Niyya

Yup, so I did the one day Ramadan fast I vowed to do yesterday. It wasn't exactly very difficult, but it was to a certain extent. Let's see...I put my alarm clock at 5.50am just so I can consume some water before the starting of the fast at 6am (yeah, so worried about getting dehydrated and pengsan during the day)...and I went back to sleep. Normally, a Muslim family would wake up around 5am to have breakfast together as a family before the starting of the fast. Of course, I was too lazy for that in the wee hours in the morning. The whole day went by, leaving me mmm, somewhat dehydrated and in hunger. And I broke fast at exactly 6.40pm, hahaa. Throughout all, it wasn't so bad an experience.

Now, what got me thinking throughout the day was,"Why do Muslims do it?" Naturally one does it because a Muslim is called to do it, since it is revealed by Allah - Five Pillars of Islam. However, I'm sure there's more to it.

So, I casually asked two coursemates of mine in Religion 220 Class - Islam this question.

Their response:

Fatima - Afghan born Canadian
It's the Five Pillars of Islam to fast...and so we do it. Also, we do it to think about Allah (Arabic - God) during this period of time. It's also a time for us to be reflective of what we have, be thankful for it, and to experience what some people suffer in their lives; being hungry.

Azmir - Malay Malaysian
It's the Five Pillars of Islam. Mmm...and it's being abstinent of smoking, drinking, sex, food, water etc. It's not only an outward abstinence, but it's an inward abstinence. (p.s. He gave me an example of the abstinence of the tongue from the Hadith, but I forgot the quote)

Me: I have to say that fasting for only the purpose of experiencing what a Muslim practices, is actually just a motion for me because I lack the meaning of fasting. And so, I think that fasting has to do with fundamentally having niyya (Arabic - intention). A muslim who fasts with the right niyya does it to obey God as part of their act of worship to Him, in thanksgiving, in sharing the suffering with others who lack food. And fasting an entire month from 6am to 6.40pm is not an easy thing to do if you are just going through the motions. And so, for a Muslim to fast sincerely, with all their hearts as devotion to Allah, is I think admirable.

Looking at other religions, many others practices disciplines such as fasting: Buddhist, Hindus, Christians, Mormons etc. I got talking to my friend Jeff today who educated me on the fact that Mormons fasts once a month on the first Sunday (for 24 hours) - for their entire lifetime. That's new to me!

But yeah, if we consider all the religions in the world, though they may differ in many ways, there is one common ground: there is a heart of worship and devotion - to want to know God and to connect with Him.