Some of the misconceptions concerning Ramadhan are caused by none other than the Muslims themselves.
“Muslims are supposed to be mirrors of Islam, meaning their way of thinking and their conduct are supposed to reflect the true principles of the religion.
“Sadly, these mirrors are no longer clean,” Md Asham Ahmad, a Fellow at the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM), told YellowPost recently.
According to Md Asham, the behaviour of some Muslims nowadays does not truly reflect Islam.
“When we see the sun reflected in a mirror, we cannot say the reflection is the sun itself. It’s only a reflection and is not the real thing,” he said.
Md Asham said many people, especially in the West, construe the practice of all Muslims as the true teachings of the religion.
“Islam is actually a religion of ethics which teaches moderation,” he said.
Using the fasting month as an example, Md Asham said the purpose of the month of Ramadhan is to instil taqwa which is based on justice, which, in turn, is the basis of akhlak (morality).
“To be just, everything must be done moderation – moderate in behaviour, with oneself, in one’s desires for food, sex and so on. Islam doesn’t teach us to practise gluttony. Being moderate is the basis of good akhlak,” he said.
However, the pursuit of moderation does not mean ridding desire entirely as desire is created by God, said the Fellow, adding that people need food but the idea is to bring the human requirement for food into moderation.
Thus, Ramadhan should be a time for Muslims to learn to contemplate why Allah asks them to fast.
“Ramadhan trains us to be moderate. So certain things (like sex and food) which are permissible during normal times are forbidden during the fasting hours, to enable one to be in control of one’s desires, instead of being controlled by them. Hopefully, this habit sustains after Ramadhan. Of course, Ramadhan also trains us to build our strength to leave things forbidden by Islam.”
On Muslims treating the fasting month like a shopping spree during a food festival, Md Asham said Ramadhan should not be observed that way.
“Ibadah (the act of worship) such as the terawih (special Ramadhan prayers), tadarus (group recitation of the Quran), and ceramahs (religious sermons) should not be put aired over loudspeakers.
“Such acts are not acts of moderation but extreme behaviour,” stressed Md Asham.
Save for the azan (five daily calls for prayers), which is made only for a short period of time, broadcasting terawih, tadarus and ceramahs loudly disturbs Muslims and non-Muslims alike and should be done away with, he said.
To better explain the issues, Md Asham used as examples two incidents which occurred during the lifetime of the Prophet Mohammed.
In the first incident, the Prophet Mohammed himself was reprimanded by Allah for reading the Quran too loudly in his prayers.
In the second, a companion of the Prophet Mohammed recited a very long verse of the Quran during prayers while there were people in the prayer congregation who were weak, or in a hurry.
“The reprimand was made because reciting long Quranic verses during congregational prayers, and reciting verses too loudly affected fitnah (slander) to the religion,” said Md Asham.
“This is why some of our non-Muslim friends do not want to live near a mosque,” he said.
Likewise, Ramadhan is not a month to go overboard with things, like overspending, he said.
Asked where a Muslim should draw the line in handling excesses, such as overspending during the fasting month, Md Asham said a Muslim should equip him or herself with adequate knowledge.
He said while the obligation to conduct acts of worship such as prayers, hajj, fasting, etc, can not be observed by a Muslim under certain circumstances, the responsibility to pursue knowledge will always remain unil the end of one’s life.
“There is no excuse for not seeking and improving one’s knowledge of Islam,” he said.
According to the Fellow, one’s knowledge of Islam must not be limited to just the ritual and legal aspects. A Muslim must have adequate knowledge of all aspects of Islam, be they cultural, historical, theological, civilizational and others. Most importantly, every Muslim, in order to make sense of his existence, must have a proper understanding of the worldview of Islam and its fundamental elements.
Md Adham stressed that only through the pursuit of knowledge would a Muslim achieve wisdom, which is the ingredient to making the correct decisions in his or her life and knowing what is excessive and what is not.
“A Muslim cannot wait for a fatwa (Islamic decree) on every thing he wants to do,” he said. He must know his own duty and responsibility.
So, the fasting month is a good time for a Muslim to learn to be moderate and contemplative, said Md Asham.
The fasting month is also an occasion to inculcate the spirit of giving to charity.
However, it has been thought that Muslims seem reluctant to give to places of worship of other religions.
On this matter, Md Asham said Muslims are allowed to give to charity organised by places of worship of other religions.
“If the donation is for charity, for example, an orphanage, of course Muslims are encouraged to give,” he said.
Md Asham gave a rarely-heard-of but apt description of how some present Muslims observe the month of Ramadhan.
“To many of us, the fasting month is just the same as other months. The only difference is that the ‘eating time’ is moved from daytime to night time. There is no personal striving to achieve moderation and the quality of taqwa”.
“Actually, Ramadhan is much more than just not eating and drinking,” he said.
ends
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