|
Fasting of Plover
By:
Dr. `Abd Al-Hakam `Abd Al-Latif As-Sa`idi
Lecturer of Entomology – Faculty of Agriculture – Al-Azhar
University
Plover
is one of wading and migrating birds. Canada is its homeland and it
usually emigrates from Canada to America doing a long and arduous
journey. Actually, flocks of plover cover this journey incessantly;
the thing which makes this journey of more than 3000 miles more
difficult, in addition to passing through the Pacific Ocean; this
makes the journey more arduous. Naturally, men or animals, when
traveling long distances, are obliged to take a rest and get their
breath back. Moreover, they can have some food and drink or light
meals fitting to such circumstances. In contrast to that, we find
these birds enter some kind of obligatory and incessant fasting by
Day and Night, for they have no way but continuing the journey
incessantly along with fasting. This reminds us of the saying of a
Muslim leader to his soldiers when they got in confrontation with
the enemy: "The enemy is before you and the sea is behind you
(meaning that they have no way but to confront the enemy seriously
until they achieve victory; otherwise they will be defeated or
drowned in the sea to the last man)."
Likewise,
these birds have no way but to gird their loins for continuing the
journey because if they intend to take rest they will inevitably
perish in the Ocean's water. So, we see these birds beseeching
Allah's help to grant them success to continue the journey as if
they look at their images on the surface of water from the horizon
thinking that they are birds overtaken by drowning. Accordingly,
they think that their case is better off and are motivated by this
scene to fly higher than the surface of water. Actually, they
continue fasting and flying for thirteen days which means that they
observe non-stop fasting, the thing that’s prohibited for
Muslims, save the Prophet, blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him, who said in this regard, "… As for me, I sleep in the
presence of my Lord enjoying food and drink by a butler."
Thus, although Allah, Most High, has predestined this arduous
journey on these birds, He provides them with the necessary energy
that will enable them to carry out this hard mission.
No doubt, these birds’ form of fasting gives us great indications
on the Omnipotence of Allah, Exalted and Glorified be He. It,
moreover, adds another dimension of the forms of fasting adopted by
people and living species. In another location we have previously
mentioned that eels observe fasting for two or three years whether
it be the first fasting which is the fasting of the young or the
latter fasting which is the fasting of the old. Likewise, plover
observes fasting but while flying in the sky. The moment it reaches
its resting location, it reposes for some time and then proceeds to
have food delightfully in larger amounts than its needs to save
some food in the form of fatty substances, taking into
consideration the returning journey in the same road.
|
