I give thanks to Allah (s.w.t), who created the Angels from light; He created the devil from smokeless flame, and the first Man, Adam from clay. Eesa (Jesus a.s) from Adam (a.s) and the rest of Mankind from the pleasure of male and female – Glory is to Him, the Master of creation. I testify that there is no other deity deserving of worship except Allah (Majesty is His); I also testify that Muhammad (p.b.u.h) is the Messenger of Allah (s.w.t) and His Prophet.
The stomach is an interesting organ. The stomach, a factory that works twenty-four hour of the day and seven days a week, twelve months a year and the entire lifetime of the carrier. Show me a food-processing machine that operates noiselessly all year round without breaking down.
Habit is also an interesting disposition. How you do things consciously and unconsciously eventually become your way- of- life. You see a well dressed lady chewing gum, you see a supposed gentle man smoking, and you look around, see how many of the population are gluttony due to eating of both halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). You witness how many people appear healthy outwardly but internally sick. All these are because of habit either learnt or cultivated. The beauty of life is that habit can be unlearned. The appellate ‘good’ or ‘bad’ attached to anything might not reflect that appellation.
When you believe you lack “permissible” moral standard, annually, you make resolution that is broken before it comes out of your mouth. If you are desirous to make an improvement in your moral and spiritual standing, cultivation of good habit is of essence and Ramadan afforded you that practical training.
The reality is that any manufacturer of a machine will tell you how regular you need to service or maintain the equipment if you have to get the best of that machine. Allah, your Maker, the One that knows your constituents, composition, contents and characters has come up with a program through the ages to refurbish your system and help you cultivate excellent habit.
Ramadan affords you great opportunity to refurbish your systems, and rekindle your spiritual growth. Ramadan was here and what have you learnt, oh ye faithful one?
Of Greed and Gluttony
HQ5:65 “Many of them dost thou see, racing each other in sin and rancor, and their eating of things forbidden. Evil indeed are the things that they do”.
Analytically:
- The craze for material wealth cut across all divide
- The consumption of Junk foods is another bad habit
- Strange or foreign diseases now prevalent in the tropics
- Alcohols, smoking, substance abuse are dangerous habit
- Night crawling, clubbing, prostitution, robbery, kidnapping, bombing are self destructive habits
- These habits when it is seen as normal become norm and destroy the society that encourages them.
Therefore:
- Whatever you do has its consequence: you sow wind and reap whirlwind
Where are the Doctors of Law?
HQ5:66. “Why do not the Rabbis and the doctors of law forbid them from their (habit of) uttering sinful words and eating things forbidden? Evil indeed are their works.
- Enlightened member of the community has a responsibility
- Situation where leadership cannot differentiate right from wrong – “Evil indeed are their works”
What then is the Islamic prescription?
You are what you consume
HQ5:5 “They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food). Say: Lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah: Eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of Allah over it and fear Allah; for Allah is swift in taking account”.
- When you have to take anything into your stomach – you have
a responsibility to ensure it is wholesome.
- The intake must be pure (free of chemicals and contaminants -poison)
When you are set to eat, start with Bismillah
What must ordinarily get into your stomach?
HQ5:6. “This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them. (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time, — when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues. If anyone rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good”.
- Islam is not only spiritual – it is a
Deen, a way of life
- What you eat, drink or say affect your spirituality
Ramadan has come to redirect you in your life affair
You are what you eat- garbage in, garbage out
HQ5:4 “Forbidden to you (for food) are:- Dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah, that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal, unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form) that which is sacrificed on stone (alters); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrow- that is impiety”.
How to transform: Hadith Narrated by Anas
I was the butler of the people in the house of Abu Talha, and in those days, drinks were prepared from dates. Allah’s Apostle ordered somebody to announce that alcoholic drinks had been prohibited. Abu Talha ordered me (Anas) to go out and spill the wine. I went out and spilled it, and it flowed in the streets of Medina …
- If you stop smoking or drinking alcohol for 14-16 hours a day for
30 or 29 days, it is obvious you can –
drop the habit for the whole year. And, you will become healthy,
wealthy and wise
- See how Islam has benefited you via Ramadan.
That was why it was easy for a whole country to banish Alcohol for life
You and your society can also transform for the better if you have the will
You will agree with me that a drug-infested society is the bastion of criminality of all form – crime is committed without compunction (i.e. without feeling of guilt).
Be Responsible:
HQ5: 1 “O ye who believe! Fulfill (all) obligations”.
- The 5-pillars of Islam is an obligation
- Cultivate the habit of caring for your family
- Political leadership should cultivate the habit of truthfulness
- The habit of the people is the culture of the people
- Plenty wealth and paucity of good habit equals to chaos
What could affect your sense of responsibility is what you do regularly
The eternal declaration by Allah (s.w.t):
HQ5:4 “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. However, if anyone is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful”.
How conscious are you on what enters your tummy?
Hadith 5.182: Narrated by `Aisha:
Abu Bakr had a slave who used to give him some of his earnings.
Abu Bakr used to eat from it. One day he brought something and Abu Bakr ate from it. The slave said to him, “Do you know what this is?” Abu Bakr then enquired, “What is it?” The slave said, “Once, in the pre−Islamic period of ignorance I foretold somebody’s future though I did not know this knowledge of foretelling but I, cheated him, and when he met me, he gave me something for that service, and that is what you have eaten from.” Then Abu Bakr put his hand in his mouth and vomited whatever was present in his stomach.
Do you care about what enter your tummy? If yes, then you are fortunate
The essence of life is to be aware that there is no one whose appendage is ‘bad’ boy; the boy becomes bad by lack of home training, societal laxity and not observing the rules of religion. In addition, ‘good’ is not an appendage from birth as an adjective of ‘good-boy’, no; the boy becomes good by training family, society and religion. Ramadan was here to make the child to be good, family better and egalitarian society attained. You need to cultivate decent habit to succeed as individual, society or Nation, be mindful of what goes into your stomach.
Join in the effort to publish this pamphlet, contribute your quota.
“Who is he that will loan to Allah a beautiful loan which Allah will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is Allah that giveth (you) want or plenty and to Him shall be your return.”HQ2:245
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