Today is the day celebrated as Eid-Al-Fitr in many Islamic nations, and it is time to wrap up my writings on Islamic fasting.
To millions of Muslims celebrating today, the Quran is a miracle. We are told that the style of writing of the Quran is this such that it is absolutely inimitable not just in Arabic but in any language (Quran 10:37-38). Such is the miracles claim based on the aesthetics of the Quran. Reading Quran itself how well does not bear out this suggestion. What is remarkable instead this is how light the Quran is when it comes to offering reasonable for anyone to accept its message. What is lacks for in cogent arguments, however, it makes up for in rhetoric and non sequiturs. For example, it points to natural phenomenon and claims that they represent evidence for God and the afterlife promises of the Quran, but only to “those who think” or the faithful. (Only the select few get to see the Emperor’s clothes, obviously). Anyone who rejects this is dismissed, insulted, and threatened with hellfire.
Hence, given the inimitability claims, following this style while summing up my thoughts on the fasting practice would be killing two birds with one stone.
Enjoy.
Blind obedience-by No Cross No Crescent
In the sleepless nights and wasted days of Ramadan there are reasons for contemplation
For those who don’t observe the Ramadan and scuff at the whole “eternal hellfire” contention
Those who, for understanding the human nature, in halitosis haven’t found much inspiration
Their questions include, “whence self improvement became contingent on starvation?
Are kidney stones, or piety, more likely to come from dehydration?
Why are peptic ulcers and migraine headaches a requirement for divine satisfaction?
If sadomasochism is a commandment from the divine, why not simply self-flagellation?
If God mandated fasting, did he have a clue toward how much hypocrisy this would cause inclination?
Or should you spy on your neighbor as part of the fasting rules’ implementation?
Perhaps God, quite literally, took a page from George Orwell’s imagination?
Is rudeness, all too prevalent among the fasting, a sign of a godly nation?
For the plight of the hungry, does this ritual, among the rest of us, truly create comprehension?
Does separating the Muslim from the non-Muslim in this way lead to a healthy interfaith relation?
Or would forcing the non-Muslim to abide by the Muslims’ rule be God’s idea of persuasion?
Does God prefer daytime sleepiness to excelling in work and education?
Shouldn’t we wonder if the whole Ramadan thing was meant for purposes of enslavement and subjugation?”
With no answers coming, the skeptics look dismayed at the masses believing absurdities without a shard of evidence
Such thinkers turn to critical inquiry in their investigation of all the blind obedience.
And learn that not to be taken in by empty threats is a sign of resilience.
