EID-UL-FITR

According to Islam, happiness is for one who fulfils his duties. On the day of Eid, every Muslim must take the pledge that he would fulfil his responsibilities towards his fellow beings. This would make him deserving of greater reward in God’s eyes. The spirit of Ramadan should never be forgotten. Unfortunately the month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, both have been reduced to cultural phenomena. The lessons of these two great events are relegated to the back. These are celebrated with great pomp. Great Persian spiritual poet and mystic Hafiz Shirazi (1315-1390) has pointed out this fallacy in one of his couplets: Tan parvariye khalq, fuzun shudd za riyazat Juz garmiye iftaar, nadarad ramzaan heich It means intense physical constraints (in fasting) have only increased people’s use of worldly things. Ramadan is now nothing but the frenzied exercise to get things ready for breaking of the fast. It is high time that Muslims take the pledge to follow what the Prophet and his pious Companions did; and adopt a positive, peaceful course of action at all times and in all situations. o