FESTIVAL OF PEACE

meaning. Sweets represent not only the spirit of Eid, but also the true spirit of Islam. Prayer on the day of Eid is offered in congregation. All Muslims, including women and children, gather in congregational prayer in order to promote harmony and brotherhood, not only among Muslims but among others also. Eid comes just after the final day of fasting. The month of fasting and the day of Eid-ul-Fitr both represent two very important features in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad said that the month of fasting was a month of patience. That is, it is a month of self-restraint, a month of self-discipline, a month of self-control, a month of promoting dutyconsciousness. Eid-ul-Fitr represents the reward of God, which will be granted by God to those who observe one month’s fasting. In other words, fasting represents dutiful worldly life and Eid-ul-Fitr represents the reward that will be given in return by God to man. According to a Hadith, the day of Eid is the day of divine reward. When believers observe their duty in the month of Ramadan in the true spirit of the season, God declares: “O angels, be witness that I have decided to bestow upon them Paradise in the world Hereafter.” In short, the month of fasting represents the responsibilities of the believers in this world and Eid-ul-Fitr represents the reward given to them in the world Hereafter. o