Jakarta, NU Online
General Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) KH Said Aqil Siroj said that man was blessed with a tool called nafs ghodobiyah (the self that tempts to evil), while fasting is a means to control it. If not then it would be otherwise.<>

"Fasting was also practiced by previous religions. In Islam, fasting was obliged in the second year of Islamic calendar (Hijriyah). Its function is to educate people to be able to control the self (nafsu)," said Kang Said in a dialogue with NU Online in Jakarta on Tuesday (16/7).

The self could be decomposed into three. The first is called nafs ghodlobiyah that encourages man to fulfill pursue position or ambition. The second is called nafs syahwatiyah that encourages man to pursue pleasure and delights.

"The two are good to build our ideals and motivate us, 'so I did not lose, so I won, so I get wealth.' The two are positive as long as the two could be controlled. If not, it would be otherwise, we are going to be manipulated by the two," Kang said said.

If the two could be controlled then surely man has had the third self called nafs mutma'innah (the self at peace).

"If we can be thankful and feel adequate to thank God, I've gotten such a position, I've now had wealth', then he would be called by God, 'O servant who has nafs mutmainnah'," Kang said added.

Reporting by A. Khoirul Anam; Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq