Muslims across the country ended their Ramadan fast on Wednesday and began the festivities to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. This Festival marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, and the celebrations mark the conclusion of the twenty nine or thirty days of dawn-to-sunset fasting , which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramazan with sighting of the moon on Tuesday night.
Thousands of Muslims visited mosques across the Lake City on Wednesday morning to celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. People gathered at Paltan Masjid, Dholibawadi Masjid, Khanjipeer Masjid and other mosques in different parts of the city to offer prayers. People dressed in the best offered special namaz at the mosque.
About Eid-ul-Fitr :
The day of Eid-ul-Fitr truly symbolizes holiness, tolerance, courage and godliness.
Arabically Eid means ‘Festival’ and Fitr means ‘Breaking Fast’ considered as one of the major festival for Muslims. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated by feasting on several varieties of ‘sevaiyan’ (vermicilli).
Socially, Eid-ul-Fitr reminds us of the noble human feeling to share the festivities besides embracing people from all walks of life.
Another important aspect of Eid ul Fitr lies in the distribution of charity on the day. Every Muslim who has some means must pay Zakt-al-Fitr, a sum to be donated for the month of Ramadan, to serve Humanity. It has never said that a non-follower of Islam be not helped or sympathized for the simple reason as Allah is not the God of Muslims alone but He is Rehmatullil Aalameen, meaning that He is the God of all people irrespective of their faith, caste, color or creed. It can either be in the form of cash or basic foodstuff, including wheat, barley, dates, raisins etc. It is done to spare a thought to the plight of the poor and is different from the normal Zakat, which is given to purify one’s wealth. Holy Quran recommends giving donation to the poor on this auspicious day, the best time for which is before going to the mosque in the morning, to offer prayers.
Id-ul-Fitr is also a festival that cultivates brotherhood and connections, as people visit each other on this days. Friends, relatives and loved ones are greeted and offered sweets. Gifts are given to children, mostly in the form of money. Sisters and daughters also receive gifts on this occasion. Some Muslims also pay a visit to the graveyard, a custom which is known as ziyarat-al-qubur, to pay homage to the departed souls. Some scholars also believe that the month-long fasting is undertaken to acknowledge the superiority of the spiritual realm over the physical realm. Nevertheless, the spirit of conviviality surrounds the celebrations of Eid ul Fitr throughout the Islamic world.
This day of happiness is also a day of introspection for Muslims who should spare at least some time to see if their actions and character can be assessed favourably in the light of Islamic teachings as to whether they have contributed to the well-being of their fellow beings, non-Muslim brethren and the nation above all.
TEAM UDAIPUR BLOG wishes everyone EID MUBARAK.