The fourth session of the 62nd round of the Academy Branch Workshops was held on May 2nd 2018 at 09:45 a.m. This meeting was held by Master Dezhakam as the master of ceremony and Mr. Hamed as the secretary. The weekly agenda was “Ramadan’s Inspiration”.
Hello friends, I am Hossein, a traveler. I hope you are fine and I am fine thank God. We are approaching Ramadan and the start time of meetings changes to 2:30 p.m. in Ramadan, because we want to experience the atmosphere of giving Iftar (meal for breaking fast in Ramadan). You can donate anything for preparing Iftar and the guides are responsible for collecting these donations so that they know the process of money collection and see its problems and difficulties. Everything done must be beneficial to all. Prophet Mohammad asserts: “my brother, Muses viewed the world by one eye [materiality view], my brother Jesus Christ viewed the world with one eye [spiritual view] and I see the world with two eyes both spiritual and materiality”. We have to do the same. Money collected in Ramadan must be used to feed people and some money must be saved. The best materials must be bought for Iftar: best rice, best cereals, and best materials. Do not donate rotten things or expired ones. If you want to donate anything to Congress60, select the best materials with the best quality. Instead of giving three bags of low-quality rice, donate one highly qualified bag of rice. And you have to save some money out of the money donated for Ramadan. Last year, lots of money remained for Congress60 which was paid for buying and building lands for Congress60. Don’t be stingy. You have to give best foods and you have to save money. Ensure that God will bless you.
Ramadan has two aspects: first, it is a type of worship and second it is an education. Ramadan is valued in Congress60, because it was the base and start of the DST method. Congress60’s members fast in Ramadan. We have different types of fast. Some people avoid eating meat, some avoid eating plants. Travelers of Congress60 go on a fast in this way: they have to consume their OT in the morning and they have to take their OT eight hours later and to consume a specific and determined amount of OT and not more than that. In the normal fast, you are allowed to eat and drink whatever you like as the Adan is called out at sunset. But the fast of a traveler is more difficult because they are not allowed to drink whenever [OT] they want and whatever amount they desire. In auspicious Ramadan, I could control my consumption and I understood how to go on a fast for drugs. If Ramadan did not exist and if I did not go on a fast, the path [of treatment] was not revealed to us. For thousands of years, the cure for addiction has been in front of their eyes.
In the past, it was believed that opium is a cure for all the diseases, but itself (addiction to it) has no treatment; however, we mentioned that it can only treat itself. It can also treat other diseases merely through the DST method. The DST method was inspired by auspicious Ramadan. To appreciate this event (the discovery of the DST method), we celebrate this month. Ramadan is the month of worship, not a weepy one. Ramadan is a happy feast. The joy of eating food (after fasting) in Ramadan is not comparable to other months’. The joy of eating food is revealed in Ramadan [because after bearing hunger, we realise the true value of foods].
The important point is that all second travelers and all companions can go on a complete fast. But the story is different for the first travelers and they cannot go on a complete fast, because they have to consume their OT. If they have to drink 3 cc of OT: 1 cc in the morning, 1 at noon and 1 cc at night, they will not be allowed to say I will drink 1.5 cc in the morning and 1.5 at night so that I can go on a fast. They may do this for two days and suddenly they realise that they are out of their programme [get behind with their programme] and they lose their balance and have to consume more OT. In this way, they damage their process of treatment.
Prayers are designed based on Wisdom. In holy Quran, it has been mentioned that those who are sick or those who are on travel; under some special rules, they are not required to go on a fast. Some religious scholars have mentioned that those who are consuming opium or cigarettes, can go on a fast and simultaneously they can consume their drug. Shiat’s scholars are far open-minded in this regard. I myself did the same, otherwise, Congress60 had not been established. God bless these scholars who realized this important matter.
In Congress60, the first travelers can go on a fast and simultaneously they can consume their opium or cigarettes. Those who cannot go on a complete fast, can go on a part-time fast. For example, if a person has a problem with their kidney, they can fast and drink a glass of water at the same time.
Some members of Congress60 hated going on a fast and I was included in this group. They thought that fast would hurt their kidneys; however, now we know going on a fast will take the extra-fat or other extra-materials [which have been gathered in our body during a year] out of body and after this month, we will be peppy and happy. Our body system will be purified in this way throughout this month.
We provide Iftar for the branches of Congress. There are few ministries which can do the same. Because they have not the power to provide Iftar daily. You have to give Iftar to everyone who enters Congress60 seeking for meal. You cannot say to them: “get out of this place”, you have to give them Iftar. Extra food must be donated to the neighbors.
Translated by Elahe
