Now that the fasting month of Ramadan has started, you tend to see advertisements such as this:
Restaurants will be falling all over themselves trying to sell special 'Ramadan Buffet' promotions or what have you, promising free flow of drinks and a wide array of dishes in an 'all-you-can-eat' format.
Truth be told, I have nothing but contempt for such promotions.
The way I see it, the term 'Ramadan Buffet' itself is a self-contradicting phrase..... an oxymoron, if you will. Ramadan is a time for you to do plenty of self-reflection on your character, while a buffet is an invitation towards gluttony. I just find it highly cynical to be engaging in self-restraint throughout the day only to stuff oneself to the gills once the azan for Maghrib sounds on the radio.
In fact, I'm not just targeting buffets in particular; I'm targeting gluttony in general. The way I see it, it kinda defeats the whole purpose of fasting when you stuff yourself full with food at both Sahur and Iftar. I can't speak for Allah Almighty, but the way I see it, the whole point of fasting is to teach yourself the value of self-restraint, to learn empathy for those who are less fortunate who are in a perpetually poor and hungry state, and to count your blessings and be grateful for what you have. At Imsak, when you scarf down a huge plate of chicken rice three times the portion you would normally eat, these lessons are kinda lost to you.
In the first place, Rasullulah (peace be upon him) did enjoin upon us all to eat in moderation. To quote a well-known hadith:
A man does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat enough to keep him alive. But if he must do that, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink and one-third for his air. (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2380; Ibn Maajah, 3349)
My point here is simple: at Iftar during Maghrib, eat just enough to silence the pain of hunger, and no more. If you wish to go for Round 2 (Round 1 being Iftar), then please do so after Tarawih prayers. If that seems a bit too late for you, then at least pray Maghrib first before you eat some more.
And please don't say things like 'Tarawih is exhausting; I need my energy by eating a lot at Iftar'. Yes, I agree that Tarawih prayers can be quite a bit of a workout, with a total of 31 rakaats to be conducted at the mosque (In order: 2x Solat Sunat (upon arrival) + 2x Solat Sunat (after azan) + 4x Isyak + 2x Sunat (after Isyak) + 20x Tarawih + 3x Witir).
But then again, Rasullulah (peace be upon him) got on just fine with three dates and a glass of water. Certainly a simple tuna sandwich or a small plate of rice ought to be enough to carry you through the night.
At the very least, if you feel compelled to go for buffet dinners for Iftar, please do exercise a degree of self-restraint. Do not fill your plates high with food, and do not eat so much till your stomach bloats and you feel as though you could fill in for the whale in Free Willy. If the thought of exercising self-restraint makes you feel that you're not getting your money's worth, then here's a thought: don't eat at an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. Just get yourself a small and cheap meal at a nice little mom-and-pop establishment.
Or better still, cook your own food and eat at home with your family. Use Iftar during Ramadan as a means of bonding with your family over a home-cooked meal.
I hope that everyone is getting the point that I'm trying to bring across here. I'm not saying that it's wrong to eat during Sahur and Iftar - if anything, you should eat Sahur just prior to Subuh, and you should eat Iftar immediately when the azan for Maghrib is heard. Neither am I saying that you should limit yourself to tiny scraps of food at either meal.
All I'm saying is, one should refrain from gluttony at all times, and even more so during Ramadan. From my point of view, it kinda defeats the whole point of Ramadan to engage in gluttony during the month of self-restraint and personal discipline.
Restaurants will be falling all over themselves trying to sell special 'Ramadan Buffet' promotions or what have you, promising free flow of drinks and a wide array of dishes in an 'all-you-can-eat' format.
Truth be told, I have nothing but contempt for such promotions.
The way I see it, the term 'Ramadan Buffet' itself is a self-contradicting phrase..... an oxymoron, if you will. Ramadan is a time for you to do plenty of self-reflection on your character, while a buffet is an invitation towards gluttony. I just find it highly cynical to be engaging in self-restraint throughout the day only to stuff oneself to the gills once the azan for Maghrib sounds on the radio.
In fact, I'm not just targeting buffets in particular; I'm targeting gluttony in general. The way I see it, it kinda defeats the whole purpose of fasting when you stuff yourself full with food at both Sahur and Iftar. I can't speak for Allah Almighty, but the way I see it, the whole point of fasting is to teach yourself the value of self-restraint, to learn empathy for those who are less fortunate who are in a perpetually poor and hungry state, and to count your blessings and be grateful for what you have. At Imsak, when you scarf down a huge plate of chicken rice three times the portion you would normally eat, these lessons are kinda lost to you.
In the first place, Rasullulah (peace be upon him) did enjoin upon us all to eat in moderation. To quote a well-known hadith:
A man does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat enough to keep him alive. But if he must do that, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink and one-third for his air. (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2380; Ibn Maajah, 3349)
My point here is simple: at Iftar during Maghrib, eat just enough to silence the pain of hunger, and no more. If you wish to go for Round 2 (Round 1 being Iftar), then please do so after Tarawih prayers. If that seems a bit too late for you, then at least pray Maghrib first before you eat some more.
And please don't say things like 'Tarawih is exhausting; I need my energy by eating a lot at Iftar'. Yes, I agree that Tarawih prayers can be quite a bit of a workout, with a total of 31 rakaats to be conducted at the mosque (In order: 2x Solat Sunat (upon arrival) + 2x Solat Sunat (after azan) + 4x Isyak + 2x Sunat (after Isyak) + 20x Tarawih + 3x Witir).
But then again, Rasullulah (peace be upon him) got on just fine with three dates and a glass of water. Certainly a simple tuna sandwich or a small plate of rice ought to be enough to carry you through the night.
At the very least, if you feel compelled to go for buffet dinners for Iftar, please do exercise a degree of self-restraint. Do not fill your plates high with food, and do not eat so much till your stomach bloats and you feel as though you could fill in for the whale in Free Willy. If the thought of exercising self-restraint makes you feel that you're not getting your money's worth, then here's a thought: don't eat at an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. Just get yourself a small and cheap meal at a nice little mom-and-pop establishment.
Or better still, cook your own food and eat at home with your family. Use Iftar during Ramadan as a means of bonding with your family over a home-cooked meal.
I hope that everyone is getting the point that I'm trying to bring across here. I'm not saying that it's wrong to eat during Sahur and Iftar - if anything, you should eat Sahur just prior to Subuh, and you should eat Iftar immediately when the azan for Maghrib is heard. Neither am I saying that you should limit yourself to tiny scraps of food at either meal.
All I'm saying is, one should refrain from gluttony at all times, and even more so during Ramadan. From my point of view, it kinda defeats the whole point of Ramadan to engage in gluttony during the month of self-restraint and personal discipline.
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