Islam is a faith like no other in that we celebrate acts of worship. Our main two celebrations, Eid, both happen around two (of five) of the pillars of faith: fasting and pilgrimage.
The more I reflect on the significance of this, the more in awe I am. These are our God ordained celebrations, they are celebrating worship, worship we will not know the outcome of until we have passed away and been resurrected. And yet, despite now knowing the outcome of our deeds, we celebrate and that to me reminds me that our deeds are always judged by their intention. It’s what we set out to do regardless of obstacles in our way or limitations in our physical abilities. Intentions, it’s what our heart carries and how hard we try in our pursuit of excellence in worship.
How gracious is God.
How gracious is God.
Then I am even more so astounded when I see that our celebration starts with… prayer! A prayer which is communal, in an open space and which Muslims of all walks of life attend. It’s the most moving scene I have ever seen. So even in our celebration we are not deterred or distracted by worldly things, but almost as if we are reaffirming that this is how we worshipped our Lord and this is how we will continue to worship Him. It’s a continuation.
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Worship in Islam is all about disciplining your mind and body to nourish your soul. For prayers we pray 5 times, during different windows of time daily, rain or shine. For Ramadan we fast from sunrise to sunset, everyday for a month. And the same goes for other acts of worship like giving charity, you are obliged to give a percentage of your wealth, and pilgrimage, a journey you’re obliged to make once in a life trip. And there is consistency in these acts of worship which entails a sense of commitment. Even for pilgrimage which is once in a lifetime, even when you’re not in Mecca you still have other acts of worship you need to perform at that time. This theme of discipline and commitment is so strong in our faith.
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Circling back to celebrating Eid, I find it such a pure concept to celebrate our continued commitment to the Oneness of God and our discipline in worshiping NONE but HIM. And in that we find complete and total contentment and peace, or as others might describe it, freedom.
To be continued…
Khadija Ali ••• خديجة علي 