Fasting, Reaching Piety and Blessings
Even though the coronavirus epidemic is still rampant with various impacts in the form of the hardships and life restrictions, Ramadan is still Mubarak, a month full of blessings.
The fasting month of Ramadan 1442 Hijriah (Islam calendar) in 2021, which begins this week, is the second fasting month amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ramadan last year, starting at the end of April 2019, the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak was on the rise.
A year on, the pandemic has risen again in its third wave in many countries, with 135 million people infected and 3 million dead.
Indonesia is no exception. The number of Indonesians infected and dying due to COVID-19 appears to be decreasing. A small number of residents who can be prioritized have been vaccinated to increase herd immunity.
However, it is clear that this pandemic is still not over at all. Amid the pandemic, all people, whether they are fasting or not, are obliged to protect their souls and lives (hifz al-nafs). The trick is to carry out health protocols and increase immunity, including when performing tarawih (Ramadan evening prayer) in mosques or prayer rooms according to the dispensation given by the government.
Also read: Fasting During the Outbreak
Ramadan fasting is a religious obligation that is full of both civility and humanity. Those who fast will purify the body and spirit, which promotes the elevation of the quality of personal spirituality and at the same time, the enhancement of civic, national and human life.
Holistic and comprehensive piety
Even though the coronavirus epidemic is still rampant with various impacts in the form of the hardships and life restrictions, Ramadan is still Mubarak, a month full of blessings.
No matter how difficult the situation is, Muslims and believers everywhere long for the arrival of the fasting month of Ramadan as reflected in the expression Marhaban ya Ramadan (Welcome, Ramadan). Why Marhaban? It is because fasting is a very good opportunity for believers (aladzina amanu) to improve their physical and spiritual quality. They are called by Allah SWT to fast as confirmed and explained in several verses of the Quran (QS2: 183, 184, 185, and 187).
By performing Ramadan, believers are expected to attain the degree of piety — la\'allakum tattaqun, hopefully you are all becoming pious (QS 2: 183). Takwa is one of the virtues of humanity in Islam, because the piety (muttaqun) is maintained physically and spiritually, in thought and in action, so that they always follow religious teachings, state regulations and sociocultural traditions. Muttaqun is avoiding violations that harm oneself or others, society, the wider environment, the nation-state and humanity.
Piety must be holistic and comprehensive (kaffah). Only then can people who believe and practice Islam be able to actualize their Islam-ness.
Takwa is not sufficiently manifested only when the believer is praying the principal teaching (mahdhah); it must also be manifested in good deeds, which according to Islam is devotion — devotion to God. A believer should be devout not only when he is praying in a mosque, but also when he is on the street, at the market, on campus, at the office and so on.
The fact that there are still rampant violations of religious teachings and legal provisions such as crime, immorality, violence and corruption indicate that the actualization of piety is not yet holistic and comprehensive. Here, fasting doesn\'t seem to leave a mark (improve one’s spiritual quality), does not make a believer truly fearful physically, mentally and spiritually wherever they are. Under these circumstances, the Islam-ness of those who believe and practice Islam does not actually manifest itself.
Also read : Spirituality of Coronavirus
This situation shows irony: split personality with split Islam-ness so as to fail to increase the goodness and usefulness of oneself, society and the wider environment. Therefore, the opportunity for Ramadan fasting should be used as a momentum for self-evaluation (muhasabah) in order to build holistic Islam. Those who fast (sha\'imin, men, and sha\'imat, women) in a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad SAW are encouraged to do ihtisaban – self evaluate themselves and their fasting (HR Bukhari).
Otherwise, as another hadith from the Messenger of Allah states, the fast of those who are not muhasabah only brings hunger and thirst; does not give a stronger and clearer "mark" (atsar) on themselves and their deeds. This means that Ramadan fasting, which is carried out year after year throughout one’s life, becomes a mere "routine"; it failed to achieve the goal stated in the Quran.
Blessed Life for Humanity
Without blessings, life becomes meaningless; empty of the essential virtues that are beneficial to humanity, nations, humanity and the wider ecosystem.
Ramadan Mubarak, a blessed Ramadan and brings blessings. Those who believe, perform fasting and succeed in achieving the degree of piety completely, God willing, will get a blessed life (Ar barakah). With blessings, life becomes more meaningful, because barakah is “ever-increasing goodness”. People whose lives are blessed always do good for society, humanity and the environment. Without blessings, life becomes meaningless; empty of the essential virtues that are beneficial to humanity, nations, humanity and the wider ecosystem.
If life is not a blessing, one can be materially rich but spiritually poor. Or a person can occupy a high, important and very powerful position but not be happy. Unblessed wealth or position can bring torment, disaster and misery both in this world and the hereafter.
Ramadan blessings. Blessings do not come by themselves. Worship to achieve a life of blessing must be endeavored throughout life; throughout the holy month of Ramadan it is intensified again. Intensification starting from compulsory fasting along with recitation of the Quran, i\'tikaf, dhikr and many more.
All this worship cleanses one from defilement, dirtiness and sin so as to achieve a holy personality (fitrah) and blessings. The believer who becomes clean through worship such as obligatory prayer and sunnah; obligatory fasting and sunnah; paying zakat, infaq, alms and waqf; and going on a pilgrimage or umrah can lead to a life of blessing. Reaching fitrah is a blessed condition that, God willing, can reach the level of piety.
Also read: Fasting and Social Observance
Ramadan is a blessing not only for achieving personal enhancement toward piety, but also for social welfare and humanity as a whole. If fasting personally means strengthening hablun min Allah (connection or relationship with God), socially it strengthens hablun min al-nas, human relations.
In various Islamic teachings, it is always emphasized that a personal relationship with Allah SWT is not perfect unless there is a good relationship with other human beings. A believer\'s good relationship with Allah is for the good of himself, humanity and the universe so that he can manifest religion into rahmatan lil \'alamin.
So, with hablun min Allah and hablun min al-nas, a blessed Ramadan means the restrengthening of solidarity and social networking in society. Many people face various economic and social hardships due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This pandemic has increased the number of poor people and unemployed people who desperately need philanthropic solidarity from citizens with better fortunes.
Ramadan is a blessing not only for achieving personal enhancement toward piety, but also for social welfare and humanity as a whole.
Social solidarity must also be realized in a broader form, which still has an important meaning for strengthening social networks and the benefit for humanity. Among these are applying social discipline; obey the legal order; uphold the propriety, politeness and civility of the public.
Preserving trust, controlling and purifying oneself through Ramadan fasting, for national leaders and public officials and other political elites, must be realized through the establishment of good governance. People long for trustworthy leaders who stick to people\'s trust rather than betray trust by violating state laws, religious teachings and human dignity.
As a result, the blessings of Ramadan to achieve purity and a degree of piety are not only on a personal level, but also on a social and government scale. If this can be realized, fasting can be more functional in various aspects of personal life, citizens and leaders; fasting is not just an annual routine.
Azyumardi Azra, Professor at UIN Jakarta; advisor to CIS Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar.
This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko.