Eid is a celebration of worship. On this day, the Muslim community gathers for yet another act of worship as we celebrate the completion of the month of fasting and our efforts to submit. Allah commands us in the Holy Quran that fasting is for ‘Him’ and that fasting is an ibadah. Ibadah is obedience and love for Allah. Notice that on the day of Eid, the celebration begins with ibadah and we come away from Ramadan with a renewal of our spiritual connections with Allah.
The word ‘fitr’ comes from the Arabic roots F-T-R – which means to split, cleave or break apart. On a very practical level that breaking apart is connected to breaking the fast – daily in iftar – and on the Eid. But it also has spiritual meanings. Think of how split and cleave refer to something being ruptured – opened. Eid ul Fitr is the opening of our human spirit. It is a cleave or split, a new beginning arising from Ramadan where we struggled against our carnal desires, base behavior and bad intentions. We spent days seeking the Mercy of Allah, the Forgiveness of Allah and begging for freedom from the hellfire in the last 10 days with the increased ibadah and acts of submission. We arise from the month in a state of spiritual purification. And we are open.
On Eid day we are open vessels for the blessings of Allah.
Whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens their heart to Islam…
Suratul Al-Anam 6:125
Allah, Ar Rahman is our Lord – our Rabb. He nurtures us, as human beings and, in His Mercy, continually offers us opportunities to reset our focal point and direction towards Him. Part of what we celebrate on the day of Eid is the beauty of this way of life – Islam. Ramadan reorients us to what is important because during this month of fasting we are open to seeking the pleasure of Allah and our responsibilities as Muslims. Eid is a day that demonstrates the beauty of collective submission and the sincerity of a nation of people coming to Allah willingly and with sincere humility. On Eid day we realize that recognition of the power and majesty of Allah, is not a death bed epiphany but an appreciation on this day of celebration that Allah has Blessed us to complete the fast and to work at pleasing Him.
During Ramadan we are very intentional. We make intentions to fast. We intentionally break fast on time, pray when the salah comes in, go the masjid, read Quran, stand in taraweeh in our homes or masjids, abstain from arguing, backbiting and fighting and intentionally increase our good deeds. These actions that we are very deliberate with in Ramadan are an example of how we should live our everyday life. On Eid day, when we are now open to that renewal, we are open to freeing ourselves from the bondage of unchecked passions that rule us.
Just open our intentions to please Allah.
In our families, the courtesy we offer to each other in Ramadan can be a daily practice. Just as we refrain from arguments during Ramadan, we can find ways to settle differences in the family between husband and wife, parent and child (even grown children), between siblings and extended family members. We can because during Ramadan, we modeled this behavior. We thought twice about the argument. We made an intentional, conscious choice to walk away. We gave each other grace. We interacted with each other with patience and compassion.
Our spiritual life and our secular life are not two distinct things, but an intertwined – one thing – our life. In the reported hadith, we learn that during Ramadan the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) would tighten his belt and awaken his household for acts of ibadah. This example is how the family should operate. Tightening one’s belt symbolizes getting serious, living more frugally. This means not given in to the unchecked passions of consumerism – those things we consume that take us away from the remembrance of Allah. The prophet (pbuh) was giving both a physical and spiritual reminder. Waking the household is symbolic of calling our family members back to Islam. Did we not remind each other in the household during Ramadan when it was time to break the fast?
Open our intentions.
The words of Ramadan – taqwa, iman, self-restraint, patience, forgiveness, mercy, sincerity, peaceful, sustenance, goodness, good deeds, submission, purification, unity, and love are words to intentionally live by. These words are central to a peaceful, Islamic family life. Acting intentionally to fulfill these words increases the ranks of believers not just in our immediate family, but in the family of Muslims as well.
We can be intentional in our actions starting on that first day of Eid when the old deeds and attitudes have been split apart from us. The spirit of renewal and peace that we carry that morning on the way to perform yet another act of Ibadah can be with us throughout the year. When we arrive at the place for the Eid salah, we all – the collective community of believers – begin the prayer by first repeatedly exalting and glorifying Allah, with 7 takbirs in the first rakah and then 5 takbirs in the second rakah.
This is intentional. This Eid day is about us celebrating our personal internal victory to achieve Taqwa, our communal efforts to submit - but with all things – by first glorifying the Majesty of Allah. The voices of the ummah glorifying Allah over and over and over, - trembles the heart, lifts the spirit and brightens our Iman. Our salah is an act of gratitude thanking Allah for giving us the month of Ramadan and the opportunity to intentionally submit to Him. This magnification of Allah is what the Eid day is all about.
So on this Eid day, come to it with open hearts.
Author bio: Mahasin D. Shamsid-Deen is the news curator and content manager for Muslim Network TV (MNTV) and contributing writer for Sound Vision. She holds a Master’s degree in English Writing and has worked as both a High School and College ESL Instructor and Writing Instructor for more than a decade. Mahasin has numerous published articles, books, essays and is a published playwright with three award winning stage plays. She is currently writing her dissertation for her doctoral degree
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