Seeing with the Eids of Islam: Depth perception

Having two major Eids (“solemn festivals”) – one for strengthening human nature, the other for obeying God’s will – gives Islam a depth perception that is so essential for balanced spiritual growth.

Although there were at least two days of Medina festivals before the arrival of Muhammad, Wikipedia reports that these were more about merriment than they were about sanctity.  Muhammad’s response was to shift the people’s attention to two new festivals:  Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.  There would be merriment at these two festivals as well, but the primary focus of both would be gratitude to God.

When the sacred month of Ramadan ends, Eid ul-Fitr begins.  The first day of Eid ul-Fitr therefore coincides

with the first day of Shawwal (the tenth Islamic month).  Eid al-Adha occurs on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah (the twelfth and final Islamic month).  In Southeast Asian countries, Eid ul-Fitr is the primary Eid; whereas in Arabic countries, Eid al-Adha is.  Eid al-Adha is usually celebrated for four days; whereas Eid ul-Fitr is often celebrated for three.  Because of this, Eid ul-Fitr is sometimes referred to as the “Smaller Eid,” and Eid al-Adha as the “Greater Eid.”

The term Fitr in Eid ul-Fitr means “original nature,” and therefore refers to “the restoration of one’s best human composition.”  This is facilitated through congregational salaat (prayer), special greetings (such as “May your Eid be blessed”), encouragement to “forgive and forget,” the khutbah  (sermon), dua (supplication), remembering of ancestors, dressing up, nourishing food, generous gifts, and overall kindness.

The term Adha in Eid al-Adha means “sacrifice,” and honors “the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma’il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.”  Eid al-Adha takes places immediately after the Hajj (annual Muslim worldwide pilgrimage to Mecca), and also involves prayer, a sermon, greetings, dressing up, and generous gifts.  Harkening back to the story of Ibrahim and Ishmael, it can also entail the ritual sacrifice of an animal.

Resources

http://www.yemenlinks.com/contentdisplay/displaydoc.aspx?name=month_name_cheatsheet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha

http://www.ing.org/about/islampage.asp?num=14

Copyright August 31, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved