Fasting of Champions

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A pastor and a number of Catholic churchgoers greet Muslim adherents as they pass by the Paulus Miki Catholic Church on June 25, 2017. The Muslims had just come from attending the Idul Fitri prayer service, which coincided with the church’s weekly Eucharist Mass, at the office of the Military Resort Command 073/Makutarama next to the church in Salatiga, Central Java. The two events were conducted peacefully and solemnly.

This year’s fasting month of Ramadhan has arrived and brought back a forgotten memory. That of the hopes of victory at the ground zero of Indonesia’s independence. Our independence was proclaimed during the fasting month. At the intersection, two moments of triumph are celebrated at once: a triumph of faith and a triumph for the nation.

Fasting signifies victory. In various religious traditions, fasting is practiced as a spiritual exercise to help the noble soul gain victory over base animalistic greed. At the end of Ramadhan, Muslims pray, “May Allah make all of us and all of you individuals who return [to the path of righteousness] as winners.”

The proclamation of Independence is a milestone in national triumph. It is a triumph of freedom from negativity: freedom from colonialization, oppression and fear; and a triumph of freedom of positivity: freedom to develop ourselves in implementing a life of the nation that is freed, united, sovereign, just and prosperous.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

Nganglik village head KH Ali (left) shakes hands with Malang Bishop Dr Henricus Pidyarto Gunawan O Carm (right) as Az-Zainy Islamic Boarding School for Drug Rehabilitation head KH Zain Good (second left) looks on shortly before a mass breaking-of-the-fast event on June 2, 2017. Held at the Gembala Baik Catholic Church of of Batu district, Batu City, East Java, the evening’s event was themed “Ramadhan Gathering of Interfaith Youths of Batu City to Uphold the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), Harmony of Religious People and Indonesian Peace”.

If fasting serves as an intersection between the triumph of faith and the triumph of the nation, what triumph can we reflect upon in this holy month? How can we be triumphant at a time when our nation’s collective awareness is subjected to lies, hoaxes and insults? Violence and bullying are widely celebrated. State elites work together to commit corruption and betray the entire nation. Mutual trust disappears.

Triumph does not come unexpectedly out of the blue. In order for fasting to not be a hollow triumph, faith requires demonstration and sacrifices. The truths that we believe in, both in terms of religious teachings and nationalist principles, are not oxygen that can be enjoyed for free. They emerge from the mud of life that can only be lifted to the surface through hard work.

A triumph of faith and a triumph for the nation require persistence of ethics and work ethos. The Qur’an says, “By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience” (QS 103:1-3). The Qur’an also reaffirms that, “There is nothing for man except that which is in accordance to his deeds” (QS 52:36-42). “So when you have finished (with your immediate task), still strive hard (then toil” (QS 94:7).

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

People break their fast with a packed meal that was distributed to commemorate Pancasila Day on June 1, 2017 at Yogyakarta’s North Square. The food distribution is a symbol of brotherhood and supports the spirit of mutual cooperation, encouraging people to ignite the spirit of unity by practicing the values of Pancasila in their daily lives.

Matters of ethics and work ethos are closely linked to the soul of religiosity. A big question emerges, then, of what has happened with the modes of our religiosity. How can a religious people have broken social ethics and weak work ethos?

We need to return ethics and work ethos to the heart of our faith. Afterwards, our struggle to obtain triumph must be continued by strengthening our unity through bonds of friendship and reconciliation. Allah created us to be different not for us to destroy one another, but instead so that we can complement one another (QS 49:13). If those differences lead toward discrimination, those who are persecuted and evicted have the right to defend themselves (QS 22:39). If the violence of some men is not prevented by other men, “there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned” (QS 22:40). This must be ended soon. The goal of self-defense is to promote harmony and reconciliation, instead of perpetuating enmity.

Ideally, no wars should have been waged to defend noble values. This is because noble values can be more productively actualized in peace. Like Karen Armstrong said (in quoting Ibnu Ishaq) in her comment of “the form of triumph” in the Hudaibiyah agreement (628 AD), “Peace brings forth a cooler atmosphere that is conducive for more open and productive discussions between Muslims and Non-Muslims. In such an atmosphere, triumph can be celebrated together.”

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

Yudi Latif

Another requirement to obtain triumph is the spirit of sharing in achieving justice. God will only grant victory to people on Earth who are willing to pray (adhering to God) and give alms or zakat (promote the common welfare), spread kindness and prevent wickedness by implementing a just law (QS 22:41).

For elites who celebrate on top of people’s suffering, fasting reminds them that their bellies should not be graveyards for the poor. Fasting should be a moment to burn egocentrism by practicing self-restraint and knowing when enough is enough: “not exult [in pride] over what He has given you” (QS 57:23).

Yudi Latif, Chairman, Presidential Working Unit for the Implementation of Pancasila Ideology