After 29 days of fasting – one of the five pillars of Islam, the remaining four are articles of faith (Kalimatu Shahada), salat, zakat and Hajj – Muslims all over the world are today observing Eid-l-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan.
Historically, Muslims first observed Eid-l-Fitr in 624 AD in Medina after completing the first-ever month-long fast during Ramadan. This occurred in the second year of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) migration from Mecca to Medina.
Typically celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, Eid-l-Fitr is a time of festivity when Muslims come together with family and friends to offer prayers, exchange gifts, and share meals.
Indeed, Eid-l-Fitr affords Muslims the opportunity to express gratitude to Allah, seek forgiveness, strengthen family ties and extend acts of kindness and charity to those in need. This important religious festivity is enormously significant to Muslims as it occurs after the end of Ramadan, a period of intense spiritual devotion and self-reflection.
It must be stated with a tone of finality that Eid-l-Fitr is a moment of charity and generosity. Muslims are encouraged to give Zakat al-Fitr to help those in need, share the joy of the festival with the less privileged, reflect on their spiritual journey during Ramadan, and renew their commitment to being better Muslims.
As a newspaper, we rejoice with Nigerian Muslims as they join their counterparts all over the world to mark this year’s edition of Eid-l-Fitr. It is gratifying to note that this year’s Eid-l-Fitr comes at a time when most Christians in the country are observing Lent, underscoring the need for religious harmony in a nation whose citizens are predominantly adherents of the two major religions – Islam and Christianity.
We are, however, worried that the celebration will be a gloomy one for many families, especially those whose loved ones are still being held by kidnappers and those classified as multi-dimensionally poor.
It is painful to remember that even though security and the welfare of the people are the primary responsibilities of the government, most Nigerians, especially the majority in the lower rung of the social ladder, some of whom will be marking today’s Eid-l-Fitr, are facing hunger and hardship in the midst of a deplorable security situation.
The sad reality is that Nigerians are still struggling to adjust to rising food prices, the high cost of transportation, insecurity, and growing youth unemployment. The statistics of unemployment and losses occasioned by rising insecurity are startling. Clearly, the challenges of insecurity, the harsh economic situations, and alarming youth unemployment are closely linked, and all of these have contributed to making life difficult for the average Nigerian.
However, the occasion of Eid-l-Fitr and the opportunity for prayers that it provides offer a ray of hope and an assurance that all hope is not lost. Therefore, Nigerians should not relent in seeking divine guidance on the nation’s affairs.
Moments like this generally call for sober reflection — not just for those in positions of authority but for all citizens — on the need to work towards building a better nation that all will be proud of. The government at all levels must ensure it is guided by the desire to uplift the common good of all. The citizens must support the government’s effort to build a better nation by exposing criminal elements bent on derailing the nation’s dream for security, peace, and development.
In the spirit of the season, we encourage Nigerians who have the means to donate generously to those in need, especially the orphans and vulnerable—and we have them in abundance in every nook and cranny of the country—to enable them to share in the joy of this significant religious festival.
We enjoin well-to-do Nigerians to do all they can to make the celebration memorable for those in need. That, we believe, is part of the significance of Eid-l-Fitr.
Happy Eid-l-Fitr to the Muslim ummah
