麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with writer and poet Salma El-Wardany.

Good Morning. Today is the last day of Ramadan. Tomorrow will be Eid Al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast.
This year will be very different. The Eid prayers won鈥檛 take place in the morning, the gatherings and parties will be limited to our immediate households, and instead of sharing in the sumptuous feasts of the best cooks in the family, some of us will celebrate with a few treats bought from the supermarket; a painful blow for someone like me who hates cooking but loves food. Presents and money for the children will hopefully still be there, but what鈥檚 the point of dressing up when the only place to go is Zoom, and no one looks great on video calls, even if the lighting is perfect.
Just as I am about to slip into a pit of despair and self-pity, a notification flashes up on my phone to remind me to pay my Zakat Al-Fitr, the charitable giving that ensures everyone in the community can celebrate; and that forces me to think of others.
Eid is about coming together, but at its core is the act of sharing; sharing by giving charity, sharing gifts and delicious food, sharing joy and laughter. In this lies the message that there is enough for everyone; a reflection of the higher objectives we have been striving for throughout the month of fasting, of abstention, of charity and of God-consciousness.
While I long to wrap my arms around my family and whisper Eid Mubarak in their ears, I will instead send up a prayer of thanks that they are on the other end of that video call, bad lighting and all. And I will give my charity in the hope that someone who has less, can have more on this day.
And although it may be over phone lines and WhatsApps messages, FaceTimes and garden fences, we still have so much to give, and we will still cry out loudly, Eid Mubarak! Happy Eid to everyone!
Taqabalallah minna wa minkum
May God accept from you and us. Ameen.