by Mouhcine Azizoun

Created on: August 24, 2009

Eid ul-Fitr is one of the two holidays Muslims celebrate. In some parts of the Muslim World, people call it "the Small Eid" and call the second holidays (Festival of Sacrifice) "the Big Eid" since the celebration of the latter is much bigger than the one of the former. The Small Eid comes after Ramadan, which is a month whereby Muslims fast for 30 days, worship God more and pray piously. Eid ul-fitr is the first day of the month that comes right after Ramadan.

In order to understand Eid ul-fitr and its significance, we need to go back to one of the prophet Muhammad's saying: "a fasting person has two occasions to feel happy: He feels happy when he ends his fast, and he feels happy when he meets his Lord for having fasted." Some Muslim scholars say that the first time the believer feels happy is in the sunset, which is the time Muslims break the fast. Other scholars say that "He feels happy when he ends his fast" refers to Eid ul-fitr, which is also the time Muslims end the fast. My focus on this article is going to be on the second opinion.

Eid ul-fitr is a source of merriment among Muslims. Kids get money from their parents, wear new clothes, and eat delicious food. Adults also wear new clothes, visit their friends and relatives and exchange greetings. Family feuds end. People are discouraged to visit and talk to those that they have been feuding with. It is a merrymaking that continues till the end on the day.

After knowing about the aura of happiness that surrounds this Eid, we need to delve into the discussion about the Prophet's saying. A fasting person has two occasions to feel happy. The first occasion is Eid ul-Fitr. The second one is when he meets God. If we examine the saying carefully, we will discover that this Eid is a sample of the happiness a fasting person would feel when he meets God. Believers in heaven, according to the Quran, will wear nice and tidy clothes: "They have deserved gardens of Eden wherein rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and will wear clothes of green silk and velvet, and will rest on comfortable furnishings. What a wonderful reward; what a wonderful abode!" [18:31] They will also eat delicious food: "In an exalted Paradise. Its fruits are within reach. Eat and drink happily in return for your works in days past." [69:22, 23, 24] Most importantly, there will be no enmity in anyone's heart toward others: "And We shall root out whatever of rancor is in their breasts - as brethren, on raised couches, face to face." [15:47] This is exactly what happens during Eid ul-Fitr.

As I previously mentioned, people in some countries like Morocco give the name 'Small Eid' to Eid ul-fitr. It is a very felicitous name. This Eid is in fact a small one. A fasting person will celebrate the big one when he meets his Lord. We have just seen that the celebration of this Eid ul-fitr and the celebration of entering heaven are similar. The only difference between the two is in the magnitude of the celebration. One is "small" whereas the other is "big". This is, to the best of my knowledge, the meaning of the aforesaid saying of Muhammad (PPUH).

By examining the foregoing saying, one can fathom the significance of Eid ul-fitr. It is a sort of one day trial that allows Muslims to realize how beautiful heaven is. Heaven is palpably more than what flesh and blood could imagine, but during this festival, Muslims have the chance to experience at least 5% of the heavenly life. In so doing, they would be motivated to keep living piously just as they do during Ramadan.

Learn more about this author, Mouhcine Azizoun.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.