After 30 days of fasting during the holy month of Ramzan, Id-ul-Fitr (festival of charity) is celebrated on the sighting of the Shawal crescent. Muslims congregate at mosques and idgahs for special prayers, standing shoulder to shoulder, exemplifying the fact that all are one before God. Id is a day of thanksgiving. Before feasting and rejoicing, paying fitra (alms) represents generosity. Instilled with the doctrine that Faith coupled with humility in prayer, charity, abstinence from vanity, strict probity, Muslims seek to repel evil by goodness. Every sin a Muslim commits will be counted against him on the day of judgment, so the fallible purge themselves of evil during Ramzan and redeem themselves through good deeds. Muslims celebrate the day spiritually enhanced, having cultivated a desire to get nearer to Allah. By praying they seek forgiveness and by fasting they cleanse the soul, learn self-restraint and humility. Fasting keeps animal propensities in check. Fasting during Ramzan burns up greed in the fire for Allah.
The Almighty provides guidance, and the signposts indicating the right path are prayer, fasting and zakath during Ramzan. Just as prayer purifies one’s life, fasting builds inner character. Zakath (charity) is a means of wealth purification. It is not a tax but a form of worship. Muslims are encouraged to engage in acts of worship and charity, and the last ten nights of Ramzan are the best, as Laylatul-Qadr (night of power) is among them. On this night, the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Special prayers are said at night, where the Koran is recited. Worshipping on this night is equated with doing so for a thousand months. The righteous acts wipe out sins from the book of deeds.
– M.O. Badsha