

nasal drip. I do take anti-histamines at Sehri but during the day I feel stuff

dripping down the throat to which I can’t cough

out. What happens to my fast? A: In principle mucus from nasal passage does not break one’s fast. Since post-nasal dripping is essen-tially nasal mucus triggered by some allergy, it will not break one’s fast.

Answer by: Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed

Q: Can non-Muslims enter the Musjid? Please state the ruling of all the Mathabs. A: According to Hanafis it is permissible for non-Muslims to enter the Musjid. The Prophet � hosted the delega-tion of the Thaqeef tribe in Musjid e Nabawi � while they were still non Muslim. This is conditional on: 1. The enter-ing of non-Muslims in the Musjid does not cause any harm to Muslims. 2. Their apparent impure state is un-known. According to the Hanbali and Shafis it is permissible for non-Muslims to enter any Musjid besides the Masjid al Haraam (Kabah). According to the Malikis, It is makrooh (disliked) for non-Muslims to enter any Musjid. �

Answer by: Moulana Ismail Desai

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People walk through parks covered with fallen flowers. At one time these flowers were on trees. They were admired. People enjoyed and appreciated their fragrance. However, when a slight breeze touched them, they fell onto the ground. Then the same people, who once ad-mired, trampled over them. Those flowers be-came a carpet and were crushed underfoot. After some time they were swept away thrown into a bin and disposed of at a dump.’ Once Muslims were like those flowers on the trees. The fragrance of their Islam, of their beautiful character and charming etiquette, were admired by all. Their pleasant character and speech, their honesty, sincerity and ser-vice to mankind emitted beautiful fragrances. When they were flowers on the tree, people inhaled their ‘fragrance’ and accepted Islam. When the breeze of temptation and sin blew, then many Muslims left the tree; they sepa-rated themselves from the strong, sturdy trunk of correct beliefs and lost the attach-ment they had to the branches of worship. They adopted Western culture, and in turn lost their fragrance and colours as they withered away. Having fallen onto the ground, Muslims globally are literally being crushed underfoot. Muslims, the blossoming flowers of Islam, have preferred to mix with mud and have lost their fragrance and colour. The lives of Mus-lims has become so cheap that thousands are swept into mass graves. We need to replant the seeds of obedience to Allah and those beautiful, fragrant, colourful flowers will bloom and blossom once more. �

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POLITICS / H

ISTO

RY

To understand the improbability of the US government’s explanation of 9/11, it is not necessary to know any debated aspect. You only have to know two things: How a handful of Arabs operating independently of any government outwitted not only the CIA, FBI and NSA, but all 16 US intelligence agen-cies, along with all security agencies of NATO and Mossad. Not only did all intelligence forces of the Western world fail, but the entire Na-tional Security simultaneously failed. Airport security failed four times in one hour. NORAD failed. Air Traffic Control failed. The US Air Force failed. Absolutely nothing worked. The second is that this security failure did not result in immediate demands from govern-ment or media for an investigation of how such total failure could have occurred. No one was held accountable for the greatest failure of national security. It wasn’t long before the story was in place that bin Laden had attacked the US. How could a tiny undamaged passport be found in the rubble of two skyscrapers when bodies could not be found? How could authorities know so conclusively and almost immediately the names of the perpetrators when they had no idea such an attack was planned? Naive Americans claim that if the US govern-ment had been involved in 9/11, ‘someone would have talked by now.’ Consider the cover-up of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Lib-erty that killed or wounded most of the crew. Survivors only later testified they were or-dered not to speak about it. � Paul Craig Roberts

Did you know? 1. When the Palestine Problem was created by Britain in 1917, more than 90% of the popula-tion of Palestine were Arabs, and that there were at that time no more than 56,000 Jews in Palestine? 2. More than half of the Jews living in Pales-tine at that time were recent immigrants, who had come to Palestine in the preceding dec-ades. And that less than 5% of the population of Palestine were native Palestinian Jews? 3. The Arabs of Palestine at that time owned 97.5% of the land, while Jews (native Pales-tinians and recent immigrants together) owned only 2.5% of the land? 4. The General Assembly of the United Nations recommended a ‘Jewish State’ be established in Palestine? The Assembly granted that pro-posed ‘State’ 54% of the total area of the country even though Jews only owned 6%? 5. Jews immediately occupied 80.48% of the total land area of Palestine? 6. The original 1947 recommendation to cre-ate a ‘Jewish State’ in Palestine was approved only by European, American and Australian States. Every Asian and African State (with the exception of South Africa) voted against except that Union of South Africa, itself ruled by an alien minority? 7. Israel stands in defiance of 69 United Na-tions Security Council Resolutions? �

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BIO

GRAPHY / H

ISTO

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The blessed chamber housing the graves of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, Abu Bakr and Umar radiallahu anhuma was de-scribed by the men who last entered it in 1971 to change the curtain. One said it was 48 me-ters in circumference. Lamps were hanging from the chamber ceiling. The chamber cover-ing is a weave made of pure silk, green in color, padded with a strong cotton cloth, and it is crowned by a belt similar to that of the cov-ering of the Kabah, except that it is red in color. A quarter of its space is taken up by an embroidery of Quranic verses from Surat al-Fath, made of lines of cotton and wires of gold and silver. Another said that below the green dome is another dome. There is a fourth tomb which is empty. Some say it was the mother of Haroon Rashid, the Abbasid Caliph (786-809 CE) who donated the first curtain for the chamber, others say it was his wife. After that it was the Prime Minis-ter of Egypt who ordered a white curtain deco-rated and embellished with Surah Yasin. Two years later the Caliph sent violet curtains with his name being the main motif. The next one was black, and then another was placed over these two, forming three layers. Thereafter, every six years a curtain made of white silk embroidered with gold and silver from Egypt was provided. The Ottomans established the green curtain with red and gold calligraphy and the curtain was made in Turkey. Saudi King Abd al-Aziz ordered its manufacture in a factory in Makkah. The last time it was changed was in 1971, and the covering that was changed was 75 years old. Many of the old curtains are displayed in the Topkapi Mu-seum in Turkey. �

Sheikh Burhanuddin was a great Aalim from Ulakan on Sumatra island in present-day In-donesia. He died in 1704 CE. His father was from the Koto ethnic group and his mother from the Guci ethnic group. Burha-nuddin is a member of the Guci ethnic group since the kinship structure of the Minangkabau people is based upon the matrilineal lineage. His original name was Pono. Pono went to Tapakis to study under the prominent Aalim, Yahyuddin, known as Tu-anku Madinah. On the advice of Sheikh Abdur Rauf Singkel, Burhanuddin studied Islam from 1621 to 1651 CE. Sheikh Abdur Rauf also changed his name from Pono to Burhanuddin. Sheikh Burhanuddin went to Ulakan, Sumatra and built a surau (a religious communal build-ing) at Medan. He succeeded in propagating Islam in central Sumatra. Burhanuddin ad-hered to the Shattariah Sufi school of thought. A Quranic recital centre was established in Pamansiangan Luhak Agam. Ulema came to further their knowledge of Islamic teachings in Ulakan. The influence of Ulakan was substantial in the development of Islam in Minangkabau. This small town was where Islamic propagation be-gan in the 17th century. The western shore of Aceh was under Dutch dominance when Bur-hanuddin built a surau there. It was in this town that Burhanuddin devel-oped Islam for 39 years in trying times. His influence on Islam in Sumatra is still felt up to today. � From: Radio Islam

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There are 9,000 Muslims in Cuba (0.1% of the Population). 1,000 are indigenous Cubans. At one point there were many Muslim students entering Cuba to study. Cuban Muslims learned Islam through embassies of Middle Eastern countries as well as through students coming to study from Muslim and African countries. Islam started to spread among Cu-bans in the 1970s and '80s. Printed and audio-visual Islamic resources are almost nonexis-tent in Cuba. Cuba’s Muslims usually pray in their homes since there is no Mosque in Havana and the state does not allow the construction of mosques. The only prayers performed in pub-lic are the Friday prayers conducted in the Arab House in old Havana. The Arab House belonged to a wealthy Arab immigrant who lived in Cuba in the 1940s, and it was built on Andalusian architectural designs. The House encompasses an Arabic museum, an Arabic restaurant, and is used by Muslim diplomats for Friday prayers. Cuban Muslims are not al-lowed to use the facilities, which are only re-served for non Cuban Muslims: tourists and diplomats. There are two Islamic groups in Cuba: the Cu-ban Islamic Union and the Islamic Association of Cuba, in Havana. Notable Cuban Muslims include Alí Nicolás Cossío, former foreign min-istry official and Juan Carlos Gomez, profes-sional boxer and former Cruiserweight Cham-pion. The town of Pilaya de Rosario is reportedly 40% Muslim. �

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Islamic Focus, in conjunction with local busi-nessmen, is in the process of launching a Za-kaat bursary fund for qualifying students who excel academically in Port Elizabeth. The Fund will initially help students at Nasrud-deen and Azhar Muslim schools in Port Eliza-beth. We hope to cover these students' fees all the way through to tertiary level. The Fund will operate in conjunction with the relevant schools: they will do the screening of students to ensure they qualify and provide their academic results. Qualifying students must show academic abil-ity, the long-term goal being that once they become adults they can continue the cycle by helping the next generation. Continued assis-tance to a student will depend on them meet-ing a certain academic standard consistently. This Fund is based on the Prophetic teaching of assisting students to empower themselves and become assets to society. If you are interested in being part of this ini-

tiative, contact: Moulana Muhammad Badsha

078 672 7797 islamicfocus@gmail.com

11 Islamic Focus

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TEL/FAX: (041) 453 2990

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FINAL FO

CUS

The Darul Ihsan Muslim Empowerment Fund (MEF) established a number of projects to as-sist, alleviate poverty and empower. Humanitarian Projects 1. Feed a Pupil: Volunteers prepare sand-wiches for the poorest pupils. +/-50,000 sand-wiches a month distributed to 63 schools 2. Feed a Patient: Pre-packed biscuits offered to care centres and institutions. 20 000 bis-cuits a month to 28 institutions 3. Home Improvement: 52 homes made into a livable condition for poor families. 4. Household Improvement: 130 basic house-hold appliances and furniture given to needy. 5. Nursing the Aged 6. Ihsan Soup Kitchen 7. Feed a Family 8. Ihsan Feeding Scheme: Hot cooked meals prepared in large pots. Twice a month meals are served at clinics, care centres, etc. 9. Enable the Disabled: Providing wheelchairs, artificial limbs, diapers and moral support. Empowerment Projects include Tuck Shop Starter Pack, Tradesmen Empowerment (artisans assisted with tools and materials to start up a business), Street-Traders Empower-ment, Ihsan Skills Training, Ihsan Seeding Project, Educate a Child (stationery, uniforms, fees, transport, etc provided). �

Banking Details

FNB. Branch: Tongaat 220329 Acc Name: Darul Ihsan Centre

Acc No: Lillah: 62130045398. Zakah: 62130044910. Feeding: 62134947764.

Relief: 62134947144 Tel: 08611 44726 | Fax: 031 207 3749

There is a story of identical twins. One was a hope-filled optimist. ‘Everything is coming up roses!’ he would say. The other twin was a sad and hopeless pessimist. The worried parents of the boys brought them to the local psy-chologist. He suggested a plan to balance the twins' per-sonalities. ‘On their next birthday, put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford and give the optimist a box of manure.’ The parents followed these instructions and carefully observed the results. When they peeked in on the pessimist, they heard him audibly complaining, ‘I don't like the color of this computer... I'll bet this calculator will break... I don't like the game... I know some-one who's got a bigger toy car than this…’ Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in the air. He was giggling. ‘You can't fool me! Where there's this much manure, there's gotta be a pony!’ Moral: Being positive and optimistic is en-couraged in Islam. The Quran asks us to never lose hope in the mercy of Allah Ta’ala. With positive thought, even seemingly hopeless situations become a means of improving us. We will find goodness in every part of life which Allah has chalked out for us. The Quran tells us that with every difficulty there most certainly comes ease. We should have positive expectations of Allah. �