7.1 Minutes of your time please!

Assalámu Alaykum brothers & sisters in Islam. This is an introductory  edition of the Sanzaf E-News

"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useful information" Oscar Wilde.

This comment from Wilde  feels simultaneously both very true and absolutely incorrect. We are in the middle of an information explosion with the amount of published information, particularly electronic, increasing every day. Most of us have experienced an information overload, which generally means that we are so bombarded with data that we no longer have any idea of what is useful and what is utterly meaningless. We also fail to discern between current and outdated information because the lifespan of information has become so limited. Email correspondence and information are at the centre of this explosion and confusion. Another concern is the time restrictions we place on ourselves to appreciate the time and efforts of others to convey a  message to us.

The objective of  SANZAF E-NEWS  is to keep you informed of some of SANZAF'S activities and developments in the Western Cape Region. We will endeavour to be  brief .....  every 3rd month. We hope that you enjoy this introductory edition of SANZAF E-NEWS. Your feedback and recommendations will be appreciated.

"Whosoever recommends & helps a good cause becomes a partner therein"

Manenberg- Zakáh Fund Facility

Manenberg is a Cape Flats area in which gangsterism, drug abuse, social ills and other crime activities are the order of the day. Fortunately, there are survivors -  those who fight to save the dignity and self-respect of their loved ones, friends and neighbours. They cannot do it alone, they need our support!
This fight for survival is nothing short of a Jihád.
Take this opportunity to assist & partner SANZAF to develop a facility in Manenberg for poverty relief, development, empowerment, social reconstruction & educational programmes.

Forth-coming project 

Although winter is a time of abundance, a time without which mankind, earth and animal cannot survive and a time which, like summer and other seasons is abound with Allah's Rahmah ( Mercy) and Barakah (Blessing)... It is also a time of hardship and suffering for many.
Thousands of families, aged and young, struggle to survive during the winter months. Every winter (June to Sept) SANZAF provides destitute families with sustenance, blankets and clothing to alleviate their suffering.

SANZAF'S Approach

Poverty allevation, i.e. providing the destitute with the basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, shelter, a bowl of soup and a blanket on a winter's day will always be one of the core functions of SANZAF. However, empowerment and development are intergral and inseperable parts of our core functions. We strive to utilize at least 30% of our annual income on empowerment, development, educational funding and skills training programmes with the aim of assisting recipients to become self-reliant and self-sufficient. 

Opening of office in Vredenburg 

The town of Vredenburg is home to over one hundred and thirty Muslim families, including immigrants from Somali, Pakistan, Senegal and Egypt. This developing town is a 150km drive from Cape Town and is situated on the West Coast.

The first Jumuah prayers were performed in a shop called ‘Guy Fashions’ and was lead by Sheikh Shakir Agmat from Paarl. In under five years the Muslim community on the West Coast more than doubled, developing into the Vredenburg Islamic Society, previously known as the West Coast Islamic Society. And, in 1982 land was donated to build the first masjid with an adjacent madrassah, which was strained to accommodate the five surrounding communities, Hopefield, Patrenoster, Laingville, St Helena Bay and Veldrif.

 SANZAF responded to the needs of the Vredenburg community and opened an office at the masjid. The SANZAF office endeavors to play critical role in helping the poor and needy to rebuild their lives through skills development and providing poverty relief assistance.

Partnership with Gujjatul Islam Jamaah

The Stellenbosch Muslim community recently celebrated its 110th Anniversary of Islam in Stellenbosch. The first Masjid was built in 1897 and Imam Abdul Gabier was the community’s first Imam. An Islamic school was opened in 1911 to accommodate the increasing Muslim population. SANZAF responded to the increasing strains the Muslim community had on the established Masjid and school and assisted in empowering the community towards a sustainable and positive growth. Today, SANZAF has opened a satellite office in Stellenbosch and has partnered with the Gujjatul Islam Jamaah to deliver much needed services.

Opening of Madrassa In Tsunami  

SANZAF relocated some of its skills development classes from the Ma’roof Islamic Centre in Bridgetown to Tsunami, Delft, to accommodate the over one hundred displaced Muslim Joe Slovo fire victims.

In 2005 thousands of victims were displaced to an informal township in the South of Delft, called Tsunami, forcing the traumatized community to rebuild their lives on a vacant piece of land. SANZAF, an established benevolent institution in the Joe Slovo Township assisted the victims in restructuring their lives. During this process, SANZAF encourage the Muslim students of the Ma’roof Islamic Centre to resume their education, but found the traveling too costly to continue. In response to this need, SANZAF constructed the Madrassa Da’watiel Haq Tsunami in February 2007 at a cost of R12 000.00. The Madrassa Da’watiel Haq also serves as a soup kitchen for the poor and needy from Monday to Thursday. SANZAF supplies the soup kitchen with the much needed ingredients and cooking utensils, and encourages the community to cook and share their meals with their neighbours – thus "spreading wings of compassion".

Zakáh Questions & Answers

Q: I intend leaving the country for at least one year. Can I pay Zakáh in advance?

A: ADVANCED PAYMENT OF ZAKAH

With the exception of agricultural produce, honey, raw silk and the produce of silver and gold mines, the law of Zakáh allows payment ahead of time. This ruling is substantiated by the following Hadith:

It is related on the authority of of 'Ali ( R.A.) that Abbas asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for permission to effect the payment of his Zakáh dues before the completion of the year's term of possession. So he i.e. the Prophet (peace be upon him) allowed him to do so ". (Reported by Imams Abu Dawud and Tirmithi). 

As laid down by the Shafi'i  school of law, the extreme limit for the advance payment of dues is one year, and for the Hanafi's two years.

Zakáh... An act of Ibádah

"Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds): for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled to truth; for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah' and for the wayfarer: (Thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom."

Surah Taubah, Verse 60

An important principle in Islam is that everything belongs to the Creator of all mankind, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word Zakáh means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a specified amount for those afflicted by poverty, destitution and need. Like the pruning of plants, this cutting balances and encourages new growth.

In the legal terminology of the Shari'ah (Islamic Law), Zakáh means the Fard (compulsory) obligation of every Muslim to pay 2.5% anually on the value of specified assets and property that has the potential for growth.

Zakáh in an economic institution that produces the spirit of social responsibility, caring and compassion among people irrespective of their financial status. Zakáh is not a charity given in sympathy to the destitute. It is their right when they qualify for it.

"And in their wealth is the right of the poor who ask and who is prevented from asking".
Surah Tháriyát, Verse 19

This is one of the reasons that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) demonstrated that Zakáh is not an ordinary charity but an organised institution with dedicated administrative, management, collection and distribution systems.

NPO: 007-160 | PBO: 930001714
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