A Letter to a Dear One — Page 81
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan 81 to sacrifice one’s life and lineage in the cause of Allah. This is a great promise and a huge responsibility. If one makes this promise with sincerity and is prepared to fulfill it, then Allah blesses him with great reward and much grace. Allah the Almighty says that the objective of fasting is not to stay hungry and thirsty, but it is designed to inculcate the fear and love of God. The various other benefits of fasting are that man gets to exercise sacrificing physical comfort and to endure hunger and thirst. Fasting creates a sense of equality between the rich and the poor. By developing an appreciation of hunger and thirst, it makes the well-off think of the needs of the poor and impresses a feeling of compassion in their hearts. It makes them appreciate, by experiencing the practicality of it, the state a human being endures when hungry and thirsty. Ramadan is a most effective and excellent means of spiritual development for mankind. Allah the Almighty says that various forms of worships have other rewards; however, He Himself is the reward of observing fast. The blessings of fasting can indeed be deduced from this alone. Hajj Hajj is another form of worship. It is obligatory for each adult Muslim who can afford it. Apart from the financial aspect, the ability to afford the pilgrimage also means that one is able to travel and perform the Hajj in peace. During Hajj , the person who intends to perform it, is required to travel to Mecca during the prescribed days and observe all the rites and ceremonies. There is no need to go into the details of these ceremonies here, however, it is important to draw your attention to the fact that the valley and city of Mecca have been the landing place of Divine Light. © a ñ rat Ibr ā h ī m [Abraham, ‘alaihissal ā m] and © a ñ rat Ism ā ‘ ī l [Ishmael, ‘alaihissal ā m] built the Ka‘ba here. Then the greatest of all prophets, Muhammad ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam), was born here and was indeed brought up here. This is where he entered adulthood and then prophethood was bestowed upon him. This is where the Holy Qur’ ā n was revealed and the guidance for the world was entrusted to Prophet Muhammad ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam), thus the spiritual fountain was sprung, which is the font of the true life. One who saturates on this fountain finds eternal life and one who stays away is deprived of the true life.