Congratulations Are In Order
Just spent the last 2 hours on asos, nasty gal and other online shopping sites, did the usual and now I’m at that self-loathing stage. When will I ever learn? … I’ll get over it.
The fasting month has ended and last Tuesday was Hari Raya - a tradition of visiting relatives’ homes as a way of celebrating and congratulating one another for surviving the month. Oh, of course, not to forget the annual display of humility as you seek forgiveness. I’ve always meant it when I ask for forgiveness. To me, that’s all that matters. Every other show people put on is trivial to me as long as I’ve done my part.
Up till the end of the last fasting month, I’ve never known why we fast. I mean, yes, I’ve heard people tell me that it’s to practise restraint from giving in to temptation, to be able to empathise with the hungry, to know patience, etc etc etc
Perhaps my mistake was that I failed to be specific with my question where instead of asking “Why do we fast?” I should’ve asked “According to the Holy Book, why do we fast?”. Then maybe I would’ve learned sooner that there is no official written reason. God had stated that we fast and that we fast for Him. And that is it.
My father explains this to me at the end of the last day of the fasting month. I ask Munir why he thinks this explanation comes to me on the this day of all days. Munir says that perhaps it is my gift. A gift for having followed through with the fasting for the entire month even though I had, especially in this month, constantly questioned it. I’d like to think he is right.
My father tells me that fasting is a significant way of professing our loyalty and faith to God. Sometimes my mother instructs me to perform a certain task and while I do not understand the purpose of the task, I trust that she knows better. Similarly, precisely because there is no other reason for our fasting than the fact that it is for Him, it is a way of saying that we must love Him enough to trust Him. That we acknowledge that He knows better and that we embrace in advance what we are currently incapable of understanding.
Why do we have to fast for the duration of a month? This one is simple. We wake up before dawn to eat, refrain from both food and water during the day and eat once more at dusk. And we do this for 29 days straight. Imagine if we were asked to do this for a mere say, 7 days, then couldn’t the intricacy of the act could be questioned? But no, we do it for a month. And life does not stop in this month. We carry on with our jobs, our studying, our training. It is no small feat but we do it without doubt or hesitation. And that we are able to last a whole month is a true reflection of our sincerity. Plus, one month is neither too short nor too long.
The past 3 or 4 Hari Raya seasons, to me, lacked in meaning. I went through the motion, feeling both routinely and disinterested. But this year is different. Knowing why we fast has brought about an element of value to Hari Raya. I cannot be in a more celebratory mood, ready to commend us on our success.
Munir has always reminded me to identify the purpose in all that I do because only then will my actions have meaning. I think I’m ready to say that he is right.
D.
