“O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become mindful of Allah” (Q.S. Al-Baqarah: 183)
This verse clearly gives orders to believers to fast. Meanwhile, it is explained further that the purpose of fasting is “… so that you become pious”. In connection with this, a believing Muslim needs to know the characteristics or indicators of piety. This is necessary so that a self-assessment can be carried out to measure indicators of personal piety. To achieve piety, which is a high degree of faith, a Muslim needs to mobilize all his resources,
In Surah Al-Baqarah verses 1-4 it is stated, “Alif Lām Mīm. This book (Al-Qur’an) does not doubt it; (It is) guidance for the pious, those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what We have bestowed upon them, and those who believe in the (Quran) which is revealed. Revealed to you (Prophet Muhammad) and (the holy books) that were revealed before you, and they are certain of the hereafter.”
Based on this verse, there are several characteristics of pious people:
1. Believing in the Unseen
Believing in the unseen is believing in the invisible, such as believing in the existence of Allah, angels, heaven and hell, and records of deeds. By believing in the unseen, a person will certainly maintain his behaviour. That way, the target of worship will be achieved and the life lived will be full of blessings.
2. Upholding Prayer
This point has a deeper meaning than just performing prayers. “Performing prayers” means only doing it at one time, but “establishing prayers” means that prayer has become something that is always applied. A person who sings once is not immediately called a singer. The same goes for prayer. A person who prays once cannot be said to be “establishing prayer”. In the letter of Al-Ankabut, verse 45, it is stated that “Indeed, prayer prevents from (deeds) vile and unjust”.
3. Giving Away Part of Your Provisions
A hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim states, “Protect yourselves from the fires of hell, even if it is only by giving a piece of date as charity”. It is not an exaggeration to say that giving alms can eliminate stinginess, greed, and love of the world. So as to protect oneself from the fire of hell. Therefore, Islam encourages its followers to pay zakat and infaq. If it is done according to the provisions that have been set and supported by the existence of amil (manager of people’s funds) who are trustworthy, then there should be no poor Muslims in Indonesia.
4. Believe in the Qur’an
Believing in the Qur’an means believing in the stories and laws contained in the Qur’an so that you voluntarily try wholeheartedly to implement all the laws that exist.
5. Believe in the Day of Judgment
This point is similar to believing in the unseen. If someone believes in the Day of Judgment, it means that he believes that all his deeds will be accounted for fairly. Criminal acts, cheating, and other bad deeds will be avoided. Someone may escape the worldly court but will not escape the judgment of the afterlife.
Apart from the five points above, several letters in the Qur’an explain the characteristics of a pious person. Surah Al-Baqarah (177) mentions belief in Allah, the angels of the Last Day, the holy books, and the prophets, giving his beloved treasure, prayer, zakat, keeping promises, and being patient. Ali Imran’s letter (16 -17) mentions patience, righteousness, charity, and asking for forgiveness at the end of the night/sahur time. Surah Ali-Imran (133-136) mentions immediately asking for forgiveness, controlling anger, and forgiving others.
If explained in detail, actually all indicators of piety are summarized in various activities in the month of Ramadan. Belief in the unseen, for example, the decision not to break the fast even if no one is watching. Then, the point of upholding prayer is proven by carrying out the sunnah Tarawih prayer, even though it is done at night with quite a few rak’ahs.
For the infaq point, of course in the month of Ramadan, Muslims compete to increase their alms because the rewards are manifold. There have been many hadiths that highlight the virtue of infaq or giving alms to break the fast, which even has a reward equal to the person’s fast without reducing the person’s reward.
In relation to faith in the Qur’an, Ramadan is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed. The reward for reading the Qur’an this month is very great, so it is recommended to interact with the Qur’an as much as possible. The last point, believe in the Day of Judgment. The Muslim’s efforts to pursue the night of Lailatul Qadar are one of the signs of piety, so they have a heavy scale of good deeds on the last day. Meanwhile, regarding patience, a hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim clearly explains patience, namely, “If someone insults him or disturbs him, should say: Indeed, I am fasting’”. Although Ramadhan has long passed, its spirit needs to be maintained. This is one of our efforts to become a pious person. (Abstracted from the LPPOM MUI Muslimah Study by Fadilla, S.TP).
