In this day and age, many people eagerly await the end of Ramadan and the coming
of Eid al-Fitr to gain their ‘freedom’ in order to go back to committing sin and
disobeying Almighty Allah . Many people start on the day of Eid itself and
engage in shameful and reprehensible behaviour in the name of celebration. We
should remember that celebration does not mean committing sin, but rather it
involves remembering Allah Ta’ala and being grateful to Allah Ta’ala for
showering His Mercy and Bounties upon us. Let us look at the true essence and
significance of Eid-ul-Fitr, and the way in which those pious servants close to
Almighty Allah celebrated Eid.
Eid is a day of celebration for Muslims, a day of happiness. On this day,
Muslims perform two rakaats of prayer, meet one another, shake hands and embrace
and give charity to the poor and needy. Islam teaches protecting the poor,
helping the helpless, and easing the pain and sufferings of orphans and the meek
at every turn, and they should not be forgotten, especially on the day of Eid.
That is why Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) ordered us to pay the
Sadqa-e-Fitr before performing the Eid Salaah so that Muslims remember their
poor brothers on this occasion and include them in their happiness.
It is reported on the authority of Hadrat Anas (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) that
when Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) came to Madina Shareef, the
people of Madina would celebrate two festivals. They were asked what these days
were and they replied, “We used to celebrate on these days in the days of
ignorance.” Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said, “Allah Ta’ala has
granted you two better days than these days; Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.”
Regarding Eid-ul-Fitr, Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) once said,
“When the month of Ramadaan is over, and the night of Eid-ul-Fitr has arrived,
that night is called the Night of Prize. Then, in the early morning of
Eid-ul-Fitr Allah Ta’ala will send His angels forth to visit all the towns and
cities on the earth below. Once they have made their descent, they will position
themselves at the entrances to all the streets and alleys. There, in a voice
that is audible to every being created by Allah Ta’ala, apart from the jinn and
humankind, they will issue a proclamation saying, “O Community of Muhammad
(Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), come forth into the presence of a Noble and
Generous Lord, who will grant you gifts in abundance and forgive your terrible
sin!” Then when the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their
place of prayer, Allah Ta’ala will say to His angels, “O My angels, what is the
recompense of the hired labourer, once he has done his job?” The angels will
reply, “Our Lord and our Master, You will pay him his wages in full!” So Allah
Ta’ala will say, “I now call upon you to bear witness, O My angels, that I have
conferred My acceptance and My forgiveness as the reward for their fasting and
night vigil during the month of Ramadaan.” Allah Ta’ala will then say, “O My
servants put your requests to Me now, for this I swear by My Might and My
Majesty, you will not ask Me this day, in this gathering of yours for anything
connected with your life hereafter, without My granting it to you; nor for
anything connected with your life in this lower world, without My attending to
your need. By My Might and My Majesty, I will not put you to shame, nor will I
expose you to disgrace amongst those who are faithfully committed to observing
the laws (of Shariah). Now you may depart, knowing that you have been forgiven.
You have won My approval, and I am well pleased with you.””
[Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq, Vol. 3]
SubHanALLAH! How Merciful is our Rabb, even though we are such wretched sinners.
Before the advent of Eid-ul-Fitr we need to ask ourselves, “Have we reflected on
whether we have respected and honoured the month of Ramadaan as it should be
respected and honoured? Have we worshipped in it as we should have?” The final
night of Ramadan is the night for collecting the rewards for all the goodness
that was done throughout the month. If we are neglectful of Allah Ta’ala on this
night, then our efforts of the whole month might be ruined and will go to waste.
Therefore, read the following Hadith and try to spend the last night of Ramadaan
remembering Allah Ta’ala and evaluating the deeds that have been performed
during the month.
The excellence of remembering Allah Ta’ala on this night is reported in a Hadith
in which Hadrat Abu Amamah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) narrates that Rasoolullah
(Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said, “The hearts of the people who stand in
prayers on the night of Eid will not die on the day when all hearts will die.”
In another narration, Hazrat Mu’az bin Jabal (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) reports
that Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) has stated, “Paradise is
compulsory (Wajib) for one who stays up and worships on five nights – the nights
of the 8th, 9th and 10th of Zul Hijjah, the night of Eid-ul-Fitr, and the 15th
night of Shabaan.” We can therefore understand the significance of the night of
Eid from these Ahadith and we should try as much as possible to busy ourselves
in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala, even if it is for a portion of the night.
If we study the lives of the Companions and our pious predecessors we will see
that even though they used to worship extensively in the month of Ramadaan, they
would still feel regret and sorrow on the day of Eid. They were constantly
worried about the fact of whether or not they had fulfilled the rights of
Ramadaan, just as it is reported about Hazrat Umar (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu)
that on the day of Eid, he sat in a corner and cried so much that his blessed
beard became soaked. When people asked the reason for this, he replied, “How can
a person who does not know if his fasts have been accepted celebrate Eid?” That
Hazrat Umar (Radi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) about whom Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi
wa Sallam) said that his good deeds are equivalent to the number of stars in the
sky, is crying upon reflecting as to whether his fasts have been accepted or
not, whether he has obeyed the orders of Almighty Allah properly and if Allah
Ta’ala is pleased with them. Allahu Akbar! And yet sinners like us are
absolutely carefree and cannot wait to engage ourselves into sin again!
It was on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr that a man once entered the presence of Hadrat
Ali (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) and found him eating coarse brown bread. “Today is
the day of Eid, yet here you are, eating coarse brown bread!” the man exclaimed.
So Hadrat Ali (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) replied to the visitor, saying, “Today
is the day of Eid for someone whose fast has been accepted, whose effort has
been deemed worthy, and whose sin has been forgiven. Today is Eid for us, and
tomorrow is Eid for us. Every day in which we do not disobey Allah Ta’ala is an
Eid for us.”
Commenting on this incident, Sayyiduna Ghawth al-Aa'zam Hazrat Shaykh Sayyid
Abdul Qadir Jilani (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) says that it is therefore important
for every intelligent person to stop focusing on the external aspect, and not to
let it capture his attention. His perspective on the day of Eid should be from
the standpoint of contemplation and reflection.
Eid-ul-Fitr is not all about dressing up in fine new clothes, eating delicious
treats and pursuing carnal pleasures and delights. In its outward celebration
Eid-ul-Fitr is actually meant to symbolize the acceptance of acts of worshipful
obedience; the remission of sins and mistakes; the conversion of bad deeds into
good deeds; the glad tidings of promotion to higher spiritual degrees and the
conferring of robes of honour, gifts and gracious favours. Eid should be
celebrated, but together with celebrating it, Allah Ta’ala should also be
remembered. Whether there is happiness or sadness, He should never be forgotten;
just as Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) has said, “The people who will
be called towards Paradise first on the Day of Judgement are those who praised
Allah Ta’ala during happiness and sadness.”
..:: The Blessed Sunnah to be Followed on Eid Day ::..
Lastly, on this joyous occasion we should try as much as possible to follow the beautiful Sunnah of our Beloved Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam). Some of the Sunnahs are listed below, and what better way could we spend our day of Eid, than following in the footsteps of our Beloved Aaqa (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam):
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq and Hidayat to celebrate Eid the way His
pious servants celebrated it, and the Taufeeq to always stay away from sins, but
especially during this Mubarak Day… Aameen!!