Eid is the season of happiness and joy, during which the Muslims rejoice only at the bounty of their Lord, having won the blessing of completing their acts of worship and receiving the reward, given their complete confidence in His promises to forgive and reward them. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {Say, “In the Bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.”} [Qur’an 10:58]A wise man once said: “No one would rejoice at anything other than the bounty of Allah except due to his heedlessness. The oblivious person rejoices at his amusement and fancies, but the reasonable man rejoices at the bounty of his Lord.”Here are some concise tips about the rulings and etiquette of Eid:1- Thank Allah The Almighty for completing the blessing of fasting the month of Ramadan upon you, and supplicate Him to accept your fasting and night prayer. It was narrated on the authority of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to say on the last night of Ramadan, “I wish we could know the winners to congratulate them and the losers to console them.”Likewise, Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say, “Who are the accepted people [so as] to congratulate them? Who are the deprived people to console them? O you who have been accepted, congratulations … O you who have been rejected, may Allah compensate you for your loss.”2- Showing happiness on the occasion of Eid: ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, entered upon me while two girls were singing beside me). The Prophet lay down and turned his face to the other side. Then Abu Bakr came and spoke to me harshly saying, ‘Musical instruments of the devil in the house of the Prophet?’ The Messenger of Allah turned his face towards him and said: ‘Leave them.’ When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signalled to those girls to go out and they left.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]According to a narration by Muslim, “They were singing using the tambourine...”Based on this Hadith (narration), scholars said that it is permissible for one to allow his wife and children to engage in lawful entertainment on the days of Eid through the methods that amuse them and give them rest from the stress of worship; nevertheless, avoiding this is better. This Hadith also proves that expressing happiness and joy on the occasion of the Eids is one of the rites of Islam.3- Takbeer: Making Takbeer from the time sunset on the night of Eid until the Eid Prayer. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.}[Qur’an 2:185]It is recommended for men to make Takbeer loudly in the markets, houses, roads, mosques and gatherings to manifest this rite and revive it, and to emulate our righteous predecessors. The Takbeer wording is, “Allahuakbar Allahuakbar, Laa Ilaaha Illa Allah. Allahuakbar Walillaah Al-Hamd. (Allah is The Most Great, Allah is The Most Great, there is no true god except Allah, Allah is The Most Great, Allah is The Most Great and all praise is due to Him.)”Young children should be accustomed to this after teaching them the rationale behind it.4- Zakat al-Fitr: After the completion of the fast of the month of Ramadan, Allah The Almighty legislated Zakat al-Fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle and obscene speech that might affect his fast, and to feed the poor. It is a Saa‘ (measure of weight) of the food from the common foods in your country like rice, wheat, and dates for every Muslim person, as Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah enjoined Zakat al-Fitr, a Saa’ of dates, or a Saa’ of barley, on every Muslim, slave or free, male or female, young or old.” [Muslim]It is also an act of the Sunnah to pay for the foetus, as ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, may Allah be pleased with him, did so. Zakat al-Fitr must be paid before the Eid Prayer, and it is impermissible to be paid as money according to the soundest opinion of scholars. They argued that this violates the command of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. The Muslim should search for the poor and the needy to pay Zakat al-Fitr to them.The best time to pay Zakat al-Fitr is on the Eid Day, before the prayer. It is also permissible to be paid one or two days before the Eid Day.5- Ghusl (ritual bath) and adornment: It is recommended for men to perform Ghusl, apply perfume and wear their best clothes, as Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “‘Umar took a brocade cloak that was for sale in the market and brought it to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, buy this and adorn yourself with it for Eid and for receiving delegations…’”[Al-Bukhari]Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, also used to wear his best clothes on Eid.6- Eating before the Eid prayer: It is recommended for one to eat an odd number of dates (three or five) before going to the prayer of Eid Al-Fitr, as Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “Did not use to go out on the morning of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates… of which he would eat an odd number.”[Al-Bukhari]7- Going out to the Eid Prayer early: Going out to the Eid Prayer early is recommended, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {so race to [all that is] good.}[Qur’an 5:48]Undoubtedly, Eid is one of the best things, and Al-Bukhari entitled a chapter in his Saheeh as “Going Early to the Eid Prayer.” Under this title, he mentioned a Hadith narrated on the authority of Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him. He said, “The Prophet delivered a Khutbah (sermon) on the Day of An-Nahr saying, ‘the first thing we will do this day is the prayer….’”Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “This proves that one should not be engaged in anything on the Day of Eid other than preparing for the prayer and going to it. This entails refraining from doing anything else, which means that one should go to the prayer early.”Scholars such as Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, and others were of the opinion that the Eid prayer is obligatory and cannot be left without a valid excuse. Muslim women, including those who are menstruating, should attend the Eid Prayer; However, the menstruating women should keep away from the place of prayer. Umm ‘Atiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, commanded us to bring them (women) out on (Eid) al-Fitr and (Eid) al-Adh-ha, and to bring out adolescent girls, menstruating women and virgins, but the menstruating women were to stay away from the prayer, and were to witness goodness and the supplication of the Muslims.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]8- Going to the place of prayer on foot: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “It is an act of Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) for one to go to the Eid Prayer on foot.”[At-Tirmithi: Hasan]The majority of scholars rely on this Hadith and consider going to the Eid Prayer on foot recommended.Ibn Al-Munthir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Going to the Eid Prayer on foot is more humble, but whoever goes to it riding is not blamed.”9- Congratulations on the Eid day: There is no harm in congratulating each other on the Day of Eid by saying ‘Taqabbalal-Laahu minna wa minkum (may Allah accept from us and you).’ Jubayr ibn Nufayr may Allaah have mercy upon him narrated that some of the honorable Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, used to congratulate each other when meeting on Eid saying, “ Taqabbalal-Laahu minna wa minkum (may Allah accept from us and you) ”.Article source:http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
June 14, 2018 | 11:13 PM