Eid al-Fitr: A Day of Divine Reward

EID AL-FITR A DAY OF DIVINE REWARD Eid al-Fitr is an important annual festival for people of the Islamic faith. The Muslims celebrate it on the first date of Shawwal, that is, the tenth month of the Hijra calendar. On this festival, the Muslims exchange gifts and meet their neighbours as a mark of solidarity and brotherhood. It is reported that when the Prophet of Islam saw the new moon at the coming of the month of Shawwal, he said: “O God, make this moon a moon of peace for us.” This saying of the Prophet expresses the true spirit of Eid. Eid is meant to promote spiritual values among people and create a peaceful environment in society. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 1397) The full name of Eid is Eid al-Fitr, that is, Eid of breaking the fast. In the spirit of Eid al-Fitr, God and His greatness are acknowledged, His blessings for humanity are prayed for and the promise is made to Him that members of society will live together in peace. There is no prescribed ritual for Eid al-Fitr except for the two units of namaz (prayer). Generally, it is held that Eid al-Fitr is the Eid of sweets, although sweets are not a religious part of Eid al-Fitr, but certainly they represent the spirit of Eid, for sweet dishes are always considered to be the sign of love, compassion and well wishing. Gifts of sweets distributed on the day of Eid represent the true spirit of this Islamic festival. The Prophet of Islam once said that an exchange of gifts promotes love in society. (Al-Mu’ jam al-Awsat by Al-Tabarani, Hadith No. 7240) So, sweets are not simply sweets: they also have a spiritual