EID AL FITR - عيد الفطر
- THE UNCONVENTIONAL INTERPRETATION.
Linguistically the word Eid عيد means to return or come back. The
basic meaning of عيد الفطر - Eid al Fitr is to
come back to its original nature. Shahr Ramadan according to my understanding
is the 9th evolutionary period of man's life cycle when
through Al-Quran, the guidance, criterion are compiled and settled in agitated
minds [Al-Naas]. Please see my article on Ramadan for further
clarification. Eid al-Fitr in Arabic عيد الفطر is traditionally believed to be a "festival of breaking of
the fast" - Eid is an important religious festival ignorantly celebrated by
traditional Muslims worldwide that marks the end of "Month of
Ramadan", the Islamic holy month of "fasting" (saum).
In fact the fever of ramadan or siyaam never ends for a mutaqi, diligent observer or a deep thinker, it is
manifested 24x7 throughout the dark phases of his/her personal life; the condition of ramadan is the phase of enlightenment that must manifest 24x7
throughout the dark or learning phases of one’s own lifetime.
The derivatives of word eid occurred in the book Quran occurred 63 times and once as noun in verse 5:114 which is wrongly translated as festival.
The religious Eid is a Islamic ritual which lost its original significance. Traditionally Eidul Fitr is the first day in the "month of Shawwal" during which Muslims are not permitted to fast, but they don't know why they are not commanded to abstain. Siyam is practice of abstinence from our bad habits, thus once we achieve control over our bad addictions we are free and no longer required to practice abstinence as we have acquired the self control technique. The practice of siyam brings us back to our original state or original nature. The coming back to our original state is the main significance of Eid-ul-Fitr.
It is unfortunate that we nonsensical celebrate the end of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset ritual fasting during the entire "month of Ramadan" without achieving anything. Basically the celebration is freedom from the tedious 15 plus hrs of starvation and from lengthy monotonous prayers. The day of traditional Eid falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon traditionally known as hilal by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies from region to region.
Note Eidul Fitr is a part of religious culture of Muslims but it is not mentioned in the book Quran although it is an important extension of understanding in the significance of Islamic philosophy.
SIGNIFICANCE OF HILAL COMMONLY INFERRED AS NEW MOON:
2:189 - يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَنْ تَأْتُواْ الْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَى وَأْتُواْ الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
They continuously ask you, about the ray of new light / glimmer of new ideas / discoveries. Say, "It is a time defining indicators for the agitated / restless minds and for the repairing / amendment by gaining ultimate knowledge [Hajj]." And it is not righteousness how you approach this new houses of thoughts (glimmer of new ideas) from its perception / manifestation, but righteousness behaviour is [in] one who is diligent / conscious. And approach the idea / thought from its proper way / method. And be conscious of Allah that you may be always successful.
الْأَهِلَّةِ - slight light in the agitated mind that would gradually change the complexion from darkness to complete enlightenment.
الْحَجِّ - the house of thoughts where different kind of introspection revolves and get repaired.
الْبُيُوتَ - houses in which our thoughts, new ideas dwell.
woh tumse poochte hai al-hilal kiya hai - kaho ye ek roshan khayali hai tumhare mooshtaeel dimaag ke liye ta ke tum haj ke maqam tak paonch sako, aur isme koi badi baat nahi hai ke tum apni soch / ideas ko kayse zahir kar rahe ho munasin tariqe se - kaamiyaabi ke liye Allah se ba-khabar raho - apne zameer ko jaano -
الْأَهِلَّةِ - ray of new ideas - rays of sun on the doubt (qamar) - full moon is shahr
مَوَاقِيتُ - defining period / determining period - taruf, tarif, samajana ka waqt, wazahat
Shawwāl (Arabic: شوّال) is traditionally the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. In lexical terms Shawwāl means 'lifting or carrying'; so named because a female camel raises her tail as a sign that she has conceived and is ready to deliver the baby.
According to my understanding the evolutionary period of Shawwal manifest the signs of carrying responsibility and is ready to deliver [Al-Quran] which is conceived by the womb of knowledge by an individual through the nourishing / educating mental faculty called Rahman (55:1-2). The manifestation period of Ramadan is the compiling and settling download of our own thoughts (Quran) which has guidance and criterion. Although this detailed information is not in the book Quran but it is important to know its basic significance as this evolutionary phases plays an important role for growth in every man's life and we cannot deny its theological significance though available in distorted shape but believed by the majority of Muslims.
Whatever superficial rituals we celebrate in the name of religion has some deep hidden connotations which we must try to discover - Originally the idea of 12 evolutionary manifestation are phases in man's evolutionary life cycle which one must migrate (hijrah) from one phase to another, that's why it is called HIJRI [migration of self] or التقويم الهجري literally signify molding the self by cutting off the self from previous beliefs / ideology, but this significance is lost and later on it was adapted as the Lunar based Islamic calendar. Ideally every calendar must have fixed dates throughout the year as on the basis of that farmer fixed their dates of sowing and harvesting seasons. But if we understand this 12 manifestations as evolutionary phases and not as months then there is no need for fix dates as mental evolution of man can occur in any season provided he is prepared and ready to evolve; so this concept of hijri makes sense too.
The basic meaning of Al-Fitr - الفطر is to break, cleave, split - F -a-T-a-R-a = like the Breaking of milk, emergence of pimples or cleaving of flesh and coming forth of tooth - these reactions are called fatara. Some reaction that incites the activity to take place is a result of chemical reaction recognized as fatara. Thus the word fitrat is also derived from this word, something which happens or emerges naturally but has a cause behind it.
Coming
back on the path of natural constitution is termed as Eid al-Fitr in
Arabic: عيد الفطر - From the manifestation of Ramadan till the
declaration of Hajj are the sacred levels for those who seek knowledge and
guidance. The word fatara is usually used for chemical reactions. The
beginning of change in man’s nature that occurs due to knowledge and
guidance of the revelation of Al-Quran which begins to manifest in man's fitrah
and is the cause of internal celebration and happiness. In other words Eid al
Fitr is a celebration of Nuzool e Quran on the agitated mind [Al-Naas] upon an
individual and not for entire mankind. The
word أُنزِلَ
in verse 2:185 is 3rd person masculine singular (form IV) passive perfect verb.
97:1 - إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
The celebration of Eid is for changing of Muqadar [destiny] after the period of long
anxiety or dark phase [Lail] -
Are we eligible to celebrate Eid al Fitr ? Have we reverted back to our
original nature [Al-Fitr], the original nature on which Allah has evolved us
[30:30] ?
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ
الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ
الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
THE ACTUAL EID-AL-FITR IS COMING BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL NATURE (FITRAH) ON WHICH WE ARE BASICALLY EVOLVED.
