Editorial
Eid Mubarak!
Spirit of Ramadan adds to our happiness
With the end of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world prepare to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in all the religious fervour it calls for. Eid is certainly a happy occasion, justified by the devotion with which Muslims observe a month of fasting prior to it. It is essentially on how much people are able to observe the dictates of faith, in this case uphold the spirit of Ramadan through staying true to all its concomitant injunctions, that the spirit of Eid-ul-Fitr is to be determined. In plain terms, therefore, the Muslim who has steadfastly observed, in that very deep sense of understanding, the month of fasting has not only understood better the transitory nature of life but also his calling in the world of the living.
On Eid-ul-Fitr, therefore, it is an acknowledgement of the practicality of life that must come with a remembrance of the world beyond this one which must guide the Muslim community. In fasting come the ideas of self-abnegation, of resistance to temptation. At the same time, Ramadan teaches us anew the thought that those less privileged than we are, those at a remove from what constitutes happiness, the neighbour who goes hungry, the relative weighed down by gloom, are realities we must not ignore. The joy of Eid-ul-Fitr is not to be sliced away through a selfish focus on oneself, for faith teaches us to look out at the wider world and do our bit to improve it in our individual as well as collective life. Eid is a matter of sharing happiness.
As we prepare to ring in Eid-ul-Fitr, it is the nobility ingrained in the month of Ramadan that must sustain us in the times ahead. Those who have fasted and prayed, have partaken of food in all the austerity that religion demands, are those who will have cheered the Almighty. In a larger sense, Ramadan cheers all Muslims --- because it comes as a fresh reminder of the good and the commonsensical that we must do in order to enrich the quality of our lives.
We wish all our readers, patrons and well-wishers Eid Mubarak.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments