Dhul Qa'da 1444AH update
- Ml Hakim Dr Latib
- Jun 15, 2023
- 17 min read
Updated: Jun 16, 2023
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Alhamdulillah. All praise is due to Allah ﷻ , through whose bounty, good works reach their completion. All praises are due to Allah ﷻ who, by His Izzah and His Jalaal, good outcomes are reached and an end to evil and baatil is realised.
Allah ﷻ is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Owner and our return is unto Him. He is from before the beginning and will remain after the ending. He has no limit, nor any restriction, and His authority reaches all of creation. His treasures are unlimited and we are all poor and in need, while Allah ﷻ is Independent and free of needs.
Allah ﷻ cannot be seen, yet He sees everything. He hears everything. He knows everything, He owns everything, He controls everything.
Allah ﷻ is perfect. Allah ﷻ is free from fault. Allah ﷻ has no defect.
Know well that Your Nourisher and Sustainer ﷻ, is not one-eyed
May the choicest salutations be upon the Mercy to the Worlds, the Final Nabi ﷺ, after whom none shall receive wahi, or be crowned with the station, privileges or rank of prophethood.
There will be no new kitaab, no new shariat and no new religion.
Islam is the only religion accepted by Allah ﷻ and it can never be mixed, diluted or replaced by the filth of shirk, and the interpolated versions of past religions.
Alhamdulillah only with the great fadhl and bounty of Allah ﷻ does the taufeeq to do good works exist, and the ability to safeguard oneself from evil.
Yusuf (AS), when he resisted the temptations of Zulaikha said:
وَمَاۤ اُبَرِّئُ نَفۡسِىۡۚ اِنَّ النَّفۡسَ لَاَمَّارَةٌۢ بِالسُّوۡٓءِ اِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّىۡ ؕاِنَّ رَبِّىۡ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ
(Surah Yusuf: 53)
"And I do not absolve my nafs of blame, indeed the nafs is inclined to instructing oneself to evil, except those whom Allah has had mercy upon, Surely my Rabb is Oft-forgiving and Merciful"
Sulaymaan (AS), when the throne of Bilqis was brought said:
هٰذَا مِنۡ فَضۡلِ رَبِّىۡۖ لِيَبۡلُوَنِىۡٓ ءَاَشۡكُرُ اَمۡ اَكۡفُرُؕ وَمَنۡ شَكَرَ فَاِنَّمَا يَشۡكُرُ لِنَفۡسِهٖۚ وَمَنۡ كَفَرَ فَاِنَّ رَبِّىۡ غَنِىٌّ كَرِيۡمٌ
Surah Naml: 40
"This is only by the grace of my Rabb, so that He may test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful is grateful for his own benefit, and whoever is ungrateful, then my Rabb is Independant, Bountiful"
Alhamdulillah the Jibalus Salaam project has moved forward and progressed only by the Bounty and Grace of Allah ﷻ, who is not in need of our wealth, resources and means, but rather Allah ﷻ is capable and regularly brings things into existence without means and against means as well. Allah ﷻ is the Holder of all the resources, the Owner of infinite treasures. Every one of His creation is poor and needy in front of Him and He Alone is wealthy and without need, the Owner of all that exists.
Alhamdulillah with the great fadhl and karam of Allah ﷻ, the Jibalus Salaam Estate has reached the stage where it is ready for residents to begin farming, raising livestock, building homes, raising their kids and learning deen in a pure and clean environment, and begin transitioning to living on the estate, whether it be on a part time or full time basis.
الحمدُ للَّهِ الَّذي بنعمتِه تتمُّ الصَّالحاتُ
In appreciation of this great bounty which was only possible with Allah's assistance we exclaim All praise is due to Allah ﷻ by Whose Favour good works are realised. This is the translation of the duaa above which Nabi ﷺ would recite whenever he ﷺ saw something good that please him ﷺ.
Currently Muslims all over the world who value deen above everything else, are in search of a place to be free from the fitnah.
A place where they and their generations do not have to be exposed to the multitude of fitan in the form of lgbtq, interfaith, music, alcohol, open nakedness, immorality, degeneration, materialism, distortion of deen, riba, oppression, crime, violence, kidnappings, plandemics, food contamination, gm crops, water and air pollution, financial control and suppression, anti-islamic laws etc. which has become the norm in the vast majority of cities and towns throughout the world.
A fortress of deen is required, where deen can flourish in our future generations and we can be at ease in practicing deen. The first fortress is the dhikr of Allah ﷻ to protect the heart against the evils surrounding us and the second fortress is a place where we can also be physically insulated from the fitnah itself.
That such a place would be needed is clear from the hadeeth, where Nabi ﷺ informed us that such a time would come where safety from the fitan would be in going into the mountains with our sheep which at that time would be the best form of wealth. Because of these ahadeeth the muhadditheen kept chapters in their collections of ahadeeth such as:
باب استحباب العزلة عند فساد الزمان أو الخوف من فتنةٍ في الدين ووقوع في حرام وشبهات ونحوها
"The chapter of the preference of isolation at the time of corruption or fear of fitnah in the deen or falling into haraam or doubtful matters or the like thereof" (Riyad us Saaliheen)
Here is one hadeeth from this chapter:
وعن أَبي سعيدٍ الخُدريِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَجُلٌ: أَيُّ النَّاسِ أفضَلُ يا رسولَ اللَّه؟ قَالَ: مُؤْمِنٌ مُجَاهِدٌ بِنَفسِهِ وَمَالِهِ في سَبيلِ اللَّه، قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَنْ؟ قَالَ: ثُمَّ رَجُلٌ مُعتَزِلٌ فِي شِعْبٍ مِن الشِّعَاب يَعبُدُ رَبَّه
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) who said that a man asked: "Which person is most virtuous O Rasulullah ﷺ? He ﷺ replied: "A believer who strives in the path of Allah with his life and wealth". The man asked: after him? Nabi ﷺ replied: "Then a man who isolates himself in a mountain valley amongst the valleys worshipping his Rabb"
Such ahadeeth are also recorded in the other books of ahadeeth to such an extent that Al-Sindi said in his footnotes on al-Nasaa’i (8/124): “This shows that it is permissible to isolate oneself, indeed it is preferable at times of tribulation.”
In this zamaana many are looking for physical safety by migrating to foreign countries and even western countries, where they are taking their generations directly into the waves of spiritual fitan. These ahadeeth are a guide for us in this time on what is the solution, as Allah ﷻ will always give us a solution to safeguard ourselves and our future generations, and although there is mujahada in doing so, Allah ﷻ will never burden us more than we can bear. Maybe the roads will be diffficult and we will have to adjust in some ways and change the way we earn our rizq, but in the end we will achieve the peace and contentment that comes in a life of worshipping Allah ﷻ and being safe from the fitan, through the mercy of Allah ﷻ.
Alhamdulillah the aim of the Jibalus Salaam project has always been to establish a place of physical and spiritual safety for Islam and Muslims, from the encroaching fitan and the worsening spiritual and physical environment in the cities locally and worldwide. The hadith of Nabi ﷺ regarding the aakhir zamaan, when people will flee to the mountains in order to escape Dajjal and the prevailing fitnah has always been the motivating and guiding factor for this project.
Jibalus Salaam will insha’Allah be a place where we and our future generations can live peacefully, learn, practice and propagate Islam in a pure, clean, safe, healthy and natural environment. This type of environment has the aspects needed to promote both spiritual health as well as physical health.
In order to realise the objectives of the estate we are currently focusing on the following aspects of the infrastructure at the moment, viz.
Establishing the first Masjid structure (completed May 14th Alhamdulillah)
Completing the first wudhu facilities and water connection in the first phase (Completed 10th June Alhamdulillah)
Laying down the additional water tanks and pipes to the phase 1 area and beginning the water connection for the phase 2 area (starting mid July)
Improving the road across the ravine into the second phase area of plots,(beginning mid-July)
Starting work on the alternative, shorter route into the estate (October 2023)
Completing the additional Masjid and associated structures (July 2023 to July 2024)
Complete the Masjid bathroom and toilet facilities (2nd week July)
Finalise the standard home designs for residents with pricing for the timber frame geodesic structures from 2 bedroom to 5 bedroom layouts (21st June)
Establishing the convenience and grocery store (30th August)
Establishing recreational areas incl the ziplines (end July), kids park (end August), archery field (end July), picnic/braai area near the waterfall (end October) as well as the first fishing deck on the dam (end November) and the rock pool (end November) in time for the summer season insha’Allah
Laying the pipe network to all plots in phase 1A (end August)
Laying the pipe network to all plots in phase 1B (end August)
Laying the pipe network to all plots in phase 2 (end October)
Building the Phase 2 musallah dome structure (end November)
Beginning the farming coop and finalising the cattle (15th July) and game partnership (18th June) so that residents can build up a passive income and grow their capital through the barakah of growing crops and breeding livestock
Starting the maktab, hifz and revert classes for local residents (1st Muharram)
Start admitting boys for the hifz boarding madrasa (end January 2024 insha’Allah)
ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ
Alhamdulillah we have returned from the estate this week. We had a good viewing over the weekend and were blessed with visitors from different regions of the country Alhamdulillah. We had also been working with the construction team during the past week to finalise laying the first water tanks down according to the reticulation plan provided by the engineer (see below), and filling the tanks from the natural springs and moutain borehole on the estate. Alhamdulillah the first water connection at the Masjid was completed a day ahead of our planned schedule with the assistance of Allah ﷻ.
Alhamdulillah, the first water connection was channeled to the wudhu area at the first Masjid structure. The complete wudhu and bathroom facilities will be an ongoing project as we want to have a haudh (pond for wuhdu) as well as many individual seats for wudhu placed at a number of different locations insha’Allah, taking advantage of the various rocks and boulders on the Masjid site to create seats in the rocks. The water also will be channeled in such a way as to naturally irrigate the gardens and planting areas and finally be used for the flush system instead of wasting fresh water for that purpose. The Islamic principles of the estate dictate that water, even though abundant Alhamdulillah, should be used wisely and not wasted
The image below shows the location of the spring to the left of the estate vehicle.
Below is a portion of the reticulation diagram. Alhamdulillah, currently we can already supply water to all areas of the estate as needed through the tanks and manual filling from the spring. In the coming weeks this process will be automated with the additional borehole and ground pumps and the pipe network insha’Allah. We are laying the infrastructure to cater for 1500 homes insha’Allah to allow for further expansion later and also to cater for sudden events and/or emergency situations.
There is now a lot of momentum growing with the works that have been completed and others that have started Alhamdulillah, the further Masjid structures will also start soon insha’Allah.
Currently we are waiting on a shipment of bricks that was donated which will be used for the riser walls insha’Allah for the future Masjid structures as well as eventually replace the existing structure. They will now have a clay brick riser wall, with a timber frame dome shaped upper and roof structure, with flat panel coverings that will also include transparent covers. The first residents' homes will also start going up in July insha’Allah.
Our aim at this time is still for all the plots to be sold off by the end of June so that we can begin the farming process on the plots, gardens and fields in parallel, instead of staggering it out, which is not effective since planting and harvesting is based on the seasons and if a season is missed it can often delay a harvest up to a whole year. The food growing with the aim to attain self sufficiency and build a farming enterprise that provides a long term income for residents includes three aspects of growing food, viz:
1) planting on each resident's plot especially for self sufficiency, which can be done by the resident, or we can employ labour and manage the process on behalf of each resident
2) the farming co-op investment partnership where residents contribute seed and equipment and we provide the land and manage the labour and logistics.
3) community gardening on shared areas by the residents themselves with the land provided at no cost to residents.
It is necessary that the process of growing food begins immediately and for this reason any of the smaller plots remaining in the phase 2 area at the end of June will be reclaimed and converted into green spaces, which will then become the shared community planting areas, and will also have parks and pathways for cycling, walking etc insha’Allah that meander through them.
There are currently only 9 of the 2000sqm plots remaining, and any that are still available at the end of June will see a price increase of 20% from July forwards with the preference to reserve them in ‘real assets’ instead of fiat currency, since we are now seeing what was predicted, in terms of rising prices and the weakening value of fiat currencies.
Roads, alternative routes and vehicle swaps
With regards to the internal roads and those close to the estate we have 3 priorities:
Shoring up the road from phase 1 to phase 2 so that construction materials can be taken across
Enabling an alternative route in and out of the estate via the neighbouring farm that is shorter and more accessible by regular vehicles
Improving sections of the road that are regularly affected by water
Alhamdulillah there has been progress with the improvement of the asphalt road network coming to the estate. The Senekal to Ficksburg route potholes are now being filled which has made the road much more pleasant. I took a video a few weeks ago when I was driving from Senekal to the estate and you can see that it has made a big difference Alhamdulillah.
It continues like this right up to the gravel road turn off for the estate. This turn off is easy to miss however, in which case the GPS will reroute and keep advising to take the next upcoming gravel road turnoff, but after the first turn off there are open potholes as you approach the Ficksburg Bethelehem T-junction so if you come to these potholes you know you have gone too far. There is another route however if you do end up going all the way to the T junction, in which case you take the next left turn after Ficksburg airport. The road coming via Fouriesburg has also been improved Alhamdulillah, however it is more rough than the Senekal-Ficksburg road, though for a shorter length.
This is not a permanent solution however and the roads do need a permanent fix and resurfacing.
Alhamdulillah in this regard there has been a commitment from the Province’s new roads and transport MEC to spend R1.8bn on fixing the roads. The article can be read here: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2023-03-30-free-state-plans-to-spend-r18bn-fixing-roads/
And also this more recent article regarding the free state roads:
We hope that insha’Allah these promises materialise and will at least result in the elimination of the potholes on the R70 and the Bethlehem to Ficksburg road.
In the meantime we have explored new roads in and out of the estate and those coming from Gauteng should use the N1 towards Senekal and then use the R70 towards Ficksburg. The gravel road turn off is about 10km before the Bethlehem/Ficksburg T junction. Up to this point the potholes have all been filled or resurfaced. After this point there are still open potholes so if you reach the potholes you know you have missed the turn. This is the best route currently from the Gauteng direction.
For those coming from KZN the best roads are via Bethlehem and then towards Paul Roux and then also the R70, however this is longer than the road via Fouriesburg which is the shortest route. From Fouriesburg there are still open potholes for about a 10km stretch
We are planning to have a place where residents can drive to with their regular vehicles and then park them off and swap over to a suv/4x4 closer to the estate. This will reduce travel times and make the journey more comfortable and economical. For this purpose we are in discussions with a brother in Senekal at the moment who has offered his premises until we get our own facility in Senekal ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ. From the KZN side we are exploring the town of Bethlehem or Fouriesburg for this same purpose insha Allah.
In addition to this we have secured an agreement with the neighbouring farm to have two additional routes into and out of the estate that is a much shorter distance from the tar road. These roads are already existing, but currently useable by 4x4 only, so it will have to be improved so that regular vehicles can access it.
Via this route the gravel section reduces to only 9km from the tar road and it will be possible in future insha’Allah that the road is useable by sedans without the need of a suv, bakkie or 4x4 insha’Allah, (although we would still recommend a more robust vehicle for use anywhere in South Africa). This route is also less prone to water damage as it is mostly at a higher elevation and sloped so that water runs off instead of accumulating.
(More details and a map of the alternative routes is available in the private residents only section of the website)
Masjid and Madrasah progress
Alhamdulillah with the fadhl of Allah ﷻ we completed the second revised dome structure going from a 2V dome design to a more complex but more rounded 5V dome design. This allowed us to appreciate the benefits of the different structure types.
From this point on we will be using a more solid brick and timber structure for the additional Masjid structures. A shipment of clay stock bricks was donated Alhamdulillah, which we are awaiting delivery of, this will be used for the riser walls insha’Allah. Clay stock bricks are very suitable for the area as they have a higher thermal mass and are therefore able to better moderate temperature fluctuations, releasing warmth into the structure during the winter and absorbing it during the summer. The dome aspect of the structure will change to a timber frame just as regular roofing uses, so that flat panels including polycarbonate clear panels can be used over it with an insulation layer. The dome structure has proved its ability to spread heat within the structure efficiently and also stand up to the elements Alhamdulillah. These structures will start coming up in July insha’Allah and we will post images as they come up. Donations are welcome for the Masjid and madrasah projects, kindly contact us if you would like to contribute.
The Madrasah activities will be starting on the 1st of Muharram for those who are staying at the estate, and the nearby local residents insha’Allah. Alhamdulillah there is a lot of work to be done in the towns surrounding Jibalus Salaam and we are hopeful that Allah ﷻ will accept us for this work. Jibalus Salaam is centrally located to 9 towns and their associated townships where our intention is to set up a number of maktabs in association with a dawah and taleem program for reverts. Insha’Allah with the assistance of Allah ﷻ we hope that many kids will go on to become huffaadh and ulamaa from this region. In this there is opportunity for the ulamaa residents of the estate to teach at these external makaatib and madaaris structures as well insha’Allah.
The hifz boarding program is scheduled to start later this year insha’Allah. Anybody who is interested in enrolling can express interest using this link:
Land surveying completed
Alhamdulillah the land surveying has been completed and all the survey diagrams for each plot detailing the exact coordinates and contours are ready and have been passed over to the attorneys who have drawn up the agreements and will collate this together for each resident in preparation for the transfer of ownership of each plot. This is the master estate survey diagram below:
Standard home designs
Alhamdulillah a lot of work has now been completed on the various home design options available to residents from our own team of architects and builders. Of course, residents are still welcome to use their own architect and construction team should they wish to do so.
We have now settled on three design concepts for the benefit of the residents that are suited to the estate, these are the:
1) A-frame design for small 'cabins', that are the modern version of log cabins, these are good for residents who do not want to build a large structure in the beginning. The designs are standard and easy to build and many plans are available which can be customised as well. Here are some representative images of how they would look:
2) Geodesic domes made from timber, or a combination of timber and bricks. This system can be used effectively for full sized homes and are very suitable for the area as they do not require the use of heavy materials and offer many functional benefits and are also quick to put up therefore resulting in reduced labour costs as well. Here are some representative pictures of what they could look like, with some layouts that we have developed further below:
Our domes however will be placed on decks, with a space underneath that will be used for the plumbing etc but can also be used for additional home storage or even a basement section for the home. The deck itself can also hold other features of the home such as a pool, braai area, hydroponic system etc. The coverings will be a combination of what you see above in terms of a clear polycarbonate and regular flat roofing material to both allow light in and also enable privacy. The cost of this structure is influenced by the selection of materials but still much more affordable than brick and mortar homes. The domes are very well suited to stargazing from within the home and enjoying the natural beauty of the valley from within the home. They are also excellent for heat distribution and standing up against harsh weather conditions.
Below are some of the internal layouts that have been developed for our dome homes:
Single bedroom plan:
2 bedroom plans:
3 bedroom double storey dome (total floor area 198sqm):
4 bedroom home:
5 Bedroom connected layout plan:
All of the above plans can be customised according to residents needs. For the above two concepts we will send out a standard pricing structure to residents in the week ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ .
For the third type as there is a lot of variation a quote can only be given based on the design
3) Traditional 'Brick and mortar' homes - Traditional brick and mortar homes are the third option for residents and while they are more expensive and time consuming to build, this is also an option. For these homes we have a preferred architect who you can meet with to discuss your individual family's needs or you can use your own architect, the home can then be built by us in association with the chosen architect or another builder can be used. In addition to the design concept that we described in the previous post on building options, here are some additional styles of homes that will suit the estate ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ
Stone, glass and steel as the main materials:
Rammed earth type homes:
These homes use the rammed earth method of building for the walls. This method is suitable for the area as well and another sustainable low maintenance style of building that blends into the natural environment. Some examples include the following:
We do not restrict residents in the type of home they build, however the primary considerations when building a traditional or other type of home at the estate are the following:
non reliant on heavy and fragile materials being brought into the estate
low maintenance
sustainable
off grid
self sufficient
well insulated
water and energy efficient
does not affect the privacy of other residents and also has sufficient cover so that others do not see into the private areas of the home
blends into the natural environment
does not harm the plant and animal life at the estate
does not harm other residents in any way
is not extravagant and wasteful
3d printers and recycling of plastic waste
As part of our project principles the Islamic principle of eliminating waste is a core objective. For this reason we have developed greywater recycling systems for efficient water use, biogas production from organic waste, waste recycling methods etc. One aspect that has been of some concern is the issue of plastic waste. For this we have looked at the option of turning plastic waste into filament for 3d printers. This exemplifies our idea of turning and output (in this case discared plastic) into an input for another needed system (in this case items that can be manufactured with a 3d printer).
Examples of items that can be recycled into filament include water bottles and plastic containers, broken toys and hangers, broken utensils etc.
These can be turned into useful items such as shoes, building materials, kitchen utensils, trays, furniture, mechanical parts and the list goes on.
Residents can invest in their own equipment to do this such as these: https://felfil.com/full-extrusion-system/?v=5ea34fa833a1
We will however also have a central collection of plastic waste that will be turned into filament ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ and residents are welcome to use this filament in their own 3d printers at a minimal cost and we will also use it in the estate workshop to print parts and other structures that can be used in the estate ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ .
Employment positions page
Alhamdulillah as the project has now moved into the stage of developing infrastructure and we are in the process of starting the madrasah, home building, farming and other business activities, we are now launching our employment opportunities pages on the website.
جزاك اللهُ خيراً
Ml Hakim Dr Feroz Osman-Latib
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