About Eid Al Fitr

Eid Al Fitr, also known as Eid Ul-Fitr, is a major religious festival celebrated by Muslims all over the world. Eid Al Fitr is also called the Festival of Breaking the Fast that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. This religious Eid is celebrated in the month of Shawwal and is the only day during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. The date of the celebration of Eid Al Fitr varies from county to country. The celebration date depends on the sighting of the new moon by local religious authorities.

Usually, Eid al-Fitr begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. If the moon is not observed due to clouds or the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets, then the festival is celebrated the following day. This religious festival is celebrated for one to three days depending on the country. Furthermore, on the day of Eid, it is forbidden to fast and a specific prayer is chosen for this day. Also, as an obligatory act of charity, money is paid to the poor and the needy before performing the Eid prayer. This act of charity is called Zakat ul-Fitr.

Eid al-Fitr has a particular Islamic prayer that consists of two units and usually performed in an open field or large hall. It may only be performed in a large assemblage and features six additional Takbirs in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Takbirs are basically raising the hands to the ears while saying "Allāhu ʾAkbar", meaning God is the greatest. Three Takbirs at the start of the first unit and three just before rukūʿ in the second unit. Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs which split into groups of seven and five. In Shia Islam, the prayer has six Takbirs in the first unit at the end of qira'a, before rukūʿ, and five in the second. Furthermore, depending on the juristic opinion of the locality, this prayer is either obligatory, strongly recommended, or preferable.

Origin of Eid Al Fitr Festival

Eid al-Fitr was originated from the Islamic prophet Muhammad. According to certain traditions, this festival was initiated in Medina after the migration of Muhammad from Mecca. Anas was a well-known companion of the Prophet He stated that when the Prophet arrived in Medina, he found people celebrating two specific days in which they entertained themselves with recreation and merriment. After watching this, the Prophet remarked that Almighty has fixed two days of festivity i.e., Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Since then, the festival of Eid Al Fitr is celebrated by Muslims all over the world.