Muslims can quench thirst in Ramadan - Iranian cleric

Tehran - A decree by a senior Iranian cleric that Muslims can quench "extreme thirst" during the Ramadan fasting month has stirred debate in the Islamic republic's clergy, media reports say. "Those who cannot bear extreme thirst can drink just enough water to quench it. "This would not break their fast," said the fatwa by Grand Ayatollah Assadollah Bayat Zanjani, who is seen as close to reformers. But his fatwa quickly came under fire from Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi. He ruled out "fasting and drinking at the same time" and reiterated that any break in the fast had to be compensated for by fasting on some other day in the year. Media reports also referred to decrees by supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani according to whom "a state of weakness or thirst does not merit a break in the fast". But Zanjani, who is based in the holy city of Qom, said Islam allowed some breaks in fasting. He said this would depend on "certain climatic and geographical conditions", given that in countries such as Iran Ramadan fasting can last up to 16 hours in summer. ================ Grand Ayatollah Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani, considered a source of emulation by Shiite Muslims, has criticized the performance of Iran's President Mamoud Ahmadinejad - calling on those who criticize Ahmadinejad's government "to unite" ahead of next year's presidential elections. In a Financial Times Deutschland newspaper interview published online August 26th, Bayat-Zanjani said: "Ahmadinejad no longer adheres to the will of the population." He accused Ahmadinejad of breaching the law, grave infringement on established freedoms, and illegal empowerment of the Islamic Revolution Guards saying this was a "great danger". But he said that "everything was on course for change," and urged Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ayatollah Mehdi Karoubi, and former President Mohammad Khatami, whom he counted among Iran's political reformists, to work together against Ahmadinejad in the upcoming 2009 presidential elections. "I hold them to be very influential in this society and ask them, therefore, to unite their organizations and followers," Bayat-Zanjani said. He added that Iran's reformists would have defeated Ahmadinejad in the last election, if they had not competed against each other. Bayat-Zanjani's office denied that he had made such statements. "Although the perspective of his Excellency, the source of emulation, [Bayat-Zanjani], was critical, the phrases and utterances that were reported by the media were not part of the interview and are therefore denied," a statement published on the Grand Ayatollah's website read. Ahmadinejad however, assess the developments in Iran more positively. Speaking in Tehran on August 26th, Ahmadinejad said that his country was on track to "become a role model for the world" and "to take its rightful place before 2025". He further stated that "without a doubt, Iranian talent is the highest in the world," and urged the audience to cooperate with that country's ministers to improve the workings of the government. But in his interview with Financial Times Deutschland, Bayat-Zanjani questioned the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad's government, claiming: "If people don't trust the government, it automatically loses its legitimacy." ======================= FASTING IN THE HEAT Ibn Rajab commented on the virtues of fasting in the heat "...And from the acts of worship whose reward is multiplied during the heat is fasting, and this is because of the thirst that one experiences in the mid-day heat. This is why Mu'adh bin Jabal expressed regret on his deathbed that he would no longer experience this mid-day thirst, as did other early Muslims. And it was... related that Abu Bakr would fast in the summer and not fast in the winter, and 'Umar advised his son 'Abdullah on his deathbed: "Try to obtain the characteristics of faith," and the first one he mentioned was fasting in the intense summer heat. And al-Qasim bin Muhammad said that 'A'ishah would fast in the intense heat, and he was asked: "What drove her to do this?" He replied: "She would take advantage of the days before death." And some of the righteous women would choose the hottest days and fast them, saying: "If the price is low, everyone will buy," meaning that she wanted to do those actions that only a few were capable of due to how hard it was to do them, and this is indicative of the high aspirations these women had. And Abu Musa al-Ash'ari was on a boat, and he heard someone calling out: "O passengers, stand up!" And he said this three times. So, Musa told him: "How can we stand up? Don't you see where we are? How can we stand up?" So, the caller said: "Let me tell you of a rule that Allah made upon Himself: whoever makes himself thirsty for Allah's sake on a hot day has the right upon Allah to have his thirst quenched on the Day of Resurrection." So, Abu Musa would search out the days that were so hot that one would feel he was being cooked, and he would fast those days. 'Lata'if al-Ma'arif' (p. 272-273) ==================