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:

Is wishing Eid Mubarak allowed in Islam. I mean is there any hadees or proof from Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.S) that he used to wish Eid Mubarak on the occassion of Eid. Please advise. 

(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:

How to wish Eid ?

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-ul-Fitr prayers.

There is absolutely no harm in congratulating the believers on this joyous occasion of Eid. The righteous believers at the time of the Prophet had striven all month, and obeyed and worshipped their Lord in the manner prescribed by and pleasing to Him, and absolutely trusted His Promises of Forgiveness and Mercy to those who obeyed Him unconditionally. Thus, they deserved to congratulate each other, for they knew that the Promises of Allah towards His slaves were indeed true!

But if we even dare to compare our lives and our worship to those of the righteous companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws), we would be able to realize the reality of the matter! We today, are foremost in celebrating the joyous occasion of Eid, but we have not realized the true value of the month of Allah, nor have we done justice to the time that was bestowed upon us from our Merciful Lord. The righteous companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to strive to earn the Pleasure and Good Will of their Lord all month, and were humble and joyous in the celebration at the end of the term; but we are more interested in celebrating with pomp and grandeur without justly putting in the required effort!

By no means are we even remotely implying that we should not congratulate our brothers and sisters in faith on the joyous occasion of Eid; but all I am suggesting is that we should take a good look at ourselves, our imaan, and our meager deeds of gratefulness to our Merciful and Bounteous Lord.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.492 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "If you knew that which I know, you would laugh little and weep much."

We are foremost in accepting the benefits and celebrations that come our way, but few amongst us truly deserve to celebrate!

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6774 Narrated by Aisha

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) occupied himself in prayer, he observed such a (long) qiyam (posture of standing in prayer) that his feet were swollen. Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) said: “ O Messenger of Allah (saws), why do you do this (in spite of the fact) that your earlier and later sins have been pardoned for you?” Thereupon, he (saws) said: “Aisha, should I not prove myself to be a thanksgiving servant (of Allah)?”

Beloved brother in Islam, I sincerely apologize if I may have said something which might have hurt your feelings. The answer has more to do with me, my weak imaan, and my worthless deeds as a believer; rather than your specific question. May Allah Subhanah have Mercy upon the believers, accept their efforts, forgive them their short-comings, and save them all from the agonies of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

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 in Islam,

Burhan