WEB POSTED 12/01/1998
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE
BENEFICENT, THE
MERCIFUL.
[Editor's note: This article on fasting
during the Month of
Ramadan was originally web-posted December 1, 1998.]
As you
know, in a few days the entire Muslim world will observe the fast
of the Holy Month of Ramadan. This is the month in which the process of
the revelation of the Holy Qur'an was begun. This is a month that all
Muslims are commanded by Allah to fast. Those who are sick or on a journey
are given permission in the Qur'an to fast a like number of days, but,
no Muslim is exempt from the fast of Ramadan.
As students and followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, a man who I believe has been greatly misunderstood, oft-times by those of us who follow Him and also by Muslims in other parts of the world. We need to re-examine His Teachings and more importantly His motive for asking His followers in the '30s through the '70s to take this fast in the month of December rather than to follow the rotation of the month of Ramadan according to the lunar calendar.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) desired ease for His followers, as did Allah. So, Allah revealed the Qur'an to His Servant Muhammad in degrees over a 23 year period, thus, giving His Servant time to digest and internalize each verse that was revealed to Him by Allah through the angel Gabriel.
The process of gradualism was seen in the Prophet's permission at first to allow His followers to drink alcohol, then, a verse was revealed and the followers were told not to go near prayer when intoxicated, and finally, a verse was revealed prohibiting alcohol consumption altogether.
This process of gradualism was also seen in the institution of prayer which at first was at the beginning and end of the day, then, after the Prophet's Night Journey or Mirage, the five daily prayers were instituted in the present manner that it is practiced throughout the Muslim world.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in bringing Islam to us who have been thoroughly robbed of the knowledge of self and spoiled; having being reared under a wicked slave master to follow them in their practices, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad thus adopted a process of gradualism to bring us slowly but surely into the Way of Allah as taught by the Holy Qur'an and exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad knowing that the fast of Ramadan would be difficult for a new convert, and knowing that we were steeped in the false practice of the Christmas holiday where so much drunkenness, merriment and wickedness is practiced in the Righteous and Holy Name of Jesus; He decided that since we were lost from the knowledge of ourselves, our own people, lost from the nature in which we were created (Islam), and now were on a journey back to Allah; and, since we were spiritually, mentally and morally sick unto death; we qualified under the Qur'anic exemption to fast a like number of days.
Since the month of December has the shortest days of the year, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad chose this month so that His followers might fast with ease, while at the same time keeping us from participating in our habitual traditional practices associated with the holiday called Christmas.
Many of our Muslim brothers did not understand His rationale, nor did they have His Mission of resurrecting us from mental death, which is a gradual process of bringing us from a savage state to a state of civilized behavior. He withstood the criticism and kept us taking the fast of Ramadan during the month of December.
Before He departed from among us, He said these words to me, "I will not rest until this Book, Qur'an, becomes the law under which all of our people live." Those of you who are familiar with Him know that He never went to any engagement with any book other than the Holy Qur'an. Whenever He was in a debate with scholars of Christianity or Islam He took no book with Him other than the Holy Qur'an, and, of the 104 books His Teacher, Master Fard Muhammad gave Him to study He said, "The best of these books was the Holy Qur'an."
My dear beloved brothers and sisters, since the Honorable Elijah Muhammad desired all of us to follow, love, study, understand and carry into practice the principles contained in the Holy Qur'an, I believe now that we are mature enough in our Islam to stay away from the false worship of December 25th, and, I believe that we are mature enough in our Islam to do exactly what the Holy Qur'an demands, and that is--to fast during the Holy Month of Ramadan. Therefore, I am asking all of those who follow the Honorable Elijah Muhammad under my Leadership, to uphold what the Holy Qur'an teaches.
Let us all fast in the month of Ramadan that is ordered by Allah in the Holy Qur'an. Let us do no eating, drinking, or engaging in sexual intercourse with our husbands and wives during the daylight hours. This year Ramadan will start with the sighting of the new moon on or near December [8th until the sighting of the next new moon on or near January 6th]. Let there be no quarreling or fighting during this Holy Month.
In the Islamic world, when the fast is broken, food is eaten, including meats that are permitted by the Holy Qur'an. However, this is a prophecy in the Qur'an of One Coming who will teach the Book and the Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel and also will teach us what foods to eat and what foods to store in our houses. This is a prophecy concerning the Work of the Messiah.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad asked us during the month of Ramadan, when we broke our fast, to eat fish and not to eat any land animals.
His presence is to increase our length of life and to stop our rush into the grave. His first order in this process of changing our diet was to get us away from eating the prohibited swine flesh, the meat of wild animals and the scavengers of the sea. Then, He took us away from the coarse flesh of beef, then, He taught us that no meat or flesh was good for us. Finally, He said to us the best foods for us to eat are fruits and vegetables. Therefore, I am asking all of the followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad under my Leadership, not to eat any land or sea flesh during the Holy Month of Ramadan. We will break our fast with fruits and vegetables. These vegetables should be cooked in the manner prescribed by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in How to Eat to Live. The followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who are in prison, do not have to observe the strict vegetarian diet this year if you do not desire to. However, we should prepare to observe this diet during the Holy Month of Ramadan next year and gradually begin a vegetarian diet from this day forward.
This is part of the process of gradually bringing humanity back to the original diet that allowed human beings to live hundreds of years rather than the three score and ten years (70 years) given in the Bible. Since the fall of Adam, death was passed to the human family, therefore, a diet that brought us untimely death was also given. Prohibiting the eating of all flesh, from the land and the sea, will lengthen our days and give us better health.
To my brethren that are in prison who are of the Five Percent Nation, the Nation of Islam, Sunni and Orthodox Muslims, let us all fast, pray and study the Holy Qur'an. It is divided into seven manzils, or portions, which allows us to read, or recite, the entire Holy Qur'an in one week. It is also divided into 30 parts, which allows us to read the entire Holy Qur'an in one month. We should try to read one part each day so that by the end of the month of Ramadan, we would have completed the reading of the entire Holy Qur'an. We should perform all the prayers, and, if we can the special Tarawih prayer that is after Salatu 'L Isha.
Let us show the world that although there are some differences and misunderstandings among us, Allah says in the Qur'an that He will settle the differences between the Believers. Islam is the religion of peace. So, let no Muslim harm another Muslim or shed the precious blood of a fellow believer. Let us do harm to no one, except in defense of ourselves.
Ramadan is indeed a Sacred Month and we should work out our differences in the Way of Allah and His Messenger. We, as Muslims must be emissaries of Peace and the example of the Way of Islam.
I pray that all Muslims in America and throughout the world, especially those locked away in prisons who are striving in the Way of Allah will have a blessed, peaceful, and successful Ramadan.
Last year during the month of Ramadan, we were on our third world tour and started this fast in Nigeria. We kept this fast even though we were traveling. We were blessed to be in Saudi Arabia where we spent many of the last 10 nights of Ramadan in Mecca, particularly the Night of Power. We stayed in the Mosque throughout the entire night with nearly two million worshippers from around the globe. Surely, there is no religion that has a more beautiful prayer service than the one we experienced in the Holy City of Mecca on the Night of Power.
Two million men and women bowing, prostrating, and declaring the Oneness of Allah and the Oneness of the Human Family. It was a sight that I wish every Muslim could have seen and participated in. We ended the fast of Ramadan with the Eid Prayer in Moscow, Russia among 50,000 Muslims.
I am praying that two years from now in the year 2000, with the Help and Permission of Allah, that we will take from 10,000 to 20,000 Muslims to Mecca to perform the Sacred Pilgrimage.
May Allah bless those of us who follow the Honorable Elijah Muhammad under my Leadership to be obedient to this instruction.
As-Salaam Alaikum
I Am Your Brother and Servant,
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
Servant to the
Lost-Found
Nation of Islam in the West