Ramadan is the month of spiritual nourishment and reinforces the values of humanity for all Muslims around the world. The 29 days of Ramadan require a strict schedule to be followed that includes fasting, reciting the Holy Quran (Tilawat), offering prayers five times a day, a special night prayer called ‘Taraweeh’ and, above all – good behavior for all Muslims who are fasting.
Fasting is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. Literally defined, fasting means to abstain “completely” from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan. When Islam introduced this matchless institution fourteen centuries ago, it planted an ever-growing tree of infinite virtue and invaluable products.
Therefore, on Friday to Saturday, June 9-10, 2017, located at our own school in Kalibata City apartment, Daqu Kalibata students, both the male and female students as many as forty five of them had a Stay Over program for the purpose of immersing Ramadan’s Sacred Values, named Mabita (Malam Bina Iman dan Taqwa).
According to Mr. Abdul Wahid Basyir, Principal of Daqu Kalibata City Primary School, this annual Islamic education program has the purpose of creating a sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life; because when a Muslim fasts that means he is hoping to please Allah and is seeking His Grace and mercy.
This was also emphasized by Mr. Rino Zeldeni, vice principal in charge of Curriculum development who stated that the Mabita program has the purpose of cultivating in every muslim a vigilant and sound conscience; because the fasting person keeps his fast in secret as well as in public. Also, according to Mr. Akhyat Riatna, M.Pd., the vice principal in charge of Students Affair who monitored the undergoing of the stay over program for two days, said that the school wanted its students to grow their own religious conscience by being faithful in secret and in open public. There is no better way to cultivate a sound conscience in a Muslim thinking than by performing fasting, said him confidently.
Activities done during the stay over program included: the fantastic story telling event by Ms. Isti, taraweh and fajr prayer (tahajjood), doing suhoor (sahur) together, dawn religious speech by the imam, light exercises in the morning, post card making, Islamic video showing, and finally the closing ceremony that included the common breakfasting (Iftar Jamai) at dusk time (around 6pm in Jakarta), which is called Maghreeb time by all Muslims. We also had a fund raising, donation, and parcel giving to the orphans who live Kalibata area, Jakarta.
This fasting activity is one of the five pillars of Islam, and any failure to observe it without reasonable excuses is a grave sin in the sight of Allah, as stated in the Holy Quran surat Al Baqarah verse 183: “O you who have believed, it has been decreed upon you to perform fasting as it was decreed upon those before you, so that you may become righteous”. All parents who were invited to this Ifthar Jamai expressed their satisfaction to the hard work done by all the teachers in holding such a meaningful activity for their children. Mr. Kupmin Rambe gave an enchanting show on storytelling to all participants, and Mr. Lalan Sholahuddin, S.Ag., who attended the ifthar event representing the Full Day school Bureau, has shown his positive optimism that the next year event will be held massively than this year’s show.
