‘Eidul Fitr Approaches Again

By Sophia Qamar, TMO

Well, it’s that time again folks.

The long days, rumbling tummies, feasting rampages.

Now is the time for Aunties to overthrow their closets as they attempt to find the perfect shalwaar-kameez for themselves, their husband, their daughters, their sons, their grandmas, and their neighbors. Now is the time for our Muslim brothers and sisters to crowd the halls of every Macy’s, running through the best Eid gifts for their children and parents and friends and relatives. Now is the time for making reservations at the nearest Hummus serving restaurants. Now is the time for stashing candy to dish out after prayer. Now is the time to plan the best ever Eid rager that no one will ever forget.

Eid is coming.

It is not too difficult to decipher the thoughts of each and every person on the morn of Eid; it goes something like: “Get up! We’re going to be late. I will not walk a mile in these shoes just because you slept a minute late. And you…you dare get anything on that outfit young lady, I will be taking you to the Prayer hall in a potato sack!”—well, that’s one version of it.

In any case, it is also not too difficult to decipher why Eid causes such a craze. It is not because of the outfits we’re dying to wear, or the presents we’re dying to get (although, the children may think otherwise), but because of the feeling we get that very Eid morning—we wake up and smile to know that, yes, we did it. We fasted, we prayed, we read the Quran with emotion, we connected ourselves with those around us, we brought ourselves closer to Allah (SAW), and we did it all with the best of our intentions.

And though Eid al-Fitr signifies the end of Ramadan, it also signifies the beginning of a new you. Everything that you have learned and done in the name of Allah (SAW) was done with the purest of intentions, and thus, it starts you off into the world with a fresh set of eyes and a keen mind. Eid is the end as it is the beginning.

(Eid is the beginning of a new perspective on life, one that has been built through the bonds between our fellow Muslims and our beloved Allah (swt))

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