An emotional atmosphere surrounds a ritual to ask for forgiveness after performing Idul Fitri prayers at Pejaten village in Panggang, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, on Sunday (20/9/2009). Asking for forgiveness on Idul Fitri is a tradition meant to strengthen the bond between members of a community.
Fasting during Ramadhan is a religious practice or ritual mentioned in the Quran and has been mandated to all religious followers far before the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet Muhammad and Muslims only continue the tradition practiced since the era of Moses, Jesus and other prophets.
The importance of fasting is to pray to God as well as to mark the milestone of transition (rites de passage) from one stage of life to the next. There is no religious tradition anywhere that does not own or mark the transition of important events in human life, such as pregnancy, birth, marriage and death, that is not commemorated as a momentum for self-reflection.
Literally, “Ramadhan” means “to burn.” It means an important momentum to perform reflection, criticism, correction and overhaul of life once every 11 months. It is a correction of mistakes and faults either as an individual, a family member, a society, community, religious follower or organization. Fasting is not only to restrain from hunger and thirst from dawn to dusk. It is more than that.
The Prophet Muhammad has said that many people performed fasting and got nothing from their experience except hunger and thirst. Such fasting is regrettable, because the person did not learn from the ritual. Fasting is an important momentum for total correction in the life journey of an individual, family, society, religious follower, community, politics, culture and interfaith relations, as well as international relations.
Religion and tradition
The celebration of Idul Fitri in the month of Shawwalin Indonesia is traditionally more festive than the celebration of Qurban on Dhu al-Hijjah. So important is the Idul Fitri celebration in society that people voluntarily make a homebound journey that is full of challenges and difficulties.
They are willing to sacrifice many things to meet their parents and to rebuild love with close family members in their hometown; to improve relations, to forgive each other and to strengthen bonds of brotherhood, which is declining due to routine daily activities.
The halal bi halal tradition is not found in Middle Eastern countries. The halal bi halal, or forgiving each other for past mistakes, was created by Indonesians to reunite interpersonal, social and political relations, as well as relations between communities, which was tarnished by various interests, rivalry and contestation amid the hardship in social, political and economic life in a public space. The culture and tradition is part of a world heritage that must be preserved and improved from time to time.
Religion and tradition are inseparable. Human interpretation on religious teachings, which is believed to be able to touch one’s soul, is rekindled sociologically within the cultural space. The culture of gathering, preaching, Quran reciting, Islamic boarding schools and halal bi halal is the creativity and innovation of Indonesian Muslims that cannot be prevented and blocked.
Religion, which is separated from culture, will automatically dry up and harden. There is no binding factor and element to smoothen the logic and attitude there.
Plurality that loses local context is difficult to remain in the mind and instinct of local society. Religious understanding, which is rooted in culture, would smoothen and reduce tension and problems in social, political and economic relations in the country.
Universal brotherhood
Idul Fitri is a strong momentum to forgive each other, to performs introspections on what is wrong in religious life, in society and in the country. There may be failure and misinterpretations of religion that we must totally correct to rearrange life in the future.
At least, there are three important points to develop brotherhood or universal ukhuwah after Idul Fitri, that we will celebrate tomorrow. First, the advancement of civilization (al-tahad- hdhur) of Indonesians through even distribution of access and improvement of education in all sectors, including efforts in religious education and in the understanding of religious text. Text must be read out by considering its relations with context. Religious values must be easy to understand by realizing it through ethical action in every situation, even the most difficult ones.
Religion is not limited only to particular or ad hoc rituals. It also enters public space. Therefore, religious people must be ready and willing to live with differences and accept various backgrounds of ethnicities, race and religions that are the way of life of other groups. Internally, Muslims must strengthen brotherhood, which has been in trouble due to several factors. And most importantly, the followers of majority religions must not feel they are better, truer and expect special treatment compared to followers of other religions that are fewer in number. In fact, such arrogance and egoism do not exist in the meaning and value of fasting.
Second, unity. We are all warned that many countries failed because they failed to maintain ties that serve as social and cultural glue. If Indonesian people ignore the local cultural diversity and ignore the Constitution of the unitary republic of Indonesia, the danger of friction as in other society will be a price we have to pay. Such unity cannot be preserved without social welfare as mentioned in the fifth tenet: Social justice for all Indonesian citizens. Alms (religion) and tax (state) are some tools that we have to manage wisely to realize strong unity.
Third, upholding human dignity. When our religious life distances itself from the spirit and action to uphold human dignity (al-karamah al-insaniyyah), it will harden and move away from humanistic values.
After Ramadhan and Idul Fitri 1438 H/2017 M, we need to have a strong will to improve social relations among Muslims, with followers of other religions and with the government. We have to agree and commit to stopping reactive actions without using logic, such as labeling others as infidels and accusing others of practicing heresy, including justifying violent verbal acts on social media, which disturbs the essence of brotherhood, and also intimidation and persecution.
It needs contemporary Islamic theology, which is more contextual and friendly to differences. After Idul Fitri, may Muslims be able to achieve the main value of fasting that tells the importance of self-restraint and openness to always correct mistakes for a peaceful and friendly life for all Indonesians and global citizens.
Happy Idul Fitri, my apologies, minal aidin walfaizin.
M AMIN ABDULLAH
Islamic Study professor at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta; chairman of Culture Commission with the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI)
