Invitation to Understanding Islam Fasting in Islam Muslims fast every day in the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a divinely prescribed annual training exercise to attain physical and spiritual well being. The Arabic word for this exercise is sawm or'abstaining from certain things.' Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to sunset. Exemptions are given to those in special situations such as sickness, menstruation and long distance travel. They are required to replace the missed days. The beginning of the fast is preceded by taking a small meal {sahur) followed by declaring one's intention {mat) to fast to please Allah The Most Merciful. The niat distinguishes the fast of Islam from just starving under a diet plan. Muslims break their fast (iftar} at the time of the call to prayer for the maghrib prayer. During the hours of fasting, Muslims carry on with their normal duties but with greater awareness of the need to avoid sinful acts and increase their good deeds. The Prophet (pbuh) was reported to have said: " Whoever did not give up lying and practicing falsehood, Allah is in no need of his giving up food and water" [Bukhari] www.islamicoutreach.com.my
Razumjeti Islam POST U ISLAMU Muslimani poste svaki dan mjeseca Ramazana, devetog mjeseca islamskog kalendara. To je Bogom određen godišnji trening vježbanja da se dosegne fizički i duhovni boljitak. Arapska riječ za ovu vježbu je sawm tj. 'suzdržavanje od nekih stvari Muslimani se trebaju suzdržati hrane, pića i seksa od jutra do zalaska sunca. Iznimke su dane onima u posebnim situacijama kao što su bolest, menstruacija i daleko putovanje. Oni trebaju nadoknaditi propuštene dane. Početku posta prethodi uzimanje malog obroka {sahur) nakon kojega slijedi izjava namjere {mat) da se posti po volji Allaha Najmilostivijeg. Niat razlikuje post Islama od običnoga gladovanja zbog dijete. Muslimani prekidaju post (iftar} za vrijeme poziva na molitvu za maghrib moljenje. Za vrijeme postnih sati, Muslimani nastavljaju svojim normalnim obavezama ali sa većom sviješću o potrebi izbjegavanja griješnih djela i povećavaju svoja dobra djela. Poslanik (s.a.w.s.) je rekao: "Tko god nije prestao lagati i prakticirati neistinu, Allahu ne treba njegovo odricanje od hrane i vode" [Bukhari] www.islamicoutreach.com.my
The aim of fasting is to acquire thaqwa or self-restraint. [2:185] We harm ourselves when we deviate from The Straight Path by failing to live according to God's laws. A deviated soul is unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. The soul becomes a slave to satanic whispers and takes to evil ways. The Islamic way to remain steadfast in The Straight Path begins with strengthening the soul. Through obligatory and other acts performed to please Allah The Most Merciful, the layers of falsehood covering the soul are removed. A soul that is free of falsehood is able to protect itself from satanic temptations. The fast of Ramadan is a personal obligatory duty in Islam that aims to strengthen our God-consciousness. When the soul deprives itself of the basic needs from dawn to sunset for one month each year, to please Allah, it strengthens itself to resist the pull of the lower desires that cause it to go astray from The Right Path. Sawm differs from the other obligatory duties. For example, one may pray {so/af) just to be seen to be praying, and not really pray! But how can one suffer hunger as a show-off? The hunger in sawm is real and can be felt but not "seen" by others. No one abstains from things (such as food and sex) that are normal, natural and permissible. Being hungry and abstaining from pleasure is no pleasure in itself except when it is experienced for the sake of Allah. Sawm in this sense is exclusively for Allah. The Almighty (reported by the Prophet, pbuh) says, "Fasting is for He and I shall reward it." [Bukhari]
The Prophet (pbuh) compared fast to "a shield." The Believer uses the shield of fast to refrain from all sinful thoughts, utterances and actions, and nurture the thought and remembrance of Allah. To the Believers Ramadan is a month of reflection, self-discipline and self-improvement. While the Believers must strive to improve themselves at all times, such striving carries special significance during Ramadan. It was in this month that the first verses of The Noble Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) through Angel Jibril {as}. The Noble Qur'an was revealed to guide mankind to The Right Way and as the criterion to distinguish truth from falsehood. [2:185] The Believers make extra efforts in the month of Ramadan to strengthen their bond with The Noble Qur'an. It is considered meritorious to recite the entire Qur'an during this month. The most important night in this month is LaylatuI Qadr (The Night of Power), the night when The Noble Qur'an descended to the lowest heavens in preparation for its revelation to the Prophet (pbuh). The Noble Qur'an describes this Night as "better than a thousand months." [97:1-5] The exact date of this Night is a divine secret. The Prophet advised the Believers to "seek it on the odd numbered nights of the last ten days of Ramadan." [Bukhari] With compliments: BAITULMAL (Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan)
Svrha posta je da se postigne thaqwa tj. samoobuzdavanje. [2:185] mi si naškodimo kad skrenemo sa Pravog Puta propuštajući da živimo prema Božjim zakonima. Duša koja je zastranila nesposobna je da razlikuje istinu od laži. Duša postane rob sotonskog šaputanja i krene zlim putovima. Islamski način da se ostane čvrsto na Pravom Putu počinje jačanjem duše. Izvođenjem obaveznih i drugih činova da se zadovolji Allah Najmilostiviji, uklanjaju se naslage laži koje su prekrile dušu. Duša koja je oslobođena od licemjerja sposobna je da se zaštiti od sotonskih iskušenja. Post Ramazana je osobna obavezna dužnost u Islamu namijenjena da ojača našu svjesnost o Bogu. Kad se duša odrekne osnovnih potreba od jutra do mraka mjesec dana svake godine, da zadovolji Allaha, ona postane jača da se odupre izazovu niskih želja koje bi ju skrenule s Pravog Puta. Sawm se razlikuje od drugih obaveznih dužnosti. Na primjer, netko može moliti {so/af) samo da bi ga se vidjelo da moli, a zapravo uistinu ne moli! Ali kako bi netko mogao gladovati za pokazivanje? Glad je u sawm istinita i može se osjetiti ali ju drugi ne mogu "vidjeti". Nitko se ne odriče stvari (poput hrane i seksa) normalne, prirodne i dozvoljive. Biti gladan i suzdržavati se od zadovoljstva samo po sebi nije zadovoljstvo osim kad se iskusi za Allaha. Sawm je u ovom smislu isključivo za Allaha. Svemoćni (izvijestio je Poslanik, s.a.w.s.) kaže, "Postenje je za Njega i Ja ću ga nagraditi." [Bukhari]
Poslanik (s.a.w.s.) je post usporedio sa "štitom." Vjernik koristi štit posta da se sustegne od svih griješnih misli, izražavanja i djelovanja, a njeguje razmišljanje i sjećanje na Allaha. Ramazan je vjernicima mjesec razmišljanja, samodiscipline i samousavršavanja. Iako vjernici moraju uvijek težiti da se usavršavaju, ovakvo nastojanje donosi poseban značaj za vrijeme Ramazana. U tom je mjesecu prvi stih Plemenitog Kur'ana bio objavljen Poslaniku (s.a.w.s.) po Anđelu Džibralu {as}. Plemeniti Kur'an je bio objavljen da bi vodio čovječanstvo Pravim Putem i kao mjerilo za razlikovanje istine od laži. [2:185] U mjesecu Ramazanu vjernici čine dodatne napore da ojačaju svoju vezu sa Plemenitim Kur'anom. Smatra se zaslužnim učiti cijeli Kur'an tijekom tog mjeseca. Najvažnija noć tog mjeseca je LaylatuI Qadr (Noć Moći), noć kad je Plemeniti Kuran spušten na najniže nebo u pripremi njegove objave Poslaniku (s.a.w.s.). Plemeniti Kur'an tu noć opisuje kao "bolju nego tisuće mjeseci." [97:1-5] Točan datum ove noći je božanska tajna. Poslanik je savjetovao vjernicima da je "traže u neparan broj noći zadnjih deset dana Ramazana." [Bukhari] With compliments: BAITULMAL (Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan)
The Prophet (pbuh) was reported to have said, "the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closedand the devils are chained' in this month of Mercy and Forgiveness. [Bukhari] The Believers spend this month of Mercy in acts of worship to seek forgiveness for their sins and protection from falling into evil ways. While good deeds and behaviour earn divine rewards at all times, the rewards for the same acts are manifold during this blessed month. Thus Ramadan is also a month of increase in acts of charity to please Allah The Most Merciful. The Believers perform these acts with a deep sense of gratitude {shukur) to Allah The Giver of all bounty for blessing humanity with the noble month of Ramadan. The Believers view the act of fasting as a holistic exercise by striving to keep their eyes, ears, tongues, hands and feet - and all the other organs - free from sin. This is the true fasting. The true fasting goes on after the physical fasting has ended. One who has experienced it would long for the whole year to be like the month of Ramadan. "There are two pleasures for the fasting person: one at the time of breaking the fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting. " [Bukhari] There is nothing like the fast of Islam in any other religion for realizing physical and spiritual well being, Embrace Islam. Experience Ramadan. Enjoy the bliss of living in The Right Way. Dr Y Mansoor Marican, Ph.D www.islamalways.com
Poslanik (s.a.w.s.) je rekao, "Vrata Neba su otvorena, vrata Pakla su zatvorena a đavoli su okovani' tog mjeseca Milosti i Opraštanja. [Bukhari] Vjernici provedu taj mjesec Milosti u djelima molitve da traže oproštaj za svoje grijehove i zaštitu da ne padnu u puteve zla. Iako dobra djela i ponašanje uvijek zavređuju božanske nagrade, nagrade za ista djela su mnogostruke za vrijeme tog blagoslovljenog mjeseca. Zato je Ramazan također mjesec uvećanja djela ljubavi za volju Allaha Najmilosnijeg. Vjernici ta djela čine sa dubokim osjećanjem zahvalnosti {shukur) Allahu Koji Daje svaku nagradu što je blagoslovio čovječanstvo uzvišenim mjesecom Ramazanom. Vjernici vide post kao cjelovitu vježbu trudeći se da sačuvaju svoje oči uši jezike, ruke i noge - i sve druge organe - slobodnima od grijeha. To je pravi post. Pravi post dolazi kad tjelesni post završi. Onome tko ga je iskusio cijela će godina biti kao mjesec Ramazan. "Postoje dva zadovoljstva za osobu koja posti: jedno je kad prekine post, a drugo kad će susresti svojega Gospodara; tada će biti zadovoljan zbog svojeg posta. " [Bukhari] Ne postoji ništa poput posta Islama u ikojoj drugoj religiji za ostvarenje fizičkog i duhovnog blagostanja. Prihvatite Islam. Iskusite Ramazan. Uživajte blagoslov života na Pravom Putu. Dr Y Mansoor Marican, Ph.D www.islamalways.com