Pandemic and Rejuvenating Month of Ramadhan
Fasting is a religious ritual that seeks individual and social piety alike. We may feel ourselves pious individually, but in fact, grudge social establishment — then we deserve to question our fasting.
COVID-19 has been pounding the world in the past year. Human behavior, we see, is adaptively changing with abnormality becoming normal, a lifestyle and a trend.
Research by ADA Indonesia (2021) has revealed an increase of 300 percent in the use of online shopping apps. New, behavior sees adaptive shoppers shift away from conventional (offline) shops and markets.
In big cities, wearing masks is not merely a show of compliance with the standard health protocols but a display of fashion.
Also read: Fasting, Reaching Piety and Blessings
In the name of prestige, a mask produced by Israeli company Yvel is priced US$ 1.5 million or equal to Rp 21.2 billion. The world’s most expensive mask was bought by a Chinese billionaire at the end of 2020. It is an amazing trend, isn’t it?
Speaking about inevitable changes in this new normal era, I want to refer to an analyses by Asmuni M Thohir. An expert in sharia economy from UII Yogyakarta, he says that apart from its relation to the adaptive socioeconomic life, the pandemic has brought about new diversity in human attitudes.
COVID-19 infection has caused such insecurity that people are inevitably anxious and restless. People are psychologically pressured by the prospect of death, which they might never be prepared for out of ignorance. For religious people, the anxiety and restlessness should become a trigger for being God-conscious by not only submitting spiritually to Allah but also doing good deeds to fellow humans.
During this global phenomenon, Islam indeed urges its followers to remember death. Ulema’s consensus even sees the attitude of remembering death, in Islamic law, as sunnah muakkad (very highly recommended). Remembering death indeed should not weather the zeal for life. Instead, it should pump up motivation to make life, which surely will end, as a deeds-cultivated land, whose fruits are ready for harvest in the hereafter.
COVID-19 must be spiritually approached as a universal display of His power and justice, and at the same time, human weakness and injustice.
Since its reported outbreak in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has taken a toll indiscriminately, regardless of hierarchal ranks or social status. It threatens anyone’s life – common people or rulers, laymen or scientists, poor or the rich. See how the universe Ruler is treating human justly over the pandemic.
The healing month of Ramadan
In 2016, Japanese researcher Japan Yoshinori Ohsumi proved that fasting had a positive impact on one’s health. The result appeared to have complimented other scientific research.
As released on the Buschinger Wilhelmi website, according to Ohsumi, fasting for at least 12 hours a day stimulates the body’s autophagy, which is a metabolic process to clean out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells.
Also read: Fasting During the Outbreak
It must be noted that an intake of food during fasting, even in small amounts, can halt autophagy.
Ohsumi finds that autophagy plays an important role in the body’s ability to control physiological functions, which need cell rejuvenation.
In a case of cells being infected, autophagy will eliminate the infection-carried bacteria or virus. It also contributes to the embryo development, as well as the elimination of the negative impacts of aging process.
Fasting can strengthen the lungs, control blood sugar, reduce body weight and improve the brain’s health.
The finding earned a Nobel Prize in physiology and medical on Nov. 3, 2016.
Previous medical analyses also show that through fasting, people can have a healthier life. Fasting can strengthen the lungs, control blood sugar, reduce body weight and improve the brain’s health.
Corby Martin from Pennington Biomedical Research Center held a survey in 2016 on 218 respondents who were asked to take periodic meals, like in the case of fasting. The results, as published on the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, showed they lost weight by 10 percent on average.
The respondents also reported better quality of sleep, body fitness and sexual activities.
Another research report discloses fasting’s benefit for body detoxification, which is a body cleansing process to rid toxins resulted from biochemical functions through the intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph nodes and skin.
Given the research results, I want to say that fasting serves a good way or means to enhance one’s health, especially if it is carried out for the whole month as prescribed for Muslims during Ramadan.
Biidznillah (may Allah permit), the autophagy process as explained by Ohsumi works out not only to contribute to body fitness but also shield our body from threatening diseases.
The asshaumu junnab hadith (prophet narration) say that fasting is a fortress is evidently true. It shields the body against various viruses and bacteria. For those having been vaccinated, you do not need to be doubtful. Undergoing a PCR swab test and vaccination will not cancel out one’s fasting.
Social Piety
Hadith Qudsi says asshaumu Li wa Ana Ajzi bihi. Fasting is a personal relationship between a servant and Allah, with the ultimate goal for the former to achieve inward and outward merit as la’allakum tattaqun carries the message. Fasting must become a cause for achieving piety.
Also read: Fasting and Social Observance
Piety shields someone from wrongdoings potentially detrimental to themselves and others.
Being pious means being able to uphold religious precepts to take care of one’s self, family and environment. In other words, individual piety should resonate practically in the community interactions. The piousness can be seen only in social practices by assessing how significant the contribution is made to help create public well-being.
ROBIKIN EMHAS
Fasting is a religious ritual that seeks individual and social piety alike. We may feel ourselves pious individually, but in fact, grudge social establishment — then we deserve to question our fasting. Does our fasting really succeed in bringing piousness or merely leave us with starvation and thirst, as the Prophet warned?
Robikin Emhas, Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama
This article was translated by Musthofid.
