In Islam there are no birthdays, anniversaries or any other kind of celebration except that which Muslims call as Eid. There are only two Eids in the whole year which fall after two seasons of worship in Islam. The first is called the Eidul Fitr which is the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast after Ramadhan and Eidul Adhha or the Feast of Sacrifice after Hajj.
Eid is a time for celebration for Muslims around the world. Here in the Philippines, the two were even declared as National Holidays thanks to Republic Act 9177. Although it is clear that Islam prohibits alcohol, music and promiscuous behaviors, Islam allows wholesome entertainment for the family and the Muslim community during Eid season such as games, preparing food and the attendance to the Eid Prayer and Sermon.
THE EID PRAYER AND SERMON
The Eid prayer is done after sunrise usually in an open area where a huge group of Muslims may congregate. Other Muslim communities prefer to do it in their mosques too and this is fine. Many Muslim communities tend to have a unified Eid program so that Muslims from different communities may gather and have a bigger Eid celebration which is usually facilitated by their respective local governments who support these celebrations as a way of tightening the bond between community members of different religion. These Eid programs may be composed of contests, free food, gift giving and others
The Eid prayer is similar to the Friday Jumu’ah or Congregational prayer which is composed of two rak’ah or two units of prayer. There is only a slight variation in the number of takbir or raising of the hands and saying Allahu Akbar at the beginning of the prayer units. Instead of the usual one takbir, there is seven in the first rak’ah and five in the second. And the rest of the Salah is the same as Salatul Jumu’ah or Salatul Fajr.
But contrary to the Jumu’ah prayer, the Eid prayer is done before the sermon.
EID ETIQUETTES
TAKING A BATH: Taking a bath before going to the Eid prayer is voluntary but must be observed for hygienic and spiritual purposes.
EATING DATES BEFORE GOING: It is also part of the Prophet’s way in celebrating the Eid as it is a way of emphasizing that fasting is already finished and is in fact forbidden during the day of the Eid.
SAYING THE TAKBIR: Allah said in the Quran, ‘Allah wants for you to complete the period of fasting and to glorify Allah for that which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.’ ¬Quran 2:185.
It is prescribed for the people to recite the takbir in public by saying, ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La Ilaha Illallah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa Lillahil Hamd.’ Which means, Allah is the greatest, there is no god worthy of being worshipped except Him and to him is all praise.
The time for takbir on Eid al-Fitr starts from the night before Eid until the imam enters to lead the Eid prayer.
CONGRATULATING THE PEOPLE: It is customary to greet the people of the coming of Eid by saying, ‘Eid Mubarak’ which means a blessed Eid. One may also say, ‘Taqabbalallahu minna wa minkum’ which means, may Allah accept our good deeds from you and from us. They may add beyond this any kind words of asking about their condition. It is also good to visit friends and family during the Eid.
ADORNING ONE’S SELF FOR THE EID: It is also commendable for any Muslim to wear the best clothes he have and be perfumed as well. Muslim women on the other hand should remain conservative in their manner of clothing and should not use perfume at all each time they are in public.
It should be noted that Muslims must express joy that Eid has come by any means he could. He is not required to prepare a lavish meal for his guests or family. What is important is the Muslim is happy on the occasion of his fulfilment of an important season of worship and in this case, that of his completion of the fasting in Ramadhan.
BEYOND RAMADHAN
Many people have found themselves worshipping Allah during Ramadhan and many of them sadly will return to old ways after Ramadhan. Most Muslims will again not pray or wear hijab or will even go back to vices such as drinking or gambling.
Let us not forget that Ramadhan is only a month in a year while we were created by Allah to worship Him the whole year, from morning until evening wherever we may be or whatever our mood is.
We Muslims should understand that one of the signs that our good deed is accepted by Allah is that this good deed should make us better persons upon the completion of this good deed. And this good deed should not make us complacent to think that we’ve worshiped Allah enough so that we could go back to a life of sinning.
Accomplishing great acts of worship such as fasting and praying the whole month of Ramadhan should cause us to be more humble towards Allah and recognize His power over us and recognize our own weakness and need for His mercy.
With this said, let us be better persons after this Ramadhan. As the scholars have mentioned, one of the signs that our acts of worship are accepted is when we become better persons after performing it.
