Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

one of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh.

,

Now it is close to Eid-ul-Fitr & the question arises as to what did Rasul s.a.w. did when he met his relatives. Did he give out envelopes of money or did he do something else??

Shall await your answer. I hope this question is worth answering!!

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement.The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

What did the Prophet (saws) do on Eid-ul-fitr

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His  forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The day of Eid is a day of celebration and joy appointed by Allah Subhanah for the believers.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) urged the believers and made it mandatory on everyone who believed in Allah and the Last Day to pay ‘zakat-ul-fitr’ and said that ‘relieve the poor of the society on this joyous day from their poverty and help them’.

On the Day of Eid, the Prophet (saws) used to dress in new clothes, apply perfume, lead the Eid prayers, give the sermon, and then meet with the family and the believers and they would congratulate each other on this joyous occasion of Eid. There are not many authentic narrations of what exactly the Prophet (saws) did on the Day of Eid, except that he exhorted the believers not to fast on the two Eids and to pay Zakat-ul-fitr before the Eid prayers.

There is no harm in giving gifts or cash to your family, friends, servants, etc. as long as it does not become a custom whereby one is forced to give out gifts and cash, even when he cannot afford to do so. There is also no harm if one congratulates his muslim brother on this joyous occasion of Eid. Depending on the culture of the place, one can congratulate his muslim brother by kissing his nose or cheeks, or embracing and hugging, or shaking hands, or even verbally.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan