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In this day and age, many Muslims eagerly await the end of Ramadaan and the coming of Eid-ul-Fitr to gain their ‘freedom’ in order to go back to committing sin and disobeying Allah Ta’ala, Ma’zallah. We should remember that celebration does not mean committing sin, but rather it involves remembering Allah Ta’ala and being grateful to Allah Ta’ala for showering His Mercy and Bounties upon us. As Allah Ta’ala states in the Holy Qur’an,
قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللّٰهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوْا ط هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُوْنَ ط
Say, “Upon Allah’s Grace and upon His Mercy, upon these should the people rejoice, that is better than all their wealth and possessions.” {Surah 10:58}
Rejoicing upon the Grace and Mercy of Allah Ta’ala does not entail sin, but rather it is an act of worship, for which innumerable rewards will be granted by Allah Ta’ala. This is why it is better than all the wealth of this world. {Tafseer Noorul Irfān}
We therefore need to prepare ourselves mentally at the end of Ramadaan for the coming year and contemplate on how we expect to lead our lives, after being spiritually strengthened during this blessed month. We should make a firm intention to continue with our obedience to Allah and His Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) even after Ramadaan, and not destroy our efforts by going back to our sinful ways.
Our celebration on the day of Eid should start the night before, which is known as Lailatul Jaaizah (The Night of Reward). With regard to the excellence of remembering Allah Ta’ala on this night, Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “Whoever stood (in prayer) in the nights of Eid (Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha) in order to earn reward, his heart will not die on the day when hearts will die.” {Sunan Ibn Majah}
Before the advent of Eid we need to ask ourselves, “Have we honoured the month of Ramadaan as it should have been? Have we worshipped in it as we should have?” The night of Eid is the night for collecting the rewards for all the good that was done throughout the month. Therefore, let us not waste these precious moments and try to spend the night or even a portion of the night of Eid remembering Allah Ta’ala.
Regarding Eid-ul-Fitr, Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) once said, “When the month of Ramadaan is over and the night of Eid-ul-Fitr arrives, that night is called the Night of Reward. In the early morning of Eid-ul-Fitr Allah Ta’ala will send His angels to visit all the towns and cities on the earth below. Once they have made their descent, they will position themselves at the entrances to all the streets and alleys. There, in a voice that is audible to every being created by Allah Ta’ala, apart from the jinn and humankind, they will issue a proclamation saying, “O Community of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), come forth into the presence of the Noble and Generous Lord, who will grant you gifts in abundance and forgive your terrible sin!” Then when the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their place of prayer, Allah Ta’ala will say to His angels, “O My angels, what is the recompense of the hired labourer once he has done his job?” The angels will reply, “Our Lord and our Master, You will pay him his wages in full!” So Allah Ta’ala will say, “I now call upon you to bear witness, O My angels, that I have conferred My acceptance and My forgiveness as the reward for their fasting and night vigil during the month of Ramadaan.” Allah Ta’ala will then say, “O My servants put your requests to Me now, for this I swear by My Might and My Majesty, you will not ask Me this day, in this gathering of yours for anything connected with your life hereafter, without My granting it to you; nor for anything connected with your life in this lower world, without My attending to your need. By My Might and My Majesty, I will not put you to shame, nor will I expose you to disgrace amongst those who are faithfully committed to observing the laws of Shariah. Now you may depart, knowing that you have been forgiven. You have attained My approval, and I am well pleased with you.”” {Ghunyatut Tālibeen}
SubhanAllah! How Merciful is our Rabb and how limitless is His Grace! We should take advantage of His Mercy that is showered on the morning of Eid and we should spend the day rejoicing with our family and relatives (without engaging in sinful activities), but also spend some time in reflection and contemplation.
It is reported that once, on the day of Eid, Hazrat Sayyiduna Farooq-e-Azam (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was found crying profusely. When people asked the reason for this, he replied, “O People! This is the day of Eid (celebration) as well as the day of Wa’eed (warning). I do not know whether my worship has been accepted or rejected.” It is the day of Eid for the one whose Salaah and fasts have been accepted, but it is the day of warning for the one whose Salaah and fasts have been rejected and thrown on his face. That Hazrat Umar (Radiallahu Ta’ala ‘Anh) who is amongst the Ashara Mubashara and about whom Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said that his good deeds are equivalent to the number of stars in the sky, is crying upon reflecting as to whether his fasts have been accepted or not and yet sinners like us are absolutely carefree and cannot wait to engage in sinful activities again! May Allah protect us!
Eid is actually meant to symbolize the acceptance of acts of worshipful obedience; the remission of sins and mistakes; the glad tidings of promotion to higher spiritual degrees and the conferring of gifts and gracious favours from Allah Ta’ala.
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam Sayyiduna Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) says that it is important for every intelligent person to stop focusing on the external aspect of Eid, and not to let it capture his attention. Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) himself expressed humility on the occasion of Eid for our guidance. He said in a Persian quatrain, the translation of which is:
People are saying “Tomorrow is Eid!”
and everyone is happy,
but the day when I leave this world with my faith will actually be the day of Eid for me.
Huzoor Ghaus-e-Azam (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) is reminding us that together with the celebration of Eid, one must not lose sight of the fact that we need to continue striving in the obedience of Allah Ta’ala throughout the year, in trying to achieve the ultimate Eid of leaving this world with Imaan.
Knowing that Shaitaan and his armies are back at work to lead mankind astray, one needs to constantly seek refuge in Allah Ta’ala from the cursed Shaitaan, and carry the momentum gained in one’s spiritual strength during Ramadaan to fight Shaitaan and continue striving in the path of Allah Ta’ala.
Hazrat Wahb bin Munabbih (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) says, “The devil screams and cries on the occasion of Eid every year. Seeing him crying, the other devils gather around him and ask, “O Master! Why are you so furious and disappointed today?” He replies, “Regretfully, Allah has forgiven the Ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) today, so make them indulge in satisfying their carnal desires.”” {Mukāshifatul Quloob}
From this we can understand that at the start of Shawwaal Shaitaan is furious due to the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala showering upon us and gives the command for the devils to start their work again. We must therefore be vigilant and not become complacent due to our extra efforts made during the month of Ramadaan. We should strive to live a life of obedience to Allah Ta’ala at all times and constantly turn to Him seeking refuge and seeking forgiveness for our shortcomings.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to stay away from sins and to remain in His obedience throughout the year, Allahumma Ameen.
