A forlorn Eid day

[This post was published in my second blog site at Wordpress on August 31, 2013]

​When the Eid day starts with two consecutive erroneous Eid prayers, you know there’s much more to come!

Posting my second post on the blog after a pretty long time. The first post was published in Blogger, but lately shifted in this site which I’ve been constructing for some weeks now. The packed schedule of engineering study life doesn’t quite let me check off the infinite entries in my todo list of which blogging was entried almost six years ago.

It’s been three weeks since my Elder Uncle has passed away. It’s been truly a massive blow even for our family. He was like an impervious shelter from tornado, a dependable figure for all our distresses, the most supportive person through our thick and thin, rushing to aid whenever help was needed. In his professional life he was as successful as anyone can aspire to be. With supreme honesty and dedication in his works and utmost respect from his colleagues, he was an idol to many. So when in the middle of the night three weeks ago, I learnt that he’s no more, it felt like the world fell apart. But it’s so disturbingly surprising how quickly time can diminish shocks of this magnitude. And what seemed to be an impossible task three weeks ago even to think of, that is to pass an Eid day without him, is now done. May Allah grant his soul eternal peace.

I always prefer Eidgah over Mosques for the Eid prayer, which is Sunnah. But for some years lately, the rain causes Eidgahs to be rendered useless, so had to settle for the Eid prayer in the mosque. Anyways, after reminding the special cases in Eid prayer, the Imam unusually asks us to pray and hope that the prayer be free of error which is pretty ironic because of the fact that the Imam made the same mistake he warned and did four Takbirs instead of three. After seeking forgiveness, the Imam starts the prayer all over again only to make an error again, skipping the Ruku in the second Raka’t this time. Both the times the error could've been avoided if anyone corrected the Imam as it was happening or by a Saajdah Sahw (Prostration of forgetfulness). The devastated Imam was saved from further embarrassment by the Muazzin who came to rescue and performed the prayer. The impatient congregation tried berating the Imam, but shouldn't they understand that man is prone to error? Well, it was a new experience.

This one event reflects how a society should follow it’s leader. You are not to follow the leader blindly and if what he does is wrong, anyone has the right to correct him. Also, if he understands his fault and seeks forgiveness for his wrongdoings, he should be expected to be waived off of his sins. Also, the followers has the right to make him start all over again. Islam truly is a complete guidance of life.

The continuous downpour made the day more despairing. What started as a drizzle in the noon soon turned into the kind of rain that tries to soak you with gloomy nostalgia. So be it nature, so be it. Let us put down the handheld device and sit beside a window with a steaming cup of coffee and cherish the precious memories we made.

The rain kept me from meeting my friends too, not that I had any plan, but now I have an excuse 😜 I couldn't even meet with my friend next door let alone my friends kilometers away. Some guests were supposed to come but after waiting for the whole afternoon and evening, they informed they’d come the next day. So much for the waiting. After chatting with sister for some times, now I’m here trying to check off blogging from my checklist!

Let me end this long post with a short story and an even shorter hadith. I first heard the story several years ago in an Eid Khutba by my most favorite khatib. It goes as, Hazrat Umar (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) was once seen crying vehemently on a day of Eid. Upon inquiry, he replied, “How can a person who does not know if his fasts have been accepted, celebrate Eid?” If the man about whom Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said that his good deeds are equivalent to the number of stars in the sky, cries in fear if his fasts are accepted or not, then who are we to celebrate Eid!

Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said, “The people who will be called towards Paradise first on the Day of Judgment are those who praised Allah Ta’ala during happiness and sadness.”

May Allah accept our prayers and fastings and bless us with his forgiveness on this Eid day.

Eid Mubarak 🙂