Fasting Month

 

Prepare for the holy month…fasting month.

Ramadhan will come up. Are we ready to welcome it?

Based on Al Ghazali, there are three types of fasting. They are:

1. common fasting. This fast is only keep our mounth from food and drink and refrain from sexual intercourse. Common people do this type. This is lowest quality of fasting. Although lowest, this type brings some advantages. There are to fulfil moslem’s obligation at Ramadhan month and to make our body healthier through minimizing the metabolism organs work load. We can say that this type only keep ourself from anything which forbide physically.
2. special fasting. This kind of fasting is not only physical activities but also concern about immaterial activities. Keeping from food and drink already are not big problem for somebody who fast in this type. Fasting is meant more than just keeping from food, drink, or sexual activity. Keeping a temper and keeping ourselves to do for nothing are done. Someone who fast like it will acquire more than physical advantages. His empahaty, his ability to understand others will improve. Closeness to The creators will promote. This kind of fasting will bring someone to achieve predicate as the piously people.
3. very special fasting. This is the highest degree of fasting. Beside keeping from food, drink, sexual actvity, angry, and other negative attitudes, we must keep our mind from thinking to other thing except to The Creators. All of our mind just think about The Creators. No time to think other things. This is the prophets’ fast. This fasting is the most difficult fasting that common people can do but anybody can do it if he/she have good preparation.

 

How to prepare in order to achive the highest quality of fasting?

Muhammad s.a.w. already gave us a way to prepare the ramadhan. Two months before Ramadhan come up, he prayed  which the main idea is O, Allah please give me chance to meet Ramadhan..”.

This is not mere statement but it shows the commitment to welcome Ramadhan with all his heart. Sometime we need to show and state our goal or desire to strenghten our commitment. In motivation training session, sometime the trainer will force us to speak up our desire to others. To speak up our desire will force us to obey our commitment.

 

Beside that at one month before Ramadhan, Muhammad increases his optional fasting (puasa sunah). His wife ever said that in Sa’ban month, His was fast more than other month. We know that Muhammad was already fast every Monday and Thursday and 3 days in the middle of month. So if his wife said that Mahammad added his fast in Sa’ban month, its mean that He may be fast everyday or fasting like David.