Fasting in Islam

As Muslims around the world wrap up a month of fasting called Ramadan, you may be wondering: how is fasting in Islam different from fasting in Christianity? Let’s look at the two types of fasting, their foundation in the respective religions, and the purpose for each one.

For Muslims, fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam found in the Hadith, a collection of religious texts about the life of the prophet Muhammad. As one of the five pillars, it is an essential deed in the life of a Muslim as a way to be forgiven by Allah. This fasting, or sawm, takes place for 30 days during Ramadan, and requires that no food or water be consumed between sunrise and sunset. There are a few exceptions: young children, elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and women on their period are exempt, though the latter categories are encouraged to make up their fast at a later date. 

To prepare for the day, women will wake up an hour or two before sunrise and prepare a large breakfast meal for their families to be eaten before the sun rises. Once the sun rises, no more food or water can be consumed. After the evening prayer, families and friends will break fast together. Typically, they start by eating a date or other small snack and then celebrate with a large meal and fellowship. At the end of the thirty days, people travel to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri, the holiest day in Islam. 

So why do Muslims fast for thirty days? This season is a practice of self-discipline and devotion to Allah as they abstain from food and water. It is also a way to earn forgiveness of sins from Allah, though there is no certainty that following the five pillars of Islam will be sufficient to enter heaven – this is only known after one dies. How does this compare to fasting in Christianity?

Fasting in Christianity

Fasting is seen in both the Old and New Testaments and typically involves abstaining from food for a certain amount of time as a reminder of one’s dependence on God. In the Old Testament, Israelites fasted as a sign of repentance on the Day of Atonement. Daniel completed a partial fast of only fruits and vegetables for 21 days. Esther called upon her people to fast and pray with her before she asked the Persian king to save the Israelites from annihilation. In each case, the individual or group fasting was doing so to seek God and demonstrate earnestness in their prayers. 

In the New Testament as well, we see several examples of fasting. Even Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness before starting His ministry. He cautioned His followers against fasting so others could see their devotion, but encouraged them to fast privately so only God could see (Matthew 6:16-18). When Jesus taught on this, He said “when you fast,” assuming that His followers would continue to fast.

In the book of Acts, we see the early church fast in several situations, including before Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey (Acts 13). The church was already worshiping and praying together when the Holy Spirit instructed them about Paul and Barnabas, and then they continued to fast and pray before sending them out. In none of these situations is fasting mentioned as a prerequisite for salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 affirms that our salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not through works like fasting. Romans 3:28 says that our justification is through faith, not works. Philippians 3:9 and Galatians 2:16 affirm this as well, in addition to many other verses in the New Testament. 

Is Fasting a Means for Salvation?

So while fasting is a commonality for Muslims and Christians alike, there is one major difference that affects our eternal fate. Fasting for Muslims is a means of salvation, but fasting for Christians is a way to grow closer to God and not a way to salvation. 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

How to pray:

• Pray that Muslims and other religions would realize that fasting and other works are insufficient to save them
• That Indonesians would find hope and assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ alone
• Pray that Indonesian Christians would have plenty of opportunities to share about this hope and assurance with their communities

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Did you know that every year in March the island of Bali has a day of silence? Hari Raya Nyepi is a Balinese holiday that occurs on the New Year of the Bali Hindu calendar. For one day a year, activity is restricted or stopped throughout the entire island. Lights are turned off or dimmed, the airport closes, the ferry stops, and no one is allowed to be on the beaches or streets, even tourists. Usually tourists are allowed to move throughout their hotel but not allowed to leave the property. Many Balinese fast or take the day for self-reflection. 

A few days before Nyepi, rituals called Melasti take place at temples across the island. These rituals typically occur at or near the beach and cleanse certain objects that are spiritually significant for the temple. The month before Nyepi starts, each area works diligently to create giant statues, often of demons, called Ogoh-Ogoh and parade them through the streets. The statues are later burned as a way to cleanse the island of evil spirits. The day after Nyepi, the Balinese people visit family and friends and ask for forgiveness for any sins from the prior year. 

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:14-15

Ways to pray for the Balinese people:

• Pray that the Balinese would realize their need for a Savior to forgive sins and that rituals can never remove sins
• That they would experience the power of Jesus Christ over evil spirits
• Pray that Balinese Christians would have opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with their communities

The post Nyepi – Bali Day of Silence first appeared on Pray For Indonesia.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world. But how did it get that way? Before the arrival of Islam, the islands were predominantly Hindu and Buddhist. There are many different stories about how Islam spread, and these stories tend to be a combination of history and mysticism. While each island has its own history of the arrival of Islam in Indonesia, here are a few of the most common stories:

How did Islam enter Indonesia?

The most common story of the arrival of Islam in Indonesia involves traders in the 13th century, primarily on the island of Sumatra in an area called Aceh. Many Muslim traders from the Middle East arrived at large trade ports, setting up communities in the ports and sharing their faith traditions. Frequently, they would intermarry with locals, further spreading their faith to local communities. As these ports traded with other areas and countries, the faith continued to spread along trade routes.

According to Tim Hannigan’s book, A Brief History of Indonesia, one more mystical story about the spread of Islam in Sumatra involves a king named Merah Silau. According to the legend, the king was sleeping when the Prophet appeared to him in a dream. In the dream, the Prophet spit into his mouth, and when he awoke, he began speaking unrecognizable words. Later, as he encountered Arab traders, they recognized the words as the Shahada, or Islamic confession of faith. He began to share his newfound faith with his kingdom and it spread from there.

Another story involves Muslim missionaries who came from the Middle East. As they settled in Indonesia, one of the missionaries married off his daughter to a local king. When his daughter welcomed a son, the future king, she raised him in the Islamic faith. Eventually, the son became king and made his entire kingdom an Islamic kingdom. His kingdom grew to be extremely powerful, overtaking surrounding kingdoms, and spread Islam throughout Indonesia. 

Java- The Most Populated Island

For the island of Java, most trace the arrival of Islam back to the arrival of the Wali Songo, also referred to as the nine saints or Sunans. These Muslim missionaries settled in different areas along the northern coast of Java, sharing their faith throughout the region. Many Indonesian Muslims still travel to visit the gravesites of these men, considered very sacred sites.

These are just a few of the many stories about the arrival and spread of Islam in Indonesia. Each area and culture has its own unique history, contributing to the diversity and beauty of this country. Join us in praying that the light of Christ will push back the darkness and God will be glorified in every tribe and language.

The post Islam in Indonesia – History and Legend first appeared on Pray For Indonesia.

As Islam began to spread throughout the Middle East, Muslim missionaries took the role as merchants to bring Islam to Asia. Many Indonesian rulers and royalty converted and subsequently their subjects mirrored their conversion. Muslim conquest throughout the islands was another factor for many Indonesians converting to Islam from Hinduism and Buddhism. Now more than 220 million Indonesians are Muslim, about 87% of the population.

Why it spread and has stayed dominant

Islam has remained the largest majority in the country for many decades. This is due to many reasons, the most primary being the culture of Islam. Islam’s culture naturally encourages multigenerational devotion and helps with the spread of its beliefs. This cultivated strong devotion along with the endorsement of Islam by high-ranking officials in various kingdoms around Indonesia. These factors caused Islam to rise to the top. In doing so it also cemented its status as the majority religion of the country.

How this affects the culture

Islam’s impact on culture can be seen in many of the cultures of this country. Formerly matriarchal cultures now are patriarchal. The mysticism roots of these cultures have Islam grafted in. This creates a hybrid culture where the local witch doctor gives you spells and magical pendants that are prayed over using Islamic prayers and incantations.

Threats

The Gospel continues to spread in Indonesia despite the state of the country and many Muslims are coming to faith. Unfortunately, the spread of Christianity is a threat to Muslims. Radical Muslims often respond by attacking Christian churches and individuals. Others may respond by aggressively teaching and warning their Muslim family and friends against having spiritual conversations with Christians. In Islam, it is considered a major sin to question the faith. Even questioning thoughts are considered sinful. This can cause significant resistance to hearing the Gospel. Although these challenges and roadblocks exist, we shall continue to praise our Mighty God that the Gospel still goes forth in dark places!

The post How did Islam Become the Dominant Religion in Indonesia? first appeared on Pray For Indonesia.

Usually, an Indonesian Muslim truly comes to faith when they choose to get baptized. It means that they have really counted the cost of leaving Islam to follow Christ. Counting the cost is extremely significant because they are leaving their old ways and have considered the cost of following Christ. This means that they are aware of any persecution that might follow. Persecution when a Muslim comes to faith usually includes these things:

Being disowned or killed by their family members

In Islamic families when a family member becomes a Christian, it brings great shame and great sin upon the whole family. To restore honor, the family usually chooses to disassociate with the Christians in their family, hoping that by doing so they would feel the pressure to convert back to Islam. The other extreme would be to kill a family member that becomes a Christian. In Indonesia, family defines everything. Their identity is defined by the group they belong to. When one person does something that brings honor or shame, the entire family is affected.

Being ostracized from their community

In rural areas, it is very common to see a new believer being ostracized from their village. Many new believers living in close-knit communities are forced out of their villages. Muslim communities feel betrayed when one of their own follows a different belief system. Often, those who come to faith will be shamed by their community, lose their job or have difficulty finding a job. They may also face death threats, will be hunted down and killed to restore the honor of the community.

The Quran says multiples times that Muslims should kill infidels. (Qur 9:5, Qur. 9:73) The society they have always called home now thinks of them as traitors. To leave Islam is seen as the greatest sin a Muslim brings upon himself and his family. The prophet Muhammad said, “Whoever changes his religion, kill him.” (Al-Bukhary 6922)

Being shamed into recanting

In honor-shame cultures like Indonesia, relationships and reputation matters. It takes years of working hard to gain respect and honor from their community. When someone living in a Muslim community chooses to follow Christ, he/she immediately loses their honor from the Muslim community and therefore has a bad reputation within that community. Word gets around fast and soon enough the whole community shames the new Christian. Family members and religious leaders (imam) will try to persuade the Christian to renounce their faith by any means possible.

Following Jesus definitely costs a former Muslim. The Bible says in Matthew 10:34–35, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’” Pray for our Muslim background brothers and sisters to stand firm in their faith and be comforted by the Holy Spirit as they experience persecution. Praise God that more Muslims have comes to faith in Jesus in the past 15 years than the previous centuries combined!

The post What Happens When a Muslim Comes to Faith in Indonesia? first appeared on Pray For Indonesia.

It is my Fate to be Muslim

Many believe it is their fate to be a follower of Islam. When sharing the Gospel with Muslims, their response is often “That’s great! But I was born to be a follower of Islam and my destiny is to be Muslim.” Many Muslims believe that each religion is made for certain people. Christianity is for foreigners and Chinese Indonesians, Islam is for Indonesians, etc.

This is compounded when you are from an Indonesian people group where your identity as a people is wrapped up in your faith in Islam. In these situations not only are you Muslim because of your community and family. You are Muslim because to be a person from your people group is to be Muslim.

Educational limitations

In most villages, women are not encouraged to go to school, only men are. Therefore, women face more obstacles when discipling. This is because many are not literate due to the lack of education. Oral communication and story telling is needed to share the gospel with the illiterate. Even if someone is educated, most of the time they do not like to read or study. This is another challenge when reading the Bible. Indonesians learn the best through auditory means.

Follow culture

Many people are not encouraged to learn about their religion. Indonesians are instead told to listen to their leader and follow what they say. The result of this is that you can share the Gospel with three different people and get three different responses on how to get sin forgiven in Islam. Also three different answers on what will happen to Muslims after they die.

In Indonesia, your reputation is more important than the truth. This means it’s better to espouse the beliefs of the community than to acknowledge something that is true. So, a person may say “what you say sounds true, but my family and community are Muslim so I must be.” There is a Madura saying that translates to “it is better to die than to be shamed.” This ideology makes it challenging for Muslims when counting the cost of believing and following Jesus. For them, the idea of their community and family disagreeing and potentially becoming hostile toward them is more daunting than the idea of spending eternity separated from the Lord.

“Semua agama sama, hanya beda cara” – “All religions are the same, it’s just a different way of doing the same thing.”

This is one of the most common challenges when sharing the gospel with Muslims. They believe that all religions are the same, just different paths up the same mountain. They believe if you are faithful, a good person, and believe in something, you will go to heaven. After you share the gospel with a Muslim, many times they will share that the gospel makes sense. But then they will say “all religions are the same, it’s just a different way of doing the same thing.”

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1. Profession of Faith (Shahada)

Muslims bear witness to the oneness of God by reciting the phrase “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.” This is the foundation of a Muslim’s belief and expresses their commitment and complete acceptance to Islam. Usually written in Arabic, the Shahada is featured in architecture and a range of objects including Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an.

2. Prayer (Salat)

Muslims are obligated to pray 5 times a day facing the direction of Mecca. The times to pray are at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and after dark. They can pray in the neighborhood mosque where the mosque leader (imam) leads the prayers or at home. Most public areas (malls, restaurants, parks) have a musholla where they can pray as well. They recite the memorized prayers in Arabic.

Every Friday at noon, the men gather in the mosque to pray and listen to a short sermon focused on a passage in the Qur’an from the imam. They then are led in a discussion of a particular religious topic.

3. Alms-giving (Zakat)

In accordance with Islamic law and social responsibility, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their income (2.5%) to community members in need. Wealthy Muslims will build mosques, schools, fountains, and hospitals as a religious duty. When they give zakat, they believe they are securing blessings and rewards from Allah.

4. Fasting (Sawm)

One of the 5 pillars of Islam is fasting. Every year they do what is required of them during the month of Ramadan. Muslims will abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from sunrise to sunset each day in order to please God (Allah) and seek forgiveness for past sins.

They usually wake up at 4:30 am to share a meal together (sahur). But the women will wake up earlier than that to cook the meal! They will then break fast at sunset by first eating dates and drinking water (recommended by Muhammed). Then they will eat a meal together. After that they will go to the mosque to pray. The end of Ramadan is observed by 3 days of celebration called Eid-al-Fitr. It is a time for family reunion and giving gifts.

5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)

If a Muslim is financially and physically able, they must take a religious pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in present day Saudi Arabia. This is the peak of their religious life. They walk around the Ka’ba 7 times on the 8th and 12th days of the final month of the Islamic calendar.

The Ka’ba is the black cubic structure at the center of the Haram mosque in Mecca. Muslims believe that this is the house Abraham built for God and they face its direction when they pray. The Hajj attracts 3 million pilgrims from around the world every year. In Indonesia, usually you have to be on a waitlist for 10-20 years before you can make the Hajj!

The post What are the 5 Pillars of Islam? first appeared on Pray For Indonesia.

Islam

How did Indonesia become the largest Muslim country in the world? As Islam began to spread throughout the Middle East, Muslim missionaries took the role as merchants to bring Islam to Asia in the 8th century. Many Indonesian rulers and royalty converted and subsequently their subjects mirrored their conversion. Muslim conquest throughout the islands was another factor for many Indonesians converting to Islam from Hinduism and Buddhism. Now more than 220 million Indonesians are Muslim, about 87% of the population.

Christianity

Christians make up 8% of the population and mostly live in the major cities and the eastern islands of Indonesia. Christianity was brought to Indonesia by the Portuguese Maritime Trading empire in the 16th century. Many Christians are Chinese Indonesians. During the 20th century Chinese religion was forbidden in Indonesia and so as a result many became Christian.

Despite being a recognized religion, Christians are persecuted in Indonesia, especially ones who were previously Muslim. The most persecuted area is Aceh, the northwestern tip of the island of Sumatra. Aceh is an autonomous land governed by Shariah law.

Catholicism

Catholicism entered Indonesia with the Portuguese spice traders as well as Catholic missionaries in the 16th century. When the Portuguese were forced out of Indonesia, many Catholics had to convert to Islam or be killed. Today the islands in Indonesia that are majority Catholic are Ambon, Flores and Timor and make up around 3% of the population.

Hinduism

Hinduism is the oldest religion in Indonesia, brought by traders from India in the first century. It was adopted by the ancient empires and was the predominant religion in Indonesia during that time. Now Hinduism makes up less than 2% of the population.

There are a few small pockets of Hindus in Indonesia. The main Hindu population is in Bali. When you visit Bali you will see Hindu temples through out the island as well as daily offerings (Canang Sari) in front of most buildings and houses.

Buddhism

Buddhism came to Indonesia a few hundred years after Hinduism. Around the 7th century it became the largest Buddhist Kingdom in Southeast Asia. One of the largest Buddhist temples in the world is the Borobudur temple on the island of Java. When Islam came to Indonesia, Buddhism started to decrease substantially. Buddhists now make up less than 1% of the population in Indonesia.

Confucianism

Confucianism is Indonesia’s smallest religion. Only 180,000 (0.05%) of Indonesians are Confucians. The Chinese came to Indonesia and brought Confucianism as values and moral principles. This belief system recently became a recognized religion in Indonesia in 1965. Interestingly, Confucianism is only seen as a tradition and not a religion in other countries with large ethnic Chinese populations.

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