Eid is a holy celebration to fasten the resolve to maintain the spiritual purity and impeccable faith gained through month long fasting from adulterations and contaminations. It is a social event to cement stout human bonds of love and affinity transcending religious and social considerations.
Eid announces the auspicious culmination of month long fasting. Fasting is a crass reminder of hardships of hunger and asks the faithful not to forget the God in times of prosperity. Eid presents a happy occasion for celebration for the believers without indulging in carnal desires and satanic temptations. This is a ‘gift day’ for Muslims after enduring pangs of hunger during fasting to heed to the commands of divine instructions.
Islam is a social religion which allows celebrations and festivities subject to refraining from the forbidden and encouraging virtues in society. Two Eid celebrations, viz. Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, are celebrated by Muslims every year across the world. Eid-ul-Fitr is observed at the end of fasting whereas Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated simultaneously to Haj Pilgrimage. The core messages of Eid celebrations are of happiness and divine remembrance.
Eid celebration is associated with two important themes; divine and humane. Not to forget Allah and steadfastly abide by his instructions are essential to divine understanding of Eid. The celebration beginning with divine exaltations and special prayers has spiritual contents. It exhorts the faithful to submit themselves to divine pleasure and not to stomp the earth haughtily.
The humane aspect of Eid adds glitter and wafts of scent to the celebration. It is an occasion for family unions, neighborhood visits, outings with family and visiting friends. The tradition of inviting all neighbors to the house to delicious feasts without religious considerations adds more happiness to the occasion. Non-Muslim friends and neighbors visiting my home for Eid celebrations was highly anticipated for in my childhood which is reciprocated during Onam and Vishu festivals by vising their respective homes.
The virtuous liturgies of the day wrapped in spiritual sobriety prod the Muslim community to work for a brighter future in tandem with societal expectations. Prophet has religiously prohibited the faithful from fasting on this day. The message of Eid is that no one should be left with empty stomach wriggling with hunger. To ensure this, Islam calls for distribution of Fitr Zakat, (compulsory donation for financially eligible Muslims) prior to attending the Eid prayers. This charity donation ensures no one is bereft of food at this day and reminds the faithful of the eternal moral obligation to tend to the needs of the poor.
Bringing home a destitute child found at a roadside, Prophet Muhammed offered him dress and food and said to his wife Ayisha, “Today the happiness of this child completed our happiness.” This is the message of Eid to lend helping hands to those in distress. Fitr Zakat is a mere jurisprudential rendition of social responsibility to tend to the needs of people in need.
Eid heralds the noble messages of unity and brotherhood. It entails messages of compassion, empathy and benevolence. It sends strong messages against violence and communal discord. It is a gentle reminder of love prevailing hatred. In practice, Eid is not an exclusive festival of Muslims alone, but it is a celebration of all who values affection and friendship.
The festival should be used to weld together social relations. When the communal wedges are seeping dangerously deep inside into the time-tested social harmony, Eid should be an occasion to celebrate beauty of coexistence and religious pluralism. Gestures like inviting neighbors to join the Eid festivals, offering ‘Eid Thuhfa’ (token gifts) and sending social media greetings will definitely help bring people together and fight cynics and messengers of doom. Social interactions like on Eid will come a long way in foiling the bids to keep hate simmerring.
*The author is a journalism student at IIMC, Delhi and is interning with SabrangIndia.
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