Fasting, Mosaic of Sublime Spirituality
The spiritual power of fasting lies in self-control over worldly temptation. It is expected to restrain the fasting Muslims from falling prey to greedy self-hunt to gratify worldly lust.
The fasting month of Ramadan is back this year when the world is still dealing with the pandemic and Indonesia is tweaking out domestic problems.
Covid-19 may have yet to end, but the people’s enthusiasm remains high to liven up Ramadan, a common phenomenon of religious festivity found across the globe for the last decade. Hopefully, the month-long event, which starts Saturday, will be observed with solemnity and not end up merely a religious ritual. Every Muslim wants their fast to be rewarded and not fruitless as a Prophet's hadith (narration) cautions, “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger.” (HR Ibn Majah).
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Fasting in the Frame of Humanity
Fasting can transform the mind into spiritual enlightenment for the community and nation. Religious spirituality is particularly pivotal in paradox-beset social interactions, be it in religious engagement and other aspects of life.
Self-control
Fasting (al-shaumu) literally means “to stop from” or al-imsak, which is “to refrain”. Fasting is abstinence from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset. In a broader meaning, it is “to refrain from worldly lust”, which may otherwise plunge someone into greediness, hedonism, pragmatism and opportunism at the expense of values of truth, kindness and ethics.
The spiritual power of fasting lies in self-control over worldly temptation. It is expected to restrain the fasting Muslims from falling prey to greedy self-hunt to gratify worldly lust. One is encouraged to achieve worldly needs not only for oneself but also for the sustainability of society. Wealth and power must also be pursued only in a good way and for good cause with a view to making it the provision for the journey towards the bliss of life in the hereafter (Surah Al-Qasas: 77).
Therefore, it needed to be deconstructed not by anti-fulfillment of worldly needs but by self-restraint or control.
Syed Ameer Ali has given a deeper perspective on observing fasting in Islam. Different from pre-Islamic tradition, fasting is more about "restraint of lust" rather than "sin atonement". Ameer writes: “The institution of fasting in Islam has the legitimate object of restraining the passions.” The historical background is that the ignorant people (in Mecca) before the advent of Islam were known to be greedy, indulging in lust and transgressing crimes. Therefore, it needed to be deconstructed not by anti-fulfillment of worldly needs but by self-restraint or control.
Fasting is the manifestation of a spiritual way of building an inner strong fortress within Muslims from the wild lusts for captivating worldly allures. The desire to eat, drink and biological lust are a symbolic representation of all worldly wants, according to the famous Sufi Jalaluddin Rumi, like “the mother of all idols”. All the calamities of life stem from unrestrained primitive passions, which push humans’ ambition to reign over the world beyond limits. Corruption, abuse of power, arbitrariness, natural exploitation, war and hostilities on earth occur out of an excessive desire for worldly glory.
Residents arrange takjil menus to break their fast at the Jami Al Makmur Cikini Mosque, Central Jakarta, Thursday (1/6/2017).
Lusts for wealth, power, and other worldly greediness, without spiritual brakes, will never stop. It is like the charm of a golden mountain as illustrated in a Prophet's hadith. If humans ask for a gold mountain and obtain it, they will be craving for a second, and then a third gold mountain. There is always plenty of room for reason, justification, as well as stirring factors, for humans to gratify their spleen. In the Quranic chapter called "At-takatsur", God warns those who indulge in distraction from the Creator. They will not stop competing greedily for more gains until they end up in graves.
Therefore, Syed Ameer says thatfasting is a very suitable way to wrestle humans’ animal desires, especially among the tribes that are still semi-civilized. In other words, the evidence of a civilized nation is to hold on to dignity, not to be greedy in meeting worldly needs, and merit the gains simply to live a meaningful and useful life in utmost honor. Borrowing Abraham Maslow's theory, human life moves from the fulfillment of basic needs to substantive self-actualization needs. The process of achievement increasingly moves up from the bottom to the top structure, which is the need for spiritual nutrients.
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Fasting, Reaching Piety and Blessings
The main goal of fasting is for Muslims to reach the peak of self-quality, which is to become al-muttaqun, or righteous (Surah Al-Baqarah: 183). Among the characteristics of righteousness are charitable (even in difficult times) self-restrained, forgiving and well-mannered (Surah Ali Imran: 134-135). Those who pass the fast are those who have succeeded in conquering their primitive soul to turn it into a spiritually advanced self. Observing fast is akin to going on a steep path toward the attainment of an enlightened spiritual peak, where divine and human values merge in harmony to bear good deeds in life.
Fasting becomes a spiritual way for self-control over lust when carried out at a special level (khawas al-khusus), which gives birth to an attitude of futhuwah, or spiritual chivalry. When contended for a fight or for mischief, a fasting person shall answer "inni shaimun" (I'm fasting). Their aspirations for a good life and legacy rise significantly from being a penchant for physical-material gains to ultimate spirituality (irfa') that enlightens universal life. Borrowing Yuval Harari's diction, a highly spiritual person shows life orientation will move from homo sapiens to homo deus (becoming a deity-level creature!)
National spirituality
Living in this country, both as part of a theist community and a nation, demands noble spirituality. Given the pandemics, world relations prone to war or aggression, various extreme-radical actions that give birth to violence under the guise of religious sanctity and heroism, savage and oligarchic democratic politics, greedy capitalists over natural resources, massive human-made damage to the world with some causing disasters, climate change and all world's calamities, spirituality is necessary to enlighten men.
These qualities of empathy revive human nature as a "sentient" creature, which at this time may be eroded by a rational-instrumental mindset or a shallow religious view.
As Steven Pinker says in Enlightenment Now, humans in this era must develop "a humanistic sensibility" to cultivate empathetic sentiments, such as generosity, compassion and a sense of understanding between each other. These qualities of empathy revive human nature as a "sentient" creature, which at this time may be eroded by a rational-instrumental mindset or a shallow religious view.
Moreover, when the world is experiencing absurdity and confusion as described by Albert Camus, it is really necessary to have a personality with spirituality at the highest level, not a hunter for worldly gains in the armor of pride and self-conceit. Religiousness and spirituality have always been referenced as a sanctified canopy for a life laden with confusion and uncertainty. Michael Adas says “religious
revitalization” is urgent in times of chaos in life, even though religious revival may veer at times to extreme religiosity or millenarian vision as an escape.
Packages of takjil and iftar meals are prepared by staff at the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta.
The world is prone to chaos because humans have lost the sublime spiritual anchor. Their moral vision is no wider than a small house yard, being squeezed into a small, myopic tradition. Common sense is shattered, making ordinary people stray and lose faith in the meaning of truth, kindness and living worthiness.
Wrong is presented as right, bad as good. Rules are toyed with, and the sky of life is made completely gray which leads to confusion about values as Allah says about humans with "animal temperaments" whose common sense is potentially numbed by loss of conscience" (QS Al- 'Araf: 179).
This severely misguided temperament is often framed by the provoking thought of "Anthropocene". It is based on secular humanism, artificially looking right, but in reality, is a mess and chaotic. According to Peter L Berger, a social life that should be framed with noble civility has fallen into chaos in the wilderness. Humans fall into the post-truth paradigm when recurrent mistakes are eventually accepted as commonality.
Such a chaotic life in reference to Jayabaya's predictions has brought people's lives to the "kalabendu" era (social stability made use for oppression). Human life on the surface seems to enjoy worldly pleasures and indulgent, but in reality, it is damaged and destroyed.
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Life turns upside down like an era of insanity, good people being confused and the bad having fun. Good people are floundering, while troubling people are promoted. Paradoxes and misbehavior have become common. The direction of life moves in a zigzag way like a big ship being swayed by big waves so hard it loses its orientation to the dreamland.
Amid this age of "absurdity" and "kalabendu", it is important to present a noble spirituality and religiousness. Adherents and religious leaders with acknowledgment of diversity are pivotal to radiate enlightenment not only within themselves but also for others and the environment. The religious figures and scholars should be role models, not those who create noise and unrest.
On the other hand, stay away from all bad, extreme, unfair, intolerant, impure and ananiyah hizbiyah attitudes or clique egoism that will give birth to dull faces and anomalies in religious life.
Living peacefully, justly, moderately, tolerantly, and humbly should become a culture of life for religious people. On the other hand, stay away from all bad, extreme, unfair, intolerant, impure and ananiyah hizbiyah attitudes or clique egoism that will give birth to dull faces and anomalies in religious life.
The noble spirituality as the fruit of fasting will give birth to the spirit of futhuwah and irfa' in national interactions, which subsequently affect a mosaic of the statesmanship of elites and citizens of the nation. The elites should live to serve the nation and the world of humanity with all their hearts rather than being trapped in an iron cage of power with endless worldly temptation because they are supposed to be noble in dignity.
So speaking, we can expect the citizens to become more intelligent and dignified, and grow a collective force that will inspire the progress of the country. We believe that there are still many elites and citizens in our beloved country, despite their spiritual pulse screaming softly, who have a mosaic of noble spirituality to choose the straight path of life for the sake of an advanced and civilized Indonesia!
Haedar Nashir
Haedar Nasir, Muhammadiyah Chairman
(This article was translated by Musthofid)