"The end justifies the means" is not the maxim of the Shari'ah

If someone accumulates wealth through usury, forgery, gambling, prohibited games, or in any other haram manner in order to build a mosque, establish a charitable foundation, or to do any other good work, the guilt of having done what is haram will not be lifted from because of the goodness of his objective; in Islam good aims and intentions have no effect in lessening the sinfulness of what is haram. This is what the Prophet (peace be on him) taught us when he said:

Allah is good and does not accept anytbut good, and Allah has commanded the Believers, as He commanded His messengers, saying 'O you messengers! Eat of whatever is good and work righteousness. Indeed, I am aware of what you do.' (The Qur'an 35:31.)

He also said,
'O you who believe! Eat of the good things which We provide for you.' (2:172.)

The Prophet (peace be on him) then said,

A man travels far, unkempt and dust-stained (for hajj, umrah, or the like), raising his hands to the sky (and saying), 'O Lord! O Lord!' while eating what was haram, drinking what was haram, wearing what was haram, and nourishing himself through haram means. How then could his prayers be accepted? (Reported by Muslim and al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Abu Hurairah.)

He also said:

'If anyone amasses wealth through haram means and then gives charity from it, there is no regard for him and the burden of sin remains.' (Reported by Ibn Khazimah, Ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim on the authority of Abu Hurairah)

Again he said:

'If a person earns property through haram means and then gives charity, it will not be accepted (by Allah); if he spends it there will be no blessing on it; and if he leaves it behind (at his death) it will be his provision in the Fire. Indeed, Allah Ta'ala does not obliterate one bad deed by another bad deed, but He cancels out a bad deed by a good deed. An unclean thing does not wipe away another unclean thing.' (Reported by Ahmad and others on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood.)

Fasting is a universal institution

Fasting is a universal institution. It is one of the five fundamental articles upon which Islam stands. It is a universal institution in as much as all the religions of the world and all the great religious personalities adopted fasting as the principal method of controlling and killing passions. The Celts, the Romans, the Babylonians and the Assyrians practised it. The philosophers, either Cynic, Stoic, Pythagorean or Neoplantonic left advice for fast. The followers of Hinduism, Jainism, Confucius and Zoroaster practised it. The Jews observe an annual fast on the Day of Atonement in commemoration of the descent of Moses from Sinai. The Prophet Moses qualified himself to receive revelation from God after forty days of fasting. Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert and commanded his followers to fast (Matthew 4:16). Therefore, the institution of fasting is universal and existed in some form or other until it fell into disuse owing to want of method, regularity and time. That there was fasting previously is supported by the following verse:

"Fasting was prescribed for those who were before you…" (2:183 Quran)

Fasting gained perfection in Islam. The injunction about fasting was revealed in 2AH in Islam. It gave the institution of fasting a finishing touch and introduced therein method, regularity, and meaning which go together to make it perfect and ever-living. Fasting will not die a natural death in Islam. Like prayer, the institution of fasting is kept alive as it is observed every year in the world of Islam and forms the regulating principle of their lives. Fasting was previously resorted to as a sign of grief of mourning or for commemoration of a great event. The underlying idea was to propitiate an angry god. Islam abolished this pantheistic idea and introduced a highly developed significance.

"The object is that you may guard against evil…" (2:183 Quran)

In other words the chief objective of fasting is to generate power in man which can control unruly passion just as a beast is brought under control by keeping it occasionally hungry and then by giving it food. The same principle has been expressed by the following tradition of The Holy Prophet :

"Who is not able (to marry) keep fast, and verily it is (as it were) castration for him" (Nasai)

Thus fasting has been introduced as it kills the animal propensities in a man. Secondly, in Islamic fasting, there is nothing to be eaten or drunk from the early dawn till the setting of the sun. If anything, say even water is taken, it produces no appreciable effect on the mind as a result of hunger. It is then a misnomer of fasting. Thirdly, in order to put an effective check on passion, even intercourse with one’s wife in the hours of fasting has been prohibited. In other religions, this has not been so prohibited and therefore there has been no effective check on passions. Fourthly, fasting is methodical in Islam as in every Month of Ramadhaan, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, all have to fast with the same spirit of common fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of man; while in other religions, it is not so. Islam has not forgotten to reserve provisions for optional fasting at the choice of every Muslim. It has therefore kept the door of voluntary fasting open to all. Because of the want of any provision for compulsion, fasting in other religions is practically dead. Islam saved this institution by making it obligatory. This seasonal fasting is natural as the world also undergoes such a fasting in particular season of the year. From Falgun to Baisakh in India, the earth is dried up by God, but He gives it food after that period. Thus, the drying up of the body is also required for some particular time of the year. For these reasons, fasting has reached perfection in Islam.