In Islam, the entire community of human beings is enjoined and obligated to worship God and to be thankful to Him. For Muslims, the annual festival of Eid-ul-Fitr is a reward for their endurance of the Divine exercise observed during Ramazan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar when man is subjected to a supreme test, and hence an occasion for showing thankfulness to Almighty Allah for having successfully fulfilled the test of faith Divinely ordained.
God has created man as the best of all His creations and exalted him to the noble and dignified position of being His deputy on earth. In His infinite kindness and mercy He loves His subjects more than parents love their offsprings and supplies them with His bounties and grace. Islam thinks of man as created to worship God, to seek proximity to Him and to know Him.
It is only proper, therefore, that man as Allah's vicegerent on earth bases the lofty mission of his life on the worship of and thankfulness to God for His endless blessings and favours bestowed on him right from his cradle to the grave.
Eid-ul-Fitr, falling immediately after the end of the exercise of fasting during the month of Ramazan, is a unique festival which is not in any way related to worldly affairs; its significance is purely religious and spiritual. Fasting, which is the hallmark of Ramazan, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is designed to help the Muslims acquire piety, discipline and self-control. The exercise is intended to prepare them to stay away from worldly desires and to focus entirely on the Lord of the Universe and thank Him for His infinite blessings. It is a rejuvenation of the religion and creates a stronger bond between the man and his Lord.
Having successfully completed this month-long exercise the man, on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, is now ready to face the year that lies ahead with renewed strength, greater understanding and universal goodwill. Thus while, on the one hand, Eid-ul-Fitr is a day for rejoicing the Muslim Ummah feels after successfully fulfilling an important religious obligation by striving to temper their souls through the rigours of self-denial and special prayers, on the other hand, it provides them for an occasion to thank God for having given them the will, the strength and the endurance to observe fast and obey His commandment during the holy month of Ramazan. Yet another great significance of the day lies in the fact that the haves are enjoined to share a portion of what they have with the have-nots. This is what is referred to as Fitra.
Eid-ul-Fitr thus brings with it a three-fold blessings:
--It provides an occasion for the Muslims to be grateful to God for His blessings and for giving them the strength and endurance to observe fast in obedience to the Divine Will;
--It affords the Muslims a chance of self-diagnosis or spiritual stock-taking of the traits of their character because in the state of fasting, the hidden qualities (or evils) of human character come to surface in such clear way which is, perhaps, not possible otherwise;
--Last, but not the least, it enjoins the well-to-do persons to pay Fitra i.e. share a portion of what they have with their poor brethren.
Fitra is an intrinsic part of fasting. Islam does not countenance that while some are rejoicing, others do not have enough for the daily bread. On the auspicious eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, a Muslim is obliged to give to the needy food-stuff or cost thereof at the rate of a prescribed weight, on behalf of himself and of every member of his family, including servants and guests who were sheltered under his roof on that night.
Beyond feasting and festivities, however, Eid-ul-Fitr observed on the 1st of Shawwal every year, is more an ibadah (worship) which is the most vital duty of man towards his Maker and includes all actions which are performed in obedience to and for the pleasure of Allah. The concept of ibadah (worship) in Islam is all too comprehensive and encompasses the whole spectrum of human conduct covering both fulfulling obligations to Allah (Huquq Aallah) and obligations towards fellow beings (Huquq al-'Ibad). Fulfillment of both Huquq Allah and Huquq al-'Ibad must be integrated to attain success as true adherents of Allah. Worship alone denoting submission to the Will of Allah is not enough, it must be accompanied by good deeds denoting fulfillment of duty towards fellow beings. Through acts of devotion one fulfils obligations to Allah and through good deeds to men one fulfils his obligations towards his fellow beings.
The world is a place of trial and tribulations and man is to be judged on the basis of the pattern of life he lives in it. Everything in the world is for man but man himself is for his Lord and his mission in life is to fulfil the Will of the Lord - the Creator. Allah - the Lord of the Universe - did not leave man unguided in treading on to the path leading to the attainment of this lofty mission of his life. For his guidance, He raised many Messengers from amongst the descendants of Adam with Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) embodying the finality of Prophethood and Islam marking the perfection of Divine Commandments.
The mission of all the prophets of God was to facilitate man's perfection and to aid him to remove the rampant deficiencies. Fundamentally all the Messengers of God based their teachings on the concept of ibadah which helps to develop a close relationship between an individual and his Lord. All good deeds are included in ibadah and consistent observance of ibadah creates taqwa (Godliness) which consists of complete submission to the Will of God.
Taqwa is the vital driving force in developing the inner strength of man. The Prophets of God succeeded in making people observe their duty to God and to their fellow beings through the force of taqwa. They tried to nourish and nurture the quality of taqwa among human beings through various forms of ibadah and through emphasis on their social obligations. Those who are included in the Ummah of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) have been enjoined, amongst other ibadah, to say prayers five times every day.
It has also been made obligatory for Muslims to observe fast during the Holy month of Ramazan for it would make them muttaqi (righteous).
Thus taqwa is an integral part of the doctrine of Islam and should, therefore, be attained by every Muslim.
As a practical and practicable religion Islam has provided a complete code of life for Muslims and all those who care to follow the teachings of Islam, through Divine guidance in the shape of Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Herein lies the well being of man both in this temporal as well as in eternal life. Blessed are those who are fortunate to be included in the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as beneficiaries of all His kindness and eternal blessengs.
As an act of worship (Ibadah), fasting in the Holy month of Ramazan aims at promoting realization of the real value of deprivation of a thing and inculcating a keener sense of appreciation and gratitude for it is the real significance of Eid-ul-Fitr. While celebrating Eid, we must, therefore, remember the plight of the less privileged, the discarded, the deprived, the homeless and the destitute who find themselves in trying circumstances in different parts of the world. Without this we will be wanting in the real spirit and significance of Eid.
(The author is ex-Advisor, Training and Media, Sindh Bank; ex-Director, Training and Publications, Institute of Bankers Pakistan, and ex-Editor, Monthly "Value Chain",- a business magazine)