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Eid times
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The month of Ramadan has taught people to have control over themselves.
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A Kashmiri woman prays at Srinagar's main mosque Jamia Masjid 12 Feburary 2003 during the Eid al-Adha festival. The Eid al-Adha is the second holiest festival in Islam and commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God. AFP PHOTO/Sajjad HUSSAIN
THE MONTH of Ramadan is over and with the sighting of the crescent moon, the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr begins. It was a month of restraint, of kindness and self-control. It does a lot of good to a person, mentally and physically.
Eid, is a time for thanksgiving and remembrance, a time to get together in a brotherly and joyous atmosphere to offer gratitude to the creator for having helped them fulfill their spiritual obligations. What does the holy month mean to the young?
"Fasting in Ramadan I have learnt to control myself, my soul and my mind. Not eating for so many hours each day has made me understand the plight of the poor and the needy and I feel a sense of
compassion towards them," saya Fiza Nawaz, a Class IX student of Toc-H School.
But for Anzila Ashraf, a Class 12 student of Al-Ameen Public School, Ramadan has been a time I learnt to be more kind, simple and pleasing. I also learnt to control my desires for comfort, luxury and fashion. The wish for worldly passion has been replaced by heavenly pleasure." For some, Eid means many other things too.
Says Saniya, a ninth standard student of Choice school, " Eid is most
exciting because I get new clothes, and I get to apply mehendi." For Suhail, her younger brother of nine years old, "Eid means lots of money, and that's what thrills me."
But many Muslims feel a sense of loss at the passing away of Ramadan.
Sajida, a housewife, says, "I miss Ramadan as it is a month where all
Muslims fast together and gather daily for congregational prayer, demolishing all barriers of caste, colour, country and language. It is a month, which is blessed by the Almighty, and we are rewarded 10 to 700 hundred times over for every good act we perform. We can't get these benefits in any other month."
"We fast during Ramadan, expecting Allah's reward, and for this we try and refrain from evil thoughts, words and actions. If we truly want and try, we can maintain this tempo throughout the year, and throughout our lives," suggests Mayankutty Mather, an Islamic scholar.
MUEENA DAWOOD
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