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Why fast?
Bitched on: Sunday, September 20, 2009
Time: 9/20/2009 12:18:00 AM
A friend of mine asked me a question and I was stumped.Time: 9/20/2009 12:18:00 AM
He had taken a module on world religions and for his essay, he researched and wrote on Islam.
So the question he asked that had me perplexed momentarily was, "Why do you Muslims fast?"
Well, the obvious reason was that it is one of the five pillars of Islam along with performing the daily prayers, performing the pilgrimage a.k.a. the hajj, paying the zakah (contributing to charities) and lastly the Shahada or the profession of faith. Fasting is not just abstaining from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset, it also means abstaining from smoking and having sexual intercourse. All that and also to avoid cussing and thinking lustful and/or evil thoughts. That said, we are encourage to 'up' our prayers and devote ourselves to God by doing good deeds like reading the Quran etc...
After that I explained to him my personal reasons for fasting.
1. To experience (maybe just briefly) the hunger faced by many of those who are less fortunate than me.
2. To symphatize with those who do not get to eat and drink as bountifully as me.
3. To cleanse myself a.k.a. detoxification.
4. To feel good, to feel closer to God (when I say 'good', I mean 'less guilty').
5. To control my desires (not only to eat and drink, but also to cuss).
6. And lastly after a month of fasting, it sure makes celebrating the end of it very much worthwhile.
So to all my Muslim friends, Eid Mubarak Greetings.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf zahir dan batin.
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