A FAST FIT FOR A KING

Jewish, Fasting, Yom Kippur, Ramadan

The Muslim boy answered, “Muslims fast on Ramadan because that is the month that Prophet Muhammad received the first verses of the Holy Koran. Fasting brings us closer to God and stimulates us to give charity to the hungry. Jews fast for one day because that is what the Torah requires of them. There is only one God. Jews and Muslims obey the same God, but God asks each religious community to do different things. God judges us according to how good we are in our own religion, not according to somebody else’s religion. The Holy Koran in surah 5 says, “If Allah had so willed, He could have made humans a single people, but He tests you in what He has revealed to you, so strive to compete in all virtues.” My father says that this is one of the most important teachings of the Koran for both Muslims and everyone else in todays world. Muslims fast everyday for the whole month of Ramadan, but only from sunrise to sunset. We can eat dinner after sunset and breakfast before sunrise. Jews have to go without food or drink for a full 24 hours on Yom Kippur. Each community must be faithful to its own religion

RAMADAN IN THE HEARTLAND

Ramadan, Detroit, Michigan, Middle Eastern, Food

The Detroit suburb of Dearborn is where the Midwest meets the flavors of the Mideast. By Alia Yunis For most Americans, Detroit conjures up images of cars, the Motown sound, and perhaps even 8-Mile. If you�re an Arab-American, it...

Rumi and the Uncommon Denominator

ramadan; spirit,

Mahmood Sanglay Fasting is the first principle of medicine; fast, and behold the strength of the Spirit. Rumi The famous mystic, who now holds the title of the most widely read poet in America, touches on two fundamental truths: one, that physical health is connected to spiritual discipline and, two, that the physical exercise of the spiritual discipline brings forth the strength of the spirit. It is such a profound truth so simply stated. That is the wonder of Rumi who speaks universal truths in plain, unpretentious language. Rumi draws attention away from the beauty of language and instead draws greater attention to the meaning of his message. In poetry this works only if the meaning resonates deeply and powerfully with the reader. In eight hundred years Rumi has become a global phenomenon because the meaning of his message has touched people around the world. This is the universal quality of his work. His message goes beyond the boundaries of nationality, time, space, culture and even religion. Non-Muslims are attracted to Rumi because he reveals truths about humanity. He is a master of delivering the message of Islam in a most inclusive way so that non-Muslims appreciate the truth without being intimidated by its underlying Islamic ethos. Similarly, he delivers the truth in a way that compels Muslims to recognise that the truth cannot be limited to the boundaries of Islamic faith and practice. Truths are universal and belong to all people, irrespective of their faith. So when he speaks of fasting as a first principle in medicine he immediately connects the physical and the spiritual in a way that confronts the exclusivism of both religion and science. There is no sense in seeking spiritual health if one neglects physical health. The converse is also true. Rumi recognises the fundamental importance of nutrition to the body, and how the proper regulation of food intake can maintain physical health. However, he immediately qualifies this statement by adding that fasting is essentially a spiritual act designed to strengthen the spirit.

RAMADAN MUBARAK AND HAPPY ROSHASHANA



FROM ALL OF US AT MUSLIM WAKEUP!...

Sexuality and Faith: For A Better Fulfillment

Rumi, Faith, Muslim, Sexuality, Orgasm

Images of love making and sounds of heat-filled exchanges are splashed on screens more than from pages of Scriptures. Yet, sex is not the franchise of wicked pimps and the merchandise of insane harlots, running amok on Bollywood dance floors and spewing haram semen on lounge bars. The story of a naked Adam in company with a nude Eve is as much primordial as it is sacred reading of all our divine Books. Notwithstanding, married people are torn between these two oddities, it seems like, without much reference from Islamic sources, as to what should be the stand when sex and faith are jamming. Does sexual pleasure betray of a weakening Faith and/or should a strong faith exclude sexuality?

Malaysia’s Shame

Dr. Farish Noor; Malaysia;Revathi

t seems as if there are some folk in Malaysia today who believe that the country cannot get enough bad publicity. Over the past few years the country’s religious authorities in particular have been at the forefront of the effort to show Malaysia and Islam in the worst light imaginable: A few years ago Malaysia made the international headlines when members of the religious morality-police vice squad raided a nightclub in the capital, arresting and detaining all the young Malaysians there who happened to be Muslims, while allowing their non-Muslim friends and companions to party the night away. Those arrested later complained to the media that they were harassed and abused, locked in cages and humiliated by the morality police themselves.

Suicide Bomb

fiction, Dic Cheney, Halliburton, Suicide Bomber, bomb

“America, they don’t even let aid workers help. Many charities, they want to help, but America limit them. America restricts how much help they can do for Iraqis.” Ali notices my confused look. “Like I told you, America needs to keep the chaos in Iraq.”