The global drug epidemic is here to stay

                                                       copssupportgunrights.com

My colleague and I were left in shock and total disbelief a few days ago after a patient of ours decided to relate his life story to us. He walked into the pharmacy with a suit and tie and portrayed the image of a professional person. He requested for flu medication and made it quite clear to us that he does not want any medication that contains codeine as he is a recovering addict. We then asked him more about the rehabilitation centre he resided at for the last 6 months. He then told us that he has been using CAT for the last fifteen years. He started buying it from the Nigerians who prowled the main roads in Roodepoort. After becoming a frequent buyer of the product, they made him an offer to join their global drug trade syndicate. He started manufacturing CAT at his house in the Roodepoort area. He had a friend who was a biochemist and he forwarded him with the "recipes" on how to manufacture a variety of drugs. His mom owned a gas factory and had a licence to keep hazardous substances on her premises.

He started supplying kids at school and many families within his neighbourhood in addition to manufacturing for the Nigerian drug lord, Zion... That was apparently not his real name. He never divulged his real name to anyone. In return for manufacturing drugs for the syndicate, he would receive large sums of money in addition to brand new luxury cars. He would enjoy luxury holidays all over the world. The drug lords owned homes in many different countries abroad. In his own words, he was living the high life. That is until his best friend reported him the police. He could not tolerate the fact that his friend was destroying families and leading the youth astray.This should n't come as a surprise considering that we reside in one of the most corrupt countries in the world, when his friend went to the police station to lay a complaint, he was not given a hearing. Only after seeking further help from the higher authorities was action taken. Undercover detectives raided his home and of course arrested him.

But here comes the most shocking part. At first they wanted to implicate his mom for manufacturing drugs as all the hazardous substances were bought through her company. He pleaded with the police not to arrest him or any of his family members. The detectives handling the case demanded a million rand each along with a few luxury cars. Guess what, he paid them out and now walks scott free. This man mentioned to us that the police are bluffing the community by arresting the drug users. The real truth is that these Nigerian drug lords who have infiltrated our country will never ever get caught. Why? Because they have police members, airport officials as well as senior government officials in their pay roll. They operate with multiple passports as well and hence they have people within home affairs that are also on their pay roll. The gentleman said that after coming out of rehab he finally realizes that what he has been doing over the last 15 years was wrong. He does have remorse for destroying so many lives. If he was arrested in the middle east, he would be a dead man. In this country, the criminal is king. Our judicial system has failed us yet gain!!!! This country is truly run by idiots. We have regressed from a world class country into a banana republic.........

Once again, the Medix team saves the day

2 October 2014

This country is gone to the F****** dogs. Excuse my French but I am extremely furious. Earlier this afternoon, a young woman was riding with her colleagues down Goldman street when suddenly she passed out from an asthmatic attack. She was unable to breathe.. gasping for each breath. Desperately looking for help they stopped at the pharmacy. My colleagues and I carried her out of the vehicle on a stretcher and we quickly nebulized her and connected her to some oxygen. After about an hour she started coming around. She started responding to treatment. At the pharmacy we have a minimal emergency supply of oxygen and thus we knew that even if she came around she still needed to be hospitalized. We called Netcare 911. We were refused help point blank as the lady did not have any medical aid. When we called for a government ambulance firstly no one answered the phone. When we finally got through to someone we were told that there are no ambulances available. Make your own plan to get the patient to the hospital. We then called the Florida park fire department. The operator on duty told us that there are no ambulances available. By now I was damn furious. I was worried that the woman must not have another attack in the pharmacy.My colleague and I got into the car and drove to the Florida Park fire department. Guess what. We counted 12 ambulances parked off. There was a gentleman on duty who realized the seriousness of the situation and was quite appalled at what we were told on the phone. When we returned to the pharmacy the ambulance arrived.. but one hour later from when then the initial call was made. Take note that the Florida park fire department is literally a 4 minute drive from the pharmacy.Another patient who was purchasing his medication during the whole ordeal informed us that his colleague at work died from a heart attack only because the ambulance arrived 2 hours later. The idiot driving the vehicle did not know how the GPS system worked and so they were driving around in circles trying to find the address. Welcome to South Africa folks.......

Bold and beautiful is now a reality

                                                 Picture taken from Google images

I thought weird relationships and strange stories only occurred in the movies, but I was shocked at the weird real life stories that are occurring in our own back yard. Had a patient a few weeks ago who totally blew my mind away with his story. He was married to a foreign national for a number of years and was oblivious to the fact that his wife was in actual fact a real life prostitute. He only found out when a friend of his showed him obscene pictures of her floating on the internet. He always thought that his wife was a high flying business woman involved in the import and export business field. Hence she was always loaded with lots of money. The reality though was quite shocking as she turned out to be a high end escort and prostitute accompanying high flying South African businessmen. When he approached his wife with the evidence, she committed suicide. A few years later the man decided to remarry. Whilst he enjoyed a few years of marital bliss he was shocked to discover when his wife fell pregnant that she is in fact HIV positive. He then realized that he had infected his wife and that his first wife had infected him. Luckily with extensive ARV treatment the child was born HIV negative.......... Here's another shocking story, it seems that Muslim socialites residing in the Houghton and Sandton areas are not shy to play the wife swapping and husband swapping game, and let's not forget Laudium men meeting up with bored socialite Houghton and Sandton women in Rosebank hotel rooms. Yes folks, this is the life of the rich and famous within the Muslim community. A patient of ours divorced her husband as he wanted her to join a wife swapping club and also expected her to wear skimpy clothing and visit clubs on a Saturday night which was totally against her principles as a Muslim woman. To add insult to injury she also found out that her daughter in law was chatting up men on various chat sites on the internet. One day she decided to follow her daughter in law who made her way to a Rosebank hotel. There she discovered that the daughter in law was actually chatting up her husband (father in law) who created a fake profile on an internet chat site. Can you imagine the expression on their faces when they met each other. Such disgusting behaviour on the part of the daughter in law and the father in law. A father in law should be an authority of the home, the head of the family and a daughter in law should be concerned about her husband and her family. I guess that is the result of being a bored housewife... After all an idol mind is a devils workshop..I am not a club person at all and I honestly believe that a club is the devil's playground. Men and women dressed in skimpy clothing with loud vulgar music and alcohol flowing is not my idea of fun but with more and more Muslim men and women frequenting such places, it is a clear indication that the Luciferian regime with its head quarters in Hollywood is winning the cause of brainwashing our young people and steering them away from religion and pushing them towards self destruction. I wonder how many of you actually know about Hollywood celebrities and their rise to fame. How many of you know about MK Ultra mind control programming. Hollywood celebrities don't just rise to fame. They were groomed through programming techniques from kids. They have sold their souls to the devil in return for name and fame. Hollywood songs and music all have underline dark themed subliminal messages promoting satanism and of course sex is the main theme. Why sex.... Because sex magic rituals is very much a part of satanism. Our magazines are riddled with subliminal messages that the common man will fail to see. We all get carried away by the beautiful woman on the cover of a magazine wearing skimpy clothing and we all wanna be like her.. The truth is, all those images that we see is air brushed.Wearing mini skirts with bums and boobs hanging out is so cool. Right... Wrong.. Its cheap and trashy. No woman of class and elegance would actually dress that way. I have met many celebs in real life and most of them are actually ugly in reality. Lighting and make up is the trick to beauty. They create an illusion of beauty to the masses who in turn start revering a human being as their God instead of worshiping and revering God Almighty. It is so sad to see millions of people just existing without actually seeing the real world, without really understanding why is the world the way it is...

When is the crime in this country ever gonna stop?

(Picture courtesy of the Pakistan Tribune)

In this damn country even a delivery service is considered dangerous. We got a call this morning to deliver medication and other baby items to the Maraisburg Church located on the main road. We usually always deliver to the church and hence it was normal for us to hop into the car and deliver the items. The church building is quite eerie and dilapidated. Hence we always park across the road in the day care centre where it is busy and secure. Suddenly out of no where two gentleman approached us with a cheque folded in a pamphlet. They then told us that Dean, the gentleman who called is not available but he said that we must hand over the packet to them. Naturally, my colleague and I refused stating that we do not accept cheques. We will take the cheque to a bank first, get it cleared and then we will return with the parcel. We then went to FNB bank down town. The queue was horrendous and to be honest the tellers didn't know whether they were coming or going. The bank cleared the cheque without any verification. We then returned to the day care centre to drop off the parcel. The two men disappeared. Upon enquiry it was discovered that the men are part of a syndicate targeting businesses in the Florida area. They use the church's name to order products, issue cheques in return for goods. The cheques obviously bounce and business owners take the knock. It was quite hilarious to learn that a few days ago they ordered sandwiches from a local restaurant claiming that the church is having a charity event and that many platters are required. The driver delivered the sandwiches and he was reimbursed with a cheque that naturally bounced. After two days the driver went back to the church to enquire only to learn from the pastor that there was no charity event and that the church did not require sandwich platters. In our case we were smart in a sense that we did not hand over any items..The cheque got cleared and we had our stock. Then we realized that the cheque is possibly stolen. We then scampered down the road back to the bank where it was discovered from the manager that a client called wondering how come money was withdrawn from her account. Before the bank started their investigation with the camera footage, my colleague and I arrived and returned the money. Naturally, we were thanked and praised for our honesty, quick thinking and integrity. It is just flippin sickening to think about the kind of society we living in. We pride ourselves in helping people that require our assistance. With one call, we get medication delivered or we there if someone falls down and needs assistance. But after what happened today I must say that I honestly feel we just need to shut down this service totally. Our lives were at risk today. We could have been hijacked or robbed in broad day light. We would have simply become another statistic.. I am so angry. I don't mean to be rude or racist, but may be Number 1 and his cronies need to be robbed and thrashed, only then he might just realize that the common citizen lives with fear and paranoia in this country every single day. When is the crime in this country gonna stop?

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - A gifted super star

Last week Sunday, Gauteng was in for a treat with a knock out performance by the International super star, Sufi singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Rahat Saap has been singing from the age of three years old; born into a legendary family with his uncle being none other than Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who graced South African shores in 1985. He was coincidentally a guest at my uncles home in Durban. The venue, Emperors palace was perfect for the well orchestrated event. Rahat saap sang one hit song after another and enthralled the audience with his beautiful voice. I was captivated with the manner in which he played the harmonium with such control despite singing so many high pitched difficult songs. The first half of the show was simply a warm up to the second half of the show where the crowd took to their feet and clapped to the beat of the music. Rahat Saap has an electrifying stage personality. Whilst introducing members of  his band, he forgot his cousins name and burst out giggling on stage.." Mein apne bhai ka naam bhool gaya" he said with a huge smile on his face. Rahat saap received a standing ovation from the audience who shouted " We want more. We want more." Without any music he ended the show with the song " Dil to bachcha hai jee" During the show I had an opportunity to interact with the show compiere from Pakistan, Mr. Salim Ahmed. He came across as a really humble, down to earth personality and mentioned that Rahat saap is very much a peoples person who loves interacting with his fans especially people who have a flare for music, song and dance. I come from a family that truly appreciates all genres of Hindi music, from Ghazals, Qawwali, Indo pop to Sufi music. I was really looking forward to meeting the maestro himself having met and interacted with numerous Bollywood stars over the years. Whilst Rahat's entourage granted my family and I permission to meet him after the show, members of the organizing company quite rudely prevented us from meeting him as they had already chosen individuals he could meet after the show for a photo shoot. Of course, their friends and family were allowed only.It was also brought to my attention that Pakistanis who were in South Africa for the concert and traveled all the way from New York were also prevented from meeting him despite having met Rahat saap on a number of occasions abroad and of course in their native country Pakistan. It was almost as though the promoting company owned the star. Whilst the show was a sell out, mind blowing event with breathtaking lighting and sound effects, it would be an excellent idea next time if the star had an opportunity to interact with the fans after the show. There were so many young up coming singers in the audience. Meeting a living legend in the singing world would only boost their confidence and encourage them to work harder towards achieving their dreams. 

Medix Pharmacy in the news for all the right reasons

Medix Pharmacy Drug Awareness Workshop 2014

" Ek sal nou vir hom dood skiet. Ek is moeg van hom".. said the middle aged Afrikaans speaking gentleman as he made his way into Medix pharmacy a few weeks ago with his 25 year old son who is addicted to CAT and heroin for the past few years now. At first when I seen the young man I thought that he was involved in an accident as he was barely able to walk. Slowly he made his way into the clinic room whilst clutching onto his tummy. " I can't take the pain any longer. It hurts too much. I need pain killers." He shouted. His legs looked as though he was suffering from DVT or had some sought of skin acne at first but when he told me that he was overdosing on CAT regularly, I then realized that his body was actually trying to find an avenue to get rid of the toxins and poison from his blood stream. I can not forget the anguish and sadness that I witnessed on his father's face. As a result of this young gentleman's addiction , his mom has now developed a neurological problem due to the stress, tension and anxiety associated with her son's addiction problem. 

Muhammed is young well educated Malay gentleman residing in the Florida area. He frequents the pharmacy on a regular basis but recently he passed by the pharmacy to warn us against providing his mom with sleeping tablets and tranquilizers. His mom is a prescription drug addict ever since he was a teenager but her condition has worsened over the years. Muhammed blames the pharmacies in the area for feeding his mom's addiction. Whilst it is against the law to simply dish out schedule 5 drugs to patients over the counter, it is a known fact that there are pharmacies out there who are only interested in money and business without taking the patients well being at heart. It is these type of pharmacies that feed addictions and in the process destroy homes. 

The above two cases certainly paint a very grim picture but unfortunately this is the reality of the situation. In the first scenario the young gentleman obtained his fix at a street corner in Florida. His pill pusher being non other than a notorious Nigerian drug lord. In the second scenario, the middle aged woman obtains her fix from a certified legalized pill pusher. In both cases though, the results and outcome is catastrophic. In both cases, the family unit is disrupted. In the second scenario though, the addiction could have been prevented if the pharmacist had taken more responsibility towards the well being of the middle aged woman.

Drug addiction is a world wide epidemic that has plagued the lives of the rich and poor. In the past drug addiction was usually associated with rich upper class societies, but now it has spread into every echelon of society from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor. Cat, Tick, cocaine, heroin, whoonga, dagga, marijuana and nyope is readily available within our societies for as little as R30 a fix. The drug addiction problem that the Florida community is currently facing will spiral out of control unless the community stand together and say, enough is enough. There are two components that need to be dealt with. The first aspect is dealing with the addict, in other words treatment and rehabilitation. The second component is demanding that the police force take more action against drug dealers. It is a known fact that many policemen are involved with drug dealing as well. 

It has only been three months since Medix pharmacy has re opened, but the situations we have encountered thus far are horrific and heart breaking and hence we decided to put together a drug awareness workshop so that we can give back to society. Even if we help two or three people, at least we have empowered and liberated another human being from the clutches of addiction. This person in turn can help another addict and so forth. Dr. Anwar Jeewa, the founding director of the Minds Alive Wellness Centre gladly accepted to be a part of the workshop and the team at Medix pharmacy would like to thank him for the excellent ongoing work he is doing with regards to drug addiction.

To those health care professionals and pharmacists out there who persist in feeding a patients addiction, please go back in time and assess why have you chosen to become a doctor or a pharmacist. If it is just because of name, fame and wealth, rather than patient care and serving humanity then unfortunately you have failed miserably as a health care professional. The staff at Medix pharmacy are consistently abused by patients for refusing to hand over tranquilizers, sleeping tablets and antibiotics over the counter and that is because we have a social responsibility towards our patients. We rather be abused than being a part and parcel of another human beings destruction.

To the youth out there, our message is clear: Life is beautiful. God has given us just one chance to live our lives to the fullest. Just one chance to achieve our goals and dreams in life. Poverty should never be an obstacle towards success. Do not be influenced by friends.There is no better friend than your family. Be in the rememberance of God Almighty. Work hard to improve yourself in all aspects of life and live to be an inspiration to others.

Don't be conned- Understand how a medical aid system works

It is quite unfortunate that many patients out there do not have the slightest idea on how a medical aid scheme works. Many patients arrive at the pharmacy with their card and expect miracles to happen. They expect to buy everything they require in the pharmacy on their medical aid. This is not possible. Unfortunately many unscrupulous health care professionals take advantage of these patients. Medical aids have a formulary and all drugs are capped at a certain price. The patient is liable to pay for the portion that the medical aid does not cover. What I find most shocking is that there are pharmacies out there who entice patients to buy from them based on the premise that " AT OUR PHARMACY YOU DO NOT PAY A LEVY." This is just not possible. At all pharmacies you will pay a levy unless your drugs are chronic and on the medical aid formulary and of course if you have a medical aid savings account. Be very careful if you frequenting a pharmacy where the pharmacist says you have a levy, but you don't need to pay in the levy. These unethical pharmacists usually cover up the levy shortfall by charging an over the counter product on the patients medical aid when the patient leaves the pharmcy. Hence, they score both ways. They claim for a product that the patient has not received plus they still have the item on the shelf. The poor patient is under the impression that they did not pay the levy so the pharmacist becomes well known and respected. Little do the patients know that these type of pharmacies are actually defrauding the medical aids by millions each year. The patient feels happy that they didn't pay a levy but at the end of the day money is still coming out of the patients medical aid savings. Patients often wonder why are their savings depleted so quickly. Many of them fail to read their statements from the medical aid and also assess if the correct medication has been given to them. There are pharmacies out there who allow patients to buy soaps, shampoos and other toiletries all on the medical aid. In other words the pharmacist claims drugs to the value of the toiletries. This is totally illegal and against the law. The other shocking practice is pharmacies issuing chronic medication to patients who have scripts that are dated from three years ago. This is so unethical and against the law as well. These type of pharmacies are not interested in the health of the patient, they are more interested in ringing up the cash register. The reason a chronic script is only valid for a maximum period of six months is because a patients disease state can change within six months. Blood pressure, blood sugar and other readings can change within a six month period. The doctor may decide to change medication or detect other health issues. As a country we have showed the world that we are sick and tired of corruption, so why then do we allow corruption and unethical medical practices to creep into our society. Break the cycle and do not support unethical medical practices. Eradicate corruption at grass root levels first then at a national level. As a patient I would be afraid to go to a pharmacy where anything and everything is dished out to the customer as though it is a candy store. These type of medical professionals have no respect for themselves and their profession, so why would they have any feeling or compassion towards you, the patient. At Medix pharmacy, we pride ourselves in providing our patients with the highest level of care. Hence, we will NOT be entertaining any patient that requests scheduled medication without a valid doctors prescription. We are the custodians of pharmaceuticals and we strongly believe in medical ethics, balancing the fine line between business matters and the well being of our patients. After all sustenance and provision comes from God Almighty alone. If we follow a straight path in life, success is guaranteed.

Where have I disappeared to?

So recently I have been inundated with numerous inbox messages enquiring about my blog and why I haven't been updating the blog regularly as I was doing in the past. The answer is quite simple...BUSINESS... Medix Pharmacy is just one month old and as a team we have lots of ideas that we still wish to implement in order to provide state of the art health care to all our patients. Running a business is definitely not for the faint hearted but it is quite inspiring and encouraging when we get patients complimenting us on our excellent service delivery and also when we have opposition pharmacies snooping by to have a look at our pharmacy lay out. 

At Medix Pharmacy we do not aim to be like a big chain store pharmacy. Our aim is to provide one on one interpersonal patient care. In the last month, the pharmacy has also turned into a social welfare centre where community members have asked us to assist them with various domestic related issues, such as alcoholism and drugs. We have dealt with teenage pregnancies as well as one assault case. What really broke our hearts was the fact that when the victim went to a private hospital she was not attended to simply because she is poor and can not afford medical aid. 

Last Saturday the pharmacy hosted a wellness day whereby patients were encouraged to pass by the pharmacy for a free blood pressure, cholesterol, as well as blood sugar screening. We are quite proud to announce that more than 120 patients were screened and we came across five patients that were positively diagnosed as having diabetes. We would like to thank the Florida community for their love and support and we will continue to have health related events outside the pharmacy on a monthly basis. The aim is to bring reasonable and affordable health care to all members of the community. Our team at Medix pharmacy is dedicated to serving the community. Stay tuned for our upcoming drug awareness workshop that will be hosted in the new year. In order for us to have these type of events regularly, we urge the community at large to come out in full force to support such events so that it makes it worth while for us to host such events.

The only fusion nasheed group in South Africa- THE WAAHID GROUP

At the very successful launch of the Seven Seas Signature Spa, I had the opportunity of interacting with the world renowned WAAHID nasheed group who  is the only fusion nasheed group in South Africa at present. They entertained the crowd by belting out their famous nasheeds that can be heard regularly on various television as well as Islamic radio stations world wide. A few years ago the group performed with the famous nasheed artist Junaid Jamshed at the Wits University great hall.I had the opportunity of being present at that performance as well. Since then the group has grown from pillar to pillar and from strength to strength. I was told that they making their way  to the UK soon where they will be performing to an audience of 60 000 people. What really appealed to me about the Waahid group as a whole, was undoubtedly the humble down to earth character displayed by each member of the group. I am quite honoured to have had the opportunity to interview the group. Read on to find out more in their own words.....

 1. Firstly, I would like to thank the Waahid group for taking the time out to answer these questions? So tell me who is the Waahid group? I would like each member of the group to introduce themselves,basically provide my readers with a brief synopsis of your life from childhood up until present?

Waahid is South Africa's only fusion anasheed group since we are able to not only fuse languages but also fuse styles, genres and cultures which makes us very rare and unique. This is why we call ourselves Waahid which means One in Arabic.  All the members have had different backgrounds with different experiences and are skilled in different ways yet we are able to unify our sound creating harmonies and melodies that entice the soul. We aim to create a world where all races, ages, cultures, religions an geography can unite as Waahid (one) through melody and music.*

AK Mahomed – I have over 30 years experience in the music industry and is the producer of all of Waahids nasheeds.  I own Cap Studios were I record all of Waahids songs. I am a jewellery sales agent in the KZN region.

Naeem Sheik Hameed - I was born and brought up in the beautiful city of Durban! I consider myself a true South African, having an Indian dad, a Malay mom and being born in the City of Durban in Africa. I come from a large family of seven. I have two gorgeous sons who are my heart and soul and definitely my reason for waking up in the morning!! My passion has always been in the Aeronautical field and I believe I am well on my way to getting there with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering obtained with Distinction. I have worked at some of the biggest and most respectable companies in South Africa. This experience has been in diverse areas such as earthmoving machinery, sugar manufacture and hydraulic machinery manufacture. I have been a Test, Hydraulics, Maintenance, Project and Design Engineer and I am currently posted as Quality Engineer for the Local Government Electricity Department. Alhamdulillah! I have been involved in the design of machinery that is being utilised all over the world. My next goal is to obtain the coveted Government Certificate of Competence for Engineers. With over 20 years of experience gained in the Nasheed industry, I have produced 2 solo albums whose Anasheed feature regularly on the Top 8 as well as Local is Lekker! I am the Managing Director of NOS Hardware Wholesalers, a company founded by my brothers and me. I am co-founder of the Waahid ‘Power of Dreams’ Group of Companies, Lead Singer as well as Managing Director. I have recently established NSH Recording Studios where I will be producing my solo albums. I hope to be counted amongst those who have contributed to the advancement of Nasheed in the world!

Farid Loyiso Matana - My story to islam is quiet long. But the jist of it is wen I was stil at university at PE the 9/11 attacks occured I was active member of ancyl. Our agenda was anti west n pro poor. Wen CNN. Showed us propaganda by accusin bin laden n havin witness wit passports yet their bodies were burnt. We had t-shirst written. Osama our hero in campus that made me research islam more in fact wen I became of sane mine I always wanted islam but didn't know how to get it.  So one friend of mine became muslim he gave me dvd I watched n made my mind I decided to migrate coz I was done at home I went soweto not knowin no one there. I met a strange lady who gave me refuge at her home. What was weird is I left home wanting islam. N in soweto I saw one huge building. Nex to the house I was stayin I went there I saw the imam he told me this a musjid a place of muslims. The it clicked on me I was at right place I took shahad following day witout no one giving me dawah. Only on sacrifice n following my heart living my parents n birthplace in search of success.   My story has featured on Chanel Islam International.   All praise are due to Allah the best of Guide

Nazeer Riaz Jamal - I grew up in Overport, Durban and schooled at Al Falaah College. I always had a love for the natural environment and so completed my Honours Degree in Environmental Science at UKZN where I also was the president of the Muslim Students Association and the founder of an environmental NGO called PACT (People Acting Caring Thinking). I began working for government as an environmental inspector and climbed the ladder to where I currently am as Assistant Director for the Department of Environmental Affairs under the Compliance Monitoring Inspectorate (Green Scorpions). I am titled by the Assoc. of Muslim Advancement (New York) in 2009 as a Muslim Leader of Tomorrow as well as a 2012 Top Young South African by the Mail & Guardian. I love music and have learnt the basic of playing the guitar but hip hop is my first love. I want to make a change in the world through nature, music and melody, Inshallah. I am the beatboxer (vocal percussions), singer and rapper of the band as well as the Finanical Director. I am also a radio and TV presenter in my spare time and a Director at the Al Ansaar Foundation (a charity organisation).

Ahmad Abdulatif Mponda - I am your simple but fun-loving farm boy, I grew up in Westville and later on, in Central Durban, and now currently just out of Durban. I am the Arabic Vocalist, Creative and Bookings Director in the group, where when you're hear something in arabic, it most likely would be me. I am a Haafiz, Alhamdulillah, did hifz in Camperdown and completed in 2002 and schooled at Orient Islamic School. Currently completing a National Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management and doing my intern, Radio Presenter in the spare time and I am also a qualified fitness instructor for Virgin Active. You must be wondering, a Haafiz, Travel and Tourism, Fitness Instructing, Radio Presenter and Waahid, how do all these link to each other?, well, the answer is simple, UNITY IN DIVERSITY and this shows how diverse one can be within oneself and still live in unity with the rest of creation. Friendly, full of smiles and crazy, are just some of the things people call me when they see me or interact with me. Waahid to me means love, unity, peace, tranquility and a whole range of nice words i can find in the dictionary to describe something that brings me serenity and contentment of heart. Waahid praises and recites nasheeds about our Creator(SWA) and our Prophet(SAW), which heart would not find contentment in doing so? I have learnt a lot from Waahid, musical terms, chords, harmonies and the list can go on. I am the happiest person simply because ALLAH has chosen me to be a part of Waahid and to do HIS work in the form of nasheeds.

2. How and when was the Waahid group formed?

It was formed through only the will of Allah (SWT). In 2006 , a concert was coming up featuring Zain Bhikha (SA) & Dawud Wharsnsby Ali (Canada) and the hosts ILM-SA met with AK who owns Cap Recording Studios requesting a local act for the concert but they wanted a performer in Arabic or English. AK had been recording Naeem in Arabic and English already. Naeem was asked to perform at the concert as he was already established in the industry, but AK felt it would be more appropriate to have a group at this function. Therefore a group was put together in a matter of three weeks! He knew Ahmad since he used to recite qiraat at various functions and he knew Nazeer from Radio Al Ansaar as well as his stage appearance doing a rap song. Farid's story was more interesting. A while back Farid came to Radio Al Ansaar where he met AK as a coincidence. Then during the time AK was looking for singers for the concert he heard Farids voice giving Azaan and told him about the concert. 3 weeks before the concert, we met and prepared 4 songs and were the opening act of the show. South Africa went crazy and thats our story. Alhamdulillah.*

 3. When the group launched a few years ago there was a lot of controversy within the Muslim community with regards to beat boxing and whether or not it is permissible within Islam. How did the group handle this issue especially since there was much pressure from the various Muslim religious authorities within the country?

We did have a problem with certain communities who did not share the same understanding as us when we began but we believed in one thing and that was Allah judges our actions by our intentions and our intentions were only to please Allah and to provide an alternative to young muslims away from the evils of the world. Subsequently the same communities are now some of our biggest supporters Alhamdulillah. Our songs share a common theme of soul and spirituality and most people when they listen to us, sense it and appreciate it.*

 4. Sami Yusuf came to South Africa a few years ago and received a luke warm response from certain sectors of the Muslim community. Having resided in the Middle East for a number of years I was quite familiar with Sami's genre of nasheeds and so it was not surprising for me. What is your opinion with regards to music in Islam and nasheeds that are sung with music?

Waahid are associated with many Islamic scholars worldwide, one of them is Sheikh Ramadaan who explains that music is a medium and provided an example of an empty glass tumbler. If he poured water into the glass there is nothing wrong with the contents or the glass. However if you put alcohol in the glass the contents become prohibited but not the glass. The glass is just the medium and so the content is what determines its prohibition or acceptance. So the musical instrument is just the medium, it is how you use the medium that defines its allowance. But Waahid will always be that bridge between those who want the music and the ones that dont. *

 Music is a topic that arouses much passionate debate in Muslim communities throughout the world. To us it is a way of passing a message that needs to be conveyed, a message of truth. Whether we like to admit it or not, music is a part of our lives, and we cannot avoid it. Our youth are being misled by the corrupt music of the West on a daily basis. For all those who would like to criticise what we do, I would like to say, provide an alternative that works.

 5. Where did you learn the art of beat boxing and how does one become a beat boxer?

As a kid I was partly deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other ear, but after I underwent an operation, I was fully cured. I then began to hear sounds I did not hear all the time and so I would relate any situation with the sound I heard. If I had to explain a car accident, I would say the one car came down fast *wooosh* then it was too late to slow down but the driver slammed the brakes *eeeerrrr* and then he smashed in to the guy *Gshhr!*. But about 10 years ago I met Shaheed Alkawn a fellow SA nasheed artist who was a beatboxer. and he taught me the basics. I then went on YouTube and learnt the rest. Beatboxing is easy as long as you learn the basic sounds. The B the T and the K. Put them together and you get B T K TT BB K. Try it out!*

 6. Besides being a part of a nasheed group what other qualification or profession do the group members have?

Refer to details above.*

 7. I stand to be corrected, but I do understand that two members of the group Fareed and Ahmed are reverts to Islam. How did they revert to Islam. Please enlighten the readers more about their journey into Islam.

Refer to Farids intro above *

 8. Define success. What does success mean for the group?

 Success to us is not measured by how many albums we sell, or how popular we are but its measured by the number of hearts and minds we positively change. We see a world of unity and of peace where we all are different but are united in our diversity. We want to create a positive change with our music and to provide young minds with an alternative sound if we can acheive this then we have truly succeeded. We also hope that Allah is pleased with us by using our talents in the correct way and for his pleasure. We also want to become a good muslim business following the ethics of Shariah law and being a role model to all other business.*

Success is measured in its totality. An example, it is worthless to be part of the biggest and most respectable group in the Nasheed world if you have a family life that is dysfunctional, I believe that a lot of the problems faced by Non Muslim artists today are due to a lack of balance in their lives. Therefore I wana stress that it is our duty as an Islamic group to be good role models for the youth and demonstrate to them that success is not found on stage or even at the bank, rather it is found with contentment of your heart.

9. What is the group's favourite website?

www.twitter.com  - you can learn so much in just 140 characters

10. What has been the groups most memorable performance thus far?

Nazeer: I think it was the one where we travelled to Botswana by road. I was tiring exhilirating and best of all it was fun. Ahmad and I played pool from 11pm to 5am! Exhilirating!*

Ahmad - I would also agree with what Naz just said, first time of my life, We stayed up till so late playing pool until Fajr, wooh what a time. The most memorable moments were when we had to drive to Mpumalanga and it took us 13hours instead of 9hours where our pilot behind the wheel Mr Nazjam, had taken a detour and after that long drive, we ended up still singing at 2am and then sleeping in the car. Moments which, honestly, will never be forgotten even in the years to come. A true blessing in disguise.

Naeem -  Well, the most memorable performance for me was the Meelad held in Cape Town in 2012/13. This event was attended by over 25000 people and was organised in two weeks Alhamdulillah! The wind was howling and tents were flying away but people stayed to praise the Holy Prophet (SAW). It was an absolutely beautiful sight with a sea of white kurtas and abayas as far as your eyes could see!

 11. As a team or a group where do you draw inspiration from? Who or what inspires you to create such beautiful nasheeds?

We draw inspiration from our own experiences. Nazeer loves nature so he sings about nature. AK is a deep thinker, so he prefers the deep songs like Echoes in my Mind, Fareed is a da'ee so he sings in traditional African sounds to attract africans to Islam, Naeem has experienced life and so sings about our daily struggles and Ahmad is a fun guy so he likes his beaty arabian songs. We also have other writers such as our ex manager Sister Safeeya Moosa who actually wrote the lead lyrics of the song Labbaik. There is no lack of inspiration in this world. If you look around there are injustices occurring everywhere. These stories need to be told, these people have to be heard. As Waahid we aim to tell those stories through melody!

12. As a group, apart from beat boxing and nasheeds what other topics are you most passionate about?

We are really concerned about the famine, wars and impoverishment of people and so are currently writing songs about these issues.  There is a common thread in all our songs and that is a plea for Allah (SWT) to guide us as we have transgressed. All the problems faced by the world today are the doing of man, the sooner we wake up from our slumber and accept that, the sooner we can find our Lord.

 13. This question is for each member of the group. If someone could grant you one wish and you could choose to have any skill or talent in the world, what would it be?

Nazeer: I would like to be a leader or a president who is fair, just, and who can lead his people to greatness and who is able to see the good in others and help them master their skills so that we can all be not only good muslims but good people.*

*Naeem* Hmm, I would like to be a person who provides peace and contentment to the hearts of all those who I come into contact with. I would like to end the suffering and strife of all the peoples of the world. I want to be a reliable leader whose people can be rest assured to call upon in times of need.

Ahmad  - Wow, I honestly have never been asked this question before, therefore so many things come to mind, as it is human nature to think of so many things at once in the one wish but in all honesty, I would wish for people of the world to be kind and peaceful to each other and unite as one big world united family.

 14. What are your future plans? Where does the group want to be five years down the line?

We aim to become worldwide so that we are able to put Waahid on the map. We have even started our own T Shirt and Golfer brand as well as a nasheed academy where we teach singing, writing, rapping and public speaking. We see Waahid as a worldwide Islamic brand, not just in Nasheed but in all areas of Islamic life, including, leadership, business, education and entertainment

15. Polygamous relationships? What are your thoughts on this one?

Islam allows for a man to have more than 1 wife, but it requires extreme caution and fairness. If the man is able to be fair and just in all his actions then there is no problem, but if he is not able to then he should control his desires.  An often neglected part of this issue is the happiness of the wife. Many men do not take into account the effect a second wife would have on their first wives especially considering the fact that we live in a largely non Muslim society. This is a cause of breakdown for many marriages and so my question is, is it worth it to break up one marriage to create another ? Islam allows for a man to have more than 1 wife, but it requires extreme caution and fairness. If the man is able to be fair and just in all his actions to his wives then there is no problem, but if he is not able to then he should control his desires and have 1.

16. Does the group perform at selected events only or can families hire the group for private functions as well? Kindly provide your contact details so that organizations can get in touch with you directly.

Yeah we perform at all events anywhere and anytime. We do charge a performance fee which is excluding the cost of travel, accommodation and meals if the need arises. You can contact Nazeer on 0761513334 or nazjam@gmail.com  *

 17. What advise would you give to the youth out there who wish to pursuit a career in beat boxing and nasheed singing?

The SA nasheed industry is not an easy game. Its hard to please everyone and many people offer more critism than support, but its important to value the critiscm and channel is postively so that you can improve yourself. Rome was not built overnight so have patience and most importantly keep your intentions only for Allah and you will see how you will grow Inshallah. Waahid is always available to help you so contact us. Perseverance is the key to success although the industry is growing at a rapid rate and opportunities will increase as well. There has never been a better time to get into Nasheeds!

Thank you Waahid group for taking the time to answer these questions. Desert Moon wishes you all the best in your future endeavours!!! This is definitely one of the most inspiring interviews that I have ever done. I am so honoured and proud to have interviewed a group that has made an impact globally. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.*

The official opening of the Seven Seas Signature Spa

This post should have been written a few days ago but my life at present is like a roller coaster ride. I am totally focused on getting our family pharmacy up and running.Hence at present I'm playing building contractor, HR manager, Stock controller along with getting through one meeting after another and in between all of this I'm still trying my best to blog and share my life events with all my blog readers.

The Seven Seas Signature Spa officially opened on the 12th of October 2013. The opening of the spa coincided with a weekend souq at the Image Lifestyle  Wedding and Conference Venue that attracted many people from far and wide. Channel Islam International was also broadcasting live from the event. The highlight of the event was undoubtedly meeting and interacting with the world famous Waahid nasheed group. Catch my exclusive interview with the group in my next post hopefully. To commemorate the opening of the spa a program was put together that included talks by various dermatological and cosmetic companies along with a fashion show. The Waahid nasheed group was roped in to entertain the crowd and my word, they performed spectacularly. Whilst the women gathered inside the conference centre for the formalities,  the dad's had an opportunity to spend quality time with the kids outside and also browse around the various stalls. My family and I got to conference centre a few hours before the official opening ceremony so that we could take a walk around the stalls. I was particularly impressed with the ice cream and cake pin cushions that were on sale along with the photography stall that specialized in magazine type picture albums. I definitely want to create a magazine family album in the future as a rememberance. Other items on sale included the usual abayas and scarves along with household accessories. I could n't believe that not one store catered for shoes when I desperately needed a pair. lol. One section of the venue was dedicated to weddings and functions where guests had an opportunity to view different table setting arrangements in line with the latest trends and fashion.Hats off to Unusual Functions for the stunning table decor. The food at Salma's food stall was absolutely delicious. Every single dish from the biryani to the kebaab and roti as well as the chicken tikka and steak burger was spiced to perfection. Well done aunty Salma for taking care of our tummies and satisfying our taste buds. I was pleasantly surprised to have met and interacted with many facebook friends who instantly recognized me. I always seem to get the same line though," OMG you look just like your facebook picture"..lol...Yes it is me ...How else am I suppose to look..,.lolol. After lunch, mom and I made our way inside the venue for the much anticipated opening ceremony program. The master of ceremonies for the afternoon was Dr. Bhabha from Beauty and Curves located in Bedfordview. I must say though that she really had a tough time being an MC considering that the hall was packed with women chit chatting at the top of their voices. As is customary in Islamic culture, the function commenced with a recitation of the Holy Quraan by Hafez Zunaid Saloojee. Thereafter there were talks presented by various dermatological companies about their range of skin care products. I personally found the talks too detailed and in depth for a Saturday afternoon. The talk that captivated me was undoubtedly by make up artist Jose de Silva. His bold style coupled with his foreign accent and gentleman like demeanour definitely caught the attention of the female crowd.."My darlings, please make sure you wash your hair four times a week..My darlings you must pamper yourself to a manicure and pedicure. My darlings you must do facials more often to give 

yourself a more youthful look.....my darlings....my darlings.....my darlings..he continued."

In between the talks, the audience had a chance to view garments from world renowned fashion houses. Models strutted their stuff on the ramp in hideous looking shoes to the tunes of famous Arabic singers like Amir Diab and Nancy Ajram. Two of the models almost took a tumble..... I  was particularly impressed with the Moda Lounge range of clothing as well as the elegant evening dresses from Dockrats clothing store in Fordsburg and Lenasia. The range of clothing by the Benoni based designer Naseema was elegant and flowing with the exception that all the designs looked similar making it a boring lacklustre range in totality. Considering that 95 percent of the audience was predominantly Muslim, I was quite disappointed with the holiday range of clothing as well as the wedding gowns. I don't think a Muslim woman would be walking down the aisle in a boob tube or parading the streets of Rome in a mini skirt. Design houses should have come up with more innovative styles to suit the needs of a modern Muslim woman. You can wear hijaab and still look chic and elegant. A woman who dresses modestly can be as sexy as a woman in a mini skirt. Guests also had an opportunity of winning prizes, such as free hair care products or a free massage treatment etc etc. The women were going crazy to collect their prizes. After all the talking and the fashion show, guests were treated to a light snack meal. The tables were laid out beautifully. I have no words to describe the sheer perfection of each and every platter on the table. The pictures speak volumes for themselves. The only disappointing bit is that mom and I did not get one snack to nibble on as Indians do not know the difference between a snack and a meal. Women greedily filled up their plates to the brim as though food was running out of fashion. Within minutes everything was swiped. I could n't believe that women from so called elite high class homes behaved in this manner.I guess its a case of " we don't eat such tasty food in our own homes so lets gobble it all up or its free chows, quick let's devour it all up and save a few pennies." lololol..I guess that's how the rich get richer!!

If you wish to view more pictures of the event simply click on the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/media_set?set=a.10152333636667782.1073741855.739292781&type=1

Riverbend Crocodile Farm

A few weeks ago my family and I made our way to KZN to attend a family wedding. It was also a perfect opportunity for us to spend a few days at our holiday home in the picturesque coastal town of Margate. During our short trip we visited the Riverbend Crocodile farm located in Southbroom. This crocodile sanctuary was officially opened in 1981 with a few crocodiles obtained from a farm near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Today, the farm is home to over 200 Nile crocodiles. Almost every year 5000 hatchling crocodiles are produced.

When we entered the Riverbend Crocodile farm, we were taken aback by the sheer beauty and serenity of the farm as a whole. We were just in time for the very informative snake and crocodile educational program followed by a crocodile feeding demonstration. The owner of the farm is really passionate about his crocodiles and wildlife in general and so undoubtedly he is a fountain of knowledge and truly and expert  in his field. I was quite surprised to learn that crocodiles do not really eat during the winter months. They require high temperatures to assist them in digesting and metabolizing their food. At the time that we visited the farm, the crocodiles were being fed 3kg of chicken every ten days only.It is also interesting to note that the sex of a crocodile is not determined genetically. Sex is determined by temperature, where at 30 °C (86 °F) or less most hatchlings are females and at 31 °C (88 °F), offspring are of both sexes. A temperature of 32 °C (90 °F) to 33 °C (91 °F) gives mostly males whereas above 33 °C (91 °F) in some species continues to give males but in other species resulting in females, which are sometimes called as high-temperature females.

The Riverbend Crocodile farm also boasts a snake house that is home to some of Africa's most deadliest snakes. Other facilities include a fully kitted conference center and curio shop. If you are one of those adventurous types wanting to try different cuisines, why don't you try some crocodile meat at the fully licensed crocodile cafe that specializes in crocodile dishes.... EEWWWW.... not for me....

There is also an Art and Wine gallery located on the premises. The Gallery displays a wide variety of original artworks and crafts by some of South Africa’s best artists. A fine collection of wines can also be found in a cellar in the Art Gallery. These are provided for sale to the public or for tasting.

If you are visiting the Margate area why don't you make your way to the Riverbend Crocodile Farm.
The farm is open daily, except on Good Friday and Christmas Day.
The crocodiles are fed at 15:00 every Sunday, shortly after a snake demonstration at 14:30 to educate the public about snakes and dispel a few myths.Crocodile hatching demonstrations take place in January and February and are not to be missed.

For more pictures, click on the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/media_set?set=a.10152278221747782.1073741854.739292781&type=1