The significance of Eid ol-Fitr

Happy Eid ol-Fitr to you all. May Allah accept your fasting and prayers of the blessed month of Ramadhan that ended yesterday!

Today is indeed a day of celebration. It is a day of festivity, which starts with the special prayer in the morning that is attended by a vast multitude of people. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, this special Eid prayer is held in the sprawling Imam Khomeini Mosallah, where several million people assemble to pray –behind the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Here is a passage from the Qonout Supplication that is recited with raised hands, five times in the first raka’at, and four times in the second raka’at:

“O Allah! Lord of magnificence and greatness; and Lord of generosity and overwhelming power; and Lord of pardon and mercy. We implore You for the sake of This Day which You have appointed as a Festival for the Muslims and for Mohammad (SAWA) and his progeny as a reminder, a distinction, an honour.”

Ramadhan and its acts of worship have indeed purified our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies, and the Prayer of Eid is a thanksgiving to the Lord Most High for having rewarded the faithful with the festival of Eid Fitr, which, as indicated by the word “Fitr” starts with the giving of special alms to the poor known as “Fitrah” – made up of 3-and-a-half kg of staple diet, such as wheat, rice, barley or date; or its equivalent in money.

This is yet another wonderful example of the spirit of universal brotherhood in Islam, which strives to uplift the status of the poor sections of the society, so that the message of Eid could equally be enjoyed by all classes of people. Sadly, these dynamic facts are not understood by the arrogant, especially the rulers of reactionary regimes, which are Muslim in name only, and which openly dally with the enemies of Islam against fellow Muslims. This is the reason the world of Islam is politically divided. We pray to God to awaken the conscience of the Ummah so that Islamic solidarity is fostered, in accordance with the message of the Eid.

Nonetheless, the feast in Islam should not be compared to the unbridled festivities of other creeds and cultures, where free rein is given to sins. To quote the Commander of the Faithful, Prophet Muhammad’s (SAWA) First Infallible Heir, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS):

“Indeed Eid is for those whose fasting has been accepted by God and whose worship has been appreciated, and any day on which God has not been disobeyed is Eid.”

This year’s Ramadhan with all its glories has come to its end, but unfortunately the situation of Muslims has not much improved.

In Yemen, the Muslim people are marking Eid Fitr with blood and sacrifices of their near and dear ones, as the Saudi airplanes continue to rain upon them bombs. Even mosques and mosallas are not spared by the Saudis. The world is watching in silence as men, women, and children are being massacred. Meanwhile, in Iraq and Syria, remnants of the Godless Takfiri terrorists and other grouplets supported by the US continue to target Muslims, mostly through bomb blasts.

In such a situation, it is our duty to strive and pray for the deliverance of Muslims worldwide on the day of Eid Fitr, whether in Yemen and Bahrain, or in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and mainland Arabia; as well as in other parts of the world, including Palestine, where the Zionist usurpers subject the Muslim people to untold atrocities, and in league with the US and reactionary Arab regimes are trying to kill the Palestinian cause through imposition of the so-called Deal of the Century, which should rightly be called Conspiracy of the Century. At the same time we should implore divine wrath on the Zionists and the Takfiris, as well as on Global Arrogance, especially Donald Trump and his team of thugs, such as the war-mongers Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, who are trying to scare the Islamic Republic and the brave Iranian people through threats of war, violence and state terrorism. 

Here we present you passages from the Special Eid Sermon of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS) on the occasion of Eid Fitr, which starts with due praise to Allah, blessings for Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), seeking divine assistance for the faithful and invoking divine wrath on the devilish elements.

“All praise belongs to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, have faith in Him, and put our trust in Him. We bear witness that there is no god except Allah, He is One, and He has no partner, and that Mohammad is His Servant and Messenger; may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his progeny, as well as His forgiveness and approval.

“O Allah bless Mohammad, Your Servant, Messenger and Prophet, a blessing growing and multiplying, that will raise His rank and manifest His merit. Bless Mohammad and the Family of Mohammad and give barakah to Mohammad and the progeny of Mohammad even as You blessed, granted barakah and mercy to Abraham and the progeny of Abraham, indeed You are praiseworthy and glorious.

“O Allah, punish the faithless from among the People of the Book who bar Your way, contest Your signs and impugn Your Prophets.

 “O Allah, assist the armies of Muslims, their companies and brigades, in the east of the earth and its west! Indeed You have power over all things. O Allah, forgive the faithful, men and women, and the Muslim, men and women.