The meaning of Eid

Is Eid then a sign of happiness that Ramadan has finished? Quite the opposite! It is a celebration of thanksgiving to God for having given us the chance and the strength to carry out His commands in the blessed month.

We are happy that we were able to fast and pray in Ramadan, out of obedience and servitude in the hope of its great rewards and spiritual growth. This thanks giving is expressed by special Eid prayers early in morning held in large congregations preferably in open areas or even at mosques.

True thanks giving cannot be complete if we forget our less privileged brothern, therefore a special contribution called the 'Sadaqat-ul-Fitr' is given to assure that even the poor are able to participate in the occasion of Eid.  Eid is also a time for feasting, rejoicing and sharing.

The day is mostly spent visiting the near and dear one’s exchanging Eid greetings and sharing the celebrations of Eid. Yet it is certainly not an occasion for over indulgence in frivolity, over-eating and mere pursuit of pleasure and going back to everything one avoided during the entire month of Ramadan. It is also a time to make resolutions to continue the good work which began in Ramadan.

In order to understand Eid ul-fitr and its deeper significance, we need to go back to one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad: "A fasting person has two occasions to feel happy: he feels happy when he ends his fast, and he feels happy when he meets his Lord for having fasted."

The first occasion is Eid ul-Fitr and It teaches us the lesson that real happiness arises from performing one’s duty and making sacrifices for a noble objective. The second one is when he meets God having adhered to his commands. Therefore Eid is also the time to resolve to lead a life of piety and God consciousness continuously striving to grow spiritually and at the same time abstain from all forms of sin just as one did during the whole month of Ramadan.

So that when one finally meets his Lord having spent his life thus then that day wo-uld be his true Eid day, the day of rejoicing, as it would be the day of his salvation. The difference is this day of rejoicing will be an ever lasting one.