By: Dr. Lalu Thohir, M.Pd.
Ramadan is nearing its end. Today, the 20th of Ramadan 1446 AH, is a reminder to all of us that the time to increase charity and increase piety is running out. The Prophet ﷺ has given a profound warning in a hadith narrated by Ibn Majah: “How many people fast, but all they get is hunger and thirst.” A sentence that should make us ask ourselves – is the fasting that we have been doing so far really valuable in the sight of Allah?
Fasting is not just about enduring hunger and thirst. The Prophet ﷺ emphasized that whoever does not try to leave false words and bad deeds, then Allah does not need him to leave his eating and drinking. This means that the quality of fasting is not only measured by our physical endurance in enduring thirst and hunger, but also by the extent to which we are able to keep our tongues, hearts and actions from vain things.
One of the features of fasting that distinguishes it from other acts of worship is that Allah Himself will reward it. In a hadith qudsi, Allah says, "Fasting is for Me, and I alone will reward it." This shows how high the status of this act of worship is. However, have we done it to the best of our ability?
We are now in the last 10 days of Ramadan, when the Prophet ﷺ increased his acts of worship, woke up his family at night, and increased his prayers and istighfar. These nights are a blessed time, in which there is one night that is better than a thousand months, namely Lailatul Qadr. Therefore, this is the best time for us to increase our prayers, qiyamul lail, and get closer to Allah with full sincerity.
Indeed, every deed depends on its end. So, let us not waste this opportunity. The Prophet ﷺ taught us to close every deed with goodness, including our Ramadan fast. Let us improve our intentions, improve the quality of our worship, and make the last days of Ramadan a momentum to get forgiveness and blessings from Allah.
May Allah accept all our good deeds and make us His righteous servants. Aameen.
#KultumRamadan1446H #KeepingQualityFasting #10LastDaysofRamadan #IbadahDenganHati #LailatulQadr #ForgivenessAllah #RamadanBerkah
