The Conqueror of Idols of Lust

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

Haedar Nashir

Idul Fitri is the celebration to mark the end of the fasting month. On the first day of Shawwal, the 10^th month of the Islamic calendar, those who fasted during Ramadan are obliged to break their fast and are forbidden to fast any longer. This culmination of the joy of Muslims as their reward, as well as the starting of new life as pious people, is the purpose of fasting.

Fasting is al-imsaak (self-restraint), the action of refraining from eating, drinking and fulfilling biological desires according to Islamic teachings. The three human needs are representations of the worldly life.

The worldly life is often represented by matters of wealth, rule and all other natural desires that Maslow calls basic human needs.

Through fasting, Muslims are educated to control worldly desires with noble values. They are instructed not to stay away and kill these desires like an angel but at the same time, not to follow them freely like the devil's behavior.

The main key to fasting is to control worldly desires. So that people of faith are istikamah (consistent) in the way of God as servants and caliphs on Earth who control the world and are not enslaved by the world!

Source of slander

The world is charmed. Allah describes it as, “beautified for the love that the people desire – of women, children and treasures piled up in the form of gold and silver, selected horses, livestock and fields. That is the pleasure of living in the world and with Allah being a good place to return." (QS Ali-Imran: 14).

A man with sensuality and libido always looks after worldly pleasures and glory. For those who disbelieve, the world has nothing to do with noble values.

For them, living takes place within a completely secular world, the realm of the here and now, enjoying worldly pleasures as much as possible without linking them to spiritual and metaphysical dimensions in the absolute grip of God's power.

However, for people of faith, the world must be managed on the basis of meaningful values, it cannot be arbitrary. There is a realm of right and wrong, good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate in living life in the world.

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Furthermore, there is a post-world ultimate goal, which is to live in the hereafter to reach heaven in His pleasure and grace (QS Al-Fath: 29). So the believer is given a corridor in managing the world, especially wealth, "where did it come from and what is it used for" (Hadith) and may not be ishraf or excessive (QS Al-'Araf: 31).

In practice, even believers are often tempted and fall into the disease of hubbud dunya (excessive love of the worldly life).

Despite being reminded by God, “You should know that the life of this world is just like a game and joke, jewelry and mutual pride among you and competition in wealth and offspring, like the rain that makes the farmers amazed of their plants; then it [the plant] dries up and you see it turns yellow and then it crumbles. And in the hereafter [later] there will be a severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and His pleasure. And the life of this world is nothing but false pleasures.” (QS Al-Hadid: 20).

Because the love of the worldly life is excessive, humans become "hungry for the world" more than animals.

The Prophet described, "There will come a time when other people will fight over you like hungry people fighting over food in a dish."

Companions asked, "Is it because at that time there are only a few of us O Messenger of Allah?".

He answered, "No, actually there would be many of you at that time, but your quality is like foam floating on the sea, and in your soul is embedded the weakness of the soul."

The companions asked, "What is meant by weakness of the soul, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Love the world and fear of death!" (Narrated by Abu Dawud).

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The various displays of luxury that have recently gone viral in this country reinforce the evidence that humans are the hubbud dunya type.

There is nothing wrong with wealth, especially if it is obtained lawfully. However, showing off wealth mirrors arrogant and excessive attitudes, thus a showing off as the lover of the world.

This is especially the case if the worldly luxuries are obtained through corruption, gratuities, the mafia and all forbidden doors.

The love of position and power can be even worse. The disease of love of power is difficult to be cured, like stage four cancer.

Machiavelli taught virtuoso theory, where in order to achieve the glory of human power by all means, one must use fox-style politics in order to become the mighty. Then, history gives birth to tyrants who destroy life. The world has turned into a slander like a living hell!

Worship of lust

As a result of excessive love of the world, a human typology is born that "deifies his lusts". Allah teaches the facts of life. In the Quran it is said, “Tell me about the one who has made his lust his god. So can you be a caretaker over it?” (QS Al-Furqan: 43). According to Ibnu Katsir, the verse contains God's message, whichever is considered good by his desires, then it is a guide and role model for human life.

The Mufassir cited the history of Ibn Abbas, a figure from the pagan era of ignorance, with the symbol of a white gem. When the idol worshiper saw something better, he turned to worshiping it and abandoned the first idol.

Lust is the mother of all idols,

Then Allah says in the next verse: “Or do you think that most of them hear or understand?” (QS Al-Furqan: 44).

In fact, they are worse than animals released freely. In fact, animals live only by instinct, while humans, because of their lust, are endlessly greedy.

"Lust is the mother of all idols," said the greatest Sufi, Jalaluddin Rumi. The mistake often made by religious or secular people is to deify their lust for the world with all its charms that transcendental limits.

As a result, the soul and thoughts or actions are always greedy and arrogant, and destroy life. In fact, for the sake of legacy and in the name of development, it actually destroys the face of the Earth (QS Al-Baqarah: 11). In fact, the worshipers of lust will end their lives in destruction (QS Thaha: 16).

Therefore, make fasting, the period’s worshipping and Idul Fitri a new spiritual way to live in moderation, cultivate the world with a moral and responsible caliphate spirit and prosperity for human life and the environment in which we live together.

Stay away from the lavish life of luxury and transgression in all aspects of worldly life. Make those ruling, wealth and affairs of the world a straight path with a long prayer rug to true happiness in the eternal afterlife.

Not only in dealing with the world, religion must not go beyond limits or ghuluw (being extreme) (QS Al-Maidah: 77). Extreme religion breeds intolerance, arrogance and an attitude of being pure or feeling the most righteous and holy self, giving a birth to the forms of discrimination, regimentation and persecution in the name of religion.

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Schools, the domination of a number of powerful figures and the amalgamation of religious power and political power give birth to religious extremism, which opens opportunities for verbal and non-verbal persecution (mihnah) to other parties who disagree and are minorities.

Religion loses the soul of hanafiyat as-samhah (authentic and broad-minded views) because it is wrapped in lust for power!

In fighting for truth and justice, stay away from lust and excessive life (QS An-Nisa': 135). Truth and justice are upheld in a way that is right and just, not with the arrogance of self-righteousness.

Differences in religious understanding and practices should be faced with genuine tolerance. Ulul amri (leaders) are also obliged to act fairly and wisely, so as to protect all groups without discrimination because all of God's mandates must be accounted for before Him someday.

Idul Fitri and Ramadan fasting must be the holy path of pious humans to the highest spiritual ascension. So that every believer is able to become a conqueror of idols of lust and avoid becoming a slave to worldly desires.

Differences in religious understanding and practices should be faced with genuine tolerance.

We should create a prosperous world without destroying it. The world we live should be managed with gratitude and prophetic intelligence in a balance far from greed.

Religion also becomes the enlightener of reason, which dissolves self and group egoism so that an authentic wasathiyah attitude is born which advances the noble civilization of the commons.

Becoming a pious individual is the fruit of fasting, and Idul Fitri must exist as an event to help those conquer the idols of lust to the highest level of lust mutma'inah and the khawasul khawwas group, as the wisdom of Imam Al-Ghazali teaches.

They are the ones who are successful in fasting and celebrating Idul Fitri in the midst of the wave of this temptation-laden life, and achieve life in the world with authentic meaning, a solid radar of faith and monotheism soaring into the sky under the guidance of the Divine Essence of Love.

Meanwhile, the cruising service of life in the world is lived with ihsan (perfection) as the main path of virtue that spreads grace to the universe!

Haedar Nashir, the chairman of Muhammadiyah

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi