Muslims always celebrate Eid al-Fitr with mixed feelings and emotions. As the month of Ramadan, the month of mercy, forgiveness and blessings, comes to an end, the believers are filled with a bittersweet joy. In terms of honoring the days of Eid, we can channel our feelings by looking at the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) where we find many beautiful examples that we can apply and follow in our own lives:

The Prophet (ﷺ) declared: “The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray..”1 and he always began both holidays with Eid prayer. He would go to Eid al-Fitr prayer only after he had eaten an odd number of dates.2 The fact that he did this led to the tradition of offering sweets at Eid festivities. However, on Eid al-Adha he ate only after he had returned from Eid prayer and sacrificed and ate from the result of his sacrifice.3 

On the morning of Eid, the Prophet (ﷺ) would go out to the musalla to attend the congregational Eid prayer and he would bring his whole family including his daughters and his wives.4 The ladies would pray behind the men. After the Eid prayer, the Prophet (ﷺ) would deliver a khutbah (sermon). In addition, “On an Eid day, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) would return by a different road from the one he had taken when going out (for the Eid prayer.)”5  

Eid is a day of great joy and celebration. To share the excitement openly, games and entertainment that are permissible within the Islamic guidelines are allowed. Hazrat A’isha (r.anha) gives the following information on this matter:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting and we heard a scream and the voices of children. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arose, and it was an Ethiopian woman, prancing around while the children played around her. So he said: ‘O ‘Aishah, come (and) see.’ So I came, and I put my chin upon the shoulder of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I began to watch her from between his shoulder and his head, and he said to me: ‘Have you had enough, have you had enough?'” She said: “So I kept saying: ‘No,’ to see my status with him.6

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) described Eid as “the days of eating, drinking and remembering Allah.”7 He encouraged us to balance the entertainment with the remembrance of Allah (s.w.t.) during the holidays. Celebrating the holidays within the guidelines of the sunnah turns these days into a form of worship. For this reason, preparing for Eid in advance, spending the eve of Eid in worship, getting up early the next day, making ghusl, brushing your teeth with a miswak (or toothbrush), applying attar (perfume), wearing clean and nice clothes, going to the mosque a little early, uttering tasbeeh, tahmeed, takbir, and tahleel (Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar and La ilaha illallah) on the way to the mosque, giving charity (sadaqa), greeting everyone with a smile, giving gifts, visiting relatives and graveyards, reconciling with others and practicing any other sunnahs will add more value and reward to this day.

We believe that the most beautiful way of celebrating Eid is when believers shake hands, hug one another, and congratulate each other whether they know each other or not. It is reported that the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) congratulated each other by saying “Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum”, meaning “May Allah accept (this worship) from us and from you”.8 This dua (prayer) was most likely inspired by Prophet (ﷺ) saying “Allah, accept this from Muhammad, from Muhammad’s family and from Muhammad’s ummah (community)!”9 

May this Ramadan be pleased with us. May this Eid, which we celebrate with the sighting of the crescent of Shawwal bring peace and blessings to the world.

Eid Mubarak

Öznur Zeybek, Theologian

Translated by Filiz Arslan

May 2022

References: 

  1. Bukhari and Muslim Mishkat al-Masabih 1435, Book 4, Hadith 836
  2. Sahih al-Bukhari 953, Book 13, Hadith 5
  3. Reported by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi; Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic) Book 2, Hadith 486
  4. Sunan Ibn Majah 1309, Book 5, Hadith 507
  5. Reported by al-Bukhari Book 2, Hadith 495
  6. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3691, Book 49, Hadith 87
  7. Musnad Ahmad 708, Book 5, Hadith 141
  8. Bukhari, II/2-12
  9. Muslim, “Adahi”, 19