Eid: A Festival Of Togetherness

Eid: A Festival of Togetherness When the new moon of Shawwal is sighted in the evening, Muslims say: “O God, make this moon a moon of peace and spirituality.” In this way, the new moon is welcomed with the feeling that peace and happiness should spread in the world, and people should live a life of obedience to their Lord. It is commanded that before Eid, all Muslims should give charity (sadaqah) to the poor people of the society, so that no one is left out of sharing in the joy of Eid. Everyone should be able to prepare for Eid in a basic and necessary way. In the morning, all Muslims wake up early, take a bath, and stay clean. They wear new clothes. They apply perfume. They eat something sweet. They greet each other with Eid Mubarak. Then all people come out of their homes and gather in the Eidgah or in an open ground or a mosque. Everyone gathers there to perform two units (rakats) of Eid prayer. During this prayer, it is repeatedly said: “God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest.” This means that in this world, greatness belongs only to one God. All human beings are small compared to Him. In God’s world, the right way for people is to live with humility and friendliness. No one should think they are above others or try to show off their greatness to others. After the Eid prayer, the imam gives the khutbah. Everyone sits quietly and listens. In this speech, it is said that human beings are servants of God. All human beings are equal.