“Be good to your parents, to relatives, to orphans to the needy, to neighbours near and far, to travelers in need, and to yourselves. God does not like arrogant, boastful people, who are miserly and order other people to be the same, hiding the bounty God has given them.” Qur’an (4:36)

“No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother what he desires for himself” Selection from the Hadith (sayings or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad)

So many holidays…a full week of work?!… pah! I spit on that. How are u good people? As always (well almost always) a smile on my dial and a bounce in my step hope the same holds true for u! For those that are wondering about Snow White, she is going to be ok, just a bit of plastic surgery, and she will be as good as new…well I hope. She is in the recovery room J

Before I go on, whazup Miss Leila, welcome to our weekly mail, any comments please mail me or go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com.

I know I have been slacking for a while now, but I hope this weeks email will be of some use to you. I’ve been interested in Islam (which by the way has a dual meaning of peace and submission) for many a year and my interest was renewed last year and even more so this year. I spent my last 2 years living in Cape Town as most of you might know and I realized that the majority of my really good mates were Muslim (the word Muslim means ‘one who surrenders to God’…by the way. Realised this during the holy month of Ramadan when everyone was fasting and thus there was no one to hang with J Anyway a few weeks ago I went out to buy a book about Islam, cos I had a basic understanding…very basic and wanted to know more. U know what they say about knowledge…

I bought this book called “What do Muslims believe?”, and once again its one persons version of the religion and so what I write or what I think I understand may be far off, but it’s a start.

Small things like the term jihad, we all believe it to mean a Holy War, well cos that’s what Sky news and CNN report it to be…fueled of course by a small group of radical extremists (which all religions have…Verwoed, Nazi’s). The word jihad in reality is actually a very highly “spiritual, intellectual and social concept”. The word means “to strive…to do your utmost”. There are 4 types of jihad, the first and the highest and best being the jihad with yourself and your ego, the second is the jihad with your wealth and intellect, then the jihad with your greed, bad intentions and lust. The fourth is the one we are most familiar with and that is armed struggle. According to the Qur’an, this form of jihad can never be in the form of aggression but rather defence against oppression when all else fails. It can not be in the form of terrorism. It can not be against women, children, old people and civilians. Houses, wildlife, cattle and trees can’t be destroyed. Jihad can’t be declared unilaterally by one group, it is the result of much debate and discussion and the whole community decides that this is unfortunately the only option left. And this is just one principle about the religion that has been so badly misrepresented and misinterpreted and I guess misunderstood.

Another example would be the term halaal, everyone takes it to refer to just meat,but what it mean is something that is lawful, good and beneficial and the term Haram means the opposite (unlawful, bad, non-beneficial). An interesting thing though is items that are considered Haram can be considered halal in certain circumstances eg. If u were dying of thirst and booze was the only thing available you are allowed to drink.

I could go on forever and shed some light on all that I read, for example Islam believes Adam to be the first man as well as the first prophet. Muslims believe all religions of the book, Christians and Jews to be true believers in God. Islam was started in the 7th century (in Mecca) and taught by Muhammad son of Abdullah and his journey was long and hard. Islam is presented as a “continuation of the religious tradition established by Abraham”. His teachings and sayings as well as the path he walked and lived is referred to as the Sunnah

There are essentially 4 pillars of Islam, some say there is 5 but the fifth isn’t really a pillar but rather a fundamental definition of what makes a person a Muslim. Its known as the Shahadah, a declaration/affirmation made by all believers which states “there is no god but God; and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”

There are 2 parts of the Shahadah. The first part is that all are equal before God, regardless of colour, race, creed, belief, sex or persuasion. The second promotes a positive way of life. It teaches/reminds us that all humans are born of a pure soul and reminds us to treat our environment and our fellow man with kindness and goodness of heart.

The 4 pillars are as follows:

1. Prayer (salah):5 times a day:
Fajr the early morning prayer after dawn and before sunrise
Zuhr: the early afternoon prayer after midday until late afternoon
Asr: late afternoon prayer up until sunset
Magrib: sunset prayer performed immediately after sunset…this is also the time that the evil spirits are at their most active…thanks Tas
Isha: night prayer from sunset till midnite/dawn

During prayer you only have one focus and that’s realizing that there is a divine presence. Your mind should be focused on that single goal. There are 2 parts to prayer, the fard (obligatory part) which the whole ‘congregation’ says and then a personal part the sunnah (same word as the path or example set by the prophet) which is said alone.

2. Fasting
Fasting happens during the wholly month of Ramadan. It is an exercise of self-control more than anything. The main aim of fasting other than bringing you closer to God is to instill spiritual discipline. It teaches your mind and body to rather endure hardship and deprivation rather than to give into temptation. It builds steadfastness. Whilst fasting you are not allowed water, food, sex as well as immoral thoughts and actions…its hectic! Just as an aside, the Islamic calendar is also made of 12 months but the calendar is lunar and the months consist of 29/30 days, thus making the Islamic year about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. I try and fast one day every year, its not too bad, but sheesh I think for a whole month I’d die!

3. Zakat (poor tax)
This is basically giving to those less fortunate than you. By giving Zakat, it is believed that you plant a seed for the growth of your wealth. It’s not charity but rather an obligation to give to those less fortunate as they have a right to receive from those more fortunate. It is calculated at a rate of 2.5% on all income and wealth including jewelry, property, shares, savings, crops, cattle etc. and its not optional. Islam teaches that wealth must be accumulated through moral and legitimate means and shared with all.

4. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) translated it means effort
The Hajj took place a good few months ago (during the month of Dhul Hijjah) and it is written that every Muslim who has the means should make this trip at least once in their lifetime. It involves a trip to Mecca. Once you get there the men are draped in 2 pieces of white cloth known as ihram, the ladies wear a white dress. During this period you are not allowed to hurt or abuse anyone, not even an insect, no sex, perfume or jewelry. No dishonest thoughts or arrogance. The hajj lasts 5 days from the 8th till the 13th of the month. All the pilgrims make their journey to the Ka’bah (a cube-like structure draped in black cloth) in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. The Ka’bah is seen as the symbol of the beginning, past and present of Islam and a connection to the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The pilgrims walk around it 7 times with continuous prayer. There is another part of the pilgrimage involves running between the hills of Safa and Marwah 7 times, this signifies the “human souls perpetual quest for the essence of spiritual tranquility”. From the mosque, the next journey takes the pilgrims to the valley of Muna. The next morning the pilgrims head off to the pleins of Arafat where they stay till sunset. When the sun passes the meridian, millions of Muslims gathered there all start praying together. That must be a sight to behold, for as far as the eye can see there are millions of people standing up, saying the same prayer, kneeling...After sunset the pilgrims make their way to a place called Muzdalifah where they spend the nite under the stars. The next morning they head back to Muna where they stay for 3 days. During these 3 days they perform a ritual called stoning the devil. There are 3 pillars erected which the pilgrims throw pebbles at. If I am not mistaken it is during this time that most of the stampedes happened in the past. The stoning of the devil is supposed to symbolize the pilgrims casting out their own devil from within. The hajj ends with a ritual bath, trimming of the hair and giving sacrificial meat or the cash equivalent to the poor.

Another quick revelation…well for me at least…The veil that the ladies wear didn’t start during the time of the Prophet. During the time of the Prophet, women moved freely in society, prayed in the Mosques with men they actually played leading roles in society. It was not until Caliph Umar (one of the 4 that came after the Prophet) that the ‘group areas act’ was institutionalized. He instituted, separate prayers for men and women and insisted women cover themselves. He got this from a verse in the Qur’an that states ”tell believing males to lower their gaze and be modest: that is purer for them. And tell believing women that they should lower their gaze and be modest, and to only display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veil over their bosoms…” (24:30-31).

That’s me for another week, I know it’s a pretty abrupt ending, but I hope I have sparked some interest in ur minds, to get along we must understand each other properly, well that’s what I believe! U all take it easi see.

Birthdays
2nd Kanchana
4th Gareth
5th Nana Sao, Peace

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.” - Francis Maitland Balfour

Maximum respects and please any comments or anything I may have left out or misinterpreted please do correct me and all of us. www.mondaymail.blogspot.com

Y
“Que sera sera”