Table of Contents
Some Comments and Explanations
Now here are some comments on some of the points covered by the flyer you read above.
Wake up before sunrise. Take it from me, it is good for you. If you get used to it, you will feel great that day.
I am not saying all this stuff about “Morning Person,” “Evening Person” and all that does not make sense. And there isn’t some kind of scientific evidence to back it up. But surely you can find ways of beating that science with some effort.
Bathe, shower or wash up. Nothing puts oomph in your life and your day better than that.
Have a hearty breakfast. You will need that fuel to burn throughout the day.
Intention Is Key to Action
Make the intention that you are doing this fast purely for God. Not for anyone else, and not for any worldly reason, even though all kinds of worldly benefits may flow out of it. But you are doing it purely and solely to please your God, the all-mighty creator.
Intentions – motivations – are often central to human life and actions. And purity of motives and intentions is the very essence of Islam.
So get on the right side of this equation. Resolve that you are doing what you are doing for God, and for no one and for nothing else.
In general, the purer your motives and intentions are, the better effect they will have on your body, mind and soul. Don’t be surprised if you catch a glimpse of their glow on your face.
Quite possibly, no plastic surgery and no chemical lotions can give you that or replace that divine effulgence – God’s Noor or radiance on earth.
Eat and drink nothing the entire day.
Now, that is fasting for you.
So do all this to the extent you can. But if this is your first time doing it, be on the alert and monitor your condition and your body response carefully.
Do not in any way jeopardize your health and wellbeing. Surely, that is not what God wants from you.
Generally speaking, putting one’s health and wellbeing in jeopardy is not Islam. And that is directly from the Qur’an.
Stay Away from All Things Bad – And Try to Do Whatever Good You Can
You know what bad things are, right? You also know what the good things are, correct? At least for the most part. Am I right or wrong in thinking that?
So stay away from bad things and do the good things – as much as you can. That means stay away from all things you consider to be bad. And try to do all things that are good. That is, as many of them as you can. For, no one can do everything that is good.
If you ask what bad things, all I will say is, you know what they are, so make your own list and stick to it. Bottom line is, whatever your heart says is bad, chances are it is bad stuff.
That is the general formula given by Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
And whatever your grandma may have taught you was bad stuff, stay away from it too. Chances are you and – your grandma – would be right, at least in the majority of cases. Or at least you would err on the side of caution.
Consult Your Friendly Family Bible
If you ask me again what the bad things are you must avoid, or what the good things are you must do, this is what my answer is going to be: What is wrong with consulting your Bible and starting out with the Ten Commandments?
And by refreshing your memory of the Seven Deadly Sins?
And by visiting and revisiting the concept of the Seven Virtues that the Catholics are so proud of?
Can you imagine a Muslim putting his readers on track to study and follow Jewish and Christian teachings and traditions? That is what I am doing here, am I not?
Now that is creating a Common Culture of Hope for Humanity, is it not?
World Day of Fasting combined with the Ten Commandments of Moses and Jesus and with the Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible on the one hand and the celebrated Seven Virtues of Catholic litany on the other hand – that is our shared culture: between Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
And so says this Muslim son of a thousand years’ worth of unbroken Muslim family chain – all confirmed and authenticated through unassailable genealogical charts of the most rigorous kind in the world.
So, continuing what I said earlier, all you need to do thereafter is add to this mix the relevant teachings from Hindu, Buddhist and other traditions.
How much more of a Common Heritage in tandem with Islamic tradition and culture does it get?
That is God’s Kingdom come – right here on earth and right before our eyes and right in our own lives.
Was God right when he said in the Qur’an: We are asking you to fast, the same way we required of the earlier people before you to fast?
How beautiful and blessed is this commonality of human culture!
And do you think that this World Day of Fasting 2008, Ramadan 1429, jointly celebrated by all of us, could be, no matter to how small a degree, a cause and basis for hope for humanity?
Love Your Family: For, That Is Islam
Here is something special you can do when you are observing the fast during this forthcoming World Day of Fasting on September 27, 2008: Be extra loving, generous, kind and compassionate to your family. For, your family is the focus of God’s way called Islam.
And of God’s love.
If you want me to be specific, here are a couple of details:
- You want to go to Heaven? Your best guarantee is go serve your mother and make her happy. For, said the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, “Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.”
- And bring up three daughters – or two or even one daughter – in the best way you can, give her the best education and training you can, and help her find the best husband she can. Again, that is according to the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
- And be the best you can be to your wife. That again is directly from the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
