Celebrations begin with a Charity aCt
For Mohammed Mustafa Saidalavi and family in Abu Dhabi, Eid Al Fitr is a time to teach children the value of sharing. A security expert and COO of Emirates Safer Internet Society, Saidalavi said the first thing he does ahead of Eid is visit farms and distribute provisions among workers.
“It is a way to teach my kids how fortunate they are while there are many out there who are struggling without any comforts in life,” said the father of four from Kerala, India.
His children, Fathima bint Mohamed, 14, Talha bin Mohamed, 11, Haroon Bin Mohamed, 6, and Mehwish bint Mohamed, 4, enjoy the field trip every year.
“They get to meet the workers, interact with them and hand over the provisions so that they can have a splendid Eid. That is how we begin our celebrations,” said Saidalavi.
The Eid morning starts for the Saidalavi family with offering prayers at a nearby mosque. Later, they meet and greet other community members at the Indian Islamic Centre in Abu Dhabi.
“It is a great social bonding exercise. We meet other community members and share the joy of Eid. Also, they organise cultural programmes and this helps children keep ties to their roots.”
At home, Saidalavi’s wife Arifa would have planned in advance and got all the special Eid dishes cooked the previous day.
“The idea is not to spend all the time in the kitchen on Eid,” said Araifa, a housewife.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com