Eid-ul-Fitr is a great day of festival for Muslims. It is a day of rejoicing and being happy. But for whom? Is it the day of rejoicing f...
Eid-ul-Fitr is a great day of festival for Muslims. It is a day of rejoicing and being happy. But for whom? Is it the day of rejoicing for those who simply put on new perfume and wear clothes? Or is it the day of being happy for those who were eagerly waiting for the release of the greatest enemy of mankind, Satan, from his captivity so that they all revert to committing sins?
Unfortunately, many Muslims abstain from sins during the month of Ramadan, but come Eid-ul-Fitr, they go back to what they were before! Cassettes of prayers, which were in their cars during the holy month of Ramadan, are thrown back into their cases and replaced with those, which are unlawful, by Shari'ah. The forbidden places from which they had abstained for month long, are infact the same places they go to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.
Just as, when a person goes to a college, or a university and at the completion of his course, he receives his award marking his achievement, we must understand that, the holy month of Ramadan is a spiritual university where we are being trained to achieve Taqwa i.e. piety. The day of Eid-ul-Fitr is when Allah (SWT) is awarding us for our achievements.
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) said On the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, Imam Ali (A.S.) delivered a sermon in which he said:
"O people! Verily this day of yours is the day when the righteous are awarded and the wretched are losers. It is a day which is similar to the one on which you shall be standing (before your Lord). Therefore, when you come out of your homes to go to places of your prayer, remind yourselves about the day when you (your souls) shall come out of your bodies to go to your Lord. When you stand on places of your prayer, remind yourselves of your standing in presence of your Lord (on the day of Judgement). And when you return to your homes (after prayer), remind yourselves about your returning to your homes in Paradise. O Servants of Allah! Verily the minimum reward for those men and women who fasted (during Ramadan), is an Angel, who calls out to them on the last day of the month of Ramadan (saying): O SERVANTS OF ALLAH! REJOICE THE GLAD TIDING THAT ALL YOUR PREVIOUS SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN. Therefore, watch out in those things which serve as your re-creation (on this day and days to follow)" (Nahjul-Balaghah)
This sermon (khutbah) is delivered by the imam (leader) of the Congregational `Eid Prayer. In his book of man-la-yahzuruhul-faqih, Shaykh al-Saduq has reported the following sermon from Imam `Ali Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him
Once, on the day of Eid al-Fitr, Imam Al-Hassan (a.s.) passed by some people who were playing and laughing. He stood by them and said: "Allah has made the month of Ramadan the racetrack of His creatures so that they will compete with each other in acts of obedience to Him to attain His satisfaction. Some people preceded others and could win, while others dropped behind and failed. How strange is that who plays and laughs on the day when the good-doers are rewarded and the wrongdoers are losing! By Allah I take the oath, if the cover is removed, they will realize that the good-doers are engaged in their advantages and the evildoers are engaged in their sins." Then, he (a.s.) left.
