Eid Mubarak, though I will miss the evening symphony of prayer and prayer calls that fill the sky especially after the evening prayers. Muslims pray five times a day; three are voiced prayers and two are silent prayers. The three voiced prayers are early Morning Prayer, Maghreb or Sundown Prayer, and the last Evening Prayer, almost one hour and half after Maghreb. In my heart, Ramadan is sublime: the fasting, the prayers and what happens to the body and the soul after the one month fast. It is not something that can be expressed totally in words. One has to experience it wholesomely in order to understand it. There is nothing more exquisite and profound than the sounds of prayer recitations when beautifully performed. The whole air would be full of wonderful sounds escalating toward the sky; and while they do so they penetrate hearts and souls, soothing, clearing and unifying. It is amazing how all the different prayers from different mosques that could start or finish at slightly different times still perform like a unified chorus. Simply divine! Eid Mubarak to all of us. I like the words because they carry within them the concept of Baraka; the Islamic counterpart of abundance. We hear a lot about abundance these days but I like the idea of Baraka more because it takes the notion of abundance further. It adds to it a sense of satisfaction, largesse and benevolence. Baraka makes little seems more and it makes things go a long way. We are going to miss Ramadan's unique spirituality. Ramadan carries with it kindness, compassion and abundance for those in need. A lot of people give away their Zakat in Ramadan. A lot of clothes, toys and other things exchange hands. The flow is usually from richer to poorer. At the end of Ramadan and right before Eid, any one who can afford it gives what Muslims call Zakat El-Fitr, which is usually grain food so no one would go hungry in the days of Eid. Eid Mubarak. Eid is a collective time out of the day to day business and routines of life; another dimension that makes life altogether richer. Like all Eids, this is a beautiful Eid despite the severe heat and crowded streets because it carries with it the spirit of accomplishment, happiness and smiles when people go form home to home to say hello to older relatives, to connect again in spite of how busy life gets.
