Saudis Revolt On Twitter As Novelist Suggests Drinking Okay During Ramadan

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud bin al-Faisal drinks water during a joint press confere
FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty
Ali Waked

JAFFA, Israel – A Saudi novelist has suggested allowing Muslims to drink water during the fast of Ramadan, set to take place this year during the height of the summer.

Muhamad Almuhana tweeted ahead of next month’s fast: “I have an opinion and it has to be addressed. The human body is 80 percent water. Water isn’t food, it’s a tool, and therefore the sages have to allow drinking during Ramadan because water, scientifically speaking, does not change man’s chemical composition, it only wets the body.”

Using the hashtag #liberal_allows_drinking_water_on_ramadan, Almuhana was attacked left, right, and center.

“Our liberals are simply atheists, infidels, and morally corrupt,” Faraj wrote.

https://twitter.com/Falmotairi/status/734524904347951105

“Why isn’t he being indicted?” Easa Alshamekh wondered.

“Next thing they’ll suggest is allowing food on Ramadan, claiming human beings are animals,” another said. “They don’t really fast, and if they do, they don’t do it genuinely.”

https://twitter.com/saudi100d100/status/734364069042458624

“These liberals have no shame,” Khaled wrote. “They have declared war on Allah and the Prophet, and violate the rules of Islam.”

https://twitter.com/khalidguwaiz/status/734332255594762240

“Does he want Islam to be based on his mother’s mood?” another wrote. “Besides, how can you say he’s a novelist if this is his worldview?”

https://twitter.com/3t3z94/status/734495801561518084

“During Ramadan last year, an extremist blew himself up in a mosque and said just before that he was going to have his last meal with the Prophet,” another wrote. “Just a reminder.”

https://twitter.com/3t3z94/status/734495801561518084

Following the storm, Almuhana removed the tweets and apologized.

“I was wrong about the meaning of not drinking water during the fast,” he wrote and added a link explaining the importance of not drinking water during Ramadan.

https://twitter.com/MMAbalkhail/status/734309500044386304

He later tweeted: “I apologize for tweeting about water and fasting earlier. I would like to make clear that I wasn’t trying to issue a religious ruling, only open the issue up for debate. Clearly, the Quran and the rules set by the Prophet are our benchmark.”

https://twitter.com/MMAbalkhail/status/734445565065482246

Almuhana’s contrition didn’t help him much.

“The bastard took back what he said…” Dr Muhssen Almuteiri wrote. “May Allah fight him. He felt he was approaching the gallows. These cheats are afraid of the sword.”

https://twitter.com/aboazam94/status/734483579443548160

Another wrote: “These bastards are well-known to apologize for what they said if they feel danger. (The Quran says: They will swear on Allah’s name if you challenge them.)”

Only Lalshareef came to Almuhana’s rescue: “Why don’t you just tell him that he is wrong without defaming and insulting him? A person is brought closer to religion by using wisdom and calmness.”

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