Little things matter most at Ramadhan
Little things matter most at Ramadhan
Breaking the fast, like all things connected to Ramadhan, becomes a major topic for discussion for Muslims during the fasting month, as well as a grand business opportunity for restaurants and hotels.
Last week a bookstore in Jakarta organized a buka puasa (breaking of the fast) event in conjunction with a book discussion, kind of a clever ploy to sell the newly released book during a month when it's better to do some reading and less talking. We had a discussion on the meaning of buka puasa, literally opening the fast, and batal puasa, which literally means to "break" the fast.
A Malaysian compatriot, like some Indonesians, believes batal means to eat, drink or commit one of the other prohibited acts before dusk, when the fast ends.
An Indonesian friend said he used the second term to refer to breaking the fast with something to drink and a little sweet food, before eating the main meal after maghrib (early evening) prayers. For him, it is a good thing because it tests one's patience and one does not forget to pray before eating the main meal, instead of gorging as soon as the fasting time ends.
For some hungry and tired people, however, when they are breaking the fast at a restaurant or hotel, with their big buffets laden with tempting delights, it might be hard to think about praying, even if there is a prayer room on the premises.
"In Malaysia, people would go home to break the fast 10 years ago, but not now. Most office workers in cities gather to break the fast at hotels, restaurants and food stalls," said another Malaysian friend.
"All hotels and restaurants run advertisements for breaking of the fast with Malay and Middle Eastern dishes, all you can eat from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.. Can you imagine? So business is really good for these hotels and restaurants, and even non-Muslims go out and enjoy the feast during the fasting month, as the food is better compared to other months."
With all that food available, perhaps we Muslims, living in major cities like Jakarta, forget the real meaning of fasting and breaking the fast.
Some of the objectives of the fasting month are to help Muslims appreciate the hardships of the less fortunate, to give the stomach a rest after working so hard for 11 months, to keep the body healthy (and perhaps lose a bit of weight) as well as to test one's resistance to bad temptations. According to a hadith, one of Prophet Muhammad's sayings, he only ate a couple of dates and a glass of water to break the fast.
Now, of course, the way we live has changed how we break the fast. Many of us do not have the luxury of getting home in time to break the fast and pray with our families, but have to find a place to eat on the street.
An Indonesian colleague told me that he has to break the fast in his car since he lives in a suburb of Jakarta. "I have some hot water and a sweet drink and have a proper meal when I arrive home."
Don't get me wrong. I believe it's OK to break the fast at a hotel or restaurant and I sometimes like to do that myself. The wealthy choose to break the fast in cafes and hotels, the well- off youths at cafes and the not-so-rich at sidewalk stalls. But the really lucky ones, I think, are those who get to break the fast at home.
When I was a young boy, I was always so excited if I was invited to someone's house to break the fast, just as long as I did not have to break the fast with my parents. Now, far from home, getting the chance to break the fast with my family would be a cherished luxury.
-- Zulkifli Bin-Haji Mohamad