In the name of Almighty Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. On this auspicious and joyous occasion of Eid, it is my immense pleasure in offering Eid Mubarak to all of you, I offer my heartiest greetings and good wishes to the people of our country and abroad.
Eid-ul-Fitr is linked with the holy month of Ramadan (fasting). It signifies the end of the month of fasting and is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawwal.
About 1.5 billion Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the festival commonly known as “Eid”. Eid is commemorated by many different cultural rituals, colours, and festivities across the globe.
Each region has specific customs, foods, and traditions associated with this celebration.
The root meaning of Eid is, “That which returns, time and again; and rejoicing.”
As the Muslims follow the lunar cycle, Eid begins with the sighting of the new moon at the end of Ramadan.
Eid-ul-Fitr is a unique festival. It has no connection with any historical event nor is it related to the changes of seasons or cycles of agriculture. It is not a festival related in any way to worldly affairs.
Its significance is purely spiritual. It is the day when the Muslims thank God for having given them the will, the strength and the endurance to observe fast and obey His commandment during the holy month of Ramadan.
This day, in Muslim world, brings rejoicing and happiness. The rejoicing is not, however, at the departure of the month of Ramadan; it is the happiness which man feels after successfully completing an important task.
Just as when a person goes to a college or a university and at the completion of his course, he receives his award marking his achievement, we must understand that, the holy month of Ramadan is a spiritual university where we are being trained to achieve piety. The day of Eid-ul-Fitr is when Allah (SWT) is awarding us for our achievements.
The feast of Eid-ul-Fitr is God’s reward for those who fast during the holy month of Ramadan. In this month, man should try to add to his true knowledge of God, do acts of charity for the needy, renew his beliefs towards his Lord and this will be a real Eid for him.
Ramadan holds special significance for Muslims, since the Quran, the book of Muslim scripture, was revealed during this month. The fasting is not only a symbol of sacrifice and purification, but also a measure of self-restraint and a tool for encouraging compassion for the hungry, the poor, and the less fortunate.
Eid is also a day of reflection and evaluation. We should take a moment during the Day of Eid to evaluate our accomplishments during the month of Ramadan to see if we have achieved what we were supposed to achieve during this blessed month.
Did our relationship with Allah and His Holy Book Qur’an improve or not?
Did our piety strengthen or not?
Are we more grateful and obedient to Allah now than we were before the month of Ramadan?
If the answers to these reflections are yes, then we would have benefitted from the Holy month, and our reward is with Allah. But if not…then man was created weak, and Allah is most forgiving most merciful.
We ask Allah to pardon our shortcomings and make us from the people of piety, and those who were forgiven and favoured in this month of Ramadan.
The Fiji Muslim League extends to you, your family and all citizen of this country a blessed Eid Mubarak!
May your blessings be too many to count.
May you never go hungry and be able to share your bounty.
May God bless and protect us and strengthen our faith.
May the Eid we celebrate bring free from oppression, hatred, persecution, and fear.
May Allah accept our fasting, our prayers, our worship and all our good deeds done in the month of Ramadan, Ameen.
