RAMADHAN IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MUSLIMS


Most of the children in Malaysia were taught in schools that the purpose of the ‘ibādah of fasting during the month of Ramadhān is so that we can empathise with the poor, to feel their thirst and hunger when there is no food around. There is truth to that, although it is not the main purpose as muslims who are poor are also obliged to fast. The children are being told that as it is the reasoning that young children can easily understand and relate to. As we grow older, there is a need to continue gaining a deeper understanding of the ‘ibādah in Islam. Sadly, there are some muslims whose knowledge of Islām are only confined to whatever they learned in school, they stopped pursuit of knowledge of this religion when they are out of school. As such, they grow up as adult muslims but their knowledge of Islām is that of a child’s. This is evident when we observe what some muslims do during the month of Ramadhān.

The Prophet Muhammad sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam has already reminded us of this, in a hadīth which means: “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.” (Narrated by Abu Hurairah radhiyallāhu ‘anhu)

The ‘ibādah of fasting in Ramadhān, just like all the other acts of worship in Islām, has a plethora of benefits. This is because every act of worship in Islām originates from Allāh, our Creator and Sustainer. Every single act of worship that muslims perform has its roots in the Qur`ān or in the Hadīth. Muslim perform their acts of worship based on sound knowledge of the absolute truth, which is why for the last 1400+ years it was possible for muslims all over the world to perform the same acts of worship every single day without fail.

Fasting in Ramadhān has its ultimate purpose. Without understanding that purpose, which is the principle upon which the ‘ibādah of fasting is commanded, then muslims who fast gain nothing deeper than just the feeling of hunger. The ultimate purpose of fasting in Ramadhan, as mentioned explicitly in the Qur`ān, is to attain taqwa. Taqwa is a state of the soul, not of the physical body. According to Sayyiduna ‘Ali radhiyallāhu ‘anhu taqwa is fearing Allāh, believing and adhering to the revealed book (al Qur`ān), content with whatever little is given, and preparing oneself for the hereafter. To attain all that, we need training and practice of the soul. And in order to allow us to focus on training our soul, we reduce our carnal needs by stopping things that are pleasurable to the body such as eating, drinking, and the intimate relationships between a husband and wife.

Fasting in Ramadhān is the best avenue to train our souls. Which is why even though muslims may be lots of things before Ramadhān, we can clearly see during the month of Ramadhān an increase of muslims coming to the mosques at night to perform prayers. Muslims may engage in lots of sinful acts before Ramadhān, but during Ramadhān these same muslims strive to read the Qur`ān, give charity (sadaqah) a lot, and perform lots and lots of prayers. So, as muslims, we must take this opportunity. There are lots of carnal benefits that can be attained during the month of Ramadhān, but the main purpose is to attain taqwa. This is the month where we can really train ourselves to have good habits, to be comfortable and familiar doing all kinds of ‘ibādah daily. This is the month where we can have all our sins forgiven, and start anew with good habits instilled within us.

Granted, we may not be able to truly attain taqwa by the end of Ramadhān; but if we take the opportunity during this month of Ramadhān to strive towards that aim and build good habits (acts of worship) within us, we may just emerge as a much better muslim by the end of Ramadhān. However, if we perceive fasting as only having a carnal implication, then as Prophet Muhammad sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said, we will attain nothing except for the feeling of hunger during this whole month.

Naim Zulkipli
24 March 2023

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