Message of Id-ul-Fitr

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Sadia Dehlvi [1]

Id-ul-Fitr is a day of peace, joy, sharing and spreading happiness. Id is derived from the Arabic root word awd, which means to return. It symbolises the return of the human soul to its pure state after a month of fasting and prayer. Of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Adha, Prophet Mohammed said, “These are days of eating, drinking and remembrance of God.”
In the same spirit, the Quran says that Jesus, son of Mary, said: “O Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast (Id) for us, for the first of us and for the last of us and a sign from You. Give us sustenance, for You are the Best of Sustainers.” (5: 114) According to Islam, prophet Jesus called this banquet “Id”.
On this day, Muslims thank Allah for the gift of fasting, during which they have voluntarilobedience and y abstained from food and drink from dawn to dusk out of obedience and servitude to God. On Id, special collective prayers are held in the morning, before which a charity called Zakat al-Fitr must be given. The head of the household must pay this amount on behalf of his or her family, children and domestic staff. One can either give five pounds of wheat, dates or barley, or their worth in money. The Prophet made this a prerequisite to the acceptance of one’s fast. This is in keeping with the Islamic spirit of sharing and enabling the poor to celebrate Id. During the Id sermon, the imam reminds the community of its responsibilities and obligations towards Allah and fellow human beings.
It is encouraged to fast another six days after Id during the month of Shawwal in order to keep alive the lessons learnt during Ramzan, and to become devoted to God. Prophet Mohammad said, “Whoever fasts during Ramzan, and then six days after Id, shall have the reward of having fasted the whole year.”
Hazrat Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, defined Id as any day free of rebellion against God. He said, “Id is for those whose fasts have been accepted and whose prayers are worthy of reckoning, and every day when one does not commit a sin is Id.”
The most important lesson of Ramzan is patience. Another lesson is experiencing hunger, and feeling the pain of those who cannot afford two meals a day.
We must not forget the lessons of Ramzan because the God of Ramzan is the Lord of all the months. We must continue to exercise patience, give generously to charity, be kind, maintain a life of God consciousness, continue the struggle to purify our souls with righteous actions in our journey to seek closeness to God.

Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam. She can be contacted at sadiafeedback@gmail.com [2]