By Firoz Bakht Ahmed
The day of Eid-ul-Fitr truly symbolizes piety, patience, fortitude and godliness. Socially, Eid reminds us of the noble human feeling to share the festivities with the poor, underprivileged, downtrodden, orphans, the neglected and the cast off besides embracing people from all walks of life. Muslims need to clearly denounce those misguided people who in the name of Islam call for the death of innocent people.
The congregational prayers and expressions of brotherhood, coupled with the distribution of poor dues (Fitra) marking the celebration of Eid, should not be seen merely as rituals but need to be understood and appreciated with reference to their wider significance, especially at this juncture.
Muslims around the world are stigmatized today owing to the so-called jehadis. Therefore through Eid Muslims should convey a message of peace and harmony. Islam considers all creatures of God as one family, of whom man is dearest to Him. As in the Vedic religion, "Nar seva, Narayan seva", so it is in Islam.
This day of happiness is also a day of introspection for Muslims who should spare at least some time to see if their actions and character can be assessed favourably in the light of Islamic teachings as to whether they have contributed to the well-being of their fellow beings, non-Muslim brethren and the nation above all.
Muslims must see to it that on Eid, though a day of happiness, there is no squandering of wealth and it is ensured that the downtrodden are taken care of. Gratitude and service to humanity are the fundamental values Islam inculcates in every person. That is why service to humanity is the grain of a Muslim.
Eid-ul-Fitr, in brief, is celebrated to express gratitude to god and the nation for enabling the faithful to observe fasts for a month in the manner of a "refresher course" punctuated with strict self-discipline and the night 'tarawih' prayers.
Merely celebrating Eid unmindful of whether the neighbour is happy or not does not reflect the true spirit. Eid is also a time to realize the urgency of fraternal bonding and the concept of inter-faith harmony that demand a meeting of hearts and minds to weld the Ummah as a cohesive and pious force.
In the present context, when Muslims are being widely portrayed as terrorists owing to the zealots, the need to highlight Islam's stress on universal brotherhood and its image as a promoter of peace and harmony is of paramount importance.