Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :
According to the Holy Quran, there is no scope for such sacrifice as monasticism or passing life in ‘eat’ drink and be merry’. The Ayat says, ……”But the monasticism /Which they invented /For themselves, We did not /Prescribe for them.” (Sura Hadid 57:27, The Holy Quran : Translation and Commentary by A. Yusuf Ali) Monasticism, in the
‘former’ Ummat or the ‘present’, is unwanted. So, those who accept it in the name of sacrifice, follow the wrong path. This is their ‘invention’. It should not be treated as right from the Islamic point of view.
There is authoritative reference of Hadith in this regard. Once Rasulullah (Sm) delivered a lecture on the certainty of the Day of Judgement and the accountability before Allah.
A few companions of the Prophet (Sm), being influenced by the lecture (but, not in the proper spirit) of Rasulullah (Sm) resolved to observe fasting everyday, to pray every night, not to sleep on beds, not to eat meat or fat, not to have anything to do with women or perfume and to wear coarse clothes. They rejected the worldly enjoyments. The Prophet (Sm) heard this and warned them: “I have not been directed by Allah to live in this manner. Your bodies certainly have rights over you; so observe fasting; but also abstain from fasting (this fasting is not the obligatory fasting of the month of Ramzan), and pray at night, but also sleep. Look at me. I pray at night; but I also sleep. I observe fasting, but I also abstain from fasting. I eat meat, as well as fat. And I also marry. So whoever turns away from my way, is not with me.” (Bukhari, Muslim Sharif)
This Hadith hints at the principle of normalcy above any extremism. Here, ‘fasting’ has been mentioned and it should be taken in the right perspective. We should never ‘turn away from’ the ‘way’ of ‘Rasulullah’ in the name of Islam. ‘Invention’ or ‘innovation’ should not guide us.
The Holy Quran says: “O ye who believe, /Make not unlawful /The good things which God/ Hath made lawful for you, /But commit no excess/ For God loveth not/Those given to excess.” (Sura Mayeda 5:87, Do)
These directives are for pursuing a balance in our worldly activities. The Revelation of the Holy Quran and the Hadith of Rasulullah (Sm) clearly define our ‘way’ and warns us not to crossed the limits. In our practical life, the denial of legal enjoyments or committing of excesses are far from Islam.
Allah does not want that human being escapes from the struggle of this world. He wants that our enjoyments be measured.
Obligatory fasting is one of the fundamentals of Islam. It should be borne in mind that, nothing in the observance of fasting or any ritual, is acceptable to Allah, which is not based on the Quran and Sunnah.
According to the Holy Quran, there is no scope for such sacrifice as monasticism or passing life in ‘eat’ drink and be merry’. The Ayat says, ……”But the monasticism /Which they invented /For themselves, We did not /Prescribe for them.” (Sura Hadid 57:27, The Holy Quran : Translation and Commentary by A. Yusuf Ali) Monasticism, in the
‘former’ Ummat or the ‘present’, is unwanted. So, those who accept it in the name of sacrifice, follow the wrong path. This is their ‘invention’. It should not be treated as right from the Islamic point of view.
There is authoritative reference of Hadith in this regard. Once Rasulullah (Sm) delivered a lecture on the certainty of the Day of Judgement and the accountability before Allah.
A few companions of the Prophet (Sm), being influenced by the lecture (but, not in the proper spirit) of Rasulullah (Sm) resolved to observe fasting everyday, to pray every night, not to sleep on beds, not to eat meat or fat, not to have anything to do with women or perfume and to wear coarse clothes. They rejected the worldly enjoyments. The Prophet (Sm) heard this and warned them: “I have not been directed by Allah to live in this manner. Your bodies certainly have rights over you; so observe fasting; but also abstain from fasting (this fasting is not the obligatory fasting of the month of Ramzan), and pray at night, but also sleep. Look at me. I pray at night; but I also sleep. I observe fasting, but I also abstain from fasting. I eat meat, as well as fat. And I also marry. So whoever turns away from my way, is not with me.” (Bukhari, Muslim Sharif)
This Hadith hints at the principle of normalcy above any extremism. Here, ‘fasting’ has been mentioned and it should be taken in the right perspective. We should never ‘turn away from’ the ‘way’ of ‘Rasulullah’ in the name of Islam. ‘Invention’ or ‘innovation’ should not guide us.
The Holy Quran says: “O ye who believe, /Make not unlawful /The good things which God/ Hath made lawful for you, /But commit no excess/ For God loveth not/Those given to excess.” (Sura Mayeda 5:87, Do)
These directives are for pursuing a balance in our worldly activities. The Revelation of the Holy Quran and the Hadith of Rasulullah (Sm) clearly define our ‘way’ and warns us not to crossed the limits. In our practical life, the denial of legal enjoyments or committing of excesses are far from Islam.
Allah does not want that human being escapes from the struggle of this world. He wants that our enjoyments be measured.
Obligatory fasting is one of the fundamentals of Islam. It should be borne in mind that, nothing in the observance of fasting or any ritual, is acceptable to Allah, which is not based on the Quran and Sunnah.
