Ramadan and Eidul Fitr

Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr

Prof. A.M.A.R. Fatimi

There are national festivals among all the nations of the world which are celebrated with great rejoicings, pomp and splendour. These festivals generally commemorate some such occasions which are considered worth remembering in the life of the nations. People enjoy the occasions by drinking wine, holding concerts and staging dances and giving vent to their carnal desire without restrictions. Having drunk intemperately and attending half-naked mixed parties, claimed to be the blessings of modern civilization, they, many a time, cross the limit of decency and behave like animals in the jungle.

 

Contrary to all such traditions, Islam being the divine and eternal code for universal benefit of mankind, carved its own distinct path in this respect as well. Islam based the whole concept of human life on the foundation of total surrender to the Will of Allah.

 

قُلْ اِنَّ صَلَاتِيْ وَنُسُكِيْ وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِيْ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ o لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهٗ  ۚ وَبِذٰلِكَ اُمِرْتُ وَاَنَا اَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ

Say thou, verily my prayer and my rites and my living and my dying are all for Allah, Lord of the World, No associate hath He. And to this I am bidden and I am the first of the Muslims.” (VI-162).

 

The two current concepts of national rejoicings, are therefore, poles apart from each other. The non-Muslims celebrate the National Festivals just for worldly and material enjoyment. The Muslims do not, and cannot, conceive of any such rejoicings or merry-makings or worldly enjoyments which have no sanction in Islam.

 

اِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاٰيٰتِنَا الَّذِيْنَ اِذَا ذُكِّرُوْا بِهَا خَرُّوْا سُجَّدًا وَّسَبَّحُوْا بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ

(Only those believe in Our revelations who, when they are reminded of them, fall down prostrate and hymn the praise of their Lord, and they are not scornful. (XXXII-15)

 

It is these bands of devoted, dedicated, loyal and all-obedient, all-sacrificing men and women who were, through the Divine graciousness, sanctioned or granted, two great annual National Festivals of which one is Eidul Fitr. It was a reward, a sign of Allah’s "RAZA” that was bestowed on the Muslims on the completion of the Holy month of Ramadan. It was indeed the most befitting occasion in the life of the Muslims to celebrate this festival with such dignity, decorum and enjoyments which do not, however, drift them from the mooring.

 

What else could be a greater and holier occasion for all mankind to celebrate than the Eid-ul-Fitr which heralded the new era of Islam granting renewed and revolutionary human charter ensuring peace and happiness on this Earth and salvation in the Hereafter.

 

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيْٓ اُنْزِلَ فِيْهِ الْقُرْاٰنُ ھُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ

The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind.”

(II-185)

 

It was during the last ten days of Ramadan that the Holy Qur’an was revealed-the last and eternal Divine Book which eradicated the evils of human beliefs‘ and ’actions, removed the darkness from the horizon of human intellect and opened a bright and straight path of human conduct.

 

قَدْ جَاۗءَكُمْ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ نُوْرٌ وَّكِتٰبٌ مُّبِيْنٌ o يَّهْدِيْ بِهِ اللّٰهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهٗ سُبُلَ السَّلٰمِ…..

Of a surety, these hath come upto you from Allah a light and a book luminous, whereby Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. (V-15 & 16)

 

The Qur’an heralded an era of light against darkness. It declared the pre-Islamic period as the period of “jahiliya” in the sense that the ancient World of ignorances and whims has come to an end and a new world of light of knowledge, of learning, of science and technology of research in the mystery of the Universe has dawned. Ignorance was declared a thing of the past and acquisition of knowledge, learning and science was declared obligatory. The age of darkness was replaced by that of light; the age of barbarism and brutality was replaced by that of civilization and culture; the age of whims and worship of nature was replaced by the worship of one God and that mankind was, for the first time, declared to be the supreme creature of God destined to explore the mysteries of nature and use them for his own benefits. They were no more to be worshipped. They were subservient to man and appointed to serve His Cause. Thus man was freed from the yoke of degradation and inferiority complex and differences of race and colour. were totally obliterated by declaring that they are all children of the same parentage.

 

What other occasion could therefore be more worthy of celebration than the Eid-ul-Fitr which marked the turning point in the history of mankind; which heralded the revelation of the Qur’an, the final and eternal charter for the peace and happiness of man; which bestowed on man epithet of the Ashraful Makhluqat (the best or the cream of creation) which bestowed on him the greatest honour of being the vicegerent of God in the Universe.

 

Can anyone who understands the position think of any other day to be celebrated as Day of Rejoicings for mankind than the Eid-ul-Fitr? It is indeed the holiest of the festivals prescribed for mankind.

 

Europe was at that time steeped into total darkness and barbarism was their civilization. When they rose from the depth of degradation through the light-house of the Muslim centres and marched ahead in Science of Technology they divided the whole period into three, ancient, medieval and modern. This is just an indirect attempt to hoodwink the Muslims and deprive them of the credit of being the heralder of the Modern Age. The fact is that the whole period of man's history is divided into two, Ancient and Modern, i.e., Pre-Islamic and Post-Islamic.

 

Eid-ul-Fitr is indeed the greatest day of international rejoicings and there is no doubt that when the curtain of bigotry and narrow mindedness will gradually be raised, the intellectuals of the world will have to bow down their heads to this eternal Truth. The correct scientific research itself will reveal how Europe remained in darkness with regard to the Qur'anic pronouncements of Truths. Maurice Bucaille admits that the Qur'anic Revelation directs all Muslims to believe in the scriptures that preceded it. It stresses the important position occupied in the Revelation by God's emissaries. The above facts concerning Islam are not generally known in the West." Writing further, he asserts “In what contempt the Muslims are held by certain Christian circles?”

 

Eid-ul-Fitr the day of national celebrations, the day commemorating the blessings of Allah, the day which dawned the supremacy of the Muslims in this world has by now lost all its charms on account of our own misdeeds. The splendour of the Caliphate is just an episode for us. Even the greatness of Abdul Malik and Walid, of Haroon, of Abdur Rehman lll are just like Aesop’ Fables that even Hajjaj lbn Yusuf, painted as tyrant by his opponents had the spirit to run to the rescue of a few Muslims. Salahuddin Ayubi rose to liberate the holy land. Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi rushed to Muslim to protect the Muslims from the Qarmatians. Forty Muslim States assembled twice at Islamabad to find a peaceful and honourable solution of the invasion of Afghanistan by its neighbours. Thus Afghanistan, a very old Islamic State, is in the process of annihilation and ideological metamorphosis. Eritrea is groaning under the oppression of the same Super Power. For Palestine we are lamenting from door to door. About two lakhs of our own brethren are gradually succumbing to the vagries of political exploitation. In occupied Kashmir the brute Indian Army is killing ruthlessly the Mujahedeen day in and day out.

 

Writing about the deplorable economic, social and political conditions in Russia it has been written that “the Soviet Patriot believes that the function of the State is to be as powerful as possible. Similar is the demand of Islam. Those who want to celebrate Eidul-Fitr must remember that they must contribute to make their State an “impregnable fort”. We must develop, in public as well as in private sectors, the iron and steel factories, the tank factories, the missiles, warships and warplanes factories. Unless we produce our own war materials and develop the sources of regular supply in times of emergency, we shall not be able to protect our frontiers, be it ideological or political.

 

Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies. Remain united for all the times.

 

lf we know that without depending on this or that we can defend our religion, we can protect our fort of ideology and we can also extend the hands of help to our brethrern else-where, then alone we shall be justified in celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, the most universal festival prescribed by God for those who uphold the Qur'an.