The Search for Halaal

Originally posted on Ramadan.co.za

Diaries of a South African Muslimah in the USA

“O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! He is an open enemy for you”

Surah Al-Baqarah – Verse 168

Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

Alhamdulilah, my husband was fortunate to be granted admission to study at Harvard University in the United States of America. After much deliberation, we decided to embark on this journey of learning, mindful of the fact that with it would come many challenges.

In addition to the task of packing the material possessions of our relatively young married life together, a few thoughts lingered in our minds. The biggest concern centered on Ramadaan in the USA and finding halaal food – would it be easy or difficult?

Alhamdulilah, Ramadaan or the preparations for Ramadhaan, is simple when you’re in South Africa. We are quite fortunate to be able to walk down Fordsburg’s Mint Road after Taraweeh and grab a bite to eat from the many stores lining up the street, confident in the knowledge that what we are eating is halaal. We have halaal butchers in most cities and towns in South Africa, which is a great help when your preference is to cook rather than to eat out.

In addition to that, being of Indian descent, we have our mothers, in Typical Indian Mother Fashion; constantly trying to send us samoosa’s and pies to see us through the fasting month.

Even though Ramadaan is supposed to be more spiritually-focused, the initial period of this Ramadaan turned out to be food-focused simply because we were in a foreign land where we weren’t sure if what we were eating was correctly sourced in terms of Islamic law. We couldn’t take much food with us mainly because we were concerned that it would spoil during the 17 hour flight to the US and also because we weren’t as well versed as we should have been with what we could carry on airlines for trips across the Atlantic. Through the Grace of God and with the help of fellow expat South African’s and American Facebook users, we managed to find a nearby Mosque and the Halaal butcher relatively easily.

We are told that the wider Boston area has a large Muslim community. We are in Cambridge, which is a city across the Charles River from Boston. In getting acquainted with the area, we’ve discovered that some restaurants will readily tell you that their meat is halaal or zabihah, yet they serve alcohol on the premises as well. A conversation with the friendly Egyptian owner of the butchery revealed that most restaurants who claim to be halaal, whether the meat is indeed slaughtered according to Islamic rites or not, are pressured by non Muslims into serving alcohol on their premises fearful that their businesses will suffer financially if they don’t.

The alcohol issue has been brought up with the owners of these establishments, but unfortunately there is no regulatory body in the greater Boston area to ensure compliance. Alhamdullilah, there is good news: there are a few establishments who refuse to buckle to the pressures of society and maintain a strict No Alcohol/Pork policy on their premises and in the preparation of their food.

Back home, the concern over what to prepare during Ramadhaan was not a cause for concern in my home, mainly because the fact that we are often spoilt for choice with samoosa’s and pies and other delicious savouries often gifted by mothers and aunts.

Alhamdulilah, my husband always preferred that I spend my time reading Quraan and performing my Salaah instead of cooking. This trip to the USA has crystallized the thought that has always lingered in my mind, namely; that Ramadaan is not meant to be about filling ourselves up with deep-fried yummies or engagement in the constant battle of food preparation.

In South Africa we grow up with the notion that to “prepare food” for Ramadaan is a must and a lot of women go out of their way before Ramadaan to prepare special savouries for the month, when the time could be spent, as the Prophet (PBUH) did, invoking Allah for the blessings of Rajab and Shabaan. A lot of the “traditional” food we eat in Ramadaan is filled with fat and oil and even though they are quite delicious, we know that we can’t stop at “just one”. Sometimes we’ve eaten four or five samoosa’s, drunk copious amounts of sweetened milk and more often than not, this gluttonous behaviour leads to sloth, with the end result being that our Ibaadah suffers. We should strive to seek the healthier alternatives to be able to have the energy to read Quraan, perform our Salaah and engage in the remembrance of our Creator.

As a teenager, I was fortunate enough to be able to have a Ramadaan in Makkah and Madinah. I will always remember the ifthaar’s in the Holy Land with fondness. The simple meal at ifthaar in the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH), consisting of dates, Arabic coffee, Zam Zam water, yoghurt and a bread roll was indeed my best ifthaar. I often wish to implement that in some way or try to use the same ideology to our daily ifthaar. Consequently, this year my husband and I have decided that we are going to attempt to stick to nutritional, healthy food which will benefit us during this Ramadaan. However, completely abstaining from something that you are quite used to can be difficult and admittedly, a few chilli bites now and then cannot harm your diet or more importantly your Ibadaah. After all, everything in moderation, right? ☺

Helping Hands – The young Muslim’s charity organisation

Helping Hands is a charitable organization founded by the youth, with aims of targeting the youth in order to get them proactive towards social development and upliftment.  Muslimah(Life)Style spoke to the young Muslim woman behind it all…

A young Muslimah was recently confronted by a world different to her own when she visited an orphanage in Lenasia, a suburb Gauteng, South Africa . Spurred on by the desperate conditions that broke her heart, she decided to get proactive and started using technology in order to help the orphanage.

Nineteen year old Lutfiya Shaik, a travel and tourism student in Johannesburg, visited her aunt in Lenasia during Ramadan.  Her aunt heard of an orphanage that was in a terrible condition and this inspired Lutfiya’s  curiosity and she decided to investigate for herself.

She was taken aback by their conditions and decided that she needed to do something about it, “After I saw the sad state of the orphanage, I was determined to make a difference.  So I sent out messages to my friends showing them pictures of the orphanage and they were just as affected as I was.  We then came up with the name “Helping Hands”, spreading the word over social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter.  As more and more people came to know of our intentions to help, the group grew larger and larger in a space of just three days!”

Lutfiya and her friends have been taking pictures of the orphanage periodically and uploading them to Facebook, Twitter and the Blackberry Messenger Group dedicated to this service.  By interacting this way, Helping Hands has attracted the attention of local newspapers such as the Rising Sun, and even the Sunday Times.

“There are 15 boys sleeping in one room” she says, “The facilities are in a bad state.  The roof was leaking and the bathroom’s were made out of zinc.  They have a lot of plumbing problems too.  The boys are in need of clothing, proper bathing facilities and other items.  However, the biggest need is for someone out there to share in the expense of electricity and various other expenses that the orphanage generates.  Moulana Aslam Mayet, who runs the orphanage, pointed out to me that many generous people donated heaters for winter, however, since there was no one to help in the running expenses of the orphanage, the heaters remain unused for the most of winter.”

Lutfiya realizes that many youth today don’t really pay a part in social upliftment, therefore, she wishes to target her peers in order to help society, “We pray that we rather use our time in helping those that are less fortunate than us.  Helping Hands consists of mainly teenagers and young adults.  We are always stereotyped as rebellious teenagers, and alhamdulilah, with the Almighty’s guidance; we can accomplish successes with our projects and create some social awareness by encouraging our friends and family to contribute and volunteer their time with us.  Hopefully, we can create an outlet where kids can spend their time doing good, solely for reward from Allah.  InshAllah, we hope to grow from strength to strength and continue throughout the year.”

Getting back to the orphanage, Lutfiya describes that the children are studying at the madrassah at Takolia’s Farm in Lenasia, “Most of the kids are trying to become Huffaaz, so we want to create an environment that will be conducive for study in order for them to benefit themselves and society, solely for Allah.”

Running Helping Hands can be challenging, Lutfiya says, “Sometimes we don’t always get the support we need, but, Alhamdulilah, we are managing.  Where one of us lacks in bringing things to the table, per se, another helps out, hence the name of Helping Hands.  We help each other out.  However, we still need the support and guidance of other organisation’s out there, help from the general public and motivation from those around us in order to grow and succeed.”

When speaking about future endeavours, Lutfiya mentions the boys orphanage is not their only project, “InshaAllah we would like to help Qari Aslam Mayet with the rest of the orphanages that are under his care, therefore, our next project is the girls madressa in Ext 11, Lenasia.  That will be a greater task as they are 50 girls there, but with will Allahs help and the amazing support our group has received so far, we will try to do the best we can in order to help them.  For the boy’s orphanage that we’re currently helping out, we hope to make them apart of the family and make a firm commitment to continue helping them, by assisting with food, and other maintenance tasks of the orphanages.  We hope to keep our friendship with them and not only let it be a once off thing but to continue to assist them!”

Lutfiya gets very excited when speaking about helping others, “As a Muslimah, I am determined to better myself each day.  In helping others I am also helping myself to become a better person and inshAllah, a better Muslim.  Helping Hands makes me appreciate all the blessings Allah has bestowed upon me.  This project makes me eternally grateful to my friends and family for supporting Helping Hands and proving to be reliable, generous, and caring, Muslims.  I am truly grateful for all their assistance, and their sincere commitment to making Helping Hands a success.  We make dua that Allah helps us at all times as we are only doing this for Him in order to attain sawaab (reward) and to help Mankind.”

Lutfiya has a few words on encouraging those who want to do social upliftment projects, “Do not do things to prove yourself to anyone if you wish to do good, follow your heart and those who believe in you and love you will encourage you and will stand beside you.  Do it for the pleasure of Allah and there shall always be barakaah and blessings in it.”

Speaking to Lutfiya, it’s hard not to be inspired by this young 19 year old woman.  With the help of the Almighty, she managed to get the youth in her community to help out an orphanage in just a few days.  May her efforts go rewarded, and may the orphans see an end to their plight soon.  InshAllah, Ameen.

If you wish to contribute to visit the Helping Hands Facebook page

Mosque opening: Masjid-ul-Furqaan

The Muslim community of the leafy suburb of Houghton, Johannesburg, recently held their official opening weekend of Masjid-ul-Furqaan. The Houghton Muslim Association provided separate opening days for men and women so that all members of the community could tour the facilities freely.

After beautiful renditions of Urdu Nazm’s and recitation of Quraan, Moulana Sulaiman Ravat, the keynote speaker, addressed the importance of Muslim women in the community and as the facilitators of Deen in their homes. He stressed the importance of seeking success in all aspects of our lives, yet always trying to persevere for success in the Hereafter. This was a very apt topic as the
evening to come was the night of Laylatul-Baraat, the Night of Emancipation.

After a brief prayer, the ladies took a tour of the beautifully constructed facilities. The architecture is simple, yet elegant. The use of natural light illuminates the décor and areas of the Masjid in a subtle fashion. A water feature was supposed to be built in the centre of the Masjid, but many thought it might prove to be hazardous for children, so the idea was cancelled. The ladies prayer area is
situated behind the main salaah hall, is easy to find and is of an adequate size. There are quite a few classrooms that have been built for the use of Islamic education for the growing Muslim community. After the tour, refreshments were provided and enjoyed by all.

The Masjid is 90% complete, and there are a few issues that do need to be addressed, for example, a lot of ladies were not pleased that the salaah facilities did not cater for women to follow with the fardh salaah of the Jamaah. However, the Imam of the mosque did mention that this is one issue that is still under consideration. As a Muslimah that enjoys the sukoon (tranquility) and happiness that
performing salaah with the congregation brings, I do hope that this issue is given serious thought and that all members of the Muslim community can benefit from using the Mosque, InshAllah.

May Allah allow Masjid-ul-Furqaan to serve as a means of enlightenment in the
Muslim community and beyond, Ameen.

Contact the Houghton Muslim Association, or visit Masjid-ul-Furqaan via

Physical Address:
52 Second Avenue,  Houghton, Johannesburg, 2198

Postal Address:
P.O. Box 1274, Houghton, 2041

Tel: 0826700048

Fax: 086 659 9194

E mail: houghtonma1@gmail.com