Abdul Kadir Riyadi*
The month of Ramadhan has come. Muslims across the world will perform this obligatory worship by abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset for the whole month. In addition, they are also obliged to control their behavior, sight, hearing, speech, and even their thought if they are to achieve the perfection of this annual worship.
Fasting during the month of Ramadhan is a form of spiritual training for Muslims. Amid the materialistic nature of our modern world, one does need a spiritual exercise in a way that would keep material and spiritual realms in a good balance. Reconciliation between these two realms within oneself is indeed crucial as a means of achieving –among others- the personal integrity that can in turn bring inner peace as well as a sense of brotherhood.
Put it differently, by fasting one would be able to establish a viable relationship with God. He would then have a sense of reconciliation between the material and the spiritual realms within himself, hence the realization of the desired spiritual and social life.
In contrast, to the detriment of society, when one is diverted from religion by the influence of materialism for example, the social conditions that flow from living in the presence of the divine can be interrupted. People become less able to engage in social interaction of any kind, including showing tolerant behavior to others for instance.
Intrinsic to the nature of fasting in our religion is indeed positive influence. By committing ourselves in performing this worship, one can be corrective to his/her own deeds and attitudes. The hunger and thirst that he/she bears during fasting may open up a greater sense of sensitivity toward others as well as a stronger sense of brotherhood towards them irrespective of their races and beliefs.
Fasting is a "hardship" in which a symphony of God’s blessing and mercy resonate through this life changing spiritual experience that results in compassionate and cooperative representatives of universal brotherhood. At a time when the world has become like a big village and at a point when our society is on the verge of great change and transformation, if we are to establish brotherhood, peace and harmony among people of various nations and religions, then the first thing we should understand is that these can only be achieved when everyone regards others as his/her own dear brothers and sisters.
That the Muslims should consider their Jewish and Christian fellows as their own brothers and sisters for instance, is legally and theologically justified in the holy Book of the Qur'an. It addresses the various persons of faith in the different world religions as “People of the Book.” Jews and Christians are People of the Book. Therefore a Muslim would say of himself and other Muslims, “I accept all Prophets and Books sent to different peoples throughout history, and regard belief in them as an essential principle of being Muslim".
Hence, a Muslim is both a true follower and "descendant" of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and all other Prophets, and he is therefore the brother of the Jews and the Christians.
The Qur'an also addresses all people irrespective of whether they are Muslims or not with such phrases as: “O people!” denoting therefore that they all are equal as humans. The duties that it often entrusted to man and women are also those that it refers to collective duties that should be carried out collectively regardless of their religion. The Qur'an classifies duties, in order of importance, as “absolutely necessary, relatively necessary, and commendable to carry out.” Then it sometimes stresses that people should cooperate with one another in sharing these duties and establishing the essential foundations necessary to perform them.
The fountainhead of this virtuous value of universal brotherhood is without doubt the Prophet Mohammad, apart from the Qur’an. It is him who once says that all people are as equal as the teeth of a comb. On this ground, Islam does not discriminate based on race, color, age, nationality, physical traits or even religion. The Prophet declared “You are all from Adam, and Adam is from earth. O servants of God, be brothers (and sisters)”.
Those who close the road of brotherhood are beasts who have lost their humanity. The love and carefulness that our religion has taught us through this holy month of Ramadhan are values that we have to restore should we have lost them, if we are to remain humans.
Now, if one were to seek the true face of Islam in its own sources, history, and true representatives, then one would discover that it contains no animosity, cruelty, or fanaticism. It is a religion of tolerance, peace, harmony and above all brotherhood.
The countless Qur'anic verses and prophetic sayings about fasting in particular indicate that this worship –when performed properly- may trigger the birth of a social dynamic; a dynamic that may revitalize long-dormant moral values such as that of brotherhood.
Through fasting, moral values are meant to be established in our inner self first, so that we are at peace with God and with ourselves, then with the natural environment, and finally with the world and our surrounding.
To achieve harmony in our social lives depends on how much we can realize our personal moral conduct. As Islam is a source of morality and ethics for both our religious and social lives, a Muslim should seek an aspiration for the moral enlightenment from the teaching and rituals of Islam, such as fasting. Fasting may be deemed as the divine method to establish moral conduct. Across the Muslim history, the month of Ramadhan has always been identical with the spiritual education for the Muslims. To commit corruptions for instance, means that one has failed to benefit from the divine grandeur of this holy month.
*The writer is the Lecturer at the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Surabaya
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