Eid al-Fitr Saeed

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I copy this from IslamicOccasions:












Eid Al-Fitr Prayer:



















"O" Allah! Bless us in the day of our Eid and our fast breaking and
let it be the best day that has passed over us. Imam Ali Zainul Abedeen
(PBUH) - Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya
"O" the High and the Great [God]! "O" the Forgiving and the
Merciful [God]! You are the Great Lord like whom there is nothing. He
is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. This is the month that You have
exalted, honoured, glorified, and preferred over the other months; it
is the month whose fasting You have made obligatory on me; it is the
month of Ramadan in which You revealed the Qur'an as a guidance for
people, as clear signs of guidance and as a means of separating the
right from the wrong. And You placed in it the Night of Destiny which
You have made better than a thousand months. So "O" the Lord who
favours others and none can oblige Him, favour me by releasing my soul
from the hell-fire... and admit me in the Heaven by Your mercy. "O" the
Most Merciful of the Mercifuls.
Once on an Eid al-Fitr (Muslim Festival), Imam Hassan (PBUH)
saw a man who had occupied his time with laughter and useless
entertainment. At that Imam Hassan (PBUH) turned to his companions and
said: "Allah placed the holy month of Ramadan for people so that they
compete with each other in worship and obedience. In this competition,
some excel, achieve unlimited blessings of Allah, and (therefore) win
the competition. Whereas, others fall back, lose, and obtain nothing
but loss. It is striking that in such a day in which the righteous and
the hard workers will receive great rewards and the culpable and one's
who did not try their best will see loss, (that they) keep themselves
busy with entertainment."

One of the rituals done in this Muslim Festival is Salat al-Eid. In
addition to the fact that prayer (Salat) is a sign of Allah's mercy and
munificence, each Salat can strengthen the ties one has with Allah
(SWT). Certain prayers allow one to gain specific blessings from Allah
(SWT). Hence, one who has the chance to perform such prayers may reach
to his/her own needs in addition to forgiveness and special gifts from
the almighty Allah. The prayer of Eid al-Fitr belongs to this category
of prayers. On such an important Eid, one should be hopeful of Allah's
mercy and forgiveness, rather than being hopeless because of his sins.
Moreover, despite disgrace of any individual as a consequence of sins,
one should seek Allah's compassion through His Prophet, Imams (PBUT)
and those who attained high ranks. Indeed, Allah (SWT) will not turn
His servants down and everyone will be able to gain profit.

Thus, one should perform the prayer with special attention and a hopeful heart toward Allah's mercy and kindness.
MUSLIM FESTIVAL - EID AL-FITR SERVES THREE PURPOSES:

Eid Al-Fitr is the most important festival in the Islamic calendar
(Muslim Holiday). The day does not mark any historical event or
episode; but its existence provides the Muslim for an occasion to offer
thanks to Allah for having given him the strength and the will to
observe fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

It is also an occasion for prayers when the Muslims gather in large
congregations, standing shoulder to shoulder, to demonstrate the
equality and equity which is the inherent feature of Islamic society
all over the world.

But the greatest significance of this day of rejoicing lies in the
fact that on this day every Muslim is enjoined to give the needy food
at the rate of the prescribed weight per every member of his household,
including servants and guests who were sheltered under his roof the
preceding evening.

Eid Al-Fitr then serves a three-fold purpose: It places upon every
Muslim the obligation to remember Allah and offer Him thanks; it
affords him an opportunity of spiritual stock-taking in that he can now
ponder over the strength of his will or the weakness of his character,
as the case may be, which manifested itself during the preceding month
(Ramadan); it also is the day for the haves to share a portion of what
they have with the have-nots.

And, for those persons who disobeyed this command of Allah this is
the day of an end to the month-long pangs of conscience, inner struggle
and continuous realization of the feebleness of their character. No
more will they have to argue, without much conviction, against fasting.
No more will they have to think up an excuse every morning for not
fasting. No more will they have to say "Oh, but fasting is
old-fashioned; it was not meant for the modern world."

It is not my object here to explain the philosophy of fasting.
Almost everyone realizes the spiritual, social, scientific and medical
benefits which are derived from fasting. But so far as a Muslim, a true
believer, is concerned, it should be sufficient that fasting is
prescribed in the Holy Book of Allah, and as such is the command of
Allah. Should one seek to justify Allah's commands?

The measure of a man's love for his Creator is his unquestioned
obedience to the commands of the Creator. When for whole month a Muslim
has obeyed Allah, unquestioningly, without complaint, without regret,
and when he has spent his time in prayers, in humility and in charity,
should one wonder, if at the end of this period, the Creator may
Himself turn to such creature of His and say: "It is now for thee to
ask for Me to give."

Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is the period
when man is subjected to a supreme test. Without compulsion, without
coercion, the Muslims throughout the world obey Allah; and every day
from dawn to sunset abstain not only from sensual pleasures but even
from the necessities of life like food and drink. Some do this in
shivering cold, some in burning heat, some do it where days are short
and others where days are interminably long. The rich fast as well as
the poor, the master as well as the servant; the parents as well as the
child; the ruler as well as the. subject. They all fast, regardless of
the colour or their social position.

Having done this, for one whole month, today on this auspicious day
of Eid Al-Fitr, every Muslim should be ready to face the year that lies
ahead with renewed strength, greater understanding and universal
goodwill. He has fasted to acquire piety, discipline and self-control.
Now the habit of unquestioning obedience to Allah is cultivated in his
heart and mind. He is now trained to accept the commands of Allah, in
the remaining eleven months of the year, with the same unwavering
loyalty. He has emerged from the month of Ramadan with a new
personality and a stronger character, confident of his ability to
subordinate his desire to his will, his emotion to his intellect.

No longer will it be difficult for him to refrain from intoxicating
drinks; no longer will he turn away from his less fortunate brethren;
no longer will he fail to understand and appreciate the pain of hunger,
the pangs of thirst.

So the training period of Ramadan has come to an end. Now we are
entering the era of normal activities of life. If the lessons learnt in
Ramadan have left their marks upon our character, we are entitled to
enjoy Eid Al-Fitr.






Taqobalallahu Minna Wa Minkum

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