Saturday Fiqh Classes:
The Saturday Fiqh classes
are attended by Non-Muslims & New Muslims on a course consisting of two
levels. Each level is run over a 6 month period for adult beginners. The
syllabus takes them through the very basics to more advanced Fiqh. Alhamdulillah,
we have two male classes by brother's Shamiel Parker, Sayyid Wyngaard & Imtiyaz Haron as well as two females classes by sisters Rushaan
Philander & Hajir Bawa. We have now branched further, including an
addition recitation class as was needed. Registration is free of charge to the
students.
We have recently launched
a new branch in the Rondevlei Park area in Mitchell’s Plain at the Islamia
Masjid with Moulana Ismail Yaghya – Level 1. In addition there is a Madrassa for
the general adult community for which the registration is R20.00 (once off per
annum) with R30.00 per class / R120.00 per month. The new semester commences on
Saturday, 23rd July 2011 for both venues Insha Allah.
Attendance certification:
An attendance
certification end of term was held on Saturday, 25th June 2011 for
the Lansdowne classes. An inspirational talk on commitment, importance of
education and seeking further knowledge was given by Moulana Zakariyah
Philander. Certification was handed to 40 students as a record to date.
The Rondevlei Park class
2011 was launched as a new project and therefore the attendance certification for
the 1st semester was held on Saturday, 09th July 2011.
Certification was handed to and/or received by 10 students setting a
marker for future classes Insha Allah.
The Annual Graduation
Ceremony will be hosted by the Discover Islam Centre & held Saturday, 10th
December 2011.
Revert Group Sessions & VOC Revert Programme:
Revert / New Muslim group
sessions were previously offered to the students who attended classes, for them
to have a place to go to when they were in doubt or troubled, however, a new
structure was implemented. Group counselling sessions were to be included in
the syllabus for the students and interactive topics listed for the monthly
meetings.
There was a positive
response from the male students as well so much so DIC is considering separate
sessions for males only.
In conjunction with this
exercise, the Discover Islam Centre has linked up with VOC bi-monthly
with Presenter Sulayla Appelby between 10h00 – 11h00. The 1st
interview is based on the topic leading up to the session and another
thereafter as a feedback interview. This provided clear indication to the
listeners for awareness of concerns and challenges faced by New Muslims as well
as for them to join in and using DIC as a place to refer people interested in
Islam.
Tuesday Xhosa Fiqh classes:
The Xhosa Revert / New
Muslim class for Women 2011 is operational on a Tuesday at the Discover Islam
Centre office.
This offers the students
the convenience of acquiring knowledge in their mother tongue with the very
basics in Fiqh and recitation, in comfortable settings and a central point
weekly. There is no registration costs involved and the Discover Islam Centre
sponsors the transportation costs for the students as well.
This year, Mamma Zulaikha
and her students join the Discover Islam Centre’s Annual Graduation Ceremony at
the end of the year Insha Allah.
Da’wah Caravan:
A Da’wah caravan is an
initiative to go to another city/town to propagate the message of Islam.
Saldanha and Vredenburg
were selected as venues for the West Coast Da’wah Caravan for 2011 over the
weekend of the 11-12th July 2011.
The weekend included a
Jumuah talk in Vredenburg , a Friday evening talk at the Saldana Masjid, Friday
evening radio appearance on Weskus Radio promoting Islam and the initiative, Saturday pamphleteering in Vredenburg central town, a Saturday morning Women’s
programme, a Saturday afternoon Islam presentation with Q&A in a local hall
in an area in Saldanha followed by snacks as a farewell treat to the Saldanha
community.
The drive and support of
volunteers, staff, board members, family & friends from the Discover Islam
Centre and the Darun Na’im Islamic & Arabic Institute students boosted the
camaraderie of the pamphleteering in Vredenburg and contributed to a successful
program. The well-attended presentation was hosted @ the Saldanha Resort by the
Saldanha Masjid Committee & DIC with Moulana Zakariyah Philander the main
speaker for the weekend.
Delft Township Madrasa & Soup Kitchen:
The outreach programme
based in the Township area is high priority for the Discover Islam Centre. It
takes the form of Da’wah with the locals as well as a functional Madrasa and
Soup Kitchen. The Soup kitchen provides food to the children and adults in the
local community of the Township.
The official Township
Development Committee was formed in 2010. It commenced activities with an Open
Day in Delft as an introduction to the children and adults who would be
involved in the projects there.
In Ramadaan, the Team hosted
an Iftaar and arranged for their guests from the Township to be bussed in. With
the help and sponsorship of various individuals and businesses, Alhamdulillah, it
was possible to obtain all the items of a wish list.
In preparation for
Eid-ul-Fitr, gift bags are assembled and packed by the Team with items that are
donated to the DIC. On Eid morning distributions of these gift bags (as well as
a prepared lunch) to the friends in Delft and exchanged greetings for this
much-awaited day.
A final activity for the
year was in the form of a beach outing to Muizenberg which everyone really
enjoyed last year and preparation for the end of this year.
Mosque Open Days:
About every eight weeks,
Discover Islam Centre hosts a Mosque Open Day in which we invite the neighbours
living in the proximity of a masjid to attend a presentation and share
refreshments with us.
Our aim is to invite individuals to explore the wonderful World of Islam. We want to untangle the
facts and myths surrounding this Worldwide Faith. This is an opportunity to
broaden one’s knowledge of Islam, to discover the True Nature of this peaceful
religion and find out why Islam is the fastest growing Religion in the World.
We host these Mosque Open
Days in affluent as well as sub-economic areas. The response can be anywhere
between twenty to six hundred attendees. We have successfully started 2011 with MOD in the following areas: 29th January – Hanover Park – Masjidur
Rahmaan, 14th May – Portlands Mitchell’s Plain - Masjidur Rawbie
& 25th June – Retreat – Masjid Al Munowar.
The Retreat program was especially outstanding
with a turn-out of approximately 600 people including the SAPS, the Cape
Interfaith Group, ABSA representative, numerous pastors from the area as well
as a priest. The support received from
the Imam, Ml Irshad Sedick, the students of Darul Mahamid and members of the
community made this initiative a shining example of what is possible through
co-operation.
The program consists of a
short talk on Islam, a history and small tour of the Mosque, a practical
demonstration of wudu, Salaah and they are invited to engage in a Question and
Answer session with the presenters. We then end with serving refreshments.
Please feel free to contact
the Discover Islam Centre if you’d like to arrange a Mosque Open Day in your
area.
Tarbiyyah Camp:
The Discover Islam Centre
hosted its’ bi-annual Tarbiyyah Boys Camp on the 29th, 30th
April & 01st May 2011. 60 students from disadvantaged
backgrounds who have embraced Islam are taken on a weekend camp. There are the campers, the support team, the
volunteers, the sister organisation, etc.
The camp weekend
programme was crammed with all the goodness of Islam i.e. Fiqh, Discipline,
Routine, Salaah, Sporting activities and team building, life skills
development, etc. Students are grouped into teams that compete in various
activities over the weekend. There was a great competitive spirit and eagerness
to please and achieve. It was a difficult decision, but at the end, the points
were tallied up and one team won, Alhamdulillah!
The next camp is planned
for the 30th September, 01st & 02nd
October 2011 Insha Allah.
Thikr:
DIC volunteers, students and staff were invited to join in and enjoy an evening
of Thikr, rendered by the auspicious Ba-Alawi
Thikr Jamaah. The evening
consisted of a recitation of the mawlid “ad-Diya al Lami” or “the Resplendent
Illumination” – a poetic composition of the life story of our Prophet
Muhammad(saw) by the great scholar and saint Allamah Habib Umar b. Muhammad b.
Hafiz, followed by a short talk by Moulana Abdurahmaan Khan – a graduate from
and a lecturer at Dar-al Ulum al-Arabiyyah al Islamiyyah under the auspices of
Moulana Taha Karaan. He is also a
student of Habib Umar.
It was an evening of “Enlivening the heart” with the
beautiful, melodius thikr by the auspicious Jamaah. The evening ended well with socializing and
sharing in the delicious treats brought by all.
Literature distribution:
As part of our Da’wah initiative, DIC supplies literature
about Islam to organizations, schools and institutes of learning that are
involved in Da’wah activities.
Thus far for 2011 literature was distributed to the
following:
UWC & UCT MSA – To promote Islam at the Islam expo
hosted on campus by the students.
Saldanha Muslims – To promote Islam in Saldanha and
surrounding areas.
Naqshabandi Drift Sands Madrassa – To promote Islam in the
townships.
Abubaker Stakala – DIC field worker, doing da’wah at the
taxi ranks, on trains, in the townships and engages with people whenever the
opportunity presents itself.
Mosque open day distribution & Prison distribution.
Nasheed Competition:
A Nasheed(pl – anasheed)is Islamic vocal music
that is either sung in acappella or accompanied by a percussion instrument such
as a duff.
The Discover
Islam Centre hosts an annual Nasheed competition for Islamic High and
Primary schools.
This year’s event was hosted on Saturday, 12 March 2011 at
the City Hall in Cape Town. Four hundred
patrons attended the event.
A pre-liminary round was held at the Shukrul Mubeen Masjid
on Saturday, 5 March 2011. Judges offered participants some tips to improve
their renditions.
The competition gets tougher each year with schools
excelling in their presentation of the various anasheed. The winners for the DIC Boys Annual Schools
Nasheed competition 2011 were Darul Islam Islamic High School in the high
school category and Islamia Primary School in the primary school category.
The aim of the competition is to get the students involved
in creating a culture of healthy competition around activity that stimulates
awareness of Islam, also it assists in the production and promotion of quality Nasheeds in addition to motivating
the creativity of the youth. A healthy
sense of competition prevailed amongst all competitors.
MC for the event was Shamiel Slamang. A team of professional judges including Qari Igsaan
Abrahams, Qari Gaarieth Williams, Qari Abdul Aziz Brown, Sh Harun Moos and Qari
Siraj Van der Schyff adjudicated this prestigious event. The overseeing judge
was Sh Ismail Londt.
Limited Edition Drum Corps, wowed the crowd with their
performance on the day.
NOTE TO ALL
PRINCIPALS: Please diarise this date: 24 March 2012, Venue: City Hall, Cape Town.
You are cordially invited to enter your students to partake
in the DIC Boys Annual Nasheed competition 2012.
Family Day: Craft & Food Market: DIC volunteers and staff hosted a successful, fun filled family
day on Saturday, 4 June 2011 at the Taronga Road Masjid complex.
The aim was manifold.
To create awareness of DIC, to raise funds for DIC and an opportunity
for stall holders to exhibit and sell their wares.
Health and wellness therapists offered a variety of
specialized services on the day in specially equipped space. Arrays of stall holders were spread out
around the hall selling a vast variety of commodities.
The crowd was entertained with anasheed by Islamia Primary: the 2011 Primary school winners, Tai
Chi & Karate demos, kiddies fashion show and lots of spot prizes.
DIC volunteers and staff took charge of the food for the
day. Patrons could indulge all day long,
starting with breakfast, tea time treats, lunch, warm and cold beverages.
DIC Institute:
The Institute is the education wing of DIC. Its aim is providing Islamic education
courses for anyone interested in acquiring knowledge of Islam
The institute runs courses on various topics, is aimed at
all ages and beliefs. We call on some of
the best scholars in the Muslim community to run courses.
Courses for
the first term:
|
Tuesday
evening
|
19h00 –
20h10
|
Reviving
the Muslim Home –part 2
|
Shaik Abd
al Rasheed Brown
|
|
|
20h15 –
21h15
|
You, Love
& Marriage
|
Moulana
Muadth Allie
|
|
Wednesday
evening
|
19h00 –
20h10
|
Islam 101
|
Moulana
Zakariyah Philander
|
|
|
20h15 –
21h15
|
Matters of
the heart
|
Shaikh
Riyadh Walls
|
Courses for
the second term:
|
Tuesday
evening
|
19h00 –
20h10
|
Hajj –
Journey of the Heart
|
Moulana
Dawood Sampson
|
|
|
20h15 –
21h15
|
Fiqh of
Love(part 2)
|
Moulana
Muadth Allie
|
|
Wednesday
evening
|
|
Remained
unchanged
|
|
Courses happen @ the Taronga Road Masjid hall, Cnr Taronga
and Lawsons Rd, Crawford.
Registration takes place on the evening: Registration fee R100.00 per annum per
course, R25.00 per class per week.
967 students have registered for 2011.
This initiative contributes toward the financial
sustainability of DIC.
