Islam and Modern Life — Page 30
ISLAM AND MODE RN LIFE 30 The rigidity is created by those who took the position of the priesthood in Islam. They had not the position, but they elevated to themselves. These are only instances. For instance, this month is the month of fasts. Every adult Muslim, man and woman, beca use believe me, women have in Islam as good souls as men have. Now that’s another puzzle in the West. Man and woman, during this month, let’s say lunar month, 29 days, 30 days, from the first strike of dawn, and we are in the middle of that month now, toda y was the 23rd day of it, till after sunset, must not eat or drink or smoke, must concentrate more on moral and spiritual matters, though they should carry on their daily occupations. Oh yes, but then if you are ill, not only there is a dispensation, you are commanded not to fast if you are ill. If you are on a journey, the same command. The discipline is kept, and yet also the elasticity. But if you are giving salt to a child, you are exempt. But if the person is weak, he is exempt. But if the person is approaching old age and now cannot endure the discipline of the fast, he is exempt. But those who are permanently exempt, in order to keep up again the parallelism of the discipline, should provide food of the average kind that they eat themselves for one needy person. Well, and so on. It was not my purpose to explain this, but what I mean is it concentrates on the spirit but is quite elastic with regard to what has its benefits – communicational pra yer, together, and so on. If you can’t say it together, you say it by yourself. It has its benefits, but in exceptional cases, so long as the spirit is maintained, you can depart to that degree from the physical requirement. Now, with regards to the second question with which we started, what does Islam say with regards to this puzzle