Eid-ul-Fitr is a great day of festival for Muslims. It is a day of rejoicing and being happy. But for whom? Is it the day of rejoi...
Eid-ul-Fitr is a great day of festival for Muslims. It is a day of rejoicing and being happy. But for whom? Is it the day of rejoicing for those who simply put on new clothes and wear perfume? Or is it the day of being happy for those who were eagerly waiting for the release of the greatest enemy of mankind, Satan, from his captivity so that they all revert to committing sins?
Unfortunately, many Muslims abstain from sins during the month of Ramadan, but come Eid-ul-Fitr, they go back to what they were before! Cassettes of prayers, which were in their cars during the holy month of Ramadan, are thrown back into their cases and replaced with those, which are unlawful, by Shari'ah. The forbidden places from which they had abstained for month long, are infact the same places they go to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.
Just as, when a person goes to a college, or a university and at the completion of his course, he receives his award marking his achievement, we must understand that, the holy month of Ramadan is a spiritual university where we are being trained to achieve Taqwa i.e. piety. The day of Eid-ul-Fitr is when Allah (SWT) is awarding us for our achievements.
On the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, Hazrat Ali (A.S.) delivered a sermon in which he said:
"O people! Verily this day of yours is the day when the righteous are awarded and the wretched are losers. It is a day which is similar to the one on which you shall be standing (before your Lord). Therefore, when you come out of your homes to go to places of your prayer, remind yourselves about the day when you (your souls) shall come out of your bodies to go to your Lord. When you stand on places of your prayer, remind yourselves of your standing in presence of your Lord (on the day of Judgement). And when you return to your homes (after prayer), remind yourselves about your returning to your homes in Paradise. O Servants of Allah! Verily the minimum reward for those men and women who fasted (during Ramadan), is an Angel, who calls out to them on the last day of the month of Ramadan (saying): O SERVANTS OF ALLAH! REJOICE THE GLAD TIDING THAT ALL YOUR PREVIOUS SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN. Therefore, watch out in those things which serve as your re-creation (on this day and days to follow)" (Nahjul-Balaghah)
Allama Kamal-ud-din Mohammed-Ibne-Talha-e-Shafeyee in his book Matalib-ul-Soul quotes Abdullah Ibne Zurare saying "I went to see Hazrath Ali (A.S.) on an Eid day. He asked me to join in his breakfast. I agreed. A very poor kind of food was served before us. I told him, 0 Lord, you are such a rich man, a caliph and a king. I was expecting that game would be served before us but what do I see? Hazrath replied 'Ibne-Zurare, you have heard of mighty kings who have lead life of luxury. Let me be a ruler leading the life of a poor and humble person-a humble Tabourer'.
Millanee in his book "Seerath" and lman Ahmed in his Musnad quote the famous 'Tabayee' Ibne Abee-Rafay, who says that he went to Hazrath on an Eid day and while he was sitting there a bag was brought before Hazrath, he thought that it might contain jewels, Hazrath opened the bag, it contained dried pieces of bread, which he softened with water. Ibne Abee Rafay asked him as to the reason of sealing such a king of food, which even a beggar, would not care to steal. Hazrath smiled and said "I keep it sealed because my children try to substitute softer bread, containing oil or butter in it". Ibne Abee Rafay said, "Has God prohibited you to eat better kind of food? He replied "No, but I want to eat the kind of food which the poorest of this realm can afford at least once a day. I shall improve it after I have improved their standards of life. I want to live, feel and suffer like them".
