As one of the pillars of Islam, fasting is one of the obligations of Muslims wherever they are.
There are several fasts that are recommended in Islam, some are obligatory and some are Sunnah. Some Sunnah fasts or those that are not required to be performed include fasting every Monday and Thursday, Shawal fasting, Arafah fasting, and other fasts.
Of the many fasts, fasting for an entire month in Ramadan is an obligation for all Muslims. Why is fasting in Ramadan an obligation?
SBS Indonesia had the opportunity to speak with Abdul Aziz, a Bogor Ustadz who currently resides in Victoria at the welcoming event held by PBrunswick at Djerring hall, Flemington on February 22.
On this occasion, Ustadz Abdul Aziz said that fasting in the month of Ramadan is a test of Allah SWT to test the faith of all Muslims. Ustadz Abdul Aziz also explained that the word Ramadan has the meaning of “heat”. This means that Allah is teaching Muslims a lesson in the “hot” month.
He also added that the month of Ramadan was chosen because in that month the events of Nuzul Quran took place, where the Qur'an was first revealed on the 17th of Ramadan. So that the month of Ramadan became a glorious month because of the Qur'an.
One of the challenges of fasting is the difference in duration between one hemisphere and the other, including the difference in fasting in Australia and Indonesia.
At the moment Australia is still in the summer. This means that the fasting time here is longer than in Indonesia.
Ustadz Abdul Aziz advised Muslims, especially those who are just starting to fast in Australia, that there is a difference in precedence for those who fast in different places or durations, because Allah rewards them based on how much effort they put into the practice of fasting.
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