What is the actual meaning of Eid? At first, it may be proper to seek the meaning of Eid in the books of the elders. (1) Eid is the day of special attention of Allah (SWT) to His servants, recalling them to His presence and the day of loving Him. Eid is the day of activeness, happiness, and granting of servant’s requests. This day, is the day of awarding and writing secure chit from hellfire for servants, further it is the time one may gather things that benefit him in the hereafter.
Eid is a day, which Allah (SWT) showers His servants with His blessings and generosity. So at this time that the merciful Allah (SWT) extended his generosity, how great it would be for pious people and sinners to confess (their defects and faults), and hope for receiving His grants. Surely they won’t be dispossessed from Allah’s (SWT) grace.
Now on this Holy day that we have returned to our Lord, how should we talk to Him and call Him? What is better than accompanying with our kind Master when he is calling his Lord in an ardor manner? How beautiful Imam Sajjad (A.S.) teaches us to talk with Allah (SWT):
O He who has mercy upon him whom your servants show no mercy toward him!
O He who accepts him whom the cities will not accept!
O He who looks not down upon those who have need of Him!
O He who slaps not the brow of the people of boldness toward Him with rejection!
O He who shows gratitude for the small and rewards with the great!
O He who comes close to him who comes close to Him!
O He who invites to Himself him who turns his back on Him!
Everything majestic before You is small, everything eminent beside Your eminence vile! Those who reach other than You are disappointed; those who present themselves to other than You have lost Your door is open to the beseechers, Your munificence free to the askers, Your help near to the help-seekers! The expectant are not disappointed by You, those who present themselves despair not of Your bestowal …
Your provision is even spread among those who disobey You, Your clemency presents itself to those hostile toward You too …
Your habit is beneficence toward the evildoers and Your wont is to spare the transgressors, so much so that Your lack of haste deludes them from returning, and Your disregard bars them from desisting …
So here I am: I repair to You by coming forward, and I ask from You good support. So bless Muhammad and his Household, hear my whispered words, grant my supplication, seal not my day with disappointment, slap not my brow by rejecting my request … (3)
Now how beautiful it would be to call our Lord this way:
“O Allah, we repent to You in our day of fast-breaking, which you has appointed for the faithful a festival and a joy and for the people of Your creed a time of assembly and gathering, from every misdeed we did, ill work we sent ahead, or evil thought we secretly conceived, an unswerving repentance rid of doubt and wavering.”
So accept from us, be pleased with us, and fix us within it!
Footnotes:
1- This definition is quoted from Sayyed ibn Tawoos in his book “Iqbal”.
2- Selected from “Asrar al- Salat”, Author: Ayatullah Mirza Jawad Maliki Tabrizi
3- A part of 46th supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiah, translated by William Chittick with minor changes
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