Ramadan and the Ecotheology of Ruwahan
Ramadan 1447 H is just days away. On the calendar, we may be busy marking when the Isbat session will be held. But at the grassroots level, Javanese communities have already switched on their spiritual "radar" through a tradition that has existed for five centuries: ruwahan.
This legacy of the Walisongo is typically associated with nyadran, the cleaning of graves, and communal feasts as symbols of gratitude. Yet if we are willing to delve a little deeper, ruwahan is in fact a remarkably sophisticated ecotheological practice with direct relevance to today's planetary crisis.
What is ecotheology? Citing an explanation from the Religious Training Centre (BDK) in Surabaya, ecotheology is essentially the approach of resolving environmental problems through a religious framework. This is not merely theory on paper.
Behind the bustle of communities sweeping graveyards or scrubbing prayer halls and mosques ahead of the fasting month lies a sharp moral message: the purity of the soul will never "reach" the Creator if we allow our earth to be filled with rubbish.
Herein lies the gap that frequently occurs in our everyday piety. Many of us are exceedingly diligent in ritual worship yet neglectful of environmental issues. This indicates that some people are more preoccupied with personal piety than with social piety — as though littering has nothing to do with spiritual merit. Ruwahan exists to stitch back together the torn relationship between humanity, God, and nature.
Not an Ordinary Ruwahan, but Earth Restoration
The term "ruwat" in ruwahan is often misinterpreted as something mystical. In reality, if we refer to the study by Riyandi and Mulyati (2023) in the journal Bina Gogik, the essence of ruwat is liberation or purification.
Where people once performed ruwat to free themselves from misfortune, today we can reinterpret it as an effort to ruwat the earth — to liberate it from destruction.
The activities of cleaning mosques, graveyards, or padusan (the ritual full-body wash) before Ramadan are in fact a form of "ecological repentance". We acknowledge that over the past year, we may have polluted nature far too much.
The journal notes that humanity's dependence on natural produce — often symbolised in ritual offerings — serves as a reminder that we are part of the ecosystem, not rulers entitled to destroy it.
The ecotheological message is abundantly clear: cherish what exists on the face of the earth, and God's mercy will be bestowed upon us. So if we want our prayers during Ramadan to "penetrate" the heavens, we must first sort out the matter of cleanliness on earth.
Making the Earth a Vast Prayer Mat
There is a compelling philosophy that has recently been articulated by Professor Nasaruddin Umar, Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs: that the earth is an immensely vast mosque. This means that wherever we stand, it is a place of prostration.
Consequently, maintaining environmental cleanliness through the ruwahan tradition is no longer merely a matter of physical hygiene, but part of preserving the sanctity of our place of worship.
Consider how organically character education is embedded in this tradition. In Grobogan, there is a ritual of shaving a child's hair before the fasting month as a symbol of casting off illness. In Yogyakarta, residents flock to natural water sources.
According to Azwar (2008), this constitutes a form of positive interaction with nature. Ruwahan bridges the gap between the tedious "school theory" about the environment and "real action" full of joy.
Ultimately, ruwahan teaches us that true piety must be green. We are invited not only to restrain hunger and thirst, but also to restrain ourselves from environmentally destructive behaviour. This year's Ramadan is a golden moment to become people who care more deeply about personal cleanliness and the natural environment.
Let us enter the holy month not only with pure hearts, but also with verdant surroundings. For worship feels far more sublime when we prostrate upon an earth that is clean, green, and in harmony.
This legacy of the Walisongo is typically associated with nyadran, the cleaning of graves, and communal feasts as symbols of gratitude. Yet if we are willing to delve a little deeper, ruwahan is in fact a remarkably sophisticated ecotheological practice with direct relevance to today's planetary crisis.
What is ecotheology? Citing an explanation from the Religious Training Centre (BDK) in Surabaya, ecotheology is essentially the approach of resolving environmental problems through a religious framework. This is not merely theory on paper.
Behind the bustle of communities sweeping graveyards or scrubbing prayer halls and mosques ahead of the fasting month lies a sharp moral message: the purity of the soul will never "reach" the Creator if we allow our earth to be filled with rubbish.
Herein lies the gap that frequently occurs in our everyday piety. Many of us are exceedingly diligent in ritual worship yet neglectful of environmental issues. This indicates that some people are more preoccupied with personal piety than with social piety — as though littering has nothing to do with spiritual merit. Ruwahan exists to stitch back together the torn relationship between humanity, God, and nature.
Not an Ordinary Ruwahan, but Earth Restoration
The term "ruwat" in ruwahan is often misinterpreted as something mystical. In reality, if we refer to the study by Riyandi and Mulyati (2023) in the journal Bina Gogik, the essence of ruwat is liberation or purification.
Where people once performed ruwat to free themselves from misfortune, today we can reinterpret it as an effort to ruwat the earth — to liberate it from destruction.
The activities of cleaning mosques, graveyards, or padusan (the ritual full-body wash) before Ramadan are in fact a form of "ecological repentance". We acknowledge that over the past year, we may have polluted nature far too much.
The journal notes that humanity's dependence on natural produce — often symbolised in ritual offerings — serves as a reminder that we are part of the ecosystem, not rulers entitled to destroy it.
The ecotheological message is abundantly clear: cherish what exists on the face of the earth, and God's mercy will be bestowed upon us. So if we want our prayers during Ramadan to "penetrate" the heavens, we must first sort out the matter of cleanliness on earth.
Making the Earth a Vast Prayer Mat
There is a compelling philosophy that has recently been articulated by Professor Nasaruddin Umar, Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs: that the earth is an immensely vast mosque. This means that wherever we stand, it is a place of prostration.
Consequently, maintaining environmental cleanliness through the ruwahan tradition is no longer merely a matter of physical hygiene, but part of preserving the sanctity of our place of worship.
Consider how organically character education is embedded in this tradition. In Grobogan, there is a ritual of shaving a child's hair before the fasting month as a symbol of casting off illness. In Yogyakarta, residents flock to natural water sources.
According to Azwar (2008), this constitutes a form of positive interaction with nature. Ruwahan bridges the gap between the tedious "school theory" about the environment and "real action" full of joy.
Ultimately, ruwahan teaches us that true piety must be green. We are invited not only to restrain hunger and thirst, but also to restrain ourselves from environmentally destructive behaviour. This year's Ramadan is a golden moment to become people who care more deeply about personal cleanliness and the natural environment.
Let us enter the holy month not only with pure hearts, but also with verdant surroundings. For worship feels far more sublime when we prostrate upon an earth that is clean, green, and in harmony.