Author: Harris Abdullah
It is the last week of Ramadan which means all Muslim brethren is going to end the Islamic fasting ritual soon. When the question about the purpose of fast is brought up, it is easy for Muslims to give an answer that apart from it being one of the five pillars of Islam, fast is a form of spiritual discipline to practice self-control, to empathise with the poor and needy and to result in nearness to the All Mighty. Fasting is indeed good to bring the desires of the flesh under control but do you actually see this happens?
The month of Ramadan is a month of good business for those in the food business. Hotels, restaurants and cafes offer a wide spread of Iftar buffet and the price is much more expensive than normal days buffet. Even petty food traders spring up like mushroom because the demand for food is so much more during Ramadan to cater for Muslims who break fast. There is nothing wrong with running a business after all people need to eat at break fast and they may be too tired to cook after a day of fasting and working. The question is: Are Muslims not supposed to empathise with the poor and needy during Ramadan? Do you see the poor and needy who go hungry during the day feast on lamb, cow, chicken etc. during the night? In fact, the activity of eating and drinking can last for many hours and the amount of food eaten exceeds much more than that eaten daily outside Ramadan month. It is almost gluttony for some. So, how do Muslims empathise with the indigent during Ramadan?
We Muslims agree that Ramadan is a holy month where believers spend more time in prayers and repentance in the hope that Allah s.w.t. will receive them into Paradise. However, is it mere fasting that one can get into Paradise. Let’s read Surah 2: 183
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous –
How I wish that this verse of the Holy Quran would come true to every Muslim. Let me share with you the scenario in the Muslim country that I live in. Before Ramadan, the Muslim law enforcers would be busy catching illegal immigrants and would let them off with no prosecution if they could pay a certain sum of money on the spot. This is a better business for the law enforcers because they have the chance to catch the illegal immigrants in future and earn money from them again. One foreign worker with valid work visa shared that one day, he was stopped by a Muslim policeman who rummaged around in his wallet and took whatever money he could find. This is just one of the many cases in the country which was normally not reported for fear of reprisals. We would have thought that during Ramadan, the law enforcers would stop extorting the immigrants whether legal or illegal but sadly, they don’t. Would the fast of these shameless corrupt Muslims be accepted by Allah s.w.t.? These people who extorted money from the poor and take bribes still desire to fast because they believe by doing so they can still go to Paradise. The act of fasting is supposed to put the self-desire under control. However, for many Muslims even the motive of fasting has become a matter of self-interest for the most part of just wanting to enter Paradise. Fasting is supposed to bring about righteousness as we draw near to Allah s.w.t. in true repentance/al-tawbah but sad to say this is not what we see in reality for most Muslims. Paradise instead of the desire for righteousness is the motivation to fast for most Muslims. When our fast fails to result in righteousness, will Allah still grant us Paradise?
What is the kind of fast that is accepted by Allah s.w.t.? The book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible clearly mentioned the kind of fast that Allah desires in His people
Isaiah 58: 6-11
6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke?
7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become like midday.
11 “And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. (NAS)
It is sad that most Muslims don’t know what type of fast is pleasing to Allah s.w.t. because they only think about fulfilling the requirement of religion on fasting. Just ask the corrupt law enforcers if they fast? I am sure most of them do because they believe by observing fast they can still get to Paradise on that day but right now while fasting they also shamelessly oppress the poor by extorting money from them. Now can you understand why a Muslim country can be a very corrupt country. Surprisingly, the country belonging to infidels, as Muslims call them, are the least corrupt countries in the world. So, what have Muslims got to brag about?
Some Muslims will engage in intense prayer and devotion in the last 10 days of Ramadan as it is a time of spiritual cleansing and purification, and it holds great significance as Allah s.w.t. shows great mercy to His creation. This reminded me the story of a woman with 3 children who wished to devote herself to prayers and devotion in the last 10 days of Ramadan. In order to do this, she had to force another friend to care for her children before she devoted herself to prayers. Surprisingly after the end of Ramadan, she acted like a shrew as before; demanding and argumentative, saying that she is always right. So, what happened with her so-called prayers and devotion?
The issue with Muslims, as I observe, is that they practice the commandment of Allah s.w.t. on the external without internal working of the heart. It is like what people in the world say, ‘Work but with no passion.’ The words of the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 59: 1-2 read
Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
Now, do we Muslims see the real issue here? We can pray for forgiveness and in fact we should ask for the forgiveness of Allah s.w.t. during Ramadan and surely Allah s.w.t. can forgive us if He is willing. The question is whether we are willing to abandon our sinful way just like the corrupt officers, are they willing to stop extorting money from the poor immigrants? How can we expect our prayers to be heard and expect Allah s.w.t. to grant us a place in Paradise just because we fast, ask for forgiveness but never depart from sin or return to sin shortly. It is not surprising that the infidels can be more righteous than the Muslims.
As Muslims are already in the last stretch of Ramadan, let us come to Allah s.w.t. with a true and honest heart to seek the righteousness of Allah s.w.t. and to stay away from sin. Then every day is going to be like a fast that is acceptable and pleasing to Allah s.w.t. and when we call Allah s.w.t., He will surely answer.
_________________________________________________________________
Note:
- Al-Quran verse is sourced from English Translation of Al-Quran by Sahih International, with thanks.
- All Torah verses are sourced from the New American Standard Bible with Codes (1977), with thanks.