, describing the same pattern that defines us till this day:
to collect zakat in the Qur’an, He 
Wednesday, 17 June 2015 21:04
The Reward for Fasting is Immense
"Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said,'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.' For the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk." (Al-Bukhari)
Also, Sahl ibn Sa'ad reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said:
"Indeed there is a gate of Paradise called ar-Rayyan. On the day of Resurrection those who fast will enter through it; no one enters it except for them, and when they have entered, it is closed so that no one enters it, so when the last of them enters it, it is closed, and whoever enters it drinks, and whoever drinks never becomes thirsty." (Ibn Khuzaymah. Sahih)
Fasting is a Shield Against the Fire
"Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire." (Ahmad. Sahih)
Fasting is a Means for One's Sins to be Forgiven
"He who fasts Ramadhan, due to iman and hoping for reward (from Allah) then his past sins are forgiven." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Supplication of the Fasting Person is Answered
"There are in the month of Ramadhan in every day and night those to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim an supplication which he can make and will be granted." (Al-Bazzar and Ahmad. Sahih)
Fasting is an Expiation for Various Sins
"Perform the Pilgrimage and the Lesser Pilgrimage for Allah ... but whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head must pay a ransom, either by fasting or by charity ... " [Al-Qur'an 2:196]
"Never may a believer kill a believer unless by mistake ... and those who find this beyond their means must fast two consecutive months. Such is the penance imposed by Allah; and Allah is Knowing, Wise." (Al-Qur'an 4:92)
And more (5:89, 5:95 and 58:3-4).
Fasting is a Shield Against One's Base Desires
"O youths, whoever amongst you is able to marry then let him do so, since it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts, and he who is unable, then let him fast because it is a shield for him." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Once we realise the greatness of fasting and what achievement it leads to, we must put all our efforts in performing fasting in the best manner possible. And since fasting is worship, it must be done solely for Allah's sake, and no intention is accepted, other than pleasing Allah and seeking His Face with all one's sincerity. Without a correct intention, no deed is of any value in the Hereafter. We Muslims must constantly verify our intentions and consider why we perform fasting. Do we do so merely because it is the practice of our parents and friends, or do we do so because it is part of our tradition, or perhaps because we simply want to conform to our environment in order to avoid any problems? A Muslim who realises that only that which is with Allah remains, and that He is the only One who grants and withholds, would not be of those to which the Prophet, upon whom be peace, alluded to in the hadith:
"On the Day of Judgement, a caller will cry out, 'Whoever performed a deed for someone other than Allah may seek his reward from that for which he performed the deed.' " (Sahih al-Jami')
ISLAAMINFO
If you would like to receive more information and articles on Islaam and Muslims, send a blank e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Wednesday, 17 June 2015 21:01
By Latheef Farook
Today, Monday June 15, marks the first anniversary of the unwanted and senseless racist pogrom on innocent and helpless Muslims at Aluthgama, Dharga Town and Beruwala which ended up in the political funeral of the Rajapaksa brothers who were accused of being behind these calculated atrocities.
Killing of Muslims, looting of their belongings and the destruction of their properties were meticulously planned and executed to military precision in all these three places.
However, the island’s mainstream media, increasingly under Sinhala racist influence and the anti Muslim Israeli lobby, observed a news blackout and tried to cover up the shameful carnage. The local media only woke up to the reality after seeing the wide coverage to the mayhem in the international media.
Realizing the adverse publicity and the growing wide spread criticism by mainstream fair minded Sinhalese intellectuals, professionals and Buddhist monks, the Rajapaksa government began a program to rebuild the burnt, destroyed and damaged property. This includes places of worship.
However the wound remains deep as the perpetrators escaped scot free and the looted belongings to the value, some estimate at billions of rupees, have disappeared forever. Those racist elements which instigated these atrocities have once again begun to carry out their hate Muslim campaign.
Now a year after the carnage the unanswered question is why did the Rajapaksa government unleash a wave of violence against Muslims targeting their religious, cultural and economic life, aimed at eliminating them as a community, culminating in the Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town carnage?
Did the Island’s Muslims who are as blue blooded citizens of this country as the others are, do any crime? Did the Muslims attack any Temple, Sinhalese businesses or oppose the Rajapaksa government in any way?
Instead as the most peaceful of all the three major communities in the country the Muslims, as stated by former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva, only wanted to live in peace and harmony with all communities Those Muslims in the north and east were keen to return to their homes and rebuild their lives shattered during decades of ethnic war caused by the racist politics of the two major political parties-United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Of course corrupt Muslim politicians shamelessly remained with the Rajapaksa government while jet setting wheeler dealer moulavis and discredited civil society leaders were more keen to please Rajapaksa brothers, perhaps for personal benefits at the expense of the community, than attending to the sufferings and grievances of Muslims.,
In unleashing this carnage the defeated President Rajapaksa government and the racist elements that carried out the hate campaign against Muslims have conveniently forgotten the role played by the Muslim community in opposing the LTTE call for a separate Elam to protect the territorial integrity of the country and the price they paid for such a stand.
What they also failed to understand is that if not for firm Muslim opposition to Elam call, the country would have been divided long ago as it was not militarily equipped, at the early stage, to meet the challenges posed by separatists backed by India.
Now the question is whose agenda was this hate Muslim campaign poisoning the Sinhalese minds against Muslims to the detriment of all communities and the country?
Perhaps the agenda of defeated Rajapaksa government’s new found friend Israel- the international pariah which destabilized the entire Middle East, time and again kicked out by Sri Lankan governments in the past only to return likemidnight thieves.
However Muslims were aware that destructive racist elements always saying that “we will take care of the Tamils first and deal with Muslims later”. Perhaps they got that opportunity in the aftermath of the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 with the patronage of Rajapaksa government and, as I always suspect, the support of the Israelis who have stealthily entered the country with the support of Rajapaksa government and managed to penetrate many key areas.
Dealing with local politicians is simple for Israelis, whose only agenda has been against Islam and Muslims as, by and large, most local politicians and even media personnel are ignorant of Israel’s crime records and their indifference towards injustice towards Muslims here and abroad.
This is the reason why the Muslims voted for President Maithripala Sirisena in the 8 January 2015 presidential elections .Muslims feared an island wide attacks on Muslims this year especially in the context of provincial counselor Udaya Gammanpila openly stating that an attack on Muslims is inevitable in 2015 to mark the anniversary of 1915 Sinhala Muslim riots.
This fear was further strengthened by the Rajapaksa government allowing Myanmar’s controversial Buddhist monk Asin Wirathu, once described by TIME magazine as the “Face of Buddhist Terror”, who has been carrying on a relentless campaign against the Rohingya Muslims, to enter the country and giving a reception usually given to a head of state and signing an agreement with anti Muslim racist outfit Bodu Bala Sena.
In view of these developments many knowledgeable Muslims believe that the election of President Maithripala Sirisena averted an island wide Aluthgama type attack on Muslims by racist elements to mark the 1915 Sinhala-Muslim riots this year.
It was under such circumstance Muslims observe the first anniversary of the Aluthgama carnage.
Meanwhile a book titled “Mayhem during Curfew “on Aluthgama, Bruwala and Dharga Town atrocities was released recently. This book contains a collection of selected articles, appeared both in the local and the international media, on the attacks on Muslims of Aluthgama, Dharga Town and Beruwala. The local media dismissed the pogrom and thus the need to put the record straight for posterity.
