Gift of eid ul Fitr

Alhamdulillah, the month of mandatory fasting is coming to an end: The noble Qur’an has clearly expressed the act of “Fasting” as a blessing and not a calamity: “Allah desires ease for you, not your discomfort. He desires you to fast the entire month, and that you may magnify Him for giving you His guidance, and that you may give thanks.” (Al- Baqarah 2: 185). Taqwa: Eid ul Fitr t is one of the best rewards for Muslims. Having attained the wealth of Taqwa and spiritual correctness during the daily dawn to dusk “fasting work out,” the Muslim- worshippers are successful in becoming self disciplined. The positive change makes them feel at peace; immediately next thing for them happens to be the most exciting festivity. In other words, upon successful completion of the month of Ramadan, the Eid day is a ‘ Thanksgiving Day’ for having gone through a tough exercise towards “self-purification.” Charity: Among other essential elements is paying Zakat (wealth tax) and Fitra to minimize the harsh impact of any prevailing misfortune, hunger or widespread poverty. Therefore, when it comes to this religious obligation, the Muslims are duty bound to help out the needy people before the Eid Prayer. The Muslims are required to pay Zakat based on their wealth and financial ability. It consists of spending 2.5% of one’s wealth for the benefit of the needy people. The good thing is paying Zakat is considered to be the personal responsibility of all Muslims to eliminate inequality and ease economic hardship of others for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa taalaa. Charity in the form of fitra ( fitrana) is obligatory at the end of the Fasting month before the Eid prayer. This again means the real happiness of “EID” lies in sharing our happiness with “the have nots.”, On this happy occasion, good Muslims remember those who are afflicted with poverty, ignorance, disease, or otherwise are less fortunate. Beauty is Muslims on this very day are encouraged to erase their grudges or differences with others. Eid day schedule: After offering the regular Salat ul Fajr (the presunrise prayer), the Muslims will be heading out shortly after the Sun-rise to perform the obligatory prayer in congregation (slaat ul Eid) in open areas, community centres and mosques. Eid prayer is followed by special Khutba (Sermon) and supplication asking for God’s forgiveness, mercy, peace and blessings for all people across the world. Right after the Khutba is over, Muslims will be hugging each other wishing Eid Mubarak. Then they will be visiting their relatives and friends. Eid gifts (known as Eidie) are given on this precious occasion to children and to immediate relatives. Children will receive gifts in cash or kind; sweets and tasty dishes would be served throughout the day. Altogether, the caring Muslims will be generously donating money; they are likely to be contributing to their local food banks for the less fortunate. Some groups do reserve other activity centres for the full day of fun and celebration, while others would hold public Eid parties in mosques as a means of OUTREACH to the non-Muslim society. Positive Difference: It’s commonly seen that holiday for the non-Muslims is a chance to indulge in worldly pleasures, or involve oneself sinfully or immorally and unlawfully, yet for Muslims, there is zero tolerance in the eyes of Allah subhanahu wa talaa for committing forbidden acts. This is certainly a good contribution to maintain a morality enriched nation. Let’s be warned that ‘EID’ doesn’t give an automatic ticket to take a vacation from Islamic responsibilities, and no wasting of “time or money” is permitted either, simply because our obedience and submission to the “Will of Allah” cannot be compromised under any circumstance. We have learnt that ‘ EID’ is a chance to multiply good deeds by bringing pleasure to the hearts of other Muslims as well as by devov tingti ng for or the sak akeak ofo All llahll aha SWT WT Most importantly, it’s the spirit of thanksgiving that make the Muslim Umma stronger all over the globe for the accomplishment of an act of dedication and submission to the total will of Allah, the Almighty. The most beautiful fact is festival of Eid ul Fitr is aimed at promoting peace, strengthening the feeling of brotherhood and enabling the Muslims to move on with their lives normally as a refined Umma in the eyes of our Creator. Hence, the Eid and its celebration in Islam carry a distinctive meaning and spirit as they are totally different from the celebrations in non Muslim communities.