Eid ul Fitr, festival of charity

Ramzan is the sacred month of fasting and charities, observed by crores of Mulsims all over the world since 7the Century AD. Satan is chained and the gates of Hell are closed in the holy month of Ramzan as per Islamic faith. Allah, through His last Prophet (Peace be upon him) Mohamed (Sal) made fasting during the month of Ramzan a compulsory duty (Furz). Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) declared fasting was not a new one to be prescribed, but Allah made it strictly compulsory for earlier societies also. Ramzan fasting is the third tenet of Islam (faith, prayer, Ramzan fasting, zakat and Haj). Being the last Prophet (PBUH), He codified the rules and regulations of fasting, i.e., when to start, when to finish, what all can be done and what all cannot be done. 

Ramzan (or rather Ramadan as it is known) is an Arabic word, meaning, to burn. It symbolises burning of sins and hunger. Feeling the burning sensation of hunger, one can understand the sorrows and sufferings of people who toil to extinguish the fire of hunger. The Prophet himself used to wet bricks to overcome hunger. Hence, he evolved a system to dispel the darkness of poor people’s hearth by igniting the stomach of his society by fasting. This system still works well, as  crimes springing out of eve-teasing, prostitution, adultery and rape are almost nil in Arab countries. 

Allah says in the Holy Quran, “Oh! Mankind, you will be given various rewards and awards for your own deeds through somebody or through some other means on behalf of myself but for observance of fasting in the month of Ramzan with pious prayers and dowba (repentance and asking God to forgive one’s 

sins) and distribution of sadakka (charity) and Zakkat (portion of your income for the poor), I directly shower my benevolence as benefits on you.” Prophet Mohamed, with the divine guidance has discovered a new medical therapy called, ‘Allapathy’. An auspicious night worthier than thousand months called lailatul kadr comes on odd days of the last 10 days of the Ramzan month. It was on this night that the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) in ‘Mount Hira’ cave, on the outskirts of Mecca, the birth place of the Prophet, where the first worship place for God (Kaaba) had been built in the world. 

Eid festival: Eid (big day) means festival. Fitr means charity. So, Eid-ul Fitr is called a festival of charities. One must gift to orphans, widows, the sick and the old, the poor and one’s relatives before attending Eid namaz. The Prophet, however, insisted that his companions give away sadaka and zakat through Baithul mal (common financial compendium). Some people in dire needs may hesitate to receive from individuals due to self-esteem. They may not have reservations over receiving financial aid from a common organisation. Relief from poverty, hunger and evils are the prime themes of Eid ul Fitr and Ramzan fasting. 

Eid ul Fitr instills befitting humane qualities in the soul of mankind to forge equality among them. It taps the rich to pat the poor. Bend before God for not only for forgiveness of sins, but also to lift the downtrodden. Mend your ways to protect yourself from sins, like the fish. It is born in salty sea, lives in salty sea, dies in it. But the fish does not allow salt to stick to its body, it is salt-proof. That is why we add salt when we cook fish. We should not allow sins to infiltrate into our souls. We should be like the media screen. When there is rain in the movie, the screen in not drenched. To attain such a withstanding capacity, Ramzan and Eid-ul Fitr could be a training ground for mankind. Warm Eid ul Fitr greetings to all!