Activity in fasting month

1.       Fasting or sawm

Sawm (Arabic: صوم) is an Arabic word for fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. In the terminology of Islamic law, Sawm means "to abstain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse“.  The observance of sawm during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, but is not confined to that month.

Other languages
For example, the Muslims of Afghanistan, India, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Uzbekistan use the word rozah which comes from the Indo-Iranian language of Dari. In Turkey, Sawm is called oruç, while the Malay, community in Malaysia and Singapore call it puasa, which is derived from Sanskrit, upvaasa. Puasa is also used in Indonesia. Interestingly, the word is also found in the Maltese Language.

In the Qur'an surah Al-Baqarah verse 183, God Revealed:

*يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

"O those who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as were enjoined upon those before so that you be God-fearing."

      A.     General conditions

ú  Throughout the duration of the fast itself, Muslims will abstain from certain provisions that God has otherwise allowed; namely eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. This is in addition to the standard obligation already observed by Muslims of avoiding that which is not permissible under Qur'anic or Shari'ah law (e.g. ignorant and indecent speech, arguing and fighting, and lustful thoughst). Without observing this standard obligation, Sawm is rendered useless, and is seen simply as an act of starvation. The fasting should be a motive to be more benevolent to the fellow-creatures. Charity to the poor and needy in this month is one of most rewardable worship.

ú  If one is sick, nursing or travelling, one is considered exempt from fasting. According to the Qur'an, for all other cases, not fasting is only permitted when the act is potentially dangerous to one's health - for example; those elderly who are too weak to fast for extended periods of time, diabetics, nursing, and pregnant  women.

ú  Observing the fast is not permitted for menstruating women. However, when a woman's period has ceased, she must bathe and continue fasting. Any fasts broken or missed due to menstruation must be made up whenever she can before the next month of Ramadan. Women must fast at times when not menstruating, as God indicates that all religious duties are ordained for both men and women.

             B.     Favorable Things To Do During Fasting

ú  Late suhoor (early morning meal before fasting)

ú  Breaking of fast with dates or sweet delicacies

ú  Before breaking of fast, make dua (supplication) with at least:

ú  اللهم لك صمت وبك امنت وعلى رزقك أفطرت
O Allah, I have fasted for You and in You I believed and with Your provision do I break my fast

ú  Increase reading the Quran, zikr, selawat (greetings to Prophet), charities

ú  Giving charities to the poor and needy

ú  Avoid petty conversations

ú  Performing ghusl before the time for Fajr prayer

ú  Unfavorable Things To Do During Fasting

ú  Tasting food with the tip of the tongue

           C.      Days when fasting is forbidden

Although fasting is considered a pious act in Islam, there are times when fasting is prohibited. There are certain days on which fasts are prohibited:

·     Eid ul-Adh

·     Eid ul-Fitr

·         Day of Ashura [10th of Muharrum] (For Shia Muslims only - however they can do a faqa, which is a fast from morning to mid day prayers)

·         Ayyam at-Tashriq (the 11th, 12th and 13th of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah).

           D.     Days for voluntary fasting

Islam also prescribed certain days for non-obligatory, voluntary fasting, such as:

ú   Each Monday and Thursday of a week

ú   The 13th, 14th, and 15th day of each lunar month

ú   Six days in the month of Shawwal (the month following Ramadan)

ú   The Day of Arafat (9th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic (Hijri) calendar)

ú   The Day of Ashura (10th of Muharram in the Hijri calendar), with one more day of fasting before or after it (For Sunni Muslims only. It is prohibited in Shia Islam)

ú   As often as possible in the months of Rajab and Shaban before Ramadhan

            E.      Fasting in other religion

Lent in Christianity, Yom Kippur, Tisha B'av, Fast of Esther, Tzom Gedalia the Seventeenth of Tamuz, and the Tenth of Tevet, all in Judaism, are also times of fasting.

Nevertheless, the fasting practices are different from one another. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) generally fast for 24 hours on the first Sunday of each month. Like Muslims, they refrain from all drinking and eating unless they are children or are physically unable to fast.

Fasting is also a feature of ascetic traditions in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Mahayana traditions that follow the Brahma's Net Sutra may recommend that the laity fast " during the six days of fasting each month and the three months of fasting each year" [Brahma's Net Sutra, minor precept 30]. Members of the  Bahل'ي Faith observe a Nineteen Day Fast from sunrise to sunset during March each year.

2.       Sahur

      A.     Meaning of sahur

Suhoor (Arabic:سحور lit. of the dawn), also called Sehri, Sahari and Sahur in other languages, is an Islamic term referring to the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting, sawm, in daylight hours during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The meal is eaten before the sun rises, and before the fajr or dawn prayer. Suhoor as the morning meal is matched by iftar as the evening meal, during Ramadan.

      B.     Law of imsak

The exact cut-off time for imsak (abstaining from food, drink, etc.) is the time of fajr (dawn); It is estimated that this time can be 10 or 15 minutes and not more.
So if you ate until that time you did not incur any sin. Most of the time people confuse between the preferred time and the permissible one; the preferred time for imsak, according to scholars, is to finish sahur ten minutes before fajr.

     C.      Dalil of sahur

However, it must be pointed out that the above mentioned hadith does not state that it is not permissible to consume sahur later than that, for it only states that it was the sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the permissibility of consuming sahur until the arrival of dawn, it has been established by the clear text of the Qur'an: (Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread of night).

                                                                        (Al-Baqarah 2:187)

3.       Ngabuburit

Ngabuburit is sunda language, burit is time become night or maghrib time. So ngabuburit is wait or spend time until Adzan maghrib time come( seek amusement and distraction while waiting for days fast to end.

More people usually teenagers do ngabuburit with some activity, so them forget feel hungry and thirsty while fasting. There are sleep, watching television, playing game, walking around, read Al-Qur’an, using to buy foods and drinks for end the fasting, and anything to forget their fasting.

4.       Mudik

Mudik is the back to hometown and only in indonesian. There are mudik activity,
because want to meet their
family in hometown. Usually on the road very crowded and traffic jam, and the specially event if go to hometown with a gift and back to city with a gift too. And the people do that usually only happen in fasting month (lebaran). Best experience in mudik :

·           have a traffic jam

·           good scenery

·           and can have a friend in the traffic jam.

5.       Lebaran day’s

¡  Official name

Eid, Eid ul-Fitr Arabic: عيد الفطر (meaning Feast of the Breaking of the Fast)

¡  Also called

Idul Fitri, Hari Lebaran (Indonesia); Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Lebaran (Malaysia); Shemai Eid (Bangladesh); Ramazan Bayramı (Turkic)

¡  Observed by

Muslims

¡  Type

Religious holiday

¡  Significance

Marks the end of Ramadan, the fasting month

¡  Date

1st Shawwal

            A.     Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr

(Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr), often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "to break the fast" (and can also mean "nature", from the word "fitrah") and so symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period.

           B.     In Indonesia

¡  In Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Eid is also commonly known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Puasa.

¡  Hari Raya literally means 'Grand Day' i.e. 'The Day'. Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. It is the biggest holiday in Malaysia and is the most awaited one. Shopping malls and bazaars are filled with people days ahead of Hari Raya, causing a distinctive festive atmosphere throughout the country. Many banks, government and private offices are closed for this holiday, which usually lasts a week.

         C.      Usually before eid in Indonesia

¡  The night before Eid is with the takbir which is held in the mosques or musallas. In many parts of Malaysia, especially in rural areas, pelita or panjut (oil lamps) are lit up in house compounds. Eid also witnesses a huge migratory pattern of Muslims, from big metropolitan cities to rural areas.

¡  This is known as balik kampung (mudik) — literally going back to home town to celebrate Eid with one's parents. Special dishes like ketupat, dodol, lemang (a type of glutinous rice cake cooked in bamboo) and other Malay delicacies are served during this day.

¡  Our people work in a company get a THR, before Eid.

From AMY

(Adi Setiadi Supendi, Mojahidy Ismaili, Yunita Zakiah)