The Eid-Al-Ad'ha was celebrated in <st1:place>North America last Friday with a majority of Muslims at work. There are only two official celebrations that Muslims have been ordained to rejoice. Not only should we celebrate, they should be commemorated with enthusiasm with family and friends. Those two occasions are our two religious celebrations i.e. Eid-Al-Fitrah, the celebration after fasting the holy month of Ramadan and Eid-Al-Ad'ha, the celebration after millions of people have performed Hajj - the 5th pillar of Islam.
Yet when it falls on a weekday, Muslims in US and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Canada find many excuses to go to work or send their kids to school on Eid. First and foremost it is a sign of disrespect and devaluation of Islam and its ethos by its own people. If we will not value our festival and rituals ourselves, how could we ever dream of letting our neighbors and fellow countrymen know about our values and culture, let alone respect it? The price will be loss of next generation to the alien culture whereby our children will celebrate Christmas, New Year and even the Satan's party viz. Halloween but will have no true regard for Eid. By the way, to demonstrate a secular standpoint and mindset, thousands of Muslim families do spend on Halloween costumes for their children. Our failure and loss of generation to alien culture shouldn’t be unexpected. Because of others who do celebrate their festivals with a lot of passion and sincerity unlike our cold shoulder to Eid. Naturally young minds see and get affected with the lighting, the decor, the festivities, the enthusiasm, the buying frenzies, the gifts and celebrations all around whereas they have been sent to school and their parents went to work on Eid day. The psychology is thus established: Halloween is a greater celebration and fun versus Eid. And it doesn't end there, not spreading the understanding of Islam and our culture to our colleagues and neighbors doesn't clear the negative image strategically created by larger media, playing in the hands of enemies of Islam. The net result in latest example is; a hate 'NO' vote against mosque minarets in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Switzerland, a country supposedly secular that gives freedom to religions.
In <st1:country-region><st1:place>CanadaI have come across a variety of excuses to work on Eid day. The embarrassment to ask for a day off on Eid prompts us to think 'what would my manager or supervisor think'? There is no need to take a day off? Oh! But it will be deducted from my annual vacation? Sure! I prayed the Eid Salat and then went to work because what else is there to do? I don't have vacation days? I don't have family or friends? I am new at this job? The most classic one I heard recently was; there are so many religions, how can they give off to people of all faiths?
The prime cause I see for this contempt of Islam is weak Iman (faith). Thanks to the media’s long and tactical hard work against Islam and Muslims, not only rest of the world even the modern Muslims themselves have begun to feel inferior. Consequently and rather unwittingly they do not want to associate in celebration of Islam openly. What could be a bigger catastrophe for a nation that in spite of being almost one in four persons on planet earth’s human population, it wants to inadvertently hide its identity?
Portraying modern identity or hiding your characteristics through demonstration of secularism no matter to what extent, will not absolve you of your Muslim identity unless you abandon it totally. And at the end of it neither the world will belong to you or the hereafter. If you are a Muslim and truly believe in Allah (SWT), His Prophets (PBUH), the Qur'an, the Hereafter, the Day of Judgment and most importantly that Islam is the only salvation for you, your neighbors, your fellow countrymen and the entire mankind, then stand up for the cause and remain steadfast. This sincerity is a must for your own success as well as for the betterment of human race. For all those who belong to this category; Allah’s (SWT) commandments must be dearer than fear of supervisor, deduction of days from annual vacation or even loss of pay for the day off.
Prepare for Eid celebrations with excitement. Buy lights in sale after this New Year and let’s illuminate our houses next Eid onwards. Take your family for Eid shopping and buy new clothes, if possible. Buy gifts for your family and friends. If you don’t have family or friends, it’s time to begin a new friendship. Select that someone you wanted to get close to for a longtime and invite his/her entire family for lunch or dinner. Let the ladies and girls in your house have henna painted on their hands. Apply for 'a day off for Eid' in advance even at loss of one day’s pay for sake of Allah (SWT). Inform the school in advance that your son or daughter will not attend school because of "Our Eid Celebration". Take your entire family to Eid prayers. Give Eidi (the tradition of giving money to young) to your children. Offer goody bags to children in your neighborhood and explain them why. Whatever sweets or dishes you make for Eid, send small bowls with your Eid clothed children to your immediate neighbors with message of Eid. To let your children learn the festivity and culture attend 'Islamic Eid Parties', if and when it's celebrated at community levels. If not, organize a community Eid celebration. Last but not least Children's Eid Parties in Islamic perspective must be organized to negate the attraction towards ‘Other’s Great Celebration’.
Remember if you will not wake up and bring Islam back in your life, do not commemorate its festivities as per its due right then your children are bound to fall prey to the environment of other alien celebrations. Whether right or wrong, those occasions are undoubtedly celebrated with a lot of infatuation.
