The Real Purpose of Fasting

A Purpose for Every Work
There are essentially two component factors in any work which a man has to perform. The first thing is the purpose for which a work is done and the second thing is the particular shape of that work which is chosen to achieve that purpose. For instance, take the case of food your object in taking food is to remain alive andmaintain your strength. The method of achieving this object is that you take a morsel, put it in your mouth, masticate it and push it below the throat. This method is adopted byyou since it is the most effective and proper one to achieve this object. But everyone of you knows that the main thing is the purpose for which food is taken and not the form and procedure of this action.
What will you say if anybody were to make a morsel of saw-dust or cinder or mud, put it in his mouth, chew and gulp it? You will say only this that his brain is out of order. Why? Because this idiot did not understand the real purpose of eating and is suffering form the misunderstanding that only the aforesaid four component acts constitute eating. Likewise, you will call that person also mad who soon after taking the food vomits it by thrustinghis fingers into his throat them complains that the benefits said to accrue from taking food have not been availed of by him and that, contrarily, he is daily getting lean and is on the verge of death. Thisfool blames the food for his growing weakness little realizing that it is dueto his own stupidity. He imagined, due to his intellectual deficiency, thatlife vitality could be got byfulfilling those requirements which constitute the act of eating. As such, he thoughtwhy should he sustain the load of food in his stomach? “Why not throw it out so that the stomach may become light? I have already fulfilling the requirements of eating”, he surmises, Naturally he has himself to suffer the penalty of harboring such a foolish idea and then implementing it also. He ought to have known that until the bread gets digested after entering thestomach and having transformed into blood, is diffused into the whole body the vitality of life cannot be obtained.
Although outward actions are also necessary, becausewithout them the bread cannot reach the stomach, yet the object cannot be achieved by merely fulfilling the outward actions. There is no magic in these actions that by merely fulfilling them, blood starts running in a wizardly manner in the veins of a man. Blood will be obviously produced according to the law prescribed by Allah. If you break it, you will kill yourself by your own hands.
Consequences of Considering the Outwardas Real
If you ponder over the example I have just placedbefore you in detail, you can understand why your"Ibadat" have become inefficacious today. As I have already pointed out repeatedly, the greatest mistake of all is to regard the acts of Salah and fasting and their outward shape as real ‘`Ibadat’ and you suffer from the delusion that whoever fulfilled these requirements performed the "Ibadat" of Allah. You are just like that person who thinks that performance of four acts, i.e. making the morsel, putting it in the mouth, masticating it and pushingit below the throat makes up the process of eating, and that whoever did these four things has eaten the food and so should receive the benefitsof eating irrespective of whether he pushed down in his stomach mud and stone, or vomited the bread soon after eating it.
If you have a little sense then tell me how a man who is fasting and is thus engaged in the ‘`Ibadat’ of Allah from morning till evening, can in the midst of that ‘`Ibadat’ utter a lie and indulge in backbiting? Why does he quarrel at the slightest pretext and utter abuses from his mouth? How dare he encroach on other people’srights? How does he indulge in acquiring illicit money and giving money to others illicitly? And having done all these thing, he still thinks that he has performed ‘`Ibadat’ of Allah? Does this not resemble the work of that person who eats cinder and mud and thinks that by merely completing the four requirements of eating he has actually done the job of eating.
Again Freedom from Restrictions after Ramadan
Then tell me how is it that when you are relieved after doing Allah’s ‘`Ibadat’for about 360 hours throughout Ramadan all the effect of this whole exercise in piety disappears on the 1st of Shawwal? You do during the ‘`Eid’ days all that Hindus do in their festivals,so much so that in the cities even adultery, wine-drinking and gambling are resorted to on ‘`Eid’ day...../ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Whose promise is more valuable?

Once a Dervish went into a Masjid and sat there with the intention of observing I'tikaaf. He had no provision of food or drink with him. The Imaam of the Masjid adviced him that as a destitute person, it was better for him not to observe I'tikaaf; he shouldrather do some job to earn his daily bread. The Dervish made no reply; the Imaam again insisted that he should go and earn his living, but he remained silent. After the Imaam had repeatedly asked him to do so for thethird and the fourth time, the Dervish said, "Beside the Masjid, there is a shop owned by a Jew, Who haspromised to send me two loaves of bread everyday." The Imaam said, "If he has promised to provide you food, it is well and good. Then you may observe I'tikaaf." TheDervish reprimandingly said, "It would be far better if you did not lead the prayers; with such a weak faith in 'Tauheed', how can you dare to lead the prayers? You have great reliance on the promise made by an unbeliving Jew but you put little trust in the promise made by Allah Ta'ala to provide sustenance (to all living things)."/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Abu Huraira (RA) narrates that once the Holy Prophet (SAW) said "Let me show you the reality of this world."

Abu Huraira (RA) narrates that once the Holy Prophet (SAW) said "Let me show you the reality of this world." I requestedhim to do that. He took me to a place of refuse outside Medina. There I saw human skulls and bones sunk in filth with dirty rags scattered all around.
Addressing me he said"These are the human skulls that embodied brains filled with greed. These people were like many amongst you who live today. Like all of you they pinned their hopes on things worldly. These skulls are lying without skin and after a few days they will become part of the earth. They struggled hard to eat the spicy dishes only to swallow this filth today. The state in which they exist now cannot be tolerably seen by those who have eyes to see. The very sight of those who enjoyed the fragrance of tasty food makes you hate them. These dirty rags are the substitue for the gaudy dresses that made men proud. Now they are at the mercy of winds which move them the way they like. And these are the bones of those animals that carried human beingsonly to make them feel proud. Any one can shed atear or two at their tragic end." Abu Huraira stated that the tears welled up in his eyes and he wept bitterly./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Three lives and one roof

Robert Fisk-British Journalist in Kandahar province doing an interview: Out of a dust-storm came a woman in a grey shawl. "Ilost my daughter two days ago,'' she wailed."The Americans bombed our home in Kandahar and the roof fell on her.'' Amid the chaos and shouting, I did what reporters do. Out came my notebook and pen. Name? "Muzlifa.'' Age?"She was two.'' I turn away. "Then there was my other daughter.'' She nods when I ask if this girldied too. "At the same moment. Her name was Farigha. She was three.'' I turn away. "There wasn't much left of my son.'' Notebook out for the third time. "When the roof hit him, he was turned to meat and all I could see were bones. His name was Sherif. He was a year and a half old.''/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en