Eid, now what?

Eid is just around the corner! Saturday the 13th for Malaysians, but for us New Zealanders, we will have to wait for the announcement later today. Here are a few guidelines on what to do on the day of Eid.

1. Bathing:
One of the sunnahs of Eid is to take a bath before going out to the perform the Eid prayer.

2. Eating before prayer:
One should not come out to the prayer center or mosque on Eid before eating something. It is sunnah to at least eat a few dates.

3. Takbeer on the day of Eid:
This is one of the greatest sunnahs of this day.

“... (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allah (takbeer) for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.”

The time for making takbeer on Eidul Fitr starts from the night of Eid until the time when the imam comes in to lead the prayer.

4. Congratulating each other:
People may exchange congratulations and good greetings on Eid, no matter what form the words take. For example they may say to one another, “Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum" which means "May Allah accept (the fast and worship) from us and from you” or simply “Eid Mubarak” and other similar permissible greetings. It is also customary for Malaysian children to receive money from the elders, and this is not prohibited in Islam.

5. Looking one's best for Eid:
On the day of Eid one should wear his best clothes. So men should wear the best clothes they have when they go out for Eid. As for women, they should avoid adornment when they go out for Eid, because they are prohibited from showing their adornment in front of non-muhrim men. However, it is permissible amongst other Muslim women. A woman who wants to go out is forbidden to wear perfume or to show off in a tempting way in front of men.

6. Listening to the Khutbah:
The Eid khutbah differs from the Friday khutbah in that it is sunnah and it is not obligatory to listen to it. Imam An-Nawawi said: “It is mustahab (recommended) for people to listen to the khutbah, although the khutbah and listening to it are not essential conditions of the Eid prayer."

7. To go out by one route and come back by another:
One should vary his routes on the day of Eid. So, if one should go out walking one way, then he would come back walking by a different route. It is said that this is done so, so that the two different routes would testify in one’s favour on the Day of Resurrection, because on that day the Earth will speak about everything that was done on it, good and evil. It is also said that this is done in order to demonstrate the symbols and rituals of Islam along both routes and to pronounce the remembrance of Allah.

These are the few sunnahs a Muslim should observe on the day of Eidul Fitr. It is also Haram for one to perform saum (fast) on this day.

On another topic, I would like to announce to the world that Malaysia has finally reached space!

Dr Shukor is the ninth Muslim to fly into space. He is also the first to do so during the holy month of Ramadhan. He will be there for the Eid festival, and will treat his crewmates to a celebratory meal. It is learnt that he has brought traditional Malay "kuih raya" for the occasion and will be demonstrating the making of "teh tarik" in zero gravity.

For the rest of the time he will try and observe the dawn-to-dusk fasting rules of Ramadhan. Muslim clerics in Malaysia have prepared special guidelines for him on observing religious rules while on the International Space Station (ISS).

He will use a wet towel rather than water to clean himself before praying, and is not obliged to kneel in zero gravity or face Makkah while praying. To avoid confusion about prayer times, Dr Shukor will follow the time at the launch site in Kazakhstan. They are expected to dock on the ISS sometime today.

He will be there for 10 days in which he will be conducting scientific experiments aboard the ISS. Contrary to popular belief among Malaysians, Dr Shukor will not be going to the moon.

Salam from me, I will end this entry with the following verse:

"Wondrous is the case of the Believer; there is good for him in everything. If he experiences something good he is grateful to Allah and that is good for him. If he experiences adversity he is patient and that is good for him as well."