Not Just Hunger: The 'Greatest Test' of Fasting That Often Goes Unnoticed
Yogyakarta — Many people assume the primary test of fasting is enduring hunger and thirst. However, the real challenge lies in the ability to guard oneself against speech that hurts, belittles, or disparages others. Without realising it, words spoken carelessly often destroy the value of the fast before the act of worship has even properly begun.
This message was delivered by Fathurrahman Kamal, Chairman of the Tabligh Council of Muhammadiyah's Central Leadership, during a sermon at Gedhe Kauman Mosque in Yogyakarta on 18 February 2026. He reminded the congregation that fasting is not merely a ritual of abstaining from food and drink, but an exercise in subduing base desires, including the urge to speak recklessly.
"Some of our brothers and sisters effectively nullify their fast — even before it has been fulfilled — through what? Through belittling one another, hurling insults, trading accusations, and so forth," Fathurrahman told the congregation, as quoted on the Muhammadiyah website.
According to him, the ease with which people resort to negative utterances is inseparable from a worldview that places human reason as the absolute source of truth. In such conditions, divine revelation is often sidelined, whilst the measure of happiness is reduced to material wealth and physical gratification alone.
This worldview, he continued, drives people into an anthropocentric mindset — placing themselves or humanity at the centre of everything. The consequence is that life's orientation shifts towards worldly pleasure rather than devotion to God.
Ramadan fasting, Fathurrahman added, exists precisely to correct this trajectory. The act of worship calls people back to their true identity as servants of God, rather than servants of desire, position, or fleeting interests.
He referenced the popular bureaucratic expression 'asal bapak senang' ('as long as the boss is happy') as a small example of how people can become trapped in the deification of superiors or power. "The simple expression 'asal bapak senang' that we know in our bureaucratic world is actually the beginning of a tradition of deifying one's superiors, a tradition of deifying one's position," he said.
Citing Surah Al-Baqarah verse 183, Fathurrahman emphasised that the purpose of fasting is not merely to abstain from food and drink. If that were the goal, even animals without reason could endure hunger more effectively. The essence of fasting, he said, lies in the attainment of taqwa — the capacity to control one's desires and inner impulses.
This message was delivered by Fathurrahman Kamal, Chairman of the Tabligh Council of Muhammadiyah's Central Leadership, during a sermon at Gedhe Kauman Mosque in Yogyakarta on 18 February 2026. He reminded the congregation that fasting is not merely a ritual of abstaining from food and drink, but an exercise in subduing base desires, including the urge to speak recklessly.
"Some of our brothers and sisters effectively nullify their fast — even before it has been fulfilled — through what? Through belittling one another, hurling insults, trading accusations, and so forth," Fathurrahman told the congregation, as quoted on the Muhammadiyah website.
According to him, the ease with which people resort to negative utterances is inseparable from a worldview that places human reason as the absolute source of truth. In such conditions, divine revelation is often sidelined, whilst the measure of happiness is reduced to material wealth and physical gratification alone.
This worldview, he continued, drives people into an anthropocentric mindset — placing themselves or humanity at the centre of everything. The consequence is that life's orientation shifts towards worldly pleasure rather than devotion to God.
Ramadan fasting, Fathurrahman added, exists precisely to correct this trajectory. The act of worship calls people back to their true identity as servants of God, rather than servants of desire, position, or fleeting interests.
He referenced the popular bureaucratic expression 'asal bapak senang' ('as long as the boss is happy') as a small example of how people can become trapped in the deification of superiors or power. "The simple expression 'asal bapak senang' that we know in our bureaucratic world is actually the beginning of a tradition of deifying one's superiors, a tradition of deifying one's position," he said.
Citing Surah Al-Baqarah verse 183, Fathurrahman emphasised that the purpose of fasting is not merely to abstain from food and drink. If that were the goal, even animals without reason could endure hunger more effectively. The essence of fasting, he said, lies in the attainment of taqwa — the capacity to control one's desires and inner impulses.