In his Friday Sermon of 05 July 2019~ 02 Dhul-Qaddah 1440 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius comprehensively examines a contemporary practice among sections of Muslims, including Ahmadis of Mauritius: the celebration of religious festivals in the manner and style of other communities and peoples. In adopting 'modern ways' of branding Muslim festivals, the celebrationists are blindly following misguided, hedonistic elitism; seriously eroding the sanctity of the Islamic Pathway as taught by the Holy Prophet (sa) through his own sacred practices at such times. Apart from being a deviant practice (Bid'ah), such grand parties also dilute attention away from important interests and issues of the community. Through a sociological and political analysis also of the phenomenon of 'Eid Parties' in Mauritius, the Imam of the Era (atba) provides important insights and lessons to liberate common folks from being puppets in the hands of wrong-headed elitists and the wily politicians of our societies.
Read the Friday Sermon Below:
Celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr
It
is a shame to see the Muslim Community organising big parties and
dinners and labelling them all as “Eid
Party” after the
month of Ramadan. After this [blessed] month, there is the month of
Shawwal, and Eid-ul-Fitr
marks the start of Shawwal on its very first day. Eid-ul-Fitr
is a day of rejoice for all believers found in the Muslim Community;
it is a day when Allah gives permission to the believers to eat,
drink and be happy, and moreover to share this happiness with the
family and also the non-Muslim neighbours and friends. Thus, on this
occasion, vermicelli and cakes are distributed, and sometimes, the
Briani
[a special rice and meat dish] as well.
Therefore,
Eid-ul-Fitr’s
actual duration is one day of joy bestowed to us, believers, by Allah
after the Ramadan, a month-long of sacrifice. Eid-ul-Fitr
is for those who have obeyed the Creator and have done a lot of
sacrifice for the cause of Allah. And after this time-frame of about
29 or 30 days, you [i.e. the true believers] have obeyed Allah, and
have stayed away from all licit things which became restricted and
forbidden during the fasting time from early morning before dawn till
sunset. When Allah said: “Obey
Me”, you have
obeyed and sacrificed, and spent much time in Ibadat
(Worship),
Zikr (Remembrance
of Allah), Tilawat
Quran (Recitation
of the Holy Quran), Duahs
(invocations to
Allah), Farz
& Nafl
Salat/ Namaz
(Obligatory &
Voluntary prayers), giving away charity, eating little, and sleeping
less, and maximizing your time in such acts of worships.
So,
after the Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr
is a day when Allah (swt) manifests His pleasure for His loyal
servants, those who showed complete obedience to Him, their Creator.
Eid-ul-Fitr
is thus not only a day of rejoice and a day for the distribution of
cakes and to eat and drink, but it is also an opportunity to forget
family tiffs and rancour and to purify ourselves, our souls by giving
away the Sadaqat-i-Fitr.
It
is narrated from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (ra) that the Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) said: “Whoever
fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days (fasting) of Shawwal, it
is as if he fasted a lifetime.”
(Muslim)