Fasting Ramadan, Month of Obedience
By: Sajadi, Journalist of MINA News
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ ك َمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ ١٨٣
O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, just as fasting was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain piety (QS al-Baqarah [2]: 183).
According to this verse, one of the main objectives of the law on fasting in the holy month of Ramadan is to make those who practice it devoted to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala.
One of the definitions of piety itself is the willingness to obey and submit to all the commands and prohibitions of Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala.
When fasting during Ramadan, a person is obliged to obey all the rules by refraining from things that break, such as eating, drinking and having sex with husband or wife, even though these things are lawful to do at other times.
No food is permitted to enter one’s throat before it is time to break the fast, even if there is food that is halal and clearly belongs to him. Likewise, even though the wife or husband you are married to is halal, you cannot have sex with him while he is fasting.
More than that, fasting will be a strong incentive for more perfect obedience.
According to Fakhruddin ar-Razi in his tafsir book, Mafaatih al-Ghayb, the desire for food and wife is much greater than the desire for everything else.
When it becomes easy for believers to fear Allah in abandoning food and wife, then fearing Allah in abandoning everything else will be much easier and lighter.
Apart from that, obedience to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala must cover all aspects of life. Because, Islam is a religion that Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi wasallam which regulates the relationship between humans and their Creator and the relationships between fellow humans.
Human relationships with their Creator are covered in matters of faith and worship, while human relationships with other humans are covered in matters of morals and muamalah.
Personally, there are several tips that can also be done to strengthen obedience to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala
The first tip is to strengthen your faith. Our faith in Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala must be strong in accordance with what Allah desires so that our lives in obedience must strengthen and strengthen our faith by improving the quality of worship.
Second is surrendering your life to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala. We dedicate all the activities we do, all good activities to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala alone.
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Meaning: Say: Indeed, my prayer, my worship, my life and my death are only for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (QS Al-A’nam 162)
To worship Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala all good activities, offerings are only for Allah. When we do activities, the result is a path to death that we must prepare for. Likewise, in worldly activities, we must always feel watched over by Allah.
Third is self-discipline, both in relation to the rights of Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala and also the rights of fellow creatures of Allah. Life is full of discipline, both in terms of time, work, and most importantly the discipline to stay away from prohibited deeds. So that in this way we will always be guided by Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala in all matters.
The last one is that you always feel like you lack knowledge and charity, so you keep learning. So that with that, we don’t become arrogant. We need to know that we are born in a weak, so we should not be arrogant about this condition. We should not feel that it is enough to be good, but rather be Muslim by continuing to improve ourselves and our family. (AT/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
