Eid-ul-Fitr literally means ‘returning to natural course’ after having fulfilled the demand of Nature. A day of happiness following the performance of the sacred duty commanded by the Lord of the universe.
Technically speaking it is a day of happiness for those who have observed fasting during the whole month of Ramadaan.
Eid–ul–Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwaal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Pious Muslims who have defied the cursed shaitwaan night and days without break during the whole month of Ramadan, gather in Mosques or Eidgaah in congregation to celebrate their victory by performing a special prayer to thank their Creator.
In Islaam happiness does not signify simple sensual pleasures or bodily rapture. The concept of happiness in the fold of Islaam has a broader meaning. A Muslim cannot enjoy his life if he does not know the true significance of happiness.
Happiness is one of the main objectives of life. Peace, harmony, justice and equity are meaningless if man has missed this target. Similar to other creatures, men strive hard for a state of well-being and pleasurable satisfaction for they all have keen desires to live in happiness in this world as well as to seek the eternal bliss in the hereafter.
Pleasures of the sublime man differ from other creatures, due to his supremacy in the intellectual field, in his reasoning power, in his psychological feasibilities, mode and principles in every march of life and countless inner faculties which finally culminate in his spiritual existence.
Pleasure is not limited to our instinctive urges. Being given that man is both physical and spiritual creature, the notion of his pleasure should be viewed in the mirror of his dual nature. Happiness will be meaningless if he rolls himself in silk and gold to satisfy his temporal physical nature and ignores his spiritual side. The gate of his heart should be opened to allow virtues to cross the gate of his heart and to land in the bottom of his spirit. It is here that he can find solace. Once he has succeeded in this attempt he has attained the goal of his existence, both physical and spiritual.
Eternal peace and harmony are only possible by the attraction of the soul and spirit towards their source. No language, no vocabulary and no expression can describe the eternal peace and solace attained by the soul and spirit when they emerge with the Eternal Existence by force of gravitation. Allah declared: – “O soul satisfied! Return to Thy Lord well-pleased unto Him. Enter Thou, then among my devotees! Yea! Enter Thou My Heaven” Chapter 89 V 27, 28, 29, 30).
We can say that Nature has provided every possible means for man so that he can do all his effort to attain peace in his temporal as well as in the forthcoming eternal existence. We have no other choice but to transit from normal ordinary categories of consciousness to a different dimension of consciousness beyond normal human nervous system to comprehend the entire realm of spirit.
By his nature man is attracted by the law of gravitation. It could be blood relation, or human relation which is exhibited in pure sympathy and self-sacrificing activities which may be centered around the sense of patriotism or on humanitarian and religious basis. But when it becomes an act of piety it is culminated on a deep feeling of devotion.
When Allah Almighty created the physical body of Adam ‘alaihis salaam out of clay He declared the following: – “When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him My Spirit”, (Surah 38 V 72). It is the spiritual energy administered in the depth of the heart of Adam ‘alaihis salaam, the essence of life which ignites human heart and charge his inner faculties with a mystical energy empowered from the Divine Power station. The heart is a wonderful organ that not only filtrate the blood which the body produces but also generates the energy that it receives from the spirit throughout every organ, cell and artery in dynamic order which produce a massive movement to make life possible.
The Holy Spirit breathed in the physical envelop of Adam ‘alaihis salaam absolutely need to be freed and return to its source. That is why the Prophet of Islaam has declared “Die before you die”. That is tear your mortal envelope and pave the way to allow it to navigate in the mystical world of Soul. It is here that it attains peace and enjoy itself in the spiritual world.
Happiness and solace are attained in this world only when the soul and spirit are being fortified perpetually within the physical envelope through prayers in form of unconditional submission to the Will of the Lord of the universe and in form of supplication to Him in absolute humbleness.
It is the main reason why people are never satisfied even if they have climbed all the ladders of the material world to seek sensual pleasure. They will never ever be able to give satisfaction to their carnal desires for their soul and spirit have been deprived from spiritual strength which is attained only through prayer and supplication.
Ramadaan is a month that gives the servants of Allah the best opportunity to receive the most powerful training to fortify and to strengthen their spiritual existence and to control their instincts and carnal desires by means of fasting, recitation of Al-Qu’raan during the Swalaat-ut-taraaweeh and other forms of ‘Ibaadah. At the end of the day it achieves supreme peace and his soul is pacified, being set at liberty as it ought to be freed from the fetters of inexorable fate and the noisy strife and hell of human vices.
After having fulfilled a constant affirmation of his Covenant with his Lord nights and days consecutively during one month it has gained intimacy with his Lord, the unique Source of Divine Energy.
Momentary pleasures with the aim of gratifying his blind lustful desires are mainly instinctive. They are only temporal and futile.
Allah as the Master of the Day of Reckoning has always keen for universal Justice. We are fully aware that advanced age bring a sort of melancholy in the life of a person. His forces are broken out and he grows weaker and weaker progressively. When he looks back at the youth he falls in deep nostalgia. The world resembles a grave and the boisterous passions of wild age are left behind. An unpleasant feeling badly invades him and burns his existence.
How can he enjoy his life when he is weak and probably sick? How can he digest the very taste of his existence in extreme conditions? Should he be excluded from celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with his family members and the Muslim Ummah? Does his advanced age stand as obstacle in his way on such auspicious occasion? Is enjoyment destined only to youngsters? Isn’t it mere injustice?
That is why Allah has laid emphasis on spiritual evolution rather than physical or temporal enjoyment. Spirituality prevents materialism from overshadowing man from every angle and make him focus all his effort on this side which permanently inspires the real glow of his existence and respond positively to his natural eternal urges.
Thus, the Muslim community express their gratitude to their Lord after having fulfilled their obligations during the Holy Month of Ramadaan and share their joy to others in order to attain happiness and peace in the real sense on the Blessed Day of Eid–ul–Fitr.
Eid Mubarak to all!
HAFIZ ILMUDDIN