Eid Mobarak to all of you on the auspicious day of Eid al-Fetr which Muslims celebrate as thanksgiving to the Lord Most High after observing the fasts of the month of Ramadhan.

We join you in your moments of happiness, but with a thought for those unfortunate Muslims whose life has become miserable as a result of the US-Zionist directed Saudi onslaught on Yemen and the sedition of the Godless Takfiris who are trying to destabilize Syria and Iraq.

 “Look! Today is a day that Allah has appointed a festival for you, considering you worthy of it. So remember Allah that He may remember you; supplicate Him that He may answer you; and pay the Zakat of Fitrah, for it is the sunnah (practice) of your Prophet and a duty prescribed by your Lord.”

What we recited to you was part of a sermon delivered by the Leader of the Pious and the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the divinely-designated vicegerent of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), after the Special Prayer for Eid al-Fitr – a day which Muslims celebrate with festivities after the month long fasting of Ramadhan.

The Eid in Islam, unlike the feasts of other creeds, cults, and religions, has an aura of spirituality, in addition to its material blessings that the believers are permitted to enjoy. It is the day of thanksgiving to the Lord Most High for having blessed the believers with the spiritual feast of Ramadhan, during which the faithful have been the Guests of God.

It is a day of contemplation, while visiting family members and friends to exchange greetings and gloss over the state of affairs of the community, the society, the city, the country, and world at large – all of which play their own particular roles in our life.

It is the day to set aside, before start of the Special Eid Prayer, our Zakat of Fitrah, in accordance with the teachings of Prophet, as per the instructions of God, so this meagre sum collectively becomes a huge amount to be channeled for the relief of the poor and the needy.

No wonder, Imam Ali (AS), whose four-and-a-half year rule of the Muslim World remains the only instance of the model administration of social justice, has rightly remarked:

“Indeed Eid is for those whose fasting has been accepted by God and whose worship has been appreciated, and any day on which God has not been disobeyed is Eid.”

This year’s Ramadhan with all its blessings has come to its end. Let us take stock of ourselves in order to be sure that we have not violated the laws of God, in order to make Eid al-Fitr a really joyous occasion. Of course, the gates of divine mercy are open for all penitents who are eager to repent, to reform themselves and return to God. There is no better way to judge ourselves than the instructions of the Barometer of Faith, Imam Ali (AS), whose famous Letter of Instructions to Malek Ashtar, his governor of the then Christian-majority Egypt, was recently expounded as the blueprint of ideal governance by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

This year’s Eid al-Fitr provides an opportunity to have a correct assessment of the political and economic situation in the region and the world, and whether or not the arrogant powers have lived up to their promise of lifting the illegal sanctions and releasing Iran’s unjustly blocked hundreds of billions of dollars, following last year’s accord in Vienna with the arrogant powers for continuing the country’s peaceful nuclear programme.

This year’s Eid al-Fitr has also exposed as Godless the hypocrites in our midst who despite their lip service to Islam, continue to rain bombs upon the defenceless men, women, and children in Yemen; and who gang up with the Zionists to cause death, destruction and vandalism in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere. Our sympathies are with the oppressed people Bahrain during this Eid, in view of the fact that the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime, is persecuting, jailing, torturing, and killing innocent people, besides illegally revoking the citizenship of leading figures of the opposition, such as the venerable religious leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Eisa Qassem.  

Eid al-Fitr is thus the day of renewing of the covenant with God Almighty for His endless favours, after the month long fasting of Ramadhan that purifies the believers, strengthens their faith, instills in them the hope in divine mercy, inculcates the feeling for self-reform and encourages them to do good to others in society. The Divine Banquet that was spread out for one full month may be over but Divine Blessings will never cease for the seekers of Truth.

The Eid Prayer, which is performed in the morning hours, is without doubt one of the finest displays of Islamic solidarity. The sight of rows upon rows of the faithful standing solemnly in the presence of Omnipresent God as a form of thanksgiving; bowing in unison and prostrating in unison; is indeed a marvelous spectacle to behold – perhaps even for the celestial angels. In view of this bounty, a true Muslim ought to reflect on the legacy of the Ahl al-Bait that we have received in the form of prayers, supplications, and the dynamic laws of the shari’a, according to which we are required to mould our daily behaviour, so that our transient life becomes meaningful and an atmosphere of peace and prosperity prevails.

Of course, we have firm faith in God’s Promise of the reappearance of Saviour of mankind, the Prophet’s 12th and Last Infallible Heir, Imam Mahdi (AS), who will establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice by weeding out oppression and corruption from Planet Earth.

In the meantime, while praying for easing of the sufferings of our brothers-in-faith, coupled with whatever moral and material aid we can provide them, no matter if the terrorist powers feel annoyed, let us ponder on the timeless wisdom of the Gateway of the City of Knowledge – Imam Ali (AS) – as spelled out in his Special Eid al-Fitr Sermon, for we are answerable to our Creator and not the tyrannical powers:

“Death is the destiny of the creatures and the common route of the world’s denizens. Tied to the forelocks of the living, it cannot be frustrated by escaping. At its onset, it fetters the covetous, destroying all pleasures, making all joys vanish, and all delights cease; for the world is an abode for which Allah has decreed annihilation, and made banishment the lot of its denizens.

“Yet most of them regard it as eternal and marvel at its architecture. Regarded as charming, luxuriant and a ready prize by the seeker, enchanting the heart of the onlooker, it is begrudged by the rich to the weak, but shunned by those who are apprehensive to it.

“Behold! Today is the race and tomorrow is the finish line. Indeed the stake is paradise and the pitfall is hell. Look! Is there anyone who will repent from his misdeeds before the day of his demise? Is there anyone who will work for himself before the day of his distress and need?”