Story & Photos By Edd K. Usman / Special to the BusinessMirror
Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting, will end in mid-June. It concludes with the celebration of Eid’l Fitr, which literally means “Festival of Breaking the Fast.”
On June 6 President Duterte signed Proclamation 514 declaring June 15, a Friday, a regular holiday to celebrate Eid’l Fitr, the Feast of Ramadan.
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommended to the President the date of this year’s post-Ramadan observance based on Republic Act 9177 signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2002, declaring the first day of Shawwal, the 10th Islamic month, a national holiday for Eid’l Fitr.
Muslims across the world, including Filipinos, begun their fast on May 17 (Ramadan 1, 1439, based on the Hijrah lunar calendar). It set off a monthlong total abstention from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk, or a period of 15 hours.
Eid’l Fitr is one of Islam’s two most important holidays. Eid’l Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is celebrated at the climax of the annual Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Hajj occurs during the month of Dhul Hijjah, about three months after Ramadan.
Both are regular holidays with changing dates every year in the Philippines. Republic Act 9849 declared in 2009 Eid’l Adha a regular holiday.
Ramadan’s first day will always be the start of performing the fast, and the first day of Shawwal will always be Eid’l Fitr. But since the Hijrah (meaning flight or migration) is short by 11 days vis-a-vis the Gregorian calendar, the dates of the two Eid celebrations will always change every year.
The two separate laws covering the two Eids allow for determining their dates based on the Islamic calendar or through astronomical calculations, “whichever is possible or convenient.”
Today, June 10, is the 25th day of the fast. The first and last day of every month of the Hijrah is determined with the appearance of the crescent moon.
Muslims are expected to sight the crescent moon to set the Ramadan’s last day and Shawwal’s first day.
On June 14 the National Moon-sighting Committee (NMSC) of the NCMF will once again deploy its members—including religious leaders—in strategic places across the country to scan the horizon for the crescent.
In moon-sighting, the rule of thumb is that if the crescent is sighted on June 14, the early morning Eid’l Fitr prayers—the first stage of Eid celebrations—will be on June 15. If not sighted, Eid prayers will be on June 16.
So, it could happen that the June 15 national holiday will not coincide with the Eid’l Fitr congregational prayers, but still be within the three-day celebrations.
In the course of the month of fasting, it has been a tradition for embassies in the Philippines to offer iftar, the meal or dinner for breaking the fast, at sundown.
True to this tradition, Ambassador Abdullah N.A. Al-Bussairy hosted an iftar on May 28 at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Salcedo Village, Makati City, for Filipinos—Muslim and Christian—and Arabs, with the food of a combination of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
Then, on June 7 it was the turn of Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely to host an iftar at her residence in North Forbes Park, Makati City.
Ramadan has another aspect that every adult Muslim must perform, the giving of Zakat al-Fitr before the Eid prayers. Zakat al-Fitr is described as a charity given to the poor.
Imam Ustadhz Muhammad Cana said it is preferable to give the Zakat al-Fitr a few days before the Eid so the recipients can use it during the month of fasting, or just before the Eid prayers so they can enjoy the Eid.
In the Philippines, Muslims usually give a minimum of 2.5 kilograms of rice of the same kind they could eat for the Zakat al-Fitr, he said. If it’s in the form of money, it should be equal to the price of the rice per kilogram.
It should come from every member of the household, including from servants with the breadwinner shouldering the cost, as well as for dependents even if they are not living in the same house.
From Islamicweb.net, here are some details about Eid’l Fitr, which are also true with Eid’l Adha.
“[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,” the online platform said.
Islamic religious leaders have given out rulings and etiquette concerning Eid.
- Thank Allah (God in Arabic) and supplicate Him to accept your fasting and night prayers;
- Show happiness;
- Recite Takbeer (Allahu Akbar, God is Great);
- Pay your Zakat al-Fitr as a purification for your fast from idle and obscene speech that might affect your fast, and feed the poor;
- Perform ghusl (ritual bath), which is recommended for men, apply perfume and wear your best clothes;
- Eat odd number of dates before going to the mosque or open fields for the Eid prayers;
- It is recommended to go out to the Eid prayer venue early in the morning (prayers should start before 7 a.m.);
- Proceed to the prayer venue on foot (obviously if it is a walking distance); and
- Congratulate each other on Eid day is permissible by saying, “Taqabbal-Laahu minna wa minkum” (May Allah accept from us and you).
In relation with this, Cana, who works at the NCMF as translator and an Islamic scholar from a Saudi Arabia university, said Eid’l Fitr is also a time to forgive and reconcile with one’s enemy.
It is also a time for harvest of good things and thanksgiving to Allah for giving the faithful the opportunity to perform Ramadan fasting, with a wish and a prayer for another fasting month.
“Let us all practice all through the years the virtues of Ramadan, among them, God-consciousness, sabar [patience], forgiveness, sacrifice and expiation from Hell, and [receive] reward from paradise,” Cana said.
He added that the lessons on the virtues of the holy month should be imbibed not only during the season of fasting but for years to come.
From “Strive for Paradise” blog, here are some things to learn about the two Eid festivals:
- It’s a Sunnah (optional) to pray in the open air and not in mosques because the prophet of Islam, Muhammad bin Abdullah, used to do it;
- The prophet used to take different routes going to the prayer venue and going home (it gives you the chance to spread the Eid greetings to different people);
- Visiting friends, neighbors or relatives is a great part of Eid; and
- One should prepare and give gifts to children, no matter how small.
The blog also has advice for everyone: “We must continue these good deeds from Eid onward, otherwise it will be harder to bring them into our daily lives. We should always try to better ourselves, so let’s start from Eid.”
Image credits: Edd K. Usman