By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz    

     Happy Eid al-Fitr to all our readers! Hope you partook of the Divine Banquet that was spread out during Ramadhan for the believers.

      The Day of Eid is certainly an auspicious day. It is the day of renewing of the covenant with God Almighty for His endless favours, especially after the month-long fasting of Ramadhan that purifies the believers, strengthens their faith, instills in them the hope in divine mercy, inculcates the feeling for self-reform and encourages them to do good to others in society. The Divine Banquet that was spread out for one full month may be over but Divine Blessings will never cease for the seekers of Truth.

       For a Muslim, the Eid is not just any other ordinary day. It is a day on which a special prayer is performed before anything else in the early morning hours. The Eid Prayer is thus one of the finest displays of Islamic solidarity. As is evident, rows upon rows of the faithful stand solemnly in the presence of God Almighty, as a form of thanksgiving, bowing in unison and prostrating in unison to present a marvelous sight.

     Eid ul-Fitr is actually the icing to the Ramadhan cake. It is a day of great rejoicing. In view of this fact, a true Muslim ought to reflect on the legacy of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and his blessed Ahl al-Bait that we have received in the form of prayers, supplications, and the dynamic laws of the shari’a, according to which we are required to mould our daily behaviour, so that our transient life becomes meaningful and an atmosphere of peace and prosperity prevails.

     Here is a passage from the special Eid al-Fitr Sermon of the Commander of the True Believers, the Leader of the Pious, and the Epitome of Justice, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS):

     "O Servants of Allah! Indeed the minimum reward for those men and women who fasted (during Ramadhan), is an angel, who calls out to them on the last day of the month of Ramadhan (saying): O Servants of Allah! Rejoice at the glad tiding that all your previous sins have been forgiven.”

     How true! These words not just indicates the status of Imam Ali (AS) as the Divinely-Designated Successor of the Almighty’s Last Messenger to mankind, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), but remove all despondency from believers, by giving them hope in God’s Infinite Mercy and the incentive to do more good.

    No wonder, the Prophet had said: "Ali ma’al Haq wa Haq ma’ Ali” (Ali is with truth and truth is with Ali), and it is not a surprise that the Commander of all True Believers rightly remarked: "The day on which you commit no sin is a day of Eid for you.”

      Since it is Eid time and Muslims all over the world are celebrating these auspicious days, here we is one of those wonderful pieces of advice from an affectionate father to an obedient son. Imam Ali (AS) once said to his son Imam Hasan (AS):

    "My son, learn four things from me and through them you will learn four more. If you keep them in mind your actions will not bring any harm to you. The greatest wealth is wisdom; the greatest poverty is stupidity; the worst unsocial trait is vanity and self-glorification; and nobility of descent exhibits itself in politeness and in refinement of manner.”

     "The next four things, my son, are: Do not make friendship with a fool because when he tries to do you good he will harm you; Do not make a miser your friend because he will run away from you at the time of need; Do not be friendly with a vicious and wicked person because he will sell you and your friendship at the cheapest price; Do not make friend of a liar because like a mirage he will make you visualize very near the things which are at a great distance and will make you see at the great distance the things which are near to you.”

     Here is a passage from the special Eid al-Fitr supplication to God Almighty by the Prophet’s 4th infallible Successor, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), the grandson of Imam Ali (AS):  

    "Thy door is open to the beseechers; Thy munificence free to the askers; Thy help near to the help-seekers; The expectant are not disappointed by Thee; those who present themselves are despaired not of Thy bestowal; Thy provision is spread among (even) those who disobey Thee; Thy clemency present itself to (even) those hostile toward Thee…”
 
      In these crucial times, when Muslims are passing through crises all over the world and killing each other on the orders of their avowed enemies, such as in Yemen, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria, as well as in Palestine where the treacherous Wahhabis have openly allied themselves with Zionists, let us pray for the advent of the Promised Saviour of mankind, Imam Mahdi (AS) whom all religions have predicted, and who will revive the legacy of Imam Ali (AS) to fill the earth with peace, justice and fairness through his global government, and will cleanse the earth of all traces of tyranny and corruption. Amen.
                      
    
…..
Congratulations on the Threshold of Eid al-Fitr