by M. Bakri Musa

In the documentary film American Ramadan, a Christian minister related his experience in Malaysia. It was during Ramadan, and he was at the airport at dusk to collect his luggage, but everyone at the counter was intently watching the clock, eagerly awaiting the breaking of fast. He did not know then the significance of the month and thus could not comprehend the workers’ apparent obsession with time. An older clerk however came over to help and spent over an hour with the visitor while the others were busy eating.

To me, that older clerk best demonstrates the true meaning and spirit of Ramadan. It is more than just fasting during the day; it is about being generous. He was generous with his time and himself to help a total stranger, albeit a customer. The older clerk could just as easily join his co-workers in eating after a day of fasting, or simply have the counter “Closed for lunch!”

Ramadan As Allah’s Special Blessing

Tradition has it that during Ramadan the doors to Hell are closed while the gates to Heaven are wide open. That reflects the generosity of Allah during this holy month. As our Imam Ilyas Anwar said in the first Friday sermon of this Ramadan, we should use fully this opportunity afforded by Allah. The best way for us to show our respect for Ramadan, and thus for Allah, is to reciprocate His generosity by being generous to our fellow humans and to His other creations.

We should not however, take that tradition literally and consider it a license to be reckless and get killed during Ramadan just to secure a slot in Heaven. Nor does it mean that an evil person dying in Ramadan would be spared Hell. Such decisions after all are the prerogative of Allah, and only of Him.

Ramadan is a season to be generous, to forgive generously and turn for us to be so forgiven. It distresses me greatly that no Muslim nation, Malaysia included, have shown fit to grant their prisoners amnesty during Ramadan. Imagine the positive image of Islam if Muslim leaders were to be generous to their citizens, especially those prisoners of conscience incarcerated without trial.

Just as the day’s fast heightens our sensitivity to the flavor of even the simplest food, likewise Allah heightens or enhances the spirituality and blessings of our regular ibadat (religious duties) when performed during Ramadan.

Yes, we pray and give charity outside of Ramadan, nonetheless during the fasting month the blessings are amplified. While tradition has it that the virtue of praying on the “Night of Power” equals that of “a thousand months,” or that certain ibadat are worth “44 times more” if done during Ramadan, we should not be obsessed with the magnitude of the enhancements. Suffice for us to know that they are, and that should motivate us even more to perform those ibadats with greater fervor and frequency during Ramadan.

We should do more of what we normally do, like praying and giving zakat (tithe), and perform them with even greater intensity during Ramadan. Thus, in addition to our regular prayers there are the nightly Taraweekh prayers, reciting the Quran, and fulfilling our tithe for the year as well as the obligatory zakat Fitr (head tax).

We should also be more charitable to and forgiving of others and ourselves. Thus the prophet, s.a.w., encourages us to partake in community iftars (breaking of fast) not only for the communal bonding but also to share with those less fortunate.

Because of the enhanced blessings of Ramadan, the Prophet, s.a.w., used to prepare his people for its arrival by fasting on certain days during the two immediate preceding months. We too should prepare spiritually as well as physically.

Fasting takes a toll on our body, but Allah in His Generosity does not require us to fast if it would impose an undue burden as when we are sick, traveling, or pregnant. Nonetheless those blessed with good health and where fasting would not pose an undue strain should still have to be prepared. We must maintain our regular physical exercises and health routines, with particular emphasis on our oral hygiene. Additionally, we should be clean, neatly attired, and keep ourselves well trimmed. If we aspire to be spiritually clean, we must also be physically so.

Ramadan As “Time Out!”

With the acknowledged extra demands of Ramadan, it may appear perverse to non-Muslims that we Muslims eagerly await and indeed celebrate its arrival. At its elemental level Ramadan forces us to change our daily routine. For Muslims in the tropics where there are no distinct seasons to modulate their activities, this is useful. In temperate zone, the long cold winter nights are for rest and the long days of summer for work. Such natural rhythm is absent in the tropics.

Ramadan also serves as a convenient time frame to anchor memories. Thus it was during the last Ramadan of the Japanese Occupation, or the first following the birth or death of a family member.

The altered routine forces one to pause and reflect, a ritualistic “time out,” to step back momentarily off the conveyor belt of life. When I was a consultant to a lumber mill in Oregon, the manager took me on a tour of his facility so I could better appreciate the injuries of his workers. I saw the huge logs being subjected to harsh debarking, repeatedly sawn through, and then bent and bounced about as they were mechanically sorted and graded. You could hardly hear one another with the noise and vibrations.

Then I was taken to another huge warehouse where the atmosphere was completely the opposite. It was eerily quiet, with stacks of the cut products neatly piled up and left undisturbed. Even the workers whispered to each other, as if respecting the quiet time of the lumber. This was the curing room, with its light, temperature and humidity controlled and kept constant.

The manager explained that after the logs had been through the stresses of the mill, the products needed time to recover before they would be subjected again to the stresses at the construction site or factory. If they were not allowed to recover or be “cured,” they could break easily. His brand name would then suffer.

If inanimate objects like lumber needs “rest time” to recover from the hectic experience of the mill, imagine the need for such times for humans. Ramadan is that necessary “time out,” a season to pause and reflect.

Metabolic Consequences of Fasting

Obesity is the number one public health challenge in America today. Studies in rats indicate that moderate caloric reduction significantly lengthens their lifespan. With humans, obesity is a definite contributor to increased morbidity and shortened lifespan. Imagine if fasting were to be a habit! I routinely lose about five pounds during Ramadan, and feel great!

If nothing else fasting is a respite for our digestive system that is incessantly stressed by our daily indulgences.

These benefits of Ramadan would be negated if we were to be a glutton in the evening. With the increasingly common practice of indulging ourselves with elaborate iftars at fancy hotels, many actually gain weight! Such extravagances are certainly not in the spirit of a season that calls for restraint and moderation.

At the House of Kedah restaurant in Vancouver, Canada, there is sign at its buffet table, “There will be $5.00 charge, donated to charity, for unfinished plate.” What a wonderful idea! It prevents waste and discourages gluttony.

The caloric deprivation and mild dehydration of fasting affect brain function by heightening the neural connections in the areas concerned with emotions; hence the enhanced spirituality experienced by many when meditating during Ramadan. We are thus rewarding ourselves through fasting.

When we are generous with ourselves, we would also be more likely to be generous to others. It is in this spirit that I wish my fellow Muslims, “Selamat Berpuasa!” (Best wishes with your fast!) and Ramadan Mubarak! (Joyous Ramadan!)