Malfuzat - Volume IX — Page 463
Al-Mufti [The Jurist] 463 Five Endeavours [of Islam] The Promised Messiah as said: God Almighty has established five endeavours in the religion of Islam: (1) Prayer , (2) Fasting, (3) Zak a t and alms, (4) H ajj, and (5) restraining and repelling the enemies of Islam through the sword or the pen. These five endeavours are proven from the Holy Quran. Muslims should strive in them and abide by them. These [obligatory] Fasts are only for a month in the year. Some people of Allah often fast as a supererogatory act and strive in them. However, keeping fasts forever is forbidden, that is, it should not be so that a person is continuously fasting, rather one should keep supererogatory fasts sometimes and not at others. It is Permissible to Buy Items Given as Alms A person submitted to the Promised Messiah as : ‘I rear hens and offer one-tenth of them in the name of God, and a portion of flour is sepa- rated daily in our house for alms. Is it permissible that I purchase those chicks and the flour myself and send that amount in the related cate- gory [of alms]?’ The Promised Messiah as replied, ‘To do so is permissible. ’ Note: It should be understood in this respect that actions are depend- ent upon intention. If someone buys it themselves as the purchase and sale are both in their hands, and they can buy them for any small amount they wish, then it will be a sin. 1 1. Badr, vol. 6, no. 43, p. 3, dated 24 October 1907