NEWSLETTER

Tuesday, 18 Jumaadal Ula 1431 H /4 May 2010

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Audio Cd's of Nasheeds; Qirats and lectures available. Call us on +27 (0)11 854 7022

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If you had invested R1000 in Kagiso Asset Management’s Equity Alpha unit trust fund almost six years ago, when it launched, you would have been invested in the number 1 domestic equity general unit trust fund AND your R1000 investment would have grown to R3 847*.

The Kagiso Islamic Equity Fund, which uses this same investment team and process, is NOW available to investors seeking transparent and ethical investments. Whilst complying with Sharia law, the fund aims to consistently outperform the market.

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Also known as Abu Yazid Bistami or Tayfur Abu Yazid al-Bustami, (804-874 CE) was a Persian Sufi born in Bastam, Iran.

The name Bustami means "from the city of Bastam". Bayazid's grandfather was a Zoroastrian who converted to Islam. His grandfather had three sons, Adam, Tayfur and 'Ali. All of them were ascetics. Abayazid was born to Tayfur. Not much is known of his childhood, but Bayazid spent most of his time in isolation in his house and the Masjid. Although he remained in isolation, he did not isolate himself from the Sufi realm. He welcomed people into his house to discuss Sufism. Bayazid also led a life of asceticism and renounced all worldly pleasures in order to be one with Allah. Ultimately, this led Bayazid to a state of "self anhiliation", which, according to Sufism, is the state a person could be in order to be closest with Allah. Bayazid became known as the first "intoxicated" Sufi because of the openness of his expressions he felt towards Allah. Bayazid is regarded as being one of the most influential mystics due to the fact of how controversial he was at the time.

Influence
Bustami's predecessor Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri (d. CE 859) had formulated the doctrine of Ma'rifa (gnosis), presenting a system which helped the Murid (initiate) and the Shaykh (guide) to communicate. Bayazid Bustami took this a step further and emphasized the importance of ecstasy, referred to in his words as drunkenness (sukr or wajd), a means of self-annihilation in the Divine Presence. Before him, Sufism was mainly based on piety and obedience and he played a major role in placing the concept of divine love at the core of Sufism.

Bustami was the first to speak openly of "annihilation of the self in Allah" (fana fi 'Allah') and "subsistence through Allah" (baqa' bi 'Allah). The "annihilation of the self" (fana fi 'Allah') refers to disregarding everything in this world because of one's love towards Allah. When a person enters the state of Fana it is believed that one is closest to Allah. His paradoxical sayings gained a wide circulation and soon exerted a captivating influence over the minds of students who aspired to understand the meaning of the Wahdat al-Wujud, Unity of Being.

When Bayazid died, he was over seventy years old. Before he died, someone asked him his age. He said: "I am four years old. For seventy years I was veiled. I got rid of my veils only four years ago.”

He died in 874CE and is buried either in the city of Bistam in north central Iran, or in Semnan, Iran.

Sayings
Some of his words quoted from Tadhkiratul Awliya تذکره الاولیا by Farid al-Din Attar:

* I never saw any lamp shining more brilliantly than the lamp of silence.
* I went to a wilderness, love had rained and had covered earth, as feet penetrate snow, I found my feet covered with love.
* I stood with the pious and I didn’t find any progress with them. I stood with the warriors in the cause and I didn’t find a single step of progress with them. Then I said, ‘O Allah, what is the way to You?’ and Allah said, ‘Leave yourself and come.’ read more

• Sale of Foreign Bank Notes, Travellers Cheques & Cash Passports
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Miskien beleef jy vandag eensaamheid of 'n krisis... miskien is jy net moeg en nie meer lus vir die dinge nie... miskien is jy oud en seer, of alleen en voel jy dalk verlate... of dalk toets Allah jou tans met 'n moeilike toets...?" (Meer te lees)

The Iranian president has criticised the United States for threatening to use nuclear weapons and dismissed claims that his country is trying to develop them.

Oil giant BP has said that it will pay for all the cleanup costs from a ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico that could continue spewing crude oil for at least another week.

The United States has officially announced the size of its nuclear arsenal yesterday.

The price of all grades of petrol will rise by 14c a litre tomorrow.

Jackie Selebi’s former secretary contradicted the former police chief’s subsistence allowance claims.

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Reg. No. 1989/003295/06 NCRCP 14

A person who rarely used to offer his Salaats made Taubah (repented). It will now be Wajib (compulsory) for him to make Qada of all the Salaats which he had missed throughout his life. By making Taubah, one is not excused from offering Salaats. However, by making Taubah, he is forgiven from the sin which he committed by missing out the Salaats. Now, if he does not make Qada of these missed Salaats, the sin will return to him.

~ BEHISHTI ZEWAR ~

Marinate with:
1 tsp salt
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp dhana ground
½ tsp jeero ground
¼ tsp arad
1 tsp red masala

Cook the above in 1 Tbsp ghee/ oil. Once half way cooked add ½ grated tomato. Once cooked add:
1 Tbsp sweet sour sauce
2 Tbsp sweet chillie sauce – simmer on very low for 5 minutes
Don’t let the sauce dry out.

Method:
Switch on oven at 180 degrees. Than start to layer nachos, reason being that Doritos should not get soft with the chicken sauce. In an oven proof dish – small square / rectangle, layer the base with Doritos crisp +- half the pkt. Then layer the saucy chicken over this, Throw mushrooms, pepper, gherkins, on top of the chicken. Now spread ¾ cup of the sour cream over this. Then layer the rest of the Doritos over the sour cream. Top with grated cheese. Dot with the rest of the sour cream. Sprinkle oregano if desirable. Bake for +- 10 – 15 minutes or until cheese starts to melt. Serve while hot.

Wat 'n wonderlike ondervinding: ek het nooit kon dink dat wanneer ek die Pragtige Name van Allah gaan begin vertaal ek soveel vreugde daaruit sou ervaar nie. Kyk, dit is nou vir jou interessant hoor! Alle lof kom Allah toe! Ken jy al die Pragtige Name van Allah? Weet jy wat elke Naam presies beteken en wat Allah wil hê, soos Allah wil, dat dit vandag in 2010 vir jou sal beteken?

'n Broeder het selfs vir my 'n epos gestuur en daarop gewys dat Allah juis deur sy Name ook vandag in ons lewens betrokke wil wees. Alle lof kom Allah toe... so, gaan maak bietjie 'n draai hier, soos Allah wil, en dan epos jy my ook en sê my wat dink jy van dit wat ek klaar het sover... (Lees meer)

The king’s three scholars had accused Nazrudin of heresy, and so he was brought into the king’s court for trial.
In his defense, Nasrudin asked the scholars, “Oh wise men, what is bread?”

The first scholar said, “Bread is sustenance; a food.”

The second scholar said, “Bread is a combination of flour and water exposed to the heat of a fire.”

The third scholar said, “Bread is a gift from God.”

Nasrudin spoke to the king, “Your Majesty, how can you trust these men? Is it not strange they cannot agree on the nature of something they eat every day, yet are unanimous that I am a heretic?”

There are many ways to see even the most simple of things.
People rush to judgment in matters of import.
Different ways of seeing the same thing are not necessarily incompatible.

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