MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — Fajar Rachmadani, Member of Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Council for Islamic Preaching, urged Muslims to reflect deeply on the meaning on fasting, warning that the ritual can become empty if it stops at hunger and thirst.
The message was delivered by Fajar during a Ramadan Sermon at Masjid KH Ahmad Dahlan at Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta, on Sunday (21/02).
In his address, Fajar stressed that fasting is not merely physical restraint. Instead, it is a deliberate process of moral and spiritual formation aimed at producing muttaqin, or God-conscious individuals. Therefore, fasting that fails to transform behavior risks losing its value.
He opened with a reflective question: Is it possible for fasting to be meaningless? According to him, the Prophet had already answered this concern through several well-known hadiths.
A Missed Ramadan Is a Lost Privilege
Fajar recounted a narration in which the Prophet Muhammad unexpectedly uttered “amin” three times. When the companions asked why, the Prophet explained that the Angel Gabriel had invoked harm upon three groups of people, and he affirmed the supplication.
One of those groups, the Prophet said, consisted of people who encountered Ramadan but failed to obtain God’s forgiveness. The hadith states: “Wretched is the person who enters Ramadan and then sees it pass while his sins are not forgiven.”
According to Fajar, encountering Ramadan is an exclusive blessing. Many who once fasted together, he noted, have since passed away or lost the ability to worship due to illness. Consequently, wasting Ramadan on meaningless pursuits is a profound loss.
“Being allowed to meet Ramadan is a privilege from Allah,” he said. “It is an extraordinary opportunity.”
When Fasting Leaves Only Hunger
Fajar then cited a widely known hadith: “How many people fast, yet gain nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst.” He explained that fasting becomes futile when it produces no ethical change.
To illustrate his point, he compared such fasting to a student who attends classes all semester but skips the final exam. The effort exists, but the outcome does not.
“Fasting is not a formality,” he said. “Its purpose is moral, spiritual, and social formation.”
He added that all Islamic rituals are meant to generate real-world impact. Prayer, for example, is described in the Qur’an as preventing immoral conduct. If that impact is absent, the worship remains superficial.
Signs of a Meaningful Fast
Fajar outlined several indicators of fasting that truly matter. First is the ability to guard one’s speech and conduct. He referred to a hadith stating that God has no need for a person to abandon food and drink while continuing to lie or behave badly.
This principle, he said, applies equally to online behavior. Hurtful comments and digital harassment can erode the spiritual value of fasting.
Second is sincerity. Fasting, unlike other rituals, is largely invisible. As a result, it trains believers to seek God’s approval rather than public validation.
As Ramadan draws to a close, Fajar emphasized that successful fasting should lead to lasting change. Spiritual integrity, moral improvement, and social concern, he said, are the true measures of a fast that is not in vain.
“As long as God still grants us breath and the chance to meet Ramadan,” he concluded, “the door to self-improvement remains open.”
Translator: Bintang Adrian
