Allah is Allah
Eid is upon us. While this is a time for celebration, joy and praising Allah, many of us are simultaneously shedding tears at the departure of Ramadan. We were all hoping for God's mercy. For His grace. For His pardon. We put the effort into doing what little we could, hoping for it to be accepted. And now it is gone.
Ramadan may be gone, but Allah is here. We do not have a 'seasonal' God. Ramadan is a gift but Allah is Allah all year round. He appreciates our efforts inside and outside of Ramadan. He accepts and forgives those who return to Him. His intense, overflowing mercy is enveloping us 365 days a year.
Ramadan was simply a crash course in hope. We all rushed to the good and the redemption that this month offered, and the manifest generosity of al-Karim. While some things are specific to the month - the gates of Paradise being open, the gates of hell being closed, the chaining of the devils - the majority is available to us the entire year.
Allah is always al-Ghafur, al-Ghaffar, al-Afuw (the All-Forgiving, the Oft-Forgiving, the Pardoner): He says, “But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.” (Qur’an, 20:82)
Allah is always al-Mujib (the Answerer of Prayers): "Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you..." (40:60)
Allah is always al-Sami’ (the All-Hearing) and He listens to you: “So his Lord responded to him and averted from him their plan. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing” (12:34).
Allah is always al-Wadud (the Affectionate): "Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection" (19:96)
And all the things that made Ramadan sweet - the fasting, the prayers, the community spirit, and the generosity - are not limited to Ramadan. The month simply showed us what is possible when we put the effort into being God-conscious.
We can fast: The Prophet ﷺ tells us, “Every servant of God who observes fast for a day in the way of God, Allah would remove his face farther from the Fire to the extent of seventy years’ distance.” (Muslim)
Charity is blessed always: The Prophet ﷺ said: “None gives charity from what is good, for Allah only accepts what is good, but that the Merciful takes it with His right hand. Even if it is a date, it is nurtured in the hand of the Merciful until it becomes greater than a mountain, just as one of you nurtures his young horse or camel.” (Muslim)
Being kind and charitable in spirit is the default state of the Muslim: The Prophet ﷺ reminded us, “Verily, Allah is kind and He loves kindness. He rewards for kindness what is not granted for harshness and He does not reward anything else like it.” (Muslim)
And there is so much more. What we learn is that Allah is Allah, all year round and at every moment.
And just as Ramadan is a gift, so is Eid. It is a celebration for the believers, in which we rejoice for the days of fasting and praise Him. And as we come together for Eid prayers, we take all of that beauty and serenity that we gained in Ramadan into our relationship with our community, and carry it forward to the next Ramadan, inshAllah.
May this Eid be one of hope, compassion, solidarity and good.