Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Koran, as a guide to mankind, also Clear (Signs) for guidance and judgement (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.  (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:185)

Muslims welcome the holy month of Ramadan with simple and minimal decoration as the holy month does not stand as a celebration but as a time for religious and divine reflection. It is a time for spiritual stocktaking and moral revival. It is a time of rejuvenation of religious and moral piety and reaffirmation of faith. Even the diehard and titular Moslems undergo a behavioral and attitudinal change during this month.

The mosques are filled to capacity and the whole community assumes an atmosphere of religiosity: A time when even the confirmed sinners seek the benevolence of Allah; a time when evil and vile men seek atonement for their iniquities. Such is the month of Ramadan.

Perchance, our leaders will take advantage of the promise of forgiveness from Allah to turn a new leaf and do the needful in making our lives better and seek the path of righteousness. We have suffered enough as a people and this suffering does not need to continue.

With the resources with which we have been endowed, there is enough for everyone to bask in the prosperity of our God-given provisions. But when a few conspire to deny the majority their rightful share of the commonwealth, they sentence the people into penury, want, misery and poverty. Ramadan is therefore, an opportunity for sober reflection and a chance for meaningful and positive change.

Those who have perfected the ignoble art of cheating their fellowmen and converting the common patrimony into personal wealth have an opportunity to rethink and change. If only we know that the end is nearer than we think.

Abu Huraira narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW), said: “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” [Bukhari] Fasting in Ramadan is therefore a shield from Hell; fasting subdues sinful desires and reduces their severity: It is these desires and lusts that lead to Hell Fire.

The Quran talks about the reward of fasting and there are verses which general meaning infers that those who obey Allah will be saved from Hell, and fasting is a form of obeying Allah.

The Hadith of our beloved Prophet Mohammad (SAW), are clear in this regard; Abu Said al-Khudri reported that the Messenger (SAW) of Allah, said: “No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that Allah removes the Hell Fire seventy years further away from his face.” (Bukhari and Muslim)  Abu Said al-Khudri also relates that the Messenger (SAW) of Allah said: “Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire” (Ahmad, Sahih)

‘Uthman Ibn Abil-`Aas relates that the Messenger (SAW) of Allah said: “Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allah, Allah places between him and the Fire a trench like that between heavens and the earth”. (At-Tirmidhi and at-Tabarani, sahih)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran.

Ramadan is considered to be one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During the month of Ramadan, adult Muslims fast from dusk until dawn, unless they are ill, pregnant, or diabetic, breastfeeding, or traveling.

O you who believe! Guard your own souls: If you follow the right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who stray. The goal of you all is to Allah. It is He who will show you the truth of all that you do.  (Quran 5:105)

A deep reflection on the institution of Fast reveals the various ways in which fasting helps in the mending of habits and development of character and God consciousness.

With the onset of Ramadan, it behooves each fasting person to open a page from the book of muhasabah (critical self-evaluation) and to reflect on what is being achieved through the month.

What benefits are derived, which behaviors are adjusted, what good practices are adopted, which bad habits are being relinquished? How does the prayers and fasting of Ramadan influence attitudes and perspectives; how is it improving relationships with families, friends and neighbors; how much has it increased consciousness of responsibility towards the destitute; how is it impacting on the body, the heart, the mind and the soul?

If there is a genuine effort towards the spiritualization of one’s being, the moralization of consciousness, empathy in attitude and goodness in conduct; then perchance a concerted effort is being made of treading on the pathway towards the objective of fasting – the attainment of taqwa (piety). Truly, the month of Ramadan is a season for spiritual stocktaking.

In a world, increasingly amoral, perception is considered reality. How one appears to the world has overtaken the substance of who we really are. Taqwa is in reality character development coupled with God-consciousness. Character is not only the face in the mirror, but the real person behind the face.

The pursuance of piety begins by making our reputation a reflection of our character. Reputation may be reflected in what people write about you on your tombstone, character is what angels report about you to Allah; and that is the most important.

Ramadan is an ideal training period for filtering out bad habits and developing virtuous character. It is therefore a good time for our leaders to turn a new leaf, lest ‘we the people’ decide to chase them out like Oliver Cromwell did the ‘Long Parliament’ in 1653.

Cromwell’s speech aptly reflects the character of our leaders today: “It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.”

“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you has not bartered your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth? Ye sordid prostitutes; have you not defiled this sacred place, and turned the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation”.

If only they would change in the spirit of Ramadan! Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Your practice of faith will not be correct unless your actions are correct, and your actions will not be considered correct unless your heart is correct.” Ramadan is therefore a period for spiritual rejuvenation as it offers the opportunity for a unique expression of worship.

From ethical and moral perspectives, we should contemplate the higher purpose and the deeper meaning of our lives, trying to live meaningfully, balancing our physicality with our spirituality.

While fasting, we are far more aware of the hunger of the poor and the suffering of the oppressed and are therefore instructed to be more generous this month. This promotes attentiveness to social responsibility, interest in the welfare of society and inspires a continued spirit of generosity. The Qur’an refers to the fasting ones as sa’ihin/spiritual wayfarers. So, the journey of Ramadan motivates each person to perpetuate the positive spirit being imbibed and to continue on the spiritual journey towards fulfilment and excellence.

It is easy to talk about the world’s problem of hunger. We can feel sorry that millions of people go to bed hungry each day. But not until one can actually feel it in one’s own body is the impact truly felt.

Compassion based on empathy is much stronger and more consistent than compassion based on pity. This feeling must lead to action. Fasting is never an end in itself; that’s why it has so many different outcomes. But all the other outcomes are of no real moral value if compassion is not enlarged and extended through fasting.

It is therefore in the interest of our fasting leaders and those not fasting to shed the toga of iniquity, selfishness and corruption and for once think of the poor masses that are not only defenseless but also hungry. It is only by doing this that the fast can have spiritual reward and meaning.

As the prophet Isaiah said, “The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor.” (Isaiah 58:3-7)

As we embark on the Ramadan Fast tomorrow, may Allah accept our fast, prayers and supplications, let us start Ramadan with Bismillah and end it with Alhamdulillah. Ameen.

Barka Jumu’ah and Ramadan Kareem

Religion is an integral part of the lives of many people worldwide, and two of the most widely observed religious observances are Lent and Ramadan.

Western writers sometimes refer to Ramadan as “the Muslim Lent.” This is a grave error, though there are superficial similarities, significant differences and deep resemblances between Ramadan and Lent.

What is Fasting? Fasting is essentially giving up food (and something else) for a period of time in order to focus your thoughts on God. Fasting is found throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, over fifty times!

Fasting has a rich history in the bible, serving as a powerful way to connect with God. In the Old Testament, people often fasted in times of deep sorrow or when they wanted to humble themselves before God. Take David in Psalm 35:13, for instance—he fasted to express his humility before the Lord. In the New Testament, fasting becomes a way to draw closer to God, centering one’s heart and mind on Him. Jesus exemplifies this in Matthew 4:1-2, fasting for 40 days in the wilderness to prepare for His ministry.

Fasting often goes hand in hand with prayer, creating an intentional time of worship, like in Acts 13:3, where early Christians fasted and prayed together, or in Luke 2:37, where a widow faithfully fasted and prayed day and night.

In Islam Fasting is the hallmark of Ramadan. The Qur’an says Muslims should fast during the month of Ramadan because that is when the Qur’an was revealed (2:185). Fasting is obligatory for every Muslim, with certain exceptions (2:183-185). The Qur’an and Hadith  offer specific instructions on how and when the fast is to be practiced. For example: “eat and drink until you can tell a white thread from a black one in the light of the coming dawn. Then resume the fast until nightfall” (2:187).

Many Christians fast during Lent, although fasting is not a universal Christian practice. The Bible gives no specific instructions on a season that Christians are required to fast. Christian denominations have various traditions regarding fasting. For example, the Catholic Church in the United States instructs: “Catholics in the United States are obliged to abstain from the eating of meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays during the season of Lent.”

All Muslims throughout the world observe Ramadan, regardless of their sect, school or nationality. Christian observance of Lent varies greatly among Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. Some Christians, including many Baptists and the Pentecostals, do not observe Lent at all.

Ramadan focuses on self-discipline, devotion to God and generosity toward the needy. During Ramadan, Muslims cultivate complete obedience to God, sensitivity to God’s sustenance and empathy for those who are poor and hungry, hence the emphasis on sadaka, zakat and almsgiving during Ramadan.

Lent focuses on penitence and preparation for Easter. The climax of Lent is Holy Week, which commemorates the last week of Jesus’ life, including the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. The model of Jesus as a suffering servant is held up for Christians to follow (Phil 2:5-11).

Both Ramadan and Lent end in a joyous festival. Ramadan concludes with the Festival of Fast Breaking, Eid ul-Fitr. Muslims offer special prayers to God and alms to the poor. Lent ends with Easter, the festival of the Resurrection which celebrates new life in Christ.

Sincere faith is crucial for both Ramadan and Lent. The intentions of the Muslim determines the validity of the Ramadan fast (2:184). Jesus teaches that true fasting is of the heart, not merely of outward action (Mt 6:16-18). Pope John Paul II wrote about Lent: “The main current of Lent must flow through the interior man, through hearts and consciences.”

More worship participation and personal acts of piety mark both Ramadan and Lent. Despite their similarities, Ramadan and Lent operate in very different theological frameworks. But there is still deep resemblance between them.

Both Muslims and Christians connect increased devotion to God with religious acts of purity and self-sacrificial service. Fasting is placed in a larger context of God’s gracious provision. For both, true worship is a matter of faithful and joyful commitment to God, not mere conformity to religious rules.

Lent is 40 days of reflection and preparation observed by Christians, while Ramadan is a month-long (29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the new moon) period of fasting and spiritual reflection observed by Muslims.

One of the most significant differences between Lent and Ramadan is their timing. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days, leading up to Easter Sunday.

The timing of Lent is calculated based on the spring equinox, which falls between March 19 and 22. In contrast, Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows a lunar cycle. As a result, the dates of Ramadan change every year. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset for the entire month.

During Lent, Christians may choose to give up certain foods or activities as a way to purify themselves and prepare for Easter. Some Christians also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

During  Ramadan the fast is broken each evening with a meal called “iftar.”

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of Muslim life.

The purpose of Lent and Ramadan also differs. The purpose of Lent is to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and to prepare for the celebration of Easter. It is a time of penance, prayer, and self-denial, during which Christians seek to draw closer to God. Lent is also an opportunity for Christians to reflect on their lives and make changes that will help them live more closely to their faith.

In contrast, the purpose of Ramadan is to deepen one’s spiritual connection with Allah and to strengthen one’s faith. Muslims believe that Ramadan is a time of heightened spirituality, during which they can purify their souls and seek forgiveness for their sins.

Lent and Ramadan also involve different practices and rituals. During Lent, Christians may attend church services, pray, give alms, and participate in other spiritual practices. Some Christians also choose to abstain from certain foods, such as meat or dairy, during Lent. In contrast, during Ramadan, Muslims may perform additional prayers, read the Quran, and engage in acts of charity.

It is also common for Muslims to break their fast with family and friends, which is an important social aspect of Ramadan.

In conclusion, Lent and Ramadan are two of the world’s most important religious observances, experienced by millions of people worldwide.

There are two other types of fast we need to mention. Yom Kippur and Daniel’s Fasting. Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is just one of the few fasts that are a part of the Jewish religion, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld said. It’s considered the holiest day of the year and is observed eight days after Rosh Hashanah.

The rabbi said it’s a 25 hour fast that’s mandated in the Torah for men, women, boys over the age of 13 and girls over the age of 12. The fasts require observers to refrain from all food and drink (even water). Depending on which sect believers follow, bathing and physical contact with the opposite sex can also be prohibited.

Herzfeld said believers typically spend this period of fasting in a synagogue praying. It’s a time for repentance and asking God for forgiveness.

When the period of fasting is over, people feast and go back to regular eating and drinking.

Daniel Fast begins with the biblical story of the prophet Daniel and his three friends who were brought to the king of Babylonia’s palace. They were to train for three years to be the king’s servants.

The king offered them food, but Daniel did not want to “defile” himself with the king’s food, so he and his friends committed to eating only vegetables and water.

Rev Lavarin says the scripture doesn’t mandate the Daniel Fast for Christians, so it’s a voluntary journey.

Although Daniel and his friends fasted for 10 days during their time with the king, there was another fast that he did for 21 days. Lavarin says there isn’t a set amount of time that people tend to participate in the fast but the range is three days to 21 days.

Rev Marc Lavarin says the Daniel Fast consists of eliminating meat (including fish), dairy, wine and added sugars and eating vegetables and fruits and drinking water. The reverend likens it to being vegan.

May God accept our fasts, devotion, godliness, piety, compassion towards our fellowmen, and reward us abundantly during the holy months. May He preserve our lives and prepare for us a table full of all the desirables to make Ramadan a fulfilling exercise.

Unfortunately, many have hoped to partake in this Ramadan but Allah has called them home. One such person is our sister and friend, a schoolmate from primary school and associate during our sojourn in the United Kingdom, late Alhaja Mulikat Mojisola (Molly) Amusan-Ogbara. Wife of our friend and brother, Omogoriola Ogbara, a retired Honorable and old Grammarian. Moji joined in the celebration of the Mayflower Junior School 59/69 set ReUnion party last January. Photos and video clips showed her dancing and making merry, but Allah had written that she would be leaving us. Moji’s death is more painful as her mother, Alhaja Amudalat Amusan, a Muslim leader in her own right is still alive in her 90s. Moji was her eldest child. Inna lillah wa ina ilehi rajiun. Moji left last Thursday 13^th February and was buried on Friday 14^th and a farewell prayer was held for her last Sunday 16^th. May Allah admit her to Jannatul Firdous.

Rabbana atina fid dunya hasanatan wa fil Aakhirati hasanatan waqina ‘adhaban-nar. “Our Lord! Give us in this world (that which is) good and in the Hereafter(that which is) good & protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”(Quran 2:201)

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend

Strong winds and heavy rain pummeling Gaza’s survivors. Winter weather conditions are worsening the plight of Palestinians sheltering among the enclave’s ruins.

‘Worse than hell’: Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since a ceasefire came into effect last month, pausing Israel’s 15-month assault and genocide. But most people found their homes destroyed or heavily damaged.

“What they met was a catastrophe, horrific destruction. The [Israeli] occupation destroyed all the homes, shops, farms, mosques, universities and the courthouse,” said  Osama Abu Kamil, a returnee.

After a year of conflict, two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, leaving behind 42 million tonnes of rubble and a mountain of health risks. Life in Gaza is worse than hell.

Medical evacuations and humanitarian aid have been flowing into the Gaza Strip through Rafah and the Karem Abu Salem crossing in the south, but they are not enough, especially tents and other humanitarian supplies.

The convoys are carrying a variety of essential items including food, tents, and sanitation products. Some of the tents are being sent to the northern part of the Strip to provide shelter for displaced families who are currently living in open spaces, struggling to cope with harsh weather conditions and a lack of necessities.

The World Health Organization estimates 14,000 Palestinian patients are waiting urgently for evacuation to receive advanced care outside Gaza, including 5,000 children.

The Israeli attacks and destruction are “a conspiracy against the refugee issue aimed at erasing it entirely”.

Arab League says in a statement that remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appearing to suggest the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi soil showed “a complete detachment from reality”.

“The kingdom affirms that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes,” said the Saudi  Foreign Ministry.

Perhaps like you, a number of emotions welled up in me as I watched a calculating charlatan suggest that America “will own” Gaza and that, for their own good, more than two million Palestinians would be evicted from their ancestral homeland to make way, presumably, for a horde of fanatical Israeli settlers and voracious real estate moguls.

One cannot but be angry at the audacity of a preening braggart who knows nothing about Palestine or its history but claims to have the best interests of Palestinians at heart while he intends to “clean out” Gaza and, in effect, erase them and their history.

“The US will take over the Gaza strip,” Trump said. “We will own it…you [Palestinians] just can’t go back.” The raving of a luni!

There is only destruction and rubles to “go back” to, since for 15 months, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. More than 60,000 Palestinians, mostly infants, children and women, have been killed. More than 100,000 people have been injured – in mind, body, and spirit – often grievously. But the fact remain that it is their land, holus bolu, and they are going nowhere. No chance for a repeat ‘nakba’.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has “caused an epidemic of traumatic injuries with no rehabilitation services available,” the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini said last week. “Now, Gaza has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world — many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anesthesia,”

Israel’s Assault Has Orphaned 19,000 Children in Gaza. Israeli forces have killed at least 2,100 babies and toddlers between 0 and 2 years of age in the first 10 months of Israel’s genocide. Doctors who have gone to Gaza on service trips have said that they constantly saw children shot in the head during their time in Gaza’s crumbling health facilities.

UNRWA has estimated that at least 10 children in Gaza are losing one or both legs per day in Israel’s attacks. This estimate doesn’t include children losing arms or hands, so the true number of children losing limbs each day is likely higher.

History will hold President Biden and his administration’s officials responsible for enabling the Israeli genocide in Gaza. For more than a year, he remained unmoved by the far-right Israeli government’s systematic campaign of slaughter, ethnic cleansing, forced starvation, and mass destruction that he sorry to say supported and excused.

Now, Israel is busy razing the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu and rancid company are determined to turn much of it into dust and memory, too – with the enthusiastic complicity of America’s entrenched political and media establishment.

That wanton brutality has not bothered Israel’s atrocity-excusing allies nor their defining disregard for the grotesque number and manner of Palestinian deaths.

To ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank and replace them with a string of seaside resorts has been the end game since 1948. And a succession of Democrat and Republican presidents has enabled Israel – with a spigot of arms and dependable diplomatic cover – to realize its dream of ridding Gaza and the West Bank of Palestinians once and decidedly for all.

It was a dream shared by the decrepit and recently departed Joe Biden, his duplicitous Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and craven Democratic Party “elites” who feigned interest in a phantom “two-state” concoction as they rearmed Israel to the hilt and voted down – again and again – ceasefire resolutions at the United Nations Security Council.

Biden and Blinken stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Netanyahu like obedient manikins while Israel vented its killing lust against largely defenseless Palestinians and Gaza was reduced to uninhabitable, dystopian-like rubble.

In words and deeds, Blinken and Biden set the egregious stage for Trump’s demented gambit.

I doubt that the Israel-is-always-above-reproach crowd who populate CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times opinion page will remember that senior Biden administration officials were also negotiating with Israel to drain Gaza of Palestinians but reached for a palatable euphemism called “civilian safe passage”.

Meanwhile, Trump’s ethnic-cleansing-drenched remarks have revealed that stages two and three of the so-called ceasefire agreement that set the terms for the possible reconstruction of Gaza are a cynical farce and at best a transparent sham.

Bereft of even a hint of humanity, Trump and Israel’s racist cabinet will make sure that Gaza will not be rebuilt. Working together, they will guarantee that Palestinians remain exposed and vulnerable to the harsh, unforgiving elements, deprivation, disease, and want.

For some, no homes, no jobs, no schools, no hospitals, no libraries, no playgrounds, will, inevitably, translate into no hope. But, they will not move from their ancestral land.

Palestine’s fate and future will be resolved by Palestinians in quiet conversation amid the ruins wrought by the “international community” who, for generations, has condemned and abandoned them to the rabid wolves.

The Yorubas have a saying that whatever is beyond our power is better left to God. There is no doubt the Palestinian issue has defied human intervention, with the lackadaisical attitude of their Arab brethren some of whom find it impossible to look the oppressors and their supporters in the face and tell truth to their power and the political and material impotence of the Palestinians make it imperative that the matter should be handed to the final arbiter. God.

The curse on Israel

Psalm 109 is a psalm in the Book of Psalms. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 108. In Latin, it is known as “Deus, laudem”. It is attributed to King David and noted for containing some of the most severe curses in the Bible. It has traditionally been called the “Judas Psalm” as noted in the New Testament. The New Oxford Annotated Bible titles this psalm as one of the Imprecatory Psalms against deceitful foes. Today this Psalm is very appropriate to be invoked against the Israelites for the pains caused the Palestinians.

Psalm 109

1 My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, . . . . . 7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. 8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.10 May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.15 May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may blot out their name from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.17 He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing—may it be far from him.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. . . .

Yes! God should not remain silent in the face of the horrendous calamity that has befallen the Palestinians. From the rubles of Gaza, Palestine must surely rise again. In Sha Allah.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend