11 Nov 2021 By Know Muslim
Festivals of Muslims
'Eid-ul Fitr and 'Eid al Adha, remembered as 'Eid and Baqreed also, are two great festivals of Muslims. 'Eid falls on the 1st of Shawwal, when the month of Ramzan ends and the moon of Shawwal (the 10th month of the Islamic calendar1) is sighted. Since the month of Ramzan is the month of fasting and it is spent in endurance, worship, religious and spiritual engagements and self-restraint, naturally the moon of 'Eid2 is eagerly awaited and there is more joy if the moon is sighted specially on the 29th. In Urdu, the moon of 'Eid ('Eid ka chand) and the moon of the 29th (Unteesveen ka chand) have become popular idioms for: joy and longing. As the sun sets on the 29th of Ramzan, Muslims of every age and class scan the sky, intently looking for the dim luminous crescent. If the moon is not sighted on the 29th a fast is observed again the following day and the moon's sighting on the 30th becomes certain. The moment the moon is sighted, voices rise a few decibels in excitement and the dusk is rent with greetings of Mubarak! Salamath! The young wish their elders. Children in their innocent ways break the happy news of 'Eid to the elderly and ladies of the family and take their blessings. And the educated, especially those who try to act in accordance with the Sunnah (Practices of the Prophet r) supplicate in the following manner when they see the crescent.
Allah is my Sustainer and yours O crescent,
The word Hijri is derived from Hijrah which is an event of great importance in Islam and it marks the beginning of the Hijri calendar which is the Islamic calendar. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the month in Hijri calendar changes on the sighting of the new moon and the date changes at sunset. The night of 'Eid is thus the night between the last day of Ramzan and the day of 'Eid. The Hijri being a lunar calendar the concept of leap year is not there in it; the month is either of 29 or of 30 days depending on the sighting of the moon; and the number of months is 12 whose names in descending order are: Muharram-ul Haraam, Safar-ul Muzaffar, Rabi'ul Awwal, Rabi'ut thani, Jamadi-ul Awwal, Jamadi-ut thani, Rajab-ul Murajjab, Sha'baan Al-Mu'azzam, Ramzan-ul Mubarak, Shawwal, Zul Qa'dah and Zul Hajj. 2. The author has referred to the moon of Shawwal as the moon of 'Eid. In colloquial Urdu, the moon of Shawwal is popularly known as the moon of 'Eid probably because it is the only crescent that ushers in a month and a festival and the festival attracts more attention than the month.
(you sure are) the symbol of guidance and goodness!
O Allah! Allow this month to begin:
with peace, firmness of belief, safety and security for us; with our obedience unto You and
with the hope of succeeding to act according to Your Holy Will.
Information regarding Muslim World and Pakistan.
