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:Eid
Al-Fitr`
A Day of Moral Victory
`Eid
means recurring happiness or festivity. There are two such `Eids in
Islam. The first is called `Eid Al-Fitr (the Festival of Breaking Fast).
It
falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Muslim year,
following the month of Ramadan, which is the month of fasting in which
the Holy Qur’an was revealed.
The second is called `Eid Al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice). It falls
on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the final month of the Muslim year. The
Islamic `Eids are unique in every way. To them there can be nothing
similar in any other religion or any other sociopolitical system.
Besides their highly spiritual and moral characteristics, they have
matchless qualities.
Each
`Eid is a wholesome celebration of a remarkable achievement of the
individual Muslim in the service of Allah. The first `Eid comes after an
entire month of fasting during the days of the month. The second `Eid
marks the completion of Hajj to Makkah, a course in which the Muslim
handsomely demonstrates his renouncement of the mundane concerns and
hearkens only to the eternal voice of Allah.
Each
`Eid is a thanksgiving day on which Muslims assemble in a brotherly and
joyful atmosphere to offer their gratitude to Allah for helping them to
fulfill their spiritual obligations prior to the `Eid. This form of
thanksgiving is not confined to spiritual devotion and verbal
expressions. It goes far beyond that to manifest itself in a handsome
shape of social and humanitarian spirit. The Muslims who have completed
the fasting of Ramadan express their thanks to Allah by means of
distributing alms among the poor and needy on the first `Eid before the
Prayer.
`Eid
also is a day of remembrance. Even in their most joyful times, the
Muslims make a fresh start of the day by a congregational Prayer to
Allah. They pray to Him and glorify His name to demonstrate their
remembrance of His favors. Along with that course, they remember the
deceased by praying for their souls, the needy by extending a hand of
help, the grieved by showing them sympathy and consolation, the sick by
cheerful visits and utterances of good wishes, the absentees by cordial
greetings and sincere considerateness. Thus, the meaning of remembrance
on the day transcends all limits and expands over far-reaching
dimensions of human life.
Most
of the imams when delivering the `Eid khutbah (sermon) will mention that
`Eid is a day of victory. The individual who succeeds in securing his
spiritual rights and growth receives the `Eid with a victorious spirit.
The individual who faithfully observes the duties that are associated
with the `Eid is a triumphant one. He proves that he holds a strong
command over his desires, exercises sound self-control, and enjoys the
taste of disciplinary life.
Once
a person acquires these qualities, he has achieved his greatest victory
because the person who knows how to control himself and discipline his
desires is free from sin and wrong, from fear and cowardice, from vice
and indecency, from jealousy and greed, from humiliation and all other
causes of enslavement. Therefore, when he receives the `Eid, which marks
the achievement of this freedom, he is in fact celebrating his victory,
and the `Eid thus becomes a day of victory.
This
is the proper meaning of an Islamic `Eid. It is a day of thanksgiving, a
day of festive remembrance, and a day of moral victory. An Islamic `Eid
is all this and is much more because it is a day of Islam, a day of
Allah. Let’s celebrate this `Eid with the true iman (faith) and taqwa
(piety). In sha’Allah, besides having enjoyment, we will be blessed by
Allah.
Excerpted
with slight modifications from www.islaam.org.
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