... ... ... ... Islamic Focus

Issue 76 Igniting the Spirit of Islam Jan 2010

P3 Career P4 Best Bait

P7 Angels’ Prayer P9 Sheikh Abdul Basit

P10 Road Safety P12 Cii Youth

Bukhara Publications/Tel: 078 672 7797/Fax: 086 651 2125 Email: islamicfocus@gmail.com/Korsten/Port Elizabeth

Division. Once Muslims

united, Allah Ta’ala caused divisions within the ranks of

the Crusaders with King Guy of Luisgnan on the one side and Raynold of Catillon and

the Knights Templar on the other.

This will also happen to the united forces of Christianity

and Judaism today.

Tactics. Again, with unity, Allah granted the Muslims a brilliant tactical leader in

Salahuddin who lured the Christians into false military

maneuvers at Hittin. He also used smoke to blind the

Crusaders and captured the main water supply at the battlefield. Furthermore,

Salahuddin refused to be bribed by the Crusader gar-

rison at Tiberias. The Crusaders lost 17,000

men on that day and the road to the liberation of Je-

rusalem and Palestine lay open to Salahuddin. �

Palestine is occupied. The

surrounding Muslim coun-tries are helpless. Al Aqsa is

under threat. Sound familiar? Well, this was the situation 1,000

years ago when the Chris-tian Crusaders ruled over

Palestine. No Muslim could make inroads against them.

Hero. Then the man of the moment, Salahuddin Ayyubi

stood up for the liberation of the holy land and he suc-ceeded where others had

failed.

The turning point was the Battle of Hittin in 1187,

where Salahuddin’s forces crushed the might of Chris-tendom’s armies, once

again making the Muslims the main military power in

Palestine, liberating Jerusa-lem and several other Cru-sader-held cities. Here are

some of the reasons why he won through:

Unity. The Muslim states

surrounding the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem had

been united during the 1170s and 1180s by Salahuddin. He had been appointed vizier of

Egypt in 1169 and soon came to rule the country as

sultan. In 1174, he united Damascus, Aleppo by 1176 and Mosul by 1183. For the

first time, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was encircled by

Muslim territory united under one ruler.

A similar situation exists to-day, where the Muslim states

surrounding Palestine are di-vided, each looking out only

for her own interests. In fact, countries like Egypt and Jor-dan even refuse to allow hu-

manitarian aid into Palestine. Once these countries are

united under Islam, then the days of the Jewish occupa-tion will be numbered.

� � �... ... ... 2 Islamic Focus

WORLD NEWS

YEMEN - 30 Muslims killed in Yemeni airforce strike. (BBC, Dec 24) US gave firepower to help Yemeni government launch recent deadly raids. In Abyan several homes were destroyed and 64 civilians killed, including 23 children and 17 women. (AJ, Dec 19) PALESTINE - Israel admitted using the military to harvest organs from dead bodies of Palestinians and foreign workers in the 1990s, without permission from their families. Jehuda Hiss, former head of Is-rael's forensic institute, confirmed this. (AJ, Dec 21) ERITREA - UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes on top Eri-trean officials accusing them of supporting Islamist fighters who control most of Somalia. (BBC, Dec 24) AFGHANISTAN - Taliban released a video showing US soldier Bowe alive. He was captured 6 months ago. (BBC, Dec 25) USA - A huge winter storm rolled across central US, bringing chaos to road and air transport from Texas to Minnesota. The storm spanned two-thirds of the country. 18 people died and 100 flights leaving Min-neapolis were cancelled. (BBC, Dec 25) BURMA - Burma agreed to repatriate 9,000 Rohin-gya Muslims from Bangladesh. Human rights groups say Rohingya Muslims fled cruel religious persecu-tion in Burma and do not want to return to their home country. (BBC, Dec 29) NIGERIA - 38 people killed in clashes between se-curity forces and members of the Kala Kato Islamist sect in Bauchi state. Two soldiers and a policeman were also killed. (BBC, Dec 29) PALESTINE - Over 1,000 activists from 42 coun-tries were prevented by Egyptian authorities from reaching Gaza. Some were arrested while a separate convoy of vans delivering medical supplies was stopped by Jordanian authorities from entering Pal-estine. Another convoy of 200 trucks from London, led by UK MP George Gallaway was turned away by Egyptians. (BBC, Dec 29) An Egyptian soldier was killed in clashes after authorities refused to allow the aid trucks into Gaza. TV footage showed riot police hitting activists with batons. (BBC, Jan 6) SAUDI ARABIA - 40 officials arrested in an investi-gation into the authorities' response to devastating floods in Jeddah. 150 people were killed in the

floods in Nov. (BBC, Dec 28) KASHMIR - Muslim freedom fighters in Indian-occupied Kashmir killed four Indian soldiers at War-pora. (BBC, Dec 30) HEALTH - A US study of 12 to 18-year-olds found those with bedtimes after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went to bed before 10pm. And those who slept fewer than five hours a night had a 71% higher risk of depres-sion than those who slept eight hours. It is esti-mated 80,000 UK children and young people have depression. (BBC, Jan 2) SOMALIA - Somalia's al-Shabab Islamist group which rules most of the country has pledged to send fighters to help Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen. The US increased training, intelligence and military equip-ment provided to Yemeni forces to fight Islamist fighters. (AJ, Jan 2) NORWAY - Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Store wrote a back-cover praise of a book exposing cruel Jewish massacres of Gaza civilians during 2008’s deadly onslaught. The book is written by two Norwe-gian doctors who describe Israel’s ‘monstrous, sys-tematically implemented and comprehensive massa-cre’ against Gaza civilians. Jewish troops killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including 313 children, and wounded thousands during its three-week Gaza on-slaught. 20,000 homes and thousands other schools, hospitals and Musjids were ruined. A UN fact-finding committee accused Israel of committing war crimes during the Gaza war. (IOL, Dec 27) EGYPT - Coptic Christians smashed ambulances and stoned police after 7 Copts died in a shooting. This was in revenge for the rape of a 12-year-old Muslim girl by a Christian man. (BBC, Jan 7) PALESTINE - Christians boycott celebrations of Or-thodox Christmas in Bethlehem, accusing their Greek Orthodox Church of selling land to Jews. The previ-ous patriarch was ousted after leasing Church land in Jerusalem's Old City to Jews while the present one is continuing his policy. (BBC, Jan 6) PALESTINE - Arab and Jewish chefs won the world record for the biggest ever hummus dish serving up four tons of the stuff together and beating the re-cord set by Lebanese chefs in Oct who mixed two tons of the dip. (Sky News, Jan 8) �

� � �� � �� � �� � � 3 Islamic Focus

CAREER / FIN

ANCE

You’ve completed Matric and need to decide on

what you’re going to study to land you your dream

career. Here are some pointers to bear in mind:

Intention. Actions are judged according to intention. Among the intentions one can make is to be able to earn a living and not to beg.

Halaal. The career should be in a field that is

permissible in Islam. Doing something Haraam with the hope of success never works for a Muslim.

Benefit. The Hadith tells us that the best

people are those who are of most benefit to mankind. Study subjects that can help in

solving society’s problems. Wealth. It is natural to wish for wealth. But

this should be tempered by adjusting one’s priorities: For a Muslim, pleasing Allah comes

first. This attitude will lead to a Muslim enjoy-ing his wealth even more as the Quraan promises a good life for those who set Islam

as their main objective.

Effort. Never think that achievements are due to ones efforts. This is the way of the ar-rogant people of the past who were de-

stroyed. Be thankful to Allah and humble in ones achievements.

Shariah Compliant. Always check the rul-ings related to ones field of study or work

with Ulama to ensure it is within the parame-ters of Islam. Umar � would only allow a per-son to trade in the marketplace once he knew the Islamic laws of commerce. �

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While exclusive paper money as currency is a rela-

tively new phenomenon, gold and silver were in use

throughout the ages and across cultures as cur-

rency. Some sources say Prophet Aadam � initi-ated the use of gold and silver as currency. In fact,

much of the world instability and inflation is due to

the fact that these metals are no longer used as

everyday currency. The Muslim community, from

the era of the Prophet � till the fall of the last Khalifa used gold and silver. The Quraan speaks of

currency as being gold and silver. There are move-

ments in the Muslim world calling for a return to the

gold standard, the most prominent advocate being

former Malaysian PM Mahatir Muhammad. Some

states have introduced the gold dinar on a limited

scale while it is widely available as an investment.

Here are a few facts on the gold dinar:

Initially Muslims used gold and silver by weight and

used Persian dinar and dirhams. The first dated

coins assigned to Muslims are copies of silver dir-

hams of Yezdigird III, struck under Uthman �. In 695 CE Khalifah Abdulmalik minted the first Is-

lamic dirhams, establishing officially the standard of

Umar Ibnul Khattab �. The Islamic dinar is a coin of 22k (91.7%) gold

weighing 4.25 grams. � To be continued

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Countries with least number of Muslims: British

Indian Ocean Territory 4, Anguilla 72, Cayman Is-

lands 91, British Virgin Islands 92, Iceland 121, Do-

minica 134, Monaco 165, Seychelles 183, Lesotho

202, Aruba 291.

Excludes 46 countries with no Muslims.

Least percentage of Muslims in relation to to-

tal population:

Poland 0.01%, Ireland 0.01%, Slovakia 0.02%, Bo-

livia 0.02%, Iceland 0.04%, Paraguay 0.05%,

South Korea 0.07%, Cuba 0.08%, Belarus 0.1%,

Hungary 0.1% �

� � �� � �� � �� � � 4 Islamic Focus

MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION

A youngster found a nest of worms. He picked

one up and felt a sting as he hooked it on his rod. With these worms he began pulling in

bigger fish than the other boys. A man walking past asked him the secret of

his success and the boy showed him his worms. As he did so, the boy became dizzy

and fell unconscious. His hand was swollen and he died in hospital.

On investigation, the nest of ‘worms’ was ac-tually found to be a nest of baby rattlesnakes

and the boy had been bitten by one and died as a result.

This is the example of a Muslim using some-thing Haraam to gain some benefit. For a

while he might see success, but ultimately it will lead to his ruin and failure. The rattle-

snakes brought the boy big fish but killed him off in the end.

The law of Islam in every aspect of life is the only way for a Muslim to see genuine success

and contentment. �

Just as we upgrade everything in life, here’s a

list on how to improve the wearing of Hijab:

1. The Hijab shouldn’t attract attention Allah states the believing women should ‘not ... display their beauty (zeenah).’ [Surah

Noor:31] ‘And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like those of the times of

ignorance…’ [Surah Ahzaab:32] 2. Don’t shake hands with non-Mahrams

It’s part of Hijaab. The Prophet � said: ‘For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an

iron needle is better for him than to touch a woman who is not permissible for him.’ [Tabaraani] Non-Mahram is a male

whom a female can marry.

3. Be careful, even in the way you walk Walk with modesty. ‘There are two types of

the people of Hell that I have not seen yet… women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait…’ [Muslim]

4. Keep those nice fragrances for home

That’s part of Hijab. The Prophet � said: ‘Any woman who puts on perfume and passes by people so that they can smell her fragrance, is

an adulteress.’ [Nasaa’i, Tirmidhi]

5. No joking with non-Mahrams Being properly covered is no license to talk and joke with men. Allah says: ‘… then be not

soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a dis-ease should be moved with desire, but speak

in an honorable manner.’ [Surah Ahzaab:32]So talk to them when there is a specific need, and in a manner that is not necessarily rude,

yet is polite but firm. �

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ISLAMIC FOCUS Igniting the Spirit of Islam

On two days in the year the sun will be directly above the Ka’bah. This has been observed for centuries. When you face the sun on these days at the given time, you will be facing the Qibla. The days are:

May 28 at 11:18 am SA time and July 16 at 11:27 am

Extract from SANZAF diary 2010

� � �� � �� � �� � � 5 Islamic Focus

QUESTIO

NS & ANSWERS

SHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & A www.sunnipath.com

Q: Is it sunnah to remove

the mustache completely or to merely trim it?

A: Trimming the mustache is a sunnah that is agreed upon by all scholars. (Majmu) The

Prophet � said: ‘Whosoever does not take something

from his mustache is not one of us.’ (Tirmidhi) Scholars disagree on how much the

mustache should be trimmed. Some say it is sun-

nah to shave and trim it from its roots. However, the sun-nah in the Shafi school is to

trim the mustache from above the upper lip so that a

little of the upper lip can show, without shaving the

mustache at its roots. Sharhabil al-Khaulani said: ‘I saw five of the companions

of the Messenger � trimming their mustaches ... And they

trimmed their mustaches from the edge of the lip.’ (Baihaqi)

Q: Is it unlawful to speak

during conjugal relations? A: It is not unlawful to speak during one’s intimate rela-

tions, rather it is disliked unless there is need, as the

imams have stated. Q: Is it permissible to

make graves from gold

e.g. like how Hazrat Hus-

sain �'s is now? What about other precious

stones on graves e.g. sil-ver, emeralds etc? A: It is impermissible to

decorate graves or Musjids with gold. As for decorating

them with precious stones, it is offensive. And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Q: Is it permissible for a

man to marry one of his wife's friends and bring her to live with them in

the same house, if his first wife requested that

of him? A: Of the rights of the wife

upon her husband is that the other wife does not live with her, but if she accepts

it, then it is permissible, be-cause it is was her right and

she assented to waiving it. Q: What is the Shafi view

on using and selling table-ware and other items

made from white clay mixed with bone ashes? The items produced using

this substance are usually called ‘bone china’ ware.

A: It is permissible to use every pure vessel from the point of view of its purity,

but it might be unlawful for

some other reason, e.g. be-

ing made of gold or silver. It is forbidden to use an im-

pure vessel except for a large amount (216 liters or more) of water or for some-

thing dry when the vessel is dry. Clay is pure and bone is

considered pure if we do not know otherwise. So the china you mentioned is as-

sumed to be pure and is law-ful to sell and use wet or

dry. However, if it is known that it is usually made from impure bones, it is offensive

to use. If it is said, ‘Bones in non-Muslim lands are usually

from improperly slaughtered animals, or even pigs, and

are thus impure, and so is china made from them’ we say, ‘The original ruling of

bone is purity, so unless we know the impurity of a spe-

cific bone (by seeing it taken from a pig for example) and the use of that bone in a

specific piece of china, we act according to this original

ruling of purity.’ Q: What is the ruling on

playing chess? A: Playing chess is detest-

able (makruh) meaning that you are not punished for do-ing it and you are rewarded

for avoiding it. (Imam Naw-awi, Minhaj al-Talibin, as-

Siraj al-Wahhaj:580) Q: If a man kisses his

wife or non-mahram without touching her,

does wudhu break? A: Wudhu breaks by kissing the wife or non-mehram,

even if the man did not touch the female with the

naked hand. (Al-Haawi fee Al-Fiqh As-Shaafi’) � Answer by: Darul Uloom Abu Bakr

� � �� � �� � �� � � 6 Islamic Focus

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

www.askimam.org | www.askmufti.co.za | www.councilofulama.co.za

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: Is it permissible for

women to drive while ad-hering to the laws of hi-

jab? Today it seems a ne-cessity for them to drop off and pick up kids from

school as well as buying household needs when

the husband is at work. A: It is permissible for women to drive when there

is a genuine need, provided they adhere to the laws of

Islam and in particular the regulations of hijaab. How-ever this is not something

that is encouraged due to the fitnah and dangers that are

associated with it. And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Answer by: Mufti Shafiq Jakhura

Q: Is the Rum & Raisin flavour of Ola halaal?

A: The flavouring used in Ola Rum & Raisin ice cream is synthetic. The product is Ha-

laal, but due to connotation with liquor, the product will

not carry the Halaal mark. Answer by: SANHA

Q: What is the fatwa re-garding buying repos-sessed cars directly from

Standard Bank, etc? A: It is permissible to pur-

chase a car that has been repossessed by a bank, due

to its client defaulting in pay-

ment of the vehicle. Checked by: Mufti Zubair Bayat

Q: Is it permissible for Muslims to keep a Eid

gathering in a church or church hall, the reason being is that its cheaper

to hire? A: It is Makruh (detestable)

to enter a church or any other non Muslim place of worship. One should abstain

from hiring a church or a church hall for having any

functions. These are such places in which the anger and wrath of Allah descends

and it is also a gathering place for the devils. The ef-

fect of this environment will befall one by attending them.

Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Q: Was the funeral prayer performed for the Prophet

� and if so what are the details?

A: The funeral prayer was certainly performed on the Prophet �. This is recorded in the books of Hadith and his-tory. The details of the fu-

neral prayer are as follows: Upon the demise of the Prophet �, Abu Talha � lifted the bed on which he passed away, dug underneath and

cut the ground for the grave.

It was a Lahd type of grave with a niche. People entered

the room in groups and per-formed the funeral prayer. The first to perform it were

the people of his tribe, then the Muhaajiruun (Emigrants),

then the Ansaar (Helpers). The young were the last to pray. This process lasted all

day Tuesday and most of Wednesday until the night

came. (Sunan al bayhaqi al kubra, 4:30; Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, Pg 561)

Answer by: Moulana Abdur Rahman Shareef

Q: If someone read Eid

Salaah in UK then left for Pakistan where Eid was the following day, does he

have to perform Eid sa-laah again? Where should

he offer his Qurbani? A: In the situation where one has already performed his

Eid salah, and thereafter, travels to another place

where they have not yet per-formed the Eid salah; he may perform the Eid salah

there again with the inten-tion of nafl. You may offer

qurbani wherever you wish; however, it must be done af-ter the Eid salah of the place

where the animal is to be slaughtered. (Fatwa Rahimi-

yya, 10:40; Ahsan ul-Fatawa, 4:134; Fatawa Darul

Uloom Deoband, 5:227) Answer by: Moulana Sajid bin Shabbir

Q: If a Hanafi follows a

Shafi Imam in Eid salaah, what does he do about

the extra Takbeers? A: If a Hanafi is following an Shafi Imam in Eid salaah, he

should also follow him in all the extra Takbeers. Fataawa

Raheemiyah, 6:167-168) � Checked by: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

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� � �� � �� � �� � � 7 Islamic Focus

Enrich your web experience. Not all content on all sites

Islamic-compliant. Consult Ulama.

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Islam Alive Magazine

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gine

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Tarteelul Quraan, Pietermaritzburg

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golddinar - Gold Dinar

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Musjid, Australia

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Muhammad Zakariyyah

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fairs, Port Elizabeth

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lamic Finance

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Al Hashim Academy, UK

� www.quranchannel.com/ - Links to

Quraan Channels

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STO

RY / IN

TERNET

Here are ways to earn the Dua (prayer) of the

Angels. Angels pray for you:

1. When you pray for your brother. ‘The Dua of a Muslim for his brother (in Islam) in his absence is readily accepted, an Angel is

appointed to his side, whenever he makes a beneficial Dua for his brother, the appointed

Angel says ‘Aameen, and may you be blessed with the same.’’ [Muslim]

2. When you make Wudhu before you sleep.

3. When you sit after Salaah (prayer).

4. When you teach and learn the knowl-edge of Islam. ‘If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge … the inhabitants of the

heavens … will ask forgiveness for the learned man. [Abu Dawood 25:3634]

5. When you go to the Musjid and pray. [Bukhari 1:620]

6. When you eat Sehri. [Ahmad]

7. When you send Salwaat (Durood/

blessings) upon the Prophet �. [Quraan] 8. When you visit the sick. ‘When a Muslim

visits his sick brother in the morning, 70,000 Angels make Dua for his forgiveness till the

evening. And when he visits him in the eve-ning, 70,000 Angels make Dua for his forgive-ness till the morning… [Tirmidhi] �

From: Most Beautiful Muslima, Vol 1 Issue 5

“The People's Bread”!

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� � �� � �� � �� � � 8 Islamic Focus

PEOPLE / REVIEW

There’s a book out called The 500 Most Influential

Muslims 2009. While the book includes all and sun-

dry including Shias and other deviates, and is thus

an unreliable guide, it does make some interesting

reading. Here are some of the people:

Haji Abdul Wahaab (15) is leader of the Pakistan chapter of the Tabligh Jamaat move-

ment with chapters in 120 countries, an an-nual conference in Pakistan, the Raiwind

Tablighi Ijtima, which drew 1.5 million atten-dees in 2008, and the Biswa Ijtima in Bangla-

desh that attracts 3 million members each year. Haji Abdul Wahhab has been increas-ingly influential in his leadership of Muslims

that follow the international movement in Pakistan and abroad. Mufti Taqi Usmani

(27) is a leading scholar of Islamic jurispru-dence and one of the most senior figures in Islamic finance. He is a global authority on Is-

lamic finance and has served on the boards and as chairman of over a dozen Islamic

banks and financial institutions, and currently leads the International Shariah Council for the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Is-

lamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) in Bah-rain. He is also deputy chairman of the Inter-

national Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organi-zation of the Islamic Conference, one of the highest legal bodies in the Muslim world.

12 South Africans feature, among them Dr

Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, the largest disaster relief organization of African origin on the African

continent; Hashim Amla, a South African cricketer; Zain Bhika, performer of nasheeds

and Moulana Ihsaan Hendricks, president of the Muslim Judicial Council of Cape Town. �

The Great Mosque Game is a board game de-

signed for children and is a fun way to learn about Musjids (Mosques).

The game is for ages 8 upwards and consists of 2-4 player or teams. It is produced by

Goodwordkidz.

The aim of the game is to help kids learn, in an enjoyable way, about the basics of Mosque architecture and layout.

Special emphasis is placed on the Ka’bah,

Makkah, Madinah and Je-rusalem.

Pictures on the question cards help kids develop a

better knowledge of Mosques.

The game consists of 4 categories with a hun-dred multiple choice questions each.

Questions cover:

� Sacred Mosques in Islam � Famous world Mosques � Mosque architecture

� Teachings of Islam about Mosques, Sa-laah and Hajj.

The winner is the person or team which gets most points.

The game can be bought from Muslim book

and gift shops or ordered online. It’s an ideal Islamic alternative to other un-Islamic board games. The average price seems to be around

R140. �

� � �� � �� � �� � � 9 Islamic Focus

BIOGRAPHY / M

USLIM

INFLU

ENCE

Muslims have played an instrumental role in

the invention, spread and improvement of fab-ric over the ages. Here are some highlights:

Cashmere: The founder of the cashmere wool industry is the 15th century ruler of Kashmir,

Zayn-ul-Abidin, who introduced weavers from Turkestan. The word cashmere derives from

an old spelling of Kashmir. In the 18th-19th century Muslim Kashmir had a thriving indus-try producing cashmere shawls. These shawls

were introduced into Western Europe when the General of the French campaign in Egypt

(1799-1802) sent one to Paris. The shawl's arrival created an immediate sensation.

Buckram: is a stiff cloth used to cover and protect books. The word is derived from the

Muslim town of Bukhara in Central Asia.

Damasks: were one of the 5 basic weaving techniques of Islamic weaving centres of the Middle Ages and get their name from their ori-

gin in Damascus, Syria. Damasks were scarce after the 9th century outside Muslim Spain.

Mohair: refers to a silk-like fabric made from the hair of the Angora goat. The word was

adopted into English from the Arabic mukhay-yar, a type of haircloth. The angora goat origi-

nated in the mountains of Tibet making their way to Turkey in the 16th century. Raw mo-hair was first exported from Turkey to England

in 1820. Until 1849, the Turkish province of Ankara was the sole producer of Angora goats.

In 1849 Angora goats went to America as a gift from Turkey. Today, South Africa is the largest mohair producer in the world, with the

majority produced in the Eastern Cape. �

Name: Abdul Basit Muhammad Abdus Samad.

Born: 1927 in Armant, Egypt. Died: 1988

His paternal grandfather and father were Huf-faaz, well-versed in Tajweed and his maternal grandfather was an Aalim. Abdul Basit began

Hifz of the Quraan when 6 and completed at 10 under Sheikh Ameer. Abdul Basit used to

walk 3km to hear Sheikh Rif’at recite Quraan on the radio. He began imitating his style of Qiraat and by 12 people were calling him

Sheikh. Abdul Basit then studied Qiraat under Sheikh Saleem Hamadah. He was invited to

recite Qiraat from 13. In 1950 he recited in Cairo and his fame spread in Egypt.

In 1951 Abdul Basit was approved to recite on the radio station Izha’atul Quraanul Kareem.

Egyptians began buying radios to hear him. In 1953 he was appointed official reciter at Mus-

jid al-Imam ash-Shafi where he remained for 15 years. He was at Musjid al-Husain from 1985-1988. Among his friends was King Mu-

hammad V of Morocco and President Aarif of Iraq. Abdul Basit travelled to many countries

to recite Quraan, among them Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Algeria, Iraq, Malay-sia, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, South Africa

(1966 and 1981), Senegal, Somalia, USA, UK and Russia. He was awarded 12 medals from

different governments. Abdul Basit was the first director of the Union for Qurra in Egypt.

Sheikh Abdul Basit loved swimming. He passed away in Egypt at the age of 62 and his

funeral was attended by all ambassadors in Egypt. He had 11 children: 7 sons and 4 daughters, all of whom memorised the

Quraan. �

Publishers of the Islamic Focus

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HISTO

RY / SOCIAL

From an Islamic point of view, it’s obligatory on

drivers to observe the rules of road safety:

Harm. The Hadith tells us that a person from whose harm others are not safe shall not en-

ter Paradise. A Muslim driver will not drive in a manner endangering other road users’ lives nor will he engage in road rage.

Courtesy. The Hadith states that a form of

Iman (faith) is to remove an obstacle of harm from a public road. Muslim drivers need to show courtesy and understanding especially at

times when traffic is heavy.

Help. The Prophet � instructed his compan-ions to observe the rights of the road. He said that among these were to abstain from harm-

ing others, helping those in need and directing those who are lost. [Abu Dawood]

Speed. The Hadith says, ‘Speed is from the devil and caution is from Allah.’ [Tirmidhi]

Traffic rules are designed to minimise harm to others, so Muslims are bound to obey them as

the Hadith of Ibn Majah prohibits harming oth-ers. Imam Malik explains that this also refers to causing harm to others on the roads. �

Adapted from Al Farouq Vol 5 Issue 2

Islam is the 2nd largest religion in all 4 coun-

tries of the UK with 2.4 million (1.5m in Eng-land forming 3% of the population) due to im-

migration from former colonies from the 1950’s. There are 1,500 Musjids in the UK. In England, 40% of Muslims live in London. Most

Muslims in England are immigrants mainly from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan or are

descendants of immigrants from there. Others are from the Middle East, Somalia, Malaysia and Indonesia, while fewer come from African

countries such as Nigeria, Uganda and Sierra Leone. There are 200,000 ‘white’ Muslims.

England’s link with Islam goes back to Offa, the 8th century King of Mercia who minted a

coin with an Islamic inscription. It is possible he was a Muslim. Ibn Sina's The Canon of

Medicine (1025), in Latin, was a standard text for medical students till the 18th century;

Roger Bacon was inspired by Muslim scien-tists; aspects of English common law was in-spired by Islamic law; Islamic architecture in-

fluenced English Gothic. The first English con-vert to Islam mentioned by name is John Nel-

son by the 16th century. In the 1600’s Muslim navies captured Lundy, an island in the Bristol Channel. By 1707 small numbers of Muslims

were living in England. The first large group of Muslims to arrive, in the 1700’s were sailors

from the Indian subcontinent (largely from Bengal), most of whom settled down. One of the most famous early Bengali Muslims was

Sake Dean Mahomet who in 1810 founded London's first Indian restaurant. He also intro-

duced shampoo and therapeutic massage to the UK. Islam was legalized in 1812. There are several Muslim organizations, schools and me-

dia (magazines, TV, radio) in the UK. �

An English professor wrote the words, ‘Woman

without her man is nothing’ on the board and told

his students to punctuate it correctly. The men

wrote: ‘Woman, without her man, is nothing.’ The

women wrote: ‘Woman: Without her, man is noth-

ing.’ Quraan 9:70: And the believers, men and

women, are protecting friends one of another… �

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Cii Youth Foundation (CYF) is an NPO which

strives to enhance various aspects of youth. CYF is steered by the Boys Wing and Girls

Wing with boys’ and girls’ activities completely separate.

Some Aims � To motivate youth

� To establish youth centres nationwide � To provide advice to youth via the online youth helpline

Teams and Some of their Activities

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� Community Service: Visits to hospitals, old-age homes

� Public Relations: Radio Programs on Cii,

Website, Newsletters, SMS updates � Social Events: Day Trips, 3-Day Camping

Trips � Spiritual Enhancement: Musjid seepovers, Qiraat Jalsahs, Annual Umrah, Tableegh

Contact:

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A lady, renewing her driver’s licence, was

asked by the female clerk for her occupation. She hesitated. The clerk said, ‘Do you have a

job, or are you just…?’ ‘Of course I have a job,’ snapped the lady. ‘I’m a Mom.’ ‘We don’t list Mom as an occupation. Housewife covers

it,’ said the clerk.

I forgot her story until one day I was in a similar position. The clerk was a career woman. ‘What is your occupation?’ she asked.

I replied, ‘I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.’

The clerk paused, impressed and I stared in wonder as my job was listed on the form. ‘Might I ask,’ said the clerk with new interest,

‘just what you do in your field?’

Coolly I heard myself say, ‘I have a continuing program of research (which mother doesn’t) in

the laboratory and the field (indoors and out-doors). I’m working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have 4 credits (all

daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any

mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill

careers and the rewards are more of a satis-faction than just money.’ There was a note of

respect as the clerk completed the form. At home, buoyed by my glamorous new ca-

reer, I was greeted by my lab assistants - ages 13, 7 and 3. I could hear our new experi-

mental model (6 months) in the development program, testing out a new vocal pattern!

Motherhood! What a glorious career. �