IMAM IRSHAD SOOFIE.  ‘īd (عيد) MESSAGE

Allah Y   says in the Holy Qur’aan in the 2^nd Chapter al-Baqarah (the Cow) in verse 185:

No one can appreciate the month of Ramadaan unless he fasts and due to this process he begins to realize that ‘true strength’ is not a big muscular body but a determined spirit. Not only was the stomach committed to hunger but the soul and mind was committed to a form of hunger for God. The stomach screamed for the food of the earth but then falls silent whereupon the soul begs God in eternity and cannot be silenced.  The Holy Prophet Muhammad e and his companions changed the world in 10 Ramadaans. They attained Taqwa or sensitivity that sovereignty rests with God, not the predatory governments of the world nor the ‘modern slave-masters’ and they unshackled the oppressed only to be subservient to God and His representative political and economic dispensation. Today billions fast for scores of years and there is no change for very few teachers exist who teach the true meaning of this spiritual exercise beyond the ritual.  God says in the Holy Qur’aan the final revelation

O You securely committed (to God ) ! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you that you might remain sensitive to Gods superiority and sovereignty.

Not only was the stomach tamed, but all other appetites are tamed. All those who experience this yearly training exalt and thank God on the Day of ‘īd (عيد) or celebration or recurring happiness. What had seemed like physical deprivation at the beginning became spiritual satisfaction at the end. The act of self-taming in Ramadan strengthens the will and the will power. This extra will power helps to overcome obsessions and addictions. During the Islamic fast, every organ in the body that has been given to us as trust by God is put to a critical test. We are not celebrating the end of a hunger strike but a training session for us to develop a firm commitment to God  (taqwa). The result of being conscious of God is to be naturally pious and grateful to God for His immense favours during the blessed month of Ramadan. Just as plants have their own season of flowering, so Ramadan is the season of the year, for blossoming of goodness, virtue and piety of the Muslim Ummah (nation). Just over a billion people, one-fifth of the world population, jointly watered the garden of virtue in the same lunar month, all over the world. As we celebrate this ‘īd (عيد) may we one day truly celebrate the unshackling of the oppressed and starving masses around the world. All of us as servants of God have undergone the training and we will develop in accordance with our technique and understanding. We are released for eleven months to see whether the training has been adequate and effective. This is because God wants us to make the choice and behave well, when left alone and unattended. Has the fast had the desired result of giving us God consciousness or have we mistaken God consciousness as being window dressing i.e. adapt a certain external garb and follow certain ritualistic behavior with group affiliation. Are we being socially acceptable or are we accepted by God? What is the use of wearing an "Islamic" dress (if there were such a dress) when our heart inside is tainted- "Bo blink, binne stink" - as they say in Afrikaans i.e. ‘shines on the outside, but stinks inside’! The word "Libaas" (dress) is certainly used in the Holy Qur’aan, but it is used with "Taqwa" in the 7th Chapter, al-A’raaf in verse 26 God says in The Holy Qur’aan in the explains piety as:

The dress of Taqwa (piety with God-consciousness)  is the best dress!

  We do not have to go to details, but it is a public secret that some big bearded; ‘islamically dressed’; ‘five time praying’ and ‘continuously preying’, yearly Saudi visiting capitalists overwork their poor employees and underpay them heartlessly!  We also know that they are ruthless landlords, squeezing and sucking the last drop of blood from their hapless tenants.  (Please note that we do NOT say that "all" are like that.  There is a great numerical difference between "all" and "some".  These remarks will ignite only those on whom the shoe fits!)

God does want us to do (as the Qur’aan indicates) is to have a kind heart, to assist the poor and needy; to feed the hungry and clothe the naked; to give assistance to the widows and orphans who have no one to look after them.  The Holy Prophet     wants us to remove thorns from the path, so that others may not hurt themselves when walking on the spot; he wants us to conduct blind people safely across the street.  THAT is WORSHIP.  THAT is Islam! Today on this Day of ‘īd (عيد) we we must condemn both the ‘state terrorists’ outside Islam and ‘vigilante terrorists’ within Islam that hurt and kill innocents.  We are kept entertained with sport whilst the politicians of the world carry out atrocious acts. So called ‘progressive, modern civilization’ has adopted the ‘bread and circuses’ of the Romans. Give them ‘bread’ and give them ‘circuses. Whenever things got hard for the Roman politicians they gave the people more bread and more circuses. This is what is done in Ramadaan in ‘Muslim countries’. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   went to Madinah, Abdulla ibn Salaam, the great Jewish Rabbi who became Muslim, went to hear the words. He says the first thing he noticed was

 This is called firasa (insight) because the Arabs knew firasa. He sat and listened and the first thing the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   said was:

 That’s the message of Islam. Fifty percent of the world’s population is living below the poverty line. They’re living in slums. Most people on this planet don’t even have proper water to drink. We are in ni’mah. How are we going to thank God for this ni’mah that we are in? We think were going faster and faster so were progressing! No! Were going down! Were heading for a crash! Get back to Godliness and fill yourself with love. You can only give what you got.