Friday, June 22, 2007

Qari Ziyad Patel

Qari Ziyaad Patel was born in Ladysmith, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. His early school years spanned across various schools where he took up many leadership roles and was the key in initiating many structures for learners at the particular schools in the region. During this period he was elected chairman of the Representative Council of Learners, was also a member of the Youth sector of the Schools governing body and was an executive member of the African National Congress Youth League, Ladysmith region. Ziyaad has also schooled at a Roman Catholic school in Ireland-Dublin.

His Islamic career path started in his young age. He began the memorisation of the holy quraan at a tender age of 11. He completed his hifz under the tutelage and guidance of his illustrious teacher, Mufti Goolam Hassan Saib of De Deur (Khalifa to Hakeem Akhtar Sahib D.B) in 1994 at Ogies - Mpumalanga at the age of 14. He then returned to his hometown of Ladysmith to continue perfecting his Tajweed under the supervision of Hafiz Dr. Abdul Qadir Hansa Sahib (Senior Khalifa to Moulana Maseeullah R.A), and thereafter proceeded to Cairo - Egypt to study Tajweed Al-Makharej at the Al-Azhar University under the tutelage and guidance of Sheikh Abdullah Atiya Bayomi, where he further underwent Qiraah training. He was awarded a shahdah from Sheikh Abdullah Attiya Bayomi, which was endorsed by Sheik Sayed Ali Tantawi, the most senior sheik at Al-Azhar University.

On completion of his tajweed course and qiraah training in Cairo, Qari Ziyaad moved on to Dublin-Ireland to resume his secular schooling. He moved to Johannesburg in 2000 and went on to complete his Matriculation Certificate at Lenasia Muslim School. He has just received a degree in the field of Information Science from the University of Johannesburg.

He has travelled extensively. In Jerusalem - Palestine, he was given the honour of rendering the Azaan at Al-Aqsa, the 3rd Haram of Islam. During the Ramadan 1421(2000) he was the guest of the ‘Co-operation for the Call and Guidance’ in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Sheik Abu Bakr Shatiri and Qari Ziyaad Patel were together invited to the Chamber of Commerce in Jeddah where dignitaries from around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were present. He has also recited at the Abdul Lateef Jameel Mosque and Musjid-Taqwa in Jeddah where Al-Sheikh Sheikh Abu Bakr Shatiri is the Imam, of whom he is a very close friend and associate.

He has travelled widely and has had the honour of reciting the Quraan in Mosques in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey, India, Kashmir, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Botswana, Indonesia, Cape Town and Alhamdulillah across South Africa. Ziyaad leads a very hectic lifestyle with constant travels locally and internationally. Qari Ziyaad is also a trustee of the AL-IMDAAD FOUNDATION and has also been on many relief missions worldwide.

Ziyaad has released a few albums of nasheeds. He has also worked for Channel Islam International where he and Qari Bashir Patel presented Qiraaha-Tus-Saheeha, a program for perfecting the recitation of the holy quraan.
Source: qzp.co.za

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Are we prepared?

Salams
I woke up this morning to see the sun was beaming in through my window. Seeing as it is also a really relaxing and refreshing walk through the park as part of my journey to work, I decided to walk it there today. A huge plus point is that I also get to have more time in the company of Shaykh Juhani’s Qur’an tilawat.

At work, about mid way through the morning the thunderstorms started. Ooops, I think to myself, ‘I don’t have my jacket, but at least I have my portable umbrella.’ I recall how only the day before I had checked the weather forecast online which predicted rain storms for the whole of the following day and beyond. I feel a little silly now that I didn’t remember this and at least bring my jacket, if not the big umbrella.

By now you’re probably thinking what a daft so and so Ahmed is, and quite rightly so as well. Put yourselves in my shoes for a minute though; see how bad it feels you came unprepared? Even though, the weather is only predicted one way or another, you still feel foolish.

Despite the Quran and ahadith reminding us of what we will all certainly have to face we do so little to get ready for it. What then to say of how we will feel on the day of judgement when we will be held to account?

We also know that ‘Every soul shall taste death’ yet we still roam the earth living in blissful ignorance of the fact that death can come to us at any moment. Instead we prepare ourselves arduously to live a dream life and one of luxury in this temporary abode of ours.

May Almighty Allah give me and you the ability to utilise our allocated time on earth for accumulating good deeds and to prepare for the hereafter before death comes to us, Ameen.
Source: Breathe Islam

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Salaah

Salaah
by Ahmed

To the Masjid we go
Come sun, rain or snow

Five times a day
Muslims are obliged to pray

We prepare by doing ablution
All the while engaging in devotion

With our hearts inclined we do stand
To obey Almighty Allah’s command

We raise our hands and say takbeer
Salah starts and our worries disappear

Beautiful recitation of the Qur’an is heard
Our hearts captivated by these blessed words

Standing, bowing and prostrating with devotion
Allah’s name taken with each and every motion

Till finally with salam does prayer end
We hope the next prayer we are alive to attend

We make du’a for Allah to accept this deed
And back to our homes/ work we proceed.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani is one of the leading Islamic scholars living today. He is an expert in the fields of Islamic Jurisprudence, Economics, Hadith and Tasawwuf. Born in Deoband in 1362H(1943 CE), he graduated par excellence form Dars e Nizami at Darul Uloom, Karachi, Pakistan. Then he specialized in Islamic Jurisprudence under the guidance of his eminent father, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan. Since then, he has been teaching hadith and Fiqh at the Darul-Uloom, Karachi.

He has authority to teach hadith from his father Mufti Muhammad Shafi, Maulana Idrees Khandhelawi, Qari Mohammed Tayyeb, Maulana Saleemullah Khan, Mufti Rasheed, Moulana Sehban Mahmood, Allama Zafar Ahmed Usmani, Sheikhul Hadith Moulana Zakariya Khandelawi, Sheikh Hassan Meshat (ra) and others.

In tradition to the scholars of Deoband, recognizing the importance of Tasawwuf, he traversed the path under the guidance of Sheikh Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi and Moulana Maseehullah Khan both khulafa of Hakeemul Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (rahmetullah ajmaeen). And is authorized by both of his mentors in Silsila e Ashrafia: Chistiyyah, Naqshbandiyah, Qadiriyah and Suharwardiyah. In addition to his busy schedule he is himself a mentor to numerous spiritual aspirants all over the world.

He also holds a degree in law and was a Judge at the Sharia Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan till recently.

He is a consultant to several international Islamic financial institutions and has played a key part in the move toward interest free banking and the establishment of Islamic financial institutions. He is considered to be an authority on this subject.

He is the deputy chairman of the Jeddah based Islamic Fiqh Council of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

He has been writing on various Islamic topics and is author of more than 60 books and numerous articles.

Presently he is the Vice-president of Darul-Uloom, Karachi, Pakistan, where he teaches Sahih Bukhari, Fiqh and Islamic economics.

He also conducts a weekly session for the public interested in spiritual improvement.

List of publications:

Here is a partial list of publications authored by Justice Taqi Usmani. (Updated May 2004)

English Books:

The Authority of Sunnah
The Rules of I'tikaf
What is Christianity?
Easy Good Deeds
Perform Salah Correctly
An Introduction to Islamic Finance
Historic Judgment on Interest
The Language of Friday Khutbah
Discourse on Islamic way of Life
Sayings of Prophet Muhammad sallalaho alehey wasalam
The Legal Status of Following a Madhab
Spiritual Discourses
Islamic Months
Radiant Prayers
Quranic Sciences
Islam and Modernism
Contemporary Fatawa

In addition he has authored several books in the Arabic and Urdu language.
Source: Central Mosque

May Allah swt give good health and long life to Mufti Taqi Usmani in order that the ummah continue to benefit from his wisdom, talks and knowledge. Ameen

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Teach People Good

Abu Umama reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Allah and His angels and the people of the heavens and the earth, even the ants in their rocks and the fish, pray for blessings on those who teach people good." [at-Tirmidhi]