A Present to Kings — Page 29
( 29 ) be marrowless and a thousand defects must have entered into it which have destroyed its fertility. . Similarly with reference to Zakat the Holy Quran has said. Oh Prophet take zakat" خذ من اموالهم صدقة تطهرهم و تزكيهم بها (legal alms) from out their wealth and by this means purify them both outwardly and inwardly. " Now those people who pay Zekat but nevertheless experience no purification, whose possessions are not honestly acquired, but on the contrary who avail themselves of every legitimate or illegitimate means to add to them, and the love of the world is not cooled in their hearts, how can it be said of such people that they really pay. Zakat. . Again, after announcing the commands relating to Roza اذ الك يبين الله ! يته للناس . fasting), Almighty God has added) لعلهم يتقون. Thus does God rehearse His commands for the benefit of men so that they may turn God-fearing. " But in this age we find that men keep fasts and still are bare of piety. . The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be on him) said that it was not the object of God to see men go hungry; the men who kept fasts but forsook not lying, God had no need that they should go hangry; as in the following tradition عن ابي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال من لم يدع طعامه وشرابه قول الزور والعمل به فليس لله حاجة فى ان يدع. . Therefore, if inspite of keeping the fasts men should not grow in piety, then obviously their fasts are not of the kind intended in the Holy Quran, because the reason for making fasting obligatory was to produce piety and not to keep men hungry. What need has God that He should command men to suffer useless hunger. . With regard to Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca) it has been فمن فرض فيهن الحج رفت و فوق و لا جدال ,commanded لا الفسوق في الحج. Then whoso in this month resolves upon Hajj. must not lust, nor transgress, nor quarrel during the Hajj. " But the indignity with which Hajj is treated in these days is presumably well known to Your Highness. Far from aban-