Acknowledgments

All praise be to Almighty Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, the Creator who has Absolute Compassion for His Creation. I thank Him for blessing me, a spiritual being, with the opportunity to experience this material dimension and for inspiring me to write this humble publication. Words cannot express my gratitude to my lovely, ever-patient wife, Rabia, for always supporting me with a smile. My heartfelt appreciation to my son Iqbal and his wife, Fatima, for prodding me to write this book. To my daughter Fatima and son-in-law Saleem, who after reading the first draft said it was consistent with what the family had been taught. To Saleem, Sumaya, Ruqaya, Ismail, Rashaad, and my brother Haroon, thank you all for your outstanding and worthy contribution. I thank Almighty Allah for blessing me with an exceptional team of brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces; every one of them added value to my outlook throughout the years. I would like to acknowledge the intellectual giant, Dr. Fazlul Rahman Ansari, who visited the shores of South Africa in 1970 and 1972. He threw boulders into the stagnant pool of our minds, the sound of which reverberates to this day. The impact he made on the Ummah and me will be cherished for many, many moons to come. A special thank you to my exceptional friends and associates; together we established the Muslim Youth Movement in 1970 and the Islamic Council of South Africa in 1975. My sincere gratitude to Advocate A.B. Mohamed, who conceived the idea of establishing the Muslim Youth Movement and the Islamic Council. He played a great role in my life and shaped the destiny of the Muslim Ummah in South Africa. I thank Almighty Allah for blessing me with extraordinary friends who made a profound impact on my life. I express my respect, love, and gratitude to the late Dr. Kalim Siddiqui; may Almighty Allah bless him for his intellectual depth and the insight he offered to mankind. Thank you to Zafar Bangash, Imam Muhammad H. Al Asi, Imam Abdul Alim Musa, Iqbal Siddiqui, and Perwez Shafi; these are friends I have known and loved. Their affection and heartwarming friendship will always be treasured. Sincere thanks and appreciation to Zafar Bangash for his invaluable contribution and for editing the final manuscript of my book. Thank you to A.S.K. Joommal for editing the manuscripts and for inspiring me over the years. My respect and gratitude to Brother Sadathullah Khan, who encouraged me to deliver talks in the Discover Yourself Seminar that inspired me to write this book. Thank you to Abdus Samad Abdul Kader of the Islamic Institute, Abdul Kader Kurtha of Crescent International, and Rashid Saloojee of Gravity Print. I acknowledge the role of my colleagues, the founders of the Muslim Youth Movement: Ebrahim Jadwat, the late Mehmoud Moosa, Yusuf Mohamedy, Moosa Darsot, Ismail Darsot, Dr. S.A. Thoken, the late Rashid Patel, Rashid Surtee, Iqbal Jassat, the late Fareed Choonara, Abdullah Osman, and many other members. Almighty Allah bless them for their commitment and the sacrifices they made to serve mankind over the years. Special thanks to my co-editors Lesley Fahey and Liz Stewart and typists Carle Kruger and Ronel Jardine