It’s now one of the most joyous times for the Muslims all over the world when they celebrate the end of the Ramadhan holy month of fasting, and celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, also known as Eid.
This is a unique festival and its significance is purely spiritual.
It is the day when the Muslims thank Allah for giving them the will, the strength and the endurance to observe fast in the holy month and obey His commandment during this month of Ramadhan.
On this very special day, the Muslim world, brings rejoicing and happiness.
The rejoicing is not due to the departure of the month of Ramadhan but the happiness which they feel after successfully completing an important task during this holy month.
Merriment and thanksgiving
Eid-ul-Fitr is a day of great merriment and thanksgiving. Muslims celebrate by gathering with friends and family, preparing sweet delicacies, wearing new clothes, giving each other gifts and laying a table with special foods in their homes.
A common greeting during this day is, Eid Mubarak, which translates as, “Have a blessed Eid.”
At the end of the month of Ramadhan, Muslim religious leaders of the early days of Islam always felt profound sorrow, as they felt that they were being deprived of the spiritual blessings which were associated with the month of fasting.
Incidentally, here the difference between religious and materialistic outlooks becomes sharper.
Special prayers
Religion exhorts a man to give, by his own free will, a share of his wealth to those who are less fortunate, and to give it for obtaining the blessings of God.
Materialism teaches him to snatch from others whatever they have got without any regard to the moral or ethical questions involved, in this regard Islam tries to strengthen the highest qualities of the human character.
On this day, special prayers are held the world over, between sunrise and noon, when the Muslims assemble, in large congregations, wearing their best dresses standing shoulder to shoulder, demonstrating to everyone the universal brotherhood which is another distinguishing feature of Islam.
Love of God
Let us re-dedicate our life to the cause of humanity, which is the best way to demonstrate our love of God.
Let us resolve that our energies, in the coming year, will be directed towards strengthening a society based on mutual respect, brotherhood, and universal understanding.
Let us decide that, in the coming year, we will build a social order which would bring not only material benefits, but also spiritual satisfaction.
And, in the end, let us pray to God that May the Almighty Bless our Nation with peace and prosperity, and all Sri Lankan to live in brotherhood, respecting each other to make us and our Nation progress.