Hyderabad: Fitra ensures Id is an all-inclusive festival

Hyderabad: For Muslims, Id-ul-Fitr, the festival that follows the holy month of Ramzan, is a celebration— A celebration of a month of piety, prayers, perseverance  and penance, of fasting and fortitude.

And all Muslims are required to share their joy with everyone around them, irrespective of social or economic standing. To this end, Muslims are required to   offer sadqa-e-fitr (alms) to the poorest of the poor before offering the Id-ul-Fitr prayers.

The fitr or fitra should be made in the form of cash or grains like wheat, so that the poorest of the poor can celebrate the festival along with others.
Fitra is compulsory on every member of the family, including the newborn, say scholars from the Jamia Nizamia.

Though the fitra is offered in the form of grains, there is no bar on giving the equivalent in cash. Every family that can afford it has to either give at least 2.25 kg of wheat or other grains, dates or raising or their equivalent amount in cash as per market value.

Jamia Nizamia chancellor Syed Akbar Nizamuddin said, “A most important aspect of the festival of Id-ul-Fitr is giving of sadqa-e-fitr (alms) to the poor. The amount of sadqa-e-fitr (fitrana) to be paid to the needy before the Id-ul-Fitr prayer is determined on the basis of the market price of 2.25 kg to 2.75 kg of wheat. Fitra is also paid for a newborn who has taken birth before the Id prayers, even if it was minutes before.”

Though fitra becomes wajib (compulsory) for those who can afford it from the time the crescent for the Hijri month of Shawwal is sighted, it is permissible to give it a day in advance to allow the needy to make purchases and celebrate the festival.

Islamic professor Sheikh Mohd Abdul Ghaffoor said it was advisable to offer Id namaz in Idgahs rather than in masjid. If at all a Muslim misses his Fajr, the pre-dawn prayers, he must offer Qaza prayers before the Id namaz.

Qateeb Abdur Rahman Khurram of the Sahaba masjid said that the night before Id-ul-Fitr is the night of rewards or gift and Muslims should not waste it in shopping but spend it in prayers to reap the rewards of Ramzan.

Ulema from Jamia Nizamia says that it is the Sunnah to visit the graves of loved ones and pray to Allah for forgiveness for the living and those who passed away. Muslims traditionally visit the graves of their dear departed after Id prayers and recite the Fatiha.

It is also Sunat that if there are two ways to your house, then one may take the first to go for Id prayers and take the other one to return.