..And ( He desires) that you should complete the number and that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for having guided you and that you may give thanks. (Al Baqarah 2:185)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Assalaam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo.
I pray that Allah may accept all the prayers and supplications of those who availed the opportunity to progress spiritually by fasting in the blessed month of Ramadan. I hope that we will continue to strive to maintain the nearness to Allah that we have nurtured through the spiritual exercise of fasting. All those who undertake physical exercise to build a good physique realise that after the achievement of their goal they have to continue exercising to maintain it. Similarly, I hope that we will also resolve to make every effort to maintain the closeness to Allah that we have developed. Let us pray that we will strive over the next eleven months, till Allah grants us another Ramadan, to move further on the journey of nearness to Allah.
It would be too simplistic a view to believe that the Muslims are out to celebrate release from a period of restrain they had subjected themselves to. No! It is not so! They are rejoicing the return to their ‘fitra’, the condition of pureness in which they were created, and hence the term ‘Eid ul Fitr’.
Eid carries with it the deeper meaning of happiness of the soul. It should not be taken as a day in the annual calendar that ends with the midnight hour. It should be a process that continues and develops. In fact Eid is the celebration of what we have gained spiritually.
Remember that the colourful and clean clothes worn by everyone, especially the children, on Eid and the glee and smiles on their faces; the sharing of food and sweets and exchanging of gifts is only the outward manifestation of happiness.
The actual joy is within the soul which after the spiritual experience of Ramadan is pure and light as the clothes sparkling bright and faces full of joy.
In the spirit of the verse I have cited above, having completed the number of fasting days prescribed, we should exalt the greatness of Allah for having guided us and we should strive hard to follow His Path.
This message is for you, all your family, friends and members of the Jama‘at. As I pray for your happy, long and successful lives, for a peaceful Pakistan and
indeed the whole world, I request you to pray for me.
I pray that Allah makes this a very happy Eid for all of us.
Aameen
Professor Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed
Ameer and President
Worldwide Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
