FASTING AND
POWER
The Strategic Significance of the Fast of Ramadan
Imran N. Hosein
Masjid Jàmi’ah, City of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
Copyright © Imran N. Hosein
Email: ihosein@tstt.net.tt; inhosein@hotmail.com
Website: www.imranhosein.org
First Published 2011
SURAH AL-KAHF: Quartet of Books
Volume 1: Surah
al-Kahf: Text Translation and Modern Commentary;
Volume 2: Surah
al-Kahf and the Modern Age;
Volume 3: An Islamic
View of Gog and Magog in the Modern Age;
Volume 4: Dajjal the
False Messiah or Antichrist.
Published by
Masjid Jami’ah, City of San Fernando.
70, Mucurapo Street,
San Fernando.
Trinidad and Tobago
Cover design by
Alicia Heraz
Email:
aliciaheraz@gmail.com
Printed in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Contents
Preface 7
The imperative of power 9
Fasting in Islam – its basic objective 21
Fasting and internal spiritual power 26
Religion and the state 31
Morality and religion 33
Fasting in Islam – laws and linkages 41
Link with Judaism 47
Link with sex and chastity 67
Link with charity 72
Link with human rights, freedom and dignity 76
Between the two nights 81
Fasting and the physical body 85
Fasting and creativity 88
Sharing hunger with the destitute 89
Fasting and the value of food 90
The last word 91
Notes 94
Preface
This book was formerly published some fifteen years ago with the
title ‘The Strategic
Importance of the Fast of Ramadhan and Isra and Miraj’
We have now separated
the two topics and are publishing them as two separate books. We have changed
the title of this book to ‘Fasting
and Power’ in an
effort to direct greater attention to the central thesis presented, namely that
the fast of Ramadhan
was sent down to deliver power to the Muslims. We have also edited and
added to the original text.
Let us take the
opportunity to remind those Muslims who do not regularly recite the Qur’an in
Arabic from cover-to-cover, that Angel Gabriel (‘alaihi
al-Salam) came to the Prophet (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) every night during the entire month of Ramadhan and he would have to recite for the Angel all that was revealed
in the Book up to that time. He completed the whole recitation during the month
of Ramadhan every year. However in the last year of his life he recited the
whole Qur’an (i.e., all that was revealed in the Book up to that time) twice
for the Angel.
If the reader has
never so far recited the whole Qur’an from cover to cover we urge him or her to
start to do so without delay. And when he or she is finished – to then start again,
and when he or she is finished – to then start again! In particular we urge that the recitation of
the Qur’an be commenced at the beginning of every month of Ramadhan and be
completed once or twice before the end of the month.
Finally we pray
that this book may be blessed to play a role in mobilizing Muslims in such a
way that the fast of Ramadhan may actually result in that input for power being achieved individually and
collectively, which may then find concrete expression on the battlefield of Jihad as Islam responds to barbaric oppression in the Holy Land
in particular. Amin!
There must be
something special about Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur that I should be blessed to
complete the writing of a book yet again in this city in blessed Ramadhan.
Imran N. Hosein
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ramadhan
1432/August 2011
To Be Continued ....
No comments:
Post a Comment