New Delhi: Saudi Arab, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gulf countries, Indonesia and Bangladesh are celebrating Eid today (Monday), Geo News reported.
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Judicial Council had announced the sighting of Shawwal moon yesterday night and Eid-ul-Fitr being celebrated today.
According to Arab TV, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine are also celebrating Eid today.
Eid is being celebrated in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Spain, and Japan also.
Most of the US Islamic organizations and mosques have also announced celebrating Eid today, while in Britain two Eids would be celebrated this year also, as some people are fasting , while others celebrating Eid today.
In Saudi Arabia, the Eid-al-Fitr moon was seen on Sunday, July 27. The British Muslim Forum Confederation of Sunni Mosques, on the other hand, declared that the festival was to be celebrated on Tuesday, July 29.
The celebration began in Australia as the members of the Muslim community in the country got together at mosques. New South Wales Premier Mike Baird was invited as one of the dignitaries to attend the celebration. Baird said that the government would always stand by Islamic community in the country.
"A friend here in New South Wales, a friend leading the Government. We will always listen to them and always respond to them," Baird said.
What is Eid ul-Fitr One of the most joyous days in the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr, also known as Eid ul-Fitr or Eid, is a celebration that marks the end of Ramadan (a holy month of fasting observed by Muslims).
Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Traditionally, the observance begins with the sighting of the new moon. While many will wait to see the moon or an announcement from Mecca, the Fiqh Council of North America has determined that Eid al-Fitr 2014 will fall on July 28 based on astronomical calculations.
According to a hadith attributed to Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, the two festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha were instituted by the Prophet after his journey from Mecca to Medinah.
“When the Prophet arrived in Medinah, he found people celebrated two specific days in which they used to entertain themselves with recreation and merriment. He asked them about the nature of these festivities to which they replied that these days were occasions of fun and recreation. At this, the Prophet remarked that the Almighty has fixed two days [of festivity] instead of these for you which are better than these: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
History of Eid ul-Fitr The first Eid al-Fitr was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions after the victory of the battle of Jang-e-Badar.
To mark the beginning of Eid and in accordance with the Sunnah, or practices of the Prophet Muhammad, many Muslims wake up early in the morning and pray Salat ul-Fajr, or the pre-dawn prayer.
After brushing their teeth, taking a bath and wearing perfume, they have breakfast before heading off to perform special congregational prayers known as Salaat al-Eid.
Many Muslims recite the takbir, a declaration of faith, on the way to the prayer ground and give special charitable contributions known as Zakat al-Fitr.
Eid al-Fitr is a day of great merriment and thanksgiving. Muslims celebrate by gathering with friends and family, preparing sweet delicacies, wearing new clothes, giving each other gifts and putting up lights and other decorations in their homes.
A common greeting during this holiday is Eid Mubarak, which means, “Have a blessed Eid!”
