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[ Friday, January 21, 2005 ]

 

"Eid Mubarak!/Eid Kareem! Eid Mabrouk! Akhtar Mubaraksha!"

My Eid has been pretty chill and relaxing. I emailed my professors to let them know it was a holiday and I wouldn't be attending class. Instead, I went to Eid salah this morning with my dad, not wanting to miss Imam Zaid Shakir's khutbah (sermon), which turned out to be the highlight of my day. The khutbah was, as always, inspirational and an eye-opener…something that everyone could relate to and needed to hear. Imam Zaid spoke about the significance of Eid al-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice, commemorating Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son. A very rough summary of his speech:

-Process of sacrificing an animal (camel, sheep, goat, or cow), explaining that it's not a cruel ritual, where animals are sacrificed and left at the alter as an offering to God…Rather, they are sacrificed humanely, in the name of God, and then the meat is distributed to the poor, many of whom can only afford to eat meat at the times of Eid (e.g. those in the villages of Syria). Can send money for a sacrifice to other needy countries and have a sacrifice done on your behalf to feed the poor. I could be wrong, but I think he said: A sheep must in its 1st year; a goat in its 2nd year; and a camel in its 6th year to be sacrificed.

-Allah is the One to obey and only He makes commands. If you don't want tyrannical rulers, start with not having tyranny in your homes.

-The magnitude of the test for Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. Prophet Ibrahim's son was born in the his old age, after so many years of prayer, and his son had just reached the age when fathers look forward to teaching their sons everything that they know. Prophet Ibrahim told his son about his dream (which was how Allah communicated His commands to him), consulted his son. This shows that parents should consult their family members, even those who're young, when making decisions. Many family disputes arise because there isn’t mutual consultation.

-Prophet Ibrahim's son's patience and acceptance of Allah's command. He made it easier for his father to follow the command. Shows that the youth should not force their parents to choose between Islam and their own desires. Be patient, because soon the youths' time will come when they're independent and making their own decisions. Be patient with your parents, and pray that insha Allah you will have children who're patient with you.

-How much of a sacrifice are we making? Not much. How much time are we spending for the Duniyya and how much for the Akhirah? Even on a day of Eid, we're counting the minutes that are being taken away from our earning money for the Duniyya.

-Death is a reality and every Muslim will "be tested with hunger or thirst." Talked about the tsunami victims.

-Don't ask where Allah is with you; ask where you are with Allah. Allah is with those who remember Him.

-Forbidden to fast during Eid and three days after it. Eid is a day for eating, drinking, and merriment, so enjoy it. But don't forget that tomorrow is death.

After the salah and khutbah, I greeted community members…teachers, teacher's families, family friends, halaqa sisters, and Sunday School students and their mothers. There were continuous wishes of peace, greetings of Eid Mubarak, and endless hugs. It was a much smaller crowd than in the past since it was a weekday and many Muslims had celebrated Eid yesterday.

I introduced one of my good friends, a convert to Islam, to Imam Zaid's wife. My friend, R, was too intimidated to want to even meet her, saying she's a very pious person, but relented when I told her it was good adab to greet everyone. I sat and prayed with R, wanting to make sure she was at ease. I always feel bad for converts who're the only ones in their families who celebrate Eid. For them, Eid salah is sometimes the extent to their celebration. If it was up to me, I'd have a lunch or dinner or something for all the converts in my community to come and enjoy on Eid. But our family doesn't do the usual socializing with the Bay Area community; we simply visit our family in Sacramento. Today, though, we didn't even do that. Tomorrow, insha Allah we will. I have to admit, Eid used to be a lot more exciting when I was younger.

I spotted another friend who I hadn’t seen in a couple of months, and we prayed side by side. I was happy to hear that she had fasted the previous nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, despite her brother's claims that she's so ghetto. Haha, there's nothing wrong with being ghetto as long as you're religious! "I love that man!" she said of Imam Zaid, as he stood to give his khutbah. "I stalk him everywhere!" I laughed and said, "We're all groupies!"

As I was leaving the building that had been rented for salah, I passed by D, a Latino brother who had converted a couple of years earlier at a conference we had helped organize. I was happy to see him after such a while. He had graduated from high school this past year, and was now attending community college, I believe. But he said that his father wants him to join him in construction work, so he might drop out. He wasn't sure what he was going to do yet. His mother was sick, and his sister has depression. I didn't know what to say. Anything that I would say seemed so little. I didn't want to be one of those people who asks another how he is doing and then doesn't care to hear a real response. As the sole Muslim in his family, I know it must be difficult for him. It helps that he has some Muslim friends. I told him that insha Allah I'd pray for him, because I didn't think that there was anything else I could do. If he had been a sister, I would've given him a hug and spent time with him, trying to support him. But as a sister, there are limits that I cannot cross. I was reminded that even in days of happiness, there's the reality of hardship.

In any case, it's supposed to be a joyful day, so watch the (multicultural and multiracial) Indonesian group, Debu's, music videos. They lift my spirits.

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