Celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr

Like other great religious festivals, Eid-ul-Fitr is an occasion for joy, bonhomie and happiness but certainly with a difference. The difference is because of the satisfaction and fulfilment of a great religious obligation ---an obligation of self-abnegation or siam practised for a month. The principle of Islam on this score excels as it teaches one to go through the experience of fasting to know the travail of those who go hungry because of want of food. In time of plenty human beings are less likely to appreciate the benevolence of the Almighty Allah who provides them with all that is required for survival. One knows the value of something when it has to be achieved with great efforts and at pains. The month-long fasting and withdrawal from all kinds of physical and mental indulgences have to come from within and practised on one's own volition.

This is why Eid-ul-Fitr comes as a great rewarding and relishing occasion for the devotees who have strictly maintained the religious mandate of siam or the practice of self-purification. Islam thus puts its devotees to a remarkable test of living up to a high standard of mental state. This year has been particularly daunting for the fasting followers of Islam in Bangladesh and other Asian countries because of the heat waves now sweeping across this region. But at an elevated mental state, the devotees are proving their power to overcome their physical vulnerability to the unusually high temperature. Then there are people of modest and small means who have been struggling to overcome their pecuniary constraints ever since the epidemic, made even worse by the war in Ukraine. If Islam's teachings were followed in letter and spirit, the market made intriguingly more volatile than it should have could temper into sobriety giving the underprivileged and vulnerable segments of the population some relief.

The spirit of the month is undermined by the rich and privileged in more ways than one. Apart from price hike through market manipulation, there is a revolting show of sumptuous feasts in the name of 'iftar party', which does not go with the practice of siam. Islam's cardinal virtue lies in the fact that it recognises the value of materialism but if only it brings about a synthesis between the material world and the spiritual world. It is because of this giving zakat and fitra has been made mandatory by Prophet Muhammad (SM). If given, as ordained by Him, accordingly by the rich, poverty in society would have hardly any place.

The prophet's Islam was supposed to nurture equality of people. Unfortunately, the social bond the early Islam envisaged to forge through sharing and caring has been undermined everywhere including in this country that sought to establish an exploitation-free society. The feeling for fellow human beings as demonstrated during the Covid-19 rose up to the religious principles of empathy, love and care but all those have dried up now. In a hostile socio-economic system, therefore, consumerism is taken to its filthiest limit where small traders are also used as pawns. No wonder, the traders of burnt down markets are victims of a mismanaged system. Similarly, home-bound people leaving their workplaces to reunite with their near and dear ones where their root is also suffer and even fall victim to road, railway and waterway mishaps. Let's hope no such tragedy takes place this time and everyone can have a happy and most enjoyable Eid. Eid Mubarak to all.