Heritage Culture Ethos Jumu’ah Khutbah Claremont Main Road Mosque 26th Ramadan 1429/26th September 2008 Introduction All Thanks and Praises are due to Allah (S.W.T.) for guiding our hearts to Islam and gracing us with the strength to fast during this month of endurance and discipline. Salutations and Peace be upon Muhammed (S.A.W), our leader , master and the most perfect guide to all humankind. The context for this presentation is the last Jumuah for this current month of Ramadan, in close proximity to Heritage day1, an important event in our national calendar. The principal inspiration for my reflections is derived from Surah Hujurat , 49:13 in which Allah , The Sublime declares: Oh Mankind We have created you male and female And made you into tribes and nations That you may come to know one another The noblest amongst you in God’s sight are the most pious. God is All- Knowing, All Experienced2 Ramadan is pre-eminently concerned with refining human behaviour through the development of taqwa or God Consciousness3 Here the Qur’an uses the term ‘atqaqum, itself being a derivative from the term taqwa.4 Heritage day celebrates our cultural diversity by acknowledging that all tribes, ethnicities, and religions have a rightful place in a free and democratic South Africa. The Qur’anic instruction to “know one another”, lita ‘arafu is a significant directive which enables different human societies to live in a harmonious and peaceful co-existence. Taqwa and Ta’arruf Taqwa and ta’aruf emerging here as two key operative terms, whilst not coterminous, do not represent two dissonant concerns either but have a strong relationship with one another. The one enriches the other. They cannot exist independently. True God consciousness or taqwa reaches its fullest maturity by acknowledging Allah’s Divine Prerogative in Creating all people, each with their own Divinely inspired forms of worship and cultural and social distinctions. Ta’arruf implies coming to know or discovering for one-self the truth of another person’s heritage, culture, identity and values and not to deny any aspect of it. If Ramadan is all about creating a spirit of God Consciousness in an individual it also implies human beings getting in touch with or making ta’arruf of their own selves.5 Allah has blessed humankind with both a physical and a spiritual self or ruh. Mankind or insan as its etymological roots in Arabic imply is by nature a forgetful creature. The worst lapse for an individual is that of forgetting that he has a spirit which is Divine in origin6 and which is at the heart of all his or her intellectual, moral and emotional life. Taqwa is an inner quality of an awakened soul or ruh. A ruh made Allah-conscious is in a purified, elevated state which is at peace with itself and with its surroundings. It is a contented ruh. It does not crave for things which are ephemeral nor does it display any negative acquisitive tendencies. It understands what it means to struggle against temporary setbacks on this earth. It does not loose its sense of balance by being on the one hand overly consumed by irrational fears, nor does it become so self confident that it throws over aboard any sense of caution. It oscillates between hope and fear, khawf and tama’a. It has internalized the quality of Sabr or perseverance. It has recognized the temporal nature of this world which it contrasts with the eternal nature of the akhirah(hereafter). It has recognized that the ultimate end of all journeys is towards Allah Himself and that the greatest reward for any ruh is to be in the presence of and witness the Countenance of the Divine.7 Ta’arruf, Ma’ruf and Ma’rifah All verses of the Qur’an are ayat or symbols which serve to point to a reality beyond what we can gather by a mere superficial reading. Ta’arruf as a sign post, shares the same highway which leads to Ma’ruf (goodness)8 and Ma’rifah.9 (Gnosis or knowledge of Allah). It shares the same semantic universe or signs indicating a path, leadings to an Allah-pleasing state. I would therefore place ta’arruf or just simply knowing others or having a mere passing acquaintance with others at the beginning of our journey. We do not make an effort just simply to have a superficial knowledge of others whilst still maintaining our inflated sense of moral superiority. That sounds very much like a Darwinian or evens a colonialist discourse. Coming to know others as also the Creation of the same Divine Being, places our relationship with them on an altogether different ethical and moral trajectory.10 We recognize the moral worth of all peoples. The Qur’an is emphatic on this point.11 Lita arafu in this verse represents a far greater command than simply implying to know different tribes and nations 12 as an elementary anthropological exercise. It is at the heart of all our ethical and moral responsibilities. A ruh with an awakened or developed sense of taqwa deals with any person with the same of Allah consciousness that it performs its worship of the Almighty. In this sense it subjects both its ibadat (worship) and its mua amalat (social interaction)13 to the jurisdiction, supervision and eventually judgment of Allah Almighty alone. Ethical responsibility A conscientious Muslim who acknowledges Allah as witness to all his or her deeds will never seek to take advantage of a weaker person. The weak who cannot fend for themselves are strong in the eyes of Allah. There is after all by Allah no barrier in the acceptance of the supplication made by the one who is wrongfully dealt with. Each individual is responsible before Allah for his dealings with any other person. Its dealings with fellow human beings is not built up on expediency or what it can get away with or worse still if it can be economical with the truth. It urges a human being to develop a heightened sense of ethical and moral conduct respecting the autonomy of each person, making justice one of the hallmarks in its dealings with others. A developed sense of ethical behaviour further stresses the need to act beneficially towards others and not to be in any sense malevolent in one’s in dealing with others or to act in bad faith14. Taqwa and ta’arruf are thus intricately linked as they serve to guide us to deal with respect, compassion, tolerance and reciprocity with whom we all come into contact with. It is mutual respect which lies at the heart of us truly appreciating our diversity. Surah Layl (92; 1-7) offers a beautiful example of acknowledging and respecting diversity as the essence of humanity. Within this diversity it emphasizes the value of generosity, righteousness towards others and the self’s awareness and commitment towards a higher good. Righteousness is not based on merely reciprocating what we perceive to be returning a favor done to us but it must emanate from the deepest core of our being, being the best we can offer without any sense of reward or praise15. This implies basing all our actions on excellence, goodness and striving to deliver our best in keeping with the standard set by the Hadith, Katabal ihsana ‘ala kulli shay Allah has prescribed proficiency for you in whatever you strive for. This attitude is best captured is best captured in the Qur’anic concept of Ihsan.16 Such an understanding of how to engage the other, in view of our recent Heritage Day celebrations is germane to our understanding of how taqwa and ta’arauf can help to create a better relationship with those within our community and those outside our community. Cultural Heritage Heritage day was instituted as a public holiday to focus our collective national attention on the rich contributions made by all our constituent communities in overcoming decades of political oppression under one of the most brutal drafted forms of legislation. Our parents never succumbed to their oppression. They struggled in their hopes for a better South Africa in which their children can live as free people; there was no moral reason to enslave those whose mothers brought into this world as free men and women. Apartheid had no moral or theological basis except that it served to perpetuate the privileges of a few at the expense of the vast majority of the people of this land. Sadly many of our parents did not live to enjoy the benefits of their toil and struggle. They have left us however with a rich legacy of resistance against oppression which we have internalized and no doubt it has made us more sensitive to the plight of similarly affected peoples in many parts of the world today. The tangible evidence and memory of their heroic sacrifices reflected in our culture in the form of art, plays, literature, poetry a rich and vibrant oral story telling tradition is a great source of inspiration for all of us. It serves as a rich repository of knowledge, which we can use gainfully to forge a new national culture which is inclusive of all people in this part of the world. Cultures change. They do not remain static. We derive our culture largely though not exclusively from our heritage. Cultures are influenced both positively and negatively, the latter giving rise to so-called sub cultures developing. If we are not satisfied with the prevailing cultures nothing prevents one from attempting through some social engineering to create an alternate counter culture in contrast to the prevailing dominant culture. Times of rapid social change like the one’s we’ve been experiencing over the past decade or more are fertile grounds for cultural change. It is precisely in times such as these that we have to harness our intellectual and moral energies, using our cultural heritage as the substrate to work with, as we find creative ideas and innovations to shape our culture of tomorrow. If we neglect this task we will forever be borrowers, not producers of culture and soon find ourselves in a cultural no man’s land.(Abdullah). There are many challenges our culture faces; none more urgent than that of indigenizing our Islamic culture in South Africa. If we are serious in sharing this most wonderful gift Allah has blessed us with the rest of the people of this land we must pay more attention to this need. This is not an unconscious process. It cannot happen by chance. I agree with Umr Farouk Abdullah when he states that “Islam (in America) must become…… “something belonging here” It must be indigenous –not in the sense of losing identity through total assimilation or of being the exclusive property of the native-born-but in the word’s original sense, namely, being natural, envisioned, and born from within. Islam (in America) becomes indigenous by fashioning an integrated cultural identity that is comfortable with itself and functions naturally in the world around it.”18 He sheds more light on this indigenizing process; The process requires deep knowledge of Islam, history, the humanities, and social sciences and must be based on cognizance of how viable cultural traditions are formed.19 Heritage day should be an inspiration for us to kick start this process, here in our land. Apartheid South Africa in deliberate violation of the Qur’anic injunction “that you may know one another”, kept us ignorant of our neighbors, and fed us a diet of deceit, prejudice, fear and racism; evils which will still take decades to be completely exorcised from our lives. Heritage Day is therefore a wonderful opportunity to ameliorate the effects of a historic injustice and promote a true spirit of belonging in the hearts of everyone who lives in this wonderful land we call home. It all begins with a sincere spirit of enquiry, an inquisitiveness to know and acquaint ourselves with the rich heritage and culture we have been bequeathed with. If we forget our heritage we forget our history. We forget the origins of many of our customs and traditions. We cannot explain its meaning and significance to ourselves or to our children. Our lives become all the poorer for we have not learnt to value those things which bring a certain texture, refinement and quality to our lives. The heritage which we derive from our parents is precious to us. It is both material and non material or educational, spiritual and most certainly, political. We as adults are indebted to all those influences which have played a major role in our socialization process. We owe a deep sense of gratitude to our elders for preserving many aspects of our heritage. Every person who takes it upon herself or himself to write a poem, a story, compose a song, paint a picture or record an aspect of our daily lives needs our admiration and support for they are preserving for us an aspect of our culture which is always at the spearhead of any nations’ thrust forwards greatness. Islam and Culture Islam has never come and destroyed a peoples’ culture. Islam is like a ray of light which is diffracted into a wonderful kaleidoscope of colors as it strikes the prism of our collective human experience. Each emerging ray of light is different in hue and texture yet it is unmistakably still a part of light, sharing many qualities which unite but also aspects which reflect its uniqueness. Whether it be our cuisine, our music, our dress , or our sense of what is right and wrong , our faith and our values…. and many more things which refine our character, all of which “Culture weaves together into the fabric of everything we value and need to know-beliefs, morality, expectations, skills and knowledge-giving them functional expression by integrating them into effectual customary patterns.” 20 Our culture has its root in what was so lovingly handed down to us by our parents. Today we appreciate more fully what they left behind for us and we can see further than them, not because we are in any sense better than them but simply because they carried us lovingly on their shoulders. They sacrificed careers, opportunities and enjoyment simply because they put us first. Heritage Day therefore in a month of Ramadan which brings families together at suhur and iftar meals as at no other time in our daily lives, should be a very special occasion to acknowledge the special role parents play in our lives. Is it then any wonder that Rasulullah says in a Hadith that evens if a child simply gives his or her parent a sincere heart warming smile, Allah in His Infinite Generosity gives such a child an ajaza, a reward, which is the equivalent of a maqbul haj (a pilgrimage performed diligently and acceptable to Allah Himself )? Islam’s encounter with other people did not it lead to “Impose –neither amongst Arabs or non-Arabs-as an alien, culturally predatory worldview. Rather the Prophetic message was from the outset, based on the distinction between what was good, beneficial, and authentically human in other cultures, while seeking to alter only what was clearly detrimental. The prophetic law did not burn and obliterate what was distinctive about other peoples but sought instead to prune, nurture and nourish a positive Islamic synthesis” 21 Some scholars viewing the Prophetic Sunnah make a clear distinction between what the Prophet endorsed about pre-Islamic Arabian practices and what he formally instituted as a result of Revelation. The former they classified as habitual sunnah ; the latter was called sunnan tashri’ , sunnah which was sanctioned by law. The former was practiced by all including those who were his bitterest of enemies. It is the Prophet’s tolerance and accommodation of such practices which maybe termed the supreme or overriding sunnah.22 Thus the Prophetic sunnah is a combination of what the Prophet was accustomed to as well as that which resulted from Revelation. It is a fallacy to think that the entire corpus of the Prophetic sunnah finds its origins only from Relevation onwards. What was acceptable for the Prophet is by logical conclusion applicable to us as well. The prophetic example of being forbearing, imbued with hilm,23 gave him a distinct advantage in overcoming many otherwise insurmountable barriers in convincing his audience about the veracity of his message.24 Thus when the verse 7;199 is revealed ”Make due allowance for man’s nature, and enjoin what is right; And leave alone all those who choose to remain ignorant “ It was it was in keeping with his established tradition not to cause any hardship to any individual but to facilitate his entry into the fold of Islam. It made it easy for the prophet to uphold the sanctity of indigenous culture and to grant validity to everything the human heart regarded as sound and beneficial as long as it did not violate the revealed law.25 Multiple identities, Multiculturalism We have over the years developed a particular sense of who we are. We are not shy to say we are South Africans as citizens, Muslims by declaration of faith, free citizens, law abiding people, congregants of this musjid, we stand for a particular value system, as responsible parents ourselves who care very deeply for the kind of the society we want to raise our children in …in short all these multiple characteristics coalesce to give us a particular cultural identity.26 Yet we have internalized certain values which we share across the board with all other religious, racial and ethnic formations. It should not isolate us into an archipelago of multiple lived experiences each hermetically sealed off from the other. Such multiculturalism is an awkward patch work of different entities which makes no ta’arruf of one another. They each go about their own lives as if the other does not exist. This can only lead to a growing alienation, allowing suspicion and prejudice to develop over a period of time. When you begin to add material differences, or rather a perceived sense of others being more privileged and a historic sense of being wronged you have all the ingredients in the recipe for conflict to arise which might seem impossible to resolve as attitudes harden over a period of time. Our religions and our cultures are not to be blamed if people tend to move only in their own orbits. At base level all religions do provide a sense of security and belonging. Yet one must be able to see the larger picture, have a more mature attachment to one’s faith and not create boundaries for they create “conflicting ghettoes and non-intersecting lives, turning religious bodies into pressure groups”27 I further agree with Sacks that what we need is a “national narrative as a basis for identity, reinvigorate the concept of the common good, and identify shared interests among currently conflicting groups. It must restore a culture of civility, protect neutral spaces from politicization and find ways of moving beyond an adversarial culture in which the loudest voice wins”28 Ethos We must guard against creating little islands or a patchwork of communities hostile to one another. Rather emphasize our sizeable commonalities, or our common ethos which develops from our culture and our heritage. Our ethos represents the common values we have internalized. It helps to identify us as a community which cares, which values certain principles. It is these shared values, which creates a sense of respect and tolerance and deep appreciation by others for us as a community. In this sense we become an asset to our land. It is a part of the urf or custom of this community to live in harmony with non-muslims. Our forebears were valued for their skills as artisans and well as their industriousness; elsewhere in rural areas Muslim shopkeepers were seen as trustworthy; all parts of our ethos we have sadly lost over the years. Rather , the recklessness of a handful have turned the clock so far back for us that we have to admit in recent times Muslims evoke an unwarranted fear and insecurity in others rather than being seen as a peaceful and cooperative people. As a community we are in serious need of a deep process of introspection or muhasaba as we contemplate on its future role in our beloved land. Where does this process of taqwa and ta’aaruf begin? How is it maintained or enhanced? There cannot be one simple answer for all us.. Each one of us is unique but if we turn once again to the Qur’an and listen to the Architect of all our spirituality we will certainly find an answer. Maghrib It might seem a very simple observation to make. We take it for granted that we fast from before dawn till dusk. Why do we break our fast at sunset? What is the significance of this? We all remember being chastised whilst small to be respectful of the waqt (time) of Maghrib.( just after sunset, the time for the fourth compulsory prayer of the day). What was the logic behind it? Ibn ‘Arabi puts the significance of this moment in priceless prose when he writes “Then He (God) said to me, Light is a veil and darkness is a veil In the line between them both you will be aware of what is most beneficial. So follow this line closely and if you arrive at this point in which it originates, make it disappear in the sunset prayer.”29 His translator and interpreter explains “Light veils darkness and vice versa. The line between them unites them, because it has a side facing light and a side facing darkness. Therefore be at the confluence of essential realities. At dusk which is the line or isthmus between night and day the sunset prayer or salatul maghrib is performed.”30 Maghrib is also the end of the day or completion of a rotational spin of the earth on its own axis. Little do we think about the significance of this most basic of our daily contact with the cosmos. At maghrib the earth has completed a full revolution on its own axis. If the earth did not rotate for evens a few brief period all manner of life on this earth will be severely affected. No matter what storms, hurricane or evens tsnunami’s its body experiences, the earth still maintains its perpetual motion in its own regulated fashion exposing different parts of the globe to the radiation of the sun. In this age of energy crises it is a sobering statistic that a mere 1 hour of the sun’s energy reaching the earth will supply all the its energy needs for one solid year! Is the time of Maghrib not therefore a time for reflection and extending our most sincere gratitude to Allah Almighty for His Bounties. Maghrib stands at the confluence of the realities of day and night. It must remind us of the Mighty Power through whose Will such an act takes place. Thus from a fasting to a non-fasting state, Allah in His Infinite Wisdom has chosen for us a moment to reflect on His Magnificence as we bring to a closure a period of fasting done for His sake alone. Fasting as a metaphor We have voluntarily submitted our nafs, our desires to be in obedience to the command of Allah. It represents a period of moral triumph. We have not succumbed to our lowly desires but rather let the ruhaniyyah aspect of our creation be given its rightful place. Fasting is therefore a metaphor for the struggle of the soul throughout our lives.31 An oft quoted Hadith during the month of Ramadan states as follows; On the authority of Abu Huraira who related that the Prophet of Allah said; Allah the Majestic said; Every deed of man will receive ten to seven hundred times the reward, except Siyam (Fasting), for it is for Me and I shall reward it as I like. There are two occasions of joy for the one who fasts; one when he breaks his fast and the other when he will meet his Lord.” The period of fasting is analogous to our lifespan. If fasting during the day by reigning in our lowly desires can give us such a sense of triumph can we imagine what joy a lifetime of obedience to the One Who can reward us eternally will bring forth for us on the day of Reckoning or the day on which we will meet our Lord? Reflecting on the signs of Allah It is through pondering and reflecting on the signs of Allah such as these illustrated above, that it helps to create in us a sense of awe or khawf or yakhsa ( a loving reverential kind of fear) which is at the root of the development of any degree of taqwa. The Qur’an bears so eloquent a testimony to such a state of faith or iman when it declares in Surah Sajda 32; 15 They only believe in our revelations who, When reminded of them, fall down in prostration, Glorifying the praise of their Lord; Nor are they proud to do so. Verse 32; 16 is evens more prescriptive and talks of the value of getting up for the tahajjud prayer as a wonderful means of connecting with Allah in supplication and seeking His help. What a wonderful opportunity do we not have during this month of Ramadan to take full advantage of this nightly vigil when we have to wake up for suhur( pre dawn meal before starting the fast). The special significance of this early morning-prayer and supplication is that it is precisely at this moment in time that the ruh or soul is at its most receptive to receive understanding of the word of God.32 Thus how wonderful is it not that at both ends of the day the ruh is given an opportunity to stand in awe of its Creator and be awakened to the mystery which lies both within his own self and in the Creation of the heavens and the earth around him. It is only a sensitized soul which can reach out and develop itself to its fullest potential during this Blessed month.. It is this capacity of the ruh to develop that I now want to address. This is an ongoing process. The path might have been highlighted by Ramadan but it must be pursued most assiduously during the rest of the year. Lasting spiritual legacy Our heritage, culture and the ethos left by our forebears has left a lasting legacy of following a tradition of seeking a deeper spiritual experience than merely coming to the mosque on the odd occasion. One thinks of the many formulated versions of athkar (remembrances of God Almighty) and ceremonies we engage in and the supportive literature which has developed over the decades to help us with those liturgies, as evidence of a richly endowed spiritual culture. They teach us how to address the Supreme Being. They cater for all our multifarious needs as frail individuals who in their daily practices try to navigate a way towards their Lord and Creator.33 It is precisely these aspects of our urf and culture which gave our community a sense of identity, which preserved it from the ravages of the colonialists that is now coming under threat from certain quarters. The ratibul haddad was a powerful liturgy used by the slave community to resist the annihilation of a distinctly Muslim culture. Our great, great forefathers at the risk of their very lives kept the light of Islam alive and burning bright by escaping the slave masters watchful eye on a Thursday night to flee to the mountains and to take part in what for them was a way for them of asserting their unique religious and cultural identity. They preserved Islam for us. We receive it but with little thanks. Threats to our ‘Urf How sad is it therefore today when in one fell swoop this three hundred year old heritage is bludgeoned as an act of bid’ah (innovation) and treated with a sense of contempt and disdain? If it was not for this heroic struggle of others one wonders whether we would ever have smelled a whiff of Islam? These cultural instruments were a great source of succor and comfort for us in the darkest days of our struggle against apartheid and Allah willing we will continue to derive our benefit from them in the future. It is a gigantic task upon all our shoulders to preserve our heritage. We must be committed to safeguarding our heritage by always being cognizant of the fact that Islam in this part of the world was established as a viable entity through the manifold sacrifices of many slaves who fought tooth and nail to maintain their identity. We are enjoying the benefits of their sacrifices. The least we could do is to remember them especially on an occasion such as Heritage Day. Whether it is our own home-grown Islamists or those who are foreign-trained, these individuals display a negative attitude towards our ‘urf and culture; ( “ culture predatory “as Umar Faruq Abdullah describes such behaviour)34. they are determined to implement their puritanical ways and ideas and thereby creating unnecessary divisions and conflict in our society. Instead of focusing on the burning issues of the day, they are more at home trying to implement a harsh, conservative, ultra-orthodox approach to many issues we have been dealing with here. The self-righteous arrogance and intolerance of this group is a matter of deep concern. They are out to colonize our minds and our institutions. They want one brand of Islam to be the only existing variety, in complete contrast to the diversity which Allah has blessed this Ummah with. This is a kind of religious globalization, fuelled by a hideous notion of that which comes from an oil-wealthy part of the world must necessarily more be authentic than what we have hitherto been exposed to. People loose their self-confidence, begin to arabize or indianize their way of speaking and indeed in the subtle changes in their language usage do we detect the first signs of their own native urf and cultures being destroyed. The dangers facing contemporary Muslim societies, especially from within must be clearly identified. We must strategize how best to contain this threat. We need to bring forth our best material, moral, intellectual and spiritual resources we can muster to reclaim the momentum for an Islam that is tolerant, rooted in urf, culture and traditions of our people and which is an authentic appreciation of Rasullah ‘s legacy. We stand for an Islam that talks about promoting excellence (ihsan), of compassion, of salam and not being in a perpetual state of war and conflict; let people appreciate our capacity to be merciful and compassionate; after all these are but mere weak reflections of the Mercy and Compassion we receive so freely and abundantly from Allah Almighty. We stand for an Islam that advocates a rational and a humane way of life and seeks all humanity to turn to Allah’s Loving Embrace. Our strategy does not say to fight evil with evil but with id fa’ billati hiya ahsan ( fight evil with good). We can differ sharply with our minds but our hearts should remain united. Never should we engage in useless polemic debate. Rather always advocate that we will always remain very close to any fellow Muslim’s heart as much we distance ourselves from any of their attempts to turn our beautiful din into an ideology for hegemonic purposes. Religion is being used to legitimize what is essentially a contest for power and dominance. We practice our Islam as free men and women; we do not do so under any duress, coercion or tyranny from any source. The Salik and the Buddhists. I want to end off my talk to you today by sharing with you a very simple story. Tasawwuf or the mystical branch of Islam has played a major role in helping Muslims live more purposive lives.Saving the ruh of an individual and connecting it to the Creator in a loving, collegial way is at the root of all sufi practices. The adepts go through a process of spiritual self cleansing or muhasaba, or self supervision or muraqaba and some acquire many noble characteristics which make them such fine human beings. This has a concomitant and noticeable effect in their scholarly output, their political activism and evens in their ethical and moral relationships. One such sufi adept or salik was challenged by his ustad (teacher) to venture far away from the traditional Muslim society he was brought up in. He was instructed to look for an alternate abode, preferably in an area very remote and not inhabited by any Muslims at all. He was further instructed to live there for a while. The purpose of this exercise was to test the veracity of his spiritual and moral training. This caused him to venture to a remote area where he found a Buddhist monastery. He lived with these priests, ate with them, slept with them, prayed with them and keenly observed their behaviour. When he came back and was asked about his experiences he made one simple stunning comment. He said these people are “already knocking onto the doors of heaven” Their tasamuh, their tolerance , sense of sharing, simple life style and sense of forgiveness, their calm disposition is what he found so endearing. His tasawwuf status did not lead him to declare these people as being in the category of being destined for hell. Rather he appreciated their deeper spirituality. The lesson for us is that we are not the only repositories of all that is good and pure. If we look with an unprejudiced eye we will develop a greater sense of humility which after is the main purpose of all spiritual endeavor. In a sense his ustad asked him to make ta’arruf of another faith community so that he could learn what their salient values were. This did not undo his Islam. In fact he learnt to be more humble and appreciate his own fragile existence. It is his utter lack of pride, of a ruh which does not display any ego which is so remarkable. It is not what we do externally but what is within our hearts which reaches our Lord! It is this humility which is a sure sign of having attained closeness to our Lord and Sustainer and Educator. Making ta’arruf strengthens one’s faith; it does not jeopardize it. We learn from others the best they have to offer, internalize it and thereby enrich our own lives. Conclusion In conclusion Ramadan affords us an opportunity to refine our degree of taqwa; it is through ta’arruf that we develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and others of the diversity Allah Almighty has blessed humanity with. Our heritage is the foundation upon which we construct our culture. It is through an ethos which emanates from our culture that we engage other communities and cultures in promoting a peaceful and a harmonious coexistence based on mutual respect for the dignity every human being has been blessed with. References 1). See www.Southafrica.info/about/history downloaded 25/09/2008. 2). The Qur’an translated by Tarif Khalidi, (2008), Penguin Classics, London, p424. 3). Ibid. p24 4). Rahman, F. (1980) Major Themes of the Qur’an BibliothecaIslamica, Chicago, p.45 5). Al Ghazali, A.H. ( 2007), Wonders of The Heart , Translated by James Skellie, Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur. p xvii ( translator’s introduction). 6). The Qur’an 15;29 p206. 7). The Qur’an translated by Ali Unal (2006),The Light, New Jersey p.1232 8). Izutshu,Toshihiko (2004), Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur’an , Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur p248-251. 9). Gulen, M.Fethullah, (2006) Key Concepts in the practice of Sufism translated by Ali Unal, The Light, New Jersey, p146-148 10). Bayman,Henry (2003) The Secret of Islam; Love and Law in the religion of Ethics North Atlantic Books,Berkeley California.p153. 11). The Qur’an, translated by T.Khalidi , p 227 12). Ibid. p424 13). Nasr, S.H. (2002) The Heart of Islam; Enduring values for humanity. HarperSanFrisco, p.151-152. 14) Prozesky, Martin (2007) Conscience;The ethical intelligence for global well being University of KwazuluNatal, Scottsville, Durban. P98 15). The Companion. Essential Guide For Muslims. No.6 (2008) see interview with Abdulkader Tayob. P18-19. 16). See Omar , A.R (2007) in Islamic Horizons vol.1 p13 and Khan, M.R.( 2008) Vol.2 p10, Ihsan Publications, Cape Town. 17). See for example Jeppie, S and Soudien C (eds) (1990) The Struggle for District Six .Past and Present. Buchu Books, Cape Town. For an example of the language, popular culture and political protest in one part of CapeTown during Apartheid era. 18). Abdullah, U.F (2004), Islam and the cultural imperative. A An Nawawi Foundation Paper. Downloaded from www.nawawifoundation.com p.9 19). Ibid. p.9 20). Ibid. p.3. 21). Ibid. p.4 22). Ibid. p.4 23). See Izutsu , T , p104 and 261-263 for an explanation of the meaning of hilm. Hilm implies willing to help others, slow to anger, forbears from retaliating and forgives offences. 24). Al-Haddad, Imam”Abdallah ibn’Alawi, al-Fusul al –‘ilmiyyawa’l- Usul al Hikamiyya. (1634), translated by Mostafa al Badawi, (2001) Knowledge and Wisdom, The Starlatch Press, Chicago. P 63. 25) Abdallah, U. F, p.4 26). Sen, Amartya (2006), Identity and Violence; The Illusion of Destiny. Allen Lane, London, p25. 27). Sacks, Jonathan, (2007) The Home we build together; Recreating Society. Continuum, London, see front jacket cover and p.203 28). Ibid. p. front jacket cover. 29). Ibn ‘Arabi, Muhyiddin, Mashahid al asrar al-qudsiyya wa matali’ al anwar al -ilahiyya translated by Cecilia Twinch and Pablo Beneito. (2001) Contemplation Of the Holy Mysteries, Anqa, Oxford, p50. 30.) Ibid. p.53. 31). Marranci, Gabriele. (2008) The Anthropology of Islam .Berg, Oxford, New York. p25. 32). The Holy Qur’an tr. by Ali Unal p1181, 73;6 33). See Naqshbandi Devotions and Practices (2007), Published by Naqshbandi- - Muhammadi, Gatesviller or Fakir, Abu-Bakr, (1978) Manual of Prayer and Fasting (1978), published Al-Jaamia Institute of Islamic Studies. As typical examples of such works. 34). Abdallah, U.F. p 4. | 
