SPEECH IN IFTHAR[1]
AT CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDONESIA
CAPE TOWN, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010
Praise be to Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful
Hamdan lillah wa syukran lahu ‘ala ma an’amana min ni’amihi wa fadhlihi.
It is very happy this evening that we can meet in this residence of the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia to ifthar, namely to release our fasting after we fasted a full day from sunrise to sunset. All creatures of God do fasting. The animals do fasting in a certain period of their life. The snacks, for instance, eat their meal once a week, and after that they do fasting. The plants also do fasting, begin from spring until the end of the winter. Fasting is then something natural for all creatures of God. Fasting is the nature of the creatures. This is a miracle of fasting. It means that who do not do fasting he contradicts and destroys his nature
After fasting you see the animals grow bigger. After fasting you see the plants grow with their new leaves. So, fasting is good for health. Fasting gives our body an opportunity to recovery. Our prophet Muhammad pbuh is right when he said, “Fast, you will be health!” This is a miracle of fasting.
Hunger is an exciting experience. Hunger stimulates us to give our sympathy and empathy to the poor. What do you think about the poor. Are they the creatures of God or no? Or the only creatures of God are only you, and they are not? Remember that they are also His creatures. The existence of them is a test case. You can go to the paradise through them, and you can go to hell because of them. This is a miracle of fasting.
Hunger is an exciting experience. In the fasting we feel close to God. Closing to God brings us to obey what He instructs and to hinder what He forbids. Then we will become good beings. We will become righteous. The righteous consists of aspects: believe in God and good deeds. Who believes and does good deeds it is he who will become agents of the change to bring the world to a better condition. This is a miracle of fasting.
Those are the reasons, I belief, why Allah our God decreed shaum as one pillar of Islam beside four else, syahadat, shalat, prayer, zakat, charity, and hajj, pilgrimage to Makkah.
I am fasting. You are fasting. We are fasting. Shaum, fasting, then is one of many institutions in Islam which is intended to unite the Muslims in all over the world. Our God really said that the Muslims are brothers and sisters.
Innamal mukminuna ikhwatun.
And our prophet said that
A Muslim and a Muslim else like a body if one part of the body feels illness the other parts will feel illness.
This is a miracle of fasting, uniting the Muslims.
In fact Islam does not only call for the brotherhood and sisterhood among the Muslims, but also among human beings and mankind. He says in 49:13:
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“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
O, mankind! It shows that He Almighty does not call only the Muslims but all of human beings.
We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female. Yes, we have become male and female, we are now man and woman. It means that man and woman in Islam are on the same level, man and woman in Islam are equel. No discrimination in Islam between man and women. Man has his right and woman has also her right. Allah says (4:32):
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Man earns what he initiates and woman earns what she initiates
And We made you into nations and tribes. Yes, we are now had become in our own national states. You are the people of the Republic of South Africa, we are the people of Indonesia, some people are from the United Kingdom of Britain, from Dutch, Germany, and so ford. National state is the concept of modern era. Islam has introduced the concept since 15 centuries ago. Islam introduced that there is no discrimination between nations in the world.
That ye may know each other. The purpose of creating male and female, nations, and tribes is to know each other. This must be noted with a bold character and underlined. Knowing each other is the main and the only basis for the good relationships between human beings of all aspects of their life.
Knowing between persons, for instance, at less you can borrow something you do not have from your friend you know. Or he gives you what you need. So an economical relationship exists.
If a family knows a family else better, maybe a son of yours will marry a daughter of his. So exists a social relationship.
If a nation knows a nation else better, may exist a good economical and political relationship between two nations.
The conclusion is that the purpose of differences of ganders, races, ethnics, tribes, and nations created by God is to know each other. The knowing aims to understanding, and understanding brings to cooperation and service. The differences of ethnics, nationalities and races, then, should be treated as differences in a family. This treatment will produce a mosaic that will beautify the world as beauty as a family.
To end this speech I would like to inform you that the nation of Indonesia has a philosophy of state what we name it Pancasila, namely five pillars that guide their conducts in national life:
1. Belief in One and Only God
The people of Indonesia follow 5 religions acknowledged and they live in harmony.
2. Just and Civilized Humanity
Based on this pillar Indonesia conducts the independent and active foreign policy.
3. The unity of Indonesia
Indonesia is an archipelagic country which the total number of 17,508 islands. The unity of this archipelagic country is recognized by UN Convention of 1982.
4. Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives.
Pancasila democracy calls for decision-making through deliberations, or musyawarah, to reach a consensus. Our democracy is not liberal democracy and in other hand is not also communism one.
5. Social Justice for the whole of the people of Indonesia. This principle calls for the equitable spread of welfare to the entire population,
Indonesia is a stable country. And supported by natural resources and big populations who live in tolerance, harmony, and peace, it tends, I believe, to be a strong and welfare country in the future, insya Allah, may God helps.
Cape Town, September 5th, 2010
Salman Harun
[1] Scheduled to be presented in ifthar with representatives of Islamic organizations organized by Consul General of Indonesia in Cape Town, September 5, 2010.
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