What will be the quality of your fasting this Ramadaan?
Almal kan saam honger ly en dors kry, and even complete the full 30 days of this holy Islamic month, but what kind of pwasa will you have experienced by the end of it?
Will it be a Ramadaan of sabr(bearing patience) and contentment, softheartedness and spiritual growth?
This would be wonderful, but it’s not that easy, as fasting Muslims know by now.
Let me address those of us who pwasa the whole day, but have angry outbursts at random people, your own family members and friends.
These are the mense that, when you try to teach them something simple, like “Gammie, as jy die globe vasmaak dan moet jy die hele fitting uihaal”, respond with something like this: “Hello, moet jy nie vir my vir ’ n gat ko’ vattie, ek ken globes, f*****, ek doen my werk en ek pwasa kanallah, los my net af.”
If you are one of these mense, please stop your nonsense, kanallah.
Now, an angry outburst can’t really break your fast, but it goes against the grain of the teachings of Islam.
PIOUS: Time to be pleasant and extra nice. Photo: ZANELE ZULU/INLSA
How can you be onbeskof en vloek just because you don’t know how to deal with your hunger?
Imagine this was the Nabie Mohammad (peace be upon him) of ’n sahaabah (prophet’s companion) wat vir jou advice gee, would you snap at them?
And some people also come with this excuse: “Mense moet uit my pad uit bly nou, dis pwasa, ek is nie ’n lekke mens as ek honger is nie.”
In my opinion, if that is your attitude, then go for pwasa counselling.
I mean, we get that you don’t like to be hungry, but to vertel someone stink like that goes against the teachings of Islam.
The same goes for skinnering and talking badly about people.
Don’t spoil your fast with these misdeeds, and be like those people of whom it is said they suffer hunger and thirst, but it’s all for nothing.
In the old times when I was laaitie, we just knew that we had to be extra nice and more pious during Ramadaan because of the magnitude and significance of the month.
It is the month in which the Qur’an was sent down to humankind, and in it is a special night of praying which is equal to 89 years of worship.
I feel that, back then, people approached and experienced this holy month with more respect and dignity.
If you shouted at someone rudely in front of the tieties, one of them would soema tell you: “As jy soe aan gaan innie pwasa, dan might as well jy maar eet.”
Swearing, being rude and behaving badly might not break your fast, but it can weaken it to such a degree that you might as well have spared yourself the hunger and eat.
This is not a licence to behave badly, but a reminder for all of us to try harder.
Show people the beauty of Islam through your beautiful behaviour.
I am no angel, believe me, but let us strive this Ramadaan to be better.
And the best way to do this is to realise WHY you are fasting, why you can’t drink or eat as you normally do.
Allah the Almighty said every good deed is rewarded, and the reward of the fast is with Him.
Can you imagine what Allah has in store for you if you fullfill this one pillar of Islam with excellence?
One of the best qualities a Muslim can have is sabr, or patience. So let us all be patient and pwasa lekker.