On the Advent of Eid After the Month of Fasting
"There is no power and no strength except with God." This sacred phrase, often whispered in moments of trial and triumph, finds its most profound resonance at the close of Ramadan. The believer emerges from a month of fasting not with pride but with a profound awareness: it was never their own strength that carried them through hunger, thirst, and fatigue—it was only God’s infinite mercy.
For a full month, through rain and heat, through biting cold and suffocating humidity, the faithful relinquish their worldly comforts, submitting to the will of the Divine. And what does God, in His boundless grace, say in return?
"Fasting is for Me alone, and it is unto Me alone to reward it."
An immeasurable reward, one beyond human comprehension.
Fasting is not a novel practice, nor one exclusive to Islam. It is a thread woven through the fabric of divine history, stretching back to ages unknown. The Quran reminds us (2:183):
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous."
The People of the Book, too, have kept this sacred tradition. The solemn fast of Yom Kippur in Judaism, the 40 days of Lent in Christianity—each stands as a testament to humanity’s enduring longing for spiritual purification, a yearning that transcends time and creed. It was Jesus himself who reminded his followers of a greater sustenance, one beyond mere physical nourishment:
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
Yet, the world dazzles with its own allure. Wealth, possessions, titles—these are the measures of success in a fleeting existence. But are they truly tangible? Or is there something even more substantial than gold, silver, or towering estates?
The Quran (3:14) speaks of this illusion:
"Beautified for mankind is the love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is the comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode."
True tangibility lies elsewhere—in faith, in the certainty of one Creator and Sustainer, in the promise of an eternal life that reflects our deeds in this transient world. Every act, no matter how small, is accounted for:
"So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." (Quran 99:7-8)
Ramadan, then, is not a test of endurance, but a spiritual elevation. It is not merely abstaining from food and drink; it is an exercise in self-restraint, an act of devotion that connects believers to a lineage of worshippers stretching back to Prophet Abraham—and even before him.
And so, as the crescent moon heralds the arrival of Eid, those who fasted in distant lands, in scorching heat and relentless humidity, will stand in prayer, their hearts full and their souls light. For they have endured—not by their own might, but by the strength of the One who bestows strength.
"There is no power and no strength except with God."
Eid Mubarak!
Aamir Yazdani
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