In the
Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Joy and Regret
Despite all its
auspiciousness and happiness, Eid al-Fitr puts us in a feeling of eagerness and
regret. On the one hand, we are proud of passing Divine exams and fulfilling
His commandment, but on the other hand, we are so sorry for missing the period
full of the blessings and assistance of Allah (SWT). By the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, Ramadan leaves us;
however, we will be yearning its return until next year. Departing this noble
month is well felt by those who experienced the pleasure of fasting, breathed
in the blessing and forgiving atmosphere of this month, and were relieved of evil
of the Satan.
All people, more or
less, feel a sense of regret with departure of this Holy month; however, no one
will be as regretful as Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT), who are the leading ones in the way of obeying
Allah (SWT). Imam Sajjad (PBUH), the noble and great
teacher of praises and supplications, has taught us the way of bidding farewell
to this month in the 45th supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiah. In this
supplication, after praising Allah (SWT), the Imam thanks Allah (SWT) for assigning
special duties in this precious period, which helped the Muslims to gain proximity
to Him. Then the Imam continues as follows:
“This month stood
among us in a standing place of praise and profited us with the most excellent
profits of the world's creatures. Then it parted from us at the completion of
its time, the end of its term, and the fulfillment of its number.
So we bid farewell
to it with the farewell of one whose parting pains us, whose leaving fills us
with gloom and loneliness…
Peace be upon you, O
most noble of accompanying times… Peace be upon you, O companion who is great
in worth when found and whose absence makes us unhappy when missed… Peace be
upon you, O companion who brought comfort to our hearts with your arrival, thus
making us happy, and peace be upon you, who left loneliness when going, thus
giving anguish! Peace be upon you, O helper who fought against Satan, companion
who made the paths of good-doing easy for us! Peace be upon you! How numerous
the sins you have erased! How numerous the faults you have covered! Peace be
upon you! How drawn out you were you for the sinners! How awesome were you in
the hearts of the faithful! Peace be upon you! You has entered upon us with
blessings and cleansed us of the defilement of offenses! Peace be upon you! How
much we craved you yesterday! How intensely we shall yearn for you tomorrow!
[O Allah] please
accept our apologies for being negligent about your rights in this month and grant
us the pleasure of living to see the next Ramadan. O Allah, with the passing of
this month make us pass get rid of our offenses; with its departure, make us
depart from our evil deeds; and appoint us thereby among its most felicitous
people, the most plentiful of them in portion, and the fullest of them in
share. O Allah, any person who observed this month as it should be observed,
safeguarded its inviolability as it should be safeguarded, attended to its
bounds as they should be attended to, fear its misdeeds as they should be
feared, or sought nearness
to you with any act of nearness-seeking which makes incumbent upon him your
good pleasure, give to us the like [of that which] You give these persons from Your
wealth; bestow it upon us in multiples through Your bounty that Your bounty
does not diminish and Your treasures do not decrease…
O Allah, we repent
to you from every misdeed we did, ill work we sent ahead, or evil thought we
secretly conceived; our repentance is that of one who does not harbor a return
to sin and who afterwards will not go back to offense, an unswerving repentance
rid of doubt and wavering. O Allah, we repent to You on Eid al-Ftr, which you
have appointed for the faithful as a festival and a joy, for the believers as a
time of assembly and gathering. So accept from us, be pleased with us, and fix
us within avoiding sins." (1)
We hope that Allah (SWT) will lengthen the lives
of ours and our friends with obedience so that we may witness the blessed month
of Ramadan once more, and we hope that he will shower us with His blessings and
kindness.
On behalf of the
Roshd website, we congratulate all Muslims and especially you dear friend for
the arrival of Eid al-Fitr, the day of happiness for righteous and
faithful people.
Roshd
Islamic Shia Website
Footnote:
1- A part of the 45th
supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiah, translated by William Chittick with minor
changes.
