Applying Ramadhan's values<\/p>\n
A.Chaedar Alwasilah, Dean, Faculty of Language and Arts,
\nIndonesia University, of Education (UPI), Bandung,
\nchaedar@bdg.centrin.net.id<\/p>\n
Once a year, all Muslims are obliged to fast for a whole month
\nduring Ramadhan, which means, literally, \"extremely hot\". The
\nArabic word for fasting is shaum or shiyam, meaning to restrain
\noneself, thus suggesting that during the month of Ramadhan all
\nMuslims should control their desires, lust, and ambition for
\nexcessive worldly gains.<\/p>\n
The remaining 11 months of the year are more than enough for
\namassing wealth and fortune, and Ramadhan is the most appropriate
\nmonth for cooling off and reflecting upon what has been
\naccomplished during the year. Muslims are always reminded of the
\nimportance of developing a balance between our worldly lives and
\nthe hereafter, and between the vertical communication with Allah
\nand the horizontal communication with other human beings.<\/p>\n
Ramadhan has both a spiritual and a social dimension. It is
\nspiritual in the sense that Muslims should believe that fasting
\nis an indicator of total submission, devotion, and dedication to
\nAllah the Almighty. As with the syahadat (the testimony that
\nthere is no God except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger),
\nthe five daily prayers, zakat (giving alms to the poor), and the
\nhaj, the fasting in Ramadhan is a pillar of Islam.<\/p>\n
The Koran states that fasting is a ritual enforced on past
\ngenerations of human beings, and thus implies that fasting has
\nuniversal and everlasting values. The practice of abstaining from
\nfood, drink, and sex for spiritual reasons exists in almost every
\nreligion.<\/p>\n
Fasting is social in the sense that its implications should be
\nnoticeable at social, as well as individual, levels. When one can
\nrestrain oneself from enjoying one's natural rights such as
\neating and drinking, then one can logically restrain from
\ndispossessing others' belongings and rights. Through history, we
\nhave learned that social conflict often occurs when a person
\nviolates the rights of others.<\/p>\n
A fasting person is highly recommended to break their fast as
\nsoon as dusk falls, and to have breakfast at dawn. This means
\nthat a fasting person is taught to develop time-awareness and
\nself-discipline, while also suggesting that fasting is a ritual
\nwhere physical health and spiritual bliss come together.<\/p>\n
It is indeed exhausting and laborious for most fasting persons
\nto avoid natural, bodily needs, but it is even more exhausting
\nand laborious to restrain him or herself from lying, gossiping
\nabout other people, breaking a promise, and giving false
\ntestimony.<\/p>\n
Unlike proclaiming syahadat, performing daily prayers, giving
\nalms, and going on the haj, fasting is an unobservable ritual
\nact. Nobody knows whether someone is fasting or not unless they
\nconfess, and it is hoped that this honesty is mutually
\nreciprocated.<\/p>\n
The predawn meal and breaking-the-fast meal act like magnets,
\nbringing together the whole family who were scattered outside the
\nhome. The husband-wife, parent-children, and brother-sister
\nrelationships are strengthened and love is fostered. A fasting
\nfamily thus has the potential to be a responsible component of
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
It is during Ramadhan that mosques attract the most visitors
\nto mass prayers, thus suggesting that the holy month also
\npromotes communal unity. It is the month which promises fasting
\nMuslims the most hope, motivation, and enthusiasm, and further,
\nrewards and compensation for all good deeds are multiplied during
\nthe month.<\/p>\n
It is said that the prophet Muhammad was a very generous
\nperson, particularly during Ramadhan. This reminds Muslims that
\nthe quality of Ramadhan depends on the quality of their
\nactivities. Ramadhan teaches us to be sensitive to the fate of
\nthe needy, particularly in these difficult times.<\/p>\n
The holy fasting month is the month when the Koran was
\nrevealed to Muhammad, which is commemorated on the 17th day of
\nRamadhan. Fasting persons are recommended to recite and meditate
\non the Koran. Every year, Muslims beat drums as a signal to
\nstimulate the habit of reading and to resound the campaign for
\nmass literacy.<\/p>\n
Allah imposed the holy fasting month of Ramadhan for the
\nindividual and social benefits elaborated above. Thus, fasting
\nfor Muslims is a form of revitalizing the thrust of self-control,
\nself-discipline, time awareness, honesty, family reunion, love,
\nsocial cohesion, reading habit, and mass literacy.<\/p>\n
As the most populous Muslim country, Indonesia should set a
\ngood model of applying the values of Ramadhan in social
\nactivities, and Muslims should be critical of themselves as to
\nwhat extent the values of Ramadhan are manifested in their daily
\nlives. Ramadhan is observed every year, as the prayers are
\nperformed every day. If these religious duties are observed
\nmerely as a formality, they would not have any effect on social
\nlife.<\/p>",
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