The first day of a month full of euphoria for all Muslims in the world, especially the people of my beloved country, Indonesia. In fact, before the arrival of the month of Ramadan, Muslims welcomed it with joy. Each region has its own traditions with a variety of celebrations.
Like that dawn, the voices of children and teenagers began to wake up by beating the drum around. And later in the afternoon before breaking the fast, everyone is busy preparing iftar dishes and outside or on the side of a busy street peddling a variety of typical Iftar dishes. Then waiting until the call to prayer of Isha 'echoed, people flocked to the mosque to carry out the Isha prayer' which was continued with the tarawih prayer in congregation.
Things like this are what seems to be a sign of how blessed and life feels in the month of Ramadan and can only be found in this month. Although, maybe there are still many people who complain when they come for the fasting month. How come? they have to endure hunger, thirst, anger, and other things.
Where the purpose of fasting is "restraint" or "self-control". This control is what humans really need, both individually and in groups. Self-control here is the strength for humans to be able to better know nature which distinguishes it from animals and animalism that can attack humans like the Coronavirus.
On the other hand, the various virtues of fasting are enormous and full of benefits. Some of them, such as fasting, have many benefits for human physical and mental health. One of the most well-known is losing weight. YES lose weight. We know a lot of people are on a diet. But in Islam, there is a month devoted to fasting. The reason is, that for more than 12 hours, the body does not receive any intake when fasting.
If it is counted for approximately eight hours of the process of digesting the last incoming food, the body will begin to use the energy reserves contained in our organs. After the glucose in the liver and muscles runs out, the fat will become a source of energy for the body. By using fat as an energy source, fat levels in the body can be reduced. Of course, this can help reduce weight.
Another thing the benefits of fasting. It can also reduce the risk of disease, train, and can help eliminate addiction, make mental happiness, and further improve the function of the reproductive organs.
When the month of Ramadan arrives, almost every day it will be easy to find people who volunteer to distribute food and drinks for free. From the time of dawn especially just before breaking the fast. From here we can see the benefits, at least it is beneficial for people giving or receiving alms.
For providing free food, they get a tremendous reward as explained in the Qur'an surah al-Baqarah verse 261. Isn't this a very tempting thing for those of you who have been fighting hunger and thirst all day long?
Another thing that cannot be denied is that fasting can actually reduce everyone's expenditure. When everyone is fasting, at least there is no need to spend on intake during the day and other small habits such as coffee or cigarettes. So there is no budget for these expenses when fasting / during the day.
And because more and more people usually provide facilities and infrastructure for breaking the fast, the availability of free takjil can also minimize expenses. Usually, free takjil is distributed at major mosques, and the menu changes every day. However, not a few people who fast are even more wasteful. The reason is because of the desire to break the fast with a variety of dishes.
note:
takjil: iftar food
