Today we celebrate Eid Al-Fitr. As all Muslims know, the day concludes a month of fasting during which the faithful spent their time praying and beseeching God for forgiveness and mercy. Ramadan is not only abstaining from food and drink; it is also an exercise in patience and self-discipline. And Eid is the celebration for those who have fasted and obeyed God’s rules and teachings. It is for those who have spent the month of Ramadan in complete devotion to God. Eid is a time when all Muslims come together to celebrate what they have achieved by following God’s commandments.
For the last few days, Muslims all over the world have been shopping and looking around for gifts for those they love. At this time, the bright lights from shops seem irresistible — and very rightly so. Eid should be celebrated in the brightest possible manner. We should see that the day and those following it are spent in making our friends and relatives happy. During Eid, gifts are exchanged between young and old and we should also not forget to visit the elderly and the sick. Eid is a time when all kinds of festivities occur and it should be in addition, an occasion of unalloyed joy.
The true believers will not forget or overlook those among us — perhaps in our own community as well as in more distant ones — who are unable to celebrate Eid. By mentioning this inability, I want us to consider the various possibilities: poverty, military occupation or oppression or even religious persecution. There are those who open their cupboards on Eid Day and find them bare. There are those who are in hospitals who will have a bleak and lonely day with no one visiting them. Friendless, alone and deprived of company, they will have no one to offer solace or comfort. Let us, therefore, help our unfortunate brothers and sisters to welcome the day of Eid with warmth and hope.
We should pray for those in Palestine who, on this sacred day, will receive their gifts in the form of bombs and bullets, courtesy of a superpower. They will huddle together, not knowing how long they will have a roof over their heads or whether family members and friends who have ventured out will return alive.
In Chechnya, Russian military actions continue and people there struggle to survive without the most basic necessities; they are without shelter, being abused and humiliated by the Russian Army. Worse still, they have little hope given the change in the attitudes of those who once championed their cause in the name of human rights.
In Afghanistan, devastated by 20 years of war and foreign invasions, Eid will be just another day with the thunder of bombs taking the place of crackers. Kashmir which was for Moghul Emperor Jehangir — and many later visitors — a paradise on earth is now a veritable hell with daily shootings, unexplained searches and curfews. Nor can we allow ourselves to forget those all over the world who need our help and our prayers. We should also remember those innocent people who were the victims of the terrorist acts of Sept. 11. Some of them and their families will be traumatized for years to come. We should beseech God to give them the courage and fortitude to bear their great losses. We also pray that families all over the United States will be able to reach out to each other and offer calmness, consolation and comfort.
Above everything, however, we should not forget to pray for God Almighty to guide us and give us the determination and resolve to build a different world: one based on peace and the opportunity to work together in a spirit of friendship and cooperation based on mutual respect, tolerance and understanding. We pray for this so that bigotry, intolerance and hatred may be forever eliminated, leaving what is left a brighter and more wonderful thing than we could ever have imagined.
As we buy gifts and clothes for our children, let us earmark a small sum for those who cannot afford to buy. We must not neglect to instill in our children a sense of compassion so that when they buy something they will remember their less fortunate brethren. Our children must be taught the virtue of giving. They must be taught that there are millions of children all over the world who lack the basic necessities which we fortunate ones may take completely for granted. We cannot make ourselves oblivious to the misery of others. We cannot shrug off their hardships, saying that they do not concern us. These days too many people are inward-looking; very commendably, they donate to appeals for charity and when they have done so, they feel that they have done their duty. Real charity, on the other hand, comes when the giver and the receiver meet and see each other.
Our own matchless Islam teaches us to be both kind and compassionate. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “I and the provider of the orphan will be together.” And what greater prize is there for any of us than to be in the company of our beloved Prophet, pbuh? What is required is compassion, sincerity plus true brotherhood and understanding. By striving for these, we can determine the quality of our lives here on earth and also the quality of our lives in the world to come. Let us celebrate Eid in its true spirit, as it is meant to be celebrated. To all of you, I wish a blessed Eid. Eid Mubarak.
