Pieces Of Eid

We left home at 6.15 a.m. this morning to get ourselves a place to pray...

But it was so crowded, we had to pray on the road. The road was closed for about one hour...

M and I took our place next to the motorcycle parking lot...

Things got rough after the prayer...

M&D were excited though (hmm, the man behind M was kinda cute, but i digress)...

D took a photo of M and I on the parking area

Idul Fitri in Indonesia is not legit without ketupat, hahaha...

Have a blessed Eid, y'all!

Ramadan Memories

Born as a Muslim in a Muslim family, I learned about fasting since I was five years old, or perhaps even younger than that. I still remember M&D would carry me to the dining table for the pre-dawn meal. Even though I would fall asleep on the table, they would wake me up every now and then and asked me to finish the meal.

On my first day of fasting, I broke it at 1 p.m. The next day, I made it until 2 p.m. But on the third day, I gave up before noon. Hahaha. M&D always encouraged me to complete the fasting, but if I was too weak, they were the first to suggest me to break it.

When I entered school at 6 years old, the parents decided to give incentive. For every day that I could complete fasting from dawn to dusk, they would reward me with Rp 1,000. Since they never gave me pocket money, I saw this as an opportunity to have extra money to buy snacks. Hahaha.

The incentives worked. I only missed two days of fasting that year. The next year, I could fast for a whole month. As a 7 years old, I felt so strong and mature being able to fast for 29 or 30 days straight. But the happiness only lasted for several years, because I got my periods. That humbled me, of course.

Other things I remember about my childhood Ramadan was the new clothes, the cookies, the mudik journey, the money my maternal grandmother would give every time I visited her during Idul Fitri. As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), my understanding of Ramadan (and Idul Fitri) also evolves.

Ramadan is no longer about new clothes, rather it's about improving inner self. Instead of becoming a moment of receiving money, it's an opportunity to give to the needy. It's not just restraining from food and drink and sexual intercourse for the married couples, but more about keeping your emotion and worldly desires in check.

Here's me hoping to be blessed by more time to see you again next year, o holy month Ramadan.

I Wish I Can Visit These Mosques One Day

Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey. Found here.

Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Found here.

The Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain. Photo source

Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Taken from here

So When Is Eid?

Found here

Hello lovelies! Are you going to your hometown for this year's mudik season? If so, I hope you have a safe trip. I saw many cars and motorcycles whizzed past Kalimalang's main road last night and this morning the traffic was a bit empty. In a way, it's nice to cruise the roads without congestions, but the empty roads also means Ramadan will leave us in a few more days. Sad.

The government said that this year might see Indonesia's two largest Islam groups celebrating Idul Fitri on different days. Muhammadiyah already did hisab (count the days) and announced they would observe Syawal 1 on Aug. 30, while Nahdlatul Ulama insisted that they wanted to do rukyah (confirm the date by seeing the moon phase) on Aug. 29 to determine the date (the date was still not clear, but it's probably on Aug. 31). 

I think I will join Muhammadiyah.

The clerics asked people to respect each other's decision on Idul Fitri. They also suggested that people who followed Muhammadiyah stop fasting on Aug. 30, but celebrate Idul Fitri on Aug. 31 along with Nahdlatul Ulama.

Dear lovelies, whichever day we choose to celebrate Idul Fitri, I hope it strengthens us as a united and tolerant nation.

Have a nice weekend:) 

Giving A New Life For An Old Long-Sleeved T-Shirt

I bought two pairs of detachable sleeves in NurZahra during Jakarta Great Sale. I like those because they are loose and complement my short-sleeved work shirts. After taking a closer look, I am confident that I can make those out of unused clothes. So this week, I decided to hold a do-it-yourself project, hehehe.

The ones by NurZahra. Simple but very useful. 

Things you need:

- an old long-sleeved T-shirt

- sewing tools

How to make it:

- simply tore the sleeves off the T-shirt

- do some sewing, attach a rubber band if you like

- tadaaa! you get a pair of detachable sleeves and an undershirt

Before and after

The Turquoise Turkuaz

A few months ago I got a text message and email about Turkuaz, a new Turkish restaurant in town. At first, I didn't pay attention to the notification, but I saw the head chef's name, Sezai Zorlu, I almost fell off my chair. 

Chef Sezai is the nice chef who made me hoşaf in less than half an hour. After making me the food, we talked about foods he ate during childhood days. And then out of the blue, he gave me tips about how to make relationship works. We both had Moroccan mint tea and I remembered glancing at his teacup, wondering if his contained alcohol (Why suddenly talked about relationship?). Hahaha, just kidding. He just loves conversing with people.

Tangent: several months ago, my blog stat showed a surge of visits from people googling in words : "Sezai Zorlu marriage". I was like...what the? When I told this to the chef's girlfriend, she just laughed and said,"Some stalkers need to have more guts and just ask the guy if he is married". So true.

Another tangent: It was during the interview in the new restaurant that I realized the chef has bluish green eyes. How fitting with the restaurant's name. I've always thought his eyes were grey-colored.

Back to the topic. He's been working in a restaurant chain for years, so the fact that he is now opening his own restaurant is quite surprising. I like his food, so I'd like to help.

When I forwarded the email to the Sunday bosses, they asked if I wanted to do it. Why, of course! So it was during my staycation that I went to the restaurant. You can read the review here, if you'd like:). And here are the photos I took there.

The interior of the restaurant and the lady of the chef:)

The amazing chandelier. This is actually taken by the chef. He was so excited to see my red camera. I think he's going to buy one:P

These are just the appetizer, not the main course. Yum!

Heavenly treats in a plate. My favorite is the finger-shaped one, it is filled with cheese.

  Somehow I missed taking photo of the main course. But the dessert is always in my mind:)

Ramadan's Dos And Donts

Found here

I should have posted it on the first day. But you know what they say: "better late than never".

World Wanderer Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta. Illustration by David Johnson for Time (Source: here)

Stories of world travelers like Italian traveler Marco Polo always evoke my childhood imagination when I would pack up a small bundle and pretend that the small road I crossed was the wide Pacific ocean. And so it was with great joy that I read Time Magazine's Summer Journey edition that features Ibn Battuta. 

The 21-year-old scholar left his home in Tangier, Morocco on a summer day in 1325, for a pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca. Little did he know that the journey would last 30 years and cover more than 100,000 kilometers. 

I love reading the articles, especially about Hangzhou, the city that Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo and Chinese admiral Zheng He (or Cheng Ho, or known in Indonesia as Sam Poo Tay Djien) visited. However, I'm a little disappointed that the magazine omits Indonesia from the article's list even though Ibn Battuta did make a stop over in Sumatra.

Some favorite lines from the articles include "getting lost proved more fruitful than finding their hoped-for destination".

Read the full list of the articles here.

And now my feet are longing for some long travels across the globe...

Remembering Allah Through The Simple Things In Life

Last week, I had a well-delivered khutbah in Bekasi's Al Azhar Mosque. Unlike the other clerics who raise their voices and deliver the heaven-and-hell-themed khutbah, this man speaks in a soft tone about his daily life with an Islamic thinking. I really like his message, so I want to share it here with you. I hope you don't mind:).

Below are his words that I try to summarize.

"I went to my hometown in West Sumatra and ran into a childhood friend who I have not met for 28 years. I asked him if he still remembered me after all this time. His response was pulling out his wallet from his butt pocket and showed our photo together."

"I was stunned to see that photo. He answered my question, not with a speech, a quatrain or a song, but with a definite action. He could have changed the trousers, or the wallet, but the content remains the same."

"Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, do we have the same devotion to keep Allah in our heart just like the man keeping the photo in the wallet? When we meet Our Creator, can we give Allah a solid proof that we have been thinking about Him all this time?"

"Another story I want to tell you is about an old tailor. One day he makes a shirt. The consumer, a young man, comes back to his shop a few minutes after taking the shirt. The young man shows a hole in the shirt and says he does not want the shirt. The old tailor receives the shirt, but then he falls into a crying fit."

"The young man says,'Please don't cry, old man. It's just a shirt and a hole. I will take that back and pay it. No worries.' The old tailor says,'I remember that I did not do my prayers regularly, perhaps my prayer deeds were like a shirt with many holes. What if Allah does not want to accept my prayer deeds? What should I say to Him?' The young man is stunned."

"Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, the old tailor always remembers Allah. Therefore seeing a small hole makes him remembering the lack of prayer deeds. Actually, there are many things in our daily life that can remind us about Our Creator and that one day we are coming back to Him. Are we ready for our homecoming?"

There are many other stories he tells, but I guess those excerpts suffice. Unfortunately, I forgot to check the cleric's name. Aughhh.

The Wisdom Of A Panda

Taken from here

Have you watched Kung Fu Panda 2? If you haven't, then I suggest you to go watch it. I did a few days ago because I needed to spend the free tickets my office gave me and the movie was the best pick ever!

A short review on the movie: Po is now the Dragon Warrior and leads the Furious Five: Tigress, Monkey, Stork, Snake and Mantis. A grieving news about the murder of a Kung Fu master in neighboring city brings the team to destroy the weapon that kills Kung Fu. Amidst all the physical works, Po has another battle: make peace with his past as he discovered that Mr. Ping, the goose Po knows as his father is actually an adoptive parent. Surprise, surprise.

Anyway, I love the animation, the action, the humor and the drama. I laugh and cry at several scenes, it's either the movie is that powerful or I'm such a crier. Probably it's the latter. I totally recommend this for everyone, especially for the younger audience.

Just like the first Kungfu Panda, there is a wonderful quotation in this sequel.

Your story may not have such a happy beginning but that doesn't make you who you are, it is the rest of your story, who you choose to be.- as said by The Soothsayer

 That quotation reminds me of this one (the second one). Kinda gave me goosebumps when I heard it.

Silly Things During Breakfasting

One night at Blok S Square, South Jakarta, four friends (RAS, NDR, TA and ADA) were having dinner during the holy month of Ramadan. After finishing a bowl of bakso (meatballs), ADA, who happened to be the only man amidst the three women, saw a tahu gejrot (tofu smashed with chili on a mortar) cart.

"Oh look, there is a tahu gejrot cart. But where is the vendor?" ADA asked.

"Just walk over there. The vendor will approach you," RAS said.

"I don't want to walk over there. Isn't there anyone here ordering tahu gejrot? If the vendor picks up the empty plate, I can call him," he said.

Ten minutes later...

"I think the guy with the fedora hat is the vendor, or maybe the guy with black shirt," RAS said.

"I don't think so. Wanna bet?"ADA said.

Five minute later, said guy was taking the empty bowls of bakso.

"See! He's working for the bakso vendor," ADA said.

"But I'm sure the black shirt guy is the vendor," RAS said

After another 10 minutes and there was no movement, TA raised her hand to the direction of tahu gejrot cart. When the man with black shirt approached, the group was bursting into laughter .

"See! I told you it's the black shirt man!"

"Why didn't we wave our hand earlier, instead of waiting for almost 30 minutes?"

"ADA, so this means you're paying right?"

"Okay, okay. I'm paying."

A Bike Ride, Bazaar And Chamber Music

Hello there! How is your week? Next week I'll be in my pre-Idul Fitri holiday time, but I'm intending to continue the 30-day-blogging, one of the projects I planned this year. I hope I have yet to bore you to death. I'll be back to the usual blog posting (which is not everyday, hahaha) after Idul Fitri.

Anyway, some ideas for this weekend:

Listen to the Dutch Chamber Music Company at Eramus Huis this Friday and Saturday.

Also on Friday-Saturday, a bazaar featuring local designers takes place at Plaza Indonesia.

On Sunday, ride a bike with Komunitas Historia, a community with an interest on anything historic, to Kampung Arab, an Arab dwelling village in Jakarta's old town. For more information check www.komunitashistoria.org

Definitions Of Freedom

My humble flag-raising Paskibraka team (also known in this blog as M&D). This was taken yesterday but I just got the time to post it today

What's your definition of freedom? Some may say freedom is to be free from hunger, illiteracy or poverty. A singer says in her Twitter feed that freedom is to be free to marry anybody regardless of the profession.

It seems that for D, freedom is the rights to hoist the flag and be free from his illness.

Updated: D's doctor declared his latest X-Ray photo as "good" this afternoon. Alhamdulillah, praise to Allah. It's the first case of pneumothorax I know that does not require a surgery.

Happy Independence Day! Let's Sing Some Indonesian Songs Today:)

Source: YouTube

P.S. See more videos of Gamaliel and Audrey Tapiheru here

Be Strong And Be Good

Found here

In My Own Skin

"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.” [30:22] -- Found here

During my South Korean sojourn, I've met people from several countries. Out of curiosity and in an attempt to break the ice, I asked them if there were beauty standards in their country. 

The Latinos, being men, said that big boobs were considered as beauty standard. Ack.

Almost all my girlfriends from South Korea said that South Korean guys like girls who take care of their appearance (read: feminine) and slim. And it's so true because I seldom saw tomboy South Korean girls on the prowl. When I came back to Indonesia and attended a cosmetic event, the brand spokesperson said that in South Korea, people would use up to 12 products of cream everyday, whereas Indonesians only  picked 3 items. Whoa. So they spend the whole day applying skin cream or what?

Chinese fellow Qin also said that in her country, girls should be slim and has good flawless skin. She said that girls with big eyes were considered beautiful. As a result, there are many girls taking minor plastic surgery to widen their eyes. I think it is the same case as Iranian women who took nose jobs to reduce the size of their noses.

In Indonesia, it's pretty much the same. The beauty product advertisement forms public mindset that white is might and long straight hair is perfection and the key to a happy life. 

I found the passages by Malcolm X in this blog, and I want to share it here as a reminder that our body is the gift of Our Creator and we should take good care of it.

“Who taught you to hate the color of your skin? Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips? Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? Who taught you to hate your own kind? Who taught you to hate the race that you belong to so much so that you don’t want to be around each other? …Who taught you to hate being what God made you?” - Malcolm X

Independence Day And Ramadan

Do it yourself: Sidoarjo resident Sri Rahayu sews red and white fabric together to make an Indonesian flag, in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Friday. Rahayu said the retail price of flags was too high, so she preferred to make her own. Photographer: Wahyoe Boediwardhana for The Jakarta Post

This year, Indonesians will celebrate Independence Day in Ramadan. But did you know that August 17, 1945 also fell during Ramadan? The difference is in 1945, the day was Friday, while this year, it'll be Wednesday. Hope you'll have a wonderful Independence Day, my dear compatriots.

Sports During Ramadan

Found here

Hello, sweeties. I'm not exactly a sporty girl, but a tweet my friend made the other day got me thinking about how athletes maintain their stamina during the fasting month. 

 

From this article, sport during fasting seems doable if assisted by nutritionists (big meals after dark, protein shake before dawn). This article mentions about a high school football team in Michigan, the U.S, that changes its schedule during Ramadan to accommodate the Muslim players.

 

Then there is another issue. The 2012 Olympic Games that will fall between July 27 and August 12, which means that it will take place during nest year's Ramadan (estimated to fall on July 21-August 21, 2012). With the scorching sun of London summer, I do hope the fasting athletes achieve their best. 

 

If you are observing Ramadan, do you do sport activities? How do you stay fit?

Twelfth Day, Thirteenth Night

Hello, lovelies. It's the 12th day of Ramadan, and things have been going just fine. My piece(s) on Citarum River was published on Monday and I am excited to going to Bandung again to complete the next part of the article. However, I have to wait until my colleague's return from an assignment to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Tangent: Hmm, now that I mention it, the office has yet to give me any foreign assignment for two years *gasp*.  The last visits I made abroad were made possible due to the fellowships (thank you SNU-LG and Reuters!). Oh well.

I'll be working this weekend due to the same aforementioned reason why I could not go to Bandung. But perhaps I can squeeze some hours to see Wanted: Man, a Dutch movie in Erasmus Huis this Saturday. Really looking forward to Monday and Tuesday, when I'll have my days off. I may be doing some shopping mall-hopping to see which has the most discount, hahaha.

Have a nice twelfth break of fasting (that is if you're fasting).  

A Chock Full Of Colorful Hijabs

Several foreign friends (of different faiths) asked how many scarves I had upon seeing my colorful hijab. Well, these are just some of my collection:P.

A few days ago, Lfr (one of the cubreps who wear hijab) and I made a pledge to visit Moshaict, a hijab boutique on Jl. Raden Saleh 55, Cikini, Central Jakarta after excessive perusals on the brands' websites mentioning the store. 

Since we had different schedules that day, we met on the spot. I arrived at 12 a.m., she came with her friend one hour later and caught me staring at two shawls (a green, gray, white shawl and a purple white one) with an unbearable longing.

"Hmm, tough choice eh? I would go for the purple one if I were you," she said from my back.

The next minute, it was she who had the dilemma. She was torn between a pink white shawl and a green white one.

"These look equally beautiful! I can't choose," Lfr said.

"Then take both of them," I said. (It's an evil advice, I know) 

"Hmm, okay," she said quickly. (Wow, she falls right into the trap)

Then her friend made a bold move in saving Lfr from burning too many holes in the wallet. As Lfr observed the shawls, she found one checkered blue shawl and was on the verge of buying it.

"This is lovely. Should I buy it?" Lfr said.

"If you're not buying it, I will," her friend said, and quickly secured the shawl before Lfr had a chance to think. Hahaha, that's what friends are for.

One hour later, I had to drag her out of the store because I already snatched two shawls, she had two shawls and one inner scarf and her friend already bought two shawls. All in all, it was a wonderful day. The place offers good prices for the shawls, although the clothes are too expensive. It's definitely going to be my new playground after the pay day, muahahaha.

If you want to see some of the collections in the store, click here.

In Case You Don't Know The Differences...

Found here

 Taken from here

Source: here

...well, now you do:).

The Quest For A Pair Of Wide Leg Jeans

Since I already started the week talking about hijab and Islamic garbs, why don't I continue the topic? This is my current wishlist:

Found here

It looks like an innocent wide leg jeans, right? Wrong. I've been trying to find that thing for some time, but to no avail. Are wide leg jeans even exist here in Jakarta? 

One day I went to a Levi's store and asked the sales person if they had wide leg jeans. He took me to a men's jeans area.
Me: "They are not wide leg jeans. They are men's jeans."
SP: "These are the ones with widest leg we have."

Similar thing happened at The Goods Dept., a concept store. The closest encounter to a wide leg jeans was at Gap, but the price was Rp 800,000++. It was on a 20 percent discount, but still too expensive for me.

I think I must start my own jeans company, specializing on wide jeans. Hmm.

Hijab And Stereotype

Photo taken by ARY

The August edition of Weekender was issued on July 22, but I just got the chance to read it this weekend. Since it's Ramadan, the monthly magazine gives more portion on Islam-related issues, including hijab. I have a laugh when reading Mbak Yani's hijab experience in Soekarno-Hatta international airport.

My first experience was after performing umrah in 2005 with my parents. Arriving at Soekarno-Hatta airport after a 12-hour flight, the three of us had the messy look. Both M and I wore abayas. Suddenly, an officer came and asked if we were migrant workers who just return from Saudi Arabia. He took the trolley from my hand and forced us to follow him. D was laughing, but M snapped at the officer, making him walking away with embarrassment. That's my mom:). She's small, but fiery.

Anyone ever experience that kind of harassment in Soekarno-Hatta airport?

Ramadan In Summer, Anyone?

Taken from Emel

One of the many things to be happy as Indonesians is the almost constant weather. Stretching on the equator, Indonesia only have two seasons: dry and rainy. We also have equal hours for day and night almost everyday. Which helps a lot during Ramadan.

As I mentioned before, Muslims use lunar calendar but the daily prayer is set on the movement of the sun. We pray five times a day: Subuh (at dawn), Zhuhur (noon), Ashar (afternoon), Magrib (around dusk) and Isya (evening). 

Tangent: when I took my Vietnamese friends going around Jakarta, I excused myself to do the Zhuhur and Ashar prayer. They were a bit disappointed when I left them, but surprised to see me back so quick. Perhaps they think Muslim's pray is like going to a mass for 2 hours? :)

We start fasting before Subuh which is at 4.30 a.m. - 4.45 a.m. and end fasting at Magrib, which is at 5.50 p.m. - 6.10 p.m. (CMIIW). So it's around 13-hour fasting. And that applies the whole time. It won't matter if Ramadan falls in December or in August, fasting in Indonesia swears by those hours.

I wonder what it's like for Muslims who live near the North or South Pole, where the sun lingers longer during certain months. I google it up, and found a Muslim living in Sweden, near the North Pole who acknowledges that when Ramadan falls in Summer, he fasts up to 18-hour. It's the power of will and faith, indeed. Subhanallah.

I can see from the feedjit that there are readers from other continents. Any reader ever do fasting during summer? Here's wishing you to a cool blessed day, dear brothers and sisters.

Fasting Effects On Your Body

Click here to read the full article.

Old Photos Of Hotel Indonesia. Or Have A Nostalgic Weekend!

Hello folks, how is your week going? Today is August 5, and 49 years ago Hotel Indonesia opened its door for the first time. Let's celebrate Hotel Indonesia's anniversary by looking back to the day of its opening:)

It means "the official opening of Hotel Indonesia"

The first president, Soekarno, walks on the (umm, is it red?) carpet

 Used to be the highest building in Jakarta

Shot from Jl. MH Thamrin

The aerial view

All images are courtesy of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta.

When Going to Bandung...

...be ready to have an expanding waistline by the time you leave as the capital of West Java has so many good foods. As a former resident of Bandung, D was more than excited to hear that I'd go to the city that once known as Paris van Java because it would mean that I'd come with the good foods he'd been longing for years. Here's the conversation I had with M&D through text messages during my Bandung visit.

M&D: Is it possible for you to buy me Kartika Sari (a brand of bread, famous for the banana cheese bread) before going home?

Me: Aunt Ida already bought me Sidodadi (also a bread brand) and Amanda (a brand of brownies, famous for its steamed brownies). I'll see if the schedule for tomorrow allows me.

M&D: Well, if that's the case, Sidodadi and Amanda are enough.

M&D: Are you coming home today?

Me: No. I still have another appointment today.

M&D: What about Sidodadi and Amanda? Are they still good for consumption if you stay another day?

Me: They look and smell good to me. As for your daughter, I think she's OK. Don't worry.

The night before my homecoming, D made a phone call to aunty's home.

D: Are you OK, kid? M is already asleep. I can't sleep so I call you.

Me: I'm good. Oh, I bought Kartika Sari for you.

D: That's great. When you've reach Bekasi, just text me and I'll pick you and Kartika Sari.

Speak No Evil, Please. Ramadan Is Here.

This photo was taken during a rally to demand politicians to speak the truth CMIIW. But I think it's also proper for Ramadan:). Source: The Jakarta Post

Pantun Ramadan*

I've posted about quatrain, and while it's a bit late, I just want to share some Ramadan quatrains my friends sent to me. Somehow I don't have the heart to translate these (read: or simply laziness), so I leave them in its original form, in Bahasa, that is. 

Note that the first line means nothing, while the second line is the real message, but the one thing that connects the lines is the last syllable of those lines are in rhyme.

Bubur sumsum pakai kelapa
Assalamualaikum dulu ah biar dapat pahala

Anak raksasa makan mangga
Nggak terasa sudah mau tiba

Pohon pepaya dimakan rusa
Kalau ada salah maafin juga ya
(from Temy)

Ayam kampung baca koran
Ya ampun, sebentar lagi Ramadan

Makan dodol di Balikpapan
Belum afdol kalau belum maaf-maafan
(from Mas Ritno)

For the next quatrain, the first two-line means nothing, while the content lies on the second two-line.

Kembang melati sungguhlah indah
Di tengah taman jadi hiasan
Harum Ramadan tercium sudah
Salah dan khilaf mohon dimaafkan

Bunga terangkai terikat tali
Lama dipandang indah sekali
Biarpun Ramadan tak sampai seminggu lagi
Semoga saya jadi yang pertama mengucapkan mohon maaf setulus hati
(from Emil)

If you're curious about the meaning in English, just use Google translation. Do you like quatrains?

*Ramadan Quatrain

An Invisible Act

This is a photo of my fellows Marcin and Josh. I kinda like the blurry effect, and besides, it pictures the invisible act as well, hahaha. 

Unlike prayers, charity and pilgrimage, fasting is an invisible act. Only Allah and the person who is fasting know whether he or she is fasting or not. One may quietly eat or drink and no one will notice and no one can find out. However, the fasting person has made this commitment for the sake of Allah and he or she wants to guard the purity of his or her fast for the sake of Allah. Fasting thus teaches sincerity, and it helps a person to live by the principles of his or her faith regardless whether others know or do not know. This is the very purpose and essence of taqwa.

Words found at Islamic Thinking