Fasting From Overspending
By Suhaila Kani, CFP

Bandar Seri Begawan - Syukur Alhamdullilah the fasting month is here and coming in a couple of weeks' time is our big Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration. There are so many good habits to practise and to instil in ourselves during the fast.

We practise a sense of self-discipline by refraining from eating and drinking from dawn till sunset. We refrain from doing sinful acts and behaviour and having any negative thoughts. In a nutshell, we are resisting all temptations that can bring us down.

If you have been meaning to save and not spend so much all this while but have not managed to do so, use this opportunity to fast from overspending. Often we tend to buy things we don't really need and temptations can cause us to overspend. Thus, we are unable to resist from buying.

In- a similar context, how often do many people fail to diet? They start a new diet and then once they get bored of the bland food or because of not eating, they feel like breaking out and ending up ruining their diet. Why is this so?

One of the many reasons may be because of a lack of self-control. The temptations from food far exceed the will to want to look slimmer by dieting.

Syukur Alhamdullilah now that the fasting month is here, take this opportunity to practice self-control not only over your eating habits but also over your finances. After all, overspending is a habit not encouraged in our religion. Moderation is the key.

Throughout this month, every time you feel the urge to eat, you simply can't because you know you are in the state of fasting. We have also been taught that to even think of food or drink is not encouraged as it may cause 'Kurang Pahala'.

In a similar practice, you can think and do the same with your finances. So whenever you feel the urge to spend, remind yourself that you are fasting not only from eating but also from overspending.

The fasting month is a good way for us all to get closer to God, `Allah The Almighty'. We are encouraged to pray more, selawat, read the Quran and bertasbih more. In many ways, this makes sense because when we pray more, selawat more and read the Quran more, we channel our focus to God `Allah' thus we think less of food or other unnecessary things that we are not allowed to do during the fasting month.

So for us to practise fasting from overspending, we can do the same thing. The fasting month is a wonderful month to cleanse and detoxify our body once a year. It is also a month when we grow to be a better person, a month where we practise self-control on ourselves in preparation for the whole year to come until the next fasting month comes along.

Take this fast from overspending as a way to cultivate a long-term habit of strengthening our inner self.

The fasting month is also the time for us to remember and help the poor. We get to feel how the poor feel when they do not have food to eat or proper water to drink. This helps to build in ourselves the ability to be grateful and to appreciate what we already have.

The same is true when we practise fasting from overspending. We get to feel how the poor feel when they do not have enough money to buy things for the whole year or even for the Hari Raya preparations.

By fasting from overspending, we can cultivate in ourselves a sense of gratitude to become a person who is constantly `Bershukur' for what we already have.

Instead of overspending, take advantage of this precious month to help the poor by giving more through sedakah and most importantly to pay our Zakat.

Even in financial planning, the rule of thumb is to give or tithe 10% of our income.

Thus giving out Zakat Fitrah once a year is a reminder for us all to instil the habit of giving throughout our lifetime and not only during the fasting month. We pay Zakat Fitrah not for the sole purpose of 'mendapatkan pahala' but rather to be a better person who is willing to help the poor and those in need. We give because we care. We give because we want to help. We give because we are grateful for what we have and we share with others the things we enjoy.

So it is most important to tithe and give 'Seikhlas Hati' and especially for Muslims, it is a must to pay Zakat Fitrah and Zakat Harta (2.5% of our wealth). 2.5% is definitely less than 10% as prescribed in financial planning.

Take this opportunity not only to fast from eating and drinking but a way to fast from overspending, to resist temptations of buying what you don't need and to create a sense of self control in ourselves. This is a time for us to be grateful for what we have and a time to celebrate when Hari Raya comes.

As we have been taught, why do we have Hari Raya as the biggest celebration after the fasting month? It is not only to prove that we have done our fast for one month but rather because we have conquered ourselves from the temptations of 'Hawa Nafsu' - through mastering the art of selfcontrol. Now, that is definitely a bigger cause for celebration!

So the next time you go shopping and when someone offers you something that you need, just say `thank you but I'm fasting'. Walk away and feel a sense of satisfaction that you have conquered temptation. Know that you are one step closer to being able to control your spending for a better future for you and your family. Selamat Berpuasa and Selamat Berbuka to all Muslims in Brunei.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with