hikmat berpuasa

HIKMAT berpuasa secara tidak langsung dapat memberikan faedah besar terhadap kesihatan tubuh. Waktu rehat yang diberikan kepada saluran pemakanan dalam tempoh sebulan cukup untuk meregang dan melegakan bahagian penghadaman itu. Dalam erti kata lain mengembalikan kekuatan dan kecergasannya pada waktu selepas berlalu Ramadan.

Puasa memberikan kerehatan kepada setiap manusia yang melakukannya selain turut menjadi benteng kepada pelbagai penyakit yang menyerang tubuh manusia. Penyakit yang nyata berjaya dihindari dengan melakukan ibadah ini ialah sakit perut, obesiti, pertambahan kolesterol, tekanan darah tinggi dan kencing manis.

Apabila merujuk Hippocrate yang bergelar Bapa Perubatan Greek, beliau turut menggunakan puasa sebagai kaedah perubatan pada hari pertama pesakitnya mendapatkan rawatan. Beliau juga menyifatkan kepelbagaian rawatan yang dihasilkan daripada puasa amat sesuai dengan setiap penyakit.

Pakar perubatan Arab, Dr Umayyah Lahud dalam bukunya menjelaskan: “Saya sering melakukan kajian kepada pelajar yang berpuasa, hanya dalam tempoh singkat mereka dapat menambahkan kemampuan dari aspek penghasilan idea. Ini menjadikan mereka pelajar yang mampu menggunakan segala kemampuan akal untuk menguasai pelajaran. Ini hasil daripada puasa yang menjadikan tubuh merangsang asid yang menolak segala toksin. Seterusnya menjadikan sel darah kembali normal dan bersih daripada segala zat yang diperoleh dari pemakanan harian, manakala pengaliran darah ke otak lebih lancar.”

Tidak diragukan lagi puasa ini adalah tanda kekuasaan Allah yang mensyariatkan kepada kita ibadah amat bermanfaat. Pakar perubatan lain turut mengutamakan teknik berpuasa bagi pesakit mereka berbanding pemberian ubat atau rawatan lain.

Allamah Rasyid Ridha penulis Tafsir al-Manar menjelaskan pengakuan beberapa pakar perubatan Eropah yang mengakui dengan berpuasa sebulan Ramadan mampu menyingkirkan sel tambahan yang mati atau tidak berfungsi dalam badan seseorang individu itu.

Apa yang menghairankan, di negara kita, didapati majoriti yang menyambut bulan mulia ini dengan ‘menyerbu’ ke bazar Ramadan sehingga kos perbelanjaan makanan bulan ini meningkat. Peniaga pula mengambil kesempatan meningkatkan harga barangan keperluan hatta gula mulai disorok bagi menjadikan harga di pasaran melambung tinggi. Sedangkan dalam hadis riwayat Muslim ada menyebutkan: “Siapa yang menyorok barang keperluan, dia adalah seorang yang berbuat maksiat.”

Kewujudan pasar Ramadan menjadikan seolah-olah bulan puasa adalah ‘pesta makanan’. Segala makanan yang muncul dibeli oleh pelanggan untuk dihidangkan kepada keluarga, maka bertambahlah ‘penyakit’ lain dari aspek fizikal sama ada penyakit obesiti, diabetes, darah tinggi dan jantung. Penyakit hati yang timbul pula seperti tamak, tidak sabar atau gelojoh, kedekut dan mementingkan diri tetap bersarang di jiwa.

Apabila mereka merujuk hospital akibat penyakit dihidapinya, pasti banyak penyakit itu berpunca daripada perut yang kekenyangan. Allah berfirman: “Makan dan minumlah kamu sekalian dan jangan kamu membazir.”

Ayat ini jelas menerangkan keharusan makan dan minum bagi setiap manusia, tetapi pada akhirnya turut melarang berlebihan dan membazir. Ulama menyatakan, dalam ayat yang ringkas itu Allah Taala mengumpulkan rahsia perubatan untuk semua perkara kepada diri manusia.

Kaum terdahulu turut melarang mengambil makanan dan minuman melampaui batasan keperluan. Luqman al-Hakim pernah mengingatkan kepada anaknya: “Wahai anakku! Seandainya perut dipenuhi makanan, akan tidurlah akal fikiran, tergendala segala hikmah dan lumpuhlah anggota badan untuk beribadah.”

Justeru, setiap Muslim perlu menggunakan kesempatan terbaik ini bagi membetulkan kesilapan mereka pada masa lalu. Khidmat percuma ini didatangkan Allah dengan penuh nikmat kepada setiap hamba-Nya. Tidak perlu kita merosakkan puasa ini dengan membanyakkan makan minum sehingga membawa pembaziran.

Pesan Imam Muhammad al-Hasan al-Syaibani: “Pembaziran makanan itu adalah makan dengan banyak sehingga melampaui rasa kenyang. Termasuk juga pembaziran adalah memperbanyakkan juadah dan kepelbagaian jenisnya. Bahkan dikirakan pembaziran juga apabila diletakkan dalam hidangan itu pelbagai ragam makanan melebihi keperluan yang sepatutnya.”

Towards Purification

For Rodrigo Adem, Ramadan is a time of intense focus on Islam. He tries to spend as much time at the mosque as possible, reciting Quran and attending any study circle.

One of the things which helped him last Ramadan was to create a schedule around the 99 names of God. He chose three names per day, adding on one extra name on random days, and recited them 33 times after every obligatory prayer in order to both grasp and appreciate all the names in the blessed month. This had a liberating effect on him, enabling him to view ordinary things in a different light.

“I felt as if I understood the Oneness of God in a much more intimate way than I had in the past,” said Adem, 21. “I felt at home, powerless, and peaceful all at the same time. Like a human being who knew what he was created for, and had no doubt concerning his Lord.”

“When Ramadan is with us, I [also concentrate] on not allowing the rewards of my fast to be lost,” remarked Rodrigo Adem, of Madison, Wis. “I realize that fasting is more than just not eating. It is also about not getting angry, saying or thinking spiteful things about others, or looking at what’s unlawful. I view it as a time when I can really cleanse myself of all bad habits.”

All day, although he struggles to stay patient and avoid idle talk, he tries to keep his actions the same during Ramadan as in the other months. “[I feel] that I cannot put extra worship before my earthly responsibilities. I can’t use service to God as an excuse to slack on my duties,” opined Adem. “However, I do feel that God does give his servants energy for the day as He wishes. God can bestow upon you the ability to push yourself hard and achieve all your goals in Ramadan, as long as you strive for it.”

Zuha Ali remembers experiencing that almost 10 years ago, calling it her “best” Ramadan. “I was very focused and almost lost in another world. I felt like I just went through the motions of my worldly life but when it came time for prayers or Quran, I was rejuvenated and a whole person again,” Ali, of Sterling, Va., recalled.

After the early morning meal, she would spend two hours reading a chapter of the Quran along with the translation and commentary. Then, she would go to college and optimize her free time so that her evenings and nights would be spared for more worship.

“I did not sleep much that month but honestly, I did not feel the loss of sleep either. It was as if God were energizing me through Quran and prayer. It was indeed a beautiful month,” Ali, now 29, remarked.

With time, many changes have come to her life. “It was easier for me to devote myself that way (then) because I had no other responsibilities,” she said. “Now, as I care for my husband and son, and my house as well, it is not so easy to let go of everything and do what I did before,” she said.

Becoming a mother has meant that she was unable to fast regularly the last two years due to her medical condition during pregnancy and lactation. “It is important to remember that taking care of one’s family is also an act of devotion, and yet it should also be remembered that Ramadan only comes once a year, so we should try to do as much as we can,” Ali concluded.

Finishing the Quran and praying additional nightly prayers, either at home or in the mosque, are her typical personal goals for Ramadan. “At the beginning of the month, I find myself at the peak of spiritual energy. Unfortunately, as the month progresses, I find it harder to keep up with [my] goals,” Ali stated, mentioning that lagging behind in her reading of a chapter of Quran causes a dip in her spiritual drive and can break her cycle. “I know that this is a test from God, as the end of the month definitely carries more blessings just for this reason.”

In general, she makes a special effort to stay away from unlawful habits such as backbiting in Ramadan. “[I] just try to better my character during the month so that hopefully it will continue onwards in the months after Ramadan as well,” she said.

In fact, training one’s mind even as one faces worldly tasks and distractions is the true challenge of this blessed month. And, of course, the journey doesn’t end with the sighting of the moon for Eid – rather, it only begins, for no one can ever harvest the full benefit of Ramadan until they carry it with them throughout the year and onwards, feeling strengthened by its arrival each year of their remaining lives, God-Willing.

In that sense, Ramadan is all about beginnings – a training period for the mind, body and soul to harness important values and habits so that they embed themselves into one’s lifestyle.

Personal Perspectives on Ramadan

Every year, Muslims experience a unique excitement and jubilation as Ramadan approaches. Homes are cleaned, groceries are stocked, children are prepped – but, above all, many resolutions are made.

A time for spiritual nourishment and self-introspection, Ramadan heralds a classic opportunity to draw closer to God, and to bask in the many blessings that accompany the month. Commitments ranging from the recitation and study of Quran to increased charity to nightly attendance of additional prayers are commonly made to reap the rewards of the fasting month.

To this effect, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, once said, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a person observing fast is better with God than the smell of musk. (God says about the fasting person), ‘He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times.’”

Further, with Satan chained and the gates of heaven thrown open, the race for good deeds begins in all earnest every Ramadan. Yet, as people dive into the anxiously awaited month of spiritual gains, they realize that it comes with its own set of challenges. Indeed, just as the everyday test of Muslims is to practice Islam while living in the world, this annual retreat-of-sorts is all about maximizing spirituality while juggling the demands of daily lives.

So, along with the fasting and all the plans, chores have to be taken care of, work must be attended to, and children’s needs have to be fulfilled. In order to avoid frustration due to neglecting one’s Ramadan goals or hardship caused by abandoning certain tasks and routines, a happy medium must be strived for. Striking this balance will not always be easy since it entails rescheduled days, little sleep, and a shift in priorities.

However, the results far outweigh the struggle, a feeling of contentment that the very best effort was made to capture the true essence of Ramadan: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious.” (2:183)