On April 10, Muslims celebrate one of the two main holidays in Islam – Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of strict fasting and the holy month of Ramadan.
Eid al-Fitr, the holiday of breaking the fast, symbolizes the victory of the spirit over the flesh. It comes immediately after Uraza – fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam. This fast is quite strict: it completely excludes eating and drinking during daylight hours, prohibits smoking, intimate relationships and fun. Some concessions are made only to the sick and to those who are traveling or on responsible service.
Mufti of the Muslim Spiritual Administration of Ukraine “Umma” Murat Suleymanov and the head of the Muslim Spiritual Administration of ARC Ayder Rustemov told Public Crimeahow Eid al-Fitr is celebrated today.
“At 8 o’clock we begin our holiday prayer. After this, people come out with their children, we have gifts for children, there will be a small program in the yard, we don’t really plan to celebrate during the war, but there will be gifts for children. The most important event is prayer. Our holiday begins with prayer, we pray and after that people, if they want, stay with the children and they play, if they want, they return to their homes, or to relatives, or to work. But we don’t really have such a celebration,” noted Murat Suleymanov.
He also spoke about some features, in particular, during the holiday prayer one must be dressed in the best clothes.
“In the mosque you need to remember the Almighty, read an additional prayer and wait for the imam. After this, the imam comes, prayer begins, and then there is a short sermon for 10-15 minutes. Afterwards it talks about the alms that must be paid at the end of the month of Ramadan, about Ramadan itself and how important it is for us. These are the general things that we say during our sermon and after that we finish our prayer, everyone greets each other and then each mosque makes its own personal program and you can join it. This is a celebration, sweets, coffee, tea,” said Murat Suleymanov.
The celebration takes place at st. Degtyarevskaya, 25-a in Kyiv.
Aider Rustemov noted that the sermon is conducted in two languages – Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian.
“A festive sermon is held in the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian languages. It’s war now. We used to do events in parks, but now we don’t do that. There will be a coffee break and sweets for children. The gathering of people begins earlier, and the prayer itself begins at 08:00,” he emphasized.
When meeting, Muslims exchange greetings “Eid Mubarak”, which means wishes for a blessed holiday.
It is customary to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr on this day. According to the portal Islamzakat is provided for the poor so that they can rejoice at the arrival of the holiday.
Zakat-ul-fitr is considered obligatory, but it is necessary to pay it first to your relatives if they are in need. That is, if zakat is paid to a stranger when relatives need it, it will not be counted. It is prohibited to pay zakat to parents, children or wife.
It is necessary to pay zakat before the Eid prayer; you can do this on the night of Eid al-Adha.
On the holiday of Eid al-Adha, it is necessary to visit close relatives, the sick and the dead.
Gathering your closest and dearest at the table is considered a very important moment for the holiday of Eid al-Adha.
