Ramadhan and Saum: not eating and drinking during Ramadhan is not in the Qur’an

I always have this passage whenever I listen to preachers, or have discussion with my fellow believers, from Al Baqarah (I read the Bahasa and translate to the English version by A.J. Arberry): 

2:3. (yaitu) mereka yang beriman kepada yang ghaib, yang mendirikan shalat, dan menafkahkan sebahagian rezki yang Kami anugerahkan kepada mereka. ~Who believe in the Unseen, and perform the prayer, and expend of that We have provided them 

2:4. dan mereka yang beriman kepada Kitab (Al Quran) yang telah diturunkan kepadamu dan Kitab-kitab yang telah diturunkan sebelummu, serta mereka yakin akan adanya (kehidupan) akhirat.  ~who believe in what has been sent down to thee and what has been sent down before thee, and have faith in the Hearafter; 

2:5. Mereka itulah yang tetap mendapat petunjuk dari Tuhan mereka, dan merekalah orang-orang yang beruntung. ~those are upon guidance from their Lord, those are the ones who prosper

Therefore, if you are going to use hadits in explaining the topic, you better just quit reading this now, because the Qur’an clearly tells me to believe in the Quran and those delivered before the Qur’an (i.e. Torah, Bible). 

As a person who questions in order to have faith, I often question the rituals in Islam.  One of them is about fasting, saum, or puasa (Bahasa).  Is this how Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Joseph, Noah and the others do saum (I will use the word ’saum’ because that is the word in the Qur’an)? 

Eat before the sunrise, restrict yourself during the light, and eat when the sunsets?  As Qur’an is universal, it should apply to everybody in equal matter.  How do people in Alaska do it during summer?  And during winter?  If saum is for everybody, how do people who basically cannot afford food do saum?

Is there a Hijriah calendar before Muhammad?  Didn’t the Hijriah calendar started after Muhammad died?  If not, how did Abraham and those who lived before Muhammad know that he has to saum during Ramadhan?  Does Moses know fasting during Ramadhan?

Because we are told to follow the people that has been enlightened by God (the prophets, the rosuls), and they are God’s follower (i.e. islam), should I only follow them and what has been told by God. 

Up to here, if you think this posting is offending, by all respect, please visit other writings on my blog.  Only Qur’an will be mentioned here, nothing else.  And if you have the urge to enlighten me, by all means, please do.  I would like to read other opinion as well.

When talking about saum, lots of people refer to this:

2:183: orang-orang yang beriman, diwajibkan atas kamu berpuasa sebagaimana diwajibkan atas orang-orang sebelum kamu agar kamu bertakwa,

Oh believers, prescrived for you is the Fast, even as it was prescrived for those that were before you-haply you will be godfearing- 

 2:184. (yaitu) dalam beberapa hari yang tertentu. Maka barangsiapa diantara kamu ada yang sakit atau dalam perjalanan (lalu ia berbuka), maka (wajiblah baginya berpuasa) sebanyak hari yang ditinggalkan itu pada hari-hari yang lain. Dan wajib bagi orang-orang yang berat menjalankannya (jika mereka tidak berpuasa) membayar fidyah, (yaitu): memberi makan seorang miskin. Barangsiapa yang dengan kerelaan hati mengerjakan kebajikan, maka itulah yang lebih baik baginya. Dan berpuasa lebih baik bagimu jika kamu mengetahui.

for days numbered; and if any of you be sick, or if he be on a journey, then a number of other days; and for those who are able to fast, a redemtion by feeding a poor man.  Yet better it is for him who volunteers good, and that you should fast is better for you, if you but know;

2:185. (Beberapa hari yang ditentukan itu ialah) bulan Ramadhan, bulan yang di dalamnya diturunkan (permulaan) Al Quran sebagai petunjuk bagi manusia dan penjelasan-penjelasan mengenai petunjuk itu dan pembeda (antara yang hak dan yang bathil). Karena itu, barangsiapa di antara kamu hadir (di negeri tempat tinggalnya) di bulan itu, maka hendaklah ia berpuasa pada bulan itu, dan barangsiapa sakit atau dalam perjalanan (lalu ia berbuka), maka (wajiblah baginya berpuasa), sebanyak hari yang ditinggalkannya itu, pada hari-hari yang lain. Allah menghendaki kemudahan bagimu, dan tidak menghendaki kesukaran bagimu. Dan hendaklah kamu mencukupkan bilangannya dan hendaklah kamu mengagungkan Allah atas petunjuk-Nya yang diberikan kepadamu, supaya kamu bersyukur.

The month of Ramadan, wherein the Koran was sent down to be a quidance to the people, and as clear signs of Guidance and the Salvation.  So let those of you, who are preset at the month, fast it; and if any of you be sick, or if he be on a journey then a number of other days; God desires ease for you, and desires not hardship for you; and that you fulfil the number, and magnify God that He has guided you, and haply you will be thankful.

Mind you the word ’saum’ in Arabic is translated to ‘fast’, and to ‘puasa’ in Bahasa. 

Up to here, this is what is common to hear this during any sermons, ustadz says you have to fast during Ramadhan based on these passages.  The question is, how?  How did those before us do saum?  Following is 2:187

2:187. Dihalalkan bagi kamu pada malam hari bulan puasa bercampur dengan isteri-isteri kamu; mereka adalah pakaian bagimu, dan kamupun adalah pakaian bagi mereka. Allah mengetahui bahwasanya kamu tidak dapat menahan nafsumu, karena itu Allah mengampuni kamu dan memberi ma’af kepadamu. Maka sekarang campurilah mereka dan ikutilah apa yang telah ditetapkan Allah untukmu, dan makan minumlah hingga terang bagimu benang putih dari benang hitam, yaitu fajar. Kemudian sempurnakanlah puasa itu sampai (datang) malam, (tetapi) janganlah kamu campuri mereka itu, sedang kamu beri’tikaf dalam mesjid. Itulah larangan Allah, maka janganlah kamu mendekatinya. Demikianlah Allah menerangkan ayat-ayat-Nya kepada manusia, supaya mereka bertakwa.

Permitted to you, upon the night of the Fast, is to go in to your wives; they are a vestment for you, and you are a vestment for them.  God knows that you have been betraying yourselves, and has turned to you and pardoned you.  So now lie with them, and seek what God has prescribed for you.  And eat and drink, until the white thread shows clearly to you from the black thread at dawn; then complete the Fast unto the night, and do not lie with thme while you cleave to the mosques.  Those are God’s bounds; keep well within them.  So God makes clear His signs to men; haply they will be godfearing.  

Saum, has to be done in Ramadan. It is explained that Ramadan (holy month, to some) is when the Al Quran is sent to us, delivered to us from God, as a guidance.  And we have to do saum when Al Quran, or the messages, has been delivered to us.  This means, holy month can be anytime.  It can come to you anytime, when God permits, and when God is willing to give the light to anybody who seeks it.  And when the light shone your soul, your ruh, that is when you have to saum, or, you have to fast.  This doesn’t restrict you to do saum only on the Ramadhan month according to the Hijriah calendar.  It just clearly says that you have to saum when Al Quran is delivered to you”.  Which can be anytime.  During the night, midnight, evening, morning, whenever God picks you to be enlightened and to be salvated, to be guided by God.  Didn’t Al Quran was delivered by God via Gabriel little by little, in small amounts?  And wouldn’t it be like that to us human beings?  When we seek, we will be enlightened.  The more you seek the truth in Quran, the more you will be enlightened, the more you have to saum.  Which means, we have to saum everyday when you have been enlightened by God. 

Reading 2:187, it is said “and eat and drink, until the white thread shows clearly to you from the black thread at the dawn; and complete the Fast unto the night…”

I have been questioning “…until the white thread shows clearly to you from the black thread…”.  When will I can clearly differ a thin, black and white thread?  Because, I tried, during a full moon, you can still differ black and white thread.  Doesn’t this means that you have to saum the whole time?  And when we are, at one point, weak (the example here is when you have sex with your wives, because that is the only time, besides asleep, when you don’t remember God), we cannot differ the black and white, the right and wrong?  Then continue the saum when you, again, be enlightened and able to see the right and wrong.  And pay off the days you were in the dark (i.e. when you were “betraying’ yourself).

Whatis saum, what does saum exactly means?  So far, in my understanding is, following the Quran to get to our final destination: God.  Saum means learn and practise.  Learn the teachings and the messages that God gives.  Which involves, be kind to your parents, neighbours, give to those who needs, patient, etc.  Avoid all that will not benefit.  Saum means to follow what God has commanded through Quran.  When we are enlightened, we have to saum.  There are some days when we get confused or lost between the black and white (we are only human, aren’t we?).  When Fajr (dawn) comes, when the light comes to make us able to differ the black and white, you continue the saum. 

Saum is what everybody has to do, no matter where you are, what time you are.  Not only during Ramadhan according to the Hijriah calendar. It doesn’t say anything about not drinking and eating.  Because,

32. Katakanlah: “Siapakah yang mengharamkan perhiasan dari Allah yang telah dikeluarkan-Nya untuk hamba-hamba-Nya dan (siapa pulakah yang mengharamkan) rezki yang baik?” Katakanlah: “Semuanya itu (disediakan) bagi orang-orang yang beriman dalam kehidupan dunia, khusus (untuk mereka saja) di hari kiamat.” Demikianlah Kami menjelaskan ayat-ayat itu bagi orang-orang yang mengetahui.

Say: ‘Who has forbidden the ornaments of God which He brought forth for His servants, and the good things of His Providing?’. Say:’These, on the Day of Resurrection, shall be exclusively for those who believed in this present life.  So We distinguish the signs for a people who know’.

33. Katakanlah: “Tuhanku hanya mengharamkan perbuatan yang keji, baik yang nampak ataupun yang tersembunyi, dan perbuatan dosa, melanggar hak manusia tanpa alasan yang benar, (mengharamkan) mempersekutukan Allah dengan sesuatu yang Allah tidak menurunkan hujjah untuk itu dan (mengharamkan) mengada-adakan terhadap Allah apa yang tidak kamu ketahui.”

Say:’My Lord has only forbidden indecencies the inward and the outward, and the sin, and unjust insolence, and that you associate with God that for which He sent down never authority, and that you say concerning God such as you know not.’  

And An Nahl 114:  Maka makanlah yang halal lagi baik dari rezki yang telah diberikan Allah kepadamu; dan syukurilah nikmat Allah, jika kamu hanya kepada-Nya saja menyembah. ~So eat of what God has provided you lawful and good; and be you thankful for the blessing of God, if it be Him that you serve.

And Al Maidah 87: Hai orang-orang yang beriman, janganlah kamu haramkan apa-apa yang baik yang telah Allah halalkan bagi kamu, dan janganlah kamu melampaui batas. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak menyukai orang-orang yang melampaui batas. ~O believers, forbid not such good things as God has permitted you; and transgress not; God loves not transgressors.

And Al Maidah 88: Dan makanlah makanan yang halal lagi baik dari apa yang Allah telah rezekikan kepadamu, dan bertakwalah kepada Allah yang kamu beriman kepadaNya ~Eat of  what God has provided you lawful and good; and fell God, in whom  you are believers.

The definition of ‘eat’ and ‘food’ in Quran, should be read as ‘what goes into your body (including food we physically eat, and food for the soul, anything that goes into your body, and more importantly, your soul.  Because only your soul will go back to Allah.  Your body will be one with earth, becoming dust, as what we were created from. Which I might, if have time, blog about this.

Food is good, keeps you living, thinking, learning, gives you energy, why forbid?