Introduction
Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important festivals of the Muslim faith that is celebrated during the month of Ramadan. According to historians, the event has been celebrated by the prophet Mohammed, himself, when he was still alive. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long fasting wherein Muslims reflect and assess their spiritual lives in terms of the virtues taught by Mohammed. The purpose of this paper is to know how Muslims celebrate Eid al –Fitr and to determine why it is considered as one of the most important festivals of the Muslim faith.
Historical Perspective
About 1500 years ago, the first Muslims in Medina were among the first to observe Eid al-Fitr. According to Raheem, the Medina community once celebrates annual festivals with lots of merry making but none is related to religious beliefs until the celebration of Eid al-Fitr was proclaimed by Mohammed. Eid al-Fitr is closely associated with the month of Ramadan as it marks the end of the fasting month. For Muslims, the start of the Eid is one of the most joyous religious occasions as they thank Allah for giving them “the will, the strength and the endurance” to observe fast and obey Allah’s commandments during the holy month of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is the first day of the month of Shawwal, the next month after Ramadan in the Muslim calendar.
Celebration of Eid al-Fitr
On how Eid al-Fitr is celebrated is based mainly on Mohammed’s celebration of the said event. Accordingly, prior to the day of Eid al-Fitr, Mohammed taught Muslims to observe the Sadaqatul fitr, which is meant to “purify and uplift one’s fasting, compensating for any deficiency created therein due to negligence”. Sadaqatul fitr is characterized by giving a determined amount of donation for the poor. For Muslim scholars, in order for Muslims to enjoy on the day of the Eid, it is compulsory that they pay their Sadaqatul fitr in advance. After the obligatory alms giving has been observed usually at the last day of Ramadan, on the day of Eid al-Fitr, Prophet Mohammed was known to eat something and wear his best clothes in order to show that he is not fasting. As observed by a Muslim scholar, “The Messenger of Allah never proceeded for Salat on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr unless he had eaten some dates”. Subsequently, Muslims were prohibited from fasting on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. Muslims were also encouraged to pray in a field or in any open spaces although most Muslims prefer to pray in the mosque to show their unity and to collectively supplicate in thanksgiving. The observance of Eid al-Fitr as observed by Mohammed and the early Muslims were then passed on until the Muslim generations of today.
Mood and Emotional Orientation of Eid al-Fitr
There are two contradictory views on how should Muslims view and celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Accordingly, traditional celebrations of Eid al-Fitr reflect emotions of sorrow because of the passing of the month of Ramadan, which is viewed as a month of spiritual blessing. However, new generation of Islam believers celebrate Eid al-Fitr in a festive mood; perhaps to show how happy they were that they were able to pass the month-long fasting of Ramadan and perhaps to rejoice that the strict restrictions of the Ramadan has already been lifted. Most devoted Muslims criticize those who indulge in merry making activities during Eid al-Fitr as they believe that it is a time for reflection and solemn thanksgiving.
Conclusion
Eid al-Fitr is considered as one of the most important festival in the Muslim faith and rightfully so, since it marks the end of the Ramadan month, which is a month of fasting and self-reflection. For Muslims, Eid al-Fitr is considerably a new beginning wherein after purging one’s self of the sins that have been committed in the past during Ramadan, one emerges as a cleansed person worthy for the providence of Allah. On whether Eid al-Fitr is celebrated in solemn or festive mood depends on how a Muslim sees the occasion. However, it should be noted that Eid al-Fitr remains a significant day of renewal and rekindling of the Muslim faith.
References
Celebrating Eid Ul Fitr. (2012). Retrieved December 2014, from http://hiccuk.org/: http://hiccuk.org/wphicc/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CELEBRATING-EIDUL-FITR.pdf
Al-Islam.Org. (n.d.). Eid-Ul-Fitr; a Unique Festival Time of Joy for Muslims. Retrieved December 2014, from http://www.al-islam.org/: http://www.al-islam.org/fast-sayyid-saeed-akhtar-rizvi/eid-ul-fitr-unique-festival-time-joy-muslims
Huda. (2014). How is Eid al-Fitr Celebrated? Retrieved December 2014, from http://islam.about.com/: http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/eid_fitr.htm
Raheem, B. (n.d.). Mentions of Eid-ul-Fitr1. Retrieved December 2014, from http://aaiil.org/: http://aaiil.org/fiji/articles/jalaluddean/MentionsofEid-ul-FitrinQur'an&Hadith.pdf
