Every worship is not just a ritual. Worship that is ritualistic has an important mission, namely the formation of noble character, morality and Akhlakul karimah. Like a tree, a ritual is a trunk that will branch and bear sweet fruit in the form of morals that manifests itself in social solidarity.
The theme of social solidarity was raised during the Syawalan Online which was held by the Family of the Faculty of Psychology and Socio-Cultural (FPSB) of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) on Saturday, June 5, 2021. This online Syawalan present KH Dr. Tulus Musthofa, Lc., MA was attended by all teaching staff of FPSB UII education staff, also by representatives of parents of FPSB UII students.
Mustafa emphasized that the main purpose of sending the Prophet Muhammad in the world was to perfect morals. Noble morality is the main thing as a tree has roots, there are branches, leaves, finally fruit. While the will and the main stem are rituals such as prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj. While the fruit has a noble character. “Behind the ritual there is prayer, there are values of leadership, sensitivity to questions, discipline, faith, and so on. Behind fasting there is sincerity, self-control, introspection, and so on,” said Mustafa.
To measure ourselves whether we already have noble character or not is to check ourselves whether we are able to act and do good reflexively or not. People who have been able to behave and act well, reflexively, have good morals in them. Mustafa refers to Imam Ghozali to define what morality is. Derived from the word khuluk, namely the nature embedded in the soul that encourages the birth of change easily, lightly, without consideration and deep thoughts.
Noble morality can be formed in a process that is not short. According to Mustafa, there are three processes that must be followed.
The first process is to rid oneself of lust. This is not easy because every human being is given lust by Allah swt, but humans must be able to control it to eliminate his lust even though the desire is still in him.
The second process is self-education. This process is definitely not easy because educating yourself requires high consistency. Not just once or twice, but continuously. The third is a positive atmosphere or environment. A positive environment will make it easier for someone to behave and get used to life in a certain way.
Social solidarity can be grown with these three processes. Social solidarity is not only done during the holy month. But the holy month should be a trigger to foster social solidarity. “Prophet Muhammad SAW was the most generous person. And during Ramadan, his generosity is like a strong wind,” Mustafa said.
“Philanthropy can be with material possessions. But what if I have no possessions? It can be by helping other people’s work with energy. What if you still can’t use energy? You can invite kindness. But what about uneducated? If so, don’t do anything bad. It’s already sodakoh/ islamic philanthropy,” said Mustafa explaining the types of philanthropy.
Charity is not only by providing assistance and care for orphans, the elderly, widows, and special needs. Concern for these three categories is primary. But solidarity in the form of freeing servants, feeding the hungry, defending the oppressed, and supporting people with special needs are also essential. “It’s not my group that people don’t pay attention to the problems of the people,” said Mustafa following the Sunnah of Rasulullah.