It is the beginning of Ramadan in Malaysia. Muslim start to fast today. We wake up for the Syhor [an early breakfast] this morning and had a light meal. The beginning of the first fasting day. Fasting is actually the state of the mind. Once you set your mind to fast during this month of Ramadan you would not find any difficulty of fasting during the day. Actually you just have to change your eating and drinking habit from the normal ritual. During this month instead of eating and drinking during the day you just do it during the night, from after the sun set until the time of the sun rise. It would not be difficult if you set your mind to do just that and focus on fasting. Fasting is not just abstaining from not eating or drinking, it is a total discipline of the body and the mind. You must have Love in your heart all day long and only with that would your fasting served its purpose.
Salam Pak Idrus
ReplyDeleteSelamat menjalani ibadah puasa, semoga Allah SWT menerima ibadah kita di Ramadhan 1428 ini.
Fauziah, thanks. Have a great and fruitful puasa as well. I fully agree with your thoughts on this subject as posted in your blog. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeletePakIdrus,
ReplyDeleteSelamat Berpuasa
ana, thanks, Selamat berpuasa to you too. Have a nice day and take care.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, PakIdrus, for this blessed month.
ReplyDeleteRamadan is derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is an opportunity for us to scorch away all our misdeeds, transgressions, and other negative accumulations during the year.
Moderation in behavior, thought and satisfying our physical urges should be the guiding principles throughout the year, so that hopefully, when Ramadan comes we do not need too much scorching treatment.
Many are tempted to go overboard after a day without water and food. We see that especially at the food stalls and the buffets at hotels, easily forgetting that for many others doing without food and water is a daily thing they have to endure due to poverty, war, and injustice.Just saw a report about some Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia on a hunger strike protesting not being paid their wages. That some employers can so readily exploit other humans just so they can make an extra dollar's profit should be a source of shame and a cause for reflection by generally fortunate Malaysians especially in this month.
So, always remember that we should be fasting and not feasting. That will go a long way toward creating a sound body and mind as well as fulfilling a sacred obligation to Allah.
mr.bojangles Sir, thanks you for the visit and that knowledgeable comment.
ReplyDeleteI am indeed glad that you took that extra length to blog on this issue that is so pertinent nowadays where come Ramadan food stalls seem to grow like mushroom after a rainy day. It is as though that feasting has became the order of the day during Ramadan.
Like you I think the society had it wrong. We should be concern with the philosophy of fasting rather then mere eating beyond what is really necessary at breaking fast time.
Thanks Sir for sharing your wise thought here and have a nice day.
Selamat berpuasa dan berbuka puasa Pak Idrus.
ReplyDeletehanafi, Selamat berpuasa to you too. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteDear Pak Idrus,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your piece about Rahmadan and fasting. As a non-Muslim it is good to understand the significance of this act in relation to other human beings. The buka puasa meals also bring family and friends together which is so very important nowadays with busy work schedules etc. Hotels and restaurants will no doubt be advertising these feasts on a daily basis, and aren't they enticing!
They act of fasting also, I believe, make us aware of those who are less fortunate around the world who don't know when their next meal will come from.
All the best to you and your family and hope to meet you someday.
svllee, thanks for the visit and the kind words. I am indeed glad that this posting on Ramadan did cross religious boundaries. Fasting is for everyone who want to have a change of their eating ritual. Only in practicing it, even for one day, I believe that you would really appreciate its philosophy. In one word it is Love all through to each and everyone of us. Have a nice day and take care.
ReplyDelete