Day 28: A Gift for the Eid

“O ye who believe! Give of the good things which you have (honorably) earned and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad in order that out of it you may give away something when you yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is free of all wants and worthy of all praise. The Evil One threatens you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly. Allah promises you His forgiveness and bounties and Allah cares for all and He knows all things. …And whatever you spend in charity or devotion be sure Allah knows it all. But the wrong-doers have no helpers. If you disclose (acts of) charity even so it is well but if you conceal them and make them reach those (really) in need that is best for you: it will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what you do. … Whatever of good you give benefits your own souls and you shall only do so seeking the "Face" of Allah. Whatever good you give, shall be rendered back to you and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Qur'an 2:267-272)

Let us make the Eid a real memorable day. How about some Eid (festival) gifts for all the children in the house or neighbourhood? This is indeed a great time for them to be rewarded for their Ramadan participation and support. It is also a good time to reward them for their studies and domestic contribution. We should make it a wholesome and weighty gift, a charitable act to look forward to every year. “The upper hand is better than the lower hand (i.e. he who gives in charity is better than him who takes it). One should start giving first to his dependents…” (Bukhari)

The Eid day is the day of happiness and efforts should be geared towards making it so. Even the Rasul allowed the children to sing and dance around his house. He told Abu Bakr not to caution them, because “It is the day of Eid –Celebration.” What arrangement can you make to make this Eid memorable for the kids around you? What entertainment do you have in stock for them?

Our spouses should also be generously rewarded. One way or another they must have made our Ramadan eventful. Perhaps it could be a motivation to do more next year. It could even be in form of a surprise between couples. It is a great day for the Muslim women. Such that the Prophet encouraged them to go for the Eid even if they are menstruating, they are encouraged to be there, to have fun and feel the celebration. Even if they have no dress, they should borrow some and have a happy outing. Umm Atiya narrated that, “We were ordered to bring out our menstruating women and the veiled virgin women into the gatherings of the two 'Eid festivals. These menstruating women were to keep away from their Musalla (prayer ground). A woman asked, "O Allah's Messenger, what about one who does not have a veil?" He (peace be upon him) said, "Let her share the veil of her companion."

We should also extend the gift to our neighbours and friends. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Give presents to one another, for a present removes rancour from the breast, and a woman should not despise even the gift of half a sheep's trotter from her neighbour."

This is also an occasion when families and close relatives would be expecting our generosity. Even when they are not Muslims, fate has linked us together and we have a duty to fulfil their expectations. It happened that Asma Bint Abu Bakr was expecting her Pagan mother and she was anxious of how to relate with her and if she should give her gifts as expected. She said: “My mother came to me during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger and she was a pagan. I asked Allah's Messenger (seeking his verdict), "My mother has come to me and she desires to receive a reward from me, shall I keep good relations with her?" The Prophet said, ‘Yes, keep good relation with her’.” (Bukhari) Therefore, as families unite in this season of celebration, let us discharge our duties well without fail or offence.

In our celebration, let us not forget that we are Muslims. We are still bounded to the injunctions of Allah about what is halal and what is haram. We do not celebrate with whatever Allah has declared as unlawful (for instance, intoxicants, zina –adultery or fornication, gambling, etc.) In fact, it is a grievous sin to commit an act of disobedience of Allah on an Eid day. It lays to waste our struggles and strivings in Ramadan. It goes to show that we have learnt nothing from the purposes of Ramadan. So celebrate in all ways, but avoid the haram. Remember the shari’ah principle: All good and pure things are halal (permissible) for Muslims, except those which Allah and His Messenger have delineated as haram or makruu (forbidden or disliked respectively).

- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK.