Tag: Ramadan

A member of the House of Representatives Moruf Akinderu-Fatai has enjoined Nigerians to build on the mutual relationship among them for the continued peace, security and progress of the country.

Akinderu-Fatai, who represents Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency I urged Nigerians, irrespective of religious affiliation to see their neighbours as brethren.

He enjoined Muslims to exploit a component of breaking fast with people of different faith “as an effort to bridge and foster peace” in the nation.

“We need to pray and work together for the peace, unity and progress of our country. We have no other place to call our country. We must therefore do all we can to protect and preserve our common heritage,” he said.

He assured Nigerians that the atmosphere that would be created in such an engagement would promote peaceful coexistence, regardless of faith.

“The holy month of Ramadan should be seen as a blessing to our nation at this period; principles of Ramadan fast as they relate to societal cooperation should be imbibed and exploited. Let us explore this opportunity to renew our commitment to our nation and strengthen the bonds of unity among our people, irrespective of tribe or religion,” he noted.

Akinderu-Fatai cautioned clerics to be wary of their sermons, saying the core of their messages should always centre on love to achieve the desired unity and understanding.

In Islam, travelling is not just part of education. It is actually a form of education. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) realized this early in his prophet hood years and emphasized it. He said: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to China “. At that time, the world map, as it is today, had not been crafted out. China was considered the farthest place from Arabia.

It is in accentuation of the Prophet’s instruction that a renowned Arab poet came up with his famous poem which translates thus:

“No sensible, learned person has a permanent, resting place. Therefore, move from city to city and adapt to any new environment in which you may find yourself.

Travel and meet new contemporaries similar to those you may have parted with and left behind.

Interact with others for human comfort and prosperity are only attainable with interaction…”

The respect which Islam attaches to travellers is such that they are described as wayfarers in the Qur’an. And by virtue of their journey, Muslim travellers are not only permitted to reduce their four rakats of (Dhuhr, ‘Asr and ‘Ishai) to two each, they are also exempted from fasting while on such journey though they must recompense for the days not fasted. Not only that, they are also listed among the groups qualified to receive Zakah; the proviso, however being that such journey must be justifiable and legitimate.

Judging by the proviso above, it becomes understandable that a Muslim journey in Ramadan must be one of necessity and not of mere pleasure. As a month of worship, repentance, forgiveness, blessing, hope, fulfilment and liberation, Ramadan is supposed to cement families, friends and relations in a pleasurable atmosphere. And since that cannot be achieved on a journey, a genuine Muslim traveller is divinely granted a relief in terms of succour.

Despite the Qur’anic injunction on wayfaring however, a Muslim traveller may choose to fast and even complete his Salat while on journey. This is possible if the journey is comfortable and not rigorous.

The rule is that if the journey is as far as 48 miles or 77.2 kilometres or beyond, a travelling Muslim may break his fast with the intention of recompensing for the broken fasts later. He may also shorten his Salat according to jurisprudential rule without recompensing for it. But that rule was formulated at the time when horses, donkeys and camels were the means of travelling.

Today, when it is possible to travel from Lagos to Kano within one hour in a comfortable aircraft or from Port Harcourt to Makurdi in a fully air -conditioned car, in less than three hours, it may rather be unnecessary to indulge in breaking one’s fast especially when it is incumbent on the traveller to recompense for the fasts broken after Ramadan.

However, there is hardly any rule without exception. The modern exceptions to the rule of travelling in Ramadan have transcended those of the donkey age.

One of the most important aspects of marriage is mating. It is the means of procreation of children as legitimized by consummation of marriage. Across nations, tribes and cultures, legitimate mating serves as the lotion of love.

It is also perceived as the natural balm with which to soothe the aching areas of the matrimonial conflicts. A matrimonial home without sexual intercourse is like a desert without an oasis.

In Islam, sexual intercourse in the matrimonial home is so important that its constant denial by either party without any cogent reason, can lead to divorce which is abhorent to Allah.

Mating in Islam is not just for procreation of children, it is also a reconfirmation of love and fulfilment of nature’s promise. With matrimonial sex, paradise is attainable. Without it, paradise is deniable.

While elucidating on the gains of Sadaqat, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) once told his disciples that mating is Sadaqat if it is legitimately done. And legitimacy here means doing it with ones legitimate spouse. The prophet’s position on this is confirmed by Qur’an 2: 223 thus: “Your wives are your fields, enter them as you please….”. Denial of matrimonial intercourse to a spouse without reason is a violation of a fundamental marital duty. Even where both spouses have tested positive to HIV, intercourse should not be ruled out.

And where only one of them is positive the couple should reach an understanding on how to go about sexual intercourse.

In Ramadan, a couple can be as sexually active as outside Ramadan provided it is done between dusk and dawn. However, a serious Muslim couple must regulate sexual activities even during the nights of Ramadan to make room for observance of genuflections (Nawafil), Tilawah and supplications. And, it is preferable to perform the cleansing (Janabat) bath before the observance of early morning Salat (Salatu-s-Subh).

But where necessity or circumstance makes performing of Janabat bath impossible before the day break, there is no problem. All that needs to be done is to perform it as soon as such a circumstance is over. And that does not vitiate fasting.

It is, however, assumed that no serious Muslim will ever want to indulge in any unwarranted circumstance to skip Salatus-Subh by not taking Janabat bath at the right time. Allah judges deeds by intention. Whoever claims to be a Muslim must embrace Islam totally.

Year in year out , Muslims in most parts of the world always view Ramadan from economic, social, moral and spiritual perspectives. What they don’t seem to know is that the practical lessons of this divine month are far beyond those perspectives.

Science is in a state of continuous evolution and new discoveries follow one another’s heels. There is a large flow of information coming like a spring from symposia, encyclopaedias and medical journals which put the modern man always on the right path of knowledge.

Biologically, human beings grow old and eventually die. Very few people ponder over this occurrence. We have all accepted it as a natural phenomenon which we must abide by willingly or unwillingly.

Apart from old age, most people die not because they are naturally ripe for death but because the blood flowing through their coronary arteries clots sometimes prematurely and render their body systems partially effective in fully ineffective.

Because of the excessive consumption of such improper diets, and other defective factors in our biological set-ups human arteries become hard and rusty hence the mad rush for treatment.

This process of rustiness in human system is medically called Atheroma. And many theories have been advanced to explain its mechanism especially how it causes rustiness in human the blood vessels.

One of the great advantages of fasting (especially Ramadan fasting) is to increase the power of the blood to dissolve blood clots whether the clots are in the coronary arteries of the heart that cause heart attack or in the cerebral arteries that cause stroke.

Fasting, therefore, does not only lower blood pressure and alleviate angina pectoris (severe chest pain resulting from a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the heart); it also prevents arteriosclerosis (an arterial disease occurring especially in the elderly, characterized by elasticity and thickening of the blood flow). Not only that. Fasting also reduces the mortality rate of myocardial infarction otherwise called heart attack.

The blood sugar is maintained at a steady level during fasting, the glucose being formed in the level from glycogen and natural fat which have been mobilized to dispose tissue. If, however, there is any tendency of hypoglycemia (a decreased sugar level in the blood), the adrenal medulla a (vital endocrine gland that secretes hormones into the bloodstream) immediately secrets increased amount of catecholamine: adrenaline and non-adrenaline which prepare the body for either “fight of flight”.

Ramadan brings about an increase in secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary. Growth hormone causes an increase in human weight and acceleration of linear growth with widening epiphysis (the end of a long at the point where it was previously separated by cartilage to allow bone to grow) especially in young animals.