Religious obligations

Religious obligations

I would like to reply to the letter from Yani Prasatya
published in The Jakarta Post on of June 1.

If Yani Prasatya read my previous letter carefully, she will find
that I have never claimed that my views are a proven science. I
have always used the word "teach": Shalat (praying) teaches this
and puasa (fasting) teaches that, and so on.

If a teacher teaches his/her students something that is right
but the students do not take it to heart, who is wrong? The same
applies in the case of corruption. Mostly people do not learn
from the true significance of their religious obligations. These
obligations serve as a reminder that one day we will be called to
account for all we have done here in this world.

As we all know, most medicines are subject to directions for
use and warnings. If the patient fails to head these, then the
medicine is not going to work -- even though it has been proved
efficacious scientifically.

Religious obligations are also subject to a similar "direction
for use", i.e.: Always try to avoid all types of misdeeds. If
someone just performs the obligations and does not care about the
thing that are forbidden by his religion, like corruption and
violations of human beings, then his/her shalat is nothing more
than just showing off and puasa is merely a hunger strike.

Actually, concerning Yani Prasatya's questions about women, I
have already answered these in one of my previous letters. Maybe
she missed that. Yani seems to not be ready to listen any further
in this regard.

FAZAL M-MUJEEB, Jakarta