Friday, August 3, 2012

‘Forgo Shirk and Bid’ah in Ramadan’


[This is the second and final installment of the special video message delivered by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius (atba) on the 10th day of Ramadan, on July 30, 2012. The first part of the essay was published here at the Sahih Al Islam Blog on August 02, 2012 and is available at:  http://sahih-al-islam.blogspot.in/2012/08/a-ramadan-in-times-of-elect-of-allah.html ].

Unfortunately many Muslims today have a bad conception of fasting and the activities of the faster. They stay as in a state of hibernation and spend most of their time in bed. If they come to fear Allah, they stand only for the hours of prayers (Salat) and then they go to sleep again. This sleep makes them become lazy. And their (spiritual) activities decrease. Ramadan is a time of intense activity for the true believers, who will gladly deny food and drink, and make enormous efforts in the path of Allah.

Moreover, a thing of concern for us today is the innovation in the Iftaar of the believer, that is, the breaking of the Fast. Nowadays Muslims brothers and sisters are making the Iftaar become a feast, a moment of excessive rejoice and eating and drinking. The Iftaar of the faster should have been simple for the breaking of the fast is an act of Ibaadat (worship).

This practice to make a feast out of the Iftaar in the month of Ramadan are known to occur nowadays in the Muslim Arab countries, and it is most unfortunate that in a little island like Mauritius this practice has become widespread among the other Jamaats.

Recently on my Dawa mission, I have met Muslim brothers and it is sad to see that now they are losing their valuable time in preparation of great “Iftaari” or Iftaar party. It is a shame for the Muslims to have reached such a point that the blessed norms of the month of Ramadan are not respected at all. Muslims automatically fast and rejoice excessively at the breaking of the fast.

It is known that our Nabi Kareem (saw) has encouraged the believers to break the fast really quickly and to go to perform their Maghrib prayer as soon as possible after the Iftaar, for it is a joy for the faster to break his fast and meet with his Lord. But to make a feast out of it? This is indeed out of the question!


There is no place to eat more than usual during Ramadan. A balanced diet, even in small amounts less than normal consumption, is sufficient to keep a person healthy and in shape during this month. Eating a surplus of more varied menus; more food, rich in fat are far from the prescription of the Quran and Hadiths during Ramadan. This will fatten people who eat this way.

The Holy Prophet (saw) has said: “A few bites, must be sufficient (for man) to stay on his feet. (If he desires eating), the best would be that he fills one-third of his stomach with food, one-third with drink (water), and the last one-third must be left empty (for air).” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Behind the practice of fasting, there is the question of a diet for the health of the creatures of Allah, so that they remain healthy and focus more on all forms of prayers in Islam. One must not forgo the Quran and Sunnah in order to establish his own rulings. Muslims lose their way when they deviate from the pure teachings of Allah and of His noble prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saw). If one follows the Quran and Sunnah, especially so in the month of Ramadan, the month of training for the rest 11 months to come, then the true Muslim shall benefit from it, be it at physical, moral and spiritual levels.

Ramadan is not a month wherein to hold feasts and to be lazy. It is actually a trial for the Muslims to test the level of his faith and obedience to Allah by complying to the commandments of Allah, in such a way that once they accomplish it as it should be done, they obtain Allah Himself as their reward. May it be so, Insha-Allah.

May Allah give the Muslims all round the world the Tawfiq to forgo Shirk and Bidah in all forms and to re-establish them on the Shahada: Laa Ilaaha Illallah. May Allah bring the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (saw) as one pure body, and may the Divine Truth be established in all glory. May this month of Ramadan bring such great lessons for the Muslims so that we all awake from our long sleep of ignorance and negligence and stick to the Rope of Allah firmly and definitely till our last breath in this world. Insha-Allah, Ameen.