“Iftar nowadays becomes more and more of a social activity, not a religious activity! Why don’t they throw such festivity at the orphanage?” Grumbling, my boss said one afternoon before scurrying to fulfill an invitation for iftar party, AGAIN.
My colleague and I were just giggling. Being one of the most prominent figures among high ranking government officials in this nation, he has to go to so many organizational iftars (buka puasa) held by government agencies and politicians every night that he often misses chance to celebrate the meal with his family. The invitations to celebrate iftar always comes piling up during the Ramadan year after year. One day, an invitation from the President; the next day from the Vice President, then the chairman of The House of Representatives, afterwards from public organizations and so forth.
I can’t help thinking about his remark. It reflects without a doubt an irony of Ramadan spirit. Iftar as the nightly meal that breaks the Ramadan fast has gone from being a humble affair based around ‘kolak’ (an Indonesian dessert made with palm sugar and coconut milk, with pandanus leaf) and dates into flashier dinners around town. It seems that nowadays Ramadan has been transformed into some kind of festival or carnival to show off the prestige of different social classes, as well as an opportunity for socializing and networking by government agencies, public organizations, prominent businessmen and companies, politicians, and political groups. Even, the White House has started celebrating iftar tradition since President Clinton and continued for eight years by President George W. Bush, followed by his successor, Barack Obama. It has no doubt a political agenda. Hosting such ravishing lavish iftars has become a way for people to make a statement, social, economic or political. It’s almost like a battle of ‘prestige’. To satisfy such purposes, the simple meal to breakfast then turned into wasteful iftar since most invitees coming from the high social strata or status. Such delectable foods are already on their menu list on daily basis. Instead of cherishing the spirit of remaining in modesty and sharing with those who are in needs, such meals become a waste. Now these dinners are becoming more and more public and chic. It's becoming something that's kind of fashionable – almost every company or organization now gives one.
The joy of Ramadan lies in the ways we share with others, particularly those who are less fortunate. We share with them the spirit of compassion and giving during Ramadan. As well as a time for prayer, fasting and reflection, Ramadan is also a time where we gather with family and friends at our dining table, breaking fast with simple kolak and dates. It is a month to reconnect with family and loved ones. We hurry from office to get home before iftar so that we can gather together with our family at the end of the day to share a meal. It’s also an opportunity to get to know new neighbors, inviting them for a meal and gathering at mosque for taraweeh pray. In general, it’s a time for the community to bond together for a common spiritual cause. Such religious activity should not be then converted to pretension and gimmickry as translated in the so called luxurious iftars celebration to gain a prestige.
I remember buying all the mouth-watering snacks, drinks, and foods to prepare my iftar in Bendungan Hilir market one afternoon during Ramadan. Anything that seems inviting and delectable were soon packed and neatly shoveled at my shopping bag; from dates, kolak, lontong (dish made of compressed rice wrapped inside banana leaf that is then cut into small cakes as staple food replacement of steamed rice), lemang (a dish of glutinous rice and coconut milk roasted in a hollow bamboo stick), es cincau (a drink made out of grass jelly, a jelly made out of the stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensis which is a member of the mint family), asinan (a pickled (through brined or vinegared) vegetable or fruit dish), etc. Greed to satisfy the hunger during iftar had blinded my rational spot in my head. In my irrational thought, affected greatly by hunger and thirst, I could certainly consume all those food within one gulp after another. I was wrong. It was only the desire of my belly. And the the belly is the basis of all other desires and the essence of all problems and diseases. Then, most of the food went into a waste. It was really an unnecessary waste. It was a total extravagance. It was no better than throwing a waste iftar for the so called dinner gathering as previously discussed.
Extravagance in all things is something that is blameworthy and is not allowed, especially in food and drink. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allaah) likes not Al Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)” - al-A’raaf 7:31.
This extravagance and increase in the food and shopping expenses during Ramadan should be avoided. It is what triggered the hike in food prices that contribute to a rise in the inflation rate. Our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. We buy what is deemed necessary, not solely on what we want. It is also wrong to exploit iftar as a means to build company image and get favors as well as a way to gain social prestige, commercial and political networking. Afterall, Ramadan is about sharing with others. We are going hungry and thirsty to experience what it feels like to suffer such misfortunate. Thus, we will feel empathy; grow love for the poor and the unfortunate. Instead of wasting lots of food for such networking iftars, it is wiser to give all those food for the poor.
My colleague and I were just giggling. Being one of the most prominent figures among high ranking government officials in this nation, he has to go to so many organizational iftars (buka puasa) held by government agencies and politicians every night that he often misses chance to celebrate the meal with his family. The invitations to celebrate iftar always comes piling up during the Ramadan year after year. One day, an invitation from the President; the next day from the Vice President, then the chairman of The House of Representatives, afterwards from public organizations and so forth.
I can’t help thinking about his remark. It reflects without a doubt an irony of Ramadan spirit. Iftar as the nightly meal that breaks the Ramadan fast has gone from being a humble affair based around ‘kolak’ (an Indonesian dessert made with palm sugar and coconut milk, with pandanus leaf) and dates into flashier dinners around town. It seems that nowadays Ramadan has been transformed into some kind of festival or carnival to show off the prestige of different social classes, as well as an opportunity for socializing and networking by government agencies, public organizations, prominent businessmen and companies, politicians, and political groups. Even, the White House has started celebrating iftar tradition since President Clinton and continued for eight years by President George W. Bush, followed by his successor, Barack Obama. It has no doubt a political agenda. Hosting such ravishing lavish iftars has become a way for people to make a statement, social, economic or political. It’s almost like a battle of ‘prestige’. To satisfy such purposes, the simple meal to breakfast then turned into wasteful iftar since most invitees coming from the high social strata or status. Such delectable foods are already on their menu list on daily basis. Instead of cherishing the spirit of remaining in modesty and sharing with those who are in needs, such meals become a waste. Now these dinners are becoming more and more public and chic. It's becoming something that's kind of fashionable – almost every company or organization now gives one.
The joy of Ramadan lies in the ways we share with others, particularly those who are less fortunate. We share with them the spirit of compassion and giving during Ramadan. As well as a time for prayer, fasting and reflection, Ramadan is also a time where we gather with family and friends at our dining table, breaking fast with simple kolak and dates. It is a month to reconnect with family and loved ones. We hurry from office to get home before iftar so that we can gather together with our family at the end of the day to share a meal. It’s also an opportunity to get to know new neighbors, inviting them for a meal and gathering at mosque for taraweeh pray. In general, it’s a time for the community to bond together for a common spiritual cause. Such religious activity should not be then converted to pretension and gimmickry as translated in the so called luxurious iftars celebration to gain a prestige.
I remember buying all the mouth-watering snacks, drinks, and foods to prepare my iftar in Bendungan Hilir market one afternoon during Ramadan. Anything that seems inviting and delectable were soon packed and neatly shoveled at my shopping bag; from dates, kolak, lontong (dish made of compressed rice wrapped inside banana leaf that is then cut into small cakes as staple food replacement of steamed rice), lemang (a dish of glutinous rice and coconut milk roasted in a hollow bamboo stick), es cincau (a drink made out of grass jelly, a jelly made out of the stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensis which is a member of the mint family), asinan (a pickled (through brined or vinegared) vegetable or fruit dish), etc. Greed to satisfy the hunger during iftar had blinded my rational spot in my head. In my irrational thought, affected greatly by hunger and thirst, I could certainly consume all those food within one gulp after another. I was wrong. It was only the desire of my belly. And the the belly is the basis of all other desires and the essence of all problems and diseases. Then, most of the food went into a waste. It was really an unnecessary waste. It was a total extravagance. It was no better than throwing a waste iftar for the so called dinner gathering as previously discussed.
Extravagance in all things is something that is blameworthy and is not allowed, especially in food and drink. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allaah) likes not Al Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)” - al-A’raaf 7:31.
This extravagance and increase in the food and shopping expenses during Ramadan should be avoided. It is what triggered the hike in food prices that contribute to a rise in the inflation rate. Our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. We buy what is deemed necessary, not solely on what we want. It is also wrong to exploit iftar as a means to build company image and get favors as well as a way to gain social prestige, commercial and political networking. Afterall, Ramadan is about sharing with others. We are going hungry and thirsty to experience what it feels like to suffer such misfortunate. Thus, we will feel empathy; grow love for the poor and the unfortunate. Instead of wasting lots of food for such networking iftars, it is wiser to give all those food for the poor.
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