By ALHAJI SANI ABDULLAHI
Today is the 30th day of the month of Ramadan and effectively marked the last day of the Ramadan fast for 2026 which corresponds to 1447 in the Islamic calendar. Recall that at the beginning of every Ramadan fast, Muslims are expected to take the intention to fast for either 29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the crescents of the moon of Ramadan and Shawwal respectively, which determines the beginning and termination of the fasting.
As part of the Islamic tradition, having effectively completed 30 days of Ramadan fasting today, Thursday, 19th March, 2026, Eid El fitri celebration will be observed across the country tomorrow, 1st Shawwal which corresponds to Friday, 20th March, 2026. The celebration will begin with the offer of the mandatory ZAKAT AL FITRI and observance of two Rakat prayers at the various Eid praying grounds in the morning.
As we already know, Islamic religion is a continuation of the revealed religions before it to Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus)-Peace be upon them who were given the books of Torah (Tawrah) and Injil translated as the Gospel respectively.
In them, fasting was prescribed to the people as was later prescribed to the Muslims through Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as reflected in the holy Quran in Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2), verses 183–187.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through his examples showed how fasting should be undertaken by Muslims which begins with the sighting of the crescent of the moon of Ramadan upon which they take the intention to fast by abstaining from food, water and sexual intimacy from dusk to dawn throughout the blessed month when Muslims are encouraged to increase their act of worship for increased spiritual rewards. Ramadan fast, no doubt, presents an opportunity to test one’s faith and consideration for the less privileged in the society.
It’s a period of sober reflection, denial, sacrifice, love and care as everyone, regardless of his or her position in the society is expected to engage in the spiritual exercise and have a taste of how it feels to be hungry and thirsty due to lack of means to afford food and drinks. It’s therefore, not surprising that the month of Ramadan is the most popular month in the Islamic calendar when Muslims look forward to it with heightened anxiety, interest and expectations of increased blessings and rewards from one’s good deeds.
Over the years, the month of Ramadan has become increasingly popular even amongst non Muslims who are influenced by the mood of the season with some practically joining either in solidarity with their fasting friends and family or out of curiosity to share in the experience.
ZAKAT AL FITRI
As the fasting gets to the end, there’s an act of giving that was built into the spiritual exercise as a demonstration of the caring nature of the Islamic religion which we must not take for granted -It’s that practice of offering commonly eaten grains by the fasting Muslims to other less privileged members of the society before the commencement of the Eid prayers and the merriment that goes with the celebration. According to the practice and teachings of the Prophet (PBUH), every fasting Muslim must endeavour to offer the measured amount of the grains to a deserving member of the community a day before or in the early morning of the Eid day, except if it’s practically impossible for one to be able to do it due to acute lack of means. In that case, the one that falls under this category is most deserving of the gift by others in order to create that feeling of unity, care and love.
From any perspectives that one may look at it, the introduction of compulsory offer of food items by the fasting Muslims to the needy members of the society as a formal way to terminate the fasting is a lesson in how to share, love and care for one another which is the central message of the month of Ramadan, which Muslims should take seriously.
As we end the Ramadan fast this evening and expect to go to the Eid praying ground tomorrow to offer two (2) Rakat prayers in appreciation of Allah’s favour, blessings and mercy upon us, may we enjoy the fullest measures of the reward for our sacrifices and devotion, and continue to enjoy His bounties as we move on with normal life of eating and drinking halal foods in other months of the year without time restrictions.
We must also appreciate all those that have contributed to the success of the spiritual exercise in one way or the other, especially our family and friends who stood by us in ways that made the experience less cumbersome. May Allah reward and bless everyone.
Ramadan Mubarak and Happy Sallah celebration tomorrow.
Discover more from TheTimes Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
