FASTING SECRET

Alzaim bertanya kepada aku,' Ayah, Why must we fast?'.

Aku merenung wajahnya. Zaim sudah menjangkau sepuluh tahun. Rupanya pon sudah sedikit dewasa. Pemikiran dia pon sudah berbeza. Kalau dulu aku boleh bagi alasan yang nipis sekadar menjawab pertanyaan dia, kini dia akan terus bertanya sekiranya kurang berpuas hati dengan apa yang dijelaskan.

' We fast because it is demanded by our religion. We fast because our prophet, Muhammad SAW, taught us to fast. Allah wanted us to fast once a year. '

' Why?' tanya Zaim lagi.

' Fasting is supposed to cleanse ourselves, physically and spiritually. When we fast the load of food that we take regularly will decrease. This helps our internal body organs to recalibrate themselves, hence making them more resilient and us healthier. Spiritually, we learn and experienc ourselves the difficulty faced by people who are less fortunate. Who maybe eat once a day. Who have to undergo hunger almost daily', aku cuba menjawab sebanyak yang buleh.

' Like the people in Africa, Ayah?', tanya Zaim.

Aku angguk. ' We are supposed to feel how they feel. So that we know how fortunate we are. And we should always be thankful to Allah for our good fortune.' tambah aku lagi.

Zaim mendekati aku dan bercakap separuh berbisik, ' You know Ayah, I have been fasting for the past two bulan ramadan. I think it is not that difficult, i mean to be hungry for a day. It is not so bad. '

' That doesn't mean that you can't pity those who are less fortunate' kata ku. ' Personally, I think there must be deeper meaning to fasting than what we know. You see all major religions in the world practise fasting. There must be something more to it' .

Zaim mengangguk,'It's a secret alright. Allah's secret and He wants to keep it'.

Aku angguk balik.