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"The heart of him
who remains awake during the nights of Eid will not perish on that Day
when all hearts will perish (i.e. hemorrhaging with shock and
terror on the Day of Qiyaamah)." -- Hadith
"He who
sins on the Day of Eid is like one who sins on the Day of Qiyaamah."-Hadith
While the physical presence
of the auspicious Month of Ramadhaan has bid farewell to us and departed,
it has left behind a Legacy for those who had observed the huqooq (rights
and dues) of the Fasting. The Legacy of Ramadhaan is the purified soul
for which Ramadhaan has been ordained by Allah Ta'ala. Whoever has been
blessed with this Legacy will perceive the effects of this divine gift
in the form of greater Deeni conscience, moral reformation and spiritual
elevation. On the contrary, one who has deprived himself of the Legacy
of Ramadhaan with his failure to observe the huqooq of Ramadhaan thereby
bringing him within the purview of the Hadith: "There
is many a fasting person who gains nothing from his fast other than
hunger.", will find himself in either the selfsame state
of moral decadence in which he was entrapped before Ramadhaan or in
a worse condition.
Thus, after Ramadhaan if a man
discerns no moral and spiritual change in him, he should understand
his condition to be clear evidence of the rejection of his fasting by
Allah Ta'ala. Such divine rejection is the consequence of having violated
the rights of Ramadhaan.
If the Mu'min, especially
the one who has ruined Ramadhaan and has failed to acquire the
Legacy of the auspicious Month, reflects and understands his colossal
loss, then it is not too late for amends. He may have ruined his Ramadhaan
with sin and futility, but he may still gain Allah’s Forgiveness and
Proximity by understanding and accepting the Message of Eid sounded
by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) in the second Hadith cited
above. It is essential to understand and remember that the Mu'min's
Eid is not a day of futilility – futile and sinful merrymaking. Such
futility is increasingly being adopted in emulation of the futilities
and festivities which mar the festival occasions of non-Muslims.
Indulgence in futility and sin
on the Day of Eid is like sinning in Allah's Presence on the Day of
Qiyaamah. The Night of Eid is perhaps the holiest occasion in the Islamic
calendar. It should not be squandered in futility. This is a concern
which has special admonition for our womenfolk who squander such a wonderful
occasion of gaining Allah's Pleasure thereby depriving themselves of
the barakaat and anwaar of this holy Night. The Night of Eid is more
virtuous than the Night of Qadr. Allah Ta'ala did not cloak this Night
with such lofty virtues and great significance for the purpose of squandering
it in the kitchen preparing dishes to the degree of extravagance unbefitting
of people of Imaan.
The happiness of this Day should
be incumbently accompanied by Ibaadat and greater obedience. It is truly
lamentable to observe that the vast majority of Muslims of this era
has stripped the Day of Eid of its sanctity by reducing it to the level
of the Christian day of Christmas or some other festival occasion.
On this Day the Qur'aan commands: "Shun outward sins and
inward sins (sins of the zaahir and the baatin)...” has greater
meaning. If this Message of Eid is heeded, hopefully
the damage committed during Ramadhaan will be compensated and rectified
and the atmosphere created for moral reformation and spiritual progress.
Confining Eid to sumptuous dishes, new garments, and exchanging greetings
is not part of the Legacy of Ramadhaan or of the Message of Eid. If
the Mu'min discovers himself inclining more towards the Path leading
towards the Aakhirah, and his worldly attachments slackening, he should
be happy and understand that he has gained the benefit of the Legacy
and of the Message. May Allah Ta’ala extricate this lost and fallen
Ummah from the moral morass of degradation and spiritual bankruptcy
in which it is incrementally receding.
A message from Moulana Ahmad
sadek Desai - Daamat Barakaatuhum
---Mujlisul Ulama of South Africa P.O. Box 3395 Port Elizabeth, 6056 South Africa
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