From the above ver se we also see that the Isra journey took place from a Masjid to a Masjid. I t could have taken place from the home of The Prophet [Peace and salutations upon him] but instead i t took place from the Masjidul Haraam.

This indicates to us that the Masjid should be the focal point in the l i fe of a Muslim. A Muslim should connect himself to his local Masjied not only for Salaah but for ever y other aspect of his l i fe by ser ving the house of Al lah. This ver se also emphasizes the impor tance of Masjidul Aqsa in ever y Muslims l i fe.

Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) r elates, I asked the Prophet [Peace and salutations upon him], ?Apostle of Allah, tell us the legal injunction about (visiting) Bayt al-Maqdis (Jer usalem).¨ The Apostle of Al lah [Peace and salutations upon him] said, ?Go and pr ay ther e. I f you cannot visit it and pr ay ther e, then send some oil to be used in the lamps¨ . [Sahih al Bukhar i ]

When the Prophet r eached Bayt Al-Maqdis he tied the Buraq as nar rated to us.

Anas [Al lah be pleased w ith him] r elates that the Prophet [Peace and salutations upon him] said, ?I was br ought the Bur aq, a tall white beast, bigger than a donkey, smaller than a mule. I t could place his

hooves at the far thest boundar y of his gaze. I mounted it until I ar r ived at Bayt Al-Maqdis. I tied it at the r ing wher e the Pr ophets tied it befor e (i.e. Bur aq Wall or the Wester n Wall). I enter ed Masjid Al-Aqsa Sanctuar y and pr ayed 2 r ak?ah ther e? ? (Muslim)

From the above hadith we learn that we should f i r st do our bi t to the best of our abi l i ty then put our tr ust in Al lah. I t was not necessar y for the Prophet [Peace and salutations upon him] to tie the Buraq but he tied i t to teach his ummah that we must do our best to achieve our goals. So, we must al l tie our ow n Buraq. The fact that the Prophet [Peace and salutations upon him] tied the Buraq at a speci f ic place and not just anywhere indicating to us that ever ything has i ts place. A great lesson to learn is that we should park our car s at the demarcated area and not just anywhere which would inconvenience others.

The stor y of the Isra and Me?raaj is well know n and we l isten to i t year after year , however we need to take lessons from i t by r e-looking at our character and atti tude.

May Allah Almighty grant us understanding and the abi l i ty to make the necessar y changes w ithin our l ives.

And Allah knows best

Edition 10, Apr il 2018

All praises are due t o Allah, t he Cher isher and Sustainer of t he universe. Peace and

salutat ions upon t he Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and all t hose

who follow him.

Today we are faced wit h many diverse challenges. The miraculous night journey of Isra and t he Me?raaj comes wit h many lessons which can assist us t o overcome

everyday challenges.

The story of t he Isra and Me?raaj revives t he l i fe of a Muslim. I t has t he capabil i t y

t o incit e act ion of good deeds and abstent ion f rom evil deeds.

Allah Almight y says: ?Exalt ed is He who t ook His Servant by night f rom al-Masjid

al-Haram to al-Masjid alAqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, t o show

him of Our signs. Indeed, He is t he Hear ing, t he Seeing.? (Surah Isra: Verse 1)

Allah Almight y calls t he Prophet [Peace and salutat ions upon him] in t he above

verse by t he highest t i t le one can achieve, ?servanthood?. We learn t hat never wil l

we be able t o reach a level of close proximit y t o Allah or a level of honour or a

level of st ature by Allah except t hrough worshipping Allah alone. We wil l not

at t ain it wit h wealt h, beauty, l ineage or st atus but by obedience and direct ing all

forms of worship t o Allah Almight y.

Goodwood Islamic SocietyNewsletter

LESSONS OF THE ISRA AND ME?RAAJ

FROM THE MIMBAR TO YOUR HOME...

By Sheik Ebrahiem Tofa

BALANCING ACT The automatic r esponse to

being asked how you are, is

usually ?good/f ine, thank you?,

but i f we were honest w ith

our selves and each other our

r epl ies would probably sound a

lot more l ike: ?over whelmed?,

?ti r ed?, ?burned out?? maybe

even ?bored?.

I can?t speak for ever yone, but I

think my absolute inabi l i ty to

balance the var ious areas of my

l i fe, might have something to do

w ith my ?over whelmedness?.

Gonna go out on l imb here and

say that that?s a problem for a

lot of the members of my

generation - ?mi l lenials?. We?re so

busy w ith l i fe: school,

job-hunting, tr ying to car ve out

our place in this wor ld? .and i t?s

exhausting. We tend to focus al l

of our energy into one or two

facets of our l ives, and str uggle to

give ?the less impor tant things?

our attention too. And sometimes

the consequence of that, is feel ing

l ike a fai lure. We put so much

pressure on ourselves to go for

coffee w ith our fr iends, attend a

spinning class, w r i te our 2000

l i terar y essay, and attend our

weekly Islamic ?halaqah? (for

example).

So, how do we channel our

potential, intel l igence and

ambition in such a way that we

don?t just end up spraw led on our

beds in the fetal posi tion at the

end of ever y day, feel ing w rung

out?

I don?t r eal ly have ?the? answer ,

but?

I think one of the most impor tant

things to r emember is that we are

r efer red to in the Quraan as the

?middle nation?, the ones who

str ive for balance and

moderation in al l things. This

might mean that we have to take

another look at the way we view

al l of our obl igations- r el igious

and other w ise.

Pr ior i tizing this wor ldly l i fe over

the hereafter is just as

unwholesome as neglecting

ser vi tude of other?s/developing

ourselves ful ly, bel ieving there

is only one way to Allah: a l i fe

of sol i tude, glued to our

prayer mats.

There?s a hadith wherein

the Prophet (Peace and

Blessings be upon Him)

approaches his

companion, Abdullah ibn

Amr (AS), and asks him

about his habit of spending

his days fasting, and his nights

in prayer. After Abdullah ibn

Amr (AS) confi rms this routine,

the Prophet (SAW) proceeds to

advise him against maintaining

that practice, explaining that not

only is i t taxing on the body, but

i t leaves him incapable of

fulf i l l ing the r ights others hold

over him- l ike his w ife or his

guests. This fur ther entr enched

the idea that we should be

developing ourselves in ever y

sphere, and that no sphere

should be neglected.

Though I?ve droned on for a

sol id few paragraphs about

?balance? and having a

multidimensional l i fe, I w i l l say

w ithout doubt that the task of

harmonizing al l of those aspects

feels l ighter when Allah is at the

centre of i t al l . When we can shi f t

our context from ?me me me? to

?Him?- and we?re not just tr ying to

sur vive l i fe - that?s when

ever ything seems a lot more

doable and pur posefu l .

Satisfyingly so.

~ Aa' i sha Ebr ahim

Aa'isha

graduated in 2016

with a degree in English,

film and advanced media

studies. She is currently

pursuing a postgraduate

degree in law

The theme for this month?s newsletter is

?Tr avel ?.

The Summer days are near ing, so we highly

suggest that you get that camping gear out, f ind

a new str etch of beach and make the most of

ever y day we are given. But, l iving l i fe is more

than making that moment count - i t?s only r ight

that we l ive and tr avel now , so that we gain

insight and dir ection to journey on towards our

tr ue destination - Jannah.

Simi lar ly to those str ips of abandoned beach,

hidden forest tr ai ls and farmhouse baker ies;

ever y memor y we create are just pi tstops, taken

to enjoy Allah?s land and gi f ts.

So enjoy the holidays to come, the bir thday

par ties, the wedding ceremonies and the quiet

walk along the sea - and in those memor ies,

thank Allah for br inging you there. For adding

joy and happiness to your journey to Jannah.

- Zahraa Schroeder

gfv

pack l ight , wear sunscr een & make dua

Entrepreneurs

Day

For surely, it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts? (Qur?an 22:46). So why does Allah SWT tell us that this world is a delusion?

As human beings we often need reminders. We becomes so fixated on chasing after our worldly goals and desires that we lose focus of our ultimate purpose of seeking out Allah?s pleasure. In a sahih hadith recorded in Bukhari, Rasulullah (S.A.W) lays down a philosophy of how to conduct ourselves in this world: ?be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer?. This philosophy emphasizes that this world is but a shadow of reality. When a traveler goes on a journey there are certain rules and regulations which need to be adhered to before he/she may enter the desired destination. Hence, our focus should not be on our worldly connections but rather on what we can acquire in terms of correct and righteous deeds, as this is all that we will have to present for ourselves in the hereafter.

This world is where we prepare our luggage for the hereafter; we need to pack efficiently ensuring that we include all the necessary ?documentation? - fulfilment of Allah?s commandments- and remove items which will weigh us down or incur

penalties at the ?customs office?.

In adopting the traveler mind-set, your world view changes; if it is not for Allah?s sake is it really that important? ?We shall show them Our signs in the universe and in themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth? (Qur?an 41:53).

Som e t ips when t raveling:

1.Remember to make the dua for travel and ask Allah SWT to protect you from that which is not beneficial.

2. Respect the places that you visit. Do not litter, do not look down upon people who are

different to you. Respect the culture: ?O mankind, indeed we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another? (Qur?an 49:13)

3. Keep your imaan intact by always being mindful of Allah SWT.

~ Tasneem Talip

Ther e i s a wel l -known quote by poet , Ralph Waldo Em er son that spr ings to m ind when I th ink of l i fe; he says " Li fe i s a jour ney, not a dest i nat i on" . Many have t r anslated th i s as

m eaning that one should focus on the pr esent and enjoy i t , r ather than wor r y about what

w i l l happen at the end of l i fe. I , however , feel that i t l ends i t sel f to the Islam ic per spect ive that th i s l i fe i s but tem por ar y. I t i s a pi t -stop along our jour ney towar d our f i nal abode.

Al l ah ? exal ted i s He (SWT) says: ?Know that the life of this wor ld is but amusement and

diver sion and ador nment ? And what is the wor ldly life except the enjoyment of

delusion?? (Qur ?an 57:20).

When we r ef l ect upon th i s ver se we should be m indfu l that I slam i s a r el i gion of balance. Al l ah does not want us to shut our selves of f

f r om the wor ld and becom e r eclusive. On the cont r ar y, Al l ah SWT says that we should

m ake dua for good in th i s wor ld as wel l as i n the her eaf ter (Qur ?an 2:201).

He (SWT) al so clear ly m akes m ent ion that t r avel i s a m eans of spi r i t ual gr ow th,

en l i ghtenm ent and r ef l ect i on ? r em inding us of His m agni f i cence and m er cy subhan?Al lah.

?Have they not tr avelled in the land so that they should have hear ts with which to

under stand, or ear s with which to hear ?

BE IN THE WORLD LIKE THE WAYFARER

Tasneem Talip ? writer at Muslimah in the City (www.muslimahinthecity.com)

Alhamduliel lah, in conformity w ith our annual theme this year of ?Salaah?, and in conjunction w ith Sheikh Ebrahiem Tofa?s Fajr Challenge, we have seen a marked improvement in attendance of fajr salaah w ith the mussallees over f low ing into the 3rd saff on qui te a few mornings. What is so r e-assur ing is that we have seen an increase in especial ly the youth who are attending fajr salaah. This could be due to the fact that we have moved into autumn w ith sunr ise getting later. To str engthen this cal l the committee is looking at innovative ways and means of attr acting more mussallees to the masjied. We would l ike to challenge the community to come for th w ith ideas and suggestions on how we can make this a r eal i ty and gain greater buy-in r ather sooner than later Ameen Thuma Ameen.

Even though the Drought Al l iance has informed us that the l ikel ihood of Day Zero occur r ing in 2018 is qui te sl im, we have decided to push ahead w ith our Borehole Project where we are hoping that the community w i l l benefi t from the water i f a good source is found In-Sha-Allah.

With the madrassahs and al l our activi ties in ful l sw ing at the masjied, we have seen a bumper 1st Entrepreneurs Day w ith a r ecord income, Alhamduliel lah. Our Mini Food Fair voucher sales are also going well and we are busy prepar ing for our 1st Mini Food Fair for the year , to be held on Easter Sunday, the 1st Apr i l 2018, at the masjied due to severe water r estr ictions? .and yes i t is not an Apr i l Fools joke. We would l ike to cal l on the enti r e community to suppor t this annual event so that we can generate the necessar y funds to augment al l our ini tiatives at the masjied which are r un on a fr ee and gratis basis.

Dur ing March we saw the inaugural meeting of the Legal Clinic where 17 young and not so young legal eagles got together to plot the way for ward in making this ini tiative a r eal i ty r ather sooner than later Ameen. Alhamduliel lah, the Wellness Centre is grow ing from str ength to str ength w ith effor ts being put in place to cut out some red tape w ith the screening process whi le also looking at improved eff iciencies in al l wellness ser vices

being offered.

As from 1st March 2018, Goodwood has been blessed w ith the ver y successful Hi f fs School of Moulana Ghoosian Dalw ie moving into the Sulaimanie Masjied in Anderson Street whi le we also saw Sheikh Ebrahiem Tofa deliver ing the Jumuah Ghutba at the above masjied which bodes well w i th the str engthening of uni ty

and brotherhood in our area. The SGB elections was qui te successful w i th improved representation being achieved at Goodwood Park Pr imar y, JG Meir ing and par ticular ly at Fair bair n College, where 5 out of the 7 parent r epresentatives are Muslim, including al l the off iciating members. At Koos Sadie Pr imar y we unfor tunately saw a decl ine in Muslim representatives on the SGB whi le a quorum was not achieved at The Settler s, r esulting in a delayed SGB election process.

Ear l ier in this month Sheikh Ebrahiem Tofa was asked to inter vene w ith the janaaza of a r ever t, who stayed in Monte Vista and did not have the necessar y documents to ver i fy her change of r el igion. This led to some sensi tive negotiations w ith the family and eventually Sheikh Ebrahim secured the body after the Chr istian ceremony was completed. The enti r e janaaza proceedings was then held on the masjied precincts w ith over whelming suppor t par ticular ly from the Thursday Housew ives Class, the r egular mussallees together w ith the Toeka and Tuan Mandies. We make dua that the deceased together w ith al l other r ecent deceased in the community be granted the highest abode in jannah, jannatul f i r dous Ameen Thuma Ameen.

On a sadder note I would just l ike to highl ight the fact that of late, Goodwood has unfor tunately seen an increase in gangster ism, cr ime and gr ime. I t is by time that we al l get involved and put our shoulders to the wheel to get r id of these scourges in society. We w i l l be looking at ways and means of working together w ith al l r elevant stakeholders so that we can once again become posi tive par ticipants who can contr ibute to making a di f ference in the safety and l ivel ihood of one and al l in the community In-Sha-Allah.

~ Mogam ad Safedien

f r om t he Qul oobul moemieneen commit t ee

Being ?naughty? IS appealing. Let

me explain: I?m talking about

?minor? tr ansgressions not the

kind that invi tes cr iminal

inspection. A permission-less f ive

r and sw ipe from mom?s purse,

staying out beyond a cur few to

pack in more fun, devour ing that

extr a sl ice of cake ? are al l

del icious acts of purpose that

throw caution to the w ind. Those

acts where we get to savour the

f lavour , whatever i t is to gather a

memor y that far outweighs the

consequence of being ?naughty?.

I ts impulsive, i t practices fr ee w i l l

and is considered harmless. We

inf l ict our subjective judgment on

the moral i ty of the act, deem i t

more innocent than not and

define for our selves a moral code

that makes us comfor table.

Nobody wants to l ive a dull l i fe ?

we?re taught, l ike a mantra to

?seize the day?, ?you only get one

l i fe?, ?you?re only young once?,

and my favour i te: ?just do i t?.

I t encourages per vasive notions of

bravado, exci tement and l iving on

the edge. I t makes you feel that

the l i fe you are cur rently l iving is

less. I t cr eates ? desir e. And an

imagination ? for more.

So does that make imagination

bad, i f you want to maintain

moral i ty?

It can?t. Imagination is a central

aspect of human morali ty, and of

our abi l i ty to l ive together as

members of a society because i t is

essential to our abi l i ty to r elate to

other people. How can one have

empathy ? w ithout imagining how

the other feels? And I?m not

di luting tr ue empathy ?

imagination is but one step to

being tr uly empathic, but that?s

another discussion.

The multi pronged fork of sin

invi te imagination, desir e and

then the act of immorali ty ?

whatever that is, simultaneously.

But humans cannot cap

imagination for i t is instinctive

and cr i tical to sur vival:

imagination stimulates creativi ty

and bir ths innovation that evolves

progress ? l ike empathy can.

Do we then cap our imagination to

r emain moral? No we cap our

desir es ? through discipl ine. I t?s

r ecognizing what we so

desperately want, and conversing

w ith our selves honestly. Question

WHY you want i t so badly ? and

consider that. Then pray. Then

act.

I ts not always tr ue that ?Good

people go to heaven, and well , bad

people go ever ywhere? so they get

the best of both wor lds. Hell isn?t

simply a place that only burns. I t

also l ives inside your conscience

spi tting gui l t, cr eating al l kinds of

internal unhappiness?s. I t?s the

ultimate thief of joy. So safeguard

your moral identi f ication f i r st ? i t

makes managing desir es so much

easier.

We are r ight to herald l ight

hear tedness as expressions of

human interaction and creativi ty ?

but we would be de-valuing

imagination i f we were to practice

the vir tues of creativi ty l imited to

moral degradation.

Be safe, and think before you act.

~ Zeenat Pat el-Kaskar

Because m or al i t y i s BORING

"Nobody want s t o l ive a dul l l if e ..."

This is the f i r st par t of a 5 par t ser ies where we w i l l be focusing on the concepts of Mindfulness and Emotional Intel l igence (EQ).

We cannot control what happens around us. Al l we have control over are our r eactions. People engaging in mindfulness are able to deal w i th di f f icult si tuations w ithout becoming argumentative, defensive or hosti le. The Pr ophet (saw) was the em bodim ent of m indfu lness.

So then, what i s Mindfu lness? I t is when we become more aware of our selves, our thoughts, our feel ings and act in the way that is in accordance w ith Islam, despite our nafs and desir es.

Imagine, someone pushes your buttons, your instinctive r eaction is to get offended and to take i t per sonally. By being mindful of your instinctive r eaction and engaging in spir i tual j ihaad by acting against those instincts, r esults in one addressing the person in a calm yet asser tive manner.

The abi l i ty to identi fy and manage your emotions and other people?s emotions, to discr iminate between di f ferent emotions and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior , is cal led Em ot ional Intel l i gence (EQ), and

a high EQ leads and enhances one?s state of m indfu lness.

Em ot ional Intel l i gence consists of the fol l ow ing at t r i butes:

Sel f -Awar eness : being conscious of your per sonali ty, bel iefs, str engths, weaknesses and emotions.

?The one, who knows his/herself, will know their Lord? ? Sahih al Bukhar i

Sel f -Managem ent and Sel f Cont r ol : f inding appropr iate

ways of handling fear s, anxieties, anger and sadness.

The Prophet(saw ) said: ?Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger.?

?Do you not see how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word like a goodly tree. And the parable of

an evil word is that of an evil tree.? Quran 14: 24,26

Sel f -m ot ivat i on: The abi l i ty to

do what needs to be done, w ithout inf luence from other people or si tuations. I f one has achieved a goal, enjoy i t. Thank Allah and remember the feel ing, let i t motivate you to do better and discipl ine yourself .

?Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.? Quran 13:11

Em pathy: I t is feel ing other people?s pain. Empathy bui lds tr ust and understanding in a r elationship, and i t foster s posi tivi ty.

The Prophet (saw ) said: ?None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.?- Sahih Al Bukhar i & Sahih Muslim

Managing r elat i onships: People who maintain healthy r elationships w ith others tend to be happier and often secure a good suppor t system.

?Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents be good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour...? ?Quran 4:36

Let us al l work on control l ing our r eactions. Let us embody our great mentor and guide, the Prophet (saw ) and may we consciously practice and increase our mindfulness, Inshaa Allah.

~ Wiedaad Em eran

MINDFULNESS AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

?Indeed, Allah will not

change the condition of

people until they change

what is in themselves.?

Qur an 13:11

MADRASSAH EXCURSION TO...

" Love your parents. You owe them a lot. You never prayed to have them but they may have prayed to have you. " ~ Mufti Menk

It 's often difficult to picture our lives without our parents. Our providers, caregivers, rearers and protectors. Our daily lives revolve around their nagging provision but without it, we would be lost.

During the excursion to Love his Children we were

shocked at the vast difference in livelihood. Our closeted mindsets were not prepared for their stories of hardship and trauma.

Upon arrival, were we welcomed with open arms and love. We toured their home and interacted with the young adults living there. Their life experience and disadvantaged circumstances brought an immense sense of reality to us all.

Thereafter we shared nibbles and departed towards Habibia. The environment around Habibia was more child friendly. There was also a vast difference in size, as Habibia is able to house twenty six children. The entertainment areas were enheartening, playful as we could sense the embracing atmosphere of the home.

We also toured their rooms and shared snacks here.

The realities of these children are hard to fathom. After this experience, we show even more gratitude to our parents and appreciate them for the sacrifices they make.

This encounter opened our eyes to the jarring conditions that many endure. May Allah make it easy on them in this life and the Hereafter, Inshallah Ameen.

~ Zahraa Kaskar& THE FIRE STATION

... LOVE HIS CHILDREN & HABIBA ORPHANAGE

GIS plan to set- up a borehole at the masjied premises.

This will alleviate long term municipal costs and assist in making the Society self

sustainable.

we appeal to you, our readers, to join us in raising funds for this project.

It costs R1200.00 per meter to dr ill a borehole.

This project could cost between R80 000.00 and R100 000.00 in total.

PLEASE SUPPORT

THE GIS

BOREHOLE PROJECT

BA N K I N G D ET A I L S

ABSA Bank

Parow (6320 0 5)

I slam ic Savings

929 283 0 610

Swi f t Code: ABSA Z A JJ

Ref er en ce - Bor eh ole

Nuhr Schr oeder How long have you been in the ar ea?

15 years

What 's your favour i te food?

Mutton Curry and rice

What 's you favour i te spor t?

Rugby and Squash

What 's your favour i te team ?

South Africa

What i s your favour i te book?

Holy Quran and Richard Bronsons "Screw it, just do

Role i n the com m uni ty?

Father, neighbour, former KS SGH chairman, taxpayer, current FSB SGH chairman.

Wher e did you gr ow up?

Grassy Park

Advice to youth?

Stay true to yourself and your values, take up a meaningful cause.

WHO'S WHO IN THE WOOD?

mont hlyS C H E D U L E

6th

13th

15th

20th

Jum ua - Sheikh Tofa

13th Jum ua ~ Sheikh Tofa

Salaatu l Layl at 22:00

Jum ua - Ml Ebr ahim Kar iem

Jum ua - Sheikh Dawood

27th

Month ly Gaatam ul Qur an

af ter Faj r

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