During subuh 'dawn' prayer, I learned something new again.
It was about a revelation that during Ramadan, great occasions, great event, great achievements were made in the past history. The Revelation of Al Qur'an, the day Muhammad became the Prophet and Messenger of Islam, the victory in Badar War...to name only three of great many others (too bad...once again..I did not quite remember what they were). hmm...guess..I got to learn more.
But funny thing that the imam said was when he said something about nazaruddin's being captured in Colombia during Ramadan (yesterday I guess) as something Islamic (of course he was just joking seriously).
Other things that I learned were:
- Javanese people especially the ancestors of Javanese people used to perform fasting (tirakatan) before doing something, e.g. building the house; setting up the traditional plowing equipment made of wood; Empu (Kris maker) finishing his works; and many other occasions that they thought as something worth-fasting for. Of course, at that time the Javanese did not observe such fasting as something religious, let alone Islamic. Of course they were Muslim but they sort of combined the Javanese beliefs (Kejawen) and Islamic teachings they once heard of, saw, or learned partially. Unbeknownst to them, their practices were actually far from Islamic values. Still, despite their lack of understanding in Islam, they did those fasting practices as the ways they connect to God (according to their beliefs). May Allah forgive them.
So, what we can learn from this is that.....the essence of true Islamic teaching has been rooted in the world of Javanese people that it is then necessary for the current generations to understand that they need to observe Islam according to the teachings of Muhammad. Of course, the good cultural values left behind or traced back within the Kejawen teachings should be preserved as mere cultural traits only not as something to believe in.
In my opinion, all in all, despite the differences in seeing the practices, they are still the pinnacle of human spirit in searching for power greater outside of this world.
It was about a revelation that during Ramadan, great occasions, great event, great achievements were made in the past history. The Revelation of Al Qur'an, the day Muhammad became the Prophet and Messenger of Islam, the victory in Badar War...to name only three of great many others (too bad...once again..I did not quite remember what they were). hmm...guess..I got to learn more.
But funny thing that the imam said was when he said something about nazaruddin's being captured in Colombia during Ramadan (yesterday I guess) as something Islamic (of course he was just joking seriously).
Other things that I learned were:
- Javanese people especially the ancestors of Javanese people used to perform fasting (tirakatan) before doing something, e.g. building the house; setting up the traditional plowing equipment made of wood; Empu (Kris maker) finishing his works; and many other occasions that they thought as something worth-fasting for. Of course, at that time the Javanese did not observe such fasting as something religious, let alone Islamic. Of course they were Muslim but they sort of combined the Javanese beliefs (Kejawen) and Islamic teachings they once heard of, saw, or learned partially. Unbeknownst to them, their practices were actually far from Islamic values. Still, despite their lack of understanding in Islam, they did those fasting practices as the ways they connect to God (according to their beliefs). May Allah forgive them.
So, what we can learn from this is that.....the essence of true Islamic teaching has been rooted in the world of Javanese people that it is then necessary for the current generations to understand that they need to observe Islam according to the teachings of Muhammad. Of course, the good cultural values left behind or traced back within the Kejawen teachings should be preserved as mere cultural traits only not as something to believe in.
In my opinion, all in all, despite the differences in seeing the practices, they are still the pinnacle of human spirit in searching for power greater outside of this world.
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