Royalty of the Universe
Columns
Benson C Saili
THIS EARTH, MY BROTHER…
Like all wars, the First Galactic War that pitted the Drakons (Reptoids from the Draco star system) and Lyraens, the humanoids of the Lyra constellation who were the first human-like species to arise in the Milky Way Galaxy, was orchestrated by the foulest interdimensional beings. These were Lucifer, the Devil, and his angels, the demons. It was how he schemed to bring about a concertina effect of chaos in the universe, his universe, so that he could seamlessly profit from the humongous produce of negative energy such mayhem engendered. It is chaos and calamity that sustains Lucifer and his angels.
Lucifer’s primary – not only – instruments for this diabolical agenda were the Reptoids, particularly those from the Draco star system because he resonated with them the most vibrationally. The Reptoids had evolved from reptiles – creatures that were energetically very much in sync with him, whereas the Lyraens had evolved from lions and apes, creatures that had very little energetic synchronicity with him.
The Reptoid agenda was to conquer or destroy or both. Reptoids either conquered directly through war, or indirectly through divide and rule, like what they have so spectacularly done here on Earth. The foulest Reptoids also used humanoids as food by ingesting their blood and certain body parts. They also extracted humanoid hormones to help them retain a fake humanoid form. Furthermore, they used humanoid energy as a drug to get them high, particularly the energy of pre-pubescent humanoids. We will dwell on this subject at length in due course.
As we related last week, in the aftermath of the Lyraen war humanoids took flight and fanned out to other parts of the Milky Way Galaxy. But that’s not all they did. They also decided to form an alliance so that they could arbitrate disputes among themselves and militarily stand up to the Reptoid menace from a united front. The alliance was proposed by humanoids from Lyra and those of the Orion star system. It became known as the Galactic Federation of the Worlds and is administered by the Lyraen Council and Orion Council. It is headquartered in the Sirius star system.
The Galactic Federation of the Worlds is a sort of United Nations of the Galaxy. All star systems have a council and each of these council is represented in the Federation. Each progressive race, civilisation, and planet is represented in the Federation. At its inception, the Federation had only 110 member councils. Today, it has upwards of 200,000 member councils. Note that the Federation does not comprise of humanoids only: it also includes good-natured Reptoid races who do not share the same egregious agenda as the Drakons. Only 40 percent of the members are humanoids. The rest are Reptoids; Dinoids (a Reptoid race that descended from dinosaurs); Arctuarians (a mammaloid species that descended from a horse-like creature); Amphiboids (a race that evolved from a frog-like creature); Canines (a race that evolved from a wolf-like creature); Nommoids (a race that evolved from a dolphin-like creature); and others such as a race that evolved from a bear-like creature.
Like our UN, the Galactic Federation of the Worlds is not homogeneous through and through. It does have spells of in-fighting between elitist groupings who champion their own vested interests. Thus members do go to war with each other from time to time ultra vires of the Federation’s resolutions just as happens here on Earth when rogue and bully states such as the US unilaterally invade weak nations such as Iraq for instance. There have actually been two more galactic wars under the nose of the Federation. Moreover, some regions of the galaxy have their own federations which are independent of the Galactic Federation of the World. The Drakons, for example, have their own federation. Be that as it may, the Galactic Federation of the Worlds seems to have made much more progress than it has suffered reverses over the ages, particularly in its confrontations with the Drakons. The Milky Way Galaxy is better off with the Galactic Federation of the Worlds than without it.
THE FOUR PRIMARY UNIVERSAL RACES
Now, the Milky Way Galaxy is vast. It has trillions of stars and planets. At the same time, it has all varieties of sentient beings who teem in it. However, there are four major races in our galaxy. These are Reptoids, Felines, Carians, and Humans. These were the first four races to emerge in this galaxy and therefore are its primary genetic template.
The Reptoids were the first race to come into existence in the universe. They evolved from giant lizards, dragons, snakes, dinosaurs, and reptile-like insects resembling the dragonfly. They are less emotional and therefore much more cruel and heartless than us humans. Their overriding mindset as embedded in their DNA is that they are the superior race of the universe and thus they have the right to conquer and colonise all star systems and destroy all those civilisations who resist. Historically, humans have been their main target and therefore we have been the ones who have resisted them the most. We have fought pitched wars with them even here on Earth in ages past. Reptoids have one major advantage over us though: they have a better understanding of the universal law of physics and sacred geometry. This is because they are the main instruments of Lucifer’s agenda for this holographic, mathematical universe, which is his own creation. The Reptoids’ main base is Alpha Draconis, also known as the Draco star system.
The Felines are also known as the “Lion People” because they evolved from lions. They were initially based in the Lyra constellation on a planet called Avyon, which has been described as the “First Earth”. After the First Galactic War, they scattered across the galaxy. The Felines are our closest cousins in that more than any other race, they like to blend genes with us and not for manipulative purposes but for mutually beneficial purposes. For example, in Lyra, the ruling line, the House of Avyon, was a Feline-Human hybrid. The Felines have been characterised thus: “The overall Feline temperament is warm, sanguine and intellectual. As they mature they take on more of a somber, introspective and gentle nature. The elders are revered for their wisdom, compassion and insight. As a race they are extremely close and have a great sense of fair play … There is a certain amount of sternness and seriousness that goes with this type of person. They will not ‘suffer fools gladly’ as the saying goes. They are more quiet and reserved and tend to do more observing than talking. This type tends to be loners. Not that they do not have family and friends, but they are comfortable with themselves and do not always need everyone around for fulfillment.”
The Carians are also known as the Bird People in that they evolved from birds. Their main base is on a planet in the Orion constellation. The ruling class of Carians, called the House of Aln, look like humans but with eagle-like features. The Carians have been characterised as follows: “They are known for their sharp analytical abilities and organisational skills. A predominant character trait of the Carians is their need to maintain a good appearance and image at all times. They are good team players as long as the team structure involves discipline and strictly adhered to codes of conduct.” The Carians are also known for their military prowess. It explains why the Commander of the fleet of star ships of the Galactic Federation of the Worlds is a Carian.
The Humans are ourselves. Although we evolved from apes, we are not pure primates anymore. Our genes have time and again been fused with those of other races over the ages and as such we are regarded as “the greatest genetic achievement” since we “combine the best traits of all forms of life” and are therefore said to be a unique race. We first came into being in Lyra when the Felines fashioned us from the genes of an ape-like creature and their own. We are said to contain a dominant gene of compassion and typically set out to live harmoniously with all races. However, because we have been tinkered with genetically since days immemorial, the gene compassion is not uniformly expressed. We embody a wide spectrum of traits, both positive and negative, to reflect our varied gene pool which derives from Reptoids, Felines, Carians, and a host of other races.
Other than the four primary universal races, there are others such as Canines, Nommos, and Insectoids but these came on the scene much later and were the product of the acquired genetic wizardry of the four primary races.
THE REPTOIDS
Since the Reptoids are the hyper-power of the universe, it is important, I reckon, that we devote disproportionately more space to understanding this highly malevolent race. This is the race that is responsible for much of the evil in the universe. It is the race that rules the Solar System and it is the race that rules our own world both directly and indirectly. As such, as loathsome and as reprehensible as it is, it is nonetheless a very significant race.
First, let us distinguish between a Reptoid and a Reptilian. In exopolitics (politics of the universe), the two terms are often used interchangeably but that is too casual. A Reptoid primarily refers to beings who evolved from reptiles. It can also refer, in a secondary sense, to what we call demons – Lucifer’s angels whose base is the Lower Fourth Dimension of the Astral realm. Reptilian, on the other hand, refers to beings who are part Reptoid, part-Human. A being who is 50 percent Reptoid or more is a Reptilian. Examples are Henry Kissinger; Tony Blair; Bill and Hilary Clinton; the Bush dynasty; the Rothschilds; and the House of Windsor. All the earliest kings of Africa, the diKgosi, were Reptilians. In some tribes in Africa (such as the Luvales of Zambia and the Ibo’s of Nigeria), they even conduct periodical ceremonies were some senior members of the tribe turn out in Reptilian masquerades and attire with patterns symbolic of scales! This is to underline the fact that they are of Reptilian descent. Even ordinary humans like you and me are not 100 percent so: we’re at least 15 percent Reptoid. The most primitive part of our brain, the one that formed first in the evolutionary process, is called … the R-Complex, “R” standing for Reptilian. A vestige of our part-Reptoid heritage, it is responsible for aggressive behavior, territoriality, ritual, and establishment of social hierarchies – all hallmarks of the Reptoid nature.
Another thing that we should bear in mind is that not all Reptoids are bad. The evil Reptoids are actually a minority. The Ebens, for example, are Reptoids, but they are by far kinder than even us human beings with our innate gene of compassion (see Zeta Series). Enki, the benevolent Anunnaki scientist who genetically engineered us (Earthling humans) into existence, was of Reptilian pedigree (the serpent line) although on balance he was more human than Reptilian. Thus it would be grossly unfair to tar all Reptoids with the same brush. Even amongst snakes, only 10-15 percent are poisonous, but the human impulse is to crush the head of anything that remotely resembles a snake simply because of the reputation of snakes as venomous creatures. Yet even the venomous strain strike mankind only when they suspect they are in danger or they are protecting their young. They don’t attack just because they see a blur of something in human shape.
THE DRAKONS LEAD THE PACK
The Reptoids occur in several strains. There are Lizzies (who evolved from giant lizards, also called dragons); Serpentines (who evolved from snakes); and Dinoids (who evolved from dinosaurs and are also known as Saurians). Of these, the Lizzies are the most powerful and therefore the most influential. The Lizzies are commonly referred to as the Drakons.
The Drakons occur in various shades of colour just as humans do. These are albino white; reddish; brownish; orangish; and greenish. The colours also reflect the hierarchical position. The Drakons are obsessively hierarchical. They are the very byword for a caste system. At the very top are the Ciakars. The Ciakars are the royal line of the Drakons. It is they who are albino-white in colour. They are the largest Drakons, ranging from 14 to 22 feet. Since the Ciakars evolved from winged lizards such as the Peteinosaurus, they have winged appendages, which can be folded back against the body. They also have a pair of horns and a tail.
The red Drakons are the warrior caste. They are very similar to the Ciakars but they are smaller in size. The familiar image of the “Devil” – a red-skinned Reptoid with wings, horns, and a tail – is actually that of a warrior caste Drakon. The warrior caste is the most fierce looking and retains most of the primitive Reptoid features such as scales. Only the Ciakars and the red Drakons have wings.
The green Drakons are the worker class.
All Reptoids are cold-blooded and have slit eyes. But not all Reptoids have scales and tails. The Dinoids, for instance, do not have scales and for that they are sneered at by the Drakons who regard scales as an archetypal representation of a true Reptoid. But mainstream Reptoids have only patches of scales on their bodies as a result of evolution and they look a lot like we do.
Says Alex Collier, Earth’s human contactee for the humans of the Andromedan constellation (who have taught him a great deal about Reptoids): “The mindset or consciousness of the majority of races in the Draco star system is Service-to-Self, and as such they are always invading, subverting and manipulating less advanced races, and using their technology for control and domination. They believe that those they perceive to be less fortunate, in comparison to them, are meant to be slaves. This belief system is promoted at birth in the reptilian races, wherein the mother, after giving birth, will abandon the offspring to fend for themselves. If they survive they are cared for by a warrior class that uses these children for games of combat and amusement.”
NEXT WEEK: MANKIND AS STAR BEINGS
Columns
GONE FISHING
In recent years, using personal devices in working environments has become so commonplace it now has its own acronym, BOYD (Bring Your Own Device). But as employees skip between corporate tools and personal applications on their own devices, their actions introduce a number of possible risks that should be managed and mitigated with careful consideration. Consider these examples:
Si-lwli, a small family-run business in Wales, is arguably as niche a company as you could find, producing talking toys used to promote the Welsh language. Their potential market is small, with only some 300,000 Welsh language speakers in the world and in reality the business is really more of a hobby for the husband-and-wife team, who both still have day jobs. Yet, despite still managing to be successful in terms of sales, the business is now fighting for survival after recently falling prey to cybercriminals. Emails between Si-Iwli and their Chinese suppliers were intercepted by hackers who altered the banking details in the correspondence, causing Si-Iwli to hand over £18,000 (around P ¼ m) to the thieves. That might not sound much to a large enterprise, but to a small or medium business it can be devastating.
Another recent SMB hacking story which appeared in the Wall Street Journal concerned Innovative Higher Ed Consulting (IHED) Inc, a small New York start-up with a handful of employees. IHED didn’t even have a website, but fraudsters were able to run stolen credit card numbers through the company’s payment system and reverse the charges to the tune of $27,000, around the same loss faced by Si-Iwli. As the WSJ put it, the hackers completely destroyed the company, forcing its owners to fold.
And in May 2019, the city of Baltimore’s computer system was hit by a ransomware attack, with hackers using a variant called RobinHood. The hack, which has lasted more than a month, paralysed the computer system for city employees, with the hackers demanding a payment in Bitcoin to give access back to the city.
Of course, hackers target governments or business giants but small and medium businesses are certainly not immune. In fact, 67% of SMBs reported that they had experienced a cyber attack across a period of 12 months, according to a 2018 survey carried out by security research firm Ponemon Institute. Additionally, Verizon issued a report in May 2019 that small businesses accounted for 43% of its reported data breaches. Once seen as less vulnerable than PCs, smartphone attacks are on the rise, with movements like the Dark Caracal spyware campaign underlining the allure of mobile devices to hackers. Last year, the US Federal Trade Commission released a statement calling for greater education on mobile security, coming at a time when around 42% of all Android devices are believed to not carry the latest security updates.
This is an era when employees increasingly use their smartphones for work-related purposes so is your business doing enough to protect against data breaches on their employees’ phones? The SME Cyber Crime Survey 2018 carried out for risk management specialists AON showed that more than 80% of small businesses did not view this as a threat yet if as shown, 67% of SMBs were said to have been victims of hacking, either the stats are wrong or business owners are underestimating their vulnerability. A 2019 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests the latter, stating that the majority of global businesses are unprepared for cyber attacks.
Consider that a workstation no longer means a desk in an office: It can be a phone in the back of a taxi or Uber; a laptop in a coffee shop, or a tablet in an airport lounge. Wherever the device is used, employees can potentially install applications that could be harmful to your business, even from something as seemingly insignificant as clicking on an accidental download or opening a link on a phishing email. Out of the physical workplace, your employees’ activities might not have the same protections as they would on a company-monitored PC.
Yet many businesses not only encourage their employees to work remotely, but assume working from coffee shops, bookstores, and airports can boost employees’ productivity. Unfortunately, many remote hot spots do not provide secure Wi-Fi so if your employee is accessing their work account on unsecured public Wi-Fi, sensitive business data could be at risk. Furthermore, even if your employee uses a company smartphone or has access to company data through a personal mobile device, there is always a chance data could be in jeopardy with a lost or stolen device, even information as basic as clients’ addresses and phone numbers.
BOYDs are also at risk from malware designed to harm and infect the host system, transmittable to smartphones when downloading malicious third-party apps. Then there is ransomware, a type of malware used by hackers to specifically take control of a system’s data, blocking access or threatening to release sensitive information unless a ransom is paid such as the one which affected Baltimore. Ransomware attacks are on the increase, predicted to occur every 14 seconds, potentially costing billions of dollars per year.
Lastly there is phishing – the cyber equivalent of the metaphorical fishing exercise – whereby cybercriminals attempt to obtain sensitive data –usernames, passwords, credit card details –usually through a phoney email designed to look legitimate which directs the user to a fraudulent website or requests the data be emailed back directly. Most of us like to think we could recognize a phishing email when we see it, but these emails have become more sophisticated and can come through other forms of communication such as messaging apps.
Bottom line is to be aware of the potential problems with BOYDs and if in doubt, consult your IT security consultants. You can’t put the own-device genie back in the bottle but you can make data protection one of your three wishes!
Columns
“I Propose to Diana Tonight”
About five days before Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed landed in Paris, General Atiku, a certain Edward Williams was taking a walk in a woods in the Welsh town of Mountain Ash. Williams, then 73, was a psychic of some renown. He had in the past foretold assassination attempts on US President Ronald Reagan, which occurred on March 30, 1981, and Pope John Paul II, which came to pass on May 13, 1981.
As he trudged the woods, Williams had a sudden premonition that pointed to Diana’s imminent fate as per Christopher Andersen’s book The Day Diana Died. “When the vision struck me, it was as if everything around me was obscured and replaced by shadowy figures,” Williams was later to reminisce. “In the middle was the face of Princess Diana. Her expression was sad and full of pathos. She was wearing what looked like a floral dress with a short dark cardigan. But it was vague. I went cold with fear and knew it was a sign that she was in danger.”
Williams hastily beat a retreat to his home, which he shared with his wife Mary, and related to her his presentiment, trembling like an aspen leaf as he did so. “I have never seen him so upset,” Mary recounted. “He felt he was given a sign and when he came back from his walk he was deeply shaken.”
The following day, Williams frantically sauntered into a police station to inform the police of his premonition. The officer who attended to him would have dismissed him as no more than a crackpot but he treated him seriously in view of the accuracy of his past predictions. He took a statement and immediately passed it on to the Special Branch Investigative Unit.
The report read as follows:
“On 27 August, at 14:12 hrs, a man by the name of Edward Williams came to Mountain Ash police station. He said he was a psychic and predicted that Princess Diana was going to die. In previous years, he has predicted that the Pope and Ronald Reagan were going to be the victims of assassination attempts. On both occasions he was proved to be correct. Mr Williams appeared to be quite normal.”
Williams, General, was spot-on as usual: four days later, the princess was no more.
Meanwhile, General, even as Dodi and Diana were making their way to the Fayed-owned Ritz Hotel in central Paris, British newspapers were awash with headlines that suggested Diana was kind of deranged. Writes Andrew Morton in Diana in Pursuit of Love: “In The Independent Diana was described as ‘a woman with fundamentally nothing to say about anything’. She was ‘suffering from a form of arrested development’. ‘Isn’t it time she started using her head?’ asked The Mail on Sunday. The Sunday Mirror printed a special supplement entitled ‘A Story of Love’; The News of the World claimed that William had demanded that Diana should split from Dodi: ‘William can’t help it, he just doesn’t like the man.’ William was reportedly ‘horrified’ and ‘doesn’t think Mr Fayed is good for his mother’ – or was that just the press projecting their own prejudices? The upmarket Sunday Times newspaper, which had first serialised my biography of the princess, now put her in the psychiatrist’s chair for daring to be wooed by a Muslim. The pop-psychologist Oliver James put Diana ‘On the Couch’, asking why she was so ‘depressed’ and desperate for love. Other tabloids piled in with dire prognostications – about Prince Philip’s hostility to the relationship, Diana’s prospect of exile, and the social ostracism she would face if she married Dodi.”
DIANA AND DODI AT THE RITZ
Before Diana and Dodi departed the Villa Windsor sometime after 16 hrs, General, one of Dodi’s bodyguards Trevor Rees-Jones furtively asked Diana as to what the programme for the evening was. This Trevor did out of sheer desperation as Dodi had ceased and desisted from telling members of his security detail, let alone anyone else for that matter, what his onward destination was for fear that that piece of information would be passed on to the paparazzi. Diana kindly obliged Trevor though her response was terse and scarcely revealing. “Well, eventually we will be going out to a restaurant”, that was all Diana said. Without advance knowledge of exactly what restaurant that was, Trevor and his colleagues’ hands were tied: they could not do a recce on it as was standard practice for the security team of a VIP principal. Dodi certainly, General, was being recklessly by throwing such caution to the winds.
At about 16:30, Diana and Dodi drew up at the Ritz Hotel, where they were received by acting hotel manager Claude Roulet. The front entrance of the hotel was already crawling with paparazzi, as a result of which the couple took the precaution of using the rear entrance, where hopefully they would make their entry unperturbed and unmolested. The first thing they did when they were ensconced in the now $10,000 a night Imperial Suite was to spend some time on their mobiles and set about touching base with friends, relations, and associates. Diana called at least two people, her clairvoyant friend Rita Rogers and her favourite journalist Richard Kay of The Daily Mail.
Rita, General, was alarmed that Diana had proceeded to venture to Paris notwithstanding the warning she had given Dodi and herself in relation to what she had seen of him in the crystal ball when the couple had consulted her. When quizzed as to what the hell she indeed was doing in Paris at that juncture, Diana replied that she and Dodi had simply come to do some shopping, which though partially true was not the material reason they were there. “But Diana, remember what I told Dodi,” Rita said somewhat reprovingly. Diana a bit apprehensively replied, “Yes I remember. I will be careful. I promise.” Well, she did not live up to her promise as we shall soon unpack General.
As for Richard Kay, Diana made known to him that, “I have decided I am going to radically change my life. I am going to complete my obligations to charities and to the anti-personnel land mines cause, but in November I want to completely withdraw from formal public life.”
Once she was done with her round of calls, Diana went down to the hair saloon by the hotel swimming pool to have her hair washed and blow-dried ahead of the scheduled evening dinner.
THE “TELL ME YES” RING IS DELIVERED
Since the main object of their Paris trip was to pick up the “Tell Me Yes” engagement ring Dodi had ordered in Monte Carlo a week earlier, Dodi decided to check on Repossi Jewellery, which was right within the Ritz prencincts, known as the Place Vendome. It could have taken less than a minute for Dodi to get to the store on foot but he decided to use a car to outsmart the paparazzi invasion. He was driven there by Trevor Rees-Jones, with Alexander Kez Wingfield and Claude Roulet following on foot, though he entered the shop alone.
The Repossi store had closed for the holiday season but Alberto Repossi, accompanied by his wife and brother-in-law, had decided to travel all the way from his home in Monaco and momentarily open it for the sake of the potentially highly lucrative Dodi transaction. Alberto, however, disappointed Dodi as the ring he had chosen was not the one he produced. The one he showed Dodi was pricier and perhaps more exquisite but Dodi was adamant that he wanted the exact one he had ordered as that was what Diana herself had picked. It was a ploy on the part of Repossi to make a real killing on the sale, his excuse to that effect being that Diana deserved a ring tha was well worthy of her social pedigree. With Dodi having expressed disaffection, Repossi rendered his apologies and assured Dodi he would make the right ring available shortly, whereupon Dodi repaired back to the hotel to await its delivery. But Dodi did insist nonetheless that the pricier ring be delivered too in case it appealed to Diana anyway.
Repossi delivered the two rings an hour later. They were collected by Roulet. On inspecting them, Dodi chose the very one he had seen in Monte Carlo, apparently at the insistence of Diana. There is a possibility that Diana, who was very much aware of her public image and was not comfortable with ostentatious displays of wealth, may have deliberately shown an interest in a less expensive engagement ring. It may have been a purely romantic as opposed to a prestigious choice for her.
The value of the ring, which was found on a wardrobe shelf in Dodi’s apartment after the crash, has been estimated to be between $20,000 and $250,000 as Repossi has always refused to be drawn into revealing how much Dodi paid for it. The sum, which enjoyed a 25 percent discount, was in truth paid for not by Dodi himself but by his father as was the usual practice.
Dodi was also shown Repossi’s sketches for a bracelet, a watch, and earrings which he proposed to create if Diana approved of them.
DIANA AND DODI GUSH OVER IMMINENT NUPTIALS
At about 7 pm, Dodi and Diana left the Ritz and headed for Dodi’s apartment at a place known as the Arc de Trompe. They went there to properly tog themselves out for the scheduled evening dinner. They spent two hours at the luxurious apartment. As usual, the ubiquitous paparazzi were patiently waiting for them there.
As they lingered in the apartment, Dodi beckoned over to his butler Rene Delorm and showed him the engagement ring. “Dodi came into my kitchen,” Delorm relates. “He looked into the hallway to check that Diana couldn’t hear and reached into his pocket and pulled out the box … He said, ‘Rene, I’m going to propose to the princess tonight. Make sure that we have champagne on ice when we come back from dinner’.” Rene described the ring as “a spectacular diamond encrusted ring, a massive emerald surrounded by a cluster of diamonds, set on a yellow and white gold band sitting in a small light-grey velvet box”.
Just before 9 pm, Dodi called the brother of his step-father, Hassan Yassen, who also was staying at the Ritz that night, and told him that he hoped to get married to Diana by the end of the year.
Later that same evening, both Dodi and Diana would talk to Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi’s dad, and make known to him their pre-nuptial intentions. “They called me and said we’re coming back (to London) on Sunday (August 31) and on Monday (September 1) they are
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RAMADAN – The Blessed Month of Fasting
Ramadan is the fasting month for Muslims, where over one billion Muslims throughout the world fast from dawn to sunset, and pray additional prayers at night. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to Allah, and self-control. It is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. As you read this Muslims the world over have already begun fasting as the month of Ramadan has commenced (depending on the sighting of the new moon).
‘The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur’an was revealed as guidance for people, in it are clear signs of guidance and Criterion, therefore whoever of you who witnesses this month, it is obligatory on him to fast it. But whoever is ill or traveling let him fast the same number of other days, God desires ease for you and not hardship, and He desires that you complete the ordained period and glorify God for His guidance to you, that you may be grateful”. Holy Qur’an (2 : 185)
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars upon which the structure of Islam is built. The other four are: the declaration of one’s belief in Allah’s oneness and in the message of Muhammad (PBUH); regular attendance to prayer; payment of zakaat (obligatory charity); and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
As explained in an earlier article, fasting includes total abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking, refraining from obscenity, avoiding getting into arguments and including abstaining from marital relations, from sunrise to sunset. While fasting may appear to some as difficult Muslims see it as an opportunity to get closer to their Lord, a chance to develop spiritually and at the same time the act of fasting builds character, discipline and self-restraint.
Just as our cars require servicing at regular intervals, so do Muslims consider Ramadan as a month in which the body and spirit undergoes as it were a ‘full service’. This ‘service’ includes heightened spiritual awareness both the mental and physical aspects and also the body undergoing a process of detoxification and some of the organs get to ‘rest’ through fasting.
Because of the intensive devotional activity fasting, Ramadan has a particularly high importance, derived from its very personal nature as an act of worship but there is nothing to stop anyone from privately violating Allah’s commandment of fasting if one chooses to do so by claiming to be fasting yet eating on the sly. This means that although fasting is obligatory, its observance is purely voluntary. If a person claims to be a Muslim, he is expected to fast in Ramadan.
The reward Allah gives for proper fasting is very generous. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) quotes Allah as saying: “All actions done by a human being are his own except fasting, which belongs to Me and I will reward it accordingly.” We are also told by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that the reward for proper fasting is admittance into heaven.
Fasting earns great reward when it is done in a ‘proper’ manner. This is because every Muslim is required to make his worship perfect. For example perfection of fasting can be achieved through restraint of one’s feelings and emotions. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that when fasting, a person should not allow himself to be drawn into a quarrel or a slanging match. He teaches us: “On a day of fasting, let no one of you indulge in any obscenity, or enter into a slanging match. Should someone abuse or fight him, let him respond by saying: ‘I am fasting!’”
This high standard of self-restraint fits in well with fasting, which is considered as an act of self-discipline. Islam requires us to couple patience with voluntary abstention from indulgence in our physical desires. The purpose of fasting helps man to attain a high degree of sublimity, discipline and self-restraint. In other words, this standard CAN BE achieved by every Muslim who knows the purpose of fasting and strives to fulfill it.
Fasting has another special aspect. It makes all people share in the feelings of hunger and thirst. In normal circumstances, people with decent income may go from one year’s end to another without experiencing the pangs of hunger which a poor person may feel every day of his life. Such an experience helps to draw the rich one’s conscience nearer to needs of the poor. A Muslim is encouraged to be more charitable and learns to give generously for a good cause.
Fasting also has a universal or communal aspect to it. As Muslims throughout the world share in this blessed act of worship, their sense of unity is enhanced by the fact that every Muslim individual joins willingly in the fulfillment of this divine commandment. This is a unity of action and purpose, since they all fast in order to be better human beings. As a person restrains himself from the things he desires most, in the hope that he will earn Allah’s pleasure, self-discipline and sacrifice become part of his nature.
The month of Ramadan can aptly be described as a “season of worship.” Fasting is the main aspect of worship in this month, because people are more attentive to their prayers, read the Qur’an more frequently and also strive to improve on their inner and outer character. Thus, their devotion is more complete and they feel much happier in Ramadan because they feel themselves to be closer to their Creator.