Mystic Mantra - Id: Give, share, rejoice

Id-ul-Fitr is an Islamic festival meant for feeding the poor and assisting the less fortunate ones and not just feasting ourselves on delicious foods and wearing fancy dresses. After days and nights of Ramzan are spent in complete devotion to God and sincere goodwill for man, Id-ul-Fitr comes at the end overflowing with joy, ecstasy and charity for the poor. Id is an Arabic word meaning “something that returns every year”, while Fitr means a form of charity from the rich to the poor.

Thus, Id-ul-Fitr is an occasion that comes every year to remind us of our humane duty towards the weaker sections of society. It returns every year to enliven the spirit of charity, almsgiving, generosity in sharing with the poor and the destitute. Moreover, it also brings heavenly serenity and spiritual solace combined with the spirit of peace, mercy, unity, brotherhood and equality among people irrespective of caste, creed and faith.

To ensure that the poor and less fortunate also celebrate and enjoy the bounties of Id, Sadaqat-ul-Fitr (charity of Id) has been made mandatory for every Muslim who possesses even a minimum amount of wealth. Prophet Muhammad clearly said: “The fasts of Ramzan remain suspended between heaven and earth until the charity of Sadaqat-ul-Fitr is paid.”

Sadaqat-ul-Fitr must be paid before the prayer of Id (i.e. before the end of Ramzan). Every Muslim man is required to give this compulsory charity on behalf of himself, as well as those who are under his patronage, such as his wife, children and other family members. The wisdom behind obligating the charity of Fitr, as the Prophet said, is two-fold; to purge the fasts of Ramzan from impurity and vile discourses and to enable the poor to enjoy the festival of Id-ul-Fitr.

Muslims donate either a fixed sum of money or food items like rice, grains, barley and dates to the local poor families to ensure that everyone gets delicious food and enjoys a happy Id. The spirit of charity runs high in Id-ul-Fitr and, therefore, Muslims become very keen to care for the destitute. Some affluent Muslims go as far as donating large amounts of money to feed the poor of their locality. As a result, not a single underprivileged family in Muslim neighbourhoods goes hungry on Id-ul-Fitr.

Given this, Id-ul-Adha is not just a feast but a moving spiritual event of giving, sharing and evoking deep emotions for helping the needy and feeding the poor. It exhorts Muslims to have a deep reflection on the condition of the poor and orphans.

Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Islamic scholar and
English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He is associated with New Age Islam Foundation and can be contacted at grdehlavi@gmail.com