Newsletter of the Claremont Main Road Mosque · Vol.3 No.4 - June 2014/1435
Roewa 2014
Fasting For The Love Of God Imam A. Rashied Omar During the month of Ramadan Muslims display their gratitude and thanks to their Lord for the guidance given to them in the Qur’an by abstaining from food, drink and sex from dawn to sunset. It is beneficial from time to time to evaluate our motives and intentions for serving God and for growing in Godliness. Moreover, in a well-known prophetic tradition (hadith) the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) reminds us to be mindful of our intentions when he proclaimed: “All Actions are driven by and are thus to be judged according to their intentions. And everyone shall have that which they intended.” (Bukhari and Muslim). As unique individuals we may differ in our motivations for fasting during Ramadan. We have identified five broad motivations for fasting in Ramadan. These motivations need not be exclusive, meaning that one individual may have a combination of motives, and neither are the motives ranked in any order of preference. 1) First, we may fast out of conformity and custom. We may have been reared and nurtured with fasting in Ramadan and it has been so ingrained in us that fasting in Ramadan has now become part of our cultural tradition. 2) Second, we may fast in response to a Divine imperative, that is, out of a sense of duty to God. This is often emphasized in Muslim discourses on Fasting in Ramadan as one of the five pillars (arkan) of Islam. 3) Third, we may fast in order to obtain Allah’s forgiveness. This motive is supported by many prophetic traditions (ahadith) the most famous of them being the following: “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with sincere faith and accountability will have all previous of his/her sins forgiven.” (Bukhari and Muslim) 4) Fourth, we may fast in order to reap Divine rewards. There are numerous prophetic traditions that speak to the many blessings to be obtained from fasting in the month of Ramadan. 5) Fifth, we can fast for the love of God. With love of God as the motive, the goal of
the worshipper is not merely seeking to avoid hell or to gain heaven, but s/he is motivated by true love for God and the desire to thank Him and to immerse him/herself in His beauty and perfection. There is something to be said for all of these noble intentions, attitudes and motivations and the textual sources of Islam, the Glorious Qur’an and prophetic traditions seems to support all of them. Even the first one, namely that of customary and cultural practice, can be a useful platform from which to begin and from which the individual can find transformation in and through fasting. All of these motivations are equally valid depending on the stage of the individual’s journey to God.
“...our view is that to fast for the love of God should be the prime motivation for fasting, and indeed all acts of worship.” However, our view is that to fast for the love of God should be the prime motivation for fasting, and indeed all acts of worship. To understand love of God, we have to understand unconditional love. Perhaps the closest experience to unconditional love is the love a mother has for her infant baby. A mother caring for her infant baby is not motivated by rewards she hopes she might reap later from the adult child. She is motivated only by her love for the baby and the desire to do her best to meet the needs of her baby, and expects nothing from the baby in return. So too, when we are motivated in our actions by love of God – we are not motivated by what rewards these may incur in this life or the hereafter, we think only of serving God for His sake and for His Love. This devotion to God strengthens our faith and belief that we are the servants of God, and that all our actions and deeds on this earth should be dedicated to pleasing Him. Whether it is what we do as parents, as spouses, as children, as workers, as citizens or as worshippers, if we are motivated by love of God, we truly aspire to be close to God. We pray that Allah, the Dispenser of Grace, will purify our intentions such that our fasting in Ramadan is purely for the Love and Grace of God.
Editorial In two weeks time insha-Allah we will once again be welcoming the blessed month of Ramadan. In our lead article Imam Rashied provides some sage advice on how we can reap the benefits of this sacred month. In this edition, we give a preview of some of our Ramadan programmes, which include a youth i’tikaf, hajj classes and running club. We hope these programmes will be beneficial and supported by all. In April 2014 we celebrated 20 years of democracy. On pg 8, we include reflections on this occasion from an anti-apartheid struggle perspective and a youth perspective. In keeping with commentary on current events, on pg 12 Brian Ashley places the demands of the striking Marikana mineworkers in the context of the broader struggle of the labour movement for social justice. Once again, we are privileged to report on the many masjid activities we’ve had over the past few months. In addition to our Jihad Against Poverty programmes, we also report on our Environmental Justice and Gender Justice programmes. In particular, we urge you to read and strive to implement some of the tips for a greener Ramadan given on pg 5. Finally, we pay tribute in this edition to Abu Bakr Hattas, one of many deceased stalwarts of CMRM. We wish you all a blessed Ramadan Karim, insh-Allah.
This masjid lectern was donated by Imam Shaheed and his family in memory of their father, Boeta Gasant Gamieldien (d. 1995).
40-42 Main Road, Claremont, 7708 • 021 683 8384 • www.cmrm.co.za