In the name of Allah,the Merciful,the Compassionate. It is natural for communities and nations to celebrate days or events of significance in their cultural life or history.Such celebrations take on different forms and include activities that are not always beneficial to man. Islam does not suppress any decent natural inclinations but it transforms such inclinations into positive expressions and adds its own dimensions to human and natural practices.This is how we understand the Hadith attributed to the Prophet(peace be upon him) when he arrived in Madinah and found its inhabitants observing two days of joy and entertainment.Upon enquiry the people told the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace,that these two days were days of joys and celebration carried over from the pre-Islamic era.The Prophet said to them that Allah,Glorified and Exalted is He,has given them two better days instead -the Eid al-Fitr and the Eid al Adha. The Prophet called Eid al-Fitr -the day of reward - "yaum al jaizah".It is a day of thanksgiving to Allah for He enabled us to perform the duty of fasting through which we appreciate the deprivation of our unfortunate fellow-beings.Through fasting we control our desires so that we can become more sensitive to our purpose in life.Through reading and understanding of the Holy Quran, we appreciate the greatest blessing of Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala bestowed upon Muslims and humanity at large. Reflecting upon the occasion of Eid al Fitr one should note its three main aspects: First,the Zakat al Fitr -an amount of £2.00 per person(in Scotland,U.K.) to be paid for every member of the family.It is supposed to be paid before prayer.This signifies that on certain occasions Islam says that caring for others may come even before prayer.It is important that we do not forget the needs of others on the particular day.This goes to show that Islam was way ahead of the West in making welfare provision available for the needy. Second,the Salat al-Eid itself -in which Muslims affirms more than in any other prayer the greatness of Allah by (Repeating seven successive Takbirs then saying): “Allaahu Akbar Allahu Akbar La Ilaha Illa Allaah, Allaahu Akbar Allaahu Akbar Wa Lillahil-Hamd” (Allaah is the Greatest, Allaah is the Greatest, there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah, Allaah is the Greatest, Allaah is the Greatest, to Allaah all praise is due). He is the greatest reality in their lives and to Him alone they bow.The special nature of Eid celebrations ensures that people do not forget themselves or are carried away by senseless practices and customs. Third,the aspect that Muslims are advised to look cheerful in their best clothes,put on perfumes,exchange greetings and visits - this is to signify that we worship Allah and rejoice in the bounties He has provided. May Allahu Subhana Wa Ta'la bless the Muslim Ummah and grant them many more such occasions accompanied with the feeling of real brotherhood and sincere love among themselves and deeper commitment to their faith. With the very best of good wishes, Musa Amadu Pembo Glasgow, Scotland UK. [log in to unmask] Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about Islam and we should do our best to give the right message. May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise . We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions..Amen. _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~