What began as a family business built on a passion for quality spices and a deep appreciation for flavour has grown into a much-loved brand, while remaining true to the values and traditions on which it was founded.

This year marks a particularly special milestone as Gorima’s Workshop celebrates its 40th birthday. Four decades later, that spirit of care, quality and commitment continues to be at the heart of everything we do.

A key part of the Gorima’s journey has always been our commitment to supporting local home industries and small businesses. We take great pride in working with suppliers from home industries, helping create opportunities for entrepreneurs while bringing unique, quality products to our customers. Supporting these businesses is more than just business to us—it is about building communities, encouraging local enterprise and celebrating the incredible talent found within South Africa.

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Gorima’s has also continued to evolve with the changing needs and tastes of our customers, introducing exciting new products that are already proving to be must-tries. From everyday pantry essentials to innovative new flavours, there is always something new to discover at Gorima’s.

Today, we are proud to have grown to 31 stores across South Africa, with our newest store opening at Cavendish Square in Cape Town. This latest addition represents another exciting chapter in the Gorima’s journey and allows us to share our products and passion with even more customers.

And the excitement doesn’t stop there. Gorima’s is thrilled to announce that we are now the Official Spice Partner of Durban FC. This exciting partnership brings together two proudly local brands and celebrates our shared passion for community, excellence and the city we call home.

As we celebrate 40 years of Gorima’s Workshop, we also look forward to the future with great excitement. From our family to yours, thank you for allowing Gorima’s to be part of your kitchens – your celebrations and your everyday meals. Here’s to 40 years of flavour—and many more to come!

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The post [Advertorial] Gorima’s: 46 years of spice, tradition and growth appeared first on Al-Qalam.

When Palestinian and Syrian children – broken by war – first entered the doors of the AMAN School of Excellence in Lebanon, they found stability, safety, and most of all hope, for their futures.

The school, started by Africa Muslims Agency (AMA) five years ago to cater to refugee children (excluded by mainstream schooling system), has since shown phenomenal results for both the learners, and also their families, thanks to your donations.

From those first uncertain days, the AMAN School has developed into a structured learning community spanning KG through Grade 9, through years of deliberate care: stronger academic departments, dedicated Heads of Departments, and real systems for tracking every child’s progress, behaviour and wellbeing.

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Over the past five years, roughly 100 young people have completed their journey at AMAN and stepped confidently into their next chapter. This past academic year, the school achieved a 92.7% final pass rate. But the deeper story lives beneath the numbers: a child who once depended on a teacher for every task now works independently. A student once afraid to speak now raises a hand without hesitation. A few recognised words become a sentence, then a paragraph, then a young person ready for what comes next.

This progress has not come easily. Lebanon and the region have lived through conflict, displacement and profound uncertainty — and each time, AMAN refused to let education disappear. When classrooms closed, teachers reached students through online lessons, WhatsApp materials and recorded explanations, keeping every child connected to learning and to each other. When students returned, teachers didn’t simply resume the syllabus — they identified what was missed and rebuilt from there. Because during times of crisis, school offers children something beyond lessons: routine, familiar faces, and the reassurance that their future still matters.

One AMAN teacher said: “I often ask myself ‘did every child learn — and what can I do differently for the one who did not?’”

An AMA spokesperson said: “None of this would exist without the donors who believed in AMAN from Day One. Your support has never simply paid for books or buildings. It has protected something far more precious — a child’s right to keep learning, and to keep believing in tomorrow. Every word read independently, every exam passed, every one of those 100 graduates carries a part of what you have given.

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“For every child who walks through AMAN’s doors with uncertainty – and then leaves confidently, your continued generosity makes the difference. Your ongoing support is sadaqah jariyah. As Lebanon’s families continue to face real hardship, AMAN’s mission is far from finished, and we remain committed to bringing the education and safety promised to these children for many years to come, insha’Allah.”

The post Refugee children score top marks at AMA’s Aman school in Lebanon appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Influential Islamic Scholar, Imam Dr A. Rashied Omar, has urged Muslims to vote in the Local Government Elections – because by not doing so means “dishonouring the sacrifices” of those who were imprisoned or died in the struggle for a better South Africa.

“The right to vote was won through immense sacrifice. Under apartheid, the majority of South Africans were denied a meaningful voice in determining who governed them. Many people endured imprisonment, exile, torture and death so that all citizens could participate equally in shaping our country. To abstain out of apathy or cynicism risks dishonouring that sacrifice and surrendering our influence over decisions that profoundly affect our communities. Casting a ballot is therefore an act of trust, requiring knowledge, conscience, humility, courage and concern for future generations yet to come.

“In some respects, local government elections are even more consequential for our daily lives than national elections. Municipalities determine whether refuse is collected, streets are cleaned, drains are maintained, public spaces are safe, housing needs are addressed and basic services are delivered with fairness and dignity. They shape the condition of our neighbourhoods, libraries, parks, clinics, informal settlements and community facilities. When local government fails, the poor and marginalised suffer first and most severely.”

He told Al-Qalam that “our vote therefore concerns more than party preference.”

“It concerns clean water, sanitation, electricity, housing, transport, safety and the responsible use of public money. It concerns whether councillors listen to residents, remain accessible between elections and act with integrity when allocating scarce resources. Local government is the sphere of democracy closest to the people; it is where lofty promises are translated, or fail to be translated, into lived reality.

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“Islamic teachings offer enduring ethical principles by which political choices should be judged. Among the most important are justice (ʿadl and qisṭ), mutual consultation (shūrā), public welfare (maṣlaḥah) and accountability (ḥisbah). The Qur’an commands believers: “O Believers! Stand firmly for justice, bearing witness for the sake of Allah, even if it is against yourselves, your parents or close relatives” (Surah al-Nisaʾ 4:135). It also praises conscientious believers as those “whose public affairs are conducted through mutual consultation” (Surah al-Shura 42:38). Voting can thus be understood as one practical expression of our commitment to justice, mutual consultation and responsible public participation.

“There is no sound basis for claiming that Muslims may vote only for a so-called Muslim party. Nor does voting for a party imply approval of every aspect of its ideology or record. Electoral choice is necessarily an exercise in moral discernment among imperfect alternatives. We should assess parties and candidates carefully: their competence and integrity, their record in office, the credibility of their promises, and their commitment to non-racialism, social justice and the needs of the poor.

He said Muslims should reject appeals based on fear, racism, sectarianism, inherited loyalty or narrow communal self-interest.

“We should vote for those candidates and parties most likely to serve all residents fairly, especially those whose voices are least heard. Our concern cannot be only for Muslim neighbourhoods or Muslim interests. 

“The Qur’anic demand for justice obliges us to seek the wellbeing of the entire society, Imam Omar said.

Imam Omar drummed the point that once ballots were counted, elected representatives should be held accountable for both their political mandate and their moral mandate.”

“Their political mandate is to fulfil lawful commitments, govern competently and use public resources transparently. Their moral mandate is to serve rather than enrich themselves, to protect the vulnerable, to resist corruption and patronage, and to treat every resident with dignity.

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“This requires active citizens and strong civil society. Muslims should attend ward meetings, scrutinise municipal budgets, question councillors, report failures, support community organisations and join campaigns for honest and equitable service delivery. Masajid should help cultivate informed citizenship and offer principled, non-partisan spaces in which residents can deliberate respectfully. Religious leaders should serve as part of society’s moral conscience, not as uncritical agents of political parties.

“Let us hold those elected accountable, strengthen our neighbourhood organisations and remain engaged in the struggle for justice and human dignity.

“May Allah guide us to choose wisely and help us build municipalities that serve all people, especially the poor, forgotten and marginalized, with compassion, honesty and justice. Allahumma Amin.”

The post Vote for the best candidate – not on sectarian lines appeared first on Al-Qalam.

A disciplinary complaint over two social media posts has raised a wider question for South Africa’s Palestine solidarity movement: can legal and professional processes create a climate in which speaking out for Palestine comes with consequences?

At the centre of the dispute is South African medical doctor and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng. The complaint against her followed posts she made in January 2025 during the Gaza ceasefire, including “F*** you, Netanyahu” directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer criticised her, Mofokeng responded: “You white man. Evil scum. Voetsek.” The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) subsequently complained to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

The HPCSA later found Mofokeng guilty of unprofessional conduct and imposed a R10 000 fine for bringing the profession into disrepute. She challenged the finding in the High Court. The HPCSA subsequently decided not to oppose her application after the Department of International Relations and Cooperation advised on her immunity as a UN Special Rapporteur. The finding and fine were set aside by agreement on September 9. The SAZF has stressed that the court did not determine the merits of whether her language constituted professional misconduct.

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For Mofokeng, the significance extends beyond the disciplinary process. She believes legal and professional mechanisms can have a chilling effect on those who challenge Zionism or publicly support Palestine.

In an interview with Al-Qalam, she said: “If I was in any other profession or that I was unemployed, which other statutory body were they going to misuse? That’s the question we must ask ourselves, right?” she said.

“They’ve been well-organised, well-funded, and their pockets run very deep,” she said. “So historically, they do like using the courts’ processes and any disciplinary process for that matter to frustrate anyone who stands against Zionism.”

Mofokeng also raised concerns about the influence she believes Zionist organisations exert over public narratives.

“They have so much control, even in the media, that they can even decide what goes out and what goes on,” she said.

She pointed to the difference in coverage between the HPCSA finding and the court outcome.

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“When the HPCSA initial finding was made, the news broke for 24 hours in a cycle in South Africa. When I won in the Pretoria High Court, not a single media covered that in the way that they did on television screens. Not even a blurb,” she said.

For Mofokeng, the issue ultimately concerns whether people remain willing to challenge powerful interests over Palestine.

“And so absolutely, it’s done for a chilling effect,” she said. “If you can silence a medical doctor, a well-known feminist in the country, a UN official while doing UN work in her home country for doing that work, it would be a complete disaster.”

The post Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng’s court win: ‘Never remain silent on Palestine’ appeared first on Al-Qalam.

In Cape Town, Muslim voters are often spoken about as though they share the same circumstances, think in the same way and can be moved by a single issue.

They do not.

Voters do not leave the rest of their lives at the door when they enter a voting booth. They carry the municipal bill that arrived that morning, the worry of a child still searching for work, the memory of gunshots the night before. They carry loyalties, disappointments and doubts, and weigh the promises before them against the lives they actually lead.

The difficulty lies in deciding what to prioritise when no party represents everything that matters to you.

For one Rylands family, that dilemma is painfully specific. They trust their ward councillor, yet they do not want to reward his party.

“We have supported our councillor because he works for our community. In 2024, we voted for a different party because of Palestine. It was a difficult decision. We know he supports Palestine too, and we intend to support him in the municipal election, the family member said.”

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The family asked not to be named, fearing that publicly supporting a DA councillor while opposing the party’s position on Palestine could lead to criticism or ostracism within their community.

Ward 46 offers a useful window into that tension. Rylands and Gatesville are long-established centres of Muslim residential and religious life.

The DA won 53.13% of the Ward 46 vote in the 2021 municipal election. By the 2024 National and Provincial election, its support across the same ward boundaries stood at 39.5%.

The ballots are not directly comparable as they elect different spheres of government. However, the 13.6 percentage-point gap points to a constituency that has become more politically contested.

What the numbers cannot tell us is why.

Palestine is an obvious part of the 2024 story, but the figures cannot establish how many Muslim voters moved because of it, or where they went.  

In Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, the calculation sounds different.

Boeta Agmat Agmat is less concerned with party identity than with whether politicians can be trusted to deliver. “Everyone can make promises,” he said. “But who will stop the crime? How will they do it? And what have they done before that makes those promises believable?”

The contrast is revealing. For the Rylands family, the dilemma is whether a trusted representative can be separated from anger at his party’s position on Palestine. For the Lentegeur resident, the first question is whether anyone can convincingly address crime and gangsterism in his community. 

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That does not make Palestine any less important in poorer or working-class communities. It means voters are weighing it alongside pressures that are immediate and lived: whether there is work, whether the streets are safe, whether housing is secure, and whether basic services function. 

National research reflects that complexity. A University of Johannesburg study before the 2024 election found job creation, improving people’s lives and service delivery among the most commonly cited reasons for choosing a party. 

Political analyst Ebrahim Fakir describes the choice in similarly layered terms. Voters, he argues, weigh values, performance and strategy, asking whether a party reflects what they believe, whether it has delivered on what matters in their lives, and whether their vote can shift the balance of political power.

Cape Town’s Muslim voters may be weighing all of those considerations at the same time.

They can regard Palestine as a moral red line and still worry about crime. They can distrust a party and value its councillor. They can agree with another party on Palestine and still question whether it can govern.

The idea of a single “Muslim vote” misses that complexity. Shared convictions may shape how people see the choice, but they do not determine which concern becomes decisive when the ballot is finally in front of them.

The post What will move Muslim voters in Cape Town? appeared first on Al-Qalam.

Recipe credit: Gorimas

 INGREDIENTS

• 4½ cups flour
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 12 tsp ground aniseed
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp grated tangerine peel
• ¾ cup oil
• 1½ cups milk
• 1½ cups warm water
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• Oil for deep frying

FOR THE SYRUP

• 2¼ cups sugar
• 1½ cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamom pods
• Desiccated coconut, to roll

METHOD

 1. Prepare the dough

In a large bowl, combine the flour, self-raising flour, sugar, salt, ginger, aniseed, cardamom and grated tangerine peel.

 2. Add the wet ingredients

Add the oil, milk and warm water. Mix well.

 3. Add the yeast

Add the active dry yeast and mix until a soft dough forms. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.

 4. Shape the koe`sisters

Roll out the dough and cut into strips. Twist or shape each strip into a koe`sister.

 5. Prepare the oil

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat.

 6. Fry

Carefully fry the koe`sisters until they are golden brown and cooked through.

 7. Dip into syrup

Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods together. Place the hot koe`sisters into the syrup and allow them to soak briefly.

 8. Finish and serve

Remove from the syrup and roll in desiccated coconut if desired.

 Save this recipe for your next baking day and share the deliciousness with family and friends.

September Competition

Question: What citrus ingredient is added to the dough?

Enter now and stand a chance to win a Gorimas Hamper!

August Gorimas Competition winner:

Fathima Simjee – Durban North

The post Recipe: Cape Malay Koe’sisters appeared first on Al-Qalam.

When Dr Hafsa Essop was pregnant with her first daughter, she was given a dosimeter to monitor radiation exposure to her unborn baby. But there was one problem – she did not know how to use it.

When she asked colleagues who had previously been pregnant, she discovered that they had not used the device either or tracked their foetal doses. “I found this very concerning, as a device that is meant to protect the fetus during pregnancy was not being utilised properly and therefore doses were not accurately recorded,” she said.

That experience led Dr Essop, a senior lecturer in Radiography at the University of Pretoria, to investigate the issue through her research and ultimately develop PregiDose, a prototype mobile application designed to improve foetal dose record-keeping and radiation safety among pregnant healthcare workers.

Her work has now earned her the 2026 South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA) Distinguished Young Woman Researcher Award in the Public Engagement with Science category.

“As a mother, you are overly aware and cautious about everything. Pregnant workers have even more fears, because the radiation environment has the potential to cause harm to the fetus if exposed to high radiation levels. It is therefore imperative that they are carefully monitored and fully supported,” she explained. 

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The prototype was developed using a user-centred approach, allowing Dr Essop to understand the concerns and challenges faced by pregnant workers in radiation environments.

“My dream is for PregiDose to one day be a leading brand in pregnancy dosimetry, InshaAllah. The road is of course long, but I truly believe that this app and vision will benefit pregnant workers, both in South Africa and globally,” she said. 

But the purpose of her research extends beyond earning a qualification. “I strongly believe that research is a catalyst for change, it identifies problems and provides solutions. Truly impactful research is one whereby you don’t just get a qualification from it, but people benefit in a positive way, because of what you have recommended or developed,” she said. 

As a Muslim woman working in science and academia, Dr Essop said she strongly resonates with the hadith: “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people.” (al-Mu’jam al-Awsat)

She approaches her work with this in mind, whereby her success also lies in the success of those around her. “In academia, there is the proverbial PhD – Pull her Down. I strive every day to make sure that I try to uplift and be of benefit to those around me,” she said. 

Her identity as a Muslim woman has also remained important to her. “I also believe wearing my hijab in this space has given me a strong, unwavering identity as a Muslim. I am still able to continue with my work and perhaps excel in my work, without having to ‘fit in’ and I think that is important,” she said. 

Dr Essop’s work has extended to the international stage through her involvement with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). She received the ICRP Claire Cousins Award in 2023 and contributes to international research on radiation protection. Her current postdoctoral research focuses on foetal dose record-keeping and recommendations that could inform international policy.

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She has published 15 peer-reviewed articles, presented at national and international conferences and serves on the Pregnancy and Paediatric Task Group of the Society of Radiographers of South Africa. She has also been appointed Scientific Chair for its 2027 Congress.

Despite these achievements, Dr Essop does not describe herself as someone who always had everything figured out. “I was not the smartest girl in the class; I did not have it all figured out, but one thing I always had was a deep sense of wanting to help people,” she said.

That desire continues to shape her message to young Muslim women considering science, healthcare or research. “The world needs you. We are facing so many contextual challenges that can often be solved through science. It’s not only about getting a qualification, but it’s about using that qualification, knowledge and your hands to be of benefit to mankind,” she said. 

The post Essop’s pregnancy ‘radiation monitor’ device wins top awards appeared first on Al-Qalam.

For more than two centuries, Auwal Masjid has anchored Muslim life in Bo-Kaap. Established in 1794 as South Africa’s first masjid, its significance extends far beyond this historic neighbourhood. It holds a sacred place in the history of a Muslim community whose roots at the Cape were forged through enslavement, exile and the struggle to worship freely.

Now, a six-storey aparthotel behind the masjid is testing what protecting that heritage means.

Residents fear Bo-Kaap will become a place where visitors can afford to stay, but longstanding families cannot afford to remain.

“We do not want our kids to read about Bo-Kaap in history books,” said Faa-iekah Ryland, secretary of the Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association.

At 150 Buitengracht Street, behind Auwal Masjid, Flyt Property is marketing 67 furnished studio apartments operated by Wink Aparthotels for short-term stays.

The City of Cape Town says residents’ objections helped reshape the development. The original proposal was reduced from nine storeys to six, with overlooking features removed during consultation.

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But the changes did not end the dispute.

On 2 July 2024, the City’s Municipal Planning Tribunal approved the revised development. Residents appealed, arguing that even at six storeys it remained too large for its historic setting and would change the historical character of the area.

In January 2025, the City’s Planning Appeals Advisory Panel recommended that the approval stand. The final decision, however, rested with Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis in his role as the City’s appeal authority. On 27 May 2025, he dismissed the appeals and upheld the development approval.

“Few, if any, other development proposals have gone through such extensive community consultation, and iterative redesign,” he said.

That consultation now sits at the centre of two different accounts. The City points to the redesign as evidence that community participation changed the project. The civic association’s continued opposition suggests something more complicated: participation did not necessarily mean acceptance.

It also raises a larger question about who has a stake in Bo-Kaap’s heritage.

Some places are larger than the streets that hold them. Auwal Masjid stands in Bo-Kaap, but its meaning reaches far beyond the neighbourhood. As South Africa’s oldest masjid, it forms part of a wider story of Muslim faith, survival and belonging at the Cape.

Bo-Kaap’s heritage cannot be understood only through buildings and architecture. It also lives in religious practice, memory, family histories and an identity shaped over generations. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, recognises that heritage can be valued by multiple communities.

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Bo-Kaap is therefore more than the inheritance of those who live within its boundaries. Its masaajid, traditions and history carry meaning for Muslims across the Cape who understand the area as part of their own religious and cultural story.

These tensions resurfaced on 28 August 2026, when residents protested again, citing construction damage, parking pressure and possible future complaints about the athaan. After discussions with the developers reached an impasse on 31 August 2026, Auwal Masjid committee secretary Mogamat Cassiem Abdullah said their lawyers were due to file papers the following day.

“We would like to understand the process and know what our options are to challenge the development,” he added.

Flyt Property managing director Ryan Flowers maintains that the developer has followed the required processes over the past nine years, despite the continued opposition.

“Whilst we can appreciate the sensitivities, we have followed every due process over the last nine years,” he said.

For now, the approvals allow the project to proceed. However, the dispute has become about far more than one building, its height or its footprint. The question, then, is not only whether the physical heritage of Bo-Kaap can survive development, but whether the living heritage that made the place significant can continue to flourish alongside it.

The post Can Bo-Kaap residents stop the development behind Auwal Masjid? appeared first on Al-Qalam.

In the month celebrating the birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S), some strive to be obedient to his every utterance. Others yearn nostalgically for his leadership in a dangerous and fractured world. A few seek synergy with his divine mission and purpose. But the crucial question shouldbe: How can we move us from effusive loving to profound living of the Prophetic legacy so that we locate the words of the Prophet (S) within his personality, and in turn, contextualise his words and habits in the Sirah – his entire life trajectory – while always mindful that his Sirah is the product of the Sunnah – praxis – with the Quran as divine fountainhead.    

This is important for the Fiqhul Mu-amalat – the jurisprudence of contemporary engagement in the affairs of society, politics, economics, transactions, and the underpinnings of statecraft, nation-building and social cohesion. It is, therefore, a search for a methodology to access and animate the Prophetic legacy so that it speaks to us beyond the jurisprudence of worship – the Fiqhul Ibadah. Wecan rest with the dominant methodology of Taqlid or imitation in the performances of the various acts of worship andembrace the Prophetic advice: “Pray as you have seen me pray,” [Bukhari Bk10 H28] and enjoy it as it provides a signature and identity to the multitudes of Muslims across their diversities. 

But taqlid may be somewhat unsustainable in the realm of the worldly affairs of Muslims. The root of taqlid in the Arabic language is “qa-la-da” which means literally to place a collar or necklace around the neck or to straight-jacket, with the implications of limiting choice, and reducing pragmatism, and narrowing adaptability, especially in a world where the state of the Ummah (the global Muslim community) is parlous and characterised, by and large, by domination and authoritarianism where we are majorities; by suspicion and islamophobia where we are minorities; by technological consumption and intellectual stagnation; and deep sectarianism and ambiguity in our relationship with difference.

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The conundrum lies in how to access the Prophetic leadership and thus respond to the Quranic injunction: “In the Messenger of Allah, there is for you an Uswatun Hasanah for those who place their hope in Allah, who are mindful of the last day, and who remember Allah abundantly.” [Q33:21]. ‘UswatunHasanah’ means excellent example, beautiful template, or the best of patterns. The key, therefore, to regaining the dynamism of the ummah beyond imitation and literalism, lies in grappling with how uswah – example, template or pattern -could lead to the dynamic and impactful followership of the Prophet (S) as envisaged in the Quran.

The ummah has historically been dynamic intellectually, scientifically, politically, and socially because it possessed ijtihadi tools for regenerating ideas and extending the frontiers of knowledge – through reading and writing; reasoning and analysising; synthesising and applying – for both the fiqhulibadat wa mu-amalat. These tools present themselves as qiyasand ijma – analogy and consensus. Simply put: If a new situation or challenge present themselves, an inclusive scholarship would look for an analogous precedent or a matter of some similarity on which to base a ruling for the new situation. 

This intellectual device involved discerning essence from form. Where essence asks what principle must be preservedand transposed in an inviolable state from the original to the novel; form asks what has changed in time and space and how will the essence give life to the new form and allow the faithful to be both true to history and circumstance. 

Unless we are able to move beyond taqlid or imitation in the realm of the contemporary world, we are going to reproduce anachronisms: we will have successful revolutions that remove dictators but falter because our models recreate literally the so-called Islamic State; and where we proclaim such states, they will be synonymous with misogyny, kleptocracy, theocracy, dynasty, and a totalising instinct.Could we not rather posit the idea of emulation of the Prophetic tradition and suggest from the Arabic language and practice the notions of muhakah and iqtida?

Muhakah generally refers to simulation – often used in the ICT world – meaning the transference or reproduction of a property or quality from one application or context to another. Iqtida, on the other hand refers to role-modelling, desiring the outcomes exemplified in another application or person, and following another’s pattern or template for success. Muhakahthus speaks to the transference of the principle or essence in another context, while iqtida is more closely aligned with the Quranic injunction to model ourselves on the Prophet Muhammad (S). Both show a way beyond taqlid or imitation and moves us towards emulation. 

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But for this to succeed in a dangerous world and in a fragile ummah, we must understand that the critical principles to be transferred are those consistent with the intents of Islam and the shariah – al maqasid al shariah, where the context has changed, but without the preservations or rights being compromised. The implications of emulation for statecraft, for example, mean that if we are not trying to imitate the form of the state (the khilafat) but can rather emulate the Prophetic intents and values in another form, then you could potentially have an inclusive, rights-based state underpinned by salaam (peace), amaan (security), shura (consultation), and hurriyyah(freedom). 

It may just be that an emulative approach towards the Prophetic tradition will shift us from the nostalgic love for the Prophet (S) to a strategic appreciation; from loving Muhammad (S) profusely to living his uswa seamlessly and successfully; and from being an ummah justifiably proud of our past to one confidently recreating a golden future from the Prophetic legacy. 

*Ebrahim Rasool is former ambassador to the U.S. and former Premier of the Western Cape 

The post From Loving to Living the Prophet (SAW) appeared first on Al-Qalam.

The prolonged detention of these four humanitarian activists, who sought to
advance the humanitarian cause of the Palestinian people, is deeply
troubling. Their continued detention, together with the reports of hunger
strikes and the resulting risks to their health and wellbeing, requires
urgent international attention.

SAPM calls upon the Government of Tunisia and the relevant Tunisian
authorities to act immediately to secure the release of the “Sumud Four”
and to ensure that, pending their release, they are treated humanely, have
full access to legal representation and independent medical care, and are
afforded all protections guaranteed under international law.

With a court hearing scheduled for this week, SAPM urges the Tunisian
authorities not to allow the detention of the “Sumud Four” to continue
indefinitely.

SAPM further calls upon the Government of the Republic of South Africa,
through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO),
to intensify its diplomatic intervention with the Tunisian authorities and
to use every appropriate diplomatic avenue available to secure the
immediate release and safe return of the “Sumud Four”

South Africa has consistently affirmed its commitment to international law,
human rights and the protection of humanitarian actors. We therefore urge
South Africa to stand firmly with those who have placed themselves at risk
in pursuit of humanitarian solidarity with the Palestinian people.

SAPM also calls upon governments, parliamentarians, human-rights
organisations and civil-society movements across the world to raise their
voices and demand:

* The immediate release of the “Sumud Four;”
* An end to their prolonged detention;
* Full access to their lawyers and independent medical professionals;
* Protection of their health and safety; particularly in light of the
hunger strike;
* Respect for their fundamental human rights and due process;
* Urgent diplomatic action to facilitate their safe return.

The “Sumud Four” must not be forgotten.

Their continued detention is not merely a legal matter. It is a
humanitarian matter that demands an urgent response.

SAPM stands in solidarity with the “Sumud Four” and all those committed to
humanitarian assistance, freedom, justice and the rights of the Palestinian
people.

South Africa Palestine Movement (SAPM)

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