Humans, besides having been bestowed with intellectual, moral, aesthetic and intellectual faculties, have been made spiritual and social. That is, morality, rationality, aesthetic sense, spiritual sense and social sense have not been thrust upon them. Instead, they, from the very beginning, exhibit such traits which distinguish them from other creatures. From a quite tender age a person starts sensing the moral good or bad in things and phenomena; thus starting to give moral judgments. They also start appreciating the colour and design of things. They also begin rational and intellectual engagements quite early. Likewise, they start discussing and discovering the spirit behind the physical phenomena and start doing this all together and not in isolation.
Now, for a believer, who has a firm belief that all these faculties which make her/him human in the real sense of the word, are given by the Lord of the Worlds. S/he deems it necessary that these faculties should have a dye and hue of the spiritual colour of the Lord Himself. And, it is very interesting to note that Lord has declared a full term of one month (Ramadan) for the spiritualization of these faculties of the believer. However, this process of spiritualization in no way means that either the cause or the effect of this process is renunciation of the social realm on the part of the believer. It simply means that the believer learns to live a God-oriented life of self restraint and piety within the borders of the society.
This cohesion and togetherness exhibited by the believers to abide by the commandments of God, on the one hand, turns the whole month into a spiritual festivity and on the other hand lightens the pressure of the continuous hard work which a believer has to put in to observe the fast of Ramadan in letter and spirit. This togetherness also multiplies the fruits and rewards of the fast thus observed. It is clear that if the believers observe the fast individually, the rewards thereof would remain confined to each individual and the society would not enjoy them nor benefit from them.
As such, the net result of the fast, that is taqwa (God-consciousness), proliferates to the length and breadth of the society like the fragrance of a flower bed. The spiritual fragrance of the God-conscious, God-oriented and God-fearing individuals and the light (nūr) of their purified hearts permeates throughout the society and makes it fragrant and resplendent. Now, every individual of this society wears the “garments of piety” (libas al-taqwa), travels by dint of the “provisions of piety” (zād al-taqwa) and sends to her/his Lord the “gifts of taqwa” (yanaluhu al-taqwa mnkum)!
This heightened sense of piety and spirituality reaches its optimum level during the last ten days of the month (Ramadan) when the believer keeps vigils to observe the Night of Power (Laylah al-Qadr) to commemorate the Revelation of the Last Scripture (Qur’an). On this Night, there is the “communion” of the Spiritual Beings (angels) and Physical Beings (humans). It is by dint of the elevated status of the believer achieved through the fast that s/he gets and feels the salutations of the exalted beings of angels who are commanded by the Archangel Gabriel on this occasion. This is indeed a “festivity” in which the celestial (angels) and the terrestrial (humans) together sing the songs of the glory of their Lord for having sent down the Last and Final Guidance in the form of the Qur’an to His Last Prophet, Muhammad (SA‘AS). This togetherness again highlights the importance of society for the guidance to bear fruit.
Here, one thing is worth mentioning that the susceptibility of human beings to have some moments of seclusion and retreat is not lost sight of. It is during these ten days that a believer makes a retreat in the mosque to satiate the spiritual cravings. However, s/he is not allowed to retreat to a cave or to any hut aloof from the hustle and bustle of the society. Naturally, the retreat (A‘tikāf) is made in the local or nearby mosque so as to make devotions to the Lord on Laylah al-Qadr for having been guided through the Qur’an and the Messenger (SA‘AS) of God.
As soon as the period is over, the believer re-emerges from the retreat and intermingles with his fellow beings to live the routine life as per the Guidance and instructions received. This re-start or re-emergence of the believer is marked by Eid al-Fitr which is celebrated on the 1st of Shawwal, 10th month of the lunar calendar. The believer thus makes a new beginning to live the life as per the teachings learnt and the instructions gained during the month of Ramadan.
This process of sanctification which had begun with Ramadan reaches to its culmination on the last night of the month called Laylah al-Ja’izal or the Night of Reward. Regarding this night the Prophet (SA‘AS) is reported to have said: “The observers of fast are forgiven on the last night of Ramadan.” It was asked: “Is it Laylah al-Qadr?” The Prophet (SA‘AS) said: “No, the way of God is that when a labourer makes an effort, s/he is rewarded just after finishing the job.” (Musnad Ahmad) It is clear that the believer who has observed the fast gets her/his reward on the closing night of Ramadan.
The day that follows, that is Eid al-Fitr, is thus a celebration and festivity for the believer because s/he has been forgiven, sanctified and salvaged. During the 720 hours of strict moral discipline s/he has learnt the lessons for the eleven months of the year. However, s/he wants to celebrate the occasion in a dignified manner because for a sanctified being sanctity could never be compromised. S/he uses the same formula for this celebration, that is, allah-u akbar, allah-u akbar, la ilha illa allah, wa allah-u akbar, allah-u akbar, wa li allah-i al-hamd (God is great, God is great, there is no god but Allah, and God is great, God is great, and all praise if for Him). On this occasion, s/he knows fully that for the theoretical/intellectual sanctification there is but one formula, that is, the statement of monotheism. It is this formula through which the Prophet (SA‘AS) had thus started his mission: “qulu la ilaha illa allah tuflihu” -(Say, there is no god but Allah, you will succeed).
It is a fact that throughout the history human beings have learnt to socialize through festivals and there could not have been any exception in this regard. However, the basic goal of Islam as the Religion of God is that the process of Sanctification (tazkiyyah) supported by God-conscious course of taqwa should never be compromised amid celebration and socialization.
So, the believers spend the day of Eid al-Fitr in the glorification of God through word and deed. On this day they start actualizing the lessons learnt during the month of Ramadan. However, what they remember the most is the Guidance in the form of the Qur’an. And, the Qur’an has taught them to celebrate the day in these words: “In the bounty of Allah, and in His Mercy, –in that let them (the believers) rejoice”: that is better than the (wealth/possessions) they hoard. Tell them (O Prophet!): “Let them rejoice in Allah’s grace and mercy through which this (Book) has come to you. It is better than the riches that they accumulate.” (Yunus: 58)
(The author is Assistant Professor Islamic Studies at GDC Sogam, Lolab. Email: [email protected])
